4a.) Hospital

Valeria's blush increased ever so slightly. "I guess that's a compliment..." she questioned, oddly embarassed by Echo's manner... she compensated by looking back over at Shobatsu with a small smile.

Seeing that Valeria would be speaking to Echo who had interrupted the initial conversation, she paused, and waited patiently, giving a small giggle with Echo's as she teased the couple. Arthur held his hand to his face, his ears covering his head... he wished he could leave this conversation as easily as Alex had...

Lily nodded, looking over at the lights. "Two blocks that way, take a left, look for Derrick. White rabbit, looks kinda like the blue one here."

The lights looked at her curiously for a moment, and then in the direction she pointed. They were currently trying to contemplate the concept of 'blocks'. They weren't unintelligent, as far as created minions went. They were simply ignorant.

Shobatsu looked at Echo critically, desperately focusing on anything other than the topic the bat seemed determined to speak about. He did, however, take note of the 'headstrong'.

"Well, you seem to have gotten stronger since last we saw you," he said vaguely, noticing a slight change in her data signature.

Echo spoke as if she didn't hear what Shobatsu had said at all. Which she probably hadn't with her selective hearing. Continuing on her socail rampage she tapped Valeria's shoulder, pointing at Shobatsu. " Aww, I bet he's blushing under all that fur, I bet if you shaved off a piece of his tail it would be redder then the data I'm made of! "

Lily sighed, looking at the lights, who stared at her blankly. She pointed to a section of the road, and a further section of the road. "Block."

She pointed to the road after that. "Two blocks." Then at Arthur's fur. "Blue." Then at a particular place on her front-left paw, which lacked pigment in the fur. "White."

"Go, that way, two blocks. Turn left;" she pointed leftwards, "and look for someone that looks like that," she pointed at Arthur," but has white fur, not blue."

After explaining that, as the lights would be on their way, Lily chuckled again at Echo's statement. "Now, now, be nice, Echo..."

---------------------

Valeria chuckled slightly, although somewhat embarassed and blushing herself, not expecting such a social faux pas so soon after she expressed herself to Shobatsu... hopefully, this would be interrupted soon enough...

"Um, right... don't we have somewhere to be going, Shobatsu?"

" Oh yes, we need to give the new couple some time to themselves! " Echo said, knowing she was being naughty. Alex could be heard sighing heavily in the next room. Coming back in, he grabbed Arthur's paw " Excuse me, I think I have a headache, where's that infirmary again? " Alex then attempted to pull Arthur out of the room. He was thinking of something else to say, to save as many people as he could from the awkwardness.

Not letting go of Valeria's hand, the kitsune walked firmly down the road, despite not having the slightest idea of where he was going. All the time he spoke, drowning out any possible comment on Echo's part until they would be out of earshot.

"Goodbye Echo, so nice to see you again, I'm sure we'll meet again, so sorry we have to go, really is a shame, but nothing to do about it," continuing with various comments of that nature.

Meanwhile, the lights hurried along the street to their designated location.