Krista didn't know whether to laugh at the sight of the mummy balancing the stolen tray of sandwiches on her head. It was strange but amusing. Definitely not something you would see outside if everything was, well,
normal. She nodded as Rika used the cassette tape to introduce herself, the second tape providing more information about the mummy to the violinist. Firebug was a strange title, not one Krista had heard before. Though Krista could appreciate that Infinite Arsonist may not be the best nor most accurate title for Rika.
"Well, Rika! It's a pleasure to meet you!" And then came the awkward silence.
"...You're welcome?" Krista's head was cocked to the side. Maybe it was the pun.
"I don't think I've ever been thanked for a joke, but I'll take it, ha!" Oh! Maybe Krista's pun had amused the Firebug so much that now she's being thanked for showing her the wonderful world of pun jokes. Well, that idea was probably farfetched, but a girl could hope, right?
Next, she turned to address Felix, who seemed to agree with her about the music room.
"I'll help you look for one. Though I'm not entirely convinced a hospital would really need an obstacle course, but this whole situation we've found ourselves in is bizarre anyway. Who can fault us for expecting some fun activities?" She hummed, following behind the two guys with a skip to her step thanks to Rika's earlier gratitude.
"Have I ever played a duet before?" Krista paused, and she nodded with a fond smile.
"I used to play the violin with my teacher sometimes, though it was more like I was following his lead." Krista thought back for a moment, the fond smile disappearing for a moment. She blinked, and her usual smile returned.
"It's been a while since then, though. Do you play an instrument?"Her pleasant conversation with Felix continued until Daimyon asked the group whether it was a good idea for everyone to go investigating. Krista hummed in thought, considering her options after Daimyon offered a suggestion.
"When Ice wakes up, would he really appreciate being surrounded by us? I mean, three strangers in his room while he's sleeping? That doesn't sound so good." She made a face before turning to face Rika with a question on her mind.
"Are you planning on joining us with exploring later?" Just
maybe they could figure something out...
After fishing out the e-handbook and unlocking Ice's door, the boys were able to set Ice down on his bed. Krista placed three sandwiches β yes, three. The boy looked like he barely ate! Krista definitely thought he needed more meat on his bones if he was going to be donating his blood all the time β on a desk nearby the bed for Ice. Krista placed the e-handbook beside the sandwiches, so Ice couldn't miss the delicious treats.
The moment everybody was ready to leave, Daimyon pulled Krista's attention away from her goal. She followed behind a moment later after realising what Daimyon was referring to. It was the gift. Or, well, at least she
hoped so. For all she knew she was being lured to her death right now andβ
βOh. It
was the gift.
The panic was forgotten about, and Krista basically leaped at the opportunity to check out the gift.
"It's amazing! Thank you! I was worried that my old thing would fall apart if I didn't find a care kit soon!" Krista kept the gift pressed against her chest, and she couldn't stop the grin from basically splitting her face into two.
She remembered her own gift, the braille board game. Maybe it really wasn't such a bad idea to give it away. If receiving her own gift made her this happy, surely the board game would make Aleecia's day happy too! Krista meant no harm, so surely the gift would be better appreciated by someone that would actually understand the rules.
Krista followed Daimyon out of his room, taking one last look at the hallway then at the gift and plate of sandwiches in her possession. She still had too many things to carry, and if she wanted to explore the whole hospital then she definitely needed to put away the violin care kit.
"You guys go on without me, I'll join you in a moment!" And without another explanation, she dashed away back to her room all the way on the opposite side of the hallway.
By the time Krista was done with putting away the gift and returned to the resort entrance, she realised she was already far behind. She couldn't find the trio she had set off on a journey with, figuring that they had gone off to explore the resort locations on their own.
She stood right beside the theater, peering around. Ahead was the fountain, the Monostand right behind. From where she was standing, she couldn't see the study or the vault, but the map on the handbook in her hand told her otherwise. She decided to avoid the theater, having already been in there the previous day for the maniacal bear's announcement. So the next logical step was to check out the
Aladin's Palace next.
Krista took one step inside, and she never felt more confused in her life. Aladin's Palace was no palace at all, like the name suggested. In fact, it was a cave system. A
cave system inside a hospital.
A hospital.Why is there an actual damn cave in a hospital? Surely this wasn't an exit out of this place, right? Or maybe she was just imagining it...
"I was thinking exactly the same thing. As to why there would be an actual damn cave here, your guess is as good as mine.""Eee!" Krista squealed in surprise at the sudden voice, her attention moving from the rocks and stones around her towards the man in front, only just realising she wasn't alone. Just a little further ahead of her was Cyrus Brandon, the bishiβ I mean Infinite Politician. She stared at him in surprise, realising a little too late that she had said her thoughts out loud, prompting Cyrus's response.
"Eee?" She repeated, shaking her head at her over-reaction.
"God, I've really hit rock bottom now..."