The Medtech Roomies Apartment Complex

"O-oh." She blinks at him, looking a bit nervous. Shifting nervously, she leans down to pick up the baby carrier. This…couldn't get more awkward.

"Um, h-hello. I, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were back or else I would've…" She trails off, not certain what else to say. She doesn't actually want to welcome him 'home' she just feels she should.

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"Hmmm? Would have what? Welcomed me back yourself?"

He smiles one of those carefree friendly smiles. The kind that tends to fool people who don't know what he's really like. But Miranda should at least know he's a bit of a sleazeball even if she doesn't know the full extent of it.

"Seems you were a bit preoccupied with something else, eh?"

Peering at the baby carrier, still grinning. He wouldn't be if he knew it was his.

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"M-maybe…" She admits in a small voice.

The baby looks like her and has her black hair. She shifts a little, still a sleep. Miranda rocks it absently. Should she tell him now? She bites her lip. He has a right to know but they both knew nothing would ever be between them…

"Um, y-yes. She's…mine." Giving him a slightly worried look. Will he be angry if she tells him?

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"Cute kid. Hard to say at that age, but she looks a bit like you. I bet she'll be as pretty as you when she's older."

He's so far in a good mood. Mostly behaving himself, even if he did just somewhat teasingly flirt there. But it's hard to say what will make him go off. He's not always the most mentally stable person in the world.

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"Yes well… She, she has your…eyes" She mumbles, looking very uncomfortable. She quickly continues, practically stumbling over her words before he can respond. "B, but it's fine. I, I won't bother you with her, of course. I just…you should know, that's what I thought and…"

She trails off, bites her lip and looks down. She's desperately trying not to look at him. "I, I'm sorry… I, I can go now, if you want." She shouldn't have said anything, she knows that. She just felt guilty, keeping it from him.

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For a moment he just looks surprised. And then he laughs.

"My eyes? What a funny thing to say!"

He moves back a little, grinning and holding his hands up.

"You can't really be saying she's mine, can you?"

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She shifts and her eyes dart around, a blush staining her cheeks. She wants to hide under a rock so badly. "Um, uh…" She gives a quick nod. She should go. Clearly, he doesn't believe her. He laughed at her, in her face.

She kneels and picks up the bag, shouldering it. She knows when to make a quick escape. She starts edging away from him, heading toward her apartment. "I, I should be going now. I'll, I'll see you around."

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"Oh come on. Don't be that way. I'll be nice."

That grin says otherwise. He obviously thinks this is all a joke. Either that or he's just being an ass and playing like he doesn't believe because he doesn't want responsibility.

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"It's, it's not about being nice or not nice. I just, I need to go before she wakes up." She bites her lip. Well, it can't hurt to invite him to walk with her, right? He can't be any more cruel than he's already been, making the mistake of thinking she was joking.

Besides, he's her daughter's father. "You, you can come with me…if you like."

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Cole is brushing confetti out of his hair and staring curiously at the banners as he makes his way through the halls.

He'd been intending to go for a quick run, but if Miranda is back...

He changes his direction and heads off in search of the woman. He wants to make sure she's okay since he hasn't seen her around in a few weeks.

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Miranda is holding an array of balloons, several with the words "congratulations" on them. She's blinking at one of the banners, a small bag by her feet along with a few other things. She hadn't expected this. There's a small sound, like a coo, and she kneels down to tend to something by her bag. She hasn't noticed Cole yet.

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It's a relief to see she's okay. He's still not very good with expressing himself, but he has been kind of lurking around to keep an eye on her when he can. And leaving her flowers and pretty rocks he finds on his walks. Little things that might go unnoticed or at least not connected to him exactly.

But she is sort of like a sister now. He feels he needs to look after her a bit and make her happy.

He hangs back, watching curiously and wondering where she's been.

