Hacker Voice: I'm In

At first she was glad to see he was catching, until he called Barter’s ability to get her out of trouble into question. Sure, she may not be in the most generous mood with Reese of the whole blackout incident, but she was sure they’d laugh about it over a couple of drinks soon enough, “I mean, she’s not the top dog, but she definitely bites the hardest.”

The metaphor was bringing her mind bad places, and the bluetonian decided to abandon it all together before she called up her friend asking to confirm, “I said, making up words isn’t gonna make you sound smarter! Need me to speak slower?”

“Even hostile dogs were a collar and leash. Okay, this analogy is taking a quick turn to the creep factor so I’m going to stop it there.” Closing his eyes, Biffy frowned as he tried to rid himself from the thought.

“Uh, no, but I’m starting to think I might need to speak slower for you.” Reaching up his shirt sleeve, Biffy pulled out a phone. “Yo!” Lighting up, his phone beeped, showing it was listening. “Give me the definition of ‘facetious’.”

“Ah, these must be the kittens.”

V laughed feeling tiny sets of paws climbing up his legs. There was two-no three cats on him currently. “Careful,” He reached down gently plucking them off him and setting them back down on the ground. His fingers scratched underneath their chins, alternating from one cat to the other. 

Biffy had taken him up on his offer to take photographs of them and V had responded with sending him an address to come visit. His own private studio where he could take photos of them. The room was all set up for the cats, it was just a matter of Biffy saying what he wanted from the photos. // @rumplcgoldstcin

“Yeah, pulling them off one by one isn’t going to help. They’re just.. gonna keep trying.” As he spoke, he watched as one attempted just that. Biffy himself was currently covered in the other three cats, and he bent down to try and collect the others before they could trip the poor guy over.

“It was just the once!” Face going red, Reese was only upset because she so did not need it getting around that this was a regular occurrence. She’d rather people didn’t even know about the one time, but at least she could laugh about it if they did. If they thought she did it often though? That kind of thing was debilitating for anyone’s self image! “I’m friends with one of them! And the others…look, we just know each other!”

Pfft, Reese didn’t need to be a genius to recognize when someone wasn’t. Facetious? He could’ve at least acted like he was trying, “Dude, making up words is not gonna make you sound smarter.”

“Uhhuh, sure,” Biffy answered back, clearly unconvinced. Not that he really cared, but it was funny how fast she defended herself over it. “Oh goodie, you have a friend in the corrupted system who’ll look the other way when you’ll get your arm jacked up in a vending machine. Because knowing one means you’re above the law. Yeah, unless your friend is ‘the top dog’, I think you’re pressing your luck.”

She gave a shrug, “Worse has shown up on my doorstep, you know that.” Considering her back-alley business, a holy relic was probably one of the ‘better’ items that’s shown up. But holy items and her mixed like oil and water. Jinx couldn’t even touch the item without getting hurt.

It was all ‘thanks’ to mother dearest that she couldn’t handle any sort of holy anything. Not without being burned as a compensation. It was one of the reasons why she had to drink potions to numb the ones carved into her back or she’d probably be worst off. 

“If it is a relic, we get rid of it. If it isn’t, then we find the one who tried to trap me and give him some pay back. It seemed simple enough in her eyes. // @rumplcgoldstcin

It didn’t take long for Biffy to reach Jinx’s place, landing heavily in the dirt and crouching until the witch got off him. Shaking out his wings before folding them up, the large creature wandered up to the doorstep, and the artefact still there. 

Crouching down, Biffy eyed it over before slowly picking it up, turning it in his hands.

“Well, first off, it’s not your relic. It’s too heavy for gold, and the relic was broken off of its perch. The breaking point is clean. Doesn’t mean it’s not holy though.” So Biffy wouldn’t be handing it over just yet. Bringing it closer, he pressed at it firmly, turning it and scrutinising. 

“Don’t worry, for once my favoritism comes without a price.” Biffy was the least of troubles for the most part. He tended to keep to himself and stayed out of any schemes or anything that could blow out of proportion. So long as he stayed like that, then there’d be no issues between them and Jinx wouldn’t mind turning a blind eye to the nights he disappears to listen to that one band he seems to like. 

