empcthx

[empcthx]

Caden startled as the teleporter burst into the RV, the groceries causing him to look up from his place on the couch in confusion. He’d gotten a small hint of a dull pain on both his hands and cheek, and he grimaced at the realization that the grocery run probably hadn’t gone so well. 

He entered the bathroom cautiously, only sparing a glance at the weird mirror before refocusing on Emery. “Do you need anything?” he asked, figuring he could spare her the normal pleasantries. “I’m pretty sure there are bandages somewhere in the mirror.”

Bleeding Steel | Chapter 1

Emery burst into the RV in a flurry of movement, all but flinging the groceries she bought onto the nearest unoccupied surface before running to shove her bruised and bleeding knuckles under running water in the bathroom sink. She grit her teeth as the shallow cut under her eye demanded attention, a bit of weakness she couldn’t afford to acknowledge.

It was a harsh reminder that the fun and games of meeting new people was over: things were going back to normal again.

[empcthx]

trynabegreen

His words were heard, but Green reacted defensively by pressing his lips to Caden’s again, as if he only listened. The topic of Grey was still an open wound that he didn’t want to lick, despite how often he seemed to circle around it. Truth be told, Green knew Grey hadn’t forgotten - their gross, complex, beautiful entanglement had so deeply shaped him that it was impossible not to think about Grey. He just wanted to hear the words from Caden without really having to dig a little deeper, instead focusing on the soft kisses between them. But the more Green thought about his words… the more the guilt lingered around in the back of his head. Slotting their lips together, he gently pushed Caden against the tiled walls, hands reaching to caress his sides. “Let’s… here,” he said, trying to avoid conversation - the words had escaped him. He was so focused on the tactile sensations when a tiny bubble of jealousy floated through him unexpectedly. The emotion caught him off guard, and he moaned into Caden’s lips. His slow kisses eventually paused, and he bit the pink of his upper lip before pulling back with an honest expression. “Okay, but what if he moved on,” he muttered, his chest tight and uncomfortable. This time, Green didn’t reach for a kiss, instead closing the gap between their bodies, searching for warmth in the cold bathtub water.

The kisses and touches had become less of a grounding sensation and more of a distraction from what the hell it was that Green was feeling, and Caden had to mentally pull back for a second, the guilt and confusion and was that jealousy? His eyes refocused on Green, taking in the oddly honest expression and the pressure on his chest. The answer was obvious, too obvious, for him. But too many years of trying to say the ‘right’ thing held him back from just saying the rather harsh truth. Instead, he was silent for several moments, throwing words and phrases away moments before they were spoken. There was no easy way to say it, he realized, sighing in resignation. “Then there’s nothing you can do,” Caden answered. “And then you move on as well.” 

[empcthx]

xbiancaramosx

“Sorry for making assumptions, then.” In Bianca’s experience people usually knew what ingredients they were going to use before they got out the bread to make a sandwich. To each their own, she supposed. She shrugged and went back to her parts, not really interested in seeing what he pulled out of the fridge. She was oftentimes afraid to open it herself, never sure what would be found inside. “I think that this over here came from an RC car and this from a laptop.” As she spoke she identified the scavenged parts. Honestly, she just took whatever she could get her hands on, never knowing what she might need.

As he continued to prep the food, Caden glanced over to actually take a look at what Bianca had been messing around with. He was no mechanic or engineer by any means, but he did recognize the laptop fan, and hummed with a bit of interest. “Do you just tinker around with things as a hobby?” he asked, wanting to know more. “Because that’s really cool.”

[empcthx]

3d3nsr0s3

Izaya looked down at his slushie sadly, he just wanted to be slushie buddies with Caden. At least the other mutant took a sip instead of throwing it out, that had to be at least some kind of win. And Izaya could also take note that Caden’s favorite thing at a gas station was not the sugary drink for future reference when picking out possible birthday and Christmas gifts. Next rest stop he’d try gas station sushi.

Izaya was grateful for the extra hands as he struggled to regain his specific balance between the cups and cereal. But he made a face at Caden’s answer to his question and made sure to feel extra suspicious at the comment so the empath would catch on. “We will all be okay,” he said rather nonchalantly as he moved behind Caden to browse the rest of the aisle. “Sooner or later. But I did not ask about the future and I will always worry about you Caden, you are important to me.” He popped his head up to stare at the empath from the aisle over.