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She really liked receiving the presents from him. She lined up the rocks on a shelf and pressed the flowers to make bookmarks. She hadn't connected them to him, not yet, but she'd love each and every little treasure.

She stands up again, cradling a fussy bundle. It wiggles in her arms, not exactly crying but definitely making tiny grunt-like noises. "Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. Mama's here." She soothes.

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He watches curiously for a moment. When he sees her with the bundle in her arms and hears her talking he figures out what's going on.

He sort of wants a closer look, but he's not sure if he should approach her. He's sort of worried he might startle her. And anyway, he's not sure if he should bother her. Maybe she's busy...

He stands there, debating internally.

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He can probably now see the balloons are a) tied to her wrist and b) have a couple that say "It's a Girl!" mixed in. It seems she had a daughter. She rocking the fussy baby but really, she has no idea when it comes to children.

She looks around, hoping to see someone who could help her, just for a moment. She needs someone to hold the baby while she gets a bottle. She knows by now that when her daughter is fussy, she needs to be held or she'll really start wailing and won't stop until she falls asleep. She spots Cole and relief spreads across her features. She smiles at him hesitantly. Would he mind. "Ah, Cole. Um, hello…"

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"Ah... hello."

He gives a little shy smile back, watching her with the baby.

"I... I saw the signs... umm.. the banners. Saying you were back. And I thought I would come see you ...Is this a bad time?"

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"No, no, this is perfect." She smiles at him. She missed him. It's good to be back, especially when it means seeing a friendly face. "It's, it's been a while. Have, have you been well?" The baby is still a bit fussy but she's keeping her calm for the moment.

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"Yes. I've been good. ...How have you been?"

Ah. That's right. That would be his niece there, wouldn't it? He's watching the little bundle curiously.

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The little girl stirs and a tiny hand reaches up, turning the wrist this way and that. She's too young to grasp how her body moves yet so she hasn't learned out to use her fingers. Miranda rocks her ever so slightly before smiling at Cole. "I've been well. I, I just came home today." A shy blush. "Would, would you like to see her?"

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He nods.

"If... that's okay?"

He really would though. Even if he doesn't know much about babies or anything. He's just curious. She's part of his family now. Just like Miranda.

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"It is." She smiles sweetly at him. Cole's a sweetheart and really, she doesn't mind him being around in the least. She's less nervous around him than most. Although right now, she's infused with motherly pride as well. She thinks her daughter is the most darling thing and she wants to show her off a little. She shifts the bundle so he can get a better look at her.

"I, I named her Silvia. Silvia Lotto…Eberling." Because, after all, Evan is the father. Although she's a bit comfortable speaking or even thinking about Evan. She's glad that Cole seems to be taking all this so well, though.

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So this is his niece. She's so tiny. He glances down at her in awe.

"Silvia... that's a really pretty name."

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"I, I'm glad you think so…" She smiles at him, still cradling the babe. She's so happy that she decided to keep her.

When she first found out, she'd been scared. And one of the first things she'd thought of was giving her baby away. How could she raise a child? Especially with her line of work! Yet she'd decided to keep her and she couldn't be more glad. "Do you think…" She frowns and glances away. "I'd, I'd rather she…not meet her father. So I was w-wondering, would you mind terribly if…" She's not sure how to continue without upsetting him.

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"Not meet him..."

He doesn't know what she's going to ask of him, but he can understand what she's saying. He still loves his brother, even if the man is undoubtedly terrible at times. But it's not like he's forgotten some of the things he's seen Evan do. Some of the things he's done to Cole when he was young. It's definitely a little scary to think of the man raising this little girl.

"...He's not goo with children. That's probably best. Ah... was there something you wanted me to do? ...About that, I mean?"

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She nods slowly. She'd guessed as much from the way he treated her. Men show how they are with children by how they treat women. If they don't treat women right, they probably won't care about children either. She couldn't trust him with her daughter, with their child, if he wouldn't even admit to it.

