As of today, it's been a week since Eri got dropped off at this new place with all the odd people.

It was a mixed bag of an experience- on one hand, they definitely weren't... good people. Noone batted an eye at the lady coming back from walks all bloody, and she also assured her that it was none of her own. The pale man, who was apparently a leader of sorts, was prone to angry outbursts, sometimes destroying an object as if it were nothing in the process. It reminded her of Chisaki, which upset her quite a bit, so she tended to keep a good distance. At least he seemed to be as wary of her as she was of him, handling the situation likewise. The less unusual things also got the best of her- the wrinkly, dark man looked intimidating enough to spook her when appearing unexpectedly, and the funny masked mister had these weird moments that made her both scared and worried.

Then, there was that one, big object set up against a wall which was never disturbed and people sometimes looked at from afar- when Eri asked about it, she was told that its owner used to be one of them, until... you-know-who came. She had been unknowingly practicing the same behavior towards it ever since. The last person on the list of weirdos, the lizard mister, had probably never been around children and was at a loss whenever on duty... but that was more awkward than anything else. She was definitely questioning being let to play with all those knives and swords. Still, stabbing the cardboard box after getting some suggestions ("Imagine righteously smiting some great evil... a businessman kicking puppies!"; "Think of someone you reeeally like!"; "Pick some asshole whose guts you hate! I suggest Scrappy Doo!"; "... that creepy crowfucker.") felt... good.

On the unquestionably positive side of things, she had yet to endure another "session" during her time spent here, and, as odd as it was to think so, she did not feel threatened by anyone present regardless of the worrisome moments littering each day. A more collected person always dissolved the everyday problems in a matter of minutes. Indeed, if Eri got a little braver and more confident around the place, she could just become that person when needed. Speaking of said place, and more importantly: she was allowed to go anywhere within bounds. It wasn't much to talk about, seeing as everyone lived in one really big room with some space dividers and little inside apart from the reappearing heaps of garbage and that one good bed brought for her from god knows where- but looking at colorful magazines, books and bottles she couldn't read, finding little secrets like the mouse family crossing in front of a window every day and watching others play games was much better than being all alone in a dark room stuffed with toys she didn't want to play with.

The eccentric businessman who appeared only twice thus far even brought her outside to pick what ice cream to buy from a colorful car yesterday... School Lady and Masked Mister also promised her a visit to the zoo soon. Both things were absolutely against the rules, but nobody seemed to care. The two rapscallions offered to do so after finding out that the Magician smuggled in puppies and kittens for her to play with, actually. Which wasn't allowed, either. Turns out the lizard man was allergic.

The prestidigitator and the other formless man in a suit were probably her favorites to hang around. Not only were they always calm and helpful, making her feel safe, but much like the others, they also weren't alerted by her presence like any yakuza before them. One made her tasty drinks and entertained her with stories; some of which were new fairy tales to her, and a few others anecdotes that he must have lived himself. The bartender didn't overdo the performances, but they were interesting nonetheless. She suspected that the few children's books she found the other day while digging through the newspaper heap for colorful stuff were his doing.

This other man, the magician, had shown her a lot of tricks she couldn't help but be awed by- just like now, pulling out the card from the deck that she had chosen a minute earlier.

"Want to pick another one?" he asked, shuffling the cards in the showiest way possible. She knew now how these worked in theory- he had been testing a new prosthetic arm with them when she had arrived and explained the secrets. Unfortunately, her hands just weren't strong enough to replicate the moves. She was making pretty good progress at playing around with coins, though.

"Yes," she replied, picking one at random once they were presented to her. The one Joker they left inside. She liked this one, it reminded her of this familiar stranger.

"Mister," she started, sliding it back among the others, "you always seem to be in here. Why don't you show these magic tricks to the people outside, too?"

The man with silvery streaks chuckled while reshuffling the deck. "Children... the best audience one could ask for, as always." he murmured with a smile and an unusual distant tone. "Thing is, my dear little assistant," addressed the entertainer her a second later, regarding her with fond eyes; "people just cannot be bothered by small-time hanky-panky anymore. Who cares about the rabbit in the hat when there's real magic happening anywhere you look, hmm?" The cards flew across his face... then made their way back. His attention returned to the cards. "There are flashier folks out there... rewinding time, moving mountains, picking all the stars from the sky if necessary... just like this." He added, snapping his fingers. "All while saving lives. Nowadays it's hard to impress anyone with these... Even children your age." he added, dividing the deck into stacks and piling them back together. After a moment of contemplating, he came to a concise conclusion that left a bitter aftertaste in both of their mouths. "I've become... redundant, so to speak."

Eri had been listening intently and was completely taken aback by the idea that other people would not be interested in something like this- the most fascinating and fun activity she's ever known. Noticing how upset the girl was, Mr. Compress decided to put an addendum to the conversation.

"I did have a considerable advantage in my youth, though. When quirks were not commonplace in the country just yet... Mine even helped a lot with refining a couple of tricks to fit myself." He took a deep breath, tidying up the deck. "Still, can't teach an old dog new tricks, can you, now? At one point my skills just didn't cut it anymore... got dumped. But, can I tell you something else?" he said, leaning in close. She was all ears. "The old tricks that the old dogs know...? People forgot how to deal with them. We steal the bread from right from under the old owners' noses... as long as you don't bark, they won't even notice." he finished up, winking. In his hand, a card facing down. Cracking a small smile, Eri took it. There it was: the Joker.

"At least, that's how I've been surviving these lowly days." the man stated, leaning back. After watching her for a few seconds, he spoke up again. "What about you, though?"

The question took her by surprise. Her?

Seeing how Eri won't be able to answer, he said, "... later today... they'll be coming for you."

Her short-lived joy evaporated and all the blood rushed from her face. With nothing but a blank mind and the thin piece of paper in her hands, which she squeezed as if her life depended on it, she started shaking in fear. They are coming for her.

The girl's distress was then met with one cold, but gentle, and another big, warm hand on her shoulders, and she snapped out of the panic attack.

"Don't worry. You'll be back in no time." Still trembling, she looked up into the man's eyes. "And I'll be waiting. We're going to the zoo with Himiko and Jin later, aren't we? To see the bunnies... butterflies... and penguins."

Eri squeaked a yes from behind her tears.

She's going to survive this.
She's going to come back.
She's going to greet the lonely object at the wall tomorrow.
She's going to practice the letters from the colorful books.
She's going to perform that coin trick proper and also learn new ones.
She's going to watch the pale man play games from around the corner again.
She's even going to stab more cardboards if she wants to.

But, if nothing else works out... she's definitely, positively, absolutely going to the zoo one day... and see all the penguins out there.

Even if those ones will never teach her new magic.