[zapdragon555]

When the Imperial army was nearing the end of its already stretched-thin war supplies, the Black Guard had been one of the first to be let go. A group of creedless assassins simply couldn't be trusted, and too many resources had gone into supporting them (laughable; they'd always relied on their own resources, and Rithika knew this better than anyone else), and so, they'd sloughed them off like a pack too heavy for their final trek into the jaws of the Purine beast.

Perhaps it was just as well. Rithika had spent those final months hiding in the darkest corners of Evelon. The war had ended, and she'd barely known, until soldiers started to come home, to turn back into civilians as best they could. And Rithika, having long since shed her Imperial badge, had been accepted easily by the returning soldiers. None of them knew her. She'd always worked from the shadows, killing and then slipping away.

And now she worked as a waitress. It was... strange, how things worked out this way. Her cold grey stare fended off any amount of flirtation from the men who ate and drank here, and her boss was easygoing, didn't ask questions. She'd... even been learning to cook, some, from the chef. It would be an odd thing to call it embarrassing, but... in some ways, it was. Hands that once so easily gripped a dagger now found themselves somewhat stiffly controlling a spatula and pan.

She lived in a tiny apartment in the Slums, and commuted to work each day, in Lamenolai. Having a set address now brought to her another thing that she had come to miss, terribly...

Rithika still remembered it vividly—her strange, almost fateful encounter with that little Purine soldier, their joint escape from certain death, and then... those gentle hands, patching Rithika's wounds as best they could. How cruel she'd been to the poor little lamb. Rithika smiled now to think about it, even if she still felt a pang of guilt for how she'd threatened Caprice so harshly, for doing her such a kindness.

But... they'd eventually returned to their factions. Their separate sides of the war. And during that time, in the most careful secret, they'd exchanged letters. And in time, those letters had grown... warm. Familiar. Far different than a simple acquaintance that she'd accidentally picked up, Caprice had become something stitched into the heart that Rithika had truly thought she'd thrown away, joining the Black Guard. And those letters—Rithika had almost lost them all, when her faction was dissolved. Retrieving them had been a death defiance in its own right.

They were safe now, in a little box in her apartment. And speaking of her apartment—a permanent address, now, meant... that she could send letters again. And so... she had. It was a shorter thing, for she'd been out of practice, after hiding for so long. Unfamiliar, and yet... unmistakably her handwriting. She'd prayed that Caprice was still alive to receive it, this tiny letter stuffed with apology and assurance that Rithika was alive and hoping that Caprice was safe.

And she'd gotten a letter back.

And the war ended.

In her tiny apartment, now, Rithika carefully transferred a fried egg onto a piece of toasted bread, already melted with cheese, and nudged it with the spatula until it looked close to alright. She set the spatula aside and observed her work, reaching over for the pepper grinder. As she held it in her hands for a moment, it occurred to her that she'd never owned something like this in her life—such a simple luxury. A few twists would make these sandwiches taste very good, she hoped, even when they'd lost their heat in the train ride to... wherever they were going to go.

Right—that. That... that thing that she was preparing for. With the war over, finally, and with their lives finally coming back together... Rithika was going to see her again. For the first time, since the war. For a picnic. As an assassin, Rithika had nerves of steel, and yet she still couldn't help the fluttery anxiety rooted deep in her chest, as she wrapped up their sandwiches and placed them carefully in a cheap basket, a dish towel carefully covering them. Caprice was meant to bring something, too, if she had the time... Rithika couldn't help but wonder what it would be.

It was easier to wonder on that than to wonder how Caprice would look at her, when she finally saw her face to face. Oh, that fluttery thing in her chest constricted as though it had been struck, and she hurriedly picked up the basket, her cheeks tinting with red. She was quick out the door—until she remembered at the last minute that she'd... gotten a gift, too. Wrapped it as well as she could, which wasn't very well. She hurriedly picked it up and tucked it into the basket, a lumpy guardian over the sandwiches. And so she was even quicker, this time, out the door—quick to the train station, quick to scowl that death stare at anyone who dared shove her, tall though she was. And so she stood by their platform, the one they were to meet at, with the train hissing loud in her ears and her eyes scanning the crowd for some familiar sign of a face she hoped she would recognize.

