75 Godiva, Wednesday

[vdistinctive]

The house was gutted down to studs, many of which had been rearranged to make the new configuration of rooms the team had agreed on. Eliot was working on framing the new upper story now, which meant a hard hat, tool belt, gloves, the works.

Seriously, he had this whole men-at-work carpenter look down up here. He hoped his partners appreciated it. Lord knew he did on the few occasions Hardison got down and dirty with a maker get up. He wondered how much Hardison would fuss about the sawdust if they tried to fool around in (a carefully cleared area of) the construction site. . . .

Work was happening, if a little slow. Since the carpenter kept distracting himself with idle fantasies.

[yeah I dunno. Open! Eliot should be visible from the street while he works. . . .]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"She's scary, she's competent, and she loves the people you love best?" Kathy suggested with a small smile. "I can see a couple of similarities between the two of you."

[vdistinctive]

"Dunno. Don't think I could hike across North America durin' a zombie outbreak." He could, but probably only if he was alone. Otherwise he'd have to sacrifice himself for the person he was with.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I think you could do it," Kathy said, "but she can also turn herself into literally any other creature which does give her a distinct advantage."

Kathy couldn't. But then, Kathy hadn't been able to survive the city, so...

"Here's hoping the island never gets cute and decides that zombies would be a fun, like, Halloween gag or something."

[vdistinctive]

"Hell, I'd be surprised if the island hadn't already pulled that one a time or two," Eliot said. "Might be where the things at Caritas came from."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I still can't go into there," Kathy said. "I tried once, when I first got back. Ended up throwing up in alley a few times before going in."

[vdistinctive]

"Do you want to go in there?" Eliot asked. "'Cause there are ways to work on that if you do, but -- no offense to Kitty, but you ain't missin' a lot."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Nah," Kathy said, shaking her head. "I was never big on bars. I just kinda...resent that there are places I can't go, even if I'm the one keeping me from going there. But it bothers me that I have to avoid Android's Dungeon and Furnado a lot more than it bugs me I can't go to Caritas."

[vdistinctive]

"Ain't that familiar with the Android Dungeon, but I'm bettin' we could ease you into bein' able to check out the animal shelter when you like." He was pretty sure he knew why she was shy about that place, considering how she still reacted sometimes to Val. "I'd point out there's no shame in all this, but I gather you already know that."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Comic book shop," Kathy said. "Hardison hangs out there sometimes."

And it was full of The Shambling Dead paraphernalia, which had had Kathy noping right out of the store the one time she'd gone in, post-resurrection.

Modern pop culture was creepily obsessed with zombies, actually. Trust her, she knew.

"I--technically?" she said, tapping her temple once to show she knew that in her head, anyway.

[vdistinctive]

That just meant she had to wait a little longer. Zombies were in decline.

"Knowin' it don't help much, does it," Eliot mused. "You wanna maybe spend some more time with Val? Ease you back into spendin' non-dead time with animals?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"I mean, it's tough saying no to more Val-time," Kathy said, with a faint smile. "The guys have cats. That worries me, a bit."

[vdistinctive]

"You given 'em a heads up?" Eliot asked. "Not that I think it's gonna be a problem in the end, but if you're gonna be living with people, lettin' 'em know about potential issues is kind of important."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy nodded. "Anders and I talked about it once, when he asked why I didn't come visit him at work. I mean, I don't think it'll be a problem? But I haven't lived with a pet enough to know for sure. And cats are better at startling people than dogs."

Quieter, for one.

[vdistinctive]

"You might wanna mention it specifically to 'em again, just in case," Eliot suggested. "Can't say I know much about livin' with cats, though."

Eliot was very much a dog person.

[spin_kick_snap]

Honestly? So was Kathy. Well, she assumed, she'd never had a pet to tell.

But she liked the image of her curled up on a large dog, reading in a beam of sunlight. Though a kitty curled up on her legs was a nice addition, too.

"I'll let him know," she promised. "I don't dare take this lightly."

[vdistinctive]

"I know you don't, darlin'," Eliot assured her. "But I'm pretty sure givin' advice you might already know's in my job description."

Right along with embarrassing her in front of her friends and telling really terrible jokes!

[spin_kick_snap]

"So when are you going to sit me down to have the sex talk?" Kathy asked with an arched eyebrow.

And then, realizing this was Eliot...

"Just kidding! Just kidding! I'm good!"

[vdistinctive]

"You run a sex shop, I sure as hell hope you are."

[spin_kick_snap]

"And Betsy DeVos runs the Education Department," Kathy muttered.

[vdistinctive]

"Yeah, but you're not an idiot."

[spin_kick_snap]

"That's my dad, always effusive with the compliments," Kathy said, unaware this was the first time she'd referred to him that way out loud.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot, on the other hand, was very aware of it, what with the warm flush that went through him when she said it. He tucked his hammer into his tool belt and reached over to tug her into a half-hug. "Just tellin' the truth, darlin'."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy turned that hug into a real one, clinging tight. "I know," she said. "I can always count on you for that. And I love you for it."

[vdistinctive]

"Anytime, sweetheart," Eliot said, hugging her just as hard in return. "So what else is on that dad list? I could show you how to change a tire. . . ."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I learned how to do that in Driver's Ed," Kathy said with a smile. "That and change oil. But not spark plugs or breakpads or really anything about motorcycle maintenance."

And since she had one now...however legally or not it was obtained--she should learn how to take care of it properly.