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 Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 7:10 pm
Todd was really liking staying with Talia and Soleiyu and Evan. He'd heard there was someone else staying here, but he'd yet to meet them. He'd mostly been trying to sleep and eat, to focus on feeling better and stronger. Starving for so many years had taken a great toll upon his body, and he needed to be sure he could handle doing... well, anything. He decided now was a good time to try and play with Maxim, after he'd had a really excellent nap and breakfast. He took the tug of war toy out and bit one end himself, offering the other end to Maxim and playfully growling as he got on all fours. It was only polite to play in the same way the dog did, after all.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 3:55 pm
Zac hadn’t exactly been around much since Fang had moved into his home but he’d learned of him. Talia filled him in so it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed.
He didn’t know if Ahri or Tobias had met him, despite living out of Evan’s room still, but he knew Evan had been talking him up. Soleiyu had met him, obviously Talia had.
So, it seemed like today was Zac’s turn.
He entered the living room carrying a reusable bag full of groceries in one arm and paused almost immediately when he’d gotten in. His free hand was still on the doorknob, frozen as he stared at the adult man eating the dog’s toy. With the dog.
Who was so invested in this game of tug of war that he barked a welcome without releasing the other end of the rope toy. It was a funny sound, and Maxim was known to make it on occasion–when he was excited but didn’t want to put his toy down. He tugged at it a bit, wagging ecstatically.
“Okaaay,” Zac said slowly, pushing the door closed. He didn’t look away from who he assumed was Todd. Their outer space friend.
He assumed Soleiyu was around somewhere and just wasn’t paying adequate attention to their guest but he knew Evan was out with the food truck for now. “I’m not gonna interrupt this, I’m just going to go put this food away.”
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 4:03 pm
Todd's ear had flicked to the door as it opened, but as Maxim reacted minimally, he only wagged his tail in response and kept tugging with him. He was having fun and so was Maxim, and as long as nobody evil was trying to enter their home and rob it or something, everything was just fine by him. He didn't need to say hello. Until, of course, he heard the man speak and he dropped the toy, bolting up to his knees and turning his torso to look over to... Zac. He assumed it was Zac, anyway, the final person in the house that he had yet had the chance to meet (nervous nervous twitchy whine). "It's okay," he said, voice rough and crackling, "Need help? Maxim wait." He turned and patted the dog on his soft head, absolutely sure Maxim was going to be able to postpone their play session for a bit. He was a good boy, and Todd liked him a lot. "Am Todd," he said, tail still wagging, just slowly, "You are Zac?"
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 6:36 am
“Yeah,” Zac drawled, giving him one more look. He wasn’t sure he needed help unloading the food but he didn’t make any effort to prevent Todd from joining him in the kitchen. “I’m Zac. Heard a lot about you,” he said, but seemed a little cautious to say too much.
He tried not to look at the way Maxim was holding the other end of the rope toy as if he were hopeful Todd would come back. He wagged his tail and followed after them just to be sure.
Zac wasn’t callous by any means–maybe a little guarded, but not so much that he came off as standoffish.
Even though it took a great effort.
He focused on unloading the bag and not staring at Todd’s wagging tail.
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 3:41 pm
Todd's ears perked up and he looked over to Zac with curious eyes, head tilted ever-so-slightly. "Heard about me? What the others say?" he asked, glancing down at Maxim as the dog came in with that soulful, hopeful look in his eyes, begging Todd to play again. His heart ached and he rubbed the top of Maxim's head, grabbing the toy and giving it a little shake, not too much, he didn't want to overexcite the dog in the kitchen of all places. "Others say you...." He paused, searching for the right words. "Hard to make happy. But Todd will try his best! I don't... want to disa...disappoint anyone." He swallowed hard around the lump in his throat, his vocal cords already taxed to their limit again. He wished it was easier to communicate, without the need for these phones with their flat screens and typing that made him annoyed, and carrying around a big notebook, even if he could write in English well, just would be annoying.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2022 2:53 pm
Zac resisted the urge to answer ‘That you’re living here’ when he asked what the others said about him, because clearly Todd seemed enthusiastic. And without malice. Zac bit his tongue because he didn’t want to say something too mean and chase him away, especially if he knew that Zac was hard to make happy.
He wondered who had said that about him.
“Don’t put on a show on my account.”
