"You're Lina, right?" He asked. Lina nodded, gesturing to a small table; she waited for him to sit down before she joined him. "I wanted to get to know you," the mayor informed her. Though she got the feeling that wasn't what he was really here for. "I mean—I don't think we've officially met yet. Everyone else here is telling me tips, asking for favors, and making me run around town doing their chores for them; though honestly I didn't realize you lived here until earlier today."
Lina wasn't completely sure on what to say. Really she barely remembered the last time she had had a normal conversation with somebody; saying she was normally cooped up in her house all day, besides when she went to Main Street occasionally, but either way she normally wasn't interacted with.
The mayor held out his hand. "I'm Danny."
"And you already know I'm Lina," the little bear returned as she shook his hand, smiling. "It's nice to finally meet you…Danny." Now that she knew his name, she could update that list of "weird things the mayor is doing" notes she had started when he arrived—it was a good thing they were shoved in her dresser instead of being scattered across the floor.
"So…" Danny began, his attention turning to the floor after they had shared names. "What do you know about the new mayor, before I arrived? What were you told? Do you know? None of the other animals here seem to."
Lina just shrugged. "The first thing I heard about the new mayor was right before you arrived. I'm honest when I say the thought of a new mayor didn't even occur to be until just then."
"So you know nothing? Not, like, how they knew what train I'd be on? When I'd arrive? Nothing?"
"Nothing." So was he just there to ask her the same question he'd asked everyone else in the town? "I assumed you had informed Isabelle of your arrival, thus she was able to get everyone prepared for when you came."
"All I did was hop on the train and go!" Danny stated, sighing. "I didn't even know where I was heading until I was there. Does that sound like I had talked to Isabelle beforehand?"
Lina paused. "Well…no, when you put it that way." This only made her more curious as to why he was asking these questions. She hoped she wouldn't start looking like she wanted to know. Then when an almost chilling silence filled the room, she spoke again in effort to stay away from the silence. "There wouldn't, by any chance, be a reason someone might want to set you up to fail, is there? Or, or what about someone who wants you dead?"
"What? No!" Danny replied quickly.
Maybe that wasn't the best bit to start a conversation off of. "Oops, sorry," Lina said, blushing sheepishly. "I like murder-mysteries and my imagination has a tendency to go a little overboard."
Danny seemed to think for a moment. "That makes a bit of sense, I guess. Sorry for making you miss that season finale; with my arrival and all."
Lina tilted her head. "How do you know about that?" She asked generally, grinning a bit.
He shrugged. "My older sister is really into that kind of stuff. She sends me letters all the time talking about 'how cute this character was' or 'how she never expected it to be this person.' Honestly I'm a bit surprised and semi-concerned she's able to figure out where I live…" The last part was obviously just a thought, but Lina couldn't help but question it.
"Why?" She asked, before she could really stop herself.
"Oh, uh…nothing." That was also another quick response. He looked out the window, and got out of his seat. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Lina. Maybe we can talk tomorrow? I've got to go—it's getting pretty dark."
"Bye," Lina replied; but Danny was already halfway out the door. "See you tomorrow, I guess…" She added quietly, knowing that he wouldn't hear her anyway.
She got up from her own seat, closed the curtains again, and locked the door. Instinctively she went to reach for a small bag of chocolate—only to remind herself that she had put it away a bit ago. So she grabbed it from it's hiding place, turned off the lights only to turn on a small lantern, took some notes from a drawer of her dresser, and sat down on her bed.
Lina read through them again. They were everything she had on the new mayor. So, she took the pen beside the notes and started jotting down words.
Seems to have a sister. Possibly multiple siblings, since the word "older" was used. Doesn't know how his sister knows his location—did he leave his hometown? Said his name was Danny.
Yep. She totally wasn't being a stalker or anything. Instead, she liked to see it as being the detective; possibly to see who he might truly be before anyone else did. And she had a feeling that she would, either by uncovering it herself or gaining his trust so that he told her.
With that late-night thought, Lina put everything away and turned everything off, and snuggled into her blankets to sleep. Maybe tomorrow she'll gain more of the new mayor's trust…