[Jaykobell]

The war had been such an incredible experience for her. It had been both extremely rewarding and terribly horrifying. While she could have done without some parts of it, overall, she had been happy and proud to serve as a Purine soldier. She had been especially proud to be part of the "winning side": the valiant, fair, kind Purines.

... But no, that hadn't really been it, huh? The Purines had—

Ah. Ah. Yes... the Purines.

At the end of the war, she had been let go. She had expected it, of course, with the war being over. It was time to return to civilian life, to return to normal life. And for the most part, Caprice had adapted to it very well! She had a nice little house, not all that impressive but still pretty good for a single woman, and she had a certain amount of respect from her peers: her coworkers, her friends, her superiors. She excelled at whatever she could put her mind to, putting her whole heart and soul into it. People often wondered how she could keep going like this, seemingly without ever needing to stop.

She would have loved to say that it was just a strong will, but the truth was, she had a little secret... Or, well, a few little secrets. They were letters: letters from someone who, by now, she considered very important to her. A certain rough and gruff Imperial soldier she had met during one of her solo missions during the war. Caprice had been so naive, back then. Had it not been for Rithika's more calculated personality, Caprice might not have returned from that mission. She owed the Imperial her life... in many ways.

She didn't know how to feel as she stared intently in the mirror, looking her face over for any blemishes or moles or zits or— Well, of course, she was excited! To think they would be able to meet up again, in person, after so long! The letters had been so precious to her, one of the few things Caprice put ahead of her jobs, ahead of the myriad of projects she had. But to see her friend in the flesh again, it was... she was so excited that she felt numb. It was a feeling that she couldn't put into words.

She ran out, and the trip to the train station wasn't so long, but today, it was excruciatingly slow. How would Rithika react? What would she say? What would she do? What would Caprice say, or do?

Even as she reached the station, it took little time for her to recognize and find the tall former Imperial. She looked different, in a good different, even though Caprice couldn't quite put her finger on why.

She slowly approached, her body tense, seemingly refusing to listen and relax. Her shoulders raised, the tension in her body the complete opposite of the comically large grin on her face. It almost looked like she was about to giggle, or make a sound, but she only stared in silence. Eventually, she spread her arms, inviting Rithika over.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika had adapted to her new life in many ways, but she still wasn't particularly well-versed with crowds. Her life as an assassin had been a solitary one, filled with weeks upon months alone, lying in wait for a perfect killshot. Silence was a comfort. But the sheer wall of noise that surrounded her on all sides grated on her nerves, had her hands gripping the handle of the basket until her knuckles were white.

She glanced up as the train hissed to a stop once more, and the doors shucked open. They would stay open for some time, but... not for very long. Rithika's eyes snapped back to the crowd, searching, searching—and then...

And then saw her.

Grey eyes flashed with recognition, and Rithika raised her head, squared her shoulders and rose up on the balls of her feet to see even further above the crowd. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning out the din of noise as the smaller figure came forward, and stopped in front of her. For a moment, Rithika simply stared, took in the other woman's face with a calm exterior, and a buzzing interior. Her eyes barely darted, taking in the sight of her face—familiar. So familiar, and yet... more tired. A little bit older. Rithika wondered if she, too, looked older.

It wasn't that Rithika was afraid to speak. But she was almost holding her breath, as she took in that huge grin, trying to work out just why it made her heart beat faster. Suddenly the noise of the crowd was barely an issue, faded into the background as white noise, as memories of their escape flickered through her mind, contrasting darkness to that sunshine-smile that Caprice was wearing.