Zac didn’t huff or pout that Todd was currently using his room, or that he hadn’t had any say in the invitation to let him stay in his house. Of course he was going to be crabby, his house was crowded.
“They say you’re friendly and curious. And that you get along well with the dog.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 9:32 pm
Todd's brow wrinkled in confusion. A show? Todd wasn't... on the television thingy. Or in a play. Whatever did Zac mean by a show? But upon hearing that the others said good things about him, he perked back up, tail wagging harder again. "Maxim good," he repeated with a wide smile, "Thank you. Todd is gra.... gra...grate ful for your hospi... hospi....tailidy?" He grimaced, sure that wasn't right, but it was the best way he could coax his throat around the word. "Hope can help Earth. Earth beautiful. Friends...good. You good. Know that many people love you. See you amazing. Keeping me here when... I am a strange.... weird alien." His ears wilted a little. "You good man, Zac. Todd thankful."
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2022 10:29 pm
Well, close enough. He was doing a good job trying, Zac knew he had to cut him some slack. Probably wasn’t easy learning a mostly new language while being on a completely new world in a completely new era.
…And, despite being as gruff and callous as Zac could be, maybe Todd had a unique ability to butter him up.
Plus, he seemed completely readable. He didn’t seem like he had the capacity for deception.
Zac wondered if he even knew that he was sucking up to him.
It was disarming, even if Todd didn’t mean for it to be.
“You might be the only one to say it.” Zac didn’t believe it, anyway. But there was plenty that they didn’t need to know. Better that Talia didn’t know. Better that Todd didn’t know. They were safer that way. It was less drama that way.
“You are pretty strange. Can’t hold it against you. You’d probably think I was strange if I just showed up on your world. But you’ve got good taste, at least. You’re in good company. You’re lucky Talia found you, she’ll keep you taken care of. Are you settling in all right around here?”
He’d heard of him but not seen much of him, so this was all new to Zac.
Surprisingly less unpleasant than he’d expected, though.
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 9:44 pm
Todd chuckled, tail wagging a bit more. "Yes, but Todd think everyone strange.. Even at home. I am strangest person to everybody," he said with a cheeky little smile. "Talia very nice. I am... okay, I think. I have warm bed. Weird, slept in cave, so soft bed... Almost hard to sleep in." He hummed slightly, thinking, ears rotating on his head. "Best thing is just... food. So much food. Try not to eat so much, because so much can be saved for so long... I am not used to..." He waved a hand, frowning hard as the words escaped him. "A... a bunnydance? It safe here, in more ways than one. Very happy. You care for pack very well, Zac."
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2022 8:37 pm
The worst part of all of it was that Todd wasn’t exactly easy to be annoyed with. He hardly seemed like he was scheming or planning anything. All of his words seemed genuine, and Zac didn’t know how to respond to the wagging tail.
In a lot of ways, Todd seemed simple. Uncomplicated. Straight forward.
Zac appreciated that. He couldn’t help but assume the worst about everyone–including nefarious motives, or scheming plots.
He really wasn’t getting that impression from Todd.
“Huh,” he said thoughtfully.
A bunnydance.
Abundance, probably.
He’d almost asked him what he was talking about, but if he just took a moment to process it there wasn’t much difficulty. He could be gentle. He could be patient.
But then, today was a good day.
“Well, we’ve got plenty of food around here. You want a sandwich or something? I’ve gotta make lunch for myself. Maybe you can tell me about your world or something? Are you trying to get back or are you thinking about sticking around here, instead?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2022 9:12 pm
Todd nodded at the question about food—he was pretty much always up for eating something. But the question about his home made him pause, considering. "I... stay. While. Want to... heal home. But home is... very bad to stay, right now," he said softly, "Here is... safer. There is food. There is water. There is friends." He smiled softly at Zac, tail still swishing gently behind him. "Thank you. For... letting me stay."
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:11 pm
Zac glanced over at him again, and tried to take in the fact that there was an alien living in his house. Well–another one, but at least Soleiyu looked like a cat most of the time. And Ahri used to be a youma–well, and Evan too, but that was different.
…All of this was different.
He was distracted by the tail but just exhaled and nodded, turning back to his tasks; he still had a few things to unload.
“Yeah, well. You’re welcome. You can stay for as long as you need. Talia likes you, so I guess that’s good enough for me.”
…Zac supposed that he didn’t seem that bad, anyway.
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