"I like talking about dungeons, I have a blog about them. - I'm Traceless but if you're coming home with me you can call me Haru. I live with my mom Ren and my talking monster cat Cricket, it's a short walk from here but I can pick you up and fly if you want to hug me afterwards and guide the backlash off. My backlash is that I get lonely, but I don't have to be talking to you if you don't like it, Cricket'll talk to me."

Well that is several things to have emotions about.

He has a talking monster cat. That's a big deal actually.

She..wants to stick to the codename, it feels like a little bit of emotional distance. Except she doesn't have an objective reason to ask that. Also she should introduce herself. It would be weird and rude not to. (She's going to want a codename ASAP...)

Hugging...Traceless would be...a lot. She does want it, but it's scary because she wants it (and he'll know that it feels good...)

If she's gong to be an esper, then the guiding is necessary. It's a professional job requirement, and also a medical requirement, like food or water. That's objective facts, right? (it's still pretty scary though, because the feeling was...a lot)

She should text the landlady. And ask her to collect clothes and stuff. But she doesn't know if the landlady will do it without asking questions. She should also text her parents at some point. But she'll have to tell the things and they will want to know about her feelings.

Hmmm... Deep breath

"Um. I can hug you. I'll have to be able to hug people...when.."

Another deep breath.

"Also, I should ask my landlady to bring some of my stuff. So I don't have to wear these clothes for a week. But she might ask questions. That I...don't..that I probably can't answer right now."

"If you want to not be able to notice that I'm there, guiding still works even if I'm imperceptible. - I don't actually know if I can hide the guiding itself but it doesn't have to otherwise feel like anything to hug me, and I think we're compatible enough that the guiding would be net-positive even if I were doing that. I can drive you to your place to get your stuff so you don't have to talk to her?"

"It's not about noticing you're there. Not really. It's....I apologize for being unhelpful when...you're going out of your way to be helpful. And driving me to the house would be very helpful."

Ugh this guy is going to so tired of her by the end of the week. Assuming he doesn't get sick of her sooner and boot her out.

"You're already way more communicative than my partner, I have to go through her brother for everything. The opposites thing means pretty much anyone compatible enough with me is going to be at least somewhat -" gesture. "House is thisaway."

"Okay." 

She'll follow his lead.

He opens the garage; there's a black truck in there. "Where'm I taking you?"

"It's..(she names the address)." (It's a little further from the Tim's in a perpendicular direction.)

He pokes that in to the GPS and gets underway.

Oh no. Awkward silence. She hates awkward silence. Also it gives her too much space to think right now.

"You have a monster cat. That talks. There's not a lot of talking reformed monsters out there, right? How did you end up with one. Or with one as a housemate rather. .If it's not too personal."

Hopefully that's a safe conversational gambit. (...aaaaaa)

"After his dungeon died he was staying at the Maple agency offices - he's really useful in 4D dungeons - but he has a very disagreeable personality and didn't like anyone there. When I was awakening I decided I should get a cat, as a loneliness target who would seldom have other plans, and Ren posted about it on an esper forum and someone said I should take Cricket - he wasn't named that yet, he wouldn't take any of their name suggestions - and they were probably joking, but I went in to meet him and he took a liking to me and came home with me."

"Picky about people? That's  very catlike." As is taking a liking to people for inscrutable reasons. But maybe the reasons are actually very scrutable and none of her business.

"If you want more detail there's a post about him on my blog. And lots of pictures, he likes posing."

"I might. At some point." The blog would be useful for generating conversation topics. Probably.

Also she decided she was going to introduce herself. And then didn't. Argh. "Uh. I'm Katherine Sullivan. By the way."

and now they're almost at the house so she can FLEE THE SCENE (temporarily). 

"Would that we'd met under better circumstances."

He will wait out in the car for her to pack, she seems mostly functional, but he's ready to swoop in if she takes a weirdly long time.

Right. She's going to get the bigger duffel bag. Then she's going to grab some clothes. Any clothes will do. She cleaned the wardrobe just before the start of the semester so everything should still fit. Let's not think about it too hard. (She's still going to think about it too hard). But she's not going to waste Traceless' time. He's a guy, he won't form personal opinions of her based on her shirts. (Is she sure?) As long as they're clean which they are. She's going to grab her baggy sleep shirt. Underwear, she's on a budget, she buys panties and socks in six packs of bland colours, Not that it fucking matters. Toothbrush. The cheap shampoo bottle. Towel. Her phone charger. Also, she's going to put her phone on Do Not Disturb while she thinks of it. (She should delete all her texts, block everyone on her contact list and then delete the contact list) She should not do that. She's pretty sure she'd regret doing that next week. Also she absolutely needs to figure out how to get in touch with her parents. At some point. Otherwise she'll just have even more questions to answer eventually. 

There she's done. That took longer than necessary but not an absurdly long time. It was way too stressful because of all the overthinking though. 

She leaves a note on the table with the date and "Away for the week", makes a circuit to make sure no lights were left on, relocks the door behind her and drags her loaded bag out to the car.

"I think that's everything. Also I left a note so the landlady at least knows I won't be around...."

"She comes into your place uninvited a lot?"

"Not a lot, but she lives upstairs so she'll probably notice I'm not there, and check. This is just so she knows not to call the cops."

"Gotcha. Anyone else who should know you're awakening?"

"My parents. Should know. But they'll ask a lot of questions." She's not going to cry. She's not. Even though this sucks and she hates it.And she can't talk about it.Even (especially) with her family.