The Purine—no... no longer. The woman opened her arms, and the world's sound rushed back into Rithika's ears, leaving the tall woman blinking and staring at the offer for a hug.

Contact was still something that Rithika was learning. She rarely let anyone touch her, but she no longer jumped or scowled at a friendly touch to her shoulder, or handshake. But a hug was something different, it was... something else entirely, and yet she found herself stepping closer, that sharpness of her gaze softening automatically as she finally put that handwriting, those penned words, to the face she'd seen all that time ago.

It was a wordless thing, the way Rithika took Caprice into her arms, the basket bouncing slightly against the smaller woman's back as she pulled her in close and hugged her, perhaps too tightly at first. She softened almost instantly, hesitant, her eyes darting around the crowd as the train hissed once more. "We—we should get on the train, before it... leaves," she mumbled, half hidden in Caprice's hair, as her heart beat far more gently in her chest, still rabbit-quick.

Those were the only words she said, but... as Rithika pulled back to look the woman in the eyes, her own face began to melt slightly, from that hard stony look to a softer, fonder gaze. She blinked out of it hurriedly and let go haltingly, then waved for Caprice to follow to the train door. "It'll be... easier to talk in there," she offered, still awkward, as though she didn't speak all that often anymore.

[Jaykobell]

The hug felt so strange at first, so unfamiliar. In the busy workhorse schedule that was her life, Caprice barely ever had a second to even think about physical touch. At this point, it had become uncomfortable, but welcomed all the same.

But to have this tall, strong woman embrace her; it made the discomfort melt away. That tight squeeze, right before Rithika lessened her grip, how Caprice enjoyed that feeling. This sort of "bear hug", a strong hold that spoke volumes. To feel her friend — her dear friend — hugging her, holding her, it brought her back to that time. That time during the war, when they had first met. That war when... when—

When the Purines had—

Her mind panicked for a heartbeat, quickly interrupted by Rithika's quiet, direct words. Caprice thanked the Triumvirate. "O-oh, yes! Yes, the train," she agreed, her voice much higher, much louder than Rithika's. Caprice loved that about her, though: Rithika was a woman of few words, but she spoke wisely. Every spoken word had a reason to be spoken; it was much unlike Caprice, who could talk multiple people's ears off all at once, for much too long.

Again with that strange tension in her body, this surreal amount of excitement translating into some form of stress. "Let's hurry!" She skipped along the ground, eventually catching up to Rithika, their arms brushing. "I don't want to be a stowaway again," she said quietly, chuckling softly, a little inside joke between the two of them, only for their ears to hear.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika's head was spinning a little too much from the press and noise of the crowd to wonder if she was supposed to say anything more than she had. At the moment she was entirely focused on getting the both of them onto that train and into a place marginally quieter than this. Then they could talk. Caprice's voice was a thing that fluttered a beat back into Rithika's heart, something a bit quicker than the pounding that had been ringing in her ears before. A bit softer. More... pleasant.

That soft thing inside of her fluffed and bristled like a startled cat as their arms brushed, grey eyes darting to the top of Caprice's head. A stowaway...

Slowly, a smile spread over Rithika's face, a rarity that perhaps looked odd against such sharp eyes. But it was mirthful, quiet though it was, her own soft chuckles buried under the hiss of the train.

"Watch your step. It's wide," Rithika murmured, watching Caprice's step for her as she cleared the gap between the walkway and the train, her free hand itching and ready to reach out just in case the other woman stumbled. Her eyes still smiled, faintly, thinking of it. What different circumstances they found themselves in...

"We could still be stowaways. It wouldn't be as bad, with neither of our legs broken," she mused aloud, still soft-voiced, so as to not concern the other passengers squishing about and trying to find their cars. Rithika glanced down the long hallway of the train, spying a vacant car with its doors open, and looked towards Caprice with a small smile. "There's a seat up ahead, I think." She'd wait until Caprice had her footing before leading her down the hallway.

