Kori had a habit of prying where she shouldn't have, and no matter how foolish it was in any given situation, she always gave into the urge to do it again. This case was no different, quickening her pace to catch up with him across a busy street. "Hey, wait, can I ask you something?" she said, not even stopping to come up with a deception to weasel her way into his attention. To do so would be equally foolish, but one could only be careless so many times in one day.
She found herself caught off guard by Ren's appearance, and furthermore, the charm he radiated. It was almost enough to make her second guess herself, an effect charming people just so happened to have on her. She shook away the doubt only momentarily; curiosity was a far stronger force, and if there was something unknown, she wanted to know it.
At all costs.
"Hey, your name is Renard, right?" she asked, looking at a few notes she had collected, something she was grateful for as she stumbled over her words. "I, uh, I'm sorry for interrupting your day. I just have heard things, and I have to know something."
Kori averted her eyes from Ren, unable to meet his gaze. She began to regret saying anything at all, but she was so far in now that if she gave up he would certainly know something was up. "That boy in the cage. Alistair, isn't it? Why do you keep him like that?"
@ np, Kori knows everyone in this folder! (that's why i chose her for this, she's the only one who knows everyone in the folder and i dont have affiliations tagged yet TuT ) In the meantime, some of them have info and some don't, but feel free to ask about anyone, since the whole story is finished and Kori would be able to answer for anyone.
vvvv aaaa this is awesome!! thank you!!! i did a follow-up here in the spoiler section ^-^ Also, Gentaro is such a cool character!!
Kori was grateful for the coffee that Gentaro offered. She was trying to get used to regular coffee again, and even though she was breaking her dependence, she still needed the caffeine. She gave a dry smile at his efforts -- coffee sure was coffee -- but she recognized that he was trying to get on with it. After all, she often did the same, inserting a casual chat before pressing matters.
Goodwin? He's wondering about Goodwin?
Kori averted her gaze and sighed, keeping her dry smile and nearly giving a small laugh to herself. "Ah, she must have caused a hassle for you, huh? Sorry, we try not to let her frighten anyone away. She does have a tendency to be a hassle sometimes, if I must be honest. We met when she got hired at the cafe, and that very same day she convinced herself I had a crush on a guy I thought I barely knew!" Kori finished her coffee and placed the mug in front of her, staring at it and shaking her head to herself. "We got to know each other somewhat quickly, if only because she made sure of it. She invited me to her house and served me the shittiest tea she had, but despite how much she torments me, I kind of feel like I have to keep her safe, you know? Keep her out of trouble, I guess."
Kori couldn't get lost in reminiscing too long, however, because at the mention of Phecda, she perked up and finally met Gentaro's gaze. "Oh, Phecda? He and Goodwin knew each other for years. He hired her without telling me because she wanted to reconnect with him, and when Phecda gets and idea in his head, there's no stopping him. He says they're old friends, but neither of them told me for the longest time that it's because they're from the same place. I guess they met there, but if Goodwin is willing to tell me, I'm sure Phecda will backtrack, so I haven't been able to get the full story yet."