Caden paused in their path to through the aisle. Sometimes he forgot how perceptive other people could be, even without actually feeling their emotions. “For now? I’m okay,” he finally said, a resigned smile sent Izaya’s way. “I really wish you wouldn’t worry.” The empath glanced around again before returning his gaze to the shelves. No. Not here, when everyone, including Izaya, could be affected by the emotions that were barely shoved down. He didn’t want to deal with them in the middle of a goddamn convenience store. But even so...

“Izaya?” he called, looking over to the younger boy, an odd expression making its way onto his face. “Thank you, though. You’re important to me too, and that’s why I’d rather deal with this later,” he explained. “You don’t need to be caught in the middle.”

Friends? No. | Izaya

[empcthx]

fusionsuna

Oh. Oh. Rod could have sworn they were in a relationship. Everything pointed to it, like a big ol’ pointer in the sky. The way Green always gifted him with soft kisses and physical intimacy. How Caden managed to get him to open up, get on a deeper level. There was their band, the impetus for the whole road trip. And the way they always slept in the same bed – here Rod was beginning to think that he’d been intruding, having always been fused to Green. The more Rod began to think about it, the less he concentrated on the road, confused about what their relationship was. “Are you sure?” he asked with a nervous half-chuckle in his voice. “This isn’t you trying to fool your old man.” And good God, Rod was flushed a deep salmon. He tried to look Caden in the eye, but he couldn’t. Not after disclosing that he found them to be awfully cute together. “To be fair,” he forced out awkwardly. “When I’m fused to him I could always feel something. But then again, even when I’m fused to Green I still don’t understand him any more.” That went that justification. He should have just kept quiet, not said a word or a peep. Instead, he zippered up and focused on the how the night met the winding road. That was until Caden let out his quiet murmur. “Tell me what’s on your mind. How do you feel and everything?”

He gave a final chuckle, shaking his head. “Mm, no. I promise I’m not trying to hide a sordid affair with the resident malingerer,” Caden replied, amusement clear in his tone. The awkward embarrassment from the elder mutant was to be expected, but the empath still couldn’t help but curl into himself, perching his feet on the seat and making himself seem smaller. Rod’s question made him pause though, the coffee cup pausing and settling on his knees. How was he feeling? He’d been so focused on not letting everyone else’s emotions overwhelm him that he hadn’t exactly stopped to think about how he himself was feeling, ignoring it as best he could. “I think I’ve been trying to not feel,” he said honestly, letting out a sigh. “There’s enough emotions running rampant in this RV without my own freak out being added to the mix.” Caden shook his head with a small smile. “I’ll deal with it when we can stop and I can step away from everyone else for a bit. I doubt anyone wants to get an added dose of whatever it is I’ve been ignoring,” the empath decided, then turned to face Rod with a concerned expression of his own. “And you? How are you holding up considering everything?”

[empcthx]

3d3nsr0s3

He nodded and grabbed as many extra large cups he could in one swipe. For a moment he was at a loss of where to stash them, then decided to slowly stuff them up his shirt. He looked ridiculous as he suspiciously side-eyed the other mutants who were walking around the store, some laughed as he snuck between the isles balancing two huge slushies with one arm. “Here,” He handed one of the drinks to Caden. On further inspection, the cup seemed to be filled with cherry, blueberry, and Coca-Cola, a disgusting mix but the bright childlike smile on Izaya’s face made the repulsive smell worth it.

Taking his place by the older man he grabbed a small box of Froot Loops and stuffed it in between the arm that held the shirt cups in place. He glanced over at Caden and his smile dropped taking a much more concerned expression. “Are you okay?” He whispered as he reached for a can of ravioli. “How do you feel about all…this.” He attempted to wave his arm around but panicked as he almost dropped his box of cereal and stolen ‘bowls’.

Caden glanced down skeptically at the cup, before shrugging and taking a small sip. Despite it’s unfortunate coloring, the sugar rush was just as potent, and the empath grinned at the taste. “You know, you didn’t have to get me one,” he said, but the deed had been done and Caden figured he may as well enjoy the sugary slush before he got sick of it. Something told him that this would be a regular occurrence if they kept stopping at these gas stations.

He managed to stick his hand out to help catch the cereal and extra cups, but Izaya’s words had him pasting on a small grin. No need to burden him with his own worries. There was enough of that from everyone else on the RV, and Caden was pretty sure that there would be more as the trip went on. “I’ll be okay,” the empath said, choosing to answer with a half-truth. He grabbed a couple of cans of soup from the same shelf and offered a small smile to Izaya. “Don’t worry about me. That’s my job.”

