003: [mansion: lobby] Pretending to read a book is the same thing as actually reading it.
The lobby was fairly empty considering that it was the middle of the day, and Claire had planned on taking advantage of it by curling up with a book on one of the couches. It wasn't that she couldn't read in the apartment if she wanted to; she could, she just preferred to move around whenever possible. No one seemed to mind her hanging around, and she was content to watch everyone come and go as they pleased.
The weird thing about the city was that not a lot of people seemed interested in leaving it. She'd heard a lot of complaining, some arguing - even a few demands - but she hadn't heard of anyone planning anything. They all just went about their business, treating their time in the city more like a vacation than a kidnapping. Everyone had something to say, but no one wanted to take action.
Claire had thought about trying to organize something herself, but even she wasn't sure how she felt about the city. Living in a place where everyone had been the victim of some strange event was actually kind of nice. She wasn't the odd person out, and she didn't have to worry about being herself. Jumping off of something high wasn't necessary in El Dorado; she was just one unusual person among many. The rest of the carnival probably would have loved it.
So while she sat around and tried to get through The Time Traveler's Wife, she watched, and she listened. Sure, Claire knew that she was being nosy, but this was as new for her as it was for everyone else. She had every right to be curious about the people who were living in her building.
And if she was mentally taking guesses at what kind of abilities they might have had, or what kind of secrets they were trying to keep hidden, then that wasn't her fault. She was a curious person living in a mysterious city. For all she knew, they wanted everyone to be like this.
That was her story, and she had every intention of sticking to it.
The weird thing about the city was that not a lot of people seemed interested in leaving it. She'd heard a lot of complaining, some arguing - even a few demands - but she hadn't heard of anyone planning anything. They all just went about their business, treating their time in the city more like a vacation than a kidnapping. Everyone had something to say, but no one wanted to take action.
Claire had thought about trying to organize something herself, but even she wasn't sure how she felt about the city. Living in a place where everyone had been the victim of some strange event was actually kind of nice. She wasn't the odd person out, and she didn't have to worry about being herself. Jumping off of something high wasn't necessary in El Dorado; she was just one unusual person among many. The rest of the carnival probably would have loved it.
So while she sat around and tried to get through The Time Traveler's Wife, she watched, and she listened. Sure, Claire knew that she was being nosy, but this was as new for her as it was for everyone else. She had every right to be curious about the people who were living in her building.
And if she was mentally taking guesses at what kind of abilities they might have had, or what kind of secrets they were trying to keep hidden, then that wasn't her fault. She was a curious person living in a mysterious city. For all she knew, they wanted everyone to be like this.
That was her story, and she had every intention of sticking to it.