No one ever questions the sudden appearance and disappearance of a Gargoyle in the town square on specific dates when Dudes of Darkness performs. 

“I won’t say no,” She grins cheekily, taking his hand. “You’re the only one who seems to listen to town gossip and for one reason or another, you seem to hear the best kind.” Whether it was all by coincidence or Biffy placed himself in that spot on purpose was lost on her, nor did she find it in herself to find out why. It was useful regardless.

“I think it might be a relic-you know, the one that disappeared from the town a few hills over.” Normally she didn’t care, but relics didn’t just disappear from churches without anyone noticing. Jinx didn’t care too much for when things got stolen-there was so much in the world to steal. But it was the tidbit of it belonging to a church that had her antsy. If anyone could tell her more, it’d probably be Biffy. // @rumplcgoldstcin​

“Not my fault if people like to blabber,” Biffy blew off, leading the witch towards his back and helping her set herself on his back safely. Wings stretched out, Biffy crouched and readjusted to her added weight. Biffy just.. came to know things. Always in the right place at the right time. Listening to too loud conversations. It was amazing the wonders of paying attention could do.

She scowled for a moment being reminded of Baran- ugh that idiot. She had Mikron put off giving him a new arm to punish him for a while. Whatever ridicules he received from the others he deserved for his foolishness. And for trying such a bad lie on her. “Well, atleast one of you has a brain up there.”

Jinx walked around him once he stepped off his perch, just to double check there was no cracks or missing pieces from the Gargoyle. After doing one circle, she gave a satisfied nod sending Biffy a pleased smile. “You are one of my favorites so yes I can’t have you kicking the bucket so soon-or ever really,” The witch clarified, her expression settling into something dark, “Someone dropped off something at the shop. You need to come see it and double check what I’m already nearly positive of. You hear things and don’t try to deny it.” // @rumplcgoldstcin​

Biffy didn’t need to ask who didn’t have apparent ‘brains’. He’d spent plenty of nights watching rock-headed gargoyles mess up. Well Biffy refused to act so stupidly.

Not that Jinx seemed to believe him, walking around him like he would have some hidden chip. Groaning, the gargoyle rolled his eyes. “Oh what a shame,” Biffy answered dryly, watching the witch with boredom in his eyes. He’d much rather spend his nights talking to the animals of the forest. 

Her lips curled, mildly amused, but otherwise her expression remained neutral. “I’m so special I get two titles, lucky me. I came to see how you were doing.”

Jinx tended to leave Biffy alone for the most part. The Gargoyle was big and imposing and she doubted people would try and mess with him, but there was always a few that tried. Believe it or not, she did care about the creatures she created. For the most part.

Biffy more so because he took a good chunk of magic out of her that left her bed ridden for a while, and she’d be damned if he broke so easily. “Still in one piece I take it?” // @rumplcgoldstcin​

“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?” Biffy shot back drily, wings fluttering for a moment before folding up once again, thick arms folding across the gargoyle’s chest. “Pfft, as if I’d crack that easily. Unlike some, I don’t go around looking for a fight.”

Opening his eyes to peer around the world, they focused on the all too familiar eyes staring up at him.

She lets out a soft laugh, “Wolves aren’t often found in the city, so I can get a pretty good guess as to why.” Her hand finds Amarok’s head, gently running her palm from the top of his head down his back. The wolf pup sleeps soundly, completely unaware of the world around it. “Do what you need to do, I’ll keep this little one calm. How many animals do you have at the shelter?” Flora asks out of genuine curiosity, it hadn’t even occurred to her that Biffy helped out. Considering he has seven little ones running around already. Where was Mrs. Rumplekitty anyway?

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” She answers with a nod of her head, but she’s not entirely sure if that’s true. Flora mostly just feels overwhelmed and by extension exhausted. The day had moved on a lot faster than she anticipated, certainly a lot more exciting, but it wasn’t bad. She got to chat with Biffy and make a new friend in the wolf. “Just a lot going on is all, but I’ll manage.” // @rumplcgoldstcin​

“Probably because it’s unnatural and cruel to try and domesticate them. Then they act on their instincts and lash out and get put down because, surprise, people can’t properly take care of a wild animal when they treat it like a pet.” Was he a little bitter? Yeah, probably. He’d just.. seen it way too often, and they damn well didn’t deserve to be put down for doing what came natural to them. Setting himself down, Biffy started working on closing the wound. “Too many. Right now, about thirty. That will spike once we reach Christmas.” It always did..

