NEVER Talk To Strangers

~ 4 ~

Mari's eyes opened slowly. She looked around, seeing the car had parked in a large garage. She yawned and looked at Budo, who was still in the car.
"Mornin' sunshine." He said jokingly, getting out of the car. She got out the car too, trying to wake herself up.
"How long have I been asleep?" She asked, looking up at him. She had fallen asleep not long after leaving the gas station and had only just woken up. He thought for a moment, shrugging his shoulders.
"Quite a while." He told her casually. She nodded her head slowly, leaning on the car.
"Where even are we?" She asked, looking around. Something about this place felt... off... to her. She couldn't put her finger on it though.
"At my friend's house on the other side of Japan. Come on." He told her nonchalantly, taking her into the house. She followed him, looking around.

"This is impressive." She breathed as she looked around the formal living room. The house from what she had seen so far was huge. It was practically a mansion. He laughed a little, watching her cute reactions.
"So... would you like me to show you around or would you like me to show you to your room?" He asked, looking at her.
"Show me around! I've been asleep for ages, so I've got loads of energy!" She said in a way that almost proved she was telling the truth. He laughed softly.
"Where would you like me to show you first?" He asked. She thought about where in this impressive home she would like to see first. She thought back to her own home, which appeared to be around the same size as this home, and where she liked to spend what little time she was there.
"What about the library? You know, if there is one..." she asked. He nodded his head, knowing his way around this house.
"Of course. Right, this way my lady." He smirked, holding a door open for her. She looked at him curiously as she went through the door. She still didn't understand him very well.

As she looked around the library, she was slightly disappointed. She expected more books than what there were on the shelves.
"The homeowner keeps some rare books in his study, and there are other bookshelves around the house if you're wondering why there isn't that many in here." He said, going by the expression on her face that she expected more. She nodded her head thoughtfully.
"Okay." She looked around at what books were there, trying to picture what type of person would live here. She knew it certainly wasn't Budo. "We are definitely alone here, right?" She asked him, looking back at him after a few minutes of exploring.
"Of course we are. I made sure to check with the homeowner. I'll show you to the kitchen now if you want." He told her. She nodded her head, walking over to him.

He took her into the kitchen, and she immediately noticed how old-fashioned it was. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"This is the kitchen. I'll make you some coffee if you want." He offered. She nodded her head, leaning on the counter. She looked up at the clock and realised she hadn't taken her medication yet. She had left her purse in the car, so she could just easily go get it.
"I need to get my purse from the car." She told him. She was about to head out of the room to go to the garage when she heard Budo's voice.
"About that. I had to throw your purse out in case they tracked down your phone signal." He told her, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Her eyes widened in shock as she turned back to him.
"You threw it out?" She asked worriedly, he nodded his head, getting slightly concerned but refusing to show it.
"I had to. I didn't want them tracking you through your phone signal." He told her. She shook her head slowly, panicking a lot.
"Couldn't you have just thrown the phone out?" She asked, sounding worried. He shook his head, watching her every movement.
"No. It was for your own safety, I had to." He told her firmly. He didn't know her medication was in that purse, nor did he know that she had to take it at all.
"I had very important medication for my sickness in that purse!" She told him. She hadn't told him about her sickness before, as she didn't want him to think she was a liability. Although she didn't trust him entirely, she'd rather be safe near him than be left for dead. His expression softened a little. "I have to take it otherwise I'll have an episode." She told him worriedly.
"What happens when you have an episode?" He asked calmly, trying to calm her down too. She went silent, trying to remember the last episode she'd had. That had been years ago though.
"My memories of them are very blurred, but my father told me they were very bad and I ended up in the hospital with them." She explained to him. He nodded his head, wishing he had sorted through her things and only discarded things that could be used to trace her.
"I'll go into town tomorrow and get you more medication tomorrow. You can survive until then, right?" He asked. She thought about it, nodding her head. She had taken one when she was in the bathroom back at the gas station.
"Yeah, But I'll need to take one as soon as possible tomorrow." She told him. He nodded his head, Sure he could get them for her by then. She sighed with relief as their coffee finished. He handed her a mug, smiling. "I'll continue showing you around once we've had our coffees."

As he continued to show her around, she couldn't help but get a sense of deja vu, like she had been here before. She stopped by a painting of butterflies, trying to remember where she recognised it from.
"Interesting painting, isn't it?" Budo said when he noticed Mari staring at it. She tilted her head, slightly confused.
"I've seen this painting before... I think..." she told him hesitantly. She was doubtful of herself and if she actually had seen it before and wasn't imagining it. He raised his eyebrow.
"It's probably a famous painting. I never studied art or anything like that so I couldn't tell you." He told her, trying to help her shake off that feeling of deja vu and uneasiness she had felt since arriving here. She was about to walk away from it when she heard something.
"I thought you said we were alone here..."