"Orela?" Chopper rose a brow as though suspicious of the name itself, giving the woman a stern glare for a couple seconds longer than what might have been comfortable. While he may have seemed to cast doubt on the name for whatever reason, the truth was far more trivial.
"Sounds like something I'd say when I'm dizzy, but I guess it's not the weirdest name I've heard in this place… is it?" The glare died to a curious, neutral gaze as the reindeer doctor's eyes glanced away from the mother's face and down at the floor in thought. Between Rem, Ram, and Orela, there were plenty of odd names mixed with the Garfiels and Juliuses of the world, but for some reason her name stuck out as especially weird to say. Like the way one might mispronounce a word when intoxicated or the way a non-native speaker might be a syllable off from saying something more natural. Regardless, the doctor seemed distracted by overthinking the silliness of the name for the duration of their walk.
Upon arrival, the pirate was snapped out of his thoughts, finally able to observe the home Meili supposedly stayed in. A soft frown on his face at the thought of a child like Meili having to go out of her way to see her friends. Sure, it was only just outside the village, but wouldn't they be happier living among the people rather than next to them? With a sympathetic glance Meili's way, Chopper shook his head, opting not to bring it up.
Entering the abode, Chopper smirked giddily, happy to be free of the dirt and pests of the outside world. He opted to rest easy, removing the blue backpack from his shoulders and placing it on the floor by the door. Going further, he even removed the fuzzy pink hat he'd always worn, showing off his smooth head of puppy-like fur. "There we go~! So freeing!" With that childish declaration, the boy stretched his arms overhead and followed Meili to the table, humming his own rendition of Bink's Sake the entire walk there. Despite his reaction to the name Orela being one of mild but politely reserved disdain, it was clear that Chopper not only suspected zero malintent from Meili and her mother, but his guard remained entirely lax, arms swaying to and fro in a carefree manner. It almost seemed too easy to convince him, though given the odd resistance to a supposedly unstoppable force, it was unclear if this demeanor stemmed from confidence or blissful ignorance.
Unclear to them perhaps, but the truth was far more straightforward. Chopper was naturally trusting of the village he saved, thinking of every single one of them as a friend. He knew the names of everyone he saved, even memorizing a few birthdays and relatives at this point. The fact that he'd yet to meet Meili's mother, reserved as the child tended to be from others, left him dissatisfied. Chopper's straightforward friendliness and relaxed demeanor were not performative.
Taking a seat at the dinner table, Chopper's scrawny legs went back and forth, his body shaking excitedly with eager anticipation for whatever food he'd get to eat. He hoped Meili's mother served them cake for dinner. That was just the type of fantasy wonderland cuisine Chopper dreamed of from a world like this! Unlike the people at the Roswaal Manor, these ones surely wouldn't be so stingy as to force him to eat greens first. He was a hero to them after all, even if he'd never bring that up himself. Snapped out of his thoughts by Meili's questions, Chopper's smile momentarily dampened to a somewhat softer expression, eyes focusing on the child as they quivered with emotional nostalgia for a time he'd always treasure but would never get back. With unshed tears in his eyes, the dumb blindly optimistic smile changed to an expression of warmth toward Meili.
"Doc-" He was about to refer to the person he was indebted to as Doctor, as always, but given the circumstances, that might end up confusing Meili. Chopper glanced aside with a sheepish chuckle, though the kindness of his smile remained welcoming. It was likely more and more difficult to justify any belief that the boy had his guard up with the sincerity of his expression and words. "The man who named me, took me in, and treated my injuries. He taught me the things I needed to be a doctor. Or, at the very least, he's the man who set me on that track. Doctorine, the woman who took me in after that Doctor passed away… she taught me most of what I know. I'm sure she'd have loved to see this place."
The subdued smile was replaced with one of amusement, laughing heartily at Meili's second question. An amusing theory given what information she had to go off of, but sadly one Chopper would have to shut down. "Sorry, sorry! Haha! There's no such thing as two of the same Devil Fruit! There are other reindeer on the island where I grew up, but you'll just find typical animals who can't talk! I'm only this way because I ate the Human-Human Fruit! It made me a Man-Deer, but- ah." Stopping himself, the reindeer rubbed the back of his head somewhat bashfully, remembering exactly where he was and who he was speaking to. His amused laugh turned to a somewhat embarrassed chuckle.
"Hehe… right! You guys probably don't even know what Devil Fruits are. They're kind of… unique to the world my crew is from, from what I can tell of this place. Basically, you eat one and get a special ability from it and…" Just as the boy began saying information Capella may have actually wanted to hear, a wave of shame overtook him. Nothing was more boring to others than for an individual to get carried away talking about themselves. How rude of him to forget. This was an opportunity to get to know Meili better, not a soapbox to gush about his world and his powers.
"Enough about that. Petra hasn't been able to tell me much about you. I don't think she's ever met your mom. What's with that? Does she have some special job outside of town?" Ironically, the attempt to avoid speaking about himself too much not only prevented Meili from hearing more information that Capella would find useful, but also threw the ball back at her, inquiring information that, while innocuous on the surface, would need to be swiftly fabricated. The warm, friendly smile and single focus on the story of the child before him was sincere, but Meili likely understood the thin ice on which she truly stood if even one word of her "Mother's" story failed to line up with the reality Chopper currently knew.