“Ah, yes. The Queens of England, Elizabeth is named after them.” The monarchy had long passed since then, but the name was so smooth on the tongue. Not to mention, Jumin lived up to his expectations and treated Elizabeth like the queen that she was. She was horribly spoiled, but a rather sweet and docile cat. 

“It’s no problem, I do photography for a living-” He pauses, fumbling in his pockets for a business card he knows he has. He is a freelance photographer wanting to choose his own clients and muses than have someone pick them for him. Fortunately, he is good and skilled enough to be considered one of the biggest names in the Industry, even if he rather private and prefers to keep his anonymity. V finds the business card and offers it to him, “So it really would be my pleasure to take photos of such lovely muses.” // @rumplcgoldstcin​

“Not gonna lie, I’d follow a cat queen.” Queens and kings were.. a little outdated on most planets. But who wouldn’t want a cat ruler? “Besides, all female cat are queens already, so she already has that going for her.”

“Hey, man. They know me,” Not all of them in the best way, of course. In fact, not most of them, but the point was they knew her. And wasn’t establishing a relationship just the first step in building trust? “Me and security? We’re tight.”

That one earned him a snort. A lady? Reese? A noble steed was more believable than that, “Looks like we’re both getting something new today, cuz I sure shit never been called a lady.”

“Oh, yeah, I have no doubt they know you. Probably because you get stuck with your arm up a vending machine?” Sure, this little spring might have put them somewhere on the ‘friendly acquaintances’ list, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to take the opportunity to tease.

“I’d believe it, can’t be the first person they screwed over,” The smart thing would’ve just been to break the glass, or if she’d had her pick, to open the damned thing completely. Instead she’d tried to be a good person and only go for the bag owed her, “Guess that makes you kinda like a guardian angel, huh?”

Security might have been tougher to talk past, unless it was Barter who found her. Reese liked to think that, despite their little incident during the blackout, her friend would’ve believed her, “Id’a thought of something.”

“Well that’s a new one. Not sure I’d go that far though.” He’d done far too much illegal shit to call himself an ‘angel’ of any kind. His mother would have his neck. 

“I had no idea…” She trailed off uneasily. Animals were important on Lynphea but she never gave too much thought into it, preferring to follow in her mother’s footsteps towards herbalism. She was even more knowledgeable on bugs than she was on animals! Her hands settled onto her lap, clenched together into tight fists as her nerves frazzled and tensed. Research, she’d need to do more research when she got the chance. Right now all she felt was helpless due to not having a clue which direction to go in. Biffy literally was her saving grace at this point. 

A tired but relieved smile made its way onto her face-somehow. “Understood, I’ll keep calm. I’ve just never experienced anything like this, so I’m a little lost on how to go about it.” // @rumplcgoldstcin​

“I get it. I’ve lost a lot’a kitties in my life.” Most happily to old age. Still, it was stressful. “And you see a lot in the shelter. We, uhh, don’t really handle wolves though.” Just in case the woman got any ideas. “I’m going to have to stitch this wound back up. Just keep on pattin’ him.”

“If you don’t consider your pets your children can you say you truly love them?” He mused. The love for a pet was no different for a love of a child-atleast he thought so. “I’ve only ever named two pets, one dog named Sally, and then a white persian named Elizabeth the 3rd.” His lips quirk upwards at how the name sounds, but Jumin would never forgive him if he didn’t introduce her properly. “My friend Luciel has more creativity in coming up with names.”

“Thank you! Of course, I’d probably give you the originals if anything. The pictures would be meant for you,” V corrected politely. To him it made sense to give them the originals and if they allowed it, have V keep the copies. “It’s only fair considering they are your pets.” // @rumplcgoldstcin​

“Ehh fair, I’ll give you that.” Though if Rumple was his baby, then the kittens were clearly his grandkids. He was fine with that. Hearing about pets was always a great time. Pets were.. Great. Animals were good. “The third? Was there a first and second?” Not that Biffy minded the formal names. Now when he had Mrs Rumplekittykat himself.