Quoted By:
<span class="mu-r">“He seemed to be a good kid, and I trust your judgment.”</span> you began. <span class="mu-r">“Keep an eye on him, will you? This metahuman business tends to spill over into our personal lives, so he might end up getting in trouble at some point. Send a message to either me or Prowler if anything happens, okay?”</span>
She turned her full attention onto you and nodded seriously, every bit the good little soldier that her parents raised.
You nodded your approval and thanks, before allowing the conversation to flow back to a less dire topic. <span class="mu-r">“So what do you think of him?”</span>
Cindy blinked, paused to consider the question, and then shrugged. <span class="mu-s">“He’s pretty funny. He kept talking even when he knew I couldn’t respond in time. And when that started getting annoying, we showed each other our sketchbooks.”</span> she signed with an almost wistful smile. <span class="mu-s">“He’s got an interesting style. Especially that wall art stuff.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Wall art? You mean graffiti?”</span>
<span class="mu-s">“Yeah, that.”</span>
You couldn’t help but smile as you watched her replay the day’s events in her head. You were grateful to Prowler’s nephew for making her feel this way. It was hard to tell whether she was interested in him romantically at this point, but you didn’t think that you had much to worry about. Whatever happens, you trust Cindy to make good judgements about the people around her.
<span class="mu-r">“Well, look at that. You made your first friend before the term even started.”</span> you said with an encouraging grin. <span class="mu-r">“You also seemed to be hitting it off with that student tour guide who knew sign language.”</span>
Cindy nodded eagerly. <span class="mu-s">“Her name’s Carlie. She’s a Sophomore and a Criminal Justice Major. She does all sorts of extracurricular activities in her free time. Sometimes for college credit, and sometimes for fun.”</span>
Weird girl. Earnest and hard-working, but definitely weird.
<span class="mu-r">“She sounds interesting.”</span> you carefully commented.
<span class="mu-s">“She’s gonna let me and Miles sit at her table with her brother on our first day.”</span> she signed excitedly.
<span class="mu-r">“Four potential friends already. You make this look easy.”</span>
Cindy raised a hand with each finger evenly spread out. <span class="mu-s">“Five, if we’re counting Saya. Although, I’m not expecting her to be half as patient as Miles or Carlie.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”</span> you advised.
Cindy nodded absently, still seemingly lost in thought.
The rest of your journey home was relatively silent, uneventful, and graciously peaceful.
(Cont.)
