pyrighteous | [OOC] Folkmore IC Inbox

[Cheesy eggs!! Hunter he's already dating you, you don't have to seduce him.]

And I really appreciate the help. [Premade or simple meals, or takeout, are all still a huge assist when he comes home tired and hungry (especially on the days where he gets so into it he forgets to eat lunch), so it's all been great.] I can get back to cooking tomorrow.

[His lips quirk into a bigger grin, letting the implication of that speak for itself.]

[ Hunter blinks at him for a moment - and then realization creeps in. ]

Wait - do you mean - is it -

[A quick nod.]

It's done! Just finished an hour ago. All it needs now is to put in the little bottle Master Draxum's prepping, and I don't think that goes in until the ritual.

... Can I see it?

[ He's trying not to be TOO excited but. he is!! ]

Of course! [It's kinda what he was planning to show Hunter anyway.

He heads into the living room, unslinging his bag to rest on the coffee table, and sitting heavily onto the couch in front of it. He pulls a bundle of fabric from the big pouch- Hunter would know this to be the fabric banner he'd gotten from Rue, one Draxum suggested he get in order to make his workbench at school more colourful, to help his productivity. It's doubled as a protective bundle for transporting the robot back and forth without damaging the delicate feathers.

Carefully he unwraps the fabric, withdrawing at last the form of a little blue jay, astonishingly realistic, though maybe that shouldn't be a surprise considering the hours put into it. Its feathers look and feel almost authentic, its form fully mobile (though obviously not moving now). It's about the same size as Flapjack, and besides the subtle outline of a removable panel on its underbelly (for maintenance and installing Draxum's bottle) and a metallic gleam around its eyes, it's somewhat hard to tell it isn't a real bird.

Casey sits back once it's resting on the table, looking eager, and a little nervous. Hunter's the first one he's showing the finished product to, so... he hopes it looks okay.]

[ Hunter drifts after him eagerly, trying not to crowd him? He winds up kneeling opposite the coffee table from Casey so he can observe the birb more carefully. (Flapjack also peeps out of his collar, curious.)

As Casey draws that cheerful fabric away, Hunter can't help but gasp a little. It looks so REAL? He's seen pieces of this already from helping, but with it all assembled and pretty on the table like this ...

He reaches out with trembling fingers to pet the little body. Empty for now, of course, and yet so realistic he almost expects it to blink its eyes up at him. ]

It's ... it's amazing. How did you get the feathers to do that...?

[Casey relaxes at once - validation! He did good? He did good! - and smoothes back some of the sturdier feathers along one wing.]

Trial and error, mostly. I broke soooo many of them trying to get them to thread into the skin properly.

[Well. "Skin". It's just a fabric membrane spread over the hollow skeleton.]

Oh, but look- this part's cool.

[Gently he spreads the wings apart to make them look like they're flying, and guides Hunter's hands to touch underneath. He should feel a subtle sensation of wind passing over his fingers, almost like he's flying with it.]

[ Hunter's fingers twitch a little as the wind tickles them. Amazing ... He tears up a little. ]

My brother's going to love this.

[Casey smiles softly, moving his hand to hold on to Hunter's again, giving it a light squeeze.]

I'm really glad I could do this. It'll be worth it, if it's happy in the end. [He hesitates, then adds a bit shyly,] Can we leave a note for him, to wake me up if he comes out? I want to show him, too.

[At this point, the guard has become another friend, alongside being Hunter's big brother. Casey would really like to see his reaction, too, and to hear firsthand if he likes it or wants anything changed.]

Of course. He's gonna be thrilled. And - and he should see it before he ends up using it.

[ Hunter, too, has warmed to the awkward, sober presence that has come to be a part of their lives. When this is all done, Hunter will almost miss writing notes back and forth. It's been ... nice, in a weird way. A very structured relationship. ]

[Once again, Casey relaxes. He's been a bit hesitant to ask for much in regards to the other guard, since he's still sharing Hunter's body, especially after hearing his fears about being replaced - or them liking the guard better - during the talk with Rue. The last thing he wants is to make that sort of implication. He likes both! (He likes Hunter more. A lot more, naturally.) He's been content to pass notes back and forth, but this moment feels like face-to-face is important. Especially if the robird needs fine-tuning. Still, he'll do it only as long as Hunter's okay with it.]

Hard to believe we're almost there. So much has happened...

[ Honestly, just having the letter delivered and Rue and Casey confirming to his face that they would never replace him has done a LOT to allay that fear. Once he doesn't have to compete with the guard? He's happy to have a sibling. Some part of him always wanted one. ]

It's. It's really been a long month. Two months?

[ Is it two months already?? ]

[It's a huge relief, truly. Casey wants nothing more than for Hunter to feel safe and secure with them- because they love him, and not even a quasi-identical twin can undo that.]

