@Tsar Gatto @SunsetRoses @Eviledd1984Erik was somewhat surprised as Calla fully bought into the act, throwing her skinny arms around him with enthusiasm. He found the sensation odd, if not unpleasant like being embraced by skeleton that had swaddled itself in thin cloth. She leaned in closer and gently whispered,
"I don't know why you're helping me, but thank you. As for now, I owe you." As she pulled back she gave a grin of wicked intent and a quick wink of her eye.
'Oho... she knows how to play this game too it seems. Unfortunately for her, she is dealing with a master of the craft.' Putting on his best affable face, he laughed gently and quietly, but not so quietly that he couldn't be overheard, said,
"It's fine- you don't need to thank me. Here we all support each other to get through this place and back to our lives where we belong." He placed a gentle, reassuring grip on her upper forearm, briefly looking around at all the assembled teens one by one, eyes briefly lingering on Teres.
"We will all get through this." Erik reveled into the attention he must be receiving, feeling the perceived adoration of his peers wash through him pumping endorphins through his body. Even Michael seemed like he was paying some attention to the scene, a difficult feat for Erik to manage. He smiled warmly at them all in genuine happiness before turning back to Calla to resume the false feeding. However, he had only manage to deliver a few more bites to the girl, before he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He looked around expecting to see Teres coming to speak with him only to find Michael of all people with that incredibly dumb puppet on his hand. His looked past Michael only to see Teres seeming to relax back into his seat as though she had been about to rise. Anger gnawed at his composure, growling like a rapid hound, itching to be set free causing a violent pulse at his temples.
'No, no. Now is not the time for that. LATER.' He calmed down at the pretense of adjusting his chair to better help Calla, furthering his ability to block Michael's line of sight from his hands in the process.
"Your super awesome amazing! How did you come up with your super swell idea?" asked Michael, or rather the puppet. Erik, somewhat mollified by this comment, smiled glancing briefly between the boy and the puppet unsure of which one he was expected to answer to. Michael asked some bizarre riddle, Calla answering briefly, seemingly gaining the whole of his combined attentions. Still, Michael was here and that was that, Erik would need to adapt. Maybe he could find a positive way to spin it in his favor once more?
"Michael and um...Danny," he said gently and warmly,
"Good Morning to you both. Sorry to interrupt you, but Calla has to finish this up before the nurses start to get impatient. Can you two finish your talk after breakfast? In the meantime, I have a puzzle of my own for you." He cleared his throat slightly taking on a less serious, playful tone,
"The more you take away, the larger it becomes. Can you solve this riddle?" It was an older one he had heard in school, but had impressed him with its cleverness and he had hung onto it as a riddle worthy of him. He furtively 'fed' Calla a few more bites from her rapidly dwindling plate, before glancing back over to Teres to see if she was looking at him.
