#**closed starter**

                                                            Time to see if Ryou really CAN purr like a cat...

                              Pai waited for the moment the other scientist was distracted before he casually walked up beside him; his hand slowly reached up to place itself on Ryou’s head, hesitating for a brief moment before he began to pet his head like he would a cat’s.

                                             “ Taruto! ”

                              Since his younger brother had been sorted into a different house------GRYFFINDOR, ugh------Pai couldn’t keep tabs on him as much as he would like to. So every time he caught sight of him he made SURE to check up on him.

                                             “ Where are you headed in such a hurry? It better be to the LIBRARY to study during your downtime------ ”

                              Where was he? He knew Ryou should be around there somewhere... Maybe he was down in his lab? He’d have to check------he was just so excited to find him (even if his straight face didn’t really show it). Pai had been working on something in SECRET for some time now, something he felt the other scientist would be interested in, and now that it was finally fixed up and ready to go he went to locate him.

                                             “ Ryou? Are you down here? ”

                              He looked around the lab until he spotted that blonde hair. His excitement flared at the sight of him, but it was short lived when he got closer and noticed something was wrong; he looked...upset. What was wrong? He wanted to ask, but he figured he probably wouldn’t get a real answer------both he and Ryou had many things in common, and being closed off was one of them.

                              Instead of asking him if he was okay, he simply cleared his throat and crossed his arms, patiently waiting to gain the man’s attention.

                                             “ Do you really think that I don’t notice you FOLLOWING me back there? What is it you want? Out with it already------ ”

                              Pai was getting rather annoyed by his ex-leader’s actions; at first he just ignored the other, but hours drug by and he couldn’t take it any longer. Honestly, did he really have nothing better to do than follow his old servant around? How PATHETIC.

                              HOW did this happen? His ship had done fine on the trip to Earth, and yet something had malfunctioned on the trip back home------that wasn’t even the worst part. Stranded, on some godforsaken hunk of rock in an unfamiliar part of the galaxy, and he wasn’t alone. Most would take comfort in such a fact, but he did not. It wasn’t because he hated the other he was stranded with, no (quite the contrary), but the fact that she was there troubled him: How did she get on his ship? What in the world was she THINKING? And now...now she was stuck just like he was.

                              Frustrated with the sparking bits of machinery, Pai gave up with trying to repair the ship for the time being. It would do him no good to get electrocuted in the process; might as well wait for it to finish its ‘temper-tantrum.’ His attention shifted to his accompaniment, eyes flickering with a sudden GRIEF for a very brief moment. No: He couldn’t let her see how worried he was about their situation, especially since it was now placed upon him to make sure she remained SAFE.

                              He walked up to her, slowly, eyes searching to try and understand what must be running through her head right then. There were so many things running through his own mind, so many questions; ‘are you hurt?’, ‘can you breathe okay here?’, ‘do you feel ill at all?’, and just overall ‘are you okay?’------but none of those questions were what fell from his lips.

                            “ Lettuce... Why were you on my ship? ”