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

[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.

[nomen_est_numen]

[That last bit actually puzzles Shen. He's been regaining memory after memory of talking birds and sheep and antelopes and goats and pigs and bunnies and whatnot that 'another species' seems pretty meaningless to him, now.]

Hm. There isn't a variety of species where you're from? It sounds...

...

lonely.

[trustycrowbar]

Just humans. [As far as he can remember. Even then they were an overwhelming majority for most of his life.]

I didn't really think of it as a shortcoming. We don't know what we're missing, I suppose.

...I certainly didn't.

[nomen_est_numen]

[nom nom nom. pause. gulp. Birds don't chew things but it does take a bit of work to get noodles into beak.]

I remember that... variety of people... made the city run smoother. There's some... notion about enclaves of only one species usually not working except in a few cases.

Anyway, I don't see her being another species as much of an obstacle, myself. Point of fact, it makes her exotic.

[He goes still, eyes on his noodles. Heeeee probably shouldn't be saying these things....]

[trustycrowbar]

[He pauses, sandwich not quite to his mouth.] Exotic?

[Until now he'd been convincing all his senses that those ears and tails were just pinned on or something. He didn't want to find that part of her compelling. She used to be a canine for god's sake! He's not sure if he's ready to celebrate a difference like that!]

Hey, I don't mind exotic... but to me exotic means a human from another culture, not a completely different species! I just--

Wow, that sounded considerably less narrow-minded in my head.

[nomen_est_numen]

It must have done. [That dry observation aside, Shen turns thoughtful.]

It's clear you love her mind, and that's a fine thing; but you do realise that if you wish to pursue her, you'll have to come to terms with all of her.

[Because it's about time he had something to impart instead of constantly being shamed by someone half his age. Why does he even put up with this kid anywa--oh, right.]

[trustycrowbar]

[He tilts his head a little, brows furrowing. He was giving him advice? Did that mean that he...]

Yeah. Yeah, I'm aware of that. [He mutters this a little hoarsely, because he knows exactly what Shen means by "coming to terms with all of her." He takes a bite of the sandwich, mostly to knock down his heart as it'd climbed into his throat and to distract from...]

[Well, skin that pale blushes easily.]

...but one aspect at a time.

[nomen_est_numen]

[Ah-hah. So he IS that interested in her. Shen can't fault Gordon his autonomic responses, he has the exact same problem.]

[Still, now that his head is clearer he's seeing the competition in a different light. As, well... competition.]

[A grin steals across his face.]

Best start that soul-searching soon, or I might just beat you to her.

[Gauntlet thrown, good sir.]

[trustycrowbar]

[Puzzlement turns into a flash of irritation.] Oh, you want to turn this into a race?

[How dare this lawn ornament make a race out of this. Out of HER.]

[nomen_est_numen]

[Ah, the hot blood of youth. It's too bad Shen has to be literally fevered to remember what that feels like. Still, the look on the human's face does ruffle a few feathers. His smile remains, though.]

A contest. If I'm going to have competition for Ran's affection, I might as well have a challenge. She's worth it, to me. How about you?

[Good lord, he's even worse when he's NOT angry....]

[trustycrowbar]

[His hackles lower a few microns but he still sits forward.] Oh, you're going to have MORE than a challenge if you're going to make a trophy out of her...

[And then... a smirk.] Because now, it's up to me to save her from your machinations.

[nomen_est_numen]

[At this, Shen cackles a truly villainous cackle. My, that felt strangely good. Maybe this is just what he needed to start feeling better--a rivalry!]

Oh, my dear boy, you haven't seen 'machinations,' yet! She won't even know you exist by the time I've finished!

[trustycrowbar]

Oh, I doubt that! I haven't even started yet, and I already see her every day. We have more in common than you could possibly hope for! Trust me, all the premeditation and fancy plumage of yours isn't going to mean a damn thing!

[He punctuates that with a flippant brush of the bottled feather.]

[nomen_est_numen]

Oh, yes, and how long will it be before you can actually speak to her about something other than work? A tongue-tied boy is no match for hundreds of years of superior culture!

[How d'you like that, laddie-me-buck? He ... looks about for something to flick at in response, loses the moment, and then quickly reaches out and flicks at the feather, himself.]

[trustycrowbar]

Fh... at least I'LL be working without a script! Which're you going to start with first, the book of outdated poems, or that weird-ass lute? She's smarter than you think; she'll see right through your fifth-century edition of Romance for Dummies.

[nomen_est_numen]

Why, d'you honestly think you have sufficient imagination to freestyle this sort of thing? Or d'you plan to let the numbers do the talking for you?

[trustycrowbar]

[His lunch is well and truly forgotten by now. He leans back again, crossing an ankle over a knee.]

Welp, you got me! That's the whole extent of my plan! It'll be the two of us, murmuring equations at each other over candlelight.

[nomen_est_numen]

I'm just going to assume that that's exactly what you're going to do and proceed on my merry way toward winn--

"Ey! EY! Monsieur le Paon!"

[Shen breaks off in mid-sentence, beak open, feather-finger in the air. He turns to regard the small, irate Frenchwoman stomping across the ruined street]

Madam, you are interrupting an important exchange! There are dire things at stake heeeaaaaaagh...

[This last occurs because she reaches out and grabs his feather crest, pulling him back toward the shop.]

"Oiseau paresseux! You 'ave feeneesh when I say you 'ave feeneesh! You can argeu over le fille later!"

[Shen makes a definite 'this isn't over' gesture at Gordon before he's pulled back into the building.]

[trustycrowbar]

[He watches the exchange, and snickers before he calls after the retreating peacock.]

--don't worry, Shen! We'll continue this later! Hell, drop enough boxes of perfume on your head and YOU MIGHT EVEN GET A CLUE!

[Then he sits back... and starts on a long meandering path in figuring out just what the hell he's gotten himself into.]