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i am robbing bakerstreet again

PET PERSON MEME

>> premise

Hello, and welcome to The Care and Keeping of Your Pet! As you surely know, a pet is a big responsibility, and we're so glad you've decided to be a concientious master. A safe pet is a happy pet, and this handbook is certain to keep your precious lifelong friend as content as can be.

The history of the animal person is a long and difficult one, with their origins not being known even to this day. However, scientists believe that despite our common appearance - most animal people have humanoid forms except for the ears, tails, and sometimes teeth - we share no common ancestry, even if the ascent of this species corresponds with that of the homo sapien. We gained dominance over each breed thousands of years ago, beginning with the dog type, who have long been considered "man's best friend." Most breeds these days are docile and perfect for owners of any speed.

Of course, it is our duty as the superior species to take care of these animal creatures, and this is inherent in their genetic makeup. Everyone knows that an animal person, when matched with their correct human master, is loyal for life - a true "soulmate," if you will. Far be it for us to turn this away! Ever since the Great Domestication, these intelligent and loving animals have served us as friends, workmates, guardians, servants, and sexual companions and will for years to come. Despite recent hubbub from so-called "Pet People's Rights Activists," this way of life is wholesome and good. Scientific research shows that the natural desire of the pet person is to be owned and cared for by a human.

So, it's your first pet. What do you need to know?

As previously stated, pet people come in as many breeds as you can possibly think of. By far and away the most popular are the dog and cat types, but exotic birds and lizards have been gaining popularity among trendsetters from L.A. to Tokyo!
All pet types are best suited for certain jobs, and when hunting for one, it is best to search for a type that suits your needs best.
However, a "True Match" - when a pet person bonds with you and only you for the rest of their natural lives - comes naturally, and sometimes takes time before you can find the pet you will be able to give a forever home to.
According to all current research, pet people are completely sentient and like us in many ways. However, it is important to remember that they have many animalistic and feral characteristics. Do not be foolish and think that your pet is a person, despite the facts that many are clothed and may be allowed to read, write, and have "hobbies." Some traditional pet owners may eschew these frivolities, and that is within their right.
Pet people age more quickly than humans, at least physically, and many types have long lifespans. It is not uncommon for pets to be passed through the family. When getting your child their first pet, it's important to keep in mind that just because the pup is tiny now, a grown pet can be jumpy around a small child.
It is important to train a pet. Discipline will be necessary. This does not make you a bad owner. Failure to train early will result in a rebellious pet. Training is especially important if you want your pet to serve as a household servant.
Remember, your pet will be extremely protective of you, especially if you are Truly Bonded. It is best to socialize them early. A socialized pet is a perfect family pet.
These days, unowned and unbonded pet people are allowed to live as strays or "Frees" in certain designated areas. Some even hold "jobs." This is against their best interest, and owners who adopt these strays are to be rewarded. Still, the best place to get pets are from liscenced kennels or breeders.
Some masters find it beneficial to participate in activities with their pets, such as shows and other competitions.
Finally, much has been made about the sexual relationship between pet and master. This is a normal facet of the bond, and humans are sure to find pet people sexually alluring. But beyond that, it is only responsible and prudent for owners to care for their pet's needs. It is a well-known fact that the libidos of pet people are remarkably strong, and when they go into heat, it is usually more convenient for a master to relieve them. There is no risk of pregnancy. All rumors of hybrids are urban legends.
Despite this, masters must remember to not view their pets as romantic partners. Humans should stay with humans.

With that said, thank you and welcome to your first day as a pet's master!

>> how to play

Needless to say, The Care and Keeping of Your Pet is a bit biased and full of propaganda, but it gives a good idea of the world your character is now AU's into. They are either a pet person or a human master, and what that means for them varies.

So are they a devoted pet or a rebellious animal person looking to buck the system? A generous master or a cruel sexual sadist? Just a normal pet owner? Most likely they're something in between, but when you're raised in this world, it's difficult to see anything different on the horizon.

Rules

Comment with your character and say whether they'd be a master or a pet. Ideally, they could be played as both. Mention what kind of each they'd be and what they'd be like, (ie: "Xx-chan is a bunny girl who is happy to please her master" or "Asterothia is a cat boy who is aloof but loyal to his true master"). For pets, be sure to include features ("wolf ears, tail, teeth).

