He should have known that she was going to stop him as he heard her start trotting his way. Before she can even block his path, he stops, nodding his head back in annoyance.

“Look, I already—” he begins, but she throws her hand up.

“I know you don’t want to be friends. You made that blatantly clear, so I will respect that. I just had a couple questions and then I will leave you alone. Can you at least give me that?” Her expression is serious and he can tell that she wasn’t going to leave this alone until she got what she wanted. 

He thought about just ignoring her and leaving, but he didn't want her persistence again. The thought of it makes him cringe.

“…Alright," he replies hesitantly. "I will answer two questions and then you will leave me alone."

“Fair enough,” she signs as her smile returns. “My name is Molly by the way. I never got to introduce myself last time." She holds her hand out for his. Atlas looks at it, but does not take it. He has no intentions of even being aquainted with her. 

Figuring this out, she retracts her hand and begins waving both around creating a flurry of words as she starts her questions. "You never answered this last time. How do you know my dad? Do you work for him, too?” Before she lets Atlas answer she adds, “those questions go together, so that counts as one.” Her grin is full of satisfaction in herself.

Atlas, however, is unamused and completely inscrutable to her. “I have never met your dad, so that should answer the second part of your first question,” he replies dully. He becomes unexpectedly curious as to why she would ask such a question. “Why do you ask?”

“I found a photo of you outside my dad’s room the other day. I figured he had it as a way to get to know his colleagues or something.”

Without a second thought, Atlas snaps his gaze onto hers. The connection is instant, her eyes falling into a daze. He knew this was wrong, against the rules, but his thoughts were now running rampant from her confession and he had to know. The only way he feels he is going to get an answer is if he didn't give her any other choice. He has a photo of him; her father, and he has no idea how he got it.

“Why does he have a photo of me?” He asks again, hoping his influences would find some deception in her words. When did he even take it? 

When she didn’t answer, he focuses on her gaze and pushes the connection deeper. Something inside him stirred then, something he had never felt before. Figuring it is just him really allowing his power influence her, he ignores it.

“Why?” He demands this time.

Her hands move up and ever so slowly she signs, “that is what I’d like to know…” Maybe she isn’t who he should be worrying about, but her father.

"Why is your dad here?" He probes.

"For work." She signs her reply just as slowly as she did the last response.

"What does he do?"

"He does temporary jobs. Things that get us by. I never bothered to ask him what exactly he did." Her head tilts ever so slightly and Atlas can see curiousness in her eyes now.

Her change, in turn, makes him curious, prodding at his anxiousness. He quickly decides that she could very well be telling the truth and should remove himself like he had done the last time. But as he attempts to remove his hold, his inner self refuses to let go. It was weird. Like she, too, is holding some strange power over him. He did not feel this last time, and although it becomes unsettling, he is completely captivated by it…by her.

She takes a step toward him and he tries to take a step back, but every muscle in his body kept him planted where he stood. You want to stay... a whisper told him. Somehow, she is pulling him into her and he can't find the will to ignore her.

"What are you doing?" He asks, his voice barely holding tone as his heart begins to quicken with apprehensiveness.

"Why am I so drawn to you?" She signs, taking the thoughts right out of his head.

The longer he holds her in his gaze, the more enthralling it became. It was bringing on an allure he has not experienced before. She is only a foot from him now, both completely lost in each others magnetic pulls. Out of his peripheral, he catches sight of her hand as it begins to move. He quickly realizes it isn't moving to communicate. It is being directed at him. 

The red flags in the back of his mind that has been cast aside by his peaked curiousity are finally being seen, and in the next moment he grasps hold of his rationality.

"Stop," he says suddenly. Her hand, now just inches from his face, stops. He feels relieved to know that whatever had just happened, it didn't hinder his influence over her. But it was time to let it go. 

"Go home," he commands.

Without even the slightest protest she obeys, turning her back to him as she walks away. He gave a short exhale in relief as he pushes the hair back out of his face, unnervingly taken by how close that was. He thought it was going to be easy, but animals seemed a hundred times easier than that. Even the last time he did that was much easier than today's. What was different? Did he try too hard this time?

The lingering lure makes him queasy. Now he was back at square one. His mind is once again a jumbled mess and he has absolutely no idea what he is going to bring to this gathering later. He turns his head to look back out to the bay. The Sun is well into the sky now, which only means he cannot chance going back in to clear his mind. He just hopes he can think of some way to get everyone back to their senses.