Welcome to Gaia! ::

He looked down at her and then slowly offered his hand for her to take. When they got out into the hall he looked in both directions before deciding to lead her towards the library.

"How long ago did you join the Order?" he asked as they walked.

"You were really young when you joined then.."

When they got to the library he was relieved to see it was empty. He wound through the aisles of books until they reached a secluded sitting area. He let go of her hand and pointed to a pair of large, cushioned chairs with a table between them.

"Sit. I'll be right back."

He disappeared for a couple minutes and then returned with a chess set, one of the few that was kept in the library for anyone's use. He set it up on the table and then sank into the armchair opposite her.

"Do you remember any of the rules?"

"Good."

He had set up the piece so he was playing white that time, and he made his first move. As they played, he continued the conversation.

"What was it like at the North American Branch?"

He was watching her closely and noticed her falter before her answer. His jaw muscle twitched as he clenched his teeth for a second. He averted his eyes and watched the board as he made his move, taking one of her pawns with his own pawn.

"How did you get your Innocence, Chaoe..." his spoke softly, but his tone was less of a question and more of a demand for her to tell him, despite the gentle touch in his voice.

He sighed heavily and locked his gaze on her.

"Who gave it to you?"

He didn't know much about the North American Branch, but he knew enough, and he had never heard of a man by that name before. His eyes narrowed and he had completely forgotten about the chess game. He rested his arm on the chair and let his hand cup the rounded edge of the armrest as he put some of his weight on his elbow. He folded his other arm across his lap with crossed legs.

"Who is Mr. Rolf?"

He knew the answer without even asking, but it still caused him to lift his hand to his eyes. He wanted to believe it wasn't true, that 'Mr. Rolf' was just a man that found a true accommodator, or something like that. He wanted to believe that the projects had stopped long ago, but he knew it would be a fantasy. He sat there in silence, willing it not to be true despite the facts. What else would a scientist possibly be doing 'giving' Innocence to a little girl, if it weren't that... He didn't know if it was the same for her as it was for him, but that didn't matter much. It was something, and it made the inside of his chest burn.

He took a second to respond, but he lifted his head and let his hand fall from his face. He tried to disguise the pained expression, but he found it difficult. He forced a smile, but it was fake and had an undertone of sadness.

"No, Kid. Nothing's wrong," he assured her, though it was a blatant lie, "Let's stop playing chess for a while, okay? Go pick out any book you want, and we'll read it together."