Lotte shook her head, folding her arms across her chest. It wasn’t precisely cold down there, but compared to James’ couch while being rolled in extra blankets she was in danger of shivering. (And she didn’t want him to think she was too scared after all.) “No, thank you. I’m glad someone could take them – especially that they’re in good hands.” A very small part of her regretted it – some of those tapes had been gifts from her father and she still heard things. But there wasn’t a way to say that politely, was there?
Her eyes followed the flashlight’s beam and she nodded. “I think half of the building’s problems could be solved if we weren’t always on those forums…” She looked back, smiling slightly. “It would at least be less confusing.”
“Because it’s not just about what comes in, right?” Lotte asked, not really expecting an answer. She let her arms unfold and she shined her flashlight about the room, pausing perhaps a little too long over the stairs to the catacombs and the bulletin board. “And if we keep moving, we’ll keep awake.” Being caught asleep on her watch would only lead to embarrassment. She caught his smile and tried to not look too sheepishly back. “Not that I’m saying you’ll have trouble – I’m just used to being asleep during these hours.” She bit her lip, before moving towards the stairs. Up was a very good direction.