Friends? No. | Izaya

[empcthx]

trynabegreen

Green protested, pawing Caden softly at the loss of contact, cold war rushing in his place. The prank was behind him - why weren’t they in his Twin XL with his outer space blanket, some hot chocolate with peppermint, and his collection of Build-A-Bears. He sought out warm and brushed up against Caden’s side, his leg wading through the water before tangling with Caden’s. But not only did he seek out warmth… No, Green sought comfort. He bended forward to grab the nearest towel hung on the wall, draping it over their bodies. Once he laid his head on his shoulder and swayed into his frame, Green finally replied. “You’re the weird one,” he said, trying to deflect.

As much as he was somewhat envious of Caden’s abilities - he always wanted to play with someone’s emotions, maybe just… understand - Green didn’t like being pinned down, especially not emotionally. Hardly anybody understood him - he could count that number with half a hand. But he appreciated it deep down, nodding wordlessly. The more he focused on his thoughts, the more an unnerving uncertainty plumed from his subconscious. It was disorienting, to say the least, now that Caden had somewhat cracked him. Saw his inner machinations. “It’s nothing,” he said softly. As he’d learned these past few weeks, Green really wasn’t the type to process vocally. It’d helped, kind of, but he was a tactile person. Take fusion with Rod, for example. He craved that kind of proximity. Leaning into Caden’s embrace, he pressed his lips softly against the other’s and kissed him gently as his far hand cupped his cheek. It was supple and dainty, and the warmth made him quiver. “What if they forgot about me.“ He paused. “What if Grey’s moved on?”

The towel over their shoulders was going to get soaking wet, but the temporary comfort was enough for Caden to let himself relax. The deflection was so easy to see that it was almost offensive, but Caden was learning very quickly that it was best to just let the words come in their own time, and he simply let his head rest on Green’s, taking in the warmth and heat and comfort that came with being in contact with another body. It was always odd, being grounded by a physical sensation when everything else in Caden’s life was just a whirlwind of one emotion to the next. Odd, but not unfamiliar, and definitely not unwelcome. Especially since he could feel the gradual descent into apprehension, and he pressed all the more closer, both for Green's sake and to keep himself from getting lost.

He let out a small sigh at the questions, unsure how to respond. He knew... or at least, he’d assumed that the RV that they traveled in now was the same one that Green had arrived in at the Sanctuary all those years ago. It was something of a miracle that they’d managed to go a few days without Grey being brought up. “Honestly? I don’t know,” Caden murmured. He couldn’t lie about this. “But I would think that it’s a little hard to forget given that. Well.” He trailed off before giving a small shrug of his shoulders. “You certainly haven’t forgotten. I doubt Grey has either.” He didn’t know what sort of comfort it would be, but it was the best he could offer.

[empcthx]

Nights were so much easier to stay concentrated. Emotions were duller, more abstract. Less bright flashes and spikes and crashes, more dull waves and ebbing pulls as everyone calmed. The stillness in both the silence and in emotion was welcome, especially after all the events that had occurred, and the resulting responses of everyone on the RV. Caden was more than happy to accept pulling an all-nighter with Rod, and the coffee was a rather enticing incentive as well. As he sipped the prized drink he could feel the... unsettledness? No, that wasn’t quite the right word. An unidentifiable emotion, one that more than concerned the empath coming from Rod. He tilted his head at the question, about to offer reassurance. But before he could ask if all was well, he choked on his drink and shook his head, clearing his throat and waving his hand as if he could just shove away the misunderstanding. “We’re not- no, Green and I aren’t dating. Green’s insane,” Caden finally managed to say, a final cough and a small chuckle punctuating the end of the declaration. “No need to clear out or anything like that, thanks.” A quick glance to the back told him that he’d managed to keep his incredulity quiet enough that no one had woken up. He let out a resigned sigh as he returned his eyes back to the road. “It’s been an odd few days,” he murmured.

empcthx.

