Cecil stumbled and swayed with Val's tight turns, tripping over his feet trying to stay at her side. He was too occupied fighting sullenness in the new human connection he was making - a craft he was never skilled in - to even consider what their next move was, until Val spoke again.

	"And I'm guessing we should try the lower levels," she finished, trying to find something in the abounding shadow. "What do you think?"

	Cecil stopped, prompting Val to turn and face him. "It's probably locked. Custodian's office might have the keys, if it's not locked as well." He put his hand under his chin and frowned in thought. He remembered passing the custodian's office many times. The door was wood, shoddy-looking, and always rattled, not like the heavy steel basement door near the first-floor bathrooms. "Nevermind. We can probably kick it down, if we need." Cecil looked up at Val and chuckled before he could help himself. "Don't worry. I'll take the fall for that if we get in shit, I don't care."

	Turning back to the hallway before them, he tried to determine where they were in the campus. He decided that they were lucky enough to be on the right path, and walked ahead, watching for any landmarks he could identify that told them they were near the custodian's office in the glow of Val's phone.

[@Andromeda]