[PRP] S'ok? S'ok. (Christof & Barth)

[Bilious]

Christof was feeling... odd as he gently closed the door to Riley's room. Usually he was trying to tear himself away from the boredom of Barth's place to go see what exciting things Mistress had for him... but just then, his concern was for his Master.

He didn't bother knocking, simply cracking the door open to peer inside, wondering if the thorns would have receded after he had carried Riley out.  

[Toshihiko Two]

They had thinned in a marginal, begrudging kind of way. They were no longer a thick, all-encompassing wall, and through the gaps he could see Barth at his desk.  

[Bilious]

The hunchback cleared his throat to announce his presence, timidly limping his way as close as he could manage. If anything, the trip had certainly been good for these thorns. He had never seen his Master use them so frequently, or at least with as much ease.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Irritation and desperation had done much to eat away at the crippling embarrassment that had kept the thorns blocked up before. After the first time, when the generator was down and a boo, one of the creatures from the house, small, insignificant, had swooped to attack Freya and Herryk - they were as tired and drained as he was, clinging to each other on the brink of lost forever, he felt a small chip fall away from his sometimes infinite-seeming patience, and killed the boo. The trick, and the irritation, had been easy to repeat. And he had done it. As many times as he liked. And when he wanted to protect Calder, that had been easy too. When he wanted a cloak, he had one.

So when it occurred to him to fill his room, when he had filled it so many times before, the thorns just slipped into place.

Barth looked up at Christof. He had only been half-concentrating on the schematics. He sighed. The thorns slithered back away, allowing Christof a path to the desk. Barth turned back to sketching the diagram.  

[Bilious]

"Hmmm..." Christof murmured in quiet thanks as he made his way closer to the table, eyeing what the Sloth was working on. He wasn't looking at him, which made communication difficult but... but Igors were supposed to be seen but not heard anyway so... He just wanted to make sure he was alright, at least.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"She came over to gloat," Barth said, writing down dimensions in shorthand, "and she could have rotted on that couch, as far as I'm concerned."  

[Bilious]

That made Christof's expression sour a bit as he pulled up a chair, brows creased before gently tapping the table before signing, "Gloat-about-what? About-staying-home-like-coward?"  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth looked up to read Christof's signing.

"Not a coward. She would need to value her personal safety for that. Which, I am sure you have noticed lately, she doesn't. She stayed for other reasons."

He leaned away from the desk, inspecting his hand. His hips throbbed from where Riley had dug her claws in. He didn't want to look at them.

"Could you fetch the pain-killing medication, please. It's in the drawer by the bed."

More thorns rolled back, giving Christof access to that part of the room.  

[Bilious]

The Igor grunted in acknowledgment before pushing away to go fetch them. If... she hadn't stayed for self preservation... then why?

Things would have gone so differently if she had been there, he felt. Whether they had gone BETTER remained to be seen but...
His mind was still trying to digest the statement as he returned with the required prescription, but his concern was written all over his face.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth slowly poured a spoonful, over the floor and away from his notes.

"I haven't been able to visit the Doom Buggy in a few days. I've been trying to get everything else in order. I think we should. Pay it a visit. ...You left your satchel when you were over here last, you should bring it along."  

[Bilious]

"Mmm..." Christof murmured carefully, his mind still stuck on their previous topic. But yes... the Doom Buggy. He had wheeled Chopper in the same crypt to keep it company and for safe keeping, but hopefully they hadn't conspired against them while locked together for so long.

They really needed a better garage. What would he need his sachel for? He supposed tools and the like. And he'd possibly have to go hunting for some fuel if they were feeling brave enough.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Most of the thorns were wilting away, now, "And some sandwiches, if you like. You can use the blender for yours."

Barth did not want to discuss the various matters he had put off- and one he had more recently promised to discuss- with Christof here. It felt too close to next door.

After Christof had packed (and gotten a few things from Barth's desk), Barth took his skateboard and locked the door behind him. The Crypt itself was deep in the school's vast cemetery, but not too far off the cracked sidewalk path, and it grew cooler as they descended the stairs.

The Doom Buggy was chewing boredly on a thick tire, and growled half-heartedly at Barth and Christof. It was somewhat used to their presence now.  

[Bilious]

Something else lay in the shadows off to the side, and was not as used to their presence. A slit of light flickered in the corner as Christof nervously limped his way to set down their things- the light from his lamp glistening over something dar, something rusted, and too small to be a Doom Buggy. He hadn't had a chance to show him just yet, nor do much of anything with it in a long time, between Student Council meetings and Field Trips. Well... well now was as good a time as ever to finally show it to the demon, right?

He had brought a box of sharp, tire-shredding tacks with him this time just in case.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth's mood had improved on the ride over. The painkillers might have had something to do with it. Whatever the case, the further he got from the demon dorms, the lighter he seemed.

He hadn't ridden the Doom Buggy again since that first outing, but he sat with it and talked with it often. Really, it had done marvelously. He'd known those parts were set on rampaging, only sort of stuck in the wrong device, and what they had really wanted was wheels. Stuck in the Crypt without gas wasn't the ideal situation, but he was hoping to build up some camaraderie. And manage the device-equivalent of crate training.

Barth looked curiously at the object in the corner.

"That's new," Barth said.  

[Bilious]

The thing revved like a warning growl, but without gas, couldn't go anywhere. Christof shifted, face reddening as the corners of his mouth twitched up in a nervous smile, "Still-unfinished-still-working-on-it-almost-done..." He signed uneasily, praying Barth's review of his work would be favorable.