Exiles discussion

The atmosphere was frigid with dense fog. The streets were bathed in shades of gray and wetness and she had to squint to read the street signs. There were so many, Nymme was beginning to think she would never find the address. The directions had seemed simple: Follow this street, turn right on when you find the street written on the card and look for the building with the number on the card. Despite the chill, her heart was beating so fast, she was almost sweating.

She'd been exiled to hell as far as she knew. She hadn't heard much about Earth, but she knew it was doomed and that she was stuck in this horrid place for the rest of her life because of an accident. A horrible, horrible accident.

A jogger emerged from the fog and she screamed in surprise. The athlete gave her a bewildered look and started running faster when Nymme called after him.
"W-wait! I need help!" She whimpered. "I need directions!" She shouted louder.
"It's 5 in the morning! Shut up!" An annoyed grumble shouted back from nowhere in particular.
Someone tapped her shoulder from behind and she yelped, recoiling into herself. It was the jogger from before.
"Are you lost?" He didn't look as demonic as she had imagined humans would appear. She nodded in response, showing the small paper with directions. Was this even allowed? Was it safe?
"It's not far. Follow me." He started off into the fog. She hesitated. "You coming?" She nodded, forcing her legs to move in his direction and trying to ignore the many different ways this could lead to her death.
"Here it is."
"Huh?"
"Just walk up the steps and ring the door bell. They're expecting you, right?"
"Uh... y-yeah." She mumbled.
"Great. Bye!" And before she knew it, he was gone. She took his advice, climbing the steps and standing at the doorway. She raised her hand to knock and took a breath, trying to ignore her stomach twisting into knots.

Knock knock.

Nothing.

She knocked harder. Please someone be here! Please!

Peter startled awake, thinking he heard a knocking noise. He paused, straining his ears to catch the sound. The knocking came again. Scrambling to throw the covers away as he got up, he padded over to his parents' room and peeked in. They were sound asleep. Whoever it was, Peter probably could deal with it.

Groggily, he made his way to the front door and at one point stared at the corner of the couch accusingly for being in the way when he bumped into it.

Finally he came to the door, unlocking it and opening it. He stared at the girl on the doorstep for a moment. Then he rubbed the back of one hand across his eyes in an effort to wake up.

"Can I help you or something?" He had to fight off a yawn.

The door opened to a tired, confused looking young man. His clothes weren't familiar and she couldn't help but doubt him. Nymme continued to panic, wondering if the address had somehow been wrong or changed. Was she not expected to arrive?

Her eyes began to tear as she shakily handed him the small scrap of paper and she watched him as he looked over it. He didn't look very old. He looked as though he were her age if not younger. How could this be the right address? Where were the adults? Was there no system or order on this planet?

Peter silently took the paper she held out. The cool morning air swept by and goosebumps began to appear all over his arms as he was only in a T-shirt and pajamas bottoms. After he finished reading. he looked up and smiled.

Stepping back he gestured for her to enter. "Sorry. My parents are sleeping. I'm Peter," he said softly.

"Peter." She nodded. His parents were asleep. They were in charge, right? He indicated that she could enter the house. "Do you understand why I'm here, Peter?" She squeaked, staying outside. Because I'm a murderer.
"Am I in the right place? I w-wasn't told all the d-details." She hiccuped and the tears started spilling. She must have looked rather pathetic, sobbing on the porch so early in the morning with rags (relatively) for clothes. If this were Makires, she would never have gone anywhere in such a state as she had a reputation to uphold. That didn't matter here. Here she was as bad as the other murderers, Overlooked, and thieves. She wanted to wake up in her bed and have her family back and finish her assignment at the factory and marry her intended and live the life she was supposed to.

He nodded as he watched her step inside and then he closed the door behind her, locking it. His back was to her so when he turned around to see her in tears he froze for a moment and frantically he looked around, at a loss. Then pressing his lips into a small smile, he held up his hand to tell her to wait for a moment as he went into the living room and came back with some tissues in hand. Holding it out to her, Peter asked in his quiet manner, "So which planet are you from? My mom's from Karana."

The boy guided her inside gently amidst her breakdown and offered something to wipe her tiers with. Like a kerchief but more delicate. She choked out a thank you before sobbing into them.

"So which planet are you from? My mom's from Karana." Peter responded softly.

"Mm-" She sniffled, "Makires." Her voice came out more as a cracked squeak. Makires, with it's beautiful plains and waters and wonders. Her home that was no longer her home. She couldn't ever return now. She'd have to get over that eventually. Taking a deep breath, she tried to collect herself more for the sake of his kindness. If she made a bad first impression, who knew how long they'd let her stay with them.
"I'd been to Karana once before. It was cold." Nymme wiped her eyes with her sleeve and took another breath.