REMEMBER, pet does not automatically equal submissive and master automatically equal dominant. This is not a BDSM setting though BDSM can be included. How far you want to go with the actual "pet" aspect is up to you, as well. Your pet could just be your slightly-furry roommate or soulmate!
Comment to others.
Play out the scene.

>> prompts

This by no means an all-inclusive list, but it should get you going in the right direction.

First Time Pet/Owner: Usually, pets are gotten at a young age; you're an old dog. Can you learn new tricks?
True Bond: What all masters and pets yearn for...the pet's loyalty and adoration for life.
Love: It's expected for masters to love their pets, but to love them? Romance is strictly forbidden.
Old "Couple": Master and pet have grown together and know each other. You know, know each other.
Loss of Master: The pet has lost their master, perhaps even their True Bond. Is it possible to move on?
Young Master/Older Pet: Pets age quicker than masters, so it's possible to end up with a bit of an "age" difference.
Family Pet: This pet's been raised as part of the family. What happens when their feelings for a family member get more than platonic.
For Your Protection: You don't want to be a master, but you have to take in a pet for their protection lest they be in danger from the general public.
Stray: You're a stray or a "Free." Can you live like this with your biology screaming for you to make a match?
Servant: You're more servant than pet.
All Sex, All the Time: The only purpose for this pet is to service the master, and not in a way that means cleaning their house.
Guard: You're a loyal bodyguard, a service pet. You'll do anything for your master. Anything.
Pet Play: This is for those who prefer to keep their animals on leashes, have them eat from bowls, and keep away from clothing.
Breaking In: Training is important with any pet.
In Love with Another Master...or Pet: To lust after another's master is no better than treason, and to wish to be with another pet just cruel!
Punishment: Bad dog, no nookie!
Heat: All pets go into heat, and it's the responsibility of the owner to take care of this problem. After all, unchecked dry humping kills thousands every year.
Breeding: Breeders know the best qualities in each type and mate the cream of the crop together to continue lines. It's a hobby for some, a calling for others.
Territorial: Hey, hey, other dog person! This is your apartment. Stay the fuck out!
Kennel: Kennels are where unadopted pets are kept. They're generally agreed to be depressing places. Why not volunteer at one, keeping the pets healthy and happy with the kind of affection only humans can show?
Rebelling Against the System: Damn the Man! Pet people are people, too! Just be careful not to get talk. You know what happens to bad pets.
Instant Attraction: You ever just look at someone and know they're the one? That they're...your master? But what if you've been trying to fight it? Well, don't try!
Dominant Pet: You might be the pet, but you call the shots, at least in the bedroom.
Pet Show: Everyone wants to show off how perfect their animal is. Look at that ass! And you'll never believe their special skills...
Therapeutic: Pets, especially those bred for their kindliness, are perfect therapy for those who've been through trauma and heartache.
Jealousy: Who's that around your master? Oh, hell no. They better not be touching them!
Petting: Pet people are absolutely gaga for being touched. Even the most steely ones turn to mush for rubs.
Games: Playing with your pet and giving them exercise is a key to happiness. Of course, with a pet person, you might want to use other toys instead of a ball.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yeah he

he didn't ask if they were boyfriends but he assumes that's how it works. So sorry— at least Eve seems to have caught on relatively easily, though she's still moving around the counter to get a better look at both of them now. She's a short woman, five-foot-something, and she doesn't move in for a friendly hug or what anyone would expect a friend to do. She simply looks over them both — Ain registers it as scanning, but Vash likely won't — and then finally chooses to speak.]

The Humanoid Typhoon is your partner?

[Ain picks at the fur on his sleeves, looking elsewhere.]

He was framed. He's not a bad person.

[She stares between Vash, Ain's collar, Ain's face, and Vash's hand. Eve is not the sort of woman to take things at face value, but Ain isn't either; with that in mind, she breathes out a small sigh.]

Very well. My name is Eve. Your arm is damaged severely. I take it that's why you've been brought here? [She doesn't wait for a response.] And Ain, your current temperature is 38 degrees Celsius. Scans indicate a high likelihood of illness. ...what trouble did the two of you get into?

