An awkward “heh” escaped him. “It lifts my heart knowing you endure my suffering so that you don’t have to be any closer to me than you already are on a daily basis,” he joked sarcastically. It didn’t really occur to Red that his ramblings with Karla were all that loud. Thin walls, he assumed. He wondered if anyone else heard him or recognized him as the source of the nightly disturbances. He looked around again, part of him hoping to see the familiar blue mist, taking note of anyone who may have taken noticed of him as well. Everyone else seemed to be preoccupied. He returned to the girl and gave her a genuine smile. “Aside from limiting my ability to use my hands, I’m pretty grateful for these,” he said, gesturing down at the cuffs. “But, I’m assuming you all don’t have the same…affliction as me?” He was never told why the ‘patients’ were sent there and wasn’t all that concerned either. 

“I’m sorry. That’s pretty young to be taken to such a place.” For a child to be taken and imprisoned for so long, Red could feel his chest weigh down on him in anger. “They have no right,” he muttered. He followed the direction Luciana had gestured and nodded, starting toward the others. “Just call me Red. It’s a childhood nickname that just stuck,” he mentioned. “My real name is Conrad.” He lined up beside another person, a tall man, and faced the direction the new arrivals would enter. He looked over his shoulder at Luciana whispered soft enough for her to hear but out of earshot of the guards, in case they hadn’t wanted anyone to speak. “I’ll work on staying quiet from now on,” he assured her. 

A familiar voice returned. “You’ve met a friend!” 

Red rolled his eyes and shook his head, as if doing so would stop the outburst. “Shuddup…” he uttered under his breath. No one was a friend right now. Not really. This was just the first of many acquaintances to come. If Red knew anything about meeting new people it was to befriend many and trust few.