I made the offer expecting that it might be rebuffed, [ Keita admits with a wry smile. ] Please rest assured I won't take offense.

[ Granted that Viktor has no cause to trust him yet. That kind of thing is built over time, not with reassurances only moments after first meeting. But it is, for what it's worth, the truth. And after a moment, when Viktor gestures for him to lead the way, Keita nods with the understanding that theirs is a tenuous agreement for the time being.

The way to the prop storage room isn't far, it just requires a bit of navigation around set pieces and back past the costume department. Keita leads the way, maintaining a proper distance between them, although his attention is unmistakably on Viktor—to the point that he's not actually looking where he's going, although unerringly he manages to avoid every possible obstacle. ]

I've been here a bit longer than a year now, [ Keita says. ] I was rather unceremoniously blown up in my own world, and then—opened my eyes and was in one of the rooms downstairs. It took some getting used to, as I'm sure you can imagine.