Who are you and what have your planet's people done with the real Shen?

[nomen_est_numen]

[action]

[Anyone who's known Shen for more than, oh, say, thirty seconds, would never expect to see him doing what he's doing, now.

He's in a perfume store. That isn't the strange bit. The strange bit is that he's assembling shelves. He's been sweeping and assembling shelves and re-stocking merchandise all day. Y'see, someone spotted that that giant bird EVO was him--kind of hard not to, with that colour scheme--and called him out on it. And he agreed to fix whatever he could fix.

One might wonder if he's feeling well or got another blow to the head or if someone's holding his feather-conditioning powder hostage.

One could ask...]

Comments

[trustycrowbar]

I know what you mean. It's good to not have the fate of the city hanging over our heads for once.

[Their orders are taken, Gordon's with coffee, of course, which he gratefully drinks of.]

I think you guys had a curse: "May you live in interesting times." Hmn, I think we both know exactly what they mean by that, now.

[nomen_est_numen]

[The server returns with Shen's tea, which he drinks by the somewhat odd expedient of sticking one end of a straw in the drink and the other end in his beak.]

We're a bit roundabout with our curses, it's true. [sipp] And this is a bit beyond even those rather vague parameters.

[trustycrowbar]

So spending a day rebuilding... [He squints across the street to see the name of the shop.] "La Fleur Truand," really? is a blessing by definition. Means nothing's going to hell in a handbasket.

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen has absolutely zero fluency in French and has no idea what the sign means so he lets that bit fly by. He does, however, make a rueful sound before drinking more tea.] I suppose it is, by definition, but it doesn't feel like much of a blessing. Or smell like one.

[Every once in a while the wind shifts and one can tell he accidentally dropped an entire shelf of merchandise....]

[trustycrowbar]

[He's thankful he's upwind, actually. While perfume is not the worst thing one can smell like, he's starting to wonder why Shen isn't dizzy from it by now. He shrugs.]

It washes off. Though with that many feathers it may take you a week to stop smelling like waterlily and sandalwood or whatever that is.

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen had been dizzy from the smell earlier but he's gotten used to it by now.]

Hm. Or perhaps I could sell some of these feathers. [He scratches his head with one foot--thankfully not wearing any metal--and a feather comes loose. He sighs and sticks it into the Perrier-bottle-flower-vase.]

[trustycrowbar]

You're not molting, are you?

[Politeness of asking aside, he looks a little concerned now.]

Is that even a thing that happens to you? I mean, it IS summer now.

[nomen_est_numen]

I... don't think it's typical this early in the year, but my recollection on that point is still a little foggy. More likely it's the stress and the heat.

[Why he's drinking hot tea is a question for the ages. Maybe iced tea isn't a thing where he comes from...]

[trustycrowbar]

[The same reason people drink hot coffee to cool off in summer. Gordon takes another sip.]

Well, the stress is off for now... we've got some time to decompress and think about stuff. [Like their clumsy squabbles over a particular blonde fox girl. God. In a way he STILL doesn't want to think about that.]

[nomen_est_numen]

[Yeeaahh, birds are like that. Squabbly, that is.]

Rather a lot of things to think about, yes. [He stirs the tea with the straw.]

[trustycrowbar]

[Yeah, that's kind of the problem. HE'S NOT A BIRD. OR A FOX. Time to think about something else.]

I wanted to ask you... that mess with Kotetsu. The thing with the pandas that pissed him off so bad. Are you handling that alright? Do you know why you did it now?

--If you don't want to talk about it, I understand, but I'm still curious.

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen's not a fox either, but that's not stopping him....]

[There's a long pause as Shen ponders the question. He toys with the feather in the bottle.]

[Eventually, however, even though simply declaring the conversation over and going back to work seemed like a viable option he scrapes the words together to answer in a rather pensive murmur.]

Yes. I know why I did it. But rest assured that nothing like it will happen again.

[trustycrowbar]

I know. You're not that kind of bird anymore. I just wonder why it had to happen in the first place...

[His voice is low as well. He's not trying to goad him, he's honestly curious. Calling a guy like Gordon a barbarian is one thing, even understandable considering Shen's birth status, but a whole village of pandas burned to the ground? The people in them slaughtered?]

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen taps the empty cup against the table a little irritatedly. His voice doesn't change, though.]

What does that matter? I won't ever be in that state of mind again--far too much has happened to change me.

[trustycrowbar]

[Gordon looks about to say something, but just then the server shows with their food. He sits back. Maybe it's better he doesn't press the issue.]

...You're right. Sorry I brought it up. On to better topics. You have any plans over the summer yet?

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen doesn't smile very often, so when he does, it usually means something. Like the grateful one that flickered across his features right now. Relieved bird is relieved.]

I can't think of anything right now. I think any plans I have at the moment can be summed up as 'not being attacked by monsters.'

[trustycrowbar]

Yeah, everyone's busy not getting attacked right now. As for me, I'm going to be busy convincing the administrators back in the labs that all that damage actually wasn't my fault.

[He snorts a laugh, poking at the plate.]

I should've known that would happen...

[nomen_est_numen]

[He blinks, a forkful of noodles halfway to his beak. Heeeeeee'd missed the whole shoggoth!Gordon adventure...]

Damage? D'you mean... oh, dear.

[trustycrowbar]

Between all the monsters and... other things, the Labs took a little bit of a beating. Like I said, I'm the idiot who didn't notice the writing on the wall. New guy, suddenly put in charge of an knee-jerk research project with a high probability of casualty and collateral damage? They weren't looking for a leader. They were looking for a bodyguard.

And a scapegoat, should the bodyguard thing fall through.

[nomen_est_numen]

[Ah-eh... oh. He winces as best one can with a beak.]

I... suppose I ought to see what cleaning up I can do there, as well.... [sigh]

[trustycrowbar]

It's not your falt--wh, well not really, I... nngh.

[Oh dammit. Yeah, there's a handful of dented equipment thanks to their tussle, but that wasn't what caused him to cringe. Here he'd been trying to avoid talking about the elephant in the room so hard, that he ran right into it.]

Don't worry about what got damaged during the fight. I can take care of that; i-it's a very minor part anyway...

I think I should ask you something, however... [even though he's having trouble coming up with the words.]

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen tilts his head to the side in a truly birdish manner, blinking.] Ask me what?

[trustycrowbar]

[He runs a hand through his hair absently...]

Did you honestly think that I was interested in Ran? Or... was it the fever talking?

[He's not sure why he's asking his would-be competition this. Maybe he wants validation. Someone to actually say "No Gordon, you're not a freak and an absolute lunatic for wondering about her." Since that won't be possible, he'll settle for it being implied instead.]

[nomen_est_numen]

[He opens his beak to say something, shuts it, then tries again.]

Ah... I did, actually, though if it weren't for the fever I wouldn't have been quite so... territorial. But, yes. I did. And still do. [He pokes at the noodles.] And while I do see you as competition, I... can't really blame you. [a rueful half-smile.]

[trustycrowbar]

[Gordon is about to say that Shen shouldn't worry but... shouldn't he? His face falls into a puzzled look. Confirmed competition or not, should he actually see her like that?]

[...No, forget "should." "Should" doesn't even matter right now, dammit. DID he, was the question. This blonde fox-girl with yellow eyes, 900 years old and counting and capable of powers he can't even understand yet, with a kind heart and a mind like a mirrored labyrinth.

[He gains a small sheepish half-smile of his own.] ...I can't blame you either. She's, she's just... she's a mystery to me. A beautiful mystery...

[He ends his reverie with a cough and a drink of his coffee.] But, that doesn't change the fact that she's a different species.