[PRP] Squeak (Horace/Theo)

[The Semblance of Unity]

The bat looped above Theo's head, then swooped back down. Horace was feeling the strain of doing this here and barely managed to pull back before the link broke of its own accord.

"Ugh," he said. "Gives you a nasty headache until you get good at it. It's easier, uh, not in this Ashdown, if that makes sense." Nugget flapped back to Horace, immediately going for his hair. The bat was clearly not the most pleased about doing things in the bright sunlight. Horacer rubbed his temple.

"You wanna try with your skunk buddy?"

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

His swiftly swallowed smile and the way his eyes faintly narrowed suggested that he didn't want to try at all, but Theo closed them anyway, making an attempt to deliberately reach out to the skunk rather than pushing it away. Things were dark for a few seconds as he tried to somehow extend his mind, a thing that had always remained firmly inside his skull, but then there was a stutter of light and a startled squeak from his right as the skunk jolted to its feet. Theo's eyes shot open and he grunted in pain.

"That thing has really shitty vision. I think I'm gonna puke."

He pressed his fingers into the center of his forehead and laughed. They sounded a little like coughs this time. The skunk bounced. At least it was happy.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Oh my god," he said, trying to swallow his laugh. "It's so happy." He pointed at the skunk, although he definitely felt sympathy for poor Theo.

"It's easier, less nauseating, over there. The echolocation thing with Nugget makes me wanna hurl, not gonna lie. Leila said it gets better with time, when the bond strengthens." Horace looked back at Theo. "But I'd bet real dollars you're a warg and that is your familiar."

"What're you going to name him?"

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"I wouldn't bet against you," Theo muttered. It would be as close as he would get to outwardly admitting anything else about the reality of his own bond today, even though his mind was reeling with it. He had a familiar. A hopping, squeaking, happy familiar. He wasn't alone anymore.

"Leila's another one? A warg?" He didn't relish the idea of spending time on the other side to get better at all of this, especially since he'd only ever been there in his sleep, but he did feel a little more comfortable with every name that Horace rattled off. They presumably weren't faceless mannequins or smoky talking ferrets and were therefore way more his speed.

Theo glanced at the creature again. "A name. I have no idea. Not Flower." He had way more Disney knowledge than was probably appropriate, but he wasn't up for a shoutout.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yeah, though I don't know what kind of animal she has." He wasn't about to tell Theo they were missing, either. That was a) Leila's business and b) possibly something that might scare Theo off from embracing his... skunk.

He chewed his lip for a second. "Since you're new, it might be best to travel over with someone and practice with them? They can give you pointers and also make sure nothing weird is around while you try to sight-jack. Hell, you can even grab me sometime and I'll go with." That skunk was so stinkin' cute. It had nothing on Nugget, of course, but it was cute.

"Name it Shoebox; I dunno." He smiled. At least Theo seemed open to things now. "Are you gonna let it into your house now?"

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

He nodded shallowly. "I'll think about it." He was almost positive Nasir would come and warg-spot him if he asked. Maybe even Horace too. It was very convenient that all of these people so readily spoke to strangers.

"Shoebox. Right." Theo smirked, then a few seconds later it faded as he sighed. "I don't know. It'd be mean not to, but... skunks stink. It's downwind now and..." He gestured. "...over there, but I can't imagine that would be comfortable after a while." He scratched at the back of his neck. "I guess I'll look into, like, a case of Febreze. I don't know."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Keep him in your yard most of the time? Like... a doggie door, maybe." Horace was actually incredibly pleased that Theo seemed more accepting of the skunk now. Magic was magic and people kind of had to accept it or get steam-rollered by it. Horace had found it was just easier to believe in everything than be skeptical.

"So... I can give you my number in case you want to talk more weird animal magic or send me pictures of your cute skunk." He shot Theo a questioning look.

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Sounds doable. I'll have to do some research, but I'm sure I can figure something out." He found himself disconnecting from the situation a bit since it made it easier to talk about, but he remained hyperaware of the animal nearby even so.

"I'll take your number. I have to write it down though. No phone. Or rather I have a phone, it's just in my house." Giving people the ability to contact him whenever they liked had never seemed appealing. And phones were so sleek and fragile. And always watching. All that stuff made him feel weird. "I will take pictures though." It was a reluctant promise, but obviously truthful.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace was happy that Theo seemed as go-with-the-flow as he was. It really made life easier. He shuffled around in his bag, producing a coffee shop receipt. He scribbled his name and number on the back of it and passed it to Theo.

"Just don't sell my number to some telemarketers. I have to get to class, but I'll look forward to updates and send you Nugget pictures." He grinned and stood, rolling his shoulders. "Good luck, Theo."

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

He pocketed the receipt with a nod, remaining seated as Horace got to his feet.

"I'll keep it on lockdown." Theo smiled, shaking his head. It was a new development, traveling along the path of least resistance, but so far it was working out all right. The results were far from normal, but he could find no real point of contention beyond the fact that he was sitting next to a skunk.

"I'll see you around. Let you know how things are going. Thanks for... things." He stayed just like that, sitting on a bench seemingly by himself, but it hadn't been ten seconds before Theo was bending over to peer at the skunk, offering the back of his hand for it to sniff.

The Semblance of Unity