"That's what Mom told me," he commented before gesturing for her to follow as he began to head to the kitchen. Flipping on the lights he nodded towards the bar stools by the counter as an indication for her to take a seat. Moving to the fridge, he asked over his shoulder, "Do you have a favorite food?"

But before there was a chance for any reply, a small voice came from the doorway. "Peter? Are you making breakfast? Who's she?"

Peter turned around to see his little sister, Mira, looking sleepily between him and the girl. Confusion wrinkled her brow, which make him smile as he closed the fridge door and went over to her. Bending down slightly, he put on a slightly stern face. "You should still be in bed. Why did you get up?"

"I heard knocking."

Glancing over at the girl, Peter turned back to Mira. "Well, let's get you back to sleep. You don't have any school today so you can sleep in."

Grasping her shoulders, he gently but firmly turned her around and nudged her until she began walking back to her room on her own. Peter watched her silently for a few moments before he turned back to the girl. "Sorry about that."

Nymme followed Peter into the kitchen and sat as instructed. She shook her head to decline the offer of food. She didn't feel hungry. Actually, she felt like she was going to be sick because her stomach was twisting and knotting painfully from stress.

The girl's voice startled the refugee and she flinched before turning to see a small, sleepy girl's eyes on her and Peter. She didn't know about Nymme either? The refugee stayed silent, pressing her lips together and allowing Peter to take care of the situation. They had similar coloring and features, so she assumed the two were related.

"Don't be. Sorry- that is." She amended. "Does she know about-Um- people like me? I feel like I wasn't expected- like I'm intruding. Should I leave? I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience."

Peter shook his head, his dark ruffled bedhead becoming slightly messier with the movement. "No, she doesn't." He blinked a couple times, memories of when he found out about his mom coming to mind before he dismissed them. He could think on that later.

"You aren't intruding. It's just that my parents worked late last night. But I know about the Exiles so they sometimes let me handle things."

He went to open the fridge again, grabbing milk and began preparing cereal for himself. For a few moments, he didn't say anything until he placed a spoon into his bowl and he went over to join the girl at the counter. After a few bites he glanced over at her. "You can stay here as long as you need to to get on your feet. We don't have extra rooms so you can take my bed. I can sleep on the floor in my sister's room." He paused and exhale softly in amusement at himself. "What's your name?"

Nymme's eyes could help but tear up again at the word "Exile." It may as well have been tattood onto her forehead right above the word "Scum." Of course they wouldn't have told a young innocent like the girl the real reason why strangers show up at odd hours.

"Thank you for taking me in. I hardly think those exiled deserve it, but it is very much appreciated." She offered a small smile. "I really hate to put you out of your room. Is there no way I could sleep on the floor instead? Or I could help out around here to make up for it?" She offered, though was unsure of her ability to live up to it. She was useless when it came to domestic work. She wouldn't know how to make a meal for herself if she had to.

"Nymme." She answered. Peter appeared so casual and unaffected by everything happening. Sure he had been a little startled when she burst out sobbing earlier but otherwise he was so calm. Like living here wasn't the worst thing in the world and somewhere along the line began to comfort her. She wasn't as scared. "Can I ask you a question? How are you ok with this? So many horrible people come to you for help and you seem like you don't mind. You just harbor murderers and thieves and Overlooked as though it's not a big deal." She shook her head. " I can't wrap my mind around it."

His spoon was half raised before he set it back down with a small clink as he gave her a small smile. "Well, Nymme, I like to think I'm helping people have a second chance. My mom would never have even been able to live normally if it weren't for my dad. Might as well help others too." Then his smile faded and a slightly steeliness entered his eyes as he looked at her. "Unless someone tries to harm my family. This is a safe haven as long as you abide the law."

She nodded, "I suppose I can't complain about that. Thank you."

So what should she do now? Right now in this moment? She wasn't hungry, she wasn't in any immediate danger. She felt like she could sleep for a week, though, since she couldn't fall asleep the days leading to her exile. She didn't want to steal Peter's bed. She'd already woken him up early and was imposing on his family... maybe she should try getting to know him?

"So... um... what's that you're eating? I've never seen anything like it."

Peter looked down at the bowl of cereal, wheat shapes with sweet marshmallows and milk. How do you describe such a thing to someone from another planet? His brow furrowed with thought before he shrugged.

"I guess cereal grain with these sweet things and milk? It's better to try it. I can make some if you want?"

Nymme was surprised by the sudden offering and was nervous to try it. Each planet was different in how their food tasted and she wondered if it would be as disgusting as she imagined. She watched Peter's reaction to the food. He didn't seem to find it gross at all. Maybe it wasn't so bad...

