doggone

[repeatedprayer]

[In the time following his departure from Tabito and Manabu's company, the alias "Grey" has wound up sticking.

Not that everyone calls him that, he's used a few other aliases since then, but it's what he's wound up thinking of himself as. If Grey had taken the time to think about it a bit more he might have picked something with a little less connection to Rezo's name, but it's still leagues better than thinking of himself as "Rez- wait, no, just a copy." And maybe that's why he's felt significantly calmer since he left Sairaag.

By his own standards, Grey has been laudably well-behaved; sure, he's been mostly doing under-the-table psychic work, often on behalf of criminals, but! He's been trying to keep a low profile so it's usually things like clairvoyant spying rather than anything violent, and he's been making a point of not doing anything that directly impacts the galaxy railways.

It would be extremely awkward if Manabu Yuuki had to try and arrest him, after all.

He's found himself frequently thinking about Manabu, much to his annoyance. He has no serious expectations of ever seeing Manabu again, so it's simply a waste of mental bandwidth to find himself wondering what Manabu is doing right now or where he is, or to reminisince over their incredibly brief acquaintanceship. Grey can only suppose that because Manabu was the first reasonably normal person he got to know after leaving Sairaag that Manabu is going to stick out in his mind for a while.

And it's probably because of the real estate that Manabu is hogging in Grey's mind that he's been very aware of every mention of the SDF that crosses his path. He hasn't exactly been tracking the SDF's activities deliberately, but he does pay attention to the news and the SDF frequently winds up in there, even if Manabu's name in particular isn't normally dropped.

Until the day it does.

SDF Officer Taken Hostage By Pirates]

* * *

[It's taken several weeks of investigating, but Grey has been able to track down The Huntress's client, a Dr. Parish and associates. It must be a small galaxy, because Dr. Parish is someone Grey knows. Sort of.

Rather, Dr. Parish was a colleague of Rezo's who collaborated with the man on chimera research (and other unsavory things) in the past. Not only that, the man was an ardent admirer of Rezo's superior psychic prowess, and desperate to improve his own meager abilities.

He'd had quite a shock when Grey approached him in town, but after the initial surprise it had been sickeningly easy to convince Dr. Parish that he was the real Rezo. Grey can only surmise that the man wants to believe too badly to let himself be properly suspicious. It had only taken a day for Grey to be invited to tour Parish's laboratory.

The lab's located on the grounds of a former Marquess's estate, a ways out of town and secluded by trees, a high wall, and a long drive. Grey's done a little recon before, but actually being here is different, especially since he has to navigate by cane at the moment. Grey is doing his best to politely nod and smile as Parish guides him from room to room, explaining their work and occasionally handing him things to examine himself.

But evidently Parish realizes that "Rezo" isn't entirely interested, because he stops partway through an explanation of some stem cell experiments he and a few others have been working on to say "Of course, the really interesting specimens are kept in the basement floor."

Grey already knows this. He hopes his expression seems the right sort of eager.]

Interesting?

["Something along the lines of what we did in the past. Would you like to see them?"]

Nothing would please me more.

[Grey can practically hear Parish's delighted grin. To soothe the surge of irritation, Grey reminds himself that he's going to kill this man before the end of the day and allows Parish to guide him out into the hall and to the basement entrance at the back of the building.]

Comments

[repeatedprayer]

You seem satisfied with the results.

[Grey can't help but grin, seeing Manabu's reaction. Despite the setbacks, it looks like the trip was worth it after all. The sheer level of expressiveness on this man is adorable, and Grey's terribly tempted to say so.

Maybe after Manabu has finished eating.]

[siriusly]

[Manabu was already pretty transparent with his moods and emotions, but the ears and tail are just billboards screaming it out: the tail is wagging happily as he chows down, ears twitching when Grey remarks.]

Mmrh, well-! [gulp.] No offense to the cereal, but this is the first...food-feeling food I've had in...in a while, so-!

[repeatedprayer]

That's an interesting way of putting it, but I believe I understand what you mean.

[As hungry as he is, Grey's eating much more slowly than Manabu just because he's so distracted by watching Manabu's reactions.]

Would you be willing to continue doing the cooking, then? You seem to have more knowledge of the subject than I do.

[Aaand hopefully it will help Manabu with the stir-craziness.]

[siriusly]

Thatsh fine-- [mouth full. give him a second.] I can get a list of things to get next time?

[repeatedprayer]

I'm all ears. What exactly are we missing?

[Grey's already picked up on "find seasoning" even if he's not one hundred percent sure what that means.]

[siriusly]

[Manabu hums, fork in his mouth for a beat before chewing and finishing off the next bite.]

