Well she could hardly fault that. The girl wanted to be out in the world and who was Belle to fault that when she too had simply needed a distraction. A break. As much as she loved her housemates and she truly did, it sometimes brought back to her that she was missing a part of herself. Without Rumple here, there were nights when she just missed him, moments when she could almost hear him giving her advice, or making some sarcastic comment or other about the Charmings.
"Oh nothing much." she said in answer to Lauren's question. "I needed to clear my head a little which, well for me, involves filling it with far off places and adventures. And then tea. I do love this place, just watching life go by, people doing what they do every day, little routines and habits. I sometimes just sit and watch them. Is that weird?"
She sipped at her tea, the warm liquid refreshing her as it always seemed to have a knack for doing.