[Let's not talk about Ain's fever actually, he's trying to pretend he's fine— but either way, they're about to be dragged upstairs by one (1) robot who's had Enough already. It's been five minutes.]

[Well!

The exchange that follows leaves Vash...quite literally at a loss for words, his heart stopping every time something new is posed. The Humanoid Typhoon? Partner?? Immediately, it's as if all of his worst fears are realized in the span of a single moment. How could he be so naive? (Easy actually, for Vash) It doesn't matter that this society is underground and likely in hiding in its own right. They'd know about him, and guess who would be even more desperate for a 60 billion dollar reward? Virtually anyone and everyone living down here, including but not limited to whoever it is Ain happens to know.

Vash stiffens, his shoulders squaring as he prepares to just. Bolt, ready to grab Ain around the waist and throw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes to get out of here if need be, consequences be damned. "He was framed," is not a good answer, because the people hurt do not typically care for the idea of a fair trial. They either want Vash locked up permanently, or- more commonly- dead. It's the only thing that could make up for his "crimes".

To that end, Vash probably looks like he's about to burst into tears as Eve looks him over, standing there stiff as a board as he tries to wait out the moment to figure out what he'll need to do here.

But then...Eve just skips past that point entirely. She mentions his arm- which yes, is severely damaged and honestly it's a miracle he can move his hand at this point- and then she points out Ain having a fever, which finally gets Vash to look down at him with alarm because what the fuck, babe.]

W-well, I-

[He's unable to get a word in edgewise, because before Vash can do...anything, he's being tugged upstairs by Eve alongside Ain, feeling like his head might explode.]

[Ain leans over to whisper to Vash,]

It's okay. Ms. Queen is nice.

[Although he himself knows he's going to be interrogated later for this, Vash won't be, and that's fine. Their group makes some... decisions when it comes to friends and loved ones. And Ain also makes some decisions when it comes to his health, it's fine. The heat is radiating off of him, and he's trying to keep walking so that he doesn't worry anybody.

Where they're headed is through something resembling an apartment building, but underground. Were they to have gone down a different hallway downstairs, it would've been a workshop filled with various parts, bits, and bobs; Ain has a feeling they're up here because Eve is about to make him lay down as if he's on death's doorstep. Pfft. He's not that close to death, he's had two whole meals in two whole days and spent most of that time flying with heavy cargo, he's like, fine?

(Ain is not, in fact, fine. And they are, in fact, going to a room which he recognizes now as his old bedroom in their underground factory-apartment situation their group built up when they first moved here. If his head weren't foggy, he would've known that immediately.)

Vash gets instructed to sit down at a plain desk with a plain chair, nothing special about it other than some old photos on it — despite the disuse, the place has been kept dusted and clean — and Ain, meanwhile, is told in no uncertain words he's laying down and not to get up again. So.

He just. Does. He gets into a small, old, kind of creaky bed that no longer really fits him because he's six feet tall and his wings have doubled in size since he was last in it, it feels like... and then the sickness finally hits him in full force and he groans. Everything hurts. Everything is on fire.]

Stay here. He needs medical attention, and you need to not use that arm for now. I'll be back. Keep him awake.

[And, just in case either of them try to fuck off for some reason, Eve will leave two little drones here to watch them. Beebeep, they say. :3c]

[For obvious, and hopefully understandable, reasons, Vash still seems quite unsure and a little on edge as they're led upstairs, and it's only because Ain seems to trust this automaton that Vash even goes with her to begin with. He was hoping they'd be able to keep a low profile, but that seems to have already gone out the window...and it doesn't help that on top of that, he's now worried about Ain who has apparently been secretely dying this entire time.

Vash says nothing as they make their way, peering at their surroundings in silence as Eve leads the way up to said apartment building, which immediately strikes Vash as being a lot nicer than anything they've squatted at before. Not stellar standards by any means, but nice enough for what it is. He sinks into a cautious sit as asked, not yet looking at the photos but instead turning his attention over to Ain the moment Eve utters the words "medical attention", because that makes it sound like he IS actually dying.]

Ain!

[He's not yelling, he's just...hissing at him. Loudly. And looking very worried, which is probably what Ain has been trying to avoid this entire time.

Keep him awake?? Isn't that what she said? Aaaa.

