"Sure thing." Levi responded.

With that, they got what they wanted, left, and started to make their way back to her place.

As they did, she saw he seemed a bit... off.

But off in a way that it seemed like he was a bit distracted.

And she knew that could be for one of two reasons:

The first was he was awkward around her... the second being he was paying attention to... a new hitchhiker.

"Huh?" Levi muttered.

"Oh, sorry." he apologised.

"I know I'm a bit awkward, but that's not it." he told her.

"I just... have a new friend." he went on.

"...'friend'." he repeated, with air quotes.

"Came along recently." he continued.

"That's all." he shrugged.

"She seems nice enough, I suppose." he then added.

"Hm." Levi muttered.

"No." he said.

"I don't think so." he told her.

"As I said, she seems nice enough." he went on.

"Hasn't said or done anything weird or whatever." he continued.

"So yeah, I think she's okay."

Levi smiled at her.

"Yeah." he said.

"I don't need another source of stress in my life." he told her.

"I've only JUST started to get things back on track." he continued.

"Hell, only recently did I learn that I'm a conduit." he then said.

"For the longest time, I... I just... thought I was insane." he admitted to her.

"And I mean that. I thought I was legitimately crazy."

Levi sighed.

"That's lucky." he said.

"I wasn't." he told her.

"As far as I know, I'm a fluke." he went on. "Or it cropped up from generations in the past." he said further.

"But my parents thought I was just insane. A broken kid, apparently." he lamented.

"...." he was then silent, before shaking his head.

"Sorry." he apologised.

"I don't mean to drag the mood down." he said sheepishly.

Levi nodded.

"Of course." he responded.

"It's slow, but I've been coming to terms with who I am more and more on a daily basis." he told her.

"I like to think that, given enough time, I'll be... well... just like you." he then said.

"One that's known they're a conduit most of their life, and has been able to adjust to it." he explained.

"But that'll be a bit." he added.

"For now, I'm happy with knowing that the voices I hear aren't just in my head. They're real." he chuckled.

"...largely." Levi mumbled.

"Some have been, for me." he said.

"They were... not fun." he muttered, before sighing.

"But, looking back on it, most of them are just lonely or something." he continued.

"Being a conduit, I guess we're bastions for conversation and such." he reasoned.

"Which is nice." he went on.

"It's good to feel needed."

"I'll help find you a place." Levi responded.

"Now that you're working in The Unit, you'll be able to find a much nicer place." he told her.

"I'll see what I can dig up that's within your price range, but still pretty nice." he added, as they reached her apartment and entered.

- - -

Azazel just sighed as he sat in the chair, watching television.

"Hmph." he mumbled.

"Nothing good on." he said.

"I'm bored." he muttered.

'Maybe I'll call Gab, see if she wants to hang out.' he then thought with a small smile.

Azazel was silent for a moment, before blinking a couple of times.

"....oh." he said.

"Oh, right. Yeah, that was... crap, yeah, I was supposed to do that." he muttered.

"Oh well?" he then said, shrugging.

"From what I've heard, Zeke's babysitting her, yeah?" he asked.

"She'll be fine."

Azazel snapped to attention and shot a look at her.

"Now, see here...!" he said.

"Just because I haven't gone to see her, just because I haven't gone and been with her while she slept, just because I've been slightly neglecting my responsibilities as a... friend..." he continued, but slowed down at the end.

"That... that doesn't mean..." he went on, but trailed off.

"I..." he stammered.

".............huh." was all he managed to get out after thinking about it.