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[wing_attack]

"Uh. It's Tobias. Leave a message."

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[wing_attack]

[Nom nom fries.]

Yeah, maybe. Not this time, though. Maybe when I feel like having a food adventure.

I kind of want to learn how to make french fries, but I'm not all that great at cooking. I've gotten a little better, but...

[Still not great.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Ha, cooking... It's okay, I'm not too good at it either.

[wing_attack]

I can make a mean TV dinner.

[And that's about it in terms of stuff more complicated than noodles.]

[ratherbelocky]

...I'm York. I'm here to help, okay, man?

[God. G o d.]

It's safe here, you'll be all right.

[wing_attack]

[... He's not sure about this, but what else can he do?]

Wh... what do you mean, 'safe'? This isn't where... I'm supposed to be. And I don't know how I got here. And I need to get back. I... I need to...

[He's not sure if he wants to, but he needs to.]

[ratherbelocky]

It's okay. Hey, it's okay. All the animals in there, the birds and stuff, they're there to take care of you. And nobody's going to be mad that you're here, even if...you're late for dinner, or something. Okay? ...D'you want me to come over?

[wing_attack]

... You're a stranger. I... I'm not supposed to have strangers over. ... But this is a stranger's house...

[He's... not sure what to do.]

[ratherbelocky]

...Why don't you ask one of your animals there if I'm trustworthy? Some of them know me.

[From the battle when Tobias kicked his ass, if nothing else.]

[wing_attack]

[... He doesn't know these animals, but if they're smart enough to understand things...]

[He looks off-screen to Rachel. She seems... nice. There's also a really big bird there.]

Is he okay?

[There's a grunt and a squawk, and he looks back at the screen, biting his lip for a moment before nodding.]

O... okay. But if you hurt me, I'll yell.

[ratherbelocky]

Scout's honor, I'm just here to help. I'll bring food. Are you hungry? What's your favorite?

[wing_attack]

You... you're too old to be a scout. I think.

[And... favorite food? He looks genuinely puzzled.]

I... I like. Um. Pasta. Like those... um. The cheesy stuffed pasta kind? I don't remember what they're... called.

[He tenses up a little, hunching his shoulders as if he's trying to disappear into his shirt.]

B-but they're expensive! S... so don't bother. I... I'll eat whatever...

[Because he is hungry and he doesn't want to eat a stranger's food, but he doesn't have money so it's either risk being kidnapped and poisoned or whatever or die of starvation.]

[ratherbelocky]

[Actually, York is no kind of scout, unless being an infiltration agent in Special Ops counts as being a scout of sorts, BUT.]

Cheesy, stuffed...you mean tortellini or the big shells? Or, oh, what are the other ones. The ones that're like big tubes? Man, it's right on the tip of my tongue...

[In the meantime, he walks into his kitchen to check what they've got in hand. He and Carolina are no gourmets, but North runs a good ship, here.]

[wing_attack]

Tortellini I think. I don't... know Italian. I think it's Italian. B... but I don't want to be a bother...

[ratherbelocky]

Hey, it's okay. I don't know Italian either.

[Deliberate misinterpretation, the finest bastion for the horrified-but-friendly. Leapin' lizards, what happened to this kid?

There's the sound of a freezer opening, and--]

Aha! Okay, awesome, Carolina musta bought the frozen kind for us. Uh, is it okay if some of them are green? You know, the type where the pasta part's all spinach-y. I remember what my kid brother was like about veggies.

[Actually, Benjy was perfectly fine with veggies, but he wants poor Tobias to have as many choices as possible. As much control over his situation as York can provide him.]

[wing_attack]

Th... that's fine. Like I said, I'll eat whatever. Like the school lunches... they're really bad sometimes, but they're... free.

[Thank you low income school lunch program.]

[ratherbelocky]

Well, I'm pretty sure our tortellini's a little better than cafeteria fare.

[He rummages around a little more, and--]

You got a kitchen, where you are right now?

[wing_attack]

Y... yeah. I saw it... before. I'm in the... the den I guess?

[ratherbelocky]

Great. I'll bring some other things, too, then. Fruit and bread and ice cream. ...You allergic to peanut butter?

[There's a rustle as he grabs a plastic shopping bag and starts throwing stuff in.]

[wing_attack]

Y-you don't have to do all that! B... but I'm not allergic to anything... I think...

[ratherbelocky]

Well, you're worried about it being a stranger's house, right? I wanna make sure you have food you don't have to be nervous about eating.

On that note, you mind if I cook the tortellini at your place? That way you know it just came right out of the package, no funny business.

[wing_attack]

... Yeah. Yeah, okay. That's... that's okay.

[ratherbelocky]

All right. I'll be over in five. And remember, you can sic Rachel on me at any time.

[wing_attack]

Okay. I'll... I'll be here.

[Just. Being nervous around all of these giant animals.]

[ratherbelocky]

[It takes less than five, actually, before York's knocking at the door, half the Freelancers' groceries in tow.]

Hey, kid, it's York.

[wing_attack]

[There's a moment of fumbling, and then Tobias opens the door part of the way... okay. That looks like the guy on the communicator thingy. He opens the door the rest of the way, Rachel a few feet behind him. He doesn't say anything, just looks at the groceries, his eyes a little misty. It takes him a few moments, before he finally glances up at York's face, though not his eyes.]

[The blanket's still wrapped around him like a cape, dragging on the floor a little bit. He pulls it a little tighter, protectively, as he tries to figure out what to say. Finally, he manages something, albeit in a very small voice.]

... Why?