Down Comes The Canopy

"hey... you okay?"

Walnut sobbed as she walked down the street, her mind racing. If she had a clear thought in her brain, it would be telling her to go home. But it wasn't there. So she didn't go home. Instead she just kept on walking.

The streets seemed to go on forever. And she couldn't find the house she was looking for. It's like every thing she knew was gone.

She'd been out a while. And still she wasn't sure if she was where she needed to be. And as if it couldn't get any worse, it began to rain. The rain snapped her out of her racing thoughts as the first drop hit her head.

Rain was bad.

Very bad.

She began to run, wondering if she could find some form of shelter. There wasn't alot around here.

She paused, glancing around as she noticed a tree by a sidewalk. That'd do. She hurried under it, pressing herself up to the soggy bark, when she let out a sigh. Great. Now she's wet and lost. Could it get worse?

She glanced to the left and frozed. She could see a figure running over, with an umbrella over their head. A familiar figure. Perhaps the man she'd met?

She watched as it got closer. She was right. This was that odd guy that'd handed her Roguefort's calling card.. mozzarella was it? Under his free arm was a second umbrella. Was he helping?

"Oh there you are! I saw someone out in this rain and I couldn't just stand by! Here!" He spoke quickly, handing her the spare umbrella and helping her sort it out.
"You must come back with me- you're soaked! Gosh you must be freezing!" He sounded genuine, and walnut didn't have time to argue, so she nodded, firmly grasping the pole of the umbrella in her shaky hands. The two half-walked half-ran down the street to Mozzarella's home, and once inside, they both paused to catch their breath.

Mozzarella took the umbrella from walnut, closing them both and putting them into a little basket to drain off, before inviting her further into the house. She followed, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Mozzarella led her to the main living room, where he offered her a seat, a warm blanket, and the promise of a hot drink. She accepted it all thankfully, hell, this was the nicest she'd been treated in a long time. Once Mozzarella returned with the tea he'd made, he sat himself down on the chair opposite her.

"So. What happened?"

"..what?"

"You're clearly upset. If it's alright with you, you can tell me about it." He spoke with a hint of realness, like you could trust him with any secret or information and he'd keep it secret. He sounded genuine. Walnut liked that.

"I had a fight with my father. We've been.. tense lately. He's distant and I'm never in. So it was bound to happen." Walnut finally responded, taking a sip of the warm drink, her cold fingers wrapped tightly around the porcelain tea cup.

"A fight? Why? What happened?"

"I fell asleep for longer than I thought.. I'd met up with an old friend and I ended up taking a nap.. I got home an hour late." She looked down, it felt so natural talking to him that it almost scared her.

"Well. I don't think a fight is the best reaction to that is it? I'm sure it was all just a misunderstanding. Maybe there's something more behind it?" He spoke, crossing one leg over the other one as he leaned back.

"..what do you mean more behind it?"

"Maybe he's troubled and didn't know how to react without saying something he didn't want to?" Mozzarella offered her a smile.

Walnut glanced down at her hands, rubbing her thumb against the tea cup nervously. "Maybe.. but still- he went way to far with me."

"I know. He shouldnt have had that reaction in the first place, but maybe there's more too it than it seemed. That's all I have to say." Mozzarella glanced up at the ceiling, flicking some hair out of his face, "say.. will you be returning home after this?"

"Probably not till morning.." walnut mumbled.

"Well, I have a spare room if you need somewhere to stay, it's not too big but it's cosy." Mozzarella grinned at her, with a polite sense of almost hope in his expression... Weird.

"..thanks. if it's alright I'll stay here.. just till morning okay?" She replied, earning a curt nod from the other.

"Just until morning." He smiled once more.

Something was up with this guy.

And walnut wanted to find out.