Cat-less Cat-owner

[Red_Tower]

He nodded for a moment before replying. "Call it instinct for now, I might explain later." Sitting down on the edge of the desk, he looked her over for a moment. "You look pretty good, considering you've spent the last few weeks running for your life. Who exactly is after you anyways?"

[Deleted]

".........Did that conversation fly over your head?" Huff, and he was onto her. "People who think ainchent history should be what's happening in the present." 'Don't touch me, I don't think I can handle that right now... You're on the desk, pay attention to the other stuff now please.' Tilting back with another unheard huff she appeared to grin and then rub the back of her neck sheepishly as she so often actually did. "Had I known I was going to be chased down I would have given you some warning..."

Eyeing him Kano could tell he didn't seem to be that affected by chasing after her, it was odd but didn't bother her too much given that he had managed fair enough when with her. 'Instinct?'

[Red_Tower]

"No, I was just asking if you knew who of these people were after you..." Bill paused for a moment. "I would have gone with you, tried to help you..." He told her, glancing around the room a moment. He knew she hadn't been here too long, but she had hunkered in quickly. Still, something in all this felt off. She left maps laying out practically in the middle of the room, and she was just standing here, waiting.

[Deleted]

The illusion was unaffected by his gaze but Kano flinched a bit under the scrutiny. It must show that she wasn't quite up to par somehow, the clockmaker couldn't figure it out though. "I don't know names, I know I shook them though. Do you need anything from here?" Examining the room unseen by Bill the girl found the chair tilted against the bookshelves from when she had slammed backwards in surprise and the books all in the places she had found them before they fell and a couple of the desks drawers hanging out. She also took note of the key she had made sitting on one of the maps on the right of the desk.

Using her foot in synch with the illusion the chair was righted and then sat upon. Looking up at him Kano struggled to decipher what he could possibly be thinking. 'What reason could you have for tracking me this far so quickly if you simply saw me as a bit of rare company?'

[Red_Tower]

Bill tilted his head for a second when she sat down, before looking around the room obviously. "I don't see anything in here I need." He said, pausing a second, glancing down at the maps. "What are these for? Did you have a plan of where to go?" He asked, examining the room. "Where has the dust been disturbed, where did she put her things, why are the things on the desk laid out so clearly, and why is she acting so casual?"

[Deleted]

"No, just mental comparison. Most of them seem to be of the surrounding area, not much that I couldn't figure out by just looking." Having spent most of her time at the desk or in the bedroom meant she spent a while simply rifling through things and examining the genral area, poking at anything she found interesting. The wall opposite the desk had what looked like a chemistry set on the top shelf along with a small potted cactus and more books.

'What are you after, I've hardly been here two days, why such scrutiny?' Kano glanced at the well for a moment huffing again, narrowing her eyes to see if she was missing something. There had to be a detail she wasn't getting right for him to respond as he was. She was a bit silent but really anything she had to say right now would seem off given the illusion.

[Red_Tower]

Bill nodded, thinking for a moment. Finally he sighed, looking her right in the eyes. "Am I talking to the real Kano right now?" He asked. He knew how easy it would be to see for himself, but he also hoped he knew her well enough. "Enough for what? That if this is just an illusion that she'll be honest with you? Think for a second idiot, if this is an illusion, she's already 'lying' to you, so why wouldn't she continue? And you're still going to check if she says yes, aren't you? So... foolhardy."

[Deleted]

Silence. "No not entirely." The urge to run was out done by she fact that she was cringing backwards into her seat. The illusion staid solid as she wasn't willing to put forth the effort to make it go away. The lie rubbed the back of its neck again, it was still there. Huffing unheard again Kano got up and moved hoping he wouldn't just go after what he saw.

Sitting down by the well with the illusion immobile the clockmaker watched his back searching for a response. 'Second person to nail it so solidly.'

[Red_Tower]

Bill sighed, falling back flat on the desk. He held his hand up, closing it like if to catch air, before flopping it back down. "So why are you lying to me Kano?" He asked, a little worried that that was a bit harsh. But he didn't want to lose her.

[Deleted]

"I was lying before it involved you... And it's very hard to make it go away without throwing myself at a wall or something." The illusion remained still watching him closely while the real thing was cringing into her coat a ways from him. Kano pressed herself harder against the wall knowing very well she could run up and poke him or even smash a book over his head so he gets it. 'Those are terrible ideas... If I hadn't rammed my self against the bookshelf earlier this wouldn't be a problem.'

If he did decide to break it it wasn't like the clockmaker would see it coming anyways. A shaky huff that went unheard again.

[Red_Tower]

"Then come out, because I know you're in here. Let me see the real, true you. I'll even go away afterwards if you want, but you've been straight with me this long..." Bill said, sitting upright again on the desk, glaring at the lie in front of him, as though his eyes could pierce it, break it. He wasn't mad though, just disappointed.

[Deleted]

"Alright. You don't have to go away company is nice." 'Shoulder it is.' Well aware that this was going to hurt quite a lot Kano lifted herself from the floor. Hesitating for just a moment before steping to the desk the clockmaker braced herself. The shattering sound rang out as she grasped the corner of the desk preventing her from falling. She had simply tapped him on the shoulder from behind and was now doing her best to avoid both falling and coughing.

Needless to say she failed given that this was the second time this morning and the several weeks on the road had not been the easiest. The feline eyed girl had succeeded in swallowing down her coughs but her usually fine tuned balance failed her and she pitched to the right.

[Red_Tower]

Bill spun around like a top the moment he felt her touch and the shattering noise sounded. He dived his arm down and caught her before she could hit the floor. "Thank you..." He murmured, quickly looking her over. "Are you alright? You aren't looking so great now..." The mage asked as he got her to her feet.

[Deleted]

"Mostly. I stopped because I needed to, I would have kept going last night had I not shaken them." 'At least I think I am.... Not so sure now though...' Standing there blinking for a moment Kano looked at Bill again. Something in his composure had changed but it wasn't registering beyond that and as frustrating ans not knowing was siting down would probably be best now. As she walked the short distance back to the well it registered to her that her balance would not in fact be entirely returning anytime soon.

Sitting down she began idly fiddling with her coat tail just to do something. His response had been amazingly quick given how intense his glare at the lie had been. 'It's too early in the day to be tired.. I should be heading out and exploring the quarry right now. Bill's here now though so I think it can wait.'

[Red_Tower]

"No offense, but you kinda look like crap right now, Kano. I mean, I hadn't expected you to be in the best of conditions after the speed you were going and the number of things you did to wipe your trail, but still..." Bill said, tilting his head again. "Does she suspect something? I mean, between that stupidly fast reaction and the fact that I even found her, I probably would. I'll have to watch myself now." He thought to himself as he brought himself back to the moment. "I have a few things in my pack that might help, if you want."