Having traversed the halls in search of safety and for other signs of life, Nikolai and Morgan emerged from the mouth of the hallway. After finally locating the main Atrium, they found a small gathering of other faculty and students filing out of the library doors and into the main foyer. 

"Seems we weren't the only ones who rode out the storm." Nikolai could feel the intensity in his shoulders release as the two intermingled themselves with the other constituents. The confused and cautious herd of unfavored hostages murmured and mumbled as they tried to initiate contact with loved ones. 

"Looks that way." Morgan lulled.

Her hand was still in his, but she said nothing of it. It was nice to feel something other than imaginary hope and compensatory contact. The skin on his palm was rigid but not calloused to hell and back, or overly saturated, it was a comforting and warm enfold. Upon further inspection, she could see a slight change in the pigment of his skin on a section of his ring finger. The skin even slightly changed in width, perhaps from prolonged jewelry wear? Now that she had noticed it his fingers were Larger. Longer. Thicker. Generally, that would just be a difference determined by biological characteristics, but pondering deeper, his palms alone could take up the body of a dinner plate.  

With a glace Nikolai caught Morgans face, a smoldering chyanne and paprika pigment fills and fades from her nearly in an instant. 

"Are you alright?"

"Uh! Yeah! I just, I just had a thought thats all."

While the scattered patch of people fill the outer vestibule, sheer beams of golden beacons light particular areas of the earth outside the windows through the broken clouds. Trailing behind the immense wall of furiously flashing bolts, the storm was continuing its path and increasing in strength. A supercell of winds and hail had passed over them, catching those who were unspecting and unprepared offgaurd with its speed and severity. Pellets of ice littered the ground in various shapes and sizes. The speed of the icy debris removed branches and left bushels of leaves scattered about the ground, one would think a twister had come through.

Nikolai takes a seat on a nearby chaise and begins to call Laura. Keeping his voice at a consideratly low volume, he confirms he is safe and checks in on his grandfather.

"How's he doing?"

"He's fine. He's asleep right now." Laura replies

"Thats good. Has the nurse said anything?" 

"Nothing we should be worried about, just maintain the standard care routine."

"That's good I suppose. Are you alright?"

Morgan checks her phone and to her surprise Rebecca has messaged back -it only took nearly 20 missed calls from Morgans direction- luckily the messages aren't undertoned with anger or nonsensical demands. Morgan breathes an exasperated sigh of relief as she reads that Peter was already settled in at a friends house and would be staying there for the weekend. A boulder of pressing worry had been chisled away from her shoulders upon reading the message. 

She knew he would be safe and sound under the roof and supervision of someone who actually gave a flip about him. How much easier it would be to always have a place for Peter to go to and simply exist away from Rebecca, and not have to worry about power or lights, or water. It would always be available, all of the time. He would never have to worry, and neither would she. She would provide for the both of them, she would be the version of herself that she wishes so desperatley that someone would have been for her when she was his age. 

"It's alright," He continued. "If you need to go, you can. The nurse is there to care for him, so there's no need to worry. I'll be home after a while. If you need to, take tomorrow off and keep me posted on anything you may need."

Just across from him Morgans fingers compressed against the cold and dampened pane, Her sights set on the baseline of the now passed storm. She pressed her palm against the pane and absorbed the condensation. Pondering on the things that she could do with her life, but with no actual plan of attaining them, or making them tangible it made her clench her jaw. A sharp stream of air compress between her teeth and her tongue. The front seemed to be slowing down, almost stationary in some sections. She longed to be able to be like a storm: Roll in make her presence known and simply roll away without consequence. You can't punish the sky for the storms it brings.

"If only it were that easy all the time." She muttered. 

 She wanted to be a lot of things growing up, Vetrinarian, Geologist, Meteorologist, she had lots of aspirations but with no one close to her to actually believe in her or support her -it made her throat dry up to think about all the time she wasted, all the opprotunities she missed.- Her inner voice had been trumped by the sound of her empy stomach, any other day she would be unphased as skipping meals to make sure the defenseless one was fed was a regular thing, but this time she was furiously ravenous, holding it together simply out of fear of embarassing herself since Nikolai was still close by.

