The boy rocked on his heels, a smile resting lightly on his face. "You are, indeed! In one of the nicest places this institute has to offer. There are far less interesting places to keep yourself in." The courtyard was even a favorite to Albedo, if he could be said to have them. If he had to be truthful, his favorite place would likely be the showers, for the sheer fact of how much he had been able to spend time with Nigredo there.

"You're relatively new, though," Albedo went on. There were few enough of his age group for Albedo to know nearly all of them, and this person.... "It's possible you haven't been able to explore everything this place has to offer."