To say she was panicked to find him as soon as it started raining was an understatement. So he could probably hear it in how her breathing slowly started to slow, and how exasperated she had been in her search, how it still lingered in her voice. Nicole could see him inching away from her coat, a little confused but then just further understanding his precaution. She carefully put the coat back on, for her own warmth more than anything else at this point. Careful in her motions to not accidentally splatter any water on him.
The fact of him being put in cold storage was absolutely heartbreaking to hear. Maybe she never thought about it because paintings weren’t living things. But…Roman was. It wasn’t fair to him. She didn’t want to think of him being stored somewhere cold and alone.
Another moment or two to catch her breath, it was a little hard with how cold the air had gotten, each breath felt sharp and stung inside of her lungs. Nicole didn’t have any boots on her, she would have to go back out to get Roman a pair to wear. It was much better than waiting it out and possibly him getting wet. Playgrounds only could hold so much water before it seeps everywhere after being wet for so long.
Glancing over at Roman as he apologies, all she could do was give a gentle shake of her head, once again, careful not to splash any water. He didn’t have to worry about her being wet. Getting caught out in the rain was a natural part of life, well, for her it was. It wasn’t the first time she got caught, wouldn’t be the last by any stretch.
“H-hey…don’ worry. Life’s all abou’ chances, righ’? Fer all we knew, coulda jus’ been cloudy. Neither o’ us knew i’ was gonna rain. An’ we can have a good laugh once we ge’ youse back inside.” A short breath, and she starts to stand up. “I’ll be back soon wi’ boots, okay?”
“Right....a good laugh indeed.” He chuckles weakly at her statement. Hopefully a moment where they can look back on this fondly comes to pass. For now, it was a nightmare in the making. “Please, take your time. I don’t want you to run yourself down in this weather, you could catch a cold.” He didn’t have to worry about being sick, but Nicole was human. And if there was anything he had learned over the years, it was that humans were fragile.
As she leaves, he can’t help but think about that, being fragile. She was fragile in ways he was not, and vice versa. She could at least walk in this weather with no worries, while to him it was a death sentence. How many more differences were there between humans and himself? How many more reminders was he going to get, reminders that he wasn’t human at all. He was simply a mockery of one.
But these emotions he felt, those had to be real. For who could fake such a thing as emotions? Who could be as much of a romantic as he was, and that be called fake? He hoped, at least, that this wasn’t the case. He didn’t like thinking too deep into his own emotions, his own existence, it just made him sad.
So when Nicole returns, he gives a smile to her as he always does, motioning for her to come underneath the cover that was becoming more and more wet by the moment. It wasn’t going to be long before this place wasn’t safe anymore.
