trans_9 | Summertime [Open]

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Summertime [Open]

Zouichi sat by a the mirrored black water of a small pond. Nearby, a wisteria plant was coming into bloom, dangling its delicate, curved violet flowers toward the earth.

As promised, a tray of chilled watermelon slices was set to the side, near the wooden steps leading down to the garden and free for any passersby to take. For his part, however, Zouichi occupied himself with feeding a small group of googly-eyed baby goldfish, who darted back and forth through the water to gobble up stray flakes of fish food.

It was nice to take a break from exploding ghost ~~wolves~~ lions once in a while.

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"Was the keyword 'guest'?" God, the missions they go on are so weird. "Why'd he blow himself up, anyway?"

"I don't know, because somehow being found out is worse than death? Because they have a flair for the dramatic? It wasn't 'guest', though. Why?"

"'Guest' was the password for the security computer on Galilee. I thought, I don't know. If there's some cosmic coincidence where that's the codeword, it'd be good to know. You know, like how most bike locks are combo 25, 50, 75?"

"I... would have thought they'd at least have an encryption system for that," Zouichi said, rather taken aback. "But I wouldn't know about bike locks. ...how do you know what the most common combination is?"

"Nope. Not that I could figure out how to disable it anyway. I shoved it out the window and that did the trick." Howard tries to dodge the rather obvious implications of the question. "You mean you don't lock up your motorcycle?"

"Ah, yes. I find shoving things out the window solves most problems." Zouichi had kind of figured that Howard had stolen things. He just didn't think bicycles were one of those things.

...don't ask him what he thought Howard stole.

"I don't need to. It comes with an AI." Honestly, who'd try to hotwire a sentient motorcycle with a front-mounted coil gun?

"Shut the guard standing under the window up, too." Probably better you don't ask, Zou. Howard doubts you'd find it as impressive as he does.

"Fuyu can just lock it down? I mean, the bike doesn't even have a key?" Something that cool? Who wouldn't?

As terrible as it probably was for that guard, Zouichi smiled a little at the thought of a little comeuppance for the people of Galilee. Even if it was just one guard.

"Fuyu can lock out the controls, yes. But it's not like it would do a thief much good, anyway. Humans just aren't designed to ride around at 1000 km/h unprotected. And their reflexes..." He shrugged.

"But Zou." And for this Howard makes an incredibly serious face. "What if zombie Superman steals your bike?"

"Then he won't have it for long," Zouichi said grimly. There were plenty of zombie supermen where he came from.

"I think you could take Superman. Just saying. I mean, if you had your coil gun." Maybe they should try this in the Sensoriums. That wouldn't be tacky or anything, right?

Zouichi was of the opinion that he could take pretty much anyone, with the right equipment. ....but it would be kinda sorta tacky.

"I guess we'll never know, now. By the way, your cat had better not eat my fish."

"Her claws are clipped and I keep her fed." The sight of an empty foodbowl unnerves Howard. He may occasionally slack off on cleaning her box, but Emergency Rations is never out of food. "I don't know what else I can do about it. Have you tried training her? It's a nightmare."

"No, but I will try," Zouichi said thoughtfully. And he'd do what he could to make sure the fish had lots of places to hide away from the cat.

...but Emergency Rations had still better not eat any of his fish. "I don't think food is what motivates her to target them, anyway."

"I'm pretty sure she does just it because she's a troublemaker." Howard gives her another scratch behind the ears. Like owner, like pet, he guesses. "Maybe if you played with her while I was gone she wouldn't be tempted to do it? I mean, in ways that don't end with her eating your hand. I made her some cat toy things, I can show you."

Although he does wonder what Zou will think that some of the toys are made with Alan's molted feathers.

"I do try and play with her on occasion." That's a lot of attempted hand-eating. Why couldn't Howard have adopted that nice, slightly pudgy orange cat that Zouichi saw around?

Zouichi will probably give him The Look.

Howard gives Emergency Rations a last pat and rushes in and out of the Inn. He returns with a cute little cat toy, a piece of a fishing rod with the hook replaced by a ball of feathers, reflective pieces of metal and ribbons. Emergency Rations immediately begins her hunt.

"You know, I can give you a little cat rod so she tries to play with you without trying to destroy you." Somehow Howard bets synthetic human beats cat, but he won't tell the cat that.

"...are those Alan's feathers?" Howard. Were you training your cat to hunt and kill Alan?

Zouichi watched anyway. So far, no real deviation from what he tried. Fanciness of toy aside.

"What, you think feathers come off trees here? I mean, maybe in hydroponics, but."

The main difference seems to be the length of the rod and how Howard keeps dipping it over Emergency Rations' back, so she whirls around and forgets that he's the one controlling the toy. For her part, Emergency Rations spends a good deal of time rolling on her back and kicking at the toy, as well as making chatter noises and thrashing the tip of her tail back and forth.

"You want it?" Howard offers Zou the toy.

"I can't believe you're training your cat to attack my parrot." He took the toy anyway, bobbing the toy up and over Emergency Rations's head. A simple cat-tail had sufficed for the tom, but he supposed Howard's cat demanded more complex toys. And Emergency Rations was pretty cute, when she wasn't trying to eat him or throw up hairballs.

"I am not! Besides," he puts a hand to the side of his mouth, "I think Alan can handle himself."

Emergency Rations gets so worked up at the toy above her head that she leaps for it, flips in the air and only barely manages to land on her feet. She chatters and stands up on her hind legs to bat at it again.

"He did beat Shoutarou in an even match," Zouichi agreed. Alan: battle parrot.

He has to admit that Emergency Rations is pretty cute, though, even if she is kind of ill-tempered. And occasionally scatters kitty litter over the floor.

Of course, Alan is still the best pet.

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Summertime [Open]

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