✧ — passionfruit green tea.

[boba]

Comments

[oversea]

You should ask my chef if you want information on how the kitchen is run.

[ he will provide no further comment. thorns still wants the knives... but he can just come back later to buy them when he is on his own and safe from commentary. ]

[transmit]

[


elysium delicately puts the planer in the cart before going back for a single knife set. he holds it protectively to his chest. ]

Let's get your lights then get out of here…

[oversea]

[ why does elylsium know him so well...

thorns stares at the knives. ]

Is there anything else you need?

[transmit]

I'm giving these directly to the chef.

[ he turns his body away and clutches them even closer, an unsubtle hint for thorns to stop looking. ]

I—

[ but, of course, just as he's about to answer thorns' question, the pa system crackles to life, warning customers about a runaway ingredient from the cafeteria and advising caution due to its aggressive nature. his head slowly turns back to thorns to stare, then very slowly mouths

'aggressive'? ]

[oversea]

Let's go check it out. We may need to help.

[ just in general, since the two of them are capable of handling anything dangerous. thorns is not even remotely thinking that they mean nene, who is super well behaved and also not an ingredient (delusional). ]

[transmit]

[ nene did try to eat thorns during their first meeting, but okay. as they get closer, the source of the commotion becomes impossible to ignore: a woman loudly complaining that her expensive pants have been chewed through, demanding that the offending creature be roasted to perfection and served on her plate.

the slobber and bite pattern should look familiar to thorns, actually. elysium's opinion of nene continues to plummet. ]

[oversea]

[




thorns immediately books it to find where nene is hopping around in this food court. he follows the shrieks. ]

[transmit]

[ nene has such a bright future as a saltfin. so tiny and already capable of such mass mayhem.

elysium hangs back to soothe the woman and distract her from whatever thorns is doing. he doubts he's handing it back over to the kitchen staff, so. disappearing act it is. ]

[oversea]

[ thorns finds his child underneath a table, picks it up, and just hurries off. someone tries to walk over and is like, 'i have a bag you can throw that in!' and thorns looks like he is going to fight them


but instead he just keeps moving. thank god he was not holding the knives. ]

[transmit]

[ THE KNIVES THAT ARE STILL IN PLASTIC COVERING? THORNS? he's trying to get them sent to jail. my god

except

now there's the problem of this lady sticking to his side, so thorns is about to have to perform a second rescue mission. or leave elysium behind because that is also a legitimate response to anything he does ever. ]

[oversea]

[ thorns is just ??? why is elysium being het.

he is just going to drop nene into their lil cart and/or tote because i do not know which one they grabbed before wandering over to elysium. ]

Let's go. [ he looks at the woman. ] Not you.

[transmit]

[ fucking help

the woman only tightens her grip on elysium's arm and starts hauling him along, babbling about not knowing if the thing will come back and needing him to fend it off if it does. this is what he gets for open carrying a sword, i guess. but what an eventful day. first nene causes such a ruckus it becomes infamous, next elysium is very clearly getting kidnapped in broad daylight. ]

Uh. Ma'am…

[ unless thorns escalates, elysium may say something very rude ]

[oversea]

Where are you going with my b––companion.

[ smooth save...

but he walks over to them, grabbing onto elysium's other arm. ]

[transmit]

[ the way he notices the save but only briefly wonders if thorns is really that shy about calling him his best friend. okay.

she yanks in the opposite direction, and for a moment it almost looks like he'll just go along with it. then he remembers that thorns is at a particularly sensitive point in his life and gently peels his arm free from the woman's grasp. ]

I don't know you like that. Besides, security is saying it's clear. You'll be fine.

[ gooby. he gestures to thorns that it's time for them to skedaddle. ]

[oversea]

[ okay...

thorns will walk off to reunite with nene, who is snuggling on top of the window curtains. he looks down at it. ]

This place isn't safe. They lost Nene.

[transmit]

[ it really isn't. the woman looks like she'll perhaps send hitmen after elysium. ]

You don't think it's Nene not being able to stay in one place…?

…

Okay. Let's get our lights and go.

[oversea]

[ no, it's ikea's fault.

but he will not delay... they may have to backtrack a bit to get to their lights since they had to rush over here. ]

You sure there wasn't anything else you wanted?

[transmit]

Me? To decorate out the guest room? You already got us beds. That's more than enough.

[ already assumes he'll be demoted back the next time he visits…

he puts this into thorns' hands. tilts his head. then just… nods. ]

[oversea]

I mean to bring back with you.

[ elysium is so funny. thorns will make them have sleepovers every time until he gets self-conscious about it.

but he looks down at this cat lamp. ]

What is this?

[transmit]

It's a night light.

[ there are already more conventional light fixtures in their cart. and if thorns isn't a fan of that, there's also this. he can dual wield them as he figures out which one tog et. ]

You need something gentler for when you're still awake but not working.

[ is this… an oxymoron? ]

[oversea]

I see...

[ he is sure there are better choices than these but okay. ]

I think you have ulterior motives.

[transmit]

For when we're chatting away? Maybe. We could still fall asleep with either of these on.

[ maybe THORNS is the one who should be talking about his ulterior motivates. ]

[oversea]

[ thorns is never going to say anything ever, thank you.

he just puts the lamp with their other purchases. ]

[transmit]

[ but is it the cat or the otter

elysium is just content that thorns is reinvesting in himself outside of his lab and weaponry. with that settled, they can head to check-out. ]

Now that that's done… how's Nene? If it isn't doing well, you can head back to the ship or at least get some air first.

[ losing it in one of the furniture sections sounds even worse than the cafeteria, actually. ]

[oversea]

[ the cat...

nene is chewing on the curtains now, which thorns is ignoring. ]

It's fine. I'll stay with you... unless you think I should go.