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Chaco had never seen crowds like this at a grocery store before. Oh, sure, he KNEW it was Christmas time (after all, who could NOT know, living with his mother? The entire mansion had been decorated with flashing lights, mistletoe (we don't talk about the mistletoe), wreaths, and there was a giant tree in the first livingroom. What she was thinking, Chaco had no idea), but really, it was a grocery store!

Alright, alright, it was less than a week before Christmas, sure. It was still making it hard to get around, and he had to keep his wings tucked in tight so that they didn't get damaged.

Fortunately for Chaco, Ryuu had demanded to come along, for the reason that, well, Chaco never really got the right things.

He watched the android finally decide on a type of canned turnips (what now?), and place them in the cart, and they were off again, headed toward Dairy. Because really, who didn't need milk? As he rounded the corner into the aisle, of course not looking at anything, he felt his cart connect with another. "Uhm. Sorry," he said, looking a the person in front of him.

A... Sin'aeis...? Chaco couldn't seem to remember his name, it had been so long. He hadn't seen the other since he was a baby. This was awkward.

"Ja..." Chaco blinked for a moment, "Uh. Well, no, but you got the house part right. I'm surprised you even remember that much." He smiled at the other Sin'aeis, "My name is Chaco, Chaco Shiroko. I... actually don't seem to remember your name, either." It was a strange lapse in memory, and he KNEW Illesi would give him grief about it if he ever found out.

"You're the Dark Chocolate Sin'aeis, I remember that much, though," Chaco said, thinking, "Your Protector was... Pryderi?" He was amazed that a Sin had become a Teen without Chaco even knowing about it, but then, he hadn't really interacted with many of the Sin recently. He was too busy trying to keep the mansion from falling apart.

Chaco ran a hand through his hair, an odd look on his face, "Er... yeah. Uhm. Well, I grew, which surprised even me. I didn't think I'd grow past, well... er... 'kid stage'." It was so weird to refer to it like that. In some way, Chaco was still used to people growing like, well, PEOPLE. As opposed to going through stages. But there wasn't anything he could do about it, as he had no idea how to change it, and all books he could reference had been lost long ago.

"Ah... Anyway." Chaco had never been good at thinking of things to say, as Mae could probably tell, "Uhm. Do you still live with your Protector?" He knew some teens liked being more independent, like Akilah. Chaco couldn't help but shudder at the thought of her mere name, and was surprised she hadn't made any more attempts to kill him as of late.

Mae was right, it WAS kind of weird, and Chaco would be the first to admit it. But really, Chaco hadn't even expected to grow back kid, and he REALLY wasn't expecting to grow past teen. It was weird being younger than Illesi, but it was the way the council had set his biology, and there was nothing he could do.

The question caused Chaco to think for a moment, not knowing immediately whom Mae had meant, and finally he shrugged, "I think you mean Kunny? Uhm. Not... really. I mean, he stops by the house once in a while, to check up on things, but he's usually working." It still bothered Chaco that Kunny was an assassin. Yes, yes, he knew it was an important job, but having been a target far more than once in his life, the profession made him uneasy.

To be perfectly honest, Chaco knew very little about the relationship between Kunny and Mae's Protector. Kunny rarely spoke about himself or his life, and Chaco rarely asked.

Chaco looked over at Ryuu, as though seeing him for the first time, "Eh? Oh, yes. This is Sasakura-san, er... and android, programmed by my mother. Er. He serves as the mansion's butler, yes." He honestly had no idea what his mother had been thinking in bringing Ryuu into the household, but, well, he was actually happy for the help. Have you ever tried to clean a three story mansion all by yourself?

After Chaco's introduction, Ryuu's smile broadened and he took a bow, "Sasakura Ryuu at your service. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance."

Chaco scratched behind an ear, "Well, technically, Sasakura-san only just because part of the household. Mum pulled him from another dimension and reprogrammed him for... well, her own amusement, really." He looked at Ryuu, "This is actually his first trip off the estate."

It was true. Though he'd been in the service of the Shiroko family for two weeks, Ryuu had yet to leave until now. The only reason he was doing so now was, well, because he'd seen what Chaco brought home when he shopped, and had come to the conclusion that the Sin'aeis wasn't very good at it. After this, he probably WOULD start doing so on his own, but the first task was the get through these terrible crowds.

"I help Chaco clean, yes," said Ryuu, a small nod, "Though my duties lie also in greeting people when they arrive at the mansion, preparing meals, and making sure everyone is still alive. I also tend the small bar in the kitchen." He smiled again, "But as of yet, I have not seen any ghosts."

Chaco shrugged, "I don't know what dimension. Mom never tells me these things, though she's gotten really good at pin pointing specific dimensions using the Doors." He didn't even question if Maelon knew what that meant, figuring the other Sin'aeis would ask if not.

"Indeed, we would not want that," said Ryuu, still smiling. Even he didn't remember his home dimension, as he hadn't been activated until after he was at the mansion. Not that he was terribly curious. So long as he was allowed to bartend, he was happy. Simple pleasures, true.