"Um... o-ok-I mean- yes. Yes, I would like to try the cereal and things. Please." She accepted. He went about getting her a bowl. The food came from a box and all that was necessary was adding milk to finish off the dish. Perhaps it was like a sweet soup? But not quite so thick as a pudding or custard.

The little shapes and colorful lumps floated to the top of the milk. Bravely, she took her first bite. There was a rush of sweetness and a satisfying crunch that instantly delighted the Makiresian. She wondered how her planet didn't have this food on their planet. Or, if they did, how she hadn't come accustomed to it before.
"It's good!" She smiled before having another bite. And another. And before she knew it the bowl was empty. She finished off the sweet milk turned sweeter by the cereal. "Thank you again."

Peter let out a laugh at her reaction, watching Nymme take her first bite of cereal with interest. He could recall when Mira had cereal for the first time, and though she was delighted, it was different. She knew what cereal was and it was expected to be sweet. But with Nymme she looked even a little bit scared to try it. After she took a couple more bites, Peter realized he was staring and he quickly went to finish his own bowl, the last bits of cereal soggy now but he didn't mind as he swallowed it down.

When they were both finished, he gathered their bowls and he nodded at Nymme's words in acknowledgement as he rinsed off the film of milk and placed them in the dishwasher. With that chore done, he turned around to face Nymme, slightly unsure what to do now. He had school soon and his parents probably could take over. But until he left, what should he do?

Scratching the back of his head, his eyes wandered around the kitchen before he asked with a shy smile, "Um, what do you think about animals? Do you, um, like, uh, like them?

The ex-heiress blushed when he laughed at her. Did she really seem so odd? She supposed she was as odd to him as he was to her, meaning she really was strange.

She waited silently as he cleaned the dishes and put them away. She wasn't sure what she should be doing since she was used to having others direct her. At this time of day, she would normally be getting ready to go work or shadow her parents to learn about the family business or how to run a wealthy household. Something told her that her new life here wasn't going to be anything like that.

The silence that fell between them was expectedly uncomfortable with unfamiliarity until Peter suddenly asked her a question.
"A-animals?" She furrowed her brow, wondering if there were actually people that didn't like animals. People tended to hold a general respect for animals on their planets. She liked them well enough as she assumed everyone else did, though she never got much experience with them, so she wasn't sure if she could answer him correctly. "I... do. I just don't have much experience with them." She bit the inside of her cheek nervously, not wanting to enter into another awkward silence with the kind stranger. "Um, what about you? Do you like them?"

For a moment, Peter thought her expression was going to turn into a frown or a look of disgust, but it seemed the girl was more confused than anything else by his question. A grin came across his face though at her response, an excited glint in his eyes that suddenly made him glow with happiness. "Yeah. I want to be a vet and I work at a clinic and volunteer. I have a pet turtle too. He's in my room actually. You want to see him?"

His voice had risen in his excitement. Perhaps if he were in another setting, Peter might have felt embarrassed at how rather childish he came across but those thoughts were pushed aside as he took a couple steps in the direction to his room. Peter paused, though, just in case she wanted to turn down his offer.

Surprisingly, Peter's face lit up by her response and instead of awkardness, he excitedly invited her to meet his pet turtle. His brightness set the exile more at ease and she was eager to take whatever comfort she could receive at this point. She hadn't seen a pet turtle. Wild ones on occasion and pet cats, sure, but not pet turtles. She supposed she was curious enough, and it sure beat sitting in silence, so she smiled and nodded, standing to follow him to his room.

"What's the name of your turtle? Oh and how did you decide you wanted to become a vet?" She asked conversationally, following the young man. She also wanted to see the room she would be staying in for now.

"Mr. Grumpkins. He used to like snapping at my fingers when I first got him." Peter smiled to himself at the memory. Then he shrugged as they came to the door of his room. "I always have like animals and I wanted to do something to help take care of them."

Opening the door and stepping inside, Peter went over to a small aquarium sitting on his dresser, the soft hum from heat lamp that Mr. Grumpkins basked under. Peter gestured for Nymme to come closer.

Peter's Room:

(the tank for the turtle is on the dresser closer to the window)

Also Mr. Grumpkins: (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

"Do you think he'll bite me?" She fiddle with her fingers nervously as she followed him.

As he opened the door, they came into a decent sized room adorned with posters. Aside from the bed, the room was tidy for the most part. She was suddenly very aware that she had taken Peter away from his rest when she had come this morning. She wished she had just let him go back to bed after he let her in. The aquarium sat on the opposite wall to the bed and Nymme allowed herself to be led to meet the small creature.
"Mr. Grumpkins... it's a cute name." She offered, peaking around Peter.

Noting she had to look around him, Peter stepped to the side as he opened the lid of the tank. "I didn't really name him. Mira did. She's my sister by the way," he said with a fond smile as he reached inside.

