[right][color=slategray][u][b]Marlowe Tolfell[/b][/u][/color][/right]


Marlowe didn't know how to respond, but she knew she had to say something. Living underground was one of those bizarre experiences that people just couldn't wrap their heads around unless they'd experienced it first hand. Marlowe wasn't going to sit there and pretend that she had any idea of what it was like. She could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience and she wondered briefly if it was living underground, or the adjustment to regular society, that was the most challenging. Marlowe was surprised that he had told her about it. It was probably in light of their new circumstances, 'everyone has to stick together', or something like that. She didn't mind.

[color=slategray]"Why did you leave?"[/color] Marlowe asked, chomping on her lip again. She wasn't good at being comforting and she didn't think that was what he was looking for. Things like, 'I'm sorry,' didn't mean much.

Marlowe always blurted out the first thing that sounded okay. Right now she was unusually aware of what she was saying, in part due to the sensitive nature of the subject, but mostly because she was so on edge herself. These last 24+ hours had been very taxing. She was trying to think of something better, but the more she thought about it the more awkward everything sounded.

[color=slategray]"You must've had a really hard time."[/color] She tried.

It was the best her and her sloppy social skills could manage. She followed it with a stiff smile but quickly let it drop. She just didn't have the energy. Marlowe respected his ability to do what he had to in order to survive. She was lucky she hadn't been through that sort of thing, although testing positive wasn't exactly synonymous for a happy future. She wondered what was going to happen to them next. Was this it for the rest of the night? They hadn't said anything, but they'd been in there for long enough that she assumed they wouldn't be doing anything else for the day. She corrected herself quickly: it was dangerous to surmise anything in here. She wouldn't relax just yet. She was nervous about what life would be like here, people never talked about it, they didn't care. The residents were all labeled monsters so humane treatment wasn't an issue. To the public, there was almost no knowledge of what went on in Training and Education Facilities. What a scary thought.

Marlowe brought her attention back to, erm, the boy in front of her? It was weird, she knew something personal about him but she didn't know his name. Now was as good a time as ever.

[color=slategray]"Marlowe,"[/color] She blurted, almost suddenly. [color=slategray]"My name is Marlowe, what's yours?"[/color] Her cheeks went warm, she was embarrassing herself again. 

Overhead, a conversation was sparking. An exchange of shirts and names brought her back to the room of 40 when she'd only been focused on two: herself and the nameless boy. Looking around quite a few others had started to mingle but many were still scared and by themselves. It was about 50/50, if she were to guess. Marlowe was used to being alone and even she was clinging to her conversation with a stranger; she'd be too anxious by herself right now. She couldn't imagine how isolating it would feel if someone wasn't used to being alone.

[color=slategray]"Were you two together before?"[/color] She asked, gesturing to the girl on the bed above him with a nod of her head, and started chewing on her lip again.

Speaking of chewing... her stomach growled quietly as she thought about the last thing she ate. Breakfast before the test, eggs and toast. At the time it hadn't been anything special but now she was regretting not enjoying it more. She wondered when they were going to get to eat next.