City Center Park [Open]

A Friday, like any other, at least to look at it. A calm day, with a smattering of clouds crossing the sky, light and fluffy like cotton balls, surrounded by a canvas of endless blue. A light breeze, ruffling the leaves in the trees, the plants upon the ground, and the silver hair of the girl in the wheelchair.

Rei lets out a quiet breath, looking up at that sky, those clouds, eyes half-closed as usual, staring, almost unblinking, watching the clouds drift, the birds fly... It was beautiful to her, how free they were... and irritating. That she was bound to her chair pained her more than usual when she looked at the sky... but at the same time, she loved it. it was part of what she lived for... at least, during her days.

She rarely visited the park, but with nothing more to do today after having finished her trip to the library to return some books Muika had decided to pay it a visit. A beat up, old sketchbook in hand, Muika sat scribbling and sketching away, using a few feeding pigeons a few feet away from her as her models of choice.

It was refreshing almost, despite her wariness of others to hear their muffled voices mixed in with the sounds of the city. Though she much preferred the sounds of the cicada's and the sounds of the owl's at night that she'd grown so accustomed to, it was good to catch a break every once in awhile. She knew she spent too much time out there, secluded in her own little world, but it couldn't be helped under her circumstances.

Rei was not one to notice people, usually, but... today, she seems in a remarkably social mood. Her eyes turn from the sky, sweeping over the ground as she follows a pigeon as it lands, beginning to eat some crumbs on the ground. Then she notices the girl feeding them, and... something in her wants to talk to her. A shame that it would be rather unlike her to just yell at her, and rather rude... not as if she can just walk over. Perish the thought. She turns to face her nurse, seated on a bench nearby. "Excuse me... could you bring me over to the birds, please?" Her voice is quiet, almost monotone, but the nurse hears her, nodding and speaking politely to her before standing and wheeling her near the woman, though not too close. The girl looks over at the woman, smiling a little. "They look nice, don't they?"

The pencil in her hand ceased it's movements as Muika turned her eyes to look at who had addressed her. It was a girl, bound to a wheelchair, with hair a bright white in comparison with her own pale cream colored locks.

She gave a small nod, "They do."

It then dawned on her she wasn't wearing her sunglasses. Normally, she'd always be wearing them to cover her eyes. The blue tint of the lens helped shield the strange color of her iris' that tended to make people uneasy and her blind eye that usually brought upon unwanted pity glances.

Her hand momentarily inched towards them, hanging from the collar of her hoodie, but she stopped; knowing it would be rude to suddenly put them on now.

She hadn't said much to the girl either, it was hardly a proper response in her eyes. Though, she lacked proper social skills she knew most of the time it was her own guarded nature that restricted her conversations.

She didn't mind the silence. Rei was used to it. Many didn't know what to say to her when they saw her arms and legs, though this woman was better than most. She didn't begin the endless train of apologies for something she had nothing to do with, and couldn't have changed if she'd been there. She'd continue to talk, smiling a little.

"I envy them, you know? The birds. It must be amazing to fly." This wasn't an entirely true statement from her... she knew what it was like to fly... not fly, exactly, but with how she felt when she was able to move... it might as well be flying.

"Actually... I'd even settle on being able to walk. Or at least push myself around."

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"I envy them, you know? The birds. It must be amazing to fly."

"Seems like it'd be fun." Muika responded, glancing at the birds as they pecked away at the ground. She knew the feeling of near flying, but it wasn't technically flying. Not that she could really say that to others though. She really enjoyed the feeling though, of having the wind blow and whip through her hair.

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"Actually... I'd even settle on being able to walk. Or at least push myself around."

Muika could feel for the girl, she'd seen children in states similar to her's when she was young, they'd been more unlucky than most.

It must be hard for this girl, to live unable to walk or get around on her own. People probably looked at her weird like they did with her sometimes. She really didn't like that feeling, and this girl probably despised it as well.

She nods, looking up at the sky.

It was still empty... still beautiful, still sad.

She didn't mind.

Rei looks at the woman. She was sad, too. She was lonely, perhaps.

"It's strange... you don't look at me like you pity me. Even my nurses look at me like that. Why not you?"

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"It's strange... you don't look at me like you pity me. Even my nurses look at me like that. Why not you?"

Muika shrugged, "I know the feeling of getting those looks and I don't like them, so I don' t look at others like that."

She couldn't be entirely honest, but she hoped what she'd said was good enough. While she didn't come across girl's like her on a regular basis anymore, she was all to use to seeing people in her state, only a lot more stitched up or bloody. She'd witnessed the acts that had caused them to become that way, seen limbs being torn straight from their bodies while the adults around her barely batted an eyelash at the action.

Over the years, she'd grown used to seeing it. It wasn't something anyone should ever have to be used to, but it hadn't been her choice. It was just the way things were.