[Jaykobell]

Caprice spared no time getting onto the train, indeed watching her step. How foolish would it be, for her to get injured or to ruin their reunion over something so mundane? Surely, by now, she ought to know how to board a train.

It made her heart flutter a little, hearing Rithika joke. "Hard to be stowaways when there's already so many witnesses," she joked back, but soon, the mention of an empty car came up. She peeked down the hallway, and she picked up on the car too. "Oh, I see it!"

She took a few steps ahead, and she had to consciously stop herself from just running straight ahead. "Let's hurry before someone else tries to take it!" And once they got in the car, they could close the doors, and their could truly start catching up on all the lost time.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika's smile didn't grow on her face, but it did find a more permanent set, finding it hard to drop this tiny jest back and forth, this inside joke of theirs. "I could take care of the witnesses," she mused, as calmly and as lightheartedly as one talking about the oddly pleasant weather they were having. "Well. Maybe not all of them."

She raised a brow ever so slightly at Caprice, to show she was obviously fooling. She chuckled a soft, low sound as Caprice bounded a few paces ahead, and she set her own watchful, careful pace, one hand going to her pocket while the other held the basket on her wrist.

The basket... food. A picnic. Right, that's... that's where they were going. Rithika looked back up at Caprice as the woman looked back at her and urged her to hurry, a thing that would have probably made her angry, one time. But not this time. Not from her.

Instead her feet picked up the pace, and she reached the car, staring down a couple who had been aiming for it as well, only to watch them quickly swerve away and avoid her gaze. Good. She smiled as they passed, glad that she still had some sort of presence to her, even after growing soft in civilian life. And Caprice... she looked as Rithika remembered her. Any differences were small, and truly, it was a wonderful, yet strange thing to see her again. She'd work out her feelings about it later.

Rithika stepped inside the modest train car, a pair of old sofa-seats facing each other, with a tiny standing table between them. And on the opposite wall where she stood, a window to the outside, which for now only showed a fogged suggestion of people walking through the train steam.

She set her basket down on the table, and glanced back towards Caprice with a small gesture of her hand, ready to shut the door behind her. "It isn't so bad in here, for a train in the slums. Maybe they renovated... I remember it was worse, right after the war. Run down, full of insects and mice. But this paint looks new."

She realized at once that she was rambling, and after a small startle, a stiffening of his spine, she relaxed sheepishly and sat down almost comically carefully on one of the seats. It was almost as though she was unsure of where to put herself, in a place like this. Her apartment and her workplace had become familiar, but this particular train was an odd one. The one she took to Lamenolai was more of a standing train, crowded and pressed. This was... well... by slums standards, it was luxury.

[Jaykobell]

Caprice had noticed another couple aiming for the car, but missed the part where Rithika's presence and stare alone had deterred them from taking the space. She was too excited about the prospect of catching up with Rithika, to finally breathe from the suffocating lifestyle she'd built for herself.

And this desire only increased when Rithika rambled a little about the car, and when she awkwardly sat down. Caprice grinned like a fool, teeth going from ear to ear. The taller woman was a person of few words, and Caprice found it charming. It always made it so exciting to listen. And when it happened that Rithika spoke a bit more than usual, it was even more exciting.

"I've never been in this kind of car," Caprice replied as she sat down in the sofa-seat across from Rithika. "Usually it's the bus or the subway."

It was so mundane, and... irrelevant. Was it really worth their time, to talk about Caprice's transportation on the daily? No, there was something a lot more interesting that she wanted to hear. "But that stuff doesn't matter," she said as she sighed, an exhale quick and short, as she continued to grin the whole time. "What... what have you been up to? You've been good?"

[zapdragon555]

Rithika found herself surprised by Caprice's grin. She wasn't used to such friendliness—usually it wasn't a thing readily given to her, in her workplace or the shops she went to out of necessity. Her appearance generally didn't invite much cheer, all tall and angles and sharp eyes and strong arms. But Caprice smiled generously, and it... admittedly, it melted something inside of Rithika, something that felt awkward and out of place.