Mr. Grumpkins was just wandering about and instantly he froze at the sight of Peter's hand, but the turtle didn't seem to lash out. "He's really harmless. He likes girls more since he only has bitten me and my dad once. He's fine with Mira," he explained. Gently, but firmly, Peter lifted the turtle out and showed him to Nymme.

"Oh, the little one from earlier? She seemed sweet." And innocent. Nymme wondered if it might be best to keep her distance from Mira for now. She should be focused on finding ways to support herself after all.

Mr. Grumpkins was a small thing with a pretty pattern on his shell. He didn't necessarily seem to dislike Peter, or so she thought when the little guy froze, but Peter's face held noting but affection. It was actually very sweet, she thought. She smiled as she became properly introduced and reached her hand out slowly before she remembered her manners. "Can I touch him?" She asked, wanting to pet his head or shake his hand or something.

Nodding in affirmation, Peter lifted up Mr. Grumpkins a little higher and offered Nymme a small smile, looking slightly nervous now. "You can even, um, hold him if you want?" he said, his voice rising up in silent question, though it seemed he was trying to be casual about it. Of course, it didn't really work because there was a little bit of a thrumming energy coming off of him, as if he'd be really excited if Nymme were to take up the offer of holding the turtle.

Really, this part of Peter never changed. A lot of the time as a child, he would get in trouble for making girls cry when he tried to show them frogs he found that they found gross or even sometimes some interesting bugs he found as well. Peter, of course, was more fascinated with the more sentient animals that reacted more, but he usually made due with whatever bugs he found as well. It drove his mother crazy when he had a habit of trying to bring them home as well.

The refugee was surprised by Peter's offer. The small creature was obviously precious to him and she was a complete stranger with a questionable past. "Really?" She met his eyes again and his expression confused her. He looked a bit unsure, but at the same time earnest. Nymme wasn't sure if he wanted her to politely decline or accept, but she did want to hold Mr. Grumpkins. She'd always been told that pets had a way of comforting people- at least according to the friends she'd had that actually had pets. Her parents had insisted on a no pet policy for the sake of cleanliness and because of the commitment, but she had always liked the idea of having a dog once she got married.

Holding her hands out, her lips pulled into a grin, "I would like that, please." She did her best to copy Peter's and positioning, though her hands were smaller. "Am I doing it right? Is he comfortable like this?" She asked, hoping not to make a bad impression on the nice boy's cute pet. The longer she stayed here, the more surreal it felt. The woman who gave her directions, the benevolent jogger, and now Peter had all been nothing but nice to her since she arrived. Aside from the fog and the person who yelled at her (though they had every right to want to sleep and couldn't really even blame them let alone the non-sentient fog), Earth was surprising her in good ways. She'd always heard stories of how people who did horrible things were exiled to this doomed planet to live out their existence in anguish, but she was holding a pet turtle that could just as easily be from Makires. Maybe her life here wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she could have a little hope?

Nodding in response to her questions, Peter smiled, looking between her and Mr. Grumpkins. It seemed that Nymme wasn't too scared and she seemed to have quite a steady grip on the turtle. Mr. Grumpkins' head peaked out more, at first frightened at being moved between them, but calming down enough to eye the world around him.

Peter was silent for a few moments before he said, "I think Mr. Grumpkins likes you. Which is good because he's going to be your roommate. Since you'll be staying in my room, you might have to take care of him a little bit. I don't want to walk in randomly if you're not comfortable with that."

Nymme's heart warmed a little when Peter said that Mr. Grumpkins liked her. It was small, but it made her really happy to have the creature's affection, or at the very least Peter's interpretation of his affection. When he mentioned that he wouldn't be staying in his room.

"There isn't anything I can do so you can keep your bed? You have all your things here. I have nothing but these clothes. I could sleep in the bath tub! Or on the couch. Not that I wouldn't love to help take care of Mr. Grumpkins... I just don't know how long I'll be here and I'd hate to become a burden." She admitted, watching the little turtle turn it's head slowly to look around the room.

Peter shook his head firmly and then he gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry. It's fine, really. It's actually kind of fun for Mira because she'll think of it like I'm sleeping over, even if I'm her brother," he said, giving a small laugh to himself when he imagined his sister's excitement. It might actually be hard for him to sleep since she'll probably chatter away into the night, but he wouldn't mind. He adored his sister too much to be irritated.

He held out his hands then, a silent insistence for Nymme to hand the turtle back as he thought Mr. Grumpkins was getting a little antsy. Looking down at the small reptile, Peter ran his thumb gently over the turtle's head before he put him back. "And you can take all the time you need. My parents should be up any time now, they'll give you more details, but really, there isn't any rush."

