[PRP] Pre-Grad (Barth+Calder+Christof+Grimhold+Zar)

[Bilious]

Christof had been unusually silent, even for him, which was saying something. He appreciated Calder's attempts to bring him food, but even if he did eat now and then through these unconventional means, he wasn't hungry. Not in the least.

He pretended to sip at the cup through a gap in his mouth stitches all the same, if only to make the Kelpy feel a bit better.

When Barth had begun his explanation of the situation, though, his shoulders went stiff, his face paling in patches. It wasn't until there was the sounds of straining wood did he even realize his claws had dug into the tabletop to his left.

He didn't have any want for money, no. He didn't really care about Barth's fortunes, although they had been useful when one wanted to BUY a part, rather than steal it from the junk yard... But with everything he had been through, everything he had lost or gained over the years, he had hoped...

He wasn't sure what he had hoped for. But without his fortune, what could Barth possibly offer to his Master when the time came...? Christof knew what, but that was a cost he would prefer to find an alternative to. He liked Barth in one piece.

His eyes lowered down to his place setting, breathing deeply as he tried to control his panic. Life was moving along, far too quickly for his liking. If that meant saying goodbye...

When Graduation came, life would begin. That was just how this worked. He knew it. When he was smaller and younger he had looked forward to this... but now? Now he was bigger and older and wiser and knew better.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Oh, it's just...err, family, things. And, not to imply anything, certainly, but many of my immediate relatives outside of my father and grandfather are, err, deceased. The manners of their death were...untimely. Not that, my father would, err, probably, I mean, intentionally do anything to his own- I mean, not unless it was advantageous... but my grandfather- look, I'd just like to avoid it for now. What I'd really like to do is, alright, here's....here's the plan,"

Barth's nervousness increased.

"If each- or any of you, are, are in danger, or under obligation, and you are amenable I'd like to...either resolve it or have the terms of the obligation transferred. I have reason to suspect there might be some unfortunate incident concerning my father's household and I'd like to distance myself from that beforehand. I'd like to purchase some property from personal funds that we...I...whoever, can start a business from."

"And...I'd also like to talk to each of you individually. Grimhold, I'll need you for any of the out-of-cabin excursions, but I'll...talk to you tonight about, err, about if- well, I'll talk to you about it. I'd like to spend a day and err, night with each of you. We'll...proceed alphabetically, so, Calder, Frightday. Christof, Spiderday. Zar, Spookday. Since...since there's some obvious things to discuss, aside from the core planning. If that's alright. The um, the cabin and surrounding area, including the lake, is available for the rest of you to use in the meantime. If each of you is amenable I'd like to move forward as a team to deal with present difficulties, but....but I understand if any of you, err, aren't."

Barth stared very hard at the table.

"And...to further clarify, everyone that's here is....is someone I do want to move forward with."  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder pulled back, releasing Barth's hand to sit straight again, and listened. It seemed something was happening to Barth's family and that it would hurt him if he stayed there. Whatever it was, Barth had heard about it beforehand and was preparing to break free before he got pulled in. It all seemed to do with his father, a man that Barth always seemed agitated when talking about, and was even worse now mentioning. Had to be his dad, which was sad. Calder wished more demons had nice families like his, or owners given Christof's case.

"Then it's good you found out about this dangerous thing before it hurt you." He said, hoping to show his support.

"I'd rather you be safe than rich anyways."

He pulled his soup over to him again and started to eat, slurping up an eel as Barth continued in a way that made Calder smile.

When finished, Calder raised his hand. "Win! I'm first!" He said, glad his parents named him something with a 'CA' to beat Christof. Then, he looked to everyone. "I'm with Barth too. I like all of you. You're my herd."
 

[Baneful]

Zar's lurking irritation and anger paced and grew the longer he listened. Barth's comments were factual and did not make too much difference, until he got to their respective days. His tail twisted around the legs of his chair.

When Calder declared his place in the order to be a win, he accidentally broke one of the legs off and slumped to the floor in a heap.

"Oh for -" he pulled himself back to his feet. "Yes. Well." he said, thin lipped and cold in response to Calder's reiteration that everyone present was his herd. His.

His tail kept hold of the broken chair leg defiantly.

 

[MoonKitsune]

Calder rose up from his seat in a instant, hands to his mouth. "Zar, are you okay?"