Cooking oil, salt, pepper, soup stock... [oh, miso...] Mmrh... [he uses another bite to eat as an excuse to think.]

Mn-! Noodles! Whatever ones you like.

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey nods along, in between bites of his food. He's got a good enough memory that he doesn't really need to write this down, though he's not sure what distinguishes cooking oil from regular oil... For soup stock, he's picturing something like bouillon cubes.]

Are you not satisfied with the noodles we already have?

[He's being facetious here. He's aware that the instant noodles are not what most people would consider nice noodles.]

I'll see what I can find. [He vaguely recalls seeing pasta in the stores he went to. Not so much udon, soba, or ramen, apart from the aforementioned instant kind.]

[siriusly]

[that remark gets a face. c'mon, man!]

Do you have the money? [he's not like............stealing money. is he....] What's our budget, anyway?

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey tosses out a moderate sum.]

We should be fine for groceries. Our biggest expense is likely to be any additional equipment you might need besides the gun- [If Manabu needs body armor, for instance, that will require some getting.] -And transportation off-planet.

[He pauses, remembering that Manabu, unlike Grey, can drive.] Or if we'll need a vehicle to get around.

[Grey prudently does not mention how he's been earning his savings, even though Manabu's sort of already been told.]

[siriusly]

[besides the gun.

Manabu's expression starts to wane into a frown. it was already discussed, yes, but he can't help but balk at the notion of using an illegally bought gun. he could determine not to use it no matter what, but...

...he's been down that road before, hasn't he?

humming an acknowledging sound, he turns to face the countertops and ruminate on this while cleaning up the remains of the meal. no storage containers, so the bowl will just have to do - it can sit in the fridge for a bit, as it's likely he'll eat the remains sooner rather than later, so long as his stomach settles with it well.

the idea that he can't do this without dipping into grey areas is clear...but he doesn't have to like it. he sighs, tail drooping as he finishes tidying up - a slow process, brought on by how weird his head feels if he moves too fast or looks at something mid-movement that jars his focus. all the more reason to diligently work to do it and feel like he's making some progress to being properly functional again.

when things are stowed away and the countertop wiped down, he lingers at it while the spinning ebbs, wondering how he's going to make this work beyond just the little steps he's making along the way.]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey wonders what's worrying Manabu now- his best guess is that Manabu's concerned over "owing" Grey again. Damn it. It's not that Grey can't understand that, but getting Manabu to accept Grey's help has felt a very two-steps-forward-one-step-back kind of process.

Grey finishes the rest of his stirfry in thoughtful silence, and sets the bowl aside when he's done to watch Manabu work. Like this, he can get a good look at Manabu's tail, which isn't exactly his intention but it's kind of hard not to look at it. It's pretty obvious, even if Manabu might deny it if asked, that the tail is affected by his emotional state, and right now it's rather droopy and sluggish.

When Manabu stops moving, Grey wants to step forward and wrap his arms around Manabu from behind. Telling himself that doing so would probably make Manabu yelp and struggle for freedom doesn't help overmuch; the idea is amusing! And it would probably shake Manabu out of his current gloom...

Grey will no doubt regret not interrogating the impulse more, but alas, the temptation proves too strong. Grey stands, as quietly as possible, and then quickly snakes his arms around Manabu.]

Brooding about the usual, are you?

[siriusly]

[Manabu's ear flicks at the sound of the approach, but he doesn't have the reaction time - or real thought to react to a grab at all - before he's caught, causing him to startle with a little yelp and freeze up.]

Ha-?! [wh-wh-what is he doing?! wait--huh?] D-don't make fun of me! [that's clearly what he's doing - like how David would drape a heavy arm over his shoulders and yank him around, or Grey ruffling at his head.]

[repeatedprayer]

[Success! Grey tightens his arms around Manabu, grinning next to Manabu's ear.]

You were being too quiet. It doesn't suit you.

[siriusly]

[Manabu bristles, flushing hot.]

S-s-suh-sorry I was boring you, I guess-! [indignation makes an effort to supersede the general fluster, but the tickle of breath on his scalp kind of shorts out some of his wits.

stuck between Grey and a countertop, he can only fidget but a little, heels dug in and elbows prodding a bit for purchase, but a full-on escape attempt isn't being made; he'd likely bang his head on something and make things worse for himself.]

[repeatedprayer]

...

[Grey unfortunately hadn't bargained on Manabu staying put- He'd assumed Manabu would wriggle and resist enough that Grey would have an easy excuse to let him go after only a few moments. While Manabu isn't entirely stock still, the fidgeting is light enough that it's only a bit of stimulation.