At least Vash sure as hell isn't leaving, so the drones won't have to work too hard. If Ain tries to move a wing Vash will shove him back into bed, see to it that he doesn't.]

[Ain looks sheepishly off at the opposite wall, where there's a dingy old closet hidden away behind a sliding wooden door. He doesn't know how to decorate his space and it shows by the absolutely Nothing there is here; the photos on the desk were things his friends gave him, not anything he acquired himself. Then he left for a long time, so there's still... nothing, obviously. But he thinks this pillow might be newer and less moth-eaten than the one he had years ago, so that means someone replaced it while he was gone.

Friends always return to each other, they say. ("Who says that" someone surely.)]

Haha... sorry. I didn't want you to worry about it. Your arm falling apart is worse, right?

[Sir you have a 102 degree fever,]

We're safe here. I know you're apprehensive, but even if people know you, you're safe. We have all types of people here. Ex-mafia and ex-military... Ms. Queen wouldn't have brought you to my old room if she thought you were going to hurt people.

[And it really is more of a "room" versus an "apartment"; a dormitory or studio situation, nothing fancy, but definitely nothing awful.]

No it isn't!

[This might be the first time that Vash has seemed actually mad at Ain, and he's not even mad so much as he is...very worried. He'd sooner go without an arm outright if it meant that Ain was okay, it's not like he couldn't have Bradd help him get another one at some point. The arm isn't real! He'd survive without it!!

But it's also due to how keyed up he feels right now about everything, even though he's trying very hard to take Ain's assurances to heart. He exhales slowly, resting said broken prosthetic across the desk as he turns to actually survey the room for the first time, finally noticing the pictures on the surface of the desk now.]

...she must trust you, then.

[Because ex-mafia and ex-military are one thing, but Vash feels like his reputation towers over all of that.]

[...well. Ain is very taken aback by the sudden outburst, so he goes silent for a moment thinking of what to say. He sits up and takes his coat off, at least, and then his shoes follow after, and then he's lying back down to stare again at the blank walls.

In the meantime, Vash is free to look at all the cringe photos of Ain and his friends when they were dumbass teenagers. They're all framed on the desk, not-at-all faded, and clearly Ain is not too good at posing for photos. In most of them, he — and his stupid blue highlights — is standing there with his arms crossed, looking kind of like "??" at the camera. In one, a redheaded dog has her arms around his shoulders and is giving him a noogie, which is one of few instances where he's not actively "?????", and a boy who looks almost identical to her is throwing up a peace sign. In another, there's a younger-looking Eve next to a white-haired cat, both holding the drones that are currently beeping at Vash, and Ain's head is sort of awkwardly sticking out of the side of the frame. One can only assume this was his attempt at a photobomb.

Then there are a whole ton of goofy ones. Ain koala-ing onto a buff-looking exotic cat's back, and a smaller blonde dog looking Shocked at this whole thing while a blonde lop-eared rabbit woman reaches around him to steal whatever it is he's eating. The exotic cat has a robotic arm that's dissimilar from Vash's in that it looks more weaponized, but it's mostly-covered up by everyone else. Then there's one of a deer-woman with green hair, a black-haired fox girl, and a bird with the brightest purple plumage you've ever seen in your life at a restaurant. Ain's hand is in that photo and not the rest of him, and he's very much stealing a fry from someone's plate.

There are more like that, and the desk is only so big, so some of the frames are sitting behind other ones or haphazardly placed up on the wall because this man has No sense of interior design, even when managing so much as hanging up a photo.

After a few minutes, Ain bothers to speak again, and it's just one word:]

Sorry.

[Ain's response, or lack thereof at first, is a touch worrying. Did he upset him? Vash doesn't know...but he's afraid to press, so he lets the silence lapse between them as he looks over the photos on his desk, of which there are a surprising amount. Ain...really had a lot of friends, didn't he? Each one of them unique in their own way, and every single one of them a Pet, except perhaps for Eve depending on how you'd classify her. It reminds Vash of his room back "Home" on ship three, where he'd taped pictures of himself with the other members of the crew as he grew up. He only had one picture from his time with Rem and Nai, which he'd kept in the center of it all, frayed and burnt on the edges from the explosion.

He hadn't brought it with him. It's still back there...he hopes.

