007 | Keeping busy

[stillshinigami]

He was at the common table after a meal, working out most of his leather bolt. He'd cut out plenty of the shapes for making the scabbards for the two swords and machetes he had Toph made. Toph, who had disappeared somewhere he was more than a little worried about. He's seen her consistently almost since they met, and now? Where the hell was she?

So caught up in his worry over Toph, his hammer slipped as he hit his hole puncher into the two layers of leather. Hit his thumb, not hard, but hard enough to smart. He cursed under his breath and let out an aggravated noise of frustration. He dropped the hammer and let his head fall onto his arms.

Maybe he needed a break. Clearly he needed one if he couldn't even keep his hand steady. He looked up briefly at his work, knowing how tedious all of it was. He just wanted it all done. Least he got the ones for the scythe blades done. Hell, he made plenty of progress over the last week gutting the tech and using the remaining power cell to fuse the metal. That was about all the juice it had left after all. He now had two scythes for him and his brother. He wanted to show em of, but no real motivation to go get up and go get him either.

He lay his head back down into his arms, yawning into them. Just take a short catnap instead. Let the guys come to him.

Comments

[stillshinigami]

"Hm." Duo offered a smile, returning Heero's smile, turning his eyes down to his work.

"I don't think I can do any more tonight. Maybe tomorrow if you're still up to help me out." Just can't take any more of it.

[stoicperfection]

"I will be." He'd have no problem helping out with the leather working tomorrow. Right now what he needed to do was convince Duo to get back to his room and sleep some. He looked too drained.

"Heading back to the rooms?"

[stillshinigami]

Not necessarily. He raised a brow to Heero and snorted. Well, at least he was watching out for him.

"Maybe in a little while." He turned to his side, grabbing one of the swords Toph made and handed it over, handle first.

"You can have this."

[stoicperfection]

Heero took the sword from Duo and lifted it up so he could see it. It had a very nice weight and balance to it. Toph did very nice work. He would just need to train with it a bit.

"Thanks."

[stillshinigami]

It was good craftsman's ship. His own design, Toph's skills. Duo stretched out with a yawn. Time for bed, he guessed. He started to gather the stuff on the table and throw it into the box he'df ound it all in. He set it against the wall and picked up the two scythes.

"Have you seen Toph around?"

[stoicperfection]

Turning the sword over once more, he finished looking at it and set it down on the table. He then went back t watching Duo while he threw the rest of his things into his box.

"I haven't."

There had been more shadows lately, especially on the roof where he and Harth had been attacked. However, he hadn't found her in any of the sarcophagi yet, which was odd.

[stillshinigami]

"Where is she?" Duo said with some strain in his voice. Fatigue and worry was catching up to him. He even wobbled a little. Goddamn, he didn't know how much more of this he could take.

He'd been caught up in this project and tending to that dragon this last week, when he finally realized Toph wasn't around, he immediately went to the coffins himself to check. Finding nothing.

"...Christ. Y'think they mighta done something else with her?"

[stoicperfection]

"Might be." Though what was beyond him. This wasn't typical behavior from this place and if the shadows attacked her, she should have been sent to the sarcophagi. Maybe she was attacked by someone else. Or maybe she was lost. That seemed unlikely.

He noticed Duo sway on his feet and didn't say anything. Duo would deny it anyway. But, he could see he was even more exhausted than he was letting on. This was worse than the last time. This wasn't just sleep deprivation.

"We'll find Toph."

[stillshinigami]

Had to agree with that but it was just so unlikely that Toph would go out alone, not after what happened before. There was more to it then just being a fool and going it alone even though Duo was just that kind of fool just now.

Duo started off towards his bedroom.

"I know." Or at least he hoped they did.

[lightning_and_death]

The night fury had lost track of the last time he saw the kind human. It was making him very uneasy, and anxious dragons were never a good thing. So worried was Toothless that he'd spent the whole day looking in each and every nook and cranny around the castle, all for very little sign of the man.

Finally, he'd caught the sound of Duo's voice and with no further hesitation, he took off to find him... And nearly barreled the man to the ground as they both rounded the door at the same time. Oops!

He stooped low, clucking deep and apologetically, eyes big and pupils dilated in his most friendly manner.

[stoicperfection]

Heero doubted it too. Toph seemed to know better than to head out alone. Someone usually knew where she was to begin with. This is was very odd indeed.

As the rounded the corner, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Next thing he knew, something had run into the older man. Someone that certainly wasn't human shaped. For a brief moment he tensed, poised and ready to strike if he needed to. Duo was in no condition right now. But the sound of deep chuckling and a friendly looking face eased him a bit.

He looked at the dragon and then at Duo. There was a dragon in the castle now. How fitting.

[stillshinigami]

"Oh!--" And he was backed up into the opposite wall, nearly sliding into it. He put a hand against the thing's head and pulled himself back to stand.

"Hey bud." He said, patting the thing behind those ear flap things. He looked up to Heero and shrugged.

"Feelin' lonely boy?" All those pet names, he still didn't know if Toothless was actually a boy let alone what his name was.

"Heh." C'mon. He tugged the dragon around to look at Heero. "Here, dragon. Meet Heero."

