Equius Zahhak ♐ 2 Little Hoofbeasts ♐

[sheneighnigans]

[1. Letter | Morning | Addressed to the head of household at 502 Ricardo | Neatly folded and laying in the mailbox]

D --> To the mother or father figure at five hundred and two Ricardo Street
D --> Whomever is in charge of the hive



D --> I must take the time to point out that your designated male offspring was e%ceedingly rude to me yesterday
D --> His behavior was nothing short of reprehensible and I demand that he be punished for it
D --> Not only was he sitting out in the open with materials that were blatantly pornographic in nature, but he attempted to assault me as well
D --> You will punish him at once or my father figure will hear of this debauchery
D --> I am of noble b100d and I will not stand for this sort of tomf001ery
D --> Rein your human child in or I will punish him myself at my soonest convenience
D --> That is all

D --> Respond immediately at five hundred and seven Ricardo Street
D --> If neither I or Benson are home
D --> Leave your notice in our correspondence receptacle



D --> Sincerely

D --> Equius Zahhak

[2. Action | Afternoon | John Doe Park | Open to all]

[Equius isn't used to being this weak. So, what better way to remedy that than by going for a nice invigorating jog? And by jog, I mean it started out as that, and has since slowed to a pathetic crawl. He's moping around the park with his hands in the pockets of his shorts, hunched over in annoyance at his own incompetence. He really can't wait to get his STRENGTH back.

Maybe you'll catch him kicking stones down a path, or maybe you'll catch up to him while he's sitting on a park bench. Either way, he definitely needs a friendly kick in the shins to get him going again.]

Comments

[sheneighnigans]

[He sighs quietly, expecting that answer.]

Yes, I had thought as much. It's simply disappointing. When I first arrived here, my first instinct was to desire that my appearance be returned to its natural state. But now...I would much rather have my physical STRENGTH. I am concerned that I may need to fight, soon. And I would rather be prepared, in that event.

[Not to mention...no offense, Benson, but you're like four toothpicks attached to a jolly rancher. He'd really rather not see you get torn apart, either. You're probably the nicest, easiest-to-talk-to person he's met so far here in Mayfield.

And besides. You're his lusus. Kind of.]

...As cowardly as it is, is there some way that we can hide, or somewhere that we can go to stay safe, in the event that things turn violent?

[connedviakeyboard]

...Heh. Yeah, I bet that would come in handy. It'd be nice to at least get my body back but I've been here four months so who knows when that'll happen.

[No offense taken. Benson isn't a particularly strong guy, but at the same time he'd much rather fight a battle for Equius than let him fight one for him. Equius is just a kid even if he is mature for his age after all.

His kid, in a way.]

There aren't any definite places we could hide. If we're lucky we could just stay home - depending on whether they tamper with that or not too - but at the same time I'd really rather not have to put up with the drones for more than we have to.

But just about anywhere else would probably have a good chance of becoming a war zone.

[sheneighnigans]

[Equius really doesn't like the sound of that. His eyebrows furrow, and he looks at his knees, thinking hard.]

...Then we can hope that we will be able to take shelter in the house. If that ignorant fool across the road can build a gun to protect his family unit, I should be able to draw up something to keep us safe, as well. Is there...is there a place here where I could find scrap metal, or tools, or anything of that nature? I can work with nearly anything, but I will need a few basic things, first.

[Not to mention, money to buy those parts.

Dad.]

[connedviakeyboard]

I have a bunch of tools in the garage. If you need more, you could probably get them from the hardware store. Same with basic supplies. I...don't know about scrap metal, unfortunately. I haven't seen a dump here because I guess it doesn't go with their idea of the perfect American community but whatever.

If we have to we can maybe take apart stuff around the house.

[Haha sure son! Just make sure they're not too expensive because daddy's job don't pay much he has to be frugal. It's just good common sense after all.]

[sheneighnigans]

Oh, yes, that could work out well. Do we have machinery that you don't use?

[He kind of...hasn't been touching much of anything in the house, mostly because he doesn't know what any of it does, really, and also because he doesn't want to break it through his clumsiness, lest it prove to be valuable to Benson somehow. He looks up at Benson thoughtfully.]

