Private To Old Friends and New

Sitting on a bench in the courtyard, Sascha bundled up in his sweater against the breeze. Other than the light wind it was a warm, sunny afternoon. A good time to be outside eating lunch instead of in the crowded indoor cafeteria. Sascha had come out here to eat, and was holding a forgotten bag of tail mix in his hands while he watched the people passing by with a distant look.

If someone waved, the boy would wave back after a small delay, but otherwise he just sat quietly on the bench. Sascha was still more used to not being noticed. Yet on the island, where he could interact with anyone, he was missing something he'd had when there was only one person to care for. And each time a young child passed by, or someone with a certain type of magic, he got a little sadder.

Sascha sat watching and thinking, not sure how to make himself feel better, and not wanting to go inside yet. Then just as quietly as he had been sitting, he started to cry. He didn't hide the tears, but he wasn't wailing or otherwise calling attention to himself either. He absently rubbed his face with his sweater and curled up halfway on the bench still just looking at the people.


@Stefan

Sascha looked at the catboy as he approached, still sniffling a bit but otherwise calm. When the stranger spoke, he blinked slowly then looked to both sides wondering if there was someone else the catboy was actually talking to. He was the only one sitting though.

"Hello," he said after a moment's hesitation. Then nodded to answer the boy's question, uncurling so he wouldn't take up as much space. Sascha tilted his head curiously, watching the boy without speaking. He did wonder why he'd been approached, but he wasn't used to starting a conversation.

Still, he thought he should try and say something. So he wiped at his face with his sleeve and asked, "I can help you?" Sascha could sense the catboy wasn't a witch, so he didn't know how he actually would help. There didn't seem to be any harm in asking though.

Sascha blinked again tilting his head curiously and just looking at the other boy for a moment. "You noticed me?" The novelty startled some words out of him. After a bit of consideration he added. "There are much people here." He looked out across the courtyard, starting to frown again, but only slightly. Elijah's introduction prompted him to say his own name, "Hello, I'm Sascha." Brief and to the point, as if he'd only memorized it.

When Elijah mentioned his sweater, Sascha rubbed at his own face with the sleeve and nodded. "I am also new. I do not talk with more than one person at home. This is new here." His voice was tentative, picking through his words, and muffled by his sleeve.

Sascha for all his quietness wasn't exactly shy - he just wasn't used to speaking out loud. At Elijah's excitement, he lowered his sleeve with a smile, looking at the other boy without saying anything. It took him a moment to realize that Elijah hadn't responded to anything because he'd only been thinking it.

He gave a little sigh and was about to repeat himself when he heard the last thing Elijah said. "Oh.. Was she-" Sascha cut himself off and looked closer, but the cat boy did not seem to have the same magic as him. "Was she yours? " He stumbled a bit with the words, not sure what he wanted to ask. He wasn't even sure if lost meant like his witch or just gone because of something, not that that mattered. "I was for a witch..."