She felt her shoulders droop, relaxing somewhat into an easier smile as Caprice sat down across from her. She wasn't sure how to interpret the twinge in her heart that wanted the woman to sit beside her. She tamped it down without saying anything.

Rithika hummed in understanding, nodding once and glancing out the window for a moment before looking back to Caprice. "The Slums aren't developed quite enough yet to have subways... busses aren't the safest, here, either. This train is... safest, and cleanest." She spoke a little bit haltingly, still not quite used to her own voice, but... it was getting easier. Easier to smile a little bit, too.

The Slums really had been an odd choice to settle down in, for her. But no one asked questions, here. It was easy to blend in, and she rarely saw any trouble, given her ability to fight back easily, efficiently. She hadn't been mugged since that first day, and even that first day had been unsuccessful. The body had been a little hard to dispose of, though.

Rithika blinked out of her thoughts as Caprice kept speaking, a little swath of sunlight breaking up the dark clouds of her memories. She felt her mouth twitch into a smile again, as Caprice fluttered about in her speech. "I've been... good, yes. I... have a job, working in a restaurant." It almost felt a little embarrassing to say so, and she scratched at her cheek slightly, sheepish. "As a waitress."

At least they didn't make her wear anything ridiculous. She'd been offered a skirt, and while some tiny part of her had been curious about the prettier piece of fabric, she'd gone with the pants and shirt instead. More familiar, more comfortable. And she looked fine in it, not that looking fine was anything she'd ever cared about... until... maybe today, where she had preened a tiny bit in the mirror, in hopes she looked presentable for her... friend.

Rithika had paused for some time, and she suddenly perked up a bit, as though ratcheting back to life after running out of batteries. "Mm—but I live in an apartment, and... I'm getting by alright. What about... you?" she finally returned the question, and suddenly realized, her own basket was... the only thing on the table between them. And probably would be the only thing between them on this picnic.

The urge to tease washed over her like an old memory, or perhaps a powerful wave. Perhaps both. She couldn't help it—old habits died hard, and she found her mouth curving into perhaps a much more familiar smirk, eyeing Caprice over the small table that separated them with amusement glittering in her gaze. "Did you forget to bring food with you, or should I worry whether or not a certain little lamb has a kitchen or not?" It was one part joke, one part actual concern—the space and freedom for Caprice to admit that she was in fact homeless, or couldn't afford to bring anything. Rithika hoped her gaze conveyed some of that empathy. Rithika had been there, not too long ago.

[Jaykobell]

Caprice hung at every word spoken by the woman in front of her. The thought to sit next to her had crossed her mind, and she'd almost gone for it. She'd decided against it last minute; Rithika meant a lot to her, and she could tell Caprice meant a lot to Rithika too; but how much? Enough to share such close space? They'd shared much smaller spaces during their war escapade, but the circumstances had been different then.

So she had refrained, instead deciding to sit across from her friend. And frankly, it was still a great decision: from this position, she could look into the other's eyes; she could revel at her muscles, her imposing physique; the way she moved as she spoke, the subtle features on her face that changed as she smiled, as she spoke, as she looked away through the window. As Rithika started speaking, Caprice prompted her head into her hands, elbows on the table, enamored.

Throughout Rithika's speech, Caprice made small comments, mostly to show she was, indeed, paying attention, but also because she was genuinely invested. "You do? That's great!" she praised at the mention of Rithika having a job, the sheepishness of the other making Caprice grin like a fool, ear to ear. "Oh, really? I'm glad to hear that!" she then added at the mention of the apartment and Rithika getting along all right. Part of her had been concerned about the fact Rithika lived in the Slums, even if the other woman's job had been that of an assassin during the war. So Caprice was relieved to hear her friend was doing all right.