I wouldn't mind putting in the effort to repair the things that we take apart, if we end up needing them again later. I am incredibly skilled with my hands. I did...I did tell you that, didn't I? That I build things?

[He can't even remember. That's pretty important for Benson to know about him, though.]

[connedviakeyboard]

Everything around the house really. ...The car too, if you really need to. But tell me on that one before you do so I know I might be walking that day.

[Benson smiles a little at that. You didn't, but thank God you have something better than just talking about your responsibility as nobility and the worries that come with it.]

You didn't, but that's good to hear. I'm pretty bad with machines myself so I'm counting on you to fix them for us if things go wrong, alright? You're the expert.

[sheneighnigans]

Oh, no. If you need the automobile, I will leave it as it is. I would not rob a highblood of his chariot.

[Equius you freaking DORK. He can't help but straighten up a little when Benson acknowledges his abilities and names him the expert of the household. He totally doesn't get that it's just a kind of joking affection. He's not being dead serious about it.

Everything is serious when you're Equius, though.]

Absolutely. I will repair anything. And if you would like me to build you something to make your life easier...name it, and I will see what I can do for you.

[Any reason to get back to work and shove his abilities in Pokey's face. Though he'll definitely prioritize a weapon of some sort, just in case.]

I will look at what we have available tonight. If I require anything else, I will tell you immediately. I assume that I will need to pay for whatever I want to take from this...hardware store. I...

[...This is sort of awkward. He's never had to do this before.]

...I recognize that it may be a bit uncouth to ask you, as your subordinate, but. Do you have...funds, to provide me with, if I do in fact need to make a purchase of some sort?

[Yeah, he's turning a little red, right now. He should be grateful that Benson isn't kicking him out of the house, after all. Someone with such a prestigious job...he really doesn't need to let Equius mooch off of him like this. He's feeding him three times a day, promising to take care of him...it's really ungrateful of Equius to ask for money. He should be ashamed of himself. And he is. He looks down and rubs at the back of his neck, bright red in the face.]

[connedviakeyboard]

[Goddammit Equius why did you have to say that. Now he feels even worse about the lie. Please, God, don't start addressing him like he's some kind of big shot to other people. The last thing he needs is you figuring things out because someone told you how stupid it sounded saying the grocer was one of the highest positions in the town.

But he does smile a bit more. He hates to do it, but a mechanic would be helpful if he needs it. And besides...he'd find some way to pay Equius back if he did do any work.]

Let's focus on figuring something out to help protect the house more than anything. That'll be our main priority, and keeping it going after this is done, as well.

[Oh. Oh goddammit. Of course this is where things are going to get bad. He has no clue how much you need or are going to want to spend, and the last thing he wants is for you to ask for something and him to not be able to provide it. He just smiles for a moment.]

That's not a problem. But tell you what. How about we figure a design out first, and then I can have some of my subordinates go and pick it up for us.

[By which he means he'll skip one of his days of work to go and buy the stuff himself. What a terrible web he has begun to weave.]

[sheneighnigans]

[Oh, it's bound to happen. He's already been throwing it out there that your job is super important. It's only a matter of time.

Equius nods at Benson's words, looking up at him and feeling a bit better at the sound of how relaxed he seems to be about this. His ears, at least, cool off a little bit when Benson suggests having an inferior go to pick up what Equius needs. It's almost like he's home again. Slowly, Equius's mouth pulls up into a lop-sided half-smile, and he nods quickly.]

Absolutely. It should take me no time at all. Once I've drafted a design, I will go over it with you to let you know if I'm missing anything crucial.

[And then another thought strikes him, and he looks worried all over again.]

...Ah. If. You have time, right now, do you think that you could perhaps show me...where you go to work every day? I've been searching for the distribution plant, but I'm not sure that I'm searching for the proper thing. Is it...which building is it? I would like to know, if I could. I don't need a tour at the moment, I'm simply...a bit curious.

[connedviakeyboard]

[Benson smiled a bit, more naturally for once, and then it cuts off at Equius' request. He scrambles and tries to find some kind of lie to concoct, some reason why they couldn't go to the store right now and comes up empty. What he comes up with just sounds too obviously false and the kid is smart enough he'd pick up on it quickly.

