[FIN] [Oba] Like Bathing Cats [Kedean | Finn]

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

At first, Kedean had not known how long he’d have. He made quick progress through the tasks he knew he needed to accomplish, and then, after it was clear he had some time remaining — but a chance by then that any time the boy would wake — he took to working about his home cooking for himself and spare, either for the boy now or—as it happened—options in the morning to come. He trained, working through physical routines in the space outside his home such that, if there was movement, he would at least be near.

Fortunately for Kedean, his guest slept til nightfall and beyond, leaving him a peaceful evening, and hope for a promising start come morning. Though the boy was small, Kedean didn’t feel it appropriate—even being his own bed—to attempt to compete for space. To begin with, it had been made more than evident that the boy was not comfortable with invasions of his personal space under circumstances anything less than necessity. Beyond that, it was small for him to begin with and wouldn’t have been practical.

He slept on the floor. His brother, in the time he spent nights at home, had shared his room, and taken the critical parts of his bedding with him. Kedean made do with a spare matt. He had slept on worse, and could arrange for better circumstances later.

When he rose, parts of him complained of his generosity with his bedding. They were easy enough to ignore. He exercised before dawn, washed, and was finishing with breakfast as the desert sun made its first appearances. After putting the fire down to coals and leaving the food to sit, he exited again to prepare a second, fresh bath, and left the shallow tub in the sun to wait.

After a full afternoon and night’s rest, he anticipated he wouldn’t be the only upright figure in the house for long.  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

It took a fair amount of willpower for Finn to open his eyes. His body was unused to soft surfaces and adequate rest, so when it came time to rise his mind refused. The struggle was real for a while; he couldn't count the amount of times he would attempt to rise, only to fall back down onto the bedding and close his eyes again. The pattern repeated itself long enough for Finn to wake up beyond the point of cat napping. So the point stretched his arms across the blankets, arched his back off the bed like a cat, and slipped his legs off the side.

Finn felt better then he had in weeks. The bruising to his body, courtesy of his fight, was overlooked in favor of the bits of energy he felt. It wasn't much, hardly anything to get excited over, but when one was used to running on empty for so long even the slightest bit of a jumpstart was thrilling. But he was hungry again, always was, and he could smell food.

Pausing to listen, he heard Kedean moving around the house. He wasn't sure what the other man was doing but evidently it wasn't eating. Which was a shame really, because he'd left his food exposed and Finn was drawn to it like a feral wolf. He snatched it up, forgoing any sort of utensil, and shoved as much into his mouth as possible before swallowing. No wonder that man was so big. If he got to eat like this every day he'd probably be as big as a tree too!  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

In retrospect, Kedean supposed he should have anticipated what he found. Still, as he stepped indoors from preparing the tub, it was with abrupt concern for the boy, not the food, that he started forward immediately on witnessing it. “Wait—be careful, it’s hot-”

The food had been over coals to heat, and his immediate fear was burning. But if that had been the case, he would have anticipated a more notable negative reaction. As it was, the Yaelian did not appear hurt, and while it was an inglorious sight to behold him shoveling what there was into his mouth hands first, Kedean wasn’t of a mind to begrudge him the behavior.

There was no reason to expect any different. Quite the opposite.

He dusted his hands on his sides to dry them of residual wetness as he progressed in, shaking his head but losing any pressing sense that he needed to stop the boy for his safety. Instead: “You can have it like that…but it is easier with a spoon. I realize you have no reason to trust me yet, but you do not have to worry that you’ll be denied food here…when you’ve had enough, come outside. I have something for you.”  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

Even if his hands recoiled at the touch and his tongue burned, Finn didn't stop. He did, however, slow down considerably if only out of sheer need. Whatever taste buds he possessed that hadn't yet shriveled and died surely had now now, leaving an unpleasant sensation in their wake. The yaeli touched the meal as little as possible; choosing to nit pick at the meal and plot the pieces into his waiting gullet as fast as possible.

Instead of shrinking and hiding underneath the table with his meal, Finn leaned forward, guarding it from Kedean. He hunched his spiney torso over the plate, locking his glowing eyes on the Oban with as much intensity as a wild limbara. Was he coming to take it now? Too late! Even if he was slowing down Finn had almost finished the entire plate, and felt...horribly sick. His stomach didn't just ache, it hurt, and he'd never felt bloating like this in his life. There was no reason to stop eating, and yet there was and it left him an agitated mess of a man.

He didn't stop until it was finished, and when it was he felt like stone. Finn leaned against the table, using it to help prop himself up as his body adjusted; albeit terribly, judging by the sluggishness now outweighing his urge to flee. This happened last night too, and it made him wary. Was he being poisoned? .....Did he care?

It was either suffer without meals or suffer with, and honestly, Finn would rather die with poison in his full gut than go back to licking dirt off rocks.

