Rene just shook his head.

"And from everything I've learned, you're not rich." he said.

"Meaning living off-campus is NOT an option." he went on.

"Hm." he mumbled.

"Damn." he said.

"It's a shame that you feel these circumstances are the only ones you can speak your mind under." he then commented.

"But yes. I DO care." he assured her.

"That's still impressive. A scholarship? Means you really DO deserve to be there." Rene commented in response.

"Also, I like your attitude." he said.

"It's a good one to have." he continued... just as there was a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder.

"Oh, geez." he muttered.

"This really IS just getting worse." he said.

"I know the weather said it would be wet, but it never said anything like THIS..."

"Wait." Rene said.

"Two things." he told her.

"One: You can get the rest boxed up to go." he continued.

"Two: Walking a couple of hours in this weather is NOT good. At the very least, you're asking for a bad flu, with how cold and wet you'll be by the time you get back." he went on.

"Is there any way I can offer a lift of sorts?" he asked her.

"A drive, a prepaid cab ride, or even bus fare?" he offered further.

"I can't stand the thought of you walking home in this storm."

All he could do was stay there for a moment, silent.

"Ah..." he then stammered.

"......damn it." he cursed.

"She's not in good shape." he said, getting up and trying to follow her, but it seemed like he had dawdled too long.

She was nowhere to be seen.

As the days passed, Rene continued his life, but Kalin seemed to stick in his mind for one reason or another.

He was standing at the entrance of an alley one evening, and had just concluded some business with a young male, when he looked down the street and saw Kalin's familiar hair in the distance.

"Eh?" he muttered.

He paused as he olfactory senses picked up the familiar scent.

"...what the...?" he muttered.

'Blood...?' he thought.

He then shook his head, and looked around, narrowing his eyes and gently sniffing the air.

He wasn't sure if Kalin was in trouble or not, or the severity of it, but he smelled blood. He knew it.

And he knew that wasn't good.

So he did the only thing he could think of at this point, and following the scent of it, making sure his messenger bag was slung securely over his shoulder before doing so.

"...Kalin?" he then asked, wondering if she would answer, if she could hear him.

"Ah, I could say the same." Rene replied.

"Happened to be in the neighborhood, saw you." he went on.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"And what brings you around here?" he asked further.

He also secretly checked what store she was coming out of. Maybe it would help in determining that...

"Oh?" Rene asked.

"What'd you lose?" he asked her, turning and starting to walk with her.

"Maybe I can help." he said.

"So how are things going?" he asked her.

"School-wise and all." he clarified.

"Still hellish?"

Rene's eyes widened a little when she said that.

"....oh..." he said.

"Oh dear..." he muttered.

"That... that isn't good." he said.

"Hmmmmmm." he mumbled, thinking about it.

"Where did you have it last? Or... well, where do you remember having it last?" he clarified.

"I may be able to extrapolate from there."

Rene was now QUITE concerned.

"A... blur...?" he asked.

"I... ah..." he stammered.

"That isn't good. At all." he told her.

"As in, that is legitimately worrying." he continued.

He then sighed, and shook his head.

"What's the last thing you remember before things get all blurry and unclear?" he asked her.

"...okay, the fact that this seems to be a regular thing is even MORE worrisome." Rene told her.

"That sounds like repeated sleep deprivation." he said.

"And that can have serious repercussions on one's physical and mental state." he continued.

"But... moving on to your laptop..." he then said further, glancing at the apparent bruising again.

"Was the work on the laptop itself, or stored on the cloud?" he asked her.

"Which is to say, do you need THAT laptop, or just a computer overall?"