"Oh, me?" she replied when the question was flipped onto her. She put both hands on the table, and she leaned back. "Well, I've been..."

She stopped mid-sentence when Rithika brought up how Caprice had forgotten to bring food. Caprice's expression visibly changed right in front of the other; from confusion, to realization, to utter, horrified dread. So much so, for a few seconds, she could only stare, with her mouth open, between Rithika and the table. "I... Oh, I'm so sorry," she gasped, her body flushing with embarrassment that she couldn't put into words. "Rithika, I'm so sorry, I... No, I do have a kitchen, I just... with work, with everything, I was just so focused on making sure everything would be okay while I'm gone, and seeing you again, that I..." She spoke quickly, barely stopping to breathe, stopping only after realizing what she'd said.

Had that been too forward?

She quickly continued. "I-I'll make sure to buy something in town. I know it won't be homemade, but it's the least I can do."

[zapdragon555]

It was hard not to smile, really, as Caprice's veneer of calm unraveled into fluttering embarrassment. Rithika wouldn't push it—she didn't want to make the other woman feel shame by any means. That would be cruel, especially for something so lighthearted as this. Besides, Rithika had made food for the both of them, and it would be plenty.

Still, here Caprice was trying so hard to stumble into unneeded promises. The mention of work had her nodding softly in understanding. Rithika was... good, really, at separating her work life from her... whatever other life she had. People-watching? What did she do in her free time? Regardless, after so long of her work and her life being indistinguishable from one another, it had been a relief of sorts to be able to have a clear separation. Maybe Caprice... didn't have that separation any longer.

Rithika raised a hand with a gentler smile, shaking her head. "I was teasing you," she said, simple and forthright. She had heard that last part—seeing you again. Of course, Rithika had felt it, too. And as Caprice wilted slightly in her own seat, Rithika felt a small surge of urgency in her heart, the slight smirk falling off her face into something a bit more sheepish. "I... I actually almost forgot something, out the door, too. Because I was so in a hurry to get here. To... see you."

It felt forward. It did, really, felt like a little too much, despite the fact that they had been exchanging letters—tender ones, really, ones fraught with the loneliness of war, the fear, the longing for something normal and safe. There had been an emotional intimacy there that Rithika had not forgotten, but... the war had ended, and they were face to face, now. It was different. It was quieter.

Rithika opened her mouth again, taking in a breath. "Don't... worry about picking anything up. I promise, I made something for us both. If you're still hungry on the way back, though, we could—"

Peep?

Rithika froze, her eyes widening a fraction. She stared at Caprice, then at the closed door, then at the basket she'd brought. It was silent, but... she was sure she'd heard something. Slowly, Rithika raised her foot a few inches off the floor, and brought it down with a hard thud of her shoe. The tiny sound repeated, but much more frantic and startled this time, and quite suddenly a small, brown shape was rushing out from under her seat, skittering towards Caprice and clinging onto her leg.

Rithika stared as though something quite impossible had just happened—it was only a bird, and yet, why had it taken this long to make itself known? Rithika had to remind herself to lower her guard; at the moment, she looked poised and ready to chase the poor little thing that now tried to hide behind Caprice's legs.

[Jaykobell]

Even if Rithika had been teasing her, Caprice couldn't help but to feel awful. She could have brought something, anything, she could have grabbed something from the cupboard. Even if she'd brought some generic chips, it would've been better than to show up empty-handed.

But the guilt was momentarily forgotten when Rithika also brought up the fact that... she had been looking forward to seeing Caprice again. Caprice's first reaction to hearing that was, "Is she teasing me this time too?" But she would be damned if she hoped Rithika wasn't...

It didn't matter. What could have been said, was completely interrupted by a strange sound. She had been about to ask Rithika if she'd heard it, too, but the tall woman had beaten Caprice to it. And in addition to whatever had peeped in fear, Caprice yelped as well. "Ah! What was—"

Her heart was beating out of her chest, and she was even more startled by the feeling of something clinging onto her leg. Everything was happening so fast. "Wh-what is..." She shuffled a little and slowly reached down to try and pick up the small bird, which she hoped wouldn't peck her hands or frantically flap her wings. "How did it get...?"