He keeps smiling and hopes that the fact its become forced isn't obvious.]

Uh, well-

Look. I can't show you the main building. Not yet. It's kept too out of the way and in the middle of the day I'd rather not try and bring too much attention to it.

But I can show you one of the smaller distribution areas! Not the plant, but one of the buildings we keep supplies in that people pick them up from. Would that work?

[So much of that was non-sensical but he hopes it isn't recognizable already. Please, please bite.]

[sheneighnigans]

[Oh. Equius's eyebrows furrow, and he looks at Benson uncertainly, trying to make sense of what he's said. It takes him a few moments to respond.]

...I would not mind seeing that, but...am I not permitted to know where you are during the day? Couldn't you at the very least tell me where it's located? In the event that something dangerous or important happens, I would like to know where I can find you, should I need to leave the school building.

[Whether Equius likes it or not, Benson is older than him, larger than him, and although he is scrawny, he's willing to take care of Equius. The young troll needs him to feel safe, at least until he gets his strength back, and Benson's reluctance to keep Equius informed of his whereabouts is concerning.]

[connedviakeyboard]

[For a moment Benson feels his temper rising. He wants to just shout at the kid and tell him to shut up, to give him a break and to let him keep something anything to himself, for God's sake! Can he not have one thing, just ONE to himself? It's not even the fact that Equius' questioning could wear down the lie he's made but the fact that Equius just doesn't stop asking questions.

And then he realizes that how scared Equius must be. The kid talks tough, and he's smart, but he's still just a teenager who has been transported to some strange town that he hasn't even seen the worst of yet and is away from the people who could raise him. Benson is tempted to let his guilt consume him at the moment and just spill everything to Equius. The kid'll be angry but at least Benson won't have to worry about any more questions or lying to Equius any further or breaking his heart any further when he finds out the truth.

But no. If the kid needs security at the moment it probably is smart he keeps up the lie. The last thing the he needs, for both their sakes, is for Equius to decide Benson is untrustworthy.

Benson looks over his shoulder for a moment before looking back at Equius and leaning in, motioning for Equius to lean in as well as he begins to whisper.]

What I'm about to tell you, you don't tell anyone else, alright. It's important you keep it to yourself.

Now I still can't show you the main building, but I can show you one of the centers. And the center I'm going to show you?

I work there. Pretending to be one of the employees there.

Now. Here's why. If word got out that I'm in charge of the distribution and production of food, things could get really bad. While I have authority, there's a lot of people here who have much more brute power and could overpower me and my men to force me to distribute at their leisure. I mean, you're smart. You can see how bad things could easily go if some of the more powerful psychopaths here decided to take advantage of that.

So in order to avoid that and keep anyone from knowing who the head of food production and distribution is here, I'll make sure people never expect me. I may not have the brute force I need, but I can make sure they never suspect me, make sure they think I just work then and so there'll never be any danger of the distribution being interrupted or injured by people who'd want to take it over for their own benefit.

It might be demeaning, pretending I'm just one of the subordinates, but it's for the greater good. So it'll be a secret, my position, just between you and me and a few of my more trustworthy subordinates.

Alright?

[Please work. Please work. Oh god please work.]

[sheneighnigans]

[Equius is startled when Benson leans forward to whisper to him, and he obliges his "father", eyes wide and interested. He listens intently while Benson is telling him what he believes to be the honest truth, and his face slowly softens in admiration, that weird smile coming back to his lips. He nods when Benson is done, looking up at him somewhat meekly, as if honored to simply be in his presence.]

Of...of course. I understand completely. At times, one must conceal his identity in order to protect himself. It makes absolute sense. I...I do apologize for prying into your important business. I do hope that I regain my STRENGTH soon so that I might possibly be able to help protect you against those who might want to overpower you.

[He looks deeply moved. Good job, Benson. Equius is smart, but he's just oblivious enough about human culture to totally buy this.]

I would...greatly enjoy seeing the distribution center. If it isn't too much trouble for you to show me.