Nymme nodded, thinking it was really nice that the siblings appeared so close. It made her wonder what her siblings were up to. Before she was exiled, she'd only see her sister for family meals when her Mother was teaching her about the family business. Her younger brother, on the other hand, was a vibrant, uncontrollable force that she could never pin down long enough for a conversation. She cared about them, of course, but between her life and theirs, they just never really spent a lot of time getting to know one another. She wondered if they were deeply affected by her exile. Were they alright now? Nymme took a seat on the bed, refocusing herself. If she let herself get worked up again in front of Peter, she wouldn't forgive herself.

She jumped slightly, when Peter's hands reached out to take back Mr. Grumpkins. She'd been caught up in her reverie and nearly forgot about that. She smiled at the small creature as he was put back in his cage. "Thank you for letting me hold him. I'll do my best to be a good room mate." The refugee fought back a yawn as a sudden wave of fatigue hit her hard. Back on Makires, it had been difficult for her to sleep the days prior to her exile, she'd hardly got any. After being transported to Earth, the adrenaline and panic had kept her awake and alert and now there was a bed under her that was warm and comforting and she felt, ironically, safe. She was relaxed now, and her eyelids felt like anvils. She hadn't even heard the rest of Peter's sentence before she fell asleep then and there.

***END OF SCENE***

Peter had left Nymme and headed to the community college campus and he let the regularity of his scheduled classes wash over him. It wasn't exactly new to him to have another Exile in their home, but each time, it was a small reminder that his mother wasn't from Earth and that she probably had a family back there as well. That he had family there, like grandparents or something that he'd never get a chance to see. Peter wasn't sure if he should be disappointed, or maybe glad. Glad that he had his mother all to himself along with the rest of his family. And also he didn't have to question who she might have been before.

Rubbing at his forehead between his eyebrows, Peter sighed, silently counting down until he was free from his last class. Luckily, today was one of the days where he had only two classes scheduled, and they were early morning ones too. The rest of the students began to shift, a silent signal to start packing up as folders and notebooks were placed in backpacks. And then that second hand slid past the minute hand and Peter rose to his feet along with everyone else as class ended. Thankfully the professor tended to end right on the dot and didn't go overtime.

Hurriedly he made his way home, stopping to buy some doughnuts as he did so. Maybe Nymme would like them?

He made his way up the steps, the bag of doughnuts in one hand as he dug in his pocket for the keys. As he opened the door, he called out, "Anyone home?" Though, he knew Nymme was most likely there, he just wanted to give a signal so he wouldn't startle her.

Nymme had slept dreamlessly for some time until ultimately being awoken by the sound of pots and pans being cleaned. She'd gotten up to investigate and found Peter's parents and younger sister having just finished enjoying breakfast.

Mira was all smiles and sweetness before she was excused so that the parents could talk with "an old friend of theirs." Peter's parents seemed like very kind people and the way they spoke made her feel as though they had been through the same circumstances many times. They detailed to her that they would get her all the necessary paperwork so long as she gave them some details (not necessarily true details, but Nymme didn't have the conscience to lie, nor did it really matter at this point). As Peter had said earlier, she was welcome to stay for the time being and would move out when she was able to support herself. She would need to find a job eventually and they asked her if she had anything that she liked to do or was skilled at. The refugee had shaken her head, unable to think of anything at the moment. The woman had assured her not to stress too much over it and she was sure that Nymme would find something she would fit into well and could always take the time to learn along the way. There were more details and Nymme did her best to pay attention, though she couldn't get over how foreign she felt, hearing about all these strange concepts and trying to understand how she fit into it all.

When they had finished, they assured her that she could always come to them or Peter if she had any questions. Nymme was given a hot shower and some fresh clothes to change into and she was drying her hair off when she heard Peter's voice call from down the hall. She thought she recalled his parents saying something about going to work or Mira having school.
"I'm here!" She called, folding her towel as she stepped out the door for a moment to wave at Peter. "Welcome home." She smiled. It briefly occurred to her that, as she was trained to be the manager of a household, that in a way, she would have said such things to her husband. She shook the thought, remembering that this wasn't her home, but his anyways.
"Did you enjoy your classes?" She asked conversationally.

His eyes widened and then a blush creeped onto his cheeks. Her hair was still wet so that meant she just got out of the shower. And suddenly he was thinking of the stranger in his room, coming out of the shower, and... he didn't want to think anymore on that. It didn't occur to him, for some reason, Nymme was a woman, and that meant that he should get used to things like this. Looking away and ducking his head slightly as if in a silent apology, Peter replied, "They were, um, fine. My more interesting classes are tomorrow."

He slung his backpack off his shoulder, the heaviness a reminder of normalcy and routine. After a few steps towards his room, Peter froze and then switched over to heading towards the living room, flinging his bag onto the couch as he sat down.