"Would, would you mind letting her think…he's dead? I, I don't want to bad mouth him or anything." She just wants what's best for her daughter. She looks away, clearly ashamed.

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He wasn't expecting that. He thought maybe she might want help keeping him from knowing or just keeping him away.

To be perfectly honest, he's not even sure his brother is going to be alive by the time Sylvia is old enough to start asking questions. What they tell her might very well be the truth by then.

He nods, doesn't mention what he's thinking. It's still pretty hard for him to face the idea that his brother may have to die to protect many other lives.

"If you think that's what's best... I won't tell her otherwise."

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"Thank you… I'm sorry I had to ask that of you…"

She shakes her head slowly. It was wrong of her. She shouldn't be asking such things of him. The baby fusses and she remembers why she called him over in the first place.

"Um, Cole… Would you mind holding her? J-just for a bit?"

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"Ah?"

The request surprises him. "Hold her..? Oh. Okay... I think I can do that."

But she'll have to show him how probably. He's never held a baby before.

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Tielle lazily wanders the main lobby of the hotel, looking up at the banners and the confetti with intrigue.
"I wonder what all this is about..." she sighs, a curious smirk across her face.
Though she doesn't know much about whats going on, she giggles softly in amusement as she begins looking around the lobby for Miranda, which is quite difficult considering the two have never met. Noticing the cluster of balloons moving about the lobby, she figures that's as good a place to start as any.

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She'll find Miranda looking vaguely lost and staring up at the banners. She has a few balloons tied to her wrist, several of which say "Congratulations" and one that say "Get Well Soon" mixed together. A few are hidden behind the others.

"What's going on…" Who knew she was coming home.

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"I've been asking myself that same question." Tielle sighed, looking up at the balloons.
Looking back down at Miranda, Tielle smiles, still trying to understand just what's going on.
"I don't believe we've met. You can call me Tielle."
With that, she gives Miranda a slight bow, more to get a chance to look her over for any clues as to what all the banners and the balloons have to do with anything without looking suspicious than out of genuine courtesy.

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She'll probably notice she has a brown and green bag at her feet, haphazardly tossed clothes sticking out as well as a few other items. Like a bottle. Near the bag is a baby carrier, which she was currently kneeling to pick up when Tielle approached. Startled, Miranda quickly stands and looks up at her. Flashing a nervous smile, she holds out a hand to her to shake.

"Oh, hello. Um, I, I'm Miranda Lotto." The ballons have shifted and one of them now proclaims 'It's A Girl!' in front of the others. It seems she just had a daughter. "Um, nice to meet you…Tielle?" She asks it as if she's afraid she's mispronouncing the name.

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Tielle smiles, taking her hand. Looking down at the baby carrier, Tielle's smile broadens even further as she sees the child inside.
"Well isn't she precious. Reminds me of my daughter when she was a newborn. I do miss her so..."
Tielle lets out a wistful sigh as she thinks about what her daughter might be up to now, but quickly shakes out of the daze and focuses back on Miranda.
"So what's her name?"

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The baby girl in the carrier is fast asleep, all though her face scrunches up slightly in her sleep. One of her little hands shifts, fingers opening and closing. Miranda relaxes when Tielle mentions having a daughter, kneeling again to pick up the baby carrier.

"Oh? You have a daughter? How old is she?"

She rocks the carrier slightly, more to keep her hands busy than to actually benefit the baby. She's fine, sleeping right now, so she really doesn't need much. Miranda's not looking forward to when that changes later today. She smiles softly at her daughter when Tielle asks her name. "Silvia. Silvia Lotto… Eberling." She bites her lip as she says the last part of her daughter's name. Clearly, something about it troubles her.

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"She should be around eighteen if memory serves me correctly, though I haven't seen her since she was only four or five."
Tielle lets out a sigh, looking down at Silvia.
"Things were so much simpler back then... but there's no going back now. It was for her own good that I left."
Luckily , Tielle is too preoccupied with reminiscing to notice the troubled look on Miranda's face.

