What Some Take For Magic At First Glance [Opentastic]

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard has avoided The Warehouse entirely for the last few days. Something about wandering around in it alone seems like a profoundly unsettling prospect. Even when he returns to it, he decides it's a better idea to work out in the front yard than actually lounge around the living room.

Today's project is a roller fridge. Having found three sets of identical rollerblades (for someone with six legs? Or just three right feet?), Howard's set to dismantling them and fixing them to a mini-refrigerator he found in an unclaimed house down the tracks. He eventually plans on recalibrating the fridge into a freezer and attaching a handle to drag it to and from Hydroponics, but actually putting wheels on it seems to be the most difficult task so far.

After several failed attempts to use a candle-lighter to weld some sort of axle on, Howard gets a drill and an extension cord out. The sound of the drill upsets the cat, whom he's zipped into an old backpack, bar her head. He doesn't want her to run off onto the tracks, after all, or leave her alone in the house, and despite all the random junk he's accumulated, he hasn't yet found a small leash or collar.

She growls at him and struggles to free herself, but he routinely calms her down with cat treats and a sock full of catnip when the noise scares her too much. To keep her attention, he slips one of the cat treats up his sleeve and out of sight. That's just sleight of hand.

The fridge, on the other hand, may require more creativity. He sits with the backpack full of cat on his lap, chewing on a hangnail, trying to figure out how exactly he's going to give it wheels that can swivel.

Comments

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Mostly just looks down her nose at people. Sometimes kills them with her brain. You know. The usual."

He raises an eyebrow. "Sort of?"

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

"Woah, really?"

"There's these two older kids. They got adopted into the family and lived with us until they were old enough to get their own place but they're more like cousins than anything else." He gives a lopsided smile. "So, yeh, only child."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I don't know. That's just what I hear."

He shrugs. "I guess it'd be better than having siblings. Obviously, I'm just all arm and fuzzy when it comes to brats."

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

"Well... You do have a cat." Hana said, as if that explained many things.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"And? I was out of snack bars to take to work."

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

"Lonely people have cats so--" Obviously, his train of thought is interrupted. "Huh? What did you say?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I'm sorry, what were you saying about me being lonely?"

He's completely deadpan.

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

"Well, what were you saying about snack bars?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"If I get hungry, a cat tastes as good as pork." He shrugs. He knows from experience, but he's mostly just messing with Hana. Mostly.

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

And there's the look of disgusted horror on Hana's face.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard shrugs. "Meat is meat."

Although, almost in contradiction, he slips another treat into Emergency Rations' mouth.

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

"Woah, man, wait, you ate cat? Why would you eat cat? There's tons of food on the ship. Besides, won't they have like diseases?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Yeah, the all-you-can-eat buffet's kind of a new addition to my life, genius," he says, still chewing that shoelace.

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

"But even if you ate cat back on your world, why would you think you'd need to eat it here?"

He watches the chewing before finally having to bring it up. "Why are you doing that?"

I'm sorry Howard's such a tool. D:

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Wow. You're dense." Howard rolls his eyes. "I was joking, mostly. It was worth it for the look on your face."

"Doing what?"

It's alright. I'll just wait 'till October so I can set Diana on him

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

Hana frowned in annoyance before pointing directly at Howards face. "Chewing over and over on that lace like a sheep eating grass."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Sorry, does it bother you?" He makes a point to chew extra exaggeratedly. "I like to chew things. Back home, people chew on stuff to pretend they're not hungry. If that's a problem, you can go."

Because he much prefers the shoelace to your company, Hana.

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

Hana just looks at him with an unimpressed expression before putting on a cocky smile and pretending to chew in that open-mouthed, loud lip-smacking way.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Uh huh." Howard goes back to petting Emergency Rations and poking at the fridge. "You'll have to get your own shoelace. This one's mine."

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

Hana didn't say a word and just kept on false-chewing, hands digging about in his pockets. Taro opened his eyes to look down at the teen, confused as to the sound he was making.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard can see what you're trying to do, Hana. He keeps tinkering with the fridge, ignoring the sound. He could do this all day.

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

So could Hana, he's not due to be anywhere. In fact, he lowers himself to sit on the ground, in a comfortable position, of course, because he may be here awhile.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Ah. Once Hana's on the ground, Howard makes his move. He unzips the backpack.

Emergency Rations, cantankerous from a day zipped up in her little fabric cage, bursts out of the backpack and lunges for Taro.

[moms-temperment.livejournal.com]

Hana pulls a look of shock and ducks his head down to avoid flying cats.

Taro hisses, his white fur standing on end but with a leap and some expert use of his wings he hovers above them all like a bird of prey, just out of Emergency Rations reach.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard, satisfied at having temporarily stopped the chewing noise, whistles to himself and uses his screwdriver to attach some clasps to the fridge.

Emergency Rations hisses and tries to clamber up Hana to reach her prey, but finds that with her declawed paws, getting a grip is difficult. She gives a dissatisfied yowl.