And stimulating is maybe not a good thing? Especially after this morning?]

You don't need to worry about me, I'm quite good at entertaining myself.

[With that little murmur Grey withdraws his arms and takes a step back.]

Speaking of which, I got you a book while I was out. It's about the SDF. Perhaps you'd find it interesting?

[siriusly]

[Manabu's skin still feels tingly after-the-fact, his tail floofed up from the initial surprise. he peeks over his shoulder owlishly, ears perked.]

About the SDF...?

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey's gaze softens at Manabu's look. It's a relief that he's looking less mopey. Grey then turns to go retrieve the book in question.]

Right. I thought it might be easier if it were a subject you had some familiarity with, rather than a book about "girls getting married," as you put it.

[Once he's retrieved it from the stack of entertainments, he holds it out for Manabu to examine. Most of the back is devoted to positive reviews, but there is a brief blurb about Officer Alexanderson of the Kapteyn Platoon (not a platoon that has ever existed in reality) facing off against a serial killer stalking the Galaxy Railways. (Possibly a thing that has occurred before because the Galaxy Railways is a wild place.)]

[siriusly]

[Manabu takes a few tentative steps away from the kitchen area toward Grey, stopping short when he turns around to offer the book.

tactile books...man, Grey's not handled one since, what, the historical museum back on Tabito? also with Grey. he hums curiously as he considers the cover and the back. well, it's not an official manual or account, that's for sure...there's no official insignias!]

Someone just...wrote up a story about the SDF, huh. [guess that's not so strange; there's been TV shows before, too.] Hopefully it's not completely cheesy. [or made up.]

[repeatedprayer]

Some people will write about anything.

[Even something as strange and uninteresting as the SDF!

Grey's really not sure if even that'll be enough to keep Manabu's interest, but hopefully it'll keep Manabu from clawing at the walls for at least a few minutes.]

I also picked you up a hat and a rope to try on.

[Pause. That sounds weird.]

To tie your tail down with. We might as well see if it'll work before you actually need to go out.

[If it's too painful or leaves an undisguisable bulge in the back of Manabu's pants, they may need to think of something else.]

[siriusly]

[has Grey looked around? despite the long time away, he can see the walls are immaculate and unclawed. that's restraint. Manabu's a hero.

he blinks belatedly at the talk of the rope. tie the...oh.

right.]

...Makes sense. [it's a blunt reminder he's now a freak, but it still makes sense.

it better work, because he can't really imagine any alternatives beyond maybe wearing a skirt, and he is not secure enough in his masculinity for that one.]

[repeatedprayer]

[And Grey would like to keep those walls immaculate, thank you!

Seeing as Manabu is resigned to the situation, Grey goes ahead and fetches the hat and cord, bringing them over to Manabu. The hat he hands over first- it's made of a nice, soft material.]

Here. Put this on while I get the rope out.

[Not weird at all!!!]

[siriusly]

[this is all very normal and not to be reflected on. Manabu considers the hat with a thoughtful frown. maybe if he had something like a captain's cap...he'd always dreamed of wearing one of those!

ah, well.

it feels a little weird once fitted properly on his head amidst cowlicks and the ears, muffling sound a smidge. it smushes some of his hair into his eyes, which means a lot of fidgeting and adjustment to push it all out of the way.]

This should work okay...

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey fetches the kitchen scissors while Manabu finangles with hair and ears and hat, and soon has the rope free and coiled around one hand. Afterwards he gives Manabu's head a long look, walking around Manabu in a half circle.]

You might want to give it a look in the mirror later, but I think it looks fine.

[It's a little bit lumpy, but not so severe that it looks like Manabu's got anything other than hair under there. And the vast, vast majority of people are unlikely to pay it much mind.

Grey fiddles a bit with the robe and starts to step behind Manabu.]

Now as for your tail-

[He glances at the appendage in question and abruptly remembers how things went the last time he grabbed Manabu's tail.

Grey opts to hold out the rope to Manabu instead.]

...Why don't you try tying it down yourself?

[siriusly]

Er-- [right.

yeah.

he clears his throat, reaching and grabbing at his errantly-swaying tail in his hands.]

How about I just hold it down? And you loop that once around until I can free up my hands.

[repeatedprayer]

Alright. Let's try that.

[Grey glances down. Kneeling directly behind or in front of Manabu feels risky, so he opts to crouch beside Manabu's leg instead. He takes one end of the rope, and begins to wrap it around Manabu's thigh, and thread it between his legs.]

Could you spread your... Just enough to get this through?

[Why this. Why him. Why them.]