Backdated: 10/26/2020


All things considered, there were significantly more interesting things Namielle thought she could have been doing this evening than staring at the tv. Unfortunately the internet was not proving to be co-operative and without the bill payer to yell down the phone at the customer service rep, there was little she could do except veg. Where had he gone anyway? He'd mentioned something about a few days off and she had assume that meant he would remain here and be lazy like a normal person, but instead the man had vanished into thin air and hadn't been heard of since.

She had tried his phone.

Frustrating as it was, it seemed like he was ghosting her. Rude and she would have to talk to him about that because what if there had been an emergency like now? How were they supposed to get help if he wouldn't answer. Alternatively there was every possibility that he was screening her, at which point she was just going to have to strategically upgrade his phone to install read receipts. She would have to put that on the to-do list alongside a few other more constructive and well meaning inventions.

For now though... well, it seemed that she was destined to die of boredom. Perhaps she could invade Orias's domain and offer her assistance, yes, she was just that desperate. Alas, no sooner had she begun to contemplate that madness than she heard the familiar clink of keys and the click of the door.

A heavy boot landed in the hallway and soon, she caught the faint and familiar scent.

--

It wasn't long before Regula appeared, setting his bag down just to the left of the hallway so that it was out of the way. Ever predictable, ever tidy, he didn't like to leave tripping hazards even if he was the only one who possessed the ability to break his ankle on them. Still, he didn't quite seem to register the foul and haunted gaze that was being cast towards him as he set his keys in the bowl and made his way towards the fridge, the same thoughtful expression on his features.

It was safe to say that he'd had the same expression since he had left his planet, he'd held it the whole drive home from where he had been parked, and now it was still very much fixed to his face.

"Namielle," he didn't look up at first as he pulled the flavoured water from the fridge, peered at it for a moment and took a sip. "Do we have a library?" he asked and finally looked towards her. It was then that he took in the rather unfavourable expression that had been resting on him. He couldn't quite fathom what he'd done but he had a sneaking suspicion he was about to find out whether he wanted to or not.

Namielle had opinions, and he knew well enough by now that he would be hearing them.

--

"You know in civilised society we start with a hello," she hissed and clambered up on to the top of the sofa, tail curling around her paws as she scrutinised her victim. "And in a civilised society people reply to their messages," she continued. Satisfied that he did at least take a moment to check his pocket and examine the phone, a flicker of guilt was it? Well she damn well hoped so, desperate times called for full guilt trip measures.

"And if you mean the White Moon, then yes, we do," she gave a wave of her paw. She wasn't one to hold a grudge for too long and clearly she had a job to do. She'd scould him further after she had dealt with his queries, then she would return to addressing her priorities.

"Why?" she asked.

--

"That monolith you found so interesting before, the one with the runes," he shook his head and closed the fridge door. "It looks like it cracked and I can't find anything on the planet that can explain how to repair it," he sighed. "I imagine that it probably needs repaired so I assumed we might have compiled some manner of information for those things somewhere."

He paused.

"Unless we are really that cataclysmically unprepared and unco-ordinated that our entire existence has been to wing it," he muttered. He certainly hoped that the lack of coherent tactics among the white moon was a recent development and not one they had always had, but nothing would surprise him at this point in his life.

"But I figured I would look there if we have one."

--

"We have one but you'll not be able to access it unless you have a Pearl," she murmured and dropped from the sofa. "One moment please!"

Oh what a joy it was to know that she occasionally collected the right things and held them in her little storage piles. She wandered off for a time before returning, the peculiar little keyring in her mouth. A hop up on to the counters and she set the pearl down beside him with a sigh.

"You can only go when the moon is full," she explained and clucked her tongue. "And I don't know how many of those books can be understood, but you are right, if there is a place to find answers it is likely to be there," she agreed.

...Short of the Mauvian database, she couldn't imagine where else would house such knowledge.

--

"I see," he pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Might I suggest you come with me? On the off chance you might be able to read something that I can't," he hazarded.

A pause.

"I promise to fix whatever gave you that face first though," he offered as he swept the pearl into his hand and clipped it to his phone.

--

That was all the invitation that the Mauvian needed as she returned to her personal business.

"Fix the damn internet." She demanded.

--

Ah, at the very least Namielle was clear when she wanted something. She was perhaps one of the easiest to read 'women' in his life, and it was with a small sigh that he slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked off to find his civilian one. He hadn't really wanted to have a disagreement this evening, but if he wanted to make any progress with his mission then he had to make sure the Mauvian that was assisting him was well catered for.

...This sort of thing went both ways after all.

But boy did he hate calling customer support.

Words (Nami): 570
Words (Regula): 525