"And you? Did you sleep ok? Did you talk to my parents?" Peter called out, trying to shake off his awkwardness.

Nymme noticed Peter's sudden shyness, but simply assumed it was due to his quieter nature and they were still getting used to one another. Her mood had improved significantly since the morning to be sure, though the memory of home and why she was here stayed at the back of her mind. It almost felt like a faraway dream as she was beginning a life here, her last one had been left behind on Makires. Still, she was thankful for Peter and his family and wanted to make a good impression with her new start.

She nodded along as he told her about his classes and how the ones today were less than thrilling. She followed him over to the couch to sit and talk with him. "I did sleep well-sorry for falling asleep when you were talking to me. I promise that won't happen again. When I woke up, your parents talked with me and explained basically what I've got to do and how this all works for the most part. I don't have many specialized skills, so I'll probably get an entry level job, but they said that it's not permanent and as I gain experience, I should be able to make a decent living for myself. I was going to look through the newspaper - I guess they have job postings there - after I finished getting freshened up. They lent me some clothes and everything." She smiled, "I'm going work hard to earn my stay here. I was thinking I could be like a personal assistant or maid or something around here, so if you need help with anything you can just let me know and I'll take care of it." She offered. She'd thought about it during her shower and his family was contributing a lot of their expenses to feed/clean/accommodate her, so the least she could do was give them their money's worth. She hadn't really done housework before, but it didn't seem hard and she was determined to not be a burden.

Shuffling to the side a bit to give Nymme more space on the couch, Peter glanced over at her once to show that he was listening, then turned his gaze to looking at his hands. The lingering embarrassment was slowly fading, but he still wanted to make sure he didn't look like a tomato before he face her again. At her proposal of what she could do in the house, though, his gaze was drawn to her with a look of amusement in his eyes as he let out a small laugh. "We don't need a maid since I already do all the chores myself. I guess you can call me the maid," Peter said, thinking how Mira would have giggled if he said that. She probably would want him to play a maid character in one of her games if she found out.

The refugee watched the boy intently, eager to hear his thoughts on her proposal, though his response was not what she had hoped for.
"We don't need a maid..."
Nymme frowned, slouching back in the couch.
"B-but you're so busy with school and volunteering. Can't I help out at all?" She pouted, leaning forward and resting her chin on her palms. She'd been so excited earlier, but what should she do now?
"Oh right, I should look at the paper for job postings." Nymme got up to grab the newspaper that was sitting on the table from earlier. She leafed through the pages, trying to find the page they had shown her earlier.

Peter was at a loss as he looked at her crestfallen face. It was true that he was busy a lot, but he managed somehow to scrape by. He opened his mouth to speak but remained silent as he watched her leave to grab the newspaper. Blinking, he looked around in thought, rubbing the back of his neck unconsciously as he did so. Honestly, he didn't want to think of putting Nymme through work since he was sure she probably went through some sad things to get to Earth like his mother had. But perhaps work was a way to distract yourself? Peter snuck a glance at Nymme. Was she someone who needed to distract herself a lot? Giving a slight shake of his head to himself, Peter let out a soft sigh.

"Okay, well, you can help me with chores, I guess. I mean, it will free up more time if you helped me." He tried to make his voice more confident, but his words still came out a little unsure. "And, um, I can help you look for jobs not on the newspaper. I'll show you some websites."

Giving up on finding the page, Nymme sighed, sitting back in the chair and crossing her arms, "I wanted to help out you and your family." She clarified, "I don't have very many skills and I don't know how this world works, but I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of atonement to work towards. So I thought if there was a way I could contribute, then I would really like to. I know I'm going to need a lot of help at first, especially with this whole job search thing. I used to work at my parents' factory back home, but I've never gotten an actual job before, let alone done house chores. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I figured cleaning and stuff seemed pretty simple, so I thought I'd start there." She admitted and offered a small smile. She wasn't sure if Peter really understood where she was coming from, but he'd seemed like a kind and sweet boy, so she knew he would try. "I'd appreciate the help with the websites."

Peter gave a small nod and a shrug in understanding and admitting to himself he probably would want to do the same if he were in her shoes. At least, he thought he would if he found himself with strangers that helped him. He was pretty sure that he can help her learn house chores and stuff.

Grabbing his backpack, he rifled through it before he pulled out a laptop that had somehow survived his years of school so far. It was decorated with faded stickers of some bands he listened to and a puppy sticker that Mira slapped on, which even if Peter thought was embarrassing, he still kept since he couldn't help but think the picture of the dog was cute. Peter moved over to join her in the kitchen, opening up the laptop, turning it on.

"Well, you can slowly learn house chores here. For jobs, well, they usually do training in the beginning, so you just have to find something you might like." He opened a browser and went to a job search website. "I work at a clinic, but it took me a long time to be able to do the more complicated stuff. In the beginning, I just helped walk dogs and stuff."