[lightning_and_death]

Huh? What? Oh, another human? Well, that's great and all, but as far as Toothless was concerned, Duo was sick. Or tired. Or sad. He was something. He looked down, was moving slower than normal, held himself differently. Maybe most other humans would have overlooked something like that, but for the dragon who spoke through only unintelligible noises and body language, he perfectly understood what Duo was saying through his own movements.

Whether the human was sick, tired, sad, lonely, disheartened, or whatever he was, Toothless was worried. After giving Heero a quick look over (geeze, what a scrawny thing- almost as breakable as Hiccup, no doubt) he turned his attention back to Duo, circling him with a low pitched whine before nudging his head under his hand.

Cheer up, friend!

[stoicperfection]

Heero didn't respond to Duo's introduction. It seemed pointless to him to do so verbally and he wasn't to reach out and touch an animal he didn't know. Toothless seemed friendly around Duo, but that didn't mean a thing when it came to him. He did keep his eyes on the animal while it tried to do whatever it was doing to Duo.

[stillshinigami]

It was... cuddling. Like a cat. Pushing him forward.

"C'mon, lizard breath. Chill!" Duo patted Toothless on his nose, looking back at him, then helplessly at Heero.

Oi. Heero. Help him out, wouldja?

"He's okay, man. He's tame, I think."

[lightning_and_death]

Tame, yes. Potentially scary looking? Definitely. He was a great big powerful stealthy monster on wings, with lots of firepower in case his array of sharp pointy objects didn't do the job of completely ruining most targets. No doubt he could easily be confused for something harmful, even in his best of moods.

Toothless could tell that Duo wanted him to take notice of the other human, so he gave in with a rumble. He left the older pilot's side and moved to the younger. He stopped just out of arm's reach and sat, crouching in on himself submissively, paw lifted from the ground and ears only slightly erect. There was a low purr coming from him as he looked up at Heero with great big eyes and dilated pupils.

After determining whether or not the other would attack him, he moved in close enough to sniff at him, starting from Heero's chest and working his way up to the head.

Yup. Seemed to check out just fine. He sat back again, ears and wings perked.

"Auuurghrraw," he greeted before promptly ignoring him and turning back to Duo. There. Made friends. NOW will you cheer up?

[stoicperfection]

Despite Toothless' attempt to show how docile and friendly he was, Heero still didn't reach out and touch the dragon. It didn't have anything to do with thinking he was dangerous anymore. The largest animal he had ever dealt with was a horse, which was trained, so he was a little bit scared to touch something that build wise was bigger than that. A lot bigger and stronger than a horse.

He looked back to Duo once the dragon ignored him and watched as Toothless tried to cheer him up. It was a bit amusing to watch it interact with the older pilot. Duo looked like he could fall over any moment and yet this dragon kept nudging him and acting much like a cat would.

[stillshinigami]

"Hmm." Nudge him anymore and he might just fall over. Instead he just leaned against Toothless's head as he nudged him, yawning.

"Go'wan, dragon. Go t'sleep." He said, finally pushing Toothless away gently as he moved to step around the dragon, near tripping over his tail.

[lightning_and_death]

Oh, nudging back, are we? Take- whoa! Toothless reacted quickly, a wing shooting out to catch Duo and keep him upright.

He looked at him before casting his glance to Heero.

What was wrong with the boy? Did this other human know?

[stoicperfection]

Hero did know what was wrong with Duo. This place exhausted him more than he'd seen in anyone else. It was a problem that needed to be solved soon. Duo wasn't going to last long in this place like this.

"Let's get him to his room to rest." The older pilot could whine all he wanted about it, but he wasn't going to her it. There was something seriously wrong here.

[stillshinigami]

He wasn't going to argue this time. Not this time. He pulled himself up against the wing and moved around it. "M'tired, that's all." Sheesh. Explaining himself to a dragon! What was shaping up to be his pet dragon, getting a bit too close for comfort just now.

He yawned and stretched, heading over to the door to open it up.

"Heero? Can y'keep him company?"

[lightning_and_death]

Toothless followed Duo to the door until he read the way he held himself, and understood that the poor exhausted man didn't want to be followed. He sat and scrunched in his wings, wrapping his tail around his paws. One great big deadly cat.

His ears dropped and eventually his head followed.

Awr, left alone. Oh. 'cept Scrawny there.

[stoicperfection]

"Yeah." Heero wasn't sure how to keep a dragon entertained, especially one that didn't seem to like him. Once Duo left, he looked to Toothless as the dragon sulked. Sorry Duo, this wasn't going to happen.

Turning away from Toothless, he decided to return to the common room to see what could he find out about Toph. Toothless was free to follow him if he wanted, but he wasn't going to pay much attention to him.

[lightning_and_death]

Well, of course he's going to follow!

This other human seemed to know how to make his own human friend feel happier, so he'd investigate the man as much as he could. He followed close behind him, taking careful, stealthy sniffs.

Had Duo mentioned something about finding someone? Maybe a good, sharp nose would help?

[stoicperfection]

Ignoring Toothless didn't last for long. Those steathy sniffs of his were actually noticed by him and he stopped short, turning to look at the dragon. "Stop that"

Turning away then, Hero continued on into the common room and looked around for a moment. Top hadn't left anything here the last time he saw her. The one thing he did know was that she did sleep outside occasionally. So it was best to look there and see what he could find. Toothless would be some use out there.

So off he went outside, knowing the dragon would follow.