"That sounds like a pretty loud call to action." Nikolai chuckled. "The campus is going to be out of power for a while. Laura says we narrowly missed getting hit by a tornado, theres hail damage across generous parts of the city. Would you care to join me for a meal before you head home?"

Morgan turned with her hand still on the glass andgave a subtle but adamant nod, accepting his offer. She wasn't going to pass up a free meal, if anything, she at least owed him for helping to keep her grounded when everything went haywire.

His vehicle was outlined with the melting puddles of pea-sized hailstones. The damages to the exterior didnt seem to bother him in the slightest. He opened her dorr and as she took her seat she immediatley noted how the interior smelled. Clean. Too clean. Like a hospital almost, as if the airfresheners were filled with antibacterial sanitizing wipes, or the base liquid was a neutralizing oder eliminator. Morgan didn't want to speculate, maybe he was just a stickler for cleanliness when it came to his vehicle.

Nikolai drove the entire way without saying a word. Morgan didnt feel the silence was sakward, but she wondered why he was so silent. It wasn't until he pulled to a stoplight that she readjusted in her seat, and managed to catch the low volume of the song that was playing. 

"Ohhh, Forestelle! I love this group." She gives a sheepish shrug and twittles her thumbs in her lap. Pleased to hear her speak, he increases the volume by a few notches And morgan begins to hum in synch with the melody. The light turns green and Nikolai continues onward, after a few turns Morgan realizes exactly where they are. 

The plaza doesnt seem to be too busy, and Nikolai sees the low traffic as an opprotunity to get his monies worth.

"Fancy anything in particular?" He asks with enthusiasm as he kills the engine.

Morgan almost hesitated, but she can't resist the smells of food that have been pulled in through the outside, penetrating the air even while within the vehicle. She takes one whif, and without a glimmer of resistance, her tastebuds immediatly responded.

"Hot Stones Hot Pot."

"Done."

Nikolai escourted his excited guest of honour through the doors of the resturaunt and once they arrive at the hostess stand, Nikolai requests a table close to the window.

"Is that okay?"

"Ah, yes, anywhere is fine." 

Morgan couldn't care less where they were seated. She's taking in the sights and smells of the establishment. The lightwood floors and bright lights offer a welcomg atmosphere accompanied with the green art-deco wallpaper and bamboo accented seating. The music was less of a corporate happy-hour vibe and had a jump to it akin to Japanese R&B with it's livley up-tempo.

"You want a drink?"

"Yes, Peach Soju, please."

"I'll have a Lychee Soju, please."

With the drinks ordered and the menu and cooking process explained, the two begin their meal and start adding various ingredients to their hot pots. 

"Are you feeling better?"

"Certainly!" "Thank you for the meal, I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"Don't mention it. Seems like your nerves have settled significantly, and thats honestly all that I was aiming for."

"I'm so sorry about earlier, I don't really handle storms all that well."

"It's fine, i'm glad you didn't just sit there in the courtyard, Why were you out there anyway?"

She shrugs her shoulders just slightly, "I was trying to call my mom but, she didn't answer. I don't know what I was expecting truthfully, she doesn't really care much for me." 

"Oh- I take it you two don't exacty get along?" 

"Tollerance at best, but even thats running thin these days." Morgan says it with a snarky grin on her face but keeps her energy light and lifted so as not to make Nikolai concerned.

Years of masking and pretending that things are fine makes it effortless to hide behind a facade. Nikokai decides not to pry into the family dynamics, he personally didn't want to delve into his own issues, and more importantly he didn't want to ruin his appetite. He tilts his head slightly and bobs in reassurance. He's all too familiure with the feeling of being tollerated for the sake of keeping peace, so he understood completley where she was coming from. He takes a spoonfull of broth and cools it as he brings it closer to his lips, his eyes cut over to Morgan who was scanning the tray filled with an abundant selection of veggies in front of her. After her head swiveled from end to end about four times, Nikolai chuckles and offers a suggestion.

"Try the lotus root, its really good with the Miso base you picked."