Nymme pulled her hair back out of her face and watched Peter's process. She noted the stickers with interesting designs adorning his laptop. She especially liked the cute puppy sticker and wondered briefly if he got to work with puppies like that one at the clinic. Maybe she could work there too and help out Peter there too! Or she could work at the college or maybe where his parents worked? Or... no, she should find her own job. She was trying for independence, she reminded herself. She watched the job titles scroll by and she tried to find something interesting that didn't require any experience or skills. There were some positions for maids and nannies, though she wasn't completely sure about her cleaning skills yet and the idea of working with kids made her anxious. First of all because of her record as a criminal and secondly because kids were the logical step after marriage and such thoughts tended to get her depressed in her situation. Other low level positions even required a high school diploma. Did she technically have one even though she was educated differently on Makires? She bit her cheek nervously as fewer positions jumped out to her. Her mind sidetracked briefly and she examined the computer they were searching on.

"How old is your computer?" She asked briefly, wondering how much Earth and Makires technology differed. His computer seemed to work well enough, though there were definite signs of use. Did earth technology last as long as theirs? Was it better or worse?

A little thrown off by her question, mostly by how unexpected it was, Peter frowned in thought. "Oh, um, well, I think for about, um, almost four years? My parents got it for me near the end of high school and since it still works, I use it for college now too."

As he scrolled through listings, Peter wondered how different her planet be from Earth. Did they have such places like fast food restaurants? What did people his age do for jobs? What was their schooling like? It was strange to have so many questions bubble up in him. He could always ask his mother those kind of things, but he always found it hard to open his mouth to ask. What if he brought up sad memories for her? And with Nymme, seeing that she was around the same age as him, Peter felt that his curiosity came forward much more quickly and perhaps it would be easier to answer his questions. Unless he made her think of sad things as well.

For a few moments he was silent as he looked at the screen. Then he looked up at her, a brow slightly raised in a question. "Perhaps, um, we can find a job that suits your interests more instead of skills? What do you like to do?"

Nymme nodded and blushed suddenly, realizing the question had come natural to her thought process, but not so naturally in their conversation. Her lips twitched, wanting to explain herself, but she couldn't come up with the words and stayed silent, focusing on the job search.

"...What do you like to do?" He'd asked and Nymme was glad for the opportunity to make sense of her odd question.
"Computers. And other technology. My parents own a technology-based company. They make computers, home appliances, and computer programs mostly. I like working with those kinds of things. I used to work at a factory when I was... well, you know. That was my interest, but I did other things like volunteer, attend parties and events, go around with friends..." She sighed, her old life already felt so far away. Was that really all she had done with it? Why hadn't she learned to sew or cook or study something? It had never been a necessity she supposed. "I'm not shallow." She defended, more to herself than to Peter.

Peter gave a short shake of his head in disagreement. "No one said that. Anyways, you're far from it. Not a lot of girls know about technology, so that's kinda neat." He offered her a small smile.

From what he gathered, Nymme seemed like anybody else his age, even if she didn't really know about house chores. He knew some kids on campus that barely learned how to do their own laundry. He clicked onto a post that mentioned something about computers. Glancing up at her, he turned the screen towards her so she can see the screen better. "This place sells computers. You can work as a cashier maybe? To get your foot in the door?"

Nymme returned the gesture, thankful someone believed she wasn't lacking as much as she felt. Suddenly, he was promoting some kind of tech shop job he thought might be a good fit for her. She read the add and agreed that it seemed like a position she'd be interested in.
"Do you really think they'd hire me? It says they want a resume? I haven't made one of those before. Do you think you could help me with it? And should I call now? Or do I go there?" Realizing she was asking a million questions a minute, she stopped and turned to Peter sheepishly. "What should I do right now?"

"Oh, shoot you're right. Um, I can help you make one, but it can be hard if they want to contact past employers." Peter fell silent with thought. How did his parents manage this when his mom first arrived? Looking thoughtfully at Nymme, he then began to tilt his head back as if he could find answers in the sky. "Maybe we can go there in person. Check things out. Or maybe I can ask around campus to see if someone can help there."

Nymme nodded silently, becoming slightly disheartened when he too became concerned about the issue of the resume. "Ok, whatever you think is right." They made note of the address and business hours and Peter noted it wouldn't take much more than a 15 minute bus ride and maybe a 5 minute walk to get there. She agreed, thinking it would be best to get a job as soon as possible. She went back to his room momentarily to grab her shoes and finish drying her hair before heading out together.

The atmosphere of the city had drastically changed since her arrival. The heavy fog that had cloaked the streets was melted away by the sun's heat and illuminated towering buildings that lined the streets and the meandering hills that backed up cars had to slowly navigate. San Francisco had certainly awoken now.

