✧ — passionfruit green tea.

[boba]

Comments

[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.

[transmit]

[ can we not ruin things before we install them. thanks. he picks nene up, who's hopefully still at least half-bgged and unrecognisable to the people around them, and deposits it into thorns' hands. ]

You were just going to let it ruin your curtains before you even got to use them? C'mon, man. You can't let it get away with everything.

[ elysium doesn't think they're co-parenting in this scenario… offers unsolicited advice. ]

[oversea]

It wouldn't have damaged them that badly.

[ okay.

thorns just peers at elysium. ]

Do you not like Nene?

[transmit]

I just think it's spoiled…

[ it is not his baby in the way thorns and docybara are his babies. ]

It's not so much of a problem now, but when it gets bigger, it needs to be more aware. It'll be harder to train those habits out later. [ he arches a brow back. ] Is that not liking something to you?

[oversea]

[ no, it's definitely more than that, since it seemed like elysium was trying to compete with it earlier.

but he won't push the topic. thorns has no logical reason why he is suddenly fond of nene. ]

There's the line. Wait as I pay.

[transmit]

[ OKAY. his very mild jealousy is one thing; wanting to set it up for success is another. they cannot have both thorns and nene completely unsocialised with the rest of society. he tells himself that he will take this upon himself if thorns will not.

but, he reluctantly takes nene back. the funny thing is elysium already has an entire narrative over why thorns is fond of nene, even if he doesn't know. he gives it a long, serious look and tells it that it needs to grow up eventually—and that elysium will need it to continue to look out for thorns for him when he can't. can he trust it with that? does it understand his sentiment?

he says it quietly, but he still attempts to futilely beam it into its head like he does many other things to thorns. like father, like child??? ]

[oversea]

[ thorns is once again unaware of all of this that is happening. he waits in line... pays for his items... gets distracted at the lil food area at checkout.

hot dogs... hm... meatballs? no, he will resist...

but he waves them over. ]

[transmit]

[



he makes sure to take the bag with the knives in it, exchanging it for the bag of nene. ]

Did you want me to put in an order for arms, by the way? I could probably get a shipment in by the end of this week—next week, latest.

[oversea]

No, you don't have to. We can manage with what we have.

[ and that's one less thing for elysium to worry about. ]

But thanks for the offer to do so.

[transmit]

[ he doesn't have to, but he could. hmm. he makes a note to check their stock himself and canvas the crew later. ]

This is what I'm being paid to do. You've done plenty for Rhodes in turn, so have a higher bar than just 'managing'.

[oversea]

[ thorns should know better than to try to give elysium less work to do, because he'd end up finding some one way or another.

they can trek back to deposit their goods. ]

... Did you want to do anything else today?

[transmit]

[ it's true… either you assign him work, or he finds his own, which usually leads to mixed results. pick your poison. ]

Not particularly. After we get everything installed, how about we use the rest of the evening to relax?

[ left to his own devices, it's hard to imagine thorns doing so willingly. and no, his lab work doesn't count as relaxation no matter how much he might enjoy it. ]

Chess?

[oversea]

[ that does make sense... but also, it really has been so long since elysium has been inside his own apartment, since last time he was kidnapped as soon as they reached the parking lot. it'll probably be good for him to just unwind. ]

Yeah. I do need to beat you.

[ romance. ]

[transmit]

[ i'm losing it did legally distinct ikea make you forget this was one of the post-purgatory threads

once they're out, nene tries to wiggle free… it exists. ]

Aren't you getting way too ahead of yourself? Best of five. That way whoever loses can't say it was a fluke.

[oversea]

[ who knows what i was thinking after i had to wake up at 5am ]

I'll win all of them...

[transmit]

[ YOU HAD TO? i thought you just woke up at that time naturally ]

Oh? If you drop a game, does this mean I get to ask you to do something?

[oversea]

[ it's fine...

thorns also did see how these terms relate to what he said, but okay. die. ]

Like what?

[transmit]

Just to be fair, I'll scale it based on how many you lose. So if you lose all five, expect the worst.

[ shameless… ]