It was the first night since they departed that Rod hadn’t been fused to Green – the asshole had promised to stay up with him, but he KOed early after a long day of city exploring and… doing whatever Green did. An hour past 2am and Rod’s hands were quivering along the  grip of the wheel, fidgeting on the rips along the leather covering. He could hardly concentrate on the dark concrete of the road, eyes wanting to flicker away to their bedroom and check up on him. He needed intimacy. Instead, he turned to Caden, asking him to sit shotgun and offering his quarter cup of coffee on a quick rest-stop. The comfort of the night sat between them, the night-sky hypnotic and drawling on him. “Thanks for keeping me company,” he said softly, keeping his voice low as to not wake the other passengers. But he needed to stay awake. “Can I tell you something?” His eyes were glued to the markers along the road but, as the RV pulled up to a stop sign, Rod inhaled deeply. He thought about just unshackling his feelings and his deep thoughts, but now didn’t feel right to do so, as late as it was. Instead, he shook his head and forced out a chuckle – something, anything but his discomfort. He turned to something Green had told him earlier. “You know, I’ve been meaning to tell you, Caden. You and Green are a cute couple. I’ve been rooting for you two since day one. And I know that situations have changed and all. So if you want a night in the bedroom with him with, you know, me not there. Let me know, okay?” He offered a warm smile, wanting to ruffle the other’s hair, wanting to offer some advice. Instead, he sat comfortably between them with a honey-warm feeling, gushy about how adorable they were together.

[empcthx]

trynabegreen

Either Green was the one variable in all of his antics, or it was the whole world around him. Everything in this scenario was accounted for: the lights, the escape route if need be, the charm-yer-way-outta-this spiel. And, yet, every single time it had always spiraled out of his control and left him with much more trouble that he needed. It was almost as if people had their own reactions that he couldn’t account for… That certainly wasn’t the case as Green splashed water against Caden. “Red, it’s just a mirror, you’re making stuff up again.” The panic began to subside. Green cozied up against Caden’s body, shivering from how frigid the water was, his clothes clung to the curves on his body. As he lay in place for a brief moment, against Caden and under the darkness of the room, it all felt so… unexplainable. This RV was on its way to California, and everything in his life - running away, the whole sanctuary thing, yadda yadda - had led up to this moment. He pressed a soft kiss to the edge of Caden’s lips looking for comfort and warmth. “Could be worse. I mean, you’re not a horse. You wanna see how I could make it worse?” He smirked before planting another quick peck and splashed the side of Caden’s face with water.

“I wasn’t making it up,” Caden muttered, though the protest was half-hearted, knowing that there really wasn’t any use in trying to explain the weird feeling he’d gotten from the mirror. Besides, all he had to do was ignore the freaky whatever it was that was coming from the mirror until they got to California. Just for a second, he picked up the familiar sense of displacement, one that he knew wasn’t coming from himself, but the feeling passed, and he let himself give a small smile as he heard Green keep speaking. “Not in particul-” He cut off when the water splashed on his face, spluttering in indignation. “Really?!” he exclaimed, sitting up and retaliating by sending another splash of water Green’s way. Caden sighed and crossed his arms around him, shivering slightly as the cold actually started setting in. He looked over to Green and tilted his head. “You felt weird for a second,” he stated, figuring that he might as well ask. “What is it?”

[empcthx]

xbiancaramosx

After putting her organizer back onto the seat next to her she watched as he put the bread onto the table. Honestly, sandwiches wouldn’t be that bad a meal, although with how many of them there were they would go through the bread pretty fast. “What sort of sandwiches were you thinking? Because right now all I’m seeing is raw toast.” When he asked her what she was making she looked back down at the parts she had in front of her. “I didn’t have anything in mind, really. I might not be making anything today.”

He let out a small laugh,moving to the refrigerator. “Hey now, I just got started,” the empath retorted, amusement laced in his tone. Caden moved towards the mini fridge, opening it to see its contents. “I think there might be some turkey in here,” he muttered, reaching in and pulling out a container filled with... some sort of poultry meat. He really hoped this was turkey. Or chicken. Or just edible. With a small shrug he returned to the table to grab the bread. A quick glance at the scattered parts gave him no more information about what Bianca might have been tinkering with. “Well what was it before?”

[empcthx]

xbiancaramosx

Exactly like she thought, she was taking up too much space. “Of course! Sorry! Thank you! I just got it untangled and it’s a process I didn’t want to repeat again.” Bianca said, unable to settle on a suitable reply at first. She picked up her organizer from where it was sitting on the seat next to her and placed it on the table, putting the wire that she had just spared from being disturbed safely away. She then moved on to more unnecessary parts, keeping only the bare necessities out on the table. She thought that she had cleared enough space, but she also knew her tendency to spread out. “Is that enough space or would you like some more?”

"Oh! Yeah, wouldn’t want that,” he replied, before awkwardly waiting as she cleared a space for him to put some food supplies on the table. “That’s perfect, thank you,” Caden answered, a grateful nod in her direction before he glanced over the supplies that they had, a resigned expression on his face. “Let’s hope everyone likes some sort of sandwich,” he muttered, placing the packaged bread on the table. As he started to figure out what else he might be able to make, he glanced over to the parts still on the table. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is it that you’re making?”

