[video]

[totallyinaband]

Two things, I guess. Anyone seen one of these before?

[Stephen holds a small and furry creature up to the camera, supporting it gently around its middle. His left arm's still in a cast, but he seems pretty used to it by now. The wallaby turns its head towards Stephen to nose at him curiously with its tiny snout.]

He showed up at the apartment and won't leave me alone. Plus, I think Nym might think it's lunch. She's been eying it all day.

[Stephen puts the animal back down in his lap, who seems quite content to curl up and go to sleep.]

Which is kinda the second thing, I guess. Er, Neil's been gone for a while now and-


Does anyone need a place to live? I'm out of the house a lot and none of the animals are any trouble. I could keep the place to myself, but I think it's good for people to stick together around here.

Let me know.


[ooc: Stephen is once again the Extinct Animal Whisperer, and has befriended an Eastern Hare Wallaby. He also has a spare room!]

Comments

[withloadedguns]

That thing got a name?

[Also, he wonders wtf it is...]</small?

[totallyinaband]

No idea.

[He inspects him again.]

He kinda seems like a rabbit-rat hybrid.

[skintoskin]

How many animals do you have right now?

[totallyinaband]

Four. Five with the rat-thing.

[skintoskin]

It sort of looks like a kangaroo... kinda.

Five is a lot of animals. Do you talk to them or something?

[totallyinaband]

Yeah. A really tiny one.

I keep inheriting them from people. I just had the one cat, and then my friend left hers behind, and another friend left me her rabbit, and Nym was Neil's dog.

[He doesn't talk to them. Much. Yet.]

[skintoskin]

Tiny kangaroo. Where do these things come from? And why do they gravitate to you?

[He shakes his head slowly.]

I don't suppose... You wouldn't want me for a roommate, would you?

[They haven't talked since the whole Titanic curse, when they'd been... intimate. Neil remembers it vividly, but Stephen has a boyfriend. Awkward much?]

[private]

[totallyinaband]

[Stephen pauses for a second before he switches the feed to private. There are some things he'd rather talk about without the whole City finding out about.]

Hey, man. I'm, er, sorry about last weekend. That wasn't like me. Normally.

[private]

[skintoskin]

[Neil doesn't know how to use the filters yet, so he's grateful that Stephen does.]

Don't worry about it. It's fine. I'm fine. Really.

[...not.]

[private]

[totallyinaband]

No, it's not.

[He runs a hand over his face, scratching his beard in a familiar nervous gesture.]

I'm not the sleeping around type, normally. I just- didn't want to lead you on or anything.

[withloadedguns]

Maybe.

[totallyinaband]

You got a better theory?

[private]

[skintoskin]

I know, I know. You have a boyfriend. You're in a committed relationship. If you'd been yourself, you wouldn't have done anything.

[withloadedguns]

No. Not really.

[private]

[totallyinaband]

Not that I didn't enjoy- you know, 'cause you're really...

Fuck, there really isn't anyway I can say this without coming across like an asshole, is there?

[private]

[skintoskin]

[He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, speaking in a whisper.]

It's not your fault...

[Pause.]

Did you enjoy it? And I'm really... what?

[private]

[totallyinaband]

At the time, I did. Yeah. I mean, it'd be hard not to.

I'm sorry, this is just making everything more complicated than it needs to be.

[private]

[skintoskin]

Yeah. Yeah, it is.

[Sigh.]

Look, just... Forget I asked about the roommate thing. That'd be a bad idea. All I'd wanna do at the end of the day is make you Hamburger Helper for dinner and then fuck you until we're both sore, so...

[He closes his eyes.]

Shit. Forget I said that, too. Who in their right mind would want a relationship with me, anyway?

[private]

[totallyinaband]

[Fuck. Shit. What is he even supposed to say in response to that?]

I really hoped we could stay friends, Neil. Fuck, sorry, that sounds like a line. I mean it, though.

[totallyinaband]

I may have to do some goggling to work this one out.

[The wallaby is asleep in his lap now. His heart may hurt a bit.]

[withloadedguns]

Long as it doesn't bite.

[totallyinaband]

I figured it would have by now. If it was going to.

[withloadedguns]

Yeah, seems like it would have.

You gonna give it a name?

[totallyinaband]

Nah, it's probably going to be gone by midnight, anyway.

[He doesn't want a repeat of the moa incident. His heart can't take it, man.]

[withloadedguns]

Yeah, maybe.