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]

[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.

[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.]