He smiles a little to himself as he looks at Ain over the years, wondering how much he's changed since the teenager with folded arms in the pictures. It seems like he'd grown into the personality Vash knows him to have today, no doubt in no small part thanks to these people he knew.

Vash's head lifts, turning back to look at Ain as he gives him that one-word apology. More silence follows, with Vash tightening both hands into loose fists.

He gets up after a moment, stepping over to sit on the edge of Ain's bed, his weight depressing the mattress. After a tentative few seconds of thinking it over, he reaches out his good hand and brushes Ain's hair off his clammy forehead.]

...I'm sorry. I know you were just trying to keep me from worrying. I just...

[...]

I can't have anything happen to you. I can't.

Nothing will. I'm fine. Just a little hot.

[He is sweating buckets right now, so "just a little hot" is an understatement.]

There was nowhere to stop along the way except for that one little town. I was still a bit under the weather when we left the first town, but we had to go, so I didn't say anything. Besides... we made it here, didn't we? I knew I'd be fine when we got here. A lot of the pets here know medicine.

[Really, what they're going to do is hand Ain a bottle of Nyquil and some water and food and be like "what the hell is wrong with you" and Ain will just laugh awkwardly. He doesn't know what's wrong with him; his priorities are out of whack. All he wants to do is protect Vash, and if protecting Vash means he's now got a high fever and will need to be pumped full of drugs, so be it.]

I love you, so I didn't want to—

[The door opens at that moment, with Eve coming back inside surrounded by two pets Ain doesn't recognize. One of them has food, and the other has a med kit he's clutching in his hands. Both of them give Vash a "?" look, and the girl holding the food says "oh no, I only brought food for one" with a guilty voice, but otherwise they're quick to move into the room and start fussing over the bird. Vash will probably have to scoot over.]

[Vash doesn't even have a chance to respond to the L-word being dropped again, even though it most certainly makes his heart shudder in his chest. He draws his hand away just as the door opens, looking over a bit sheepishly as if he's worried he'll be scolded for getting up from the desk. Sorry Eve he's WORRIED look at how WARM he is Ain is DYING-

He would have talked to Ain more, but now is the time to have him taken care of, so he'll let the topic lay for the time being. He shakes his head quickly, lifting his good hand with a soft "no no, it's alright, I'm not hungry right now" (which is. a lie, he's always hungry) as he carefully scoots over so they have room to work. He'll get up off the bed wholesale if they ask, otherwise...he'd prefer being close, if at all possible.]

[Honestly, it's just some pretty basic care. Mostly "what are your symptoms" and "what have you been doing", and Ain sheepishly explains that he's been flying for two days through snow and such to get here, and then Eve barks out an "of course that's why you're sick". But other than the high fever, nothing else is wrong, though they predict that he's going to have congestion here in a day or so as his body recovers.

Ain is ordered to stay in bed and rest and eat, drink lots of water, take medicine, and that's really all there is to it. He's got some kind of flu, but that's nothing that rest and attention can't fix. So he takes the medicine they give him, drinks water, and considers laying back down, up until the smell of food is too tempting and he winds up digging in.

Either way, Vash won't have to move very far, if at all. He can fret over his bird all he wants.]

Your name was Vash, wasn't it? [Eve begins, once the two medics leave.] May I see your arm?

[A flu...that's worse than the simple cold he'd recovered from before, but perhaps that just never fully went away in the first place. Vash knows that Ain can develop pneumonia if he isn't careful, so they're lucky they got here when they did. He just has to trust in the medics here, and trust that they know what they're doing in regards to Ain's care. Honestly, the fact he's actually laying still and resting will probably do half of the work on its own.

Vash glances over at Ain as he sits up to eat, his shoulders sagging a little with relief, before his attention is grabbed once more by Eve. He looks at his prosthetic when she addresses the issue of that, wincing at the way it seems to react to being acknowledged by just. Spasming, his fingers jerking outward beyond his control.]

Of course...um. Should I take it off?

If it's removable, yes.

[To Ain, it's obvious why she wouldn't expect it to be removable. It's not his place to say, but he does it anyway—]

Mr. Ancient and Mr. Half-Nasod don't have removable robot parts. Haha, I'm sure Ms. Queen wasn't expecting you to be able to take it off!