She nods, actually smiling a bit. She liked this woman already. She wasn't like the others.

"There are so many things in this world... wonderful things, and terrible things. Why is this world so amazing, and yet terrifying, at the same time? It seems strange, to me."

She frowns a little. That had sounded strange... mostly because she rarely talked so much.

"What's your name? Mine is Rei... or that's what people call me."

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"There are so many things in this world... wonderful things, and terrible things. Why is this world so amazing, and yet terrifying, at the same time? It seems strange, to me."

Muika didn't know what to say without saying too much. It was a big, wide world mixed with both happiness and misfortune. Terrifying realities hidden by the acceptable normality most of it's occupants grew up in.

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"What's your name? Mine is Rei... or that's what people call me."

"I'm Muika." She replied, introducing herself.

"Muika... that's a pretty name. Muika... I think you seem like an interesting person, Muika. And that is rare. The vast majority of people are idiots.

"Th-thanks." She replied, it wasn't often she'd get complimented on her name and it tended to catch her by surprise whenever it happened as she wasn't used to it.

From what she'd experienced, there were a good many of people who didn't seem to be as intelligent as someone in their age group should be. Though, who was she to talk? She'd received education from the adults of Bell's Viper, but she had no official documentation for ever having had any -- to most she could be seen as some uneducated bumpkin despite it's inaccuracy.

She slowly nods, turning to look at the birds again. "It is nothing. Just a statement of fact." This woman seemed strange, too... but in a good way. In any case, she longed to run... to jump, to soar... but no, this was not the time. Tonight... tonight she would run. Tonight she would run, and leap, and see the city as it was meant to be seen... For now, she has a conversation to continue.

"I have not spoken this much in quite some time. My nurse is likely beside herself with relief. I hardly ever talk to her."

"I don't normally talk much either." She replied.

Muika usually only spoke when she absolutely had to. When she was working a job or applying for one, the things you'd need to talk during. Usually she'd just keep silent, only giving a nod every now and then in response to the person talking to her.

She'd spent over a good year of her life not speaking at all once, not even when ordered too. It often ended in punishment or being belittled but it was just the way she'd been.

"It's been awhile since I've talked this much as well."

She smiles, the very edge of her mouth quirking up a little, crimson eyes opening a bit more than usual, seeming less bored, now. "Then it seems that we have something in common, don't we?" She leans her head back against the rest installed in her chair, looking up at the sky again. She longed to run... to be free, and unfettered. Perhaps she would run away, one of these days. But would she be able to hide that form well enough?

Muika gave a small nod, "I guess so."

She would have said more, tried to add something in to further the conversation because she knew she was speaking too little. What could she say though, what could she ask? She could apologize for not being good at conversations, but that wouldn't really get them anywhere and at the most would probably result in awkward silence.

While she was thinking, she took notice of one of the pigeons fly off, flapping it's wings at a fast pace as before gaining a steady pace in the sky.

The girl watches the pigeon as it flies off, silent again, as if in a trance... a tear falls down her cheek. This annoys her. It usually does, since she can't do anything about it, and rarely does anything like it happen, so she's not exactly used to the sensation.

"I'd like to go home."

She speaks to noone in particular, though her nurse would approach her to wheel her away.

"Wait. Excuse me, Miss Muika? I would enjoy if you would visit me sometime. My home is an apartment at 249 3rd street... Apartment 4. You could even come now if you'd like."

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"Wait. Excuse me, Miss Muika? I would enjoy if you would visit me sometime. My home is an apartment at 249 3rd street... Apartment 4. You could even come now if you'd like."

"Uhm, s-sure." Again, she was caught by surprise.

She'd never been offered by someone to come and visit them before, it was something that usually took place between friends. She'd never even gone to anyone's house even from before her time in Bell's Viper, as she hadn't had any friends at that time either. This was new territory for her.

Normally, she'd be too suspicious of people any similar invitation was offered to her, her guarded nature would would scream at her to refuse. She knew she'd never get anywhere, make any progress in fitting in to what was considered normal behavior for people if she let that nature constantly rule her though.

Rei nods, her eyes closing, a very slight smile appearing on her face as she considers what she'd just done. She hadn't done it in a very, very long time... asked someone to come over. It was rather a new thing for her, honestly. She'd never been one to make friends, let alone ask them to stay with her for any length of time.

"Thank you, Muika. It's a pleasure. Alright, we can go now." She nods a bit, and her nurse begins to wheel her away through the park, hopefully followed by Muika.

Closing her sketchbook, Muika stood and began following Rei and her nurse as they headed off. Although it didn't show in her expression, she was a bit nervous. To be going to someone else's home that wasn't her own. Were all people like this when they visited someone's home for the first time?

Giving an inaudible breath, she shook the thoughts from her mind as she followed, the gemstone dangling from her wrist shaking a bit with each step she made, causing it to sway back and forth on occasion.