"You're one of the first to arrive so you get the nicest quarters." Michael said. There was a slight ulterior motive behind it, if it was so nice then he hoped she wouldn't just take off an leave all over again. He could deal with her leaving once, but there were so few people around that he trusted and he wasn't sure he could lose her all over again. "I imagine once CORE reaches its current end game it'll be a different story. Get the nice places while they're free. Give it a couple of months and we'll shove in a few strangers with you."
He tried not to look at her too much, at least not in a way that screamed creepy stalker, but she looked good. Just as good as he remembered she looked. He shrugged out of his own coat and swung it over his arm, he was wearing his usual dark jumper and slacks. There was no point in dressing up to hang out around the castle but Michael rarely looked scruffy, and usually looked well put together even in jeans and a t-shirt.
"It made everything look pretty but we couldn't go into some areas of the castle without feeling like we were gonna freeze to death," Michael said. Talking about the weather was surprisingly easy, and it meant he could put off having any deep and meaningful discussion about anything. Although he could always shut up about it and hand over her Christmas present, but that would probably be too easy and suave. "I wish I could go south for the winter, instead I'm stuck here trying to fight a losing battle."