[No he doesn't explain further, no he doesn't use actual names, even when Eve chides him for it as she's looking Vash's arm over. Her two little drones float at her side, beeping sometimes, but otherwise not doing anything.]

Don't put words in my mouth, Ain. [But she's not refuting his claims of surprise, either. Most people don't have cybernetic prosthetics. Those that do usually can't just take them off, at least in her experience.] I can fix the damage, but it'll take some time. You have deep fractures running throughout the structure, not to mention the damage on the surface here. The reason it seizes on you like it did a moment ago is because the connection to your nervous system here is halfway severed.

[That isn't too surprising to hear. These days, the kind of tech that Vash has is few and far between, most of the time reserved for either those in the field of building the things, or the very, very rich. Vash wouldn't have this arm if it weren't for the folks of ship three...but if it weren't for them, technically, he'd still have both of his arms, wouldn't he?

But he doesn't blame them in specific for that incident. It was never their fault, not when Vash knew a confrontation with Nai would have to happen at some point.

He will remove his arm as requested, handing it off to Eve for examination. The way she and Ain talk to each other...it definitely speaks of a more familiar sort of relationship, which helps him to relax a bit more.]

I was worried you'd say that.

[Vash sighs, his head tilting forward. To think, all of that just because he used his hand to deflect a bullet...then again, he's lucky the bullet didn't go through it.]

But...if it's safe here, then we have time.

[She's a calculated woman, but a good one, he promises. When she takes his arm, it's with a delicate, gentle touch, and she's sure not to jostle it or anything as she's explaining a high-level overview of the issues.]

Regardless of how long it takes this to be fixed, Ain needs to stay as well. This is the safest place for miles for pets... and their partners alike.

[She's being careful with the topic, only because Ain was so weird about introducing Vash as his boyfriend in the first place.]

Ain, I'll be leaving Ophelia with you. [There's no "who's Ophelia" because seconds later, a robotic maid steps out from behind the wall and curtseys. Hi, this is Eve's servant, technically. She's also equipped for combat dwbi.] Any requests you have are to go through her. If your condition worsens, I'll know. Vash— [stares at him with her big ol eyes] If you can bear to part with Ain for a few hours so that he'll rest, I'd like you to follow me to the workshop. I need to run a few other diagnostic tests and show you where your arm will be for a while.

[Yeah...yeah, that makes almost too much sense. They have two reasons to stay, that being so Ain can recover from the flu, and for Vash's arm to be repaired. Which ends up happening first doesn't matter much, in this case. Vash has no choice but to stay either way.

He twists around to look at Ophelia as she appears, yet again struck by the amount of robots and automatons in this place. Again, it's not something you typically just see in general use. Vash has a lot of questions for Ain, questions that he knows aren't going to get answered right away. But then, Eve is urging him to leave so Ain can rest...and Vash swallows thickly, tension once more leeching its way into his shoulders.

After a moment, he pushes himself up to his feet.]

...give me just a moment.

[He murmurs before turning back to Ain's bed, leaning down so he can get to one knee just beside the headboard. He leans in close to Ain, making a show of placing a hand on his forehead as if to check his temperature, when in reality he's leaning in close to whisper to him.]

If anything happens. Call for me.

[That's all he says before standing, though not without sneaking a kiss just beneath his eye where Eve won't see. Once he's back to his feet, he squares his shoulders and turns back to her, flashing her a bit more of a warmer smile, if a tired one.]

Alright, Ms. Eve. I'm all yours.

[Ain nods, of course, but he doubts anything will happen. He understands Vash's suspicion, but... well, they're in a safe place. The only thing that would happen is his fever kills him, but that's not likely with Eve's robot servant watching him.]

I'll see you later. Come see me when you're done!

[He's forcing the cheerfulness so that Vash doesn't worry too hard, but he feels like it'll be ineffective either way, especially as they leave and he's left alone. And the second he's left alone, all he does is get comfortable and go to sleep. There's nothing else to do, so. Goodnight now.

...]

I'm sorry to drag you away. Ain won't rest if someone he likes so fondly is in the room. [Believe her, he will not.] Your stiff posture suggests discomfort. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?