Nymme steeled herself, reminding herself that she would be fine. She had Peter with her. There weren't so many people and the noise level wasn't so bad. She would get used to it. She had to. They made it to the bus station and the bus arrived within 5 minutes or so. They got on and Peter managed both of their fares. There was about ten other people on the bus, but they were minding their own business, so she thought she could do the same. They took their seats and waited, ignoring the funny smells and jerking turns. She could manage this.

What she couldn't manage was the suddenly bustling stop where thirty more passengers got on, cramming in close to one another, grunting and arguing and invading their space. She couldn't handle the stranger casually slouching in the seat next to hers and letting his leg nonchalantly resting against hers or the dirty homeless looking man and his smile with missing teeth, or the red eyed citizen that stunk so much it made her stomach churn.

Her heart felt as though it were racing! She breathed faster but at the same time felt like there was no room for air. She gripped Peter's arm tightly, needing something to ground her but not finding the voice to say anything.

(( I think she'd want to get a job as soon as possible, so she'd be open to going out, but she might get overwhelmed quickly by the bustle of the city once they go downtown or hit a busy area. Maybe when that happens, they go back and Nymme goes to Peter's room to calm down a bit. After a little while, Peter suggests they work on the house chores until his parents got back and they can help her with the resume to help get her mind off of things and help her feel useful? Maybe the parents use themselves as references or other Exiled in the area as a kind of support system?))

When Nymme let him take the lead, Peter went into autopilot mode, guiding her and occasionally glancing over at her as they made their way to the bus stop. Luckily they managed to get seats next to each other, which Peter thought was rare. There were many times he had to stand with his backpack in the more crowded bus and while people understood his student status, he still always got many irritated looks as his backpack accidentally pressed into another person.

As the bus began to move, Peter almost slipped into daydreaming, since usually he liked to drown out the people around him, listening to music. But since Nymme was with him and he didn't have his music, it seemed today was particularly noisy. He wrinkled his nose a bit as a particularly awful smell wafted up from someone. No matter how many times he was on the bus, Peter never could get used to the smell of cigarettes or marijuana or even worse, more mysterious smells.

When he felt Nymme's strong grip on his arm, a sympathetic look crossed his face and he gently laid his free hand over hers. Out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed the man on the other side of her. Shifting slightly to the side, but not pulling away his arm, Peter looked at her reassuringly. "You can scoot over a bit. Might be a little awkward with the gap between the seats, but you can get away from the guy," he said quietly, not wanting the man hear and feel insulted.

With Peter's help, she followed his lead and scooted over a bit. She'd gotten a better hold on her breathing, letting herself be comforted by the boy and coped silently. She continued to hold on to him as they rode the bus and more people got on and off. She didn't know what to do with herself. Peter seemed to be able tune out everything and everyone around him. Nymme, she was in a completely foreign environment and was simultaneously curious and horrified, though increasingly more frightened with each new character that joined the rest of the passengers. She wasn't sure why. Only a few seemed to glance in her and Peter's direction occasionally and yet the only thing stopping her from having a panic attack was the person she was holding onto for dear life. It was too crowded and busy and she wanted to go home.

When they reached their own stop, peter showed her how to pull the cord to ask the bus driver to stop, then guided her through the crowd of people to the door to get off. She didn't like that part, all the pushing and bumping and worming their way around. She felt dizzy.

Once off the bus, their situation wasn't much better. Even higher buildings towered above them, the streets swarmed with cars and people all bustling like a hive of bees, honking, hollering, whistling. Her senses felt like they were going haywire with all of the stimulation.
"Peter." She whimpered, feeling as though she was going to be sick. "I can't do this. It's too much. I want to go home." She sniffled. Of course, what she meant by home wasn't anywhere in her spectrum of reality, but that's what she wanted. Home. Her bed, her family, her job, school, her fiance, she wanted it all back desperately.

There was a lot of jostling in order to get off the bus, and when Peter led them away from the bus station, the jostling didn't get any better. Peter had to resist his usual darting into any openings he sees and going on his merry way, the clinging on his arm serving as a reminder he wasn't alone. When he heard Nymme's words, he automatically moved, his arm pulling out of her grip in order to wrap it around her shoulders protectively. The tone in her voice sent out alarms in his head, similar to the times he had taken Mira out to the city. Kindly, but firmly, he silently pushed through the crowd until they came to a free space next to a wall of a building. Nearby was a homeless man sitting against the wall, but it looked like he was passed out.

With the more open space, Peter's shoulders relaxed and while he loosened his hold on Nymme, he didn't let go quite yet as he peered at her face. "Are you okay? Should we go back? For sure?" he asked gently, keeping his voice even.