While one penguin was busy distracting the two, unbeknownst to them, a second one roamed the cabin.

Unlike the other penguin, this one hadn't been frightened by Rithika's strong foot noise. And in fact, she was using this distraction to try and get into Rithika's belongings. Something smelled good, real good. And she wanted to eat it.

But first, she had to find the food; and so she wobbled about, making soft peeping noises of curiosity.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika could tell that something was still off, that she hadn't quite properly smoothed down Caprice's ruffled feathers with her reassurances (barebones that they were, unbeknownst to Rithika herself). But before she could follow up in the slightest, either to ask about it or think of a better assurance that nothing was wrong with forgetting something (for what a wonderful thing it was, to be able to safely forget something? A sign of peacetime if Rithika had ever seen one), there was... that peeping. That sound. And now, that bird.

How did a bird get in here? And a flightless one at that?

Rithika bristled with alarm as Caprice picked it up. It wasn't as though Rithika thought it was dangerous, but... well, it could be dangerous, couldn't it? She was on alert as Caprice tried to handle it, ready to intervene if it suddenly started biting or... spewing acid from its eyes, whatever baby penguins could do. When suddenly there was another noise—not a peeping, but a plap plap plap of tiny feet, a scramble...

She looked down with a start, inhaling sharply to find a second one. "They're multiplying," she said quite sincerely, with a stern sort of apprehension in her voice. She sidestepped the second penguin as it waddled about, now standing to her full height and tiptoeing around the bird. She glanced at Caprice, then down at the bird, and lightly nudged it with her shoe, grimacing a bit at the thought that there might be more of them. No matter how cute its little face was.

[Jaykobell]

Caprice was relieved to have been able to pick up the baby safely. She gently placed her on her lap, and then slowly approached a hand to pet her on the head. She couldn't explain where she had come from or why she was in this train cabin, but Caprice couldn't deny that this penguin was adorable. After petting the little one, she curled her finger along the little feather on the penguin's head. "You have such a pretty crest," she said softly.

Meanwhile, the other Aurona had been intercepted by someone who was not quite so enthralled. At being pushed by a large human foot, she squeaked in surprise, and then with small, arguably adorable, anger. Wasting no time, she lunged for Rithika's foot. She tried to peck and squawk at the foot, but her attempts were more akin to tickles than anything harmful.

[zapdragon555]

The little penguin in Caprice's grasp seemed rather resigned to its fate, and really, almost seemed to enjoy the attention that was suddenly being lavished onto her. It butted its head up into Caprice's fingers, letting out a happy trilling sound as it flicked its crest feather away, almost inviting Caprice to try to catch it again.

Rithika watched with a somewhat sour expression on her face, if only because she had been looking forward to talking more, and now their... whatever-this-was was being interrupted by these strange birds. But... she supposed they were lost. Still, it was strange to see the little penguin in Caprice's lap become so easily used to being cuddled.

She looked down at the one near her foot as it squeaked, and blinked as it puffed up in agitation. "Oh no," she muttered, and took an instinctive step back, but not soon enough that she could escape the barrage of pecking to her ankle. She barely felt it, but it was clear that the little bird was giving it all it had, and so... well.

It felt a bit wrong to just leave it there. "Okay. Alright... the floor is... these trains are filthy," she muttered, leaning down into a crouch to try to lift up the penguin herself, as she'd seen Caprice do. "At least let's get you onto the seat... or the table, or... something." Their basket was on the table... maybe it would be fine. They didn't seem like terribly dangerous animals, at any rate. "Watch out, Caprice, they can bite," she added in a slightly more humored tone, raising a brow as she tried to close her hands carefully around the little bird's body to lift it.