The cold nipped at her skin even through her sweatshirt. Threadbare furniture was strewn all about. Exactly what she was used to. The second Colette stepped into the oddly-empty space, she knew she was at home.

That word had lost all meaning a long time ago.

She stepped toward the flickering lights to draw on what little warmth they offered. One by one, her companions - the first strangers she had encountered - claimed the few cots in the space. There were not enough of them for everyone. Colette glanced at the rickety hammocks that would serve as the dregs for those who didn't get a proper bed. Inwardly, she sighed. It would take some work to ensure they didn't dump her onto the cold floor. But, as always, she would manage.

"I'll leave the cots to you guys," she said. 

She strolled over to a beanbag chair and sat tentatively on it. Her light backpack rested on her patched jeans, and her long, dark hair draped over her shoulders. As far as she could tell, she was the youngest member of the group. No matter how much she wanted one of those cots, one way or another, someone else would take them from her. Better not to get on anyone's bad side by putting up a fight.

She extracted her sewing kit and quickly got to work on a pair of socks she had been making for herself. In these kinds of situations, it was best to busy yourself quickly. The people who didn't would be put to work by someone else soon enough, and they might not like the tasks they were given. So Colette dexterously continued her project, working mostly reflexively. The bulk of her attention was reserved for watching the others. There was nothing more important than understanding the people around you.

Despite tension that made her want to grind her teeth, she smiled and said. "Well, it's roomy!" A little optimism would nudge her toward most people's good books, though too much could prove irritating quickly. "Kind of chilly, though. If any of you get cold, just give me your measurements and I'll see what I can do." In the short term, her personal warmth wasn't terribly important. She could survive a few days in the cold, and then she could make something comfier for herself. Her immediate concern was to establish a safe long-term setting - and that meant securing her social position, not her physical one.