"Earthquake...?" Staple could only respond obliviously as Takara asked her about the shaking that seemed to plague half of the group earlier, raising an eyebrow.
"I... don't think I know anything about what you're talking about. I'm sorry."
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"Yeah. Me and some of the others went to look for you earlier. We... uh, got lost," Peter said, tugging at his collar briefly.
"But when we came back, the others told us about this earthquake, but we didn't notice anything either."
"Oh, so you think we're crazy, do you?" Fujiko snapped toward Peter, still vividly remembering the quake.
"Now now, Ms. Mine, we don't use that word," Staple only responded.
"Thank you, that really helps."
Pinching the bridge of her nose for the briefest of moments, Staple nodded.
"Okay, I'll keep this in mind. Tremors, like a quake, being felt by some of you..." She said, before eyeing Peter as well.
"... As well as confusion and loss of direction from the sounds of it."
"I..." Peter began to protest, before backing down just as quickly, unable to deny that he had no explanation for how he and those who had accompanied him seemed to walk in an impossible circle when trying to find Staple earlier.
"But in any case, we have other matters to attend to right now. If Elijah's awake, then I simply cannot miss this opportunity!" She exclaimed, perhaps the most animated anyone had ever seen her, as she clasped her hands together.
"And if nothing else, we cannot have someone like him left alone by himself!"
"Yeah, I'm with you on that front, I guess. Only way he coulda gone is back where we came, I'm thinking," Peter said, gesturing toward the door that everyone had just come through earlier.
"Ugh, fine. What are we waiting for then? Let's get a move on."
"Well, if you're so adamant..." Elijah began to respond to Jhin, putting a hand to his chin.
"I can think of one place where you'll be content to draw for as long as you'd like, whenever you want. All you need to do..." He trailed off, leaning in closer toward the artist.
"... is to help me find the exit," he finished, presumably referring to the supposed secret passage he was trying to find.
However, before anyone could say or do anything more, that was when the rest of the group who had remained in the Lobby finally reunited with everyone, almost seeming to burst through the door into the Hall where everyone had come together again.
"Oh, Erin, there you are. So good of you to join us," Fujiko said drolly, standing near the front of the group.
"At least you managed to hold up our dear supervillain for us."
As Staple stood beside Fujiko, she recognized the gleam of consciousness in Elijah's eyes, and knew then and there that she had finally come face to face with the real Elijah for once. Unable to escape this fact, especially after all this time, the old man tilted his head curiously toward Staple.
"Ah, the good doctor seeks an audience with me now, I'm guessing," he said, as though all his time in catatonia had been somehow faked the entire time.
"It's... so nice to finally meet you, Elijah. We have... a lot to discuss," she cleared her throat, walking toward and then behind Elijah's wheelchair and putting her hands on the grips behind him, before looking back at those who had just spent a hot minute with him.
"What has he said to you? Anything of particular interest?" She asked, to which Elijah -- his face obscured from Staple's sight -- gave a knowing wink to the others, silently signing to the group with his hands.
[Do you trust me?]
@Takumi @Not a Writer @Josh @Rwac96 @Minerva @Sark @Neko Shogun @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @York @Lucky @Capri @Crunch @Ottonomous Ghost @Jeremi @Everybody
