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The Sloth demon was not due back for days... possibly weeks, knowing Barth's sense of time. At least it would take weeks before the Igor currently hunched on the floor with the wrench and a detirmined expression grew too worried. In the mean time, he had been.... Dorm sitting.

Mistress had needed him a lot in the past few days, between aid in setting up for Open House to tending to Fitness Club miscellanious, but by the time he had made the decision to take up residence in the much-more-comfortable Sloth Demon's room next door to her, the summonings had slowed.

He was content to be near at hand, but quiet. As a good Igor should be. Don't be anxious, he assured himself, you had done a Good Job.

And Finals were approaching as well. It made his stomach churn afresh.

To keep his mind off of... everything... or at least ON something, he had a few nights previously discovered an interesting Project in Barth's half-finished, but thoughtfully considered stack of blueprints. While his Master was very clever, it was depressing how... well... he never brought anything past the concept stage unless it was *detrimental*. Like that odd door contraption.

This blue-print, though... had sparked Christof's fancy. There were interesting question mark areas he thought he could hodge-podge together, but the overal concept... he had begun work immediately. His Master would appreciate him being Productive while he was gone, afterall. And maybe it would make time speed up. Ultimately... it was an excuse to wear the Coat. He was just doing the bidding of a Master with odd fancies, that was all.

At the sudden sound of another voice, the hunchback jumped, eyes widening as he whirled around, the wrench dropping with a clatter from the growing heap of metal taking up most of the floor in the more-stained-and-burnt area of the Sloth's large dorm.

"Ears-work-fine," Christof signed back, his movements quick and slightly flustered. He relaxed a hair after a few moments when the kelpie failed to shout AHAH CAUGHTCHA, but he paused before adding in with a quick gesture, "Want-to-finish-before-Master-get-back". He reached for the blueprints to hand them over.

He did, though, spot what Calder had tried to say with his hands, his face flushing as he fidgeted with some of the sloppy tailoring he had had to do to the thing to make it fit once the blueprints had been handed off.

Apparently the Igor's mind immediately went back to the same... event he did not want to speak about, shifting to sit with his legs crossed and the part he had been removing settled on his lap. If Calder had been a bit more savvy, it looked like... a lawn mower engine.

Hopefully Breck had more than one working lawn mower.

The hunchback almost dropped the engine, blinking over at the kelpie with a look of confusion. What was he talking ab-? He stared down at the screw an the pin for a few moments before gently setting the contraption aside, and gingerly accepted the offered items with a muted expression. The only other person to trust him enough to give him his pin had been Malodore... and even that felt odd, more in lieu of a demonic mark in the Igor's mind... but this... was different.

Calder was certainly no Master, the mere concept of it sending shivers of revulsion down his back, but... but he definitely was a friend. One with no obligations, really, except a sincere attempt to not step on eachother's toes or hurt eachother's feelings. Because that was how friends worked.

Eyes locked on his palm, he raised his other hand to slowly gesture what was slowly churning it's way through his hodgepodged brain, "You-annoying-dumb-ghouly. But-I-like-you." His hand hesitated as he shifted his position, unbuttoning the lab coat to reach into his vest pocket with a serious expression. With the small, brownish new object in hand he added, "You-trusted-friend." The corners of his mouth twitched up in a nervous but hopefully encouraging smile, offering the small shovel-emblazoned pin out to him in return.

"Hrmmmm!!!!!" The Igor yelped, but ultimately was left attempting to reach through the boil's embrace to give him a pat on the back. After a few moments he finally caved, worming an arm around the horse boil's shoulders if only to free up his other hand, managing to sign clumsily, 'Never-had-friend-before. Don't-mind-it-being-you.'

Christof swallowed the anxious whine bubbling up in his throat, but at least his reaction did not involve smacking, hitting or kicking, nor did it involve throwing things at him. It involved, very shyly, a reciprocating hug.

A friend. Honest to goodness. Someone who he did not serve, just... enjoy eachother's company, for what it was. Even if it was enraging most of the time... it was a familiar, safe, and somewhat... endearing sort of frustration.

He let the Kelpie have his moment.

Calder was lost in this own moment, trying to keep this manly but feeling far too touched not to sob a bit. In his entire history up until his point, he hadn't had an offical friend, and having a pin grasped tightly in his hand made him feel as if he wasn't going to be rejected from everyone and everything now. Things were turning up, and he felt he could finally go home to his parents and admit he had a friend without lying through his teeth. Now that he had Christof as a friend, and it was confirmed with the pin, he was going to do everything he could to keep their friendship solid and intact.

Of course, being wrapped up in the moment made the world around him disappear. Too bad he didn't notice they had an audience.

"I mean it. You're the only one I trust in this school. You can ride me anytime. As long and as hard as you want. I couldn't see anyone else on my back." He gave more of a squeeze to the hug to emphasis that point. Getting a rider that wasn't' a fellow kelpie was a big deal. A REAL big deal.