"Only friend?" Richard said, startled enough to drop the ball in his hand. He had no idea he was going to be put in such a compromising situation. They had only just met, and she already considered him a friend? Richard was just getting around to knowing her as the girl with blue hair! Were other people usually this friendly?

"Uh, well..." he began while picking up his dropped ball, unsure of himself. [i]What does anyone say to something like that?[/i] he thought to himself. His mouth, however, seemed to act on its own. "I'm glad that I can be your friend. Am I really the only one? There has to be someone else." The thought hadn't actually crossed his mind until he said it out loud. Who else did she know besides him? It was an interesting mystery.

As they talked, Richard realized just how late it really was. "It's getting late," he said bluntly. "I should probably be looking for a hotel." With these words, he gave away a tiny bit of regret. He had actually enjoyed chatting with her, though he still didn't know much about her. Maybe he'd meet her again tomorrow. "It was nice meeting you, Caelyn. Enjoy the rest of the festival."

With that, headed off on his own to find somewhere to sleep. Hopefully, he could find somewhere cheap enough for what little money he had. At least the thoughts of his own situation was being pushed away by worrying about where to sleep.