"What's outside?" He asked apprehensively. There was no reason to leave; all the good things were indoors, and the only thing out there was sunlight he never wanted and more men to beat him up. "You aren't slick; if you're gonna do somethin' to me do it now before this wears off. "  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

All of it. Again.

Frankly, Kedean was mildly impressed such a small and malnourished stomach could hold it all, let alone keep it. But, despite a few instances where it looked as though he might lose it, Finn managed to retain what he took into himself. For the time being, at least. At the inquiry—followed immediately by suspicious accusation—Kedean found himself smiling despite all, if subtly.

He shook his head.

“A bath.” Unfolding his arms, he took a step towards Finn. “You’re filthy. And your next step after food and rest is to be clean if you’re going to feel like an individual again. I did not plan to ‘do’ anything to you, but if you prefer it I can bring you to it myself.”

It was more a light tease than anything—Kedean did not know how the boy would take to the concept of washing, but even in his bloated and sluggish state he had no doubt the boy could move about and probably wouldn’t appreciate being carried around, or any more personal contact than necessary for that matter, any more than he had the day prior.

“How old are you?” he asked. “If you know…” By his count, he was still allowed three questions under the boy’s rules, and this one would at least give him some sense of how developed a mind to expect under the gauze thrown over it by starvation and destitution.  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

Finn felt sick.

He knew he'd lose all of this food at some point today, but he planned on holding onto it for as long as possible. It wouldn't be the first time and as much as his mind was stressing over the details, he was also aware that where two meals came from, there was likely more. Before he left he would just raid the pantries, and make off with whatever fueled a man that big. There was likely lots hidden away somewhere; he just needed to find it.

He burped and immediately pressed a hand over his mouth, furrowing his brow over the wet sound. You can do this; just breath and focus. Kedean was talking about....a bath? "Why?" Finn curled his lip back, puckering his sharp features into a frown. "It's stupid, and a waste. I'm just gonna get dirty again." If anything his layers of dirt helped retain some warmth, and the mud that now seemed permanently caked onto his skin had provided some form of protection from the sun. So what if he looked a little scruffy? And a little stink never hurt anyone.

Besides, Kedean obviously wasn't very bright, because he was wasting his questions on stupid stuff. Who cared how old he was? Would it make a difference? No one had given a s**t when he was kid, so why would they suddenly care now that he'd grown a little taller? "I don't know maybe....sixteen? seventeen? Somethin' like that." He shrugged his shoulders, or at the least, attempted to. Tac had looked like a younger version of a grown man, but he wasn't a teenager, so that meant by proxy Finn was a teenager. He didn't know much, but he could figure that one out.

Suddenly feeling pretty defensive, he stood a little straighter and snarled, "I know I'm small, alright? Doesn't matter though; I can take you down just t-." His puffed up, intimidating speech was immediately ruined when he expelled the contents of his stomach all over the floor. It was beyond Finn in that moment to stop; it just came, no matter what he wanted. The pressure in his stomach lessened, replacing itself with a relieved sense of emptiness while his mind went into a panicked state. What if he couldn't take anything from Kedean? What if that was his last meal, currently sprayed all over the floor? He'd wasted, ruined it all-  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Painted Moose

Kedean watched the unfolding events with what felt like passive resignation, not knowing when exactly but feeling all but certain this amount of instability couldn’t be handled by such a body, no matter how determined the spirit. At the answer, Kedean felt the barest upward twitch of his eyebrows. ‘Older than he looked,’ indeed—but not unbelievable with his mindset. He had evidently not adopted a simpering child approach, though Kedean hesitated to imagine the full path that had lead here.

Perhaps one day he would know, or perhaps there was no telling. In the meantime, he observed in silence as Finn stood, chest puffing, volume rising—and thereafter promptly cut off by the wet expulsion of everything Kedean had made for breakfast onto the floor. He withheld a sigh, pushing back the pinch of regret at the waste of food. Yes, his own funds were highly limited, but he could afford food—certainly with only himself and his father to care about, and it was just one meal, mostly his own fault regardless. As much as he wanted to the boy to understand he wouldn’t be kept from meals in the future, it was evident that at least to begin with, his portions would need to be monitored for his own sake.

For now, he stepped around the mess, catching loosely at a wrist just in case that look of regret at having lost the food turned into a bad idea Kedean wasn’t about allow. “After you bathe, I’ll bring more food, and you can attempt to eat slower so that you can retain some of it…you’ll be needing the energy.”  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

Much like a startled stray, Finn jerked his hand out of Kedean's loose hold and snapped out of his stupor long enough to pass a hateful look the Oban's way. "Don't touch me," he seethed, taking a half step back, and away, from his mess. A wisp of lightning crackled around his forearm, undulating around his taut flesh until it fizzled around near the tips of his fingers. The magical response was unconscious; Finn hadn't even noticed it, and had no hope of controlling it. Still, it was enough to give a fervent glow to his eyes.