He moved over, looking at the demon. "Do you want me to get you another seat? I didn't know that one was old." He had assumed that the chair had only broken due to having worn or termite-eaten legs like his furniture back home. They were near a lake. Maybe some things were water damaged when it flooded inside the house, because that's what houses did in the rainy season. Just like his home.

 

[Baneful]

"I'm fine." Zar said, flicking his ears back like an animal. He held up the broken leg threateningly but decided against clubbing the kelpie with it. "Stress." he hissed tightly.

 

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth started at the snapping sound, but seemed to recover himself, looking less wary than when he'd proposed the whole thing.

"Careful," he admonished, resting his chin on the back of his hand.

His eyes narrowed into slits.

"If you'd like to bargain for a rearrangement, I'm prepared to discuss it."  

[MoonKitsune]

"Oh....Well, if you want, I can keep you company later to help?" He offered, and turned when Barth mentioned "rearrangements."

The kelpie was confused for a moment, looking between both demons, before his ears perked up as the mental light bulb lit up.

"OH! Calder turned and gestured to his seat. "You can sit where I am if you want. My chair is sturdy."  

[Baneful]

Zar did not relax even a little, giving Barth a very tight, furious glare, his own pupils narrowing down like a feral thing. "Perhaps you shouldn't have flimsy jacking furniture." he said coldly. He found himself loosely scratching his chest as he adamantly refused to look away. "Aren't you poor now? You should learn how to conserve your bargaining." he said.

Calder got the same lazer sharp anger turned on him straight after. "I don't want your company. And no. I don't want your chair either, I'd just break that one too. I'll stand. I'm not lazy."
 

[MoonKitsune]

The turned ears he had noticed before, but he felt that was stress about his chair. The tone however made Calder finch, and ears back, he brought his hands close to him.

Zar in one moment had not only said he didn't want Calder's company, meaning he in some way didn't like Calder and that ....whatever happened in the past was somehow either bad or unwanted, but also called him lazy. Worst of all was the tone, which made the kelpie want to sink away into the kitchen.

Instead, he just stood there. "...ok." He managed, before he left Zar alone and went to sit in his own chair, feeling guilty he wasn't standing and was instead being lazy.

He looked down at his soup and was quiet a moment.

"soups getting cold." He said, and remained looking at his soup, not touching it, instead giving it large, black eyes and frowning quietly.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"No? Well, if you change your mind. I'm not poor yet."

Barth also did not intend to stay poor indefinitely. He had not touched the eel, but had slowly whittled away at some of the liquid.

"...I'm going to retire with Grimhold, I need to address some business and travel arrangements. Calder, we'll start," and he said this with great difficulty, "early."

Earlyish. Barth was going to try. It was Calder's day.

Grimhold had started on a second eel, the first one looking suspiciously dried up into a withered husk.

"Once you finish," Barth said.  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder looked up, a small smile on his face as his tail picked up from the ground to flick a few times. "o..okay." He was glad to have a early full day and night with Barth, but then he remembered that that still left tonight.

Barth would go with Grimhold, which meant Calder could sneak down and sleep with Barth on the couch or knock on Grimhold's door like he had planned. His eyes glanced to Zar and he looked back down at his soup, frowning.

That option was out.

Christof didn't seem like he wanted to sleep anywhere, which meant Calder was stuck being alone in a new place in his room.

He didn't feel he would be getting much sleep tonight.  

[Baneful]

Zar shook his head. "The gesture was made." he said.

"I'm sure you ladies will have fun." he said. "If anyone needs me for anything - other than ridiculous and shallow request for superficial comfort - I will be in my room. Or won't be." he rested his long perfect claws on the table top. "I won't be here that much I know." he turned his back on the table and moved to leave.

 

[MoonKitsune]

Calder's shoulders hunched when he heard the words "ridiculous and superficial comfort" and sank a bit more in his seat. His tail went still and laid down on the floor behind him.

Ears down, he went back to staring at his soup before glancing up as Zar made a motion to leave. "Z..Zar..." He said, but shot his eyes back down as to not upset him.


"....I'm sorry for bothering you before....upstairs..." Calder then went back to just being quiet again.  

[Baneful]

"Oh it didn't bother me at the time." he said, pausing. "I just believed it actually mattered and wasn't just some attempt to fill the gaps with anything around. I do not enjoy being used. I am not anyone's second best."