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"O-oh…" Miranda falters, not expecting that response. She searches for the appropriate words. "I, I'm sorry."

She worries her lip and looks down at her daughter as well. She sees her stirring and the little eyes cracking open. It sees she's awake again. She looks at Tielle and hesitates for a moment. "Um, would you… would you mind holding her? While I get her, uh, bottle."

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"There's nothing to be sorry about, it's not like she's dead or anything..."
Tielle paused for a moment, noticing the irony in what she just said before continuing.
"It's just that she's an heir to my throne that, aside from myself and a small handful of others, no one knows exists. It's simply safer for her that I keep my distance, though it's not like I don't keep an eye on her from time to time." Tielle giggled, grinning just wide enough to reveal a sharp fang poking out from under her lip.
Extending her arms towards Miranda, she gave her a smile.
"I'd be glad to hold her for you."

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"Heir to your… o-oh." She's not sure how to respond to that. "That… must be hard on you."

She smiles softly and hands her Silvia. "M-mind her head…" She knows that she's a mother but Miranda is knew at this and that makes her nervous. She kneels down and rifles through the bag, grabbing a little cloth bib as well as the bottle. "One moment please…" She needs to put the bib on her before she can feed her.

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Tielle simply looks down at the baby in her arms, a warm smile on her face.
"The hardest part is not being able to see her, though I know she's in capable hands. She'll be safe for a while, but enough about me, tell me more about yourself."

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"Me? What about me?" She squeaks, more out of not expecting the question than true nervousness.

She smiles at how natural Tielle seems with the baby. She puts the bib on her before carefully taking the baby from Tielle. She begins to feed her daughter from the bottle. "I, I guess I should start with where I'm from. Which is Germany."

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"Germany... I can't say I've heard of such a place. Please, do go on."
Tielle watched Miranda curiously, her thirst for knowledge getting the best of her as usual.

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"You haven't?" She looked surprised. Shocked, actually. Almost everyone knew of Germany that she knew. "It's my country. It's in Europe. Do, do you know of Europe?"

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Tielle shook her head.
"I stumbled upon this place through experimenting with ways to traverse between worlds. I know nothing about where I am, or where you're from."
Reaching into her dress, she pulled out a small vial filled with a red syrupy liquid. Popping open the top, she downed the vial, licking her lips.
"I am sure there are many differences between where we're from. If you have anything you'd like to know about me, please feel free to ask."

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"You travel…worlds?" She is, surprisingly, not the least bit shocked. In fact, she looks only mildly curious. "Do you use the Ark? Or something similar perhaps?"

Oh wait. She said she didn't know where she was, didn't she? She should probably explain then, huh? "Um, well, what would you like to know about this place?"

She eyes the liquid curiously, having not seen a red like that in quite some time and unable to guess at it's content or place why it seems familiar. She feels it would be rather rude to just ask questions of Tielle without giving her a chance to ask a few herself so she remains quiet for now. She is curious about what that vial was, though.

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"Actually I found a way through a mix of alchemy and magic, though it took quite a bit of experimentation. I'm sure I'll learn more about this place in due time. As far as I can tell, it seems to be some sort of inn."
It's then she notices Miranda curiously watching the vial.
"It's blood by the way, though it should be rather obvious considering I'm a vampire..."
She pauses for a moment, looking down in embarrassment.
"...which I completely forgot to mention, I didn't even realize."

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i_can_smell_you

Zexion had always held a certain affection for Miranda. Something about her made him feel protective and close to her. When she left so did he for a while, though he came back shortly before she did.

When that familiar scent filled his lungs he was quick to get dressed for the weather and went out to meet her. Much to his annoyance though his response is far more muted that he intended it to be when he finally caught up to her, "Hello Miranda."

Although he wasn't very enthusiastic with his response there was a smile on his face.

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