Reluctance creeps over Erina. She's already poking her nose into something that's only slightly her business and now she's going to involve someone else. Maybe she shouldn't do this. But during this hesitation, the door she was about to knock on swings open.

"Can I help you?" Autor asks, adjusting his glasses.

Erina takes her hand back, still unsure of what she wants to say.

"If you're looking for Fakir, he's holed up in Charon's house," the pianist says, edging to step around the prima ballerina. "I doubt he'd be good company, though."

"I'm not expecting him to be," Erina replies, turning to face him again. "I guess...I guess I just need to vent to someone who knows him, too, because I have no idea what he's doing."

Autor glances at her over his shoulder, an eyebrow quirked up. "He is something of a solitary creature, isn't he? And we end up on his fringes by pure happenstance."

"Has he told you anything about what's going on?"

"Not a word."

Erina rubs her temples. "Augh, how anyone can stand him is beyond me."

"And yet here we are."

She drops her hands to her sides in frustration. Autor turns around completely, a little startled at how easily they stand eye to eye. In fact, is Erina taller than him?

"I don't know if you have any ideas to get him out of it but I doubt they'd do any good," Autor continues. "We're probably better off letting him sulk about whatever it is."

"I'm not sure that'll work anyway," Erina says, her right hand going to the side of her head and her fingers threading through her hair sitting there. "The new girl in class knows him and she might just pester Fakir for us."

Autor taps his chin in thought. "That's probably not coincidence. I bet she's the reason he's sulking."

"He definitely wasn't happy to see her."

"Who would be? She's filling the spot he just left."

"Yeah, but he chose to leave. And he said he assumed she can still dance."

"As opposed to?"

"Not being able to, I guess," Erina answers before shaking her head. "Oh no, I must be crazy."

"Hm? What?"

"It's stupid."

"The whole situation is," Autor counters.

"Yeah, but this is stupid on a different level."

"Humor me, then."

Erina shakes her head again before going, "Fakir told me he dropped ballet because he can't dance anymore. He physically can't. But apparently Duck can. You don't think...this isn't some sort of body switch thing, is it?"

Autor straightens his glasses again before saying, "That is stupid."

"Told you."

"But no more so than the rest of the ground we tread. And while I don't think whatever problem they have is that fantastic, it's likely just as stupid. We should leave them be and let them sort things out on their own."

Erina sighs. "Yeah. Thanks for...standing there when you didn't have to and listening."

Autor smirks a bit. "It's rare that someone would choose to vent to me of all people. You do usually reserve this for Fakir. But let me know if he's being an idiot again. It's refreshing to hear another take on him."

Erina snorts. "Yeah. Okay."

He watches her take her leave, dismissing whatever concerns he had regarding Fakir, the new ballet student, and tall brunette ballerinas that will likely be the end of him.

But it would be nice to talk to Erina again sometime.