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Something that amused Gilbert, in a kind of dark, black-comedy sort of funny way, was that he had his keys. The keys to his car and his house, on a ring; they'd been in his pocket when he'd bee abducted or whatever, and he'd just kind of kept them on him. Of course he'd need them when he got home, because he didn't have a spare except.. inside the house. (That wasn't actually all that well thought out.) James had probably already mounted a Search and Rescue operation for him, so he couldn't count on his cousin actually being home to let him in. He didn't know why, but it was kind of comforting just... having them.

He'd been playing with them more and more lately. The keys to his apartment were a lot older than the key to his car, had a a lot more scuff marks on them. That was because he'd sold his old car and got a new one. Well, "new" in a sense, because it was a used car but it was in better shape than the one he'd had prior. Changing cities was a pain in the a** to begin with, but considering his perpetually single-man lifestyle, he hadn't actually accumulated a bunch of crap, so it had only made sense to ship most of his things and then fly to his new city.

Sometimes, he questioned the wisdom of moving to Destiny City. He probably wouldn't have been part of an en masse kidnapping if he hadn't lived there. But... well, Destiny City was where all the action was. Gilbert followed the fast track, and there was a definite need for talented, able-bodied law enforcement.

He just hoped when he got back home they still considered him talented and able-bodied. He knew he'd be fine, but... he also knew he wasn't going to be able to go back on active duty until he proved ********>, he thought, brow furrowed as he tossed his keys up in the air and caught them. Back at square one again. Well, he could deal with that. Set-backs were part of life, and he wasn't going to let something like this take him down. It had been outside of his control, and he'd been dealing with it as best he could, so... he'd just have to take it one step at a time.

Poking his finger through the keyring, he suspended his keys from his hand, jingling them as he walked. As he turned a corner, he saw someone he didn't immediately recognize, wandering alone -- didn't people realize what a bad idea that was? -- and he slowed his walk, glancing about.

Catching his keys up in his fist, smile friendly, he asked, "How's it going?"

He tucked his keys into his pocket, deciding to mull over them later. Dealing with real, breathing people was more important than getting lost in his own head just then, anyhow. This person seemed affable enough, and Gilbert could always stand to get to know someone else on a little better level while he was here. The more he knew about everyone, the easier it would be to piece together the reasons why; why they were all here, why it was them who had been chosen, why they couldn't leave. Without his actual job to get to, he was going a little stir crazy having nothing to do. It was a forced vacation.

He wondered if they would count this as part of his paid administrative leave when he got back. Probably not.

"No, just passing by. Name's Gilbert," he said, extending his hand with a smile. "Gilbert Hennessy. It's a bit dangerous to be walking alone nowadays. I'm sort of trying to promote the buddy system for everyone."

Except himself, apparently, but he was confident enough in his own abilities that he sort of considered himself above his own advice. A little. He was still trying to find people to congregate with when he was out and about, anyway, so he wasn't being completely hypocritical.

Once the introductions had been made, Gilbert gestured for him to begin to walk, and he fell in step beside his new temporary buddy. True enough, he was wandering around alone, but it was just for reasons like this; he could stumble upon someone else who wasn't employing the buddy system, and generally make a nuisance of himself while he milked them for information. It was much easier to get people comfortable with you and talking when you were one-on-one, and when you gave the impression that you were just looking out for their best interests? Well, mostly people responded well to that.

You caught more flies with sugar than water, or something like that. There was some kind of saying, anyway.

"Caught me. I was actually making my rounds to see if anyone needed a walking buddy." His smile was harmless and affable. "Police officer, so... Kind of have public duty on the mind even when I'm not on the clock. Let's walk a while, shall we?"

He tipped his head back a bit, examining the expanses of stars overhead, and sighed. He was getting really tired of this lost-in-space business, and he was definitely tired of the restless feeling that came along with not having anything to actively engage his mind with. Menial labor, sure, he could tire his body out, but -- investigating wasn't going very far, and without anything to puzzle over or let his brain chew on, he was starting to get cabin fever bad.

"Makes you feel kind of small, doesn't it?" He asked, slanting his gaze toward Grant. "Being up here. Makes you wonder why you were even picked in the first place, huh?"

Gilbert gave his walking partner a curious look, the first thought that came to his mind being unfair and even a little unfriendly: was this man simple? Optimism at the levels he was showing it were either, typically, the mark of a very childish mind, or someone who was having a great deal of difficulty coping with a tough situation. He'd barely spoken to the man, so he had no idea of knowing which one it was -- if either -- but he was a little bit concerned.

Didn't want anybody going loop fruits up in space, after all.

"Things will work out," He agreed, sliding his hands into his pockets and smiling. "Sometimes it just takes time. It's nice to see someone who understands that. I'll bet you're making a lot of people feel safer and more secure, too."

At least in that he was honest. He imagined someone who had such an unwavering faith in the fact that things would be all right was pleasant to be around, especially if you were unsure yourself. Maybe he'd see if Felicia had gotten to know him yet? She seemed a little uneasy, and would probably benefit from Grant's company.

"I guess I don't really feel small when I'm on the job," he said, pursuing his lips and then shaking his head. "And as long as I keep busy here, I guess I'll keep feeling fine. What about you? How're you handling things?"