Carpathia IV: Episode 232 - Wingman
Amenaru's Room
Amenaru observed himself in his mirror, sporting his cleanest, most polished of his uniforms. While he checked his front for any blemishes, Kit worked on picking lint off of the rear.
Amenaru: Not sure if my best uniform is really necessary. I'm just sitting for a test.
Kit: Look good. Feel good. Besides, you never know if Commander Joust might try to trip you up by criticizing your uniform before you sit for the test.
Amenaru: That is something he would do.
Satisfied with his front, Amenaru turned to face Kit for a second opinion.
Amenaru: Whaddya think?
Silently, Kit picked more lint from Amenaru's front, lint that Amenaru figured must have been microscopic, because he couldn't see any of it.
Kit: Perfect! Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?
Amenaru: If you're nearby, I feel like I might be distracted, but I'd appreciate it if you could see me to the shuttle.
Kit looked dejected, but Amenaru knew he needed to hold firm. What he said was not a lie. He really would feel distracted knowing Kit was just outside, probably wearing out the carpets with his pacing.
Amenaru: I'd like it if you can have fun with the others and get to know my sister and brother a bit more.
Kit: I suppose I should. It will also take my mind off things.
Amenaru: Win-win, then! Let's go.
Amenaru climbed down the ladder to the lower level of his room, followed by Kit.
Main Floor
On the ground floor, it was a lively scene greeting Amenaru and Kit at the bottom of the stairs. To their right, Darius and Ramses sat on the couch playing what was clearly a competitive video game, given how they both tapped furiously at their controllers. Near the front, Sylvar rooting around in the refrigerator. Most interesting was the middle of the floor where Mikado stood with his arms outstretched and Meri fussing over his clothing. Clothing which was far more fashionable and unusual compared to his normal street clothes. On top, he wore a backless, salmon-colored shirt with ruffles and belts. On the bottom, tight, leather pants with a triangular cutout for his tail.
Tight was an understatement, for these pants left nothing to the imagination, hugging every single curve, crack, and crevice of his bottom half. With pants that tight, Amenaru wondered why wear pants in the first place. Mikado, however, seemed very pleased and comically spun around, trying to see his own butt.
Amenaru: Woo, Mikado. Those are some tight pants.
Mikado: How does my butt look?
Amenaru: Pretty good! But isn't that uncomfortable?
Mikado: Surprisingly, not at all.
Mikado kept swinging around, trying to catch a glimpse of his rear, but having no luck.
Meri: It's a new type of faux leather we got at the school and I've been dying to try it out! It's stretchy in just the right way to hug the body without feeling stiff.
Kit: Can I try?
Meri's face split into a wide grin.
Meri: I sure can! When will you two be back?
Amenaru: He's just seeing me to the shuttle, so he'll have all day with you guys.
Meri: Great! Now I have two boys to experiment on! Can't use Ramses. He never stops squirming when I put something on him.
Amenaru: I look forward to seeing him when I get back, then. I gotta go now, though. Don't wanna be late.
With that, Sylvar waved at Amenaru from the kitchen, looking very proud of himself.
Sylvar: Hey, do you want to take a sandwich with you? I made some! Roast beef, swiss cheese, and horseradish on ancient grain bread.
Amenaru: Oh, I was planning to get something on the way, but hell yeah, I'll take that!
Sylvar handed over a sandwich neatly wrapped in wax paper.
Sylvar: Kit, I heard you're coming back right away. You want something now or later?
Kit: Later is fine. We should go now.
Amenaru: And we're off. Wish me luck!
A chorus of "Good luck!" rang through the house as Amenaru waved and walked out of the front door.
Later That Evening
Amenaru strutted up the steps of his house brimming with pride and confidence. With a singular joy and bravado, he flung open the front door and strode inside to find his brothers, sisters, and two guests engaged in various activities.
Amenaru: I passed the written test!
Cheers and applause greeted him, and Amenaru took a very deep, flourishy bow, twirling his hand all the way down.
Amenaru: Thank you! Thank you all!
Darius: Is that it? Are you full Lieutenant now?