"And I'm not taking a damn bath! If you want me to you'll have to throw me in the water yourself." He was big, real big, but Kedean wasn't bright. If he was then he wouldn't have fed him. It wasn't much, and surely Finn had lost more energy than he'd gained by expelling his breakfast, but it was enough. He'd claw the Oban's eyes out if he had to!

"Needing the energy? See, I knew you weren't as 'good' as you said you were. Couldn't even keep up your own stupid lies, huh?" Finn curled back his lips, and spat at the ground near Kedean's feet. If he was looking for a 'submissive' brat to tote around he wasn't going to find it here.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Kedean had kept his grip loose to avoid startlement and allow—more or less exactly what occurred, as the boy whipped out of his hold. He simply didn’t want him resorting in desperation to the lost food. Not while he watched, in any case. His attention, however, flicked immediately to the ripple of current down the boy’s arm and fingertips. It had been evident he carried a good deal of — perhaps excess — magic in him, from the prior evening’s ‘duel’ such as it was. Even the little skeleton he was had managed to conjure enough magical force to his bidding to knock one of their grown, fed guards three times his mass down.

Still, when the boy spat at his feet, Kedean found himself only passively wondering whether it would be more or less beneficial for him in the long run if he forced the session. At length, he grunted.

“If would like to fight about it, I would be happy to wrestle you into the water. Otherwise, I see no reason to waste our time. If you would like to continue sleeping in my bed, you will need to bathe. I would be happy to get more food, but I will not be going anywhere until you bathe. If neither of those options appeal to you, you are also free to leave…” He eyed him. “But if you would like to remain in my house eating my food and sleeping on my bed, as I have welcomed you to…I am asking you to bathe. It will not take that long.”  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

"Why? You haven't told me why you're offering all this yet." He stood a little taller, as much as he could in the situation anyway, and looked at Kedean critically. If the man had wanted to do anything to him he could have already; the size difference alone offered him that advantage. Finn just couldn't wrap his mind around why any foreigner would go out of their way to help without a reason. "S'not like you got lots of coin," He motioned vaguely to the house around him. "An' you said you worked, so you don't have any to spare. I ain't stayin' with somethin' like that hangin' around."

It meant that something could happen at any time, strictly because it was convenient for Kedean not to mention it at first. "I don't mind fightin' for food, an' I ain't scared to kill anyone for it either. I can do whatever job you need me to do, so long as it's standin' at your level, and not layin' under ya. But if you mean what you say, then you better say what you want from me up front or I'm walkin'."

Finn groped around his side for the back of the nearest chair and pulled it out. He slipped down onto it, unceremoniously flopping down on his rear with a full body sigh. Standin' was all fine and good when you had the energy for it, but it made more sense for him to rest, especially if he did need to run.

"An' I aint' takin' a bath until you say it. Got it? So you can put up with my stink or spill."  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

…you better say what you want from me up front or I'm walkin'…

Kedean grunted, eyeing the boy as he weighed his options. He didn’t have anything to gain from keeping the boy around, that much was true. Nothing in the sense that he suspected Finn would ‘buy’ in any case. He didn’t have the money or even food to spare. He could manage it, but it certainly didn’t benefit him in any strict sense, as his resources were already distinctly limited. It was just a matter of portioning off what little he could afford, and fortunately, small as he was, the boy wasn’t a large drain—if one ignored time consuming, mess making, trouble starting.

He drew a breath, and released it.

“You have impressive magic potential,” he said eventually. “Some of those I work with would appreciate that, if you were cleaned. Bathe, and come with me to meet one of my bosses…I have been needing an excuse to do something other than dockwork. Or, if you aren’t interested, get out. I do not need to ‘put up’ with anything…and as you note, I do not have the food to spare if you have no interest in cooperating.”

For Kedean, it was moral obligation to do what he could, when he could. He knew well that he didn’t need to, and for those who saw it differently — so long as they were not actively making the lives of others worse — he did not necessarily think less of them. But he wanted to live his life to a certain standard, and by that choice, it was ‘worth’ it to aid Finn because the boy needed it, had been placed in his path, and because it was within his personal capacity to do something. Nothing else would have felt right, and therefore, he acted in accordance with his conscience and felt no expectation of ‘reward’ from Finn or anyone else.