[Vash will reluctantly leave Ain, then, at least comforted by the knowledge that he is finally in a soft, warm bed, and can rest. He follows after Eve and makes sure to close the door behind him, bringing his good arm around himself as they go. The long sleeve of his jacket on his other side hangs loose, following behind in his wake.

He's silent, for a moment, looking down slightly at the floor ahead as he walks.]

You know who I am. [He finally supplies, glancing over at Eve out of the corner of his eye.] The Humanoid Typhoon.

[...]

The bounty on my head could renovate a hundred cities just like this one. You know that, right?

That amount of money means nothing to a society which is trying to hide itself away. Your capture would put us on the map.

[They don't use money down here, as Vash will likely figure out during his stay. They have a bartering system; trade this for that, or trade this for labour. Care for the sick and elderly pets, help those that come into their walls adjust. People don't just find this place, but millions of dollars suddenly being used to refurbish a society that's trying to escape society would make it so that everyone finds them. It's the opposite of what anybody wants, stated more succinctly by Eve's cut-and-dry style of speech.]

In addition, it would be betraying Ain's trust. [She stops short of the doors leading to the workshop proper, after they've walked downstairs and into that lobby again. The windows in this building have the blinds drawn over them, but are still open enough to peer outside if Vash wants to.] Everyone you meet here is trying to escape something, just like you.

[Sometimes, the most obvious answer is the most simple one. Here Vash is, casting suspicion and doubt over these people that Ain very clearly trusts...and the answer Eve gives as to why they won't double-cross them makes too much sense. They're all trying to hide. They don't want to be found. It's why so many other criminals likely find refuge here, at least to a certain extent.

And Vash feels an immediate wave of shame wash over him, as if his brother is watching him right now, pleased by his "progress". Since when did he become so...suspicious? So unwilling to accept, or trust? To have hope?

It's not him. It's not Vash. Maybe it's in part due to his worry for Ain...but whatever it is, he's humbled by a single sentence.

It would be betraying Ain's trust.]

...I understand. [He murmurs, brows upturned as he looks away now, glancing over at the aforementioned windows.] I'm sorry. I don't mean to doubt...any of you. I just want to make sure Ain...and all of you stay safe.

It's natural to doubt. [She had to learn that herself; she Also is no good at emotions, though hers is more due to the fact that she's an automaton and not just an organic creature who struggles to comprehend things.] You're right to do so, if you were framed. I won't ask for your story, but you're safe here. We have technology set up to interfere with satellite signals and other means of detection, in addition to being underground. Anyone who is here now only knows about us through word-of-mouth.

[Here, she gives Vash one more chance to speak, before pushing the doors to the workshop open. They're large, heavy iron things that she pushes aside without any effort, despite a graceful and dainty appearance and the fact she's also holding Vash's dying prosthetic at the same time.

Inside is... well, it's a workshop. There are spare parts littered everywhere, all over the floors and in piles and on shelves. There are conveyor belts lying dormant with further parts all over them, and tools on desks and paperwork stacked high. Huge, industrial-sized bundles of wires are looped up and stacked off to one side. By all accounts, this is just a mini-factory, and what they're making in here is a mystery.

In the middle of a clearer space of the floor are two people Vash might recognize from photographs in Ain's room — a blonde rabbit-woman leaning against a pile of scrap polishing a sniper rifle, and a smaller blonde dog-boy sitting on top of what looks to be heavy artillery. They're mid-conversation when Vash and Eve walk in, but they both stop to wave hello, faltering slightly at the new face. It'll be about... two minutes until either of them try to strike up conversation. Where Eve and Vash are headed is not to the centre of the room, but rather, they walk along the righthand side of the room, hugging the wall, until they can get to a cleaner area of the workshop where it's kind of obvious Eve does any work she needs to be doing.

She has Vash sit down at the desk here, "don't mind the mess if you can", and just as she's setting his arm down—]

Hey, Queen. Electrical is out entirely in Grid A, and I can't get the fucking— Who's this human?

[Vash will probably also recognize this person as one of the cats in those group photos, though he has a rather standoffish demeanor and is also currently covered in smudges of oil and soot.