She picks it up, and swirls it generoudly in the pot until she feels the stiffness give a little. She hasn't eaten lotus root before so this was an adventure worth taking. The generous bite is taken, and the crunch delivers a satisfatory textural punch. She even releases a delightful hum accompanied with a wiggle as the bite is swallowed. Her corners of her mouth turned upward, pressing the peaks of her cheeks slightly into her eyes which had rolled into the same direction. 

"That's delicious!" She takes the remaining crescent shape, tilts her head back and carefully inserts it between her teeth, using her lips to push the item back until she devours it whole. Its refreshing crunch made her laugh a bit more. 

Morgan tried her best to keep a balance of soup and conversation flowing, all seemed to be going wlel. The two were both in reletivley good moods, and she felt comfortable. Safe even. 

 "You're really good at grounding. Do you have experience with handling anxiety attacks or is that just something you picked up on natrually?"

"I developed a generous amount of anxiety when my sister left home. It was rough without her presence for a few years, but eventually, I learned how to redirect and assess when someones in distress. I learned the hard way, but I learned it not just for myself, but for those close to me. I'm just glad I was able to help you."

"I am too. Thank you." 

"You're welcome."

 Laying the protiens they selected on the hot stone in the center on the table, he keeps his hands carefully placed so as not to burn himself, then takes the assorted dry spiced and seasons them. The sizzling of the stones surface and the steam expanding into the air in front of her eyes was an exciting experience for her. The temperature of the stone combined with Nikolais generous seasoning created an excellent sear of golden crust, it was a thrilling sight to see. 

"Your sister must mean a lot to you if her leaving home caused that much of a strain on you."

"She was older than me by almost eleven years," He stated as he carefully rotated the food on the grilling stone. "I didn't understand why she was leaving. It did a number on my confidence, but she was as great as a big sister could be."

"Aww! I want to be that for my brother." she says in between bites of food and covers her mouth as she speaks. "Im going to ensure that I save every dime and dollar I can to give him a better life."

Impressed, he takes a bite of his Gyoza and responds with endearment. "Well, if you keep your head,you're gauranteed to to get there. Though your brother must be in his teens by now?" 

Morgan coughs and tries to catch her breath, though initially she wanted to laugh, she knew she would need to clariry things. It's not his fault Rebecca was careless. 

"Ah- *cough* no. Peter-  He'll be ten next month so there's *cough* yeah, there's a generous bit of a gap between us." she tries to clear her throat, and taps her chest using her fingers while drinking some water. He leans forward to try to assist but she waves him down, assuring that she's fine. SHe even laughs as she recollects herself. "My bad, i'm sorry. I'm okay I promise. Uh, yeah, he's far younger than me-"

Nikolai holds up his hand and stops her, "It's okay, you don't have to talk about it if you dont want to."

"Well, it's just, It's not like he was planned, thats kinda why i've been back and forth living with my mom and trying to live on my own." She takes her dumpling and dips it in the soy sauce. "If he wasn't a factor, I'd probably be homeless."

"Hm? 'If he wasn't a factor'?" he scoffs a bit but tries to keep a positive attitude, but is a little taken aback by that statement. "Forgive me if im being harsh but, that makes it sound like you're a prisoner because of him."

"Well... I do feel like a prisoner. That's because of Rebecca though." She grabs a slice of the finished beef and places it on her tray, pairing it with her rice.  "If Peter hadn't been born, Rebecca would've left me to the wolves when I turned eighteen. I look after him because I want to. I live there because I have to. He gives me a reason to keep striving for better. Especially since he's deaf, he requires a level of care that my mom can't give him, and she allows me to stay because she knows she wouldn't survive without my income." 

She takes a piece of bak choi and carefully layers her steak, rice and chili oil and rolls it up before taking a bite. "I stay because I love my brother, he deserves the support that Rebecca never gave me when i was growing up. SHe made it pretty clear she hated me, but I also know she would probably screw that kid up a million different ways if I weren't around."

Still a tad shocked, Nikolai raises and eyebrow and gives an obviously confused gaze toward Morgan. Maybe it was the fact that she was able to admit that so openly with little to no anger or resentment or even resistance in her voice, but it stunned him. He wasn't sure it was his place to point it out but, was she aware that it seemed kind of odd?

