It takes a great deal of willpower for Kaneki to not flinch or jump away when he feels her hand touch his head, though he stiffens considerably at the contact. The thought arises that it has been such a long time since anyone has touched him without the intents of killing and, or eating him. He won’t admit it, but affection is something he has missed–or at least, his ‘human’ side does. The thought of feeding that weakness leaves an uneasy feeling. Such a simple gesture as a pat on the head shouldn’t be so making him feel anything. How pathetic.
“I have to say that it has been a bit jarring…” From what Kaneki has observed, this is island is some odd little pocket dimension at a crossroads for other universes, tugging in various types of living beings from their respective home arbitrarily. Kaneki can tolerate that much.
The real change is the fact that no one has made an attempt to hunt him down yet. So far, he hasn’t encountered any other ghouls. For once he feels at ease, if only marginally; but his vigilance will remain in tact no matter where he is.
His thoughts keep drifting back to Midna patting his head, though. Maybe it’s okay for him to accept this as being in a new world now.
On that note, Kaneki hadn’t thought of leaving home since he had been caught up in a series of tragic events. Maybe before, his overly-active mind would drift off into dreams of adventuring the lands of the books he’d read. Getting lost in bizarre and unfamiliar places had been an exciting thought. Now he has been granted with the opportunity to indulge that desire, implying that he isn’t dreaming about it right now.
“Nah, you’re just tall.” Kaneki almost smiles at Midna. Puns may be the lowest, cringe-worthy forms of humor. Even though it was awful, Midna herself is too endearing. He’ll cut her some slack.
“But I’ll agree, it is an interesting place. Nothing like breaking the boundaries of space-time. It may not be new for you, but most light dwellers are generally unable to bend the laws of physics. Not without help, anyway.”
Even if her joke wasn’t quite as humorous to Kaneki as it was to her, she was still delighted to know he had some thoughtful incentive to please her with that small remark. There’s a soft giggle from Midna, raising her hand to cover her mouth ever so slightly; the proper and dignified kind of way to show her amusement, that is.
“ You do have a point, Kaneki Ken. But it is still very exciting! ” Adept to picking up subtle hints and body languages, she retracts her hand slowly back to her side. Though she’s not one to be alarmed of such small and weary movements, it surely wouldn’t be going by unnoticed. A Queen always has some foresight of later actions.
“ Hm... Hey! Why don’t you come join me for a little walk? It’s quite nice outside, yes? Perhaps we could find a place to sit and have some of your ‘coffee’. Does that sound alright? ”