Also sorry to call you a human again buddy—]

[It's times like these Vash wishes he were a proper pet. He thinks it might make things easier on him, that he might be able to sort of blend in better...instead, he feels like he's in some sort of crossroads between the two. Not human enough to be human, but too human-passing to be a pet. But that might just invite more problems...so perhaps he should just stick with things as they are and not let his wishful thinking get the better of him. He's expecting his human-passing nature to cause at least a few issues while he's here and, well...

Yeah. That has already manifested itself.

Vash had remained mostly silent as Eve answered him, not wanting to interrupt while also getting a good look at the workshop as she's leading him into it. It's quite the impressive sight, far more than Bradd ever had to work with, and if it weren't for the rabbit and dog nearby he might have been completely absorbed by the scenery. When they happen to catch his eye, he lifts his good hand a little to wave at them good-naturedly, pivoting on the ball of his foot as Eve continues to lead him all the way down to a desk where he's instructed to sit.

And then...a cat appears, yet another he remembers seeing in the photos with Ain, and though he tries to smile up at him from where he's sitting, he can tell already this one might be hard to get to warm up to him.]

Heeyy...

[He'll just....wave like he did to the other two....please don't bite him.]

[Yeah, no, Add is not easy to get along with, and Ain might've warned him about his, er. rival... personguything (they don't get along either) had he had the coherency to do so. But no, no warnings were given, because Ain is Very Sick and Asleep right now.

If anything, Eve is entirely on Vash's side, already breathing out a sigh.]

This is Vash. He's with Ain.

That asshole priest is back? [Blink, blink, wait—] With Ain?

[Eve nods tersely, like yes, Ain brought another boy home, congrats you figured it out.]

His arm is in need of repairs due to extensive damage on the— [It is at this point that Add walks around her and sits down on the desk, looking over Vash's arm. The gears in his head are turning. That's cybernetic, isn't it? And if Vash looks closely while Add is, erm, doing his thing, he'll be able to see that the tattoo-like lines on his skin are actually cybernetic implants themselves.] Add.

It looks like Raven's arm. [Not talking to Vash, talking to himself.] Minus the military-grade weaponry, anyhow. Where did you get it made? Do you want it upgraded?

["""""upgraded"""""]

[Oh. Oh dear.

Vash is already shifting to lift his hand, not to offer Add a friendly wave, but instead ready to assume the placating position he's used to. That reaction..."With Ain" makes him wonder if this is a recurring theme, with Ain...but before he can really ponder what exactly that might mean, he's lifting his hand a little higher because oh god Add is coming at him-

...or, no. He's sitting on the desk next to him, he isn't rushing forward to bite him. Okay, good. The fact that Vash's arm is not currently attached to his body probably helps in that endeavor, leaving him to bluster a sigh as he takes this opportunity to. Observe Add while he isn't staring him down. And yes, those cybernetic additions do not go amiss.]

O-oh, uh...actually, I just want it fixed! I kindof just need it to, you know...have an arm. It was made on Ship Three, but that's pretty far away from here, so...

[He trails off, as if to imply that's why they came here. It probably would have fallen entirely to pieces before they could make it back to No Man's Land.]

Never heard of it. And yeah, I got that part based on the state of it. I'm asking if you want it upgraded. Claw fingers, can opener, artillery, things like that.

[He's ASKING and not just DOING because Eve is here, were Eve not here he'd get pushy about this. Let him play with ur cool cybernetic arm—

But Eve is quick to shut all of that down, and Add's ears flatten back over the top of his head as she barks at him to stop harassing their guest.]

Add, enough. Ain brought him here to get his arm repaired, not to have you add things to it. Go fix the issue with Grid A, please. I'll meet with you in two hours.

Let me guess, Ain is dragging all of us off to dinner in two hours.

Ain is ill and, hopefully, resting upstairs in his room. If you wanted to have everyone join him there for dinner, however, you could just say so.

[As Add scrambles off of the desk, he gets red. Like, red-red, like he's been rapidly sunburned kind of red. And he sputters for a moment, and then shoves his hands in his pockets, and then storms off with a comment thrown over his shoulder:]

Absolutely not! I was asking so I could avoid his dumb ass!

[And then he's gone, walking through the workshop off to his own space somewhere in the far back of it. Bye he has to not think about Friendship.]

...I apologise for that. Add doesn't mean you any harm.

PET PERSON MEME

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