"Krista". Nice to finally have a name for her. I watched her, carefully assessing her responses and such. She seems a fragile soul, but needed her freedom so badly, I had to bring her along. Besides, we shared something deeper inside... a darkness, an inner depth. Exploring that will be good for both of us.

I listened to her, venting some of her pain about Doctor Asshole and the folks at the hospital. She looked as though she was opening up a bit, calming down. She needed some reassurance that things here would be safe for her. Chester was kind of scary looking, and while Marta is a pretty woman, she's muscular and a little coarse.

"Rusty, err, Krista," I said, getting closer to her, seeing her clearly head-to-toe for the first time, "would you like something particular to drink or eat? Chester and Marta are going grocery shopping for us, and will bring back anything special you like." I walked slowly, looking for signs that I was scaring her by coming closer.

I was about two feet away from her and saw her eyes widen a bit. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Krista. I hope my nickname for you doesn't upset you. May I take your hand and take you to a seat? Or perhaps, just a short hug? I've been waiting so long... had a picture of a Rusty Blackbird on my wall to help me think of you. I thought you and I, that we, might someday be friends."