It feels like forever at this point. [Some of the excited adrenaline of finishing it is wearing off, and Casey leans back, sinking deeper into the couch cushion.] Once this is all done I wanna take a nap for three days straight. And not even look at another robot for a week!

[Uuugh but he'll have to play catch-up with his schoolwork, which means going back to the robot cat... the wheel truly never stops turning.]

[ Hunter gets up then - leaving Flapjack to peep and peer at the blue jay when he sets it back down - and moves to settle in next to Casey. ]

I mean, I bet Rue can write a note for school. Give you permission and stuff.

[ Hunter was THRILLED to find out that parents can write RULE BREAKING NOTES!! ]

[Casey wastes no time tilting sideways a bit to lean against Hunter. He's trusting Flapjack to be gentle with the robot.]

I could try that... though, I don't want to push my luck. The teacher's been really understanding so far, but I kinda told them it'd only be a few weeks. Think if I show them the bird it'd count for extra credit?

[Even if it's not a functional robot, it's still pretty cool, construction-wise.]

[ Flapjack is VERY respectful. And nosy! But respecful.

Meanwhile, Hunter leans back contentedly, reaching for Casey's hand. ]

Uh, yeah? Like - it's kind of a project all on its own, right?

[Happily, Casey twines their fingers, though he keeps his grip gentle. After so much fine-tuning with the project, working with all those little pieces and weaving in what feels like a thousand feathers, his hands are so sore and sensitive. Hunter is on jar-opening duty for a while!]

It kinda is, yeah. They seemed impressed by the scope at least- and skeptical of the timeline. ...They sure nailed that part.

[It took so much longer than he'd estimated. Good thing both Hunter and the Golden Guard are patient with him.]

[ Oh poor Casey. Hunter looks down at that, then sends over a bit of comfort and pride. Casey's been working SO hard. ]

You - you really have been overdoing it. Haven't you.

[ He's seen those long hours. And those eyebags rival his own. ]

[Casey feels that, instinctively sending back a weird mixture of embarrassment (it's nothing!) a teensy bit of guilt (he doesn't mean to make Hunter worry for him) but mostly relief (that after all that hard work, it's going to be great, and that makes it worthwhile).]

Maybe a little... but if it were me, I'd want the person making my body to really put the work in, and make it perfect. After everything he's gone through, he deserves it. [He smiles again, more relaxed and calming this time, and lifts Hunter's hand to kiss the back of it. See? His grip's just fine, and he's feeling good.] And you deserve it, too.

[ Oh gosh. Hunter DID have something to say to that, but all thought leaves his brain as Casey kisses his hand. There's a glyph on the back of it; it lights up faintly but fizzles. ]

I - that's - I-I agree! I just.

[ Hunter swallows. ]

You put in so much work so fast. I'm grateful.

[Casey's eyes widen at that, thoroughly distracted by the glyph. He almost lets go, though he manages to catch himself in time.]

Ah- sorry! I should be more careful...

[Now that glyphs work for him, he needs to be mindful of where he makes contact, huh...]

Um. You're welcome, though. I'm happy I was able to do something to help.

[He'd have felt pretty helpless if he couldn't do anything to contribute, truth be told. Moral support counts, sure, but still. Building the body really gave him a sense that he was actively working towards fix things.]

N-no! It's okay! That one's just a light glyph anyway but -

[ Well Casey should be careful when kissing parts of Hunter's body if they ever get that far!! Hunter goes rather red at the thought. ]

Casey, you've done everything. Like - way more than I have.

[Memo to future Casey: do not accidentally set couches or beds on fire with smooches-

That comment has Casey blinking in surprise.]

Not that it's a contest, but... you know I'd do anything for you, right?

[Or maybe he doesn't. Maybe it's good he's being told now, so he knows. Casey would build him a hundred birds if Hunter needed it. If they end up freeing the other brothers from their portraits, he'd definitely build a dozen more. All this work is nothing compared to Hunter's peace of mind.]

[ Hunter ducks his head a litte, tips of his ears burning. ]

I - I know. Of course I do. But ... it's been a lot seeing how much you're doing.

[ In a good way! He's just overwhelmed. ]

...Ah... yeah.

[Casey's quiet for a moment at that, letting it stew. He can see that sort of thing being overwhelming, all things considered. Belos wouldn't have done this. Belos is the reason they're having to deal with this in the first place. Everything they've been doing to help Hunter and the Guard are pretty explicitly labours of love.

He tilts his head, looking up at Hunter's expression, smiling fondly at the blush and the pink on his ears.]

Well, I won't be overwhelming you for a while. I'm gonna sit around and be as useless as possible for the rest of the day! And that's just to start.

[Probably a false assumption; he'll be back to the grind by tomorrow morning most likely. But tonight he really will try to relax.]

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