[center][h1][u][i][b]NPC[/b]s[/i][/u][/h1][/center][center][h3][i][b]S[/b]omewhere in [b]C[/b]entral [b]P[/b]aris | [b]A[/b]pril 14, 2012 (09:23 [b]AM[/b])[/i][/h3][/center]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hKG33wkr0k][sub]♫ Baccano! OST - Nise Orchestra no Kanbi na Hibiki[/sub][/url]

	`... 'Too dramatic'...? [i]Perhaps[/i] I was wrong...` the old man thought to himself.

	There was a possibility that he had jumped to conclusions, mostly because his mind was entirely obsessed on something and subsequently in his head everything had to be related to it in some way. There was no denying that the look in the old man's eyes was that of someone who was fixated or haunted, but he saw no reason to speak to this young (at least by his own standards) man about it if he was not somehow able to relate to it. He would merely brush the words off as something spoken by a lunatic -- not that the old man was entirely unused to that at this point. Though he tried to present himself as sophisticated there was no denying that to any 'normal' person the words that would usually come out of his mouth would be a bit much to take in. He thought perhaps this man might understand, but it would seem not.

	Since the old man was deep in his own contemplations, he made no attempt to speak to Conrad during the brief period of time between the two sets of dialogue. Despite how haunted the old man was, he was far too contemplative to feel the need to instantly reply to anything spoken, especially when the words had implied that any sort of extensive discussion might be an exercise in futility. Of course, it was perhaps a bit harsh to judge this young man strictly on one sentence, but if that sentence was anything to go off then Conrad was the type who would not want to hear what he had to say. While the old man could definitely appreciate the attempts made by Conrad to show him respect with the term 'Herr', he was also a bit too weary of the world to care much for something like formality.

	The old man also made no immediate response to Conrad's offer to shake his hand. Firstly, the overall expression of the old man indicated that he trusted no one, to the point that he was paranoid. Secondly, the gears were currently turning in his head a lot faster now with the new statements made by Conrad. The young man he made it clear that he had not been here long, and that he was here for the purposes of an encounter. To any ordinary person, these things could have meant any number of things and the possible connection to what the old man was thinking could have been nothing more than coincidence, but he did not believe in coincidence anymore -- not after what he had learned. Also, people who were fixated on something usually saw what they wanted to see, so there was nothing actually strange about his mind going straight in one direction.

	"Dietfried..." the old man responded simply, choose not to give his surname -- Conrad had not done so either anyway, "I am here... seeking a reunion with someone..." Dietfried replied, choosing not to word himself in the more 'dramatic' way he would have usually done so but still nevertheless answering the question.

	The old man moved his cane slightly to the side, raising it and then letting it touch the ground again as if he was preparing to turn away, a clicking sound coming from the steel end touching the pavement. In all honesty, Dietfried was unsure whether or not to say what was actually on his mind at this point. He was weary of this young man even though he had no clear reason to be, but then he was for the most part weary of everyone and it did show in his expression. At the same time, he could not just ignore the thoughts in his head that were bothering him due to the combination of the words Conrad had used earlier. Most people would have thought nothing of it, but Dietfried's mind could only go think about this in a single way.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SxC9xpF0KE][sub]♫ Shadow Hearts OST - Profile[/sub][/url]

	"... Were you [i]invited[/i] here...?" Dietfried asked suddenly, as if choosing not to walk away after all, "Were you given a letter -- written on [i]antique[/i] paper...?" the old man questioned. The response to this question would settle everything, so Dietfried payed close attention to the young man's expression.