Catching his gaze after finishing her roll, she uses her napkin to wipe the excess oil from her face and catches Nikolais still very stunned expression. It finally clicks that she may have bothered him with what she's said, so she tried to clarify. 

"Oh! I-I promise it's not that bad! It's just, I love Peter trumendously! When it comes to his needs being met, he prefers me over her. We may not be close in age, but we've got a bond and, I dont know, I feel like if I left, he'd have a hard time adjusting, and he would probably end up somewhere or doing something he doesn't need to be." 

She swirled her chopsticks in the pot and her expression sulls. She knew very well, it was 'that bad'. Embarassed that she said something so haphazardly, she uses her free hand and takes a generous swig of soju. Nikolai waits a moment before speaking.

"I can relate to that." 

Her hand stops. Was she dreaming? Did he just say that? The casual confession of a stranger allowed for a moment of unified silence between them. That single sentence served as the welcome for a space for understood tension and comprable validation.

"My sister Paige, though she was older than me, she took on an intense amout of care for me because our parents worked a lot, but when it came to taking care of herself she fell short a lot of the time." 

He cracks the lid on his soju bottle and carefully pours it into the smaller clear glass before lifting its fragrant contents to his lips. He uses his index finger and with the glass in hand, points at Morgan, and with a firm, comforting, and confident tone he continues.

"Coming from a younger siblings perspective, you should priotitize yourself, so that he can have that better life you're striving for. If you can't maintain and support yourself, then he won't have as good of a chance as you think." 

He takes his drink, then gently places the glass back on the tables surface before picking up his chopsticks again.  

"Caring for someone who can't care for themselves, though its commendable, it isn't an excuse to let yourself, you desires, and your needs go by the wayside, even if you're living in proximity to someone who doesn't love you like they ought to."

The words ring sincere and transparent, though theres a lingering sense of feeling foolish on the tail end of those words. She can't help but feel that thats something she should have realized by now. Her lids react in a rapid manner as she leanes back in an astonished manner. His honesty seemed to release something in her, some mental strain or block that she had been struggling to truly grasp hold of over the years. The storm of worry in her mind seemed to let up, ever so slightly. The downpour or worry, regret, and helplessness, suddenly became a light shower. The clouds of her current situation hadn't yet passed but, she felt lighter.

"Funny how that works out." She stared off to the side, in sort of a semi-dissassociated yet completley aware state. Nikolai, still not quite grasping that she's analyzing her thoughts, turns around to see who or what shes staring at. Maybe it's someone behind him? Did she spot an old friend? He looks back to her and she smirks a little.

Leaning forward, he whispers "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I offended."

With a slow swivel, and her jaw slightly agap, Morgan reaches for her water, and takes a few sips, before responding.

"Just an epiphany. That's all." she tries to laugh it off but she cant help but to feel a little silly. Silly because it took so long for her to really grasp what his words meant. With that, Nikolai accepts his answer and leans back to his comfortable position. He picks up more food and continues eating assuming Morgan is probably just deep in thought.

"You know how someone can tell you something, and you understand it when it's said in the moment, but then later down the line when it's said again, it takes on an entirley different meaning?" She asks.

Her eyes finally break contact with the invisible thoughts in the distance, and refocus on the tangible.

"Well sure, time and experience is a great context to how or if something resolves or evolves." He digs his spoon into the rice bowl and begins to set up a lettice wrap. The one Morgan had made earlier using the meat, oil, and peppers, looked pretty appetizing and he wanted to try it for himself.

"Exactly!" Her eyes widen as she exclaimed, wiping the excess water her mouth with the back of her hand. "I think ... I just realized how I want to resolve some of my problems." As she bobs her head, her coils dance along with her in that delighted motion. "Thank you Nikolai."

He chuckles at her excitment and expression of grattitude.

"No need to thank me, you figured that out on your own." He picks up his neatly layerd wrap and takes a generous bit. The marriage of textures and flavors is aromatic and packs just enough heat to satisfy his palate.

"Mmm.. Hey, If you ever write a cookbook, make sure you name a recepie after me."

"That's a great idea! I can come over, and we'll cook all the recepies together and try them out before we finalize it!"