But he knew better than to expect that such an explanation would fly with this boy. They came from very different perspectives, and Kedean could work with that, too. He simply hoped the young man wasn’t already so embittered by his past circumstances that nothing would break through. He suspected, though, that in the end, basic survival sense would make working with him the most logical option in the boy’s mind, regardless of his other suspicions.  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

"So, whatever it is you wanna start doin', they'll take me too, on account of my magic?" It wasn't a stretch to imagine what they would want that for. Something a big strong guy like Kedean could get into and something a shrimpy little fire bomb could do? Obviously it was thieving, of some kind. Finn wasn't bothered by it, though. Taking from those who had too much was something he'd always done anyway, and so long as he wasn't taking from the real bad off - namely, himself, at this point - he could live with it. And now, at least Kedean was being open about things.

He stood up, slowly, and held onto the table for a moment when his legs were unsure. How much longer could he afford to go without work? Finn was in no place to argue anymore, and as wary as he was about taking the generosity of strangers, at least this way, he could have something to fall back on should Kedean choose to throw him out. A job was a job, and Finn desperately needed the coin. "Fine, I'll take a bath. Not like it's gonna do much good, though. Scrub off the smell and I'll just be a shinier pile of s**t."

He picked his way across the floor and past Kedean, slipping around the larger man to go through the doorway....where he subsequently stood. "Well, are ya comin'? I don't know which way to go." Sure, he could tear through the house after food, but that was because food had an odor. Water was stupid, and didn't even have the decency to smell nice.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Kedean watched as Finn processed, and was relieved that this reasoning at least was not immediately dismissed as a farce. The boy seemed to be considering his words, and must have appreciated to some extent his own power, to understand that it could be of use even as untrained and uncontrolled as it seemed to be at present. What Finn thought ‘his bosses’ would want or do with such violent potential was another matter.

But it did not bear concerning himself with yet. Finn could assume whatever he liked, as long as it satisfied him enough to inspire cooperation at a base level, and for now, it did seem sufficient for that purpose as the boy pushed to a stand. So, when the words came — Fine, I’ll take a bath… — Kedean gave a mental sigh of relief.

He moved past Finn at the beckoning, ignoring the question in the verbal sense at least and instead simply leading around to where he had set out a large tin wash tub. It sufficed for everything: bathing, clothes washing, hauling. Currently, it was filled enough to leave room for a small body but otherwise ‘full’. He fetched and dropped a stiff scrubbing sponge and wash stone beside it.

“The smell is what matters,” he said. “You may…” He eyed the boy skeptically as he considered clothing options, and there was simply no way his own would suffice, “…borrow a set of my brother’s clothing for the time being until I can wash what you have. No one who works my trade is expecting elegance, but basic hygiene is always a plus…”  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

At least the big guy didn't talk much. Finn could appreciate that. It meant there was going to be less beating around the bush, and fake niceties than with most. Shrugging his shoulders, the small yaeli fell in line behind Kedean, allowing himself to be led outside to the wash tub. He'd seen them of course, in the properties of others, but Finn hadn't had any experience with one since he was very, very small. For a moment he simply looked at it, curling his lip in a little frown before ultimately moving closer.

It wasn't as if it took much effort to disrobe him. The coat that had been gifted to him by a yaeli priest was long gone, lost somewhere after a fight above the ocean. His pants, as paper thin and tattered as they were, slipped easily off his slim hips. If there was any hesitation in him to bare himself it was hidden far back in his mind; he'd never been modest and didn't see a reason to start now.

"Can't imagine any brother of yours is much smaller," Finn groused. He reached for the edges of the tub, grumbling the entire way. Bathing was just stupid. Why would anyone waste their water like this, in a desert? At first he raised a foot and tentatively dipped it into the water, only to hiss and pull it away. "It's hot!" There was genuine surprise in his voice; what was he trying to do, cook him?!  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Painted Moose

Kedean folded his arms, watching only loosely — to see that things happened, more than to specifically observe anything, though it was difficult not to have it re-emphasized how thin the boy was. There was simply not nearly so much meat there as should have been, and it wasn’t that Kedean hadn’t seen it before, but still it was the most basic of necessities, and seemed to be a point of gross imbalance beyond justification every time.

That the world could spend more on two stitches of gold for the ‘right’ person with the right power than it could on slews of those who were only looking for something to put into their belly was—disturbing. But a universal constant just the same.

“Zyric is by blood only my half brother,” Kedean said, “and he is significantly smaller…but significantly larger than you, just the same. It will still be…better, I think.” Not ‘fitting’, not even close—but more so than anything he had to offer from his own closet. At the startled outcry, though, Kedean blinked and raised his eyebrows.

“It can’t be anything more than warm at most…I set it in the sun to heat so that you wouldn’t be chilled, but it’s not been day yet for an hour.” The day was admittedly already hot and had been upon waking, and the water was resting in a metal tin, but it was still early and couldn’t be that bad. “Ease yourself into it,” he instructed, before taking a turn and leaving the boy to his own experimental devices just for a moment, so that he could go about finding him the smallest garments in Zyric’s closet.