Amenaru: I got a few more practical tests to go, but piece of cake, right? I feel like it's in the bag now.
Sylvar: Of course you'll do it!
Meri and Ramses, however, were far more skeptical.
Meri: Don't get cocky, twerp.
Amenaru flashed a grimace in Meri's direction, but he wouldn't let that spoil his mood.
Amenaru: I assume you already had dinner. I can have whatever is left over.
Ramses: Mom already ate, but we decided to wait.
Sylvar: Almost done cooking! You relax while we get everything ready!
Amenaru: Looking forward to it!
Relaxing sounded quite nice to Amenaru, which meant time to spend with Kit. He stood in the middle of the room, where Mikado had been earlier modeling Meri's clothing creation. Now, it was Kit's turn, and he sported a pair of faux leather pants just like Mikado's, though custom tailored to fit him. He had no shirt.
Amenaru: Nice pants! I kind of like them without a shirt.
Kit: Thanks! Meri didn't have time to make a shirt. I did not know how much went into making a pair of pants.
Amenaru: I know. I've seen her do it. Anyway, I know they told me to relax, but I'll do whatever you're doing. Relaxing is being close to you!
Kit: In that case, you can help me get the onigiri out of the steamer. We've been using that to keep them warm.
After Dinner
While the others cleaned up, Darius and Mikado sat on the couch in front of the TV. Every offer of help, and there were many, were met with reassurances of "Guests don't clean up!" Despite this, Darius couldn't help but feel a bit guilty while the others worked. Mikado, however, didn't seem to mind. Either that, or he was better at hiding it. While the others cleaned, Mikado talked about other things. Probably the one thing that could take Darius's mind off of the guilt of not helping to clean.
Mikado: You and Ramses have been spending a lot of time together.
All of the fur on Darius's cheeks frizzed.
Darius: Ah, well, you know. He's nice. And it's fun being around him.
Mikado: I don't know much about what other species call "flirting," but it looks like that's what he's been doing.
The fur on the rest of Darius's face frizzed, equalling his cheeks.
Darius: Maybe... I suppose. I mean, I think so...
Mikado: Why not do something?
Darius devolved into full panic.
Darius: I CAN'T...
Only two words in and Darius realized he was shouting. He cast a quick glance behind the couch to see of anyone paid attention to that, but there was enough clamor in the kitchen that a two-word outburst didn't garner any notice. Darius re-started his answer, this time in a frantic whisper.
Darius: I can't do that! That's the little brother of my superior officer and I'm a guest in his house! With his parents!
Mikado: So?
A typical tokki answer and Darius was only surprised that this surprised him.
Darius: It's just not done!
Mikado: Just ask, then.
So stubborn and Darius wondered what he could say to make Mikado's bunny brain understand.
Darius: I can't do that!
Mikado: Well, I can.
Mikado turned around and perched his knees on the couch cushion to give him a near-standing view of the kitchen on the other side.
Darius: No!
Mikado: HEY, AMENARU! DARIUS WANTS TO KNOW IF HE CAN HAVE SEX WITH RAMSES!
Darius buried his face in his paws while all activity in the kitchen stopped, save for the sound of Meri dropping an entire handful of dirty utensils, all of which landed with a clamor on the floor. For his part, Ramses clutched the stack of plates he was holding hard enough that they might shatter from the force.
Amenaru: Um, well. You don't need anyone's permission for that... except for Ramses, of course.
Now, all eyes were on Ramses. All eyes, except two, but Darius did swivel a very hopeful ear in his direction. Ramses put the stack of plates next to the sink and scratched behind his ear, his face bright red.
Ramses: Wow, um... I suppose everyone should have a tokki wingman. I was hoping Darius would come around before you left the week after next. Now that it's out in the open, erm... yeah, you wanna?
Difficult to see for anyone in the kitchen, but what they could see was Darius's ear swivelling back into normal position and then his head move. Only Mikado could see clearly that he was nodding.
Mikado: That's an affirmative!
Amenaru: You two go have fun, then! We'll finish up!
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
Falke2009
