#rxckaby

"Howdy there. Say, you got a....unique way of presentin'." Nico said, eyeing the violinist turned rumrunner up and down. That certainly was a unique outfit.

"I'm happy t' be aboard. Excited t' work witcha." He said. Mitzi told Rocky and Nico they had a pick-up that night, so for the time being, she left them in the garage to themselves. Nico was eager to learn more about this handsome new coworker of his.

“Oh, Soldaaaaan—!” he called, “I presume that if your door is unlocked, you must be here!”

He didn’t wait for an answer, and when he found her, Rocky grinned and threw his arms around her, purring loudly and giggling- that same giggle he always did if he wasn’t laughing maniacally.

“It’s always good to see you! I hope life’s treating you well… am I correct? And what has my dear friend been doing?”

@rxckaby here ya go- have a wild booze cat XDD

@rxckaby

…Rocky’s lying on the ground with a tiny cut on his pointer finger from a butter knife.

@rxckaby dude was trying to make a sandwich :’(((((

Rocky lifted a small box that, while hastily and messily wrapped, did look like it had taken some time to do. It probably had, knowing Rocky-

“Go on, open it up! It was, uhhh, all I could afford for now… but I hope y’like it!”

Inside was a a gun cleaning kit. Rocky had no clue if he needed another and sort of doubted he did, but he hadn’t been able to figure out anything else the gunman might want.

@rxckaby oh no. Mordecai

Mordecai indulges in a pragmatic pause before taking the offered gift. There is a moment, brief, but tangible, where he simply looks at the box, as if expecting some hidden clause, some unseen obligation tied to the offering. Gifts, in his experience, were rarely without purpose.

Then again, it is Rocky Rigby of all people. He somewhat doubted that Rocky meant any malice. So, he takes it.

. . .Carefully.

The paper is removed with far more neatness than it had been applied, folded once, twice, and set aside rather than discarded. Only then does he open the box.His thumb brushes over one of the tools, gaze narrowing ever so slightly as he inspects the contents with quiet scrutiny. Not low quality. Not thoughtless, either. Just a little unnecessary.

A faint exhale through his nose. ❛ I already possess the means to maintain my firearms, ❜ Mordecai mutters, turning the kit over with a methodical narrow of his eyes.

His eyes flick upward to Rocky, expression unreadable as ever, though there is something less cutting in it now, something a little tamer.

❛ However. . .❜ The lid closes with a soft click, his hand resting atop it a moment longer than needed. ❛ . . . it is not incorrect. Proper maintenance is not something one should neglect. ❜ He pauses once again; shorter, this time. He nods, as if affirming to himself.

❛ I will keep it. ❜

He handed it to her, grinning with sparkling blue eyes; when Mitzi were to unwrap the present, she’d find a shiny little hairpin! But not just any hairpin: it was a daisy, with those classic white petals and yellow center!

“I know it’s not an especially winter-themed flower… but I couldn’t find anymore more festive, hard as I tried.”

Most of Rocky’s teeth disappeared behind his lips, but, naturally, his fangs stuck out. His tail swished back and forth unconsciously in time with his accelerated, excited heartbeat.

@rxckaby 💙🎄

"Hello, honey." Mitzi smiled at Rockey, tilting her head to see what got him so excited this time--until she saw the box in hands. It didn't take much to connect the dots.

"Oh my, this for me~?" She chuckled softly, taking the gift from him and gingerly unwrapping it. He had...interesting gifts for her in the past, so she was more than prepared to politely accept the gift as usual.

However, once she laid eyes on the gift, a soft gasp escaped from her.

"Oh, honey..." Mitzi trailed off, holding up the hairpin close to her face. True, it wasn't festive, but it didn't matter. This...was actually very thoughtful of Rocky and she was pleasantly surprised!

“Had a rough go of it today, perhaps? Hm. That expression only says something’s not quite right. But I suppose this may be another one of life’s great mysteries, eh?”

@rxckaby but it won’t let my type his url for some reason :’(

White brows twitch in annoyance before his expression settles back into stoic neutrality. His hands are occupied with his Colt handgun, it's now empty magazine in his hands. He places it aside and then removes the spring plug from the below the barrel. After jobs that end... less than anticipated, he liked to take his gun apart to recalibrate and to clean it. In this case, he's quite literally swiping mud from the inside of his firearm.

❛ Morde-CAI, ❜  he corrects flatly. It wasn't that he disliked Rocky. It was just that they had nothing to discuss, in his opinion. Mordecai was the logistics and gunman. Rocky was there to tune a fiddle. In the tuxedo cat's opinion, they were never to cross paths unless necessary. They had very different parts to play in Lackadaisy.

❛ Mordy is NOT my name. Mor-de-cai is. Please use it in its entirety, ❜  he states plainly. He works a tufted brush into the barrel of his beloved pistol, keeping his eyes forward as he does so.

There is a touch of truth to Rocky's statement, though, as Mordecai's shoes and pants seem to be soaked with mud. He hadn't time to deal with them, yet. The more pressing matter at hand was his firearm, then he could refresh himself. What was a hatchet man without his tools, after all?

❛ Mister Rickaby, surely you have more pressing matters than whatever it is I am doing. I thought Zeb wanted you all to get some band practice in?❜