[empcthx]

Caden jerked his hand back with wide eyes and an apologetic expression. “Sorry! Sorry,” he replied, his hand going instead to the back of his neck. “I just needed to move some of the wires so I could get started on figuring out some sort of meal for everyone,” he explained, gesturing to the pantry. He offered a sheepish smile and tilted his head. “So uh, if you could just make a bit of room I can stay out of her hair.”

Despite still not fully understanding how she had come to be in this situation, Bianca was embracing it to the best of her ability. Currently that meant sitting at the table and working on an invention. Or at least that’s what she had intended to do but between untangling bits of wire and not being fully comfortable in her surroundings yet she wasn’t having much luck. No body seemed to mind but she was feeling pretty guilty about taking up so much of the table space with all her parts and tools. “Please don’t touch that!” She cried, eyes wide as she saw a hand reaching out for the wire that she had just untangled.

[empcthx]

trynabegreen

Caden’s panic slapped Green suddenly. So suddenly that he backed right into the door knob, jabbing right into his spin, and he let out a yelp. Combined with the pain in his foot, Green hopped right into Caden, toppling them unevely into the tub. But before the panic could overtake him, he was going to extend this joke the furthest he could. As he lifted himself from Caden’s body, his iPhone light slid over his face, revealing a glare. “I’m gonna haunt you, you lil shit,” he growled. It quickly dissolved into a half-smirk before Caden’s panic imprinted onto him. “Relax, relax.” His voice was trembling. “Red, I made it up – urf, you’re such a party-pooper.” Scrambling to get up, Green slipped right back onto Caden. His rattled nerves only made him flail wildly. “Caden, stop, you’re making this worse.” Reaching for something to grab onto, he pulled onto the last thing they needed: the bathtub knob, water dousing their sides.

Sometimes he wondered why he ever thought that a trip in an RV was a good idea. Caden yelped as his elbow hit the edge of the bath tub, and it only served to make him panic and lash out even more. He was hearing words and teasing from Green, and was that a- no fuck that. “What do you mean relax? The mirror feels things and you aren’t freaked the fuck out what the hell-” And then water. Great. Fantastic. “Let me out you asshole!” The empath attempted to shove Green off of him to get out, only succeeding in slipping and splashing water everywhere, drenching them both. But the soak was enough of shock that he realized that now Green was panicking, and he shut his eyes to force himself to take a moment to breathe because this wasn’t helping get him out of this situation at all. Besides, Caden reasoned, he couldn’t feel anything from the mirror now, and he wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing anyways. After a moment of just trying to calm down, he let out an annoyed sigh and shook his head. “I think this may have been one of your worst ideas yet.”

[empcthx]

3d3nsr0s3

“Hm. That would be fun.” He joked with a small laugh. He took a deep breath in and slowly let it out enjoying the fresh air and warm sunbeams on his face. Like a flower blooming in the sun, a large smile blossomed across Izaya’s face and his demeanor became a lot more cheery. He jogged up to Caden’s side and gave a pensive hum. He didn’t really find himself at pit-stop stores very often so he wasn’t sure what was in there. But when the two entered the linoleum-tiled store his jaw dropped.

“¡A la gran!” He threw his hands into the air and pointed towards a large slushie machine. “I want that, we can mix them, yes?” He didn’t wait for Caden’s answer before zooming over to the drink fountain and filling a large cup to the brim.

As Izaya left his side, Caden took the more cautious approach and glanced around the convenience store to see who else was around. Besides the other RV mutants that had gone before them, a cashier that was lazing at the counter was the only other person that he may consider someone to take note of. And with the way that he looked (and felt) like he was about to drowse off any second, the empath doubted he needed to worry.

“Yeah, sure, go for it,” he replied, chuckling a bit at the younger’s enthusiasm. Caden himself walked around the aisles, grabbing a few dried foods that he figured some of their other companions might enjoy. Glancing up to Izaya to check on his progress, he tilted his head to the side. “See if you can grab some extra cups from there too. We might be able to use them as extra bowls or something.”

Friends? No. | Izaya

[empcthx]

3d3nsr0s3

Oh right, and the whole group was on the run…He managed to give Caden a shaky smile in response to the man’s reassurance, he knew Caden would sense the unease that was still present but he hoped the other wouldn’t press on too much further. The more they talked about the predicament the group found themselves in the more Izaya thought about the dangers. But he didn’t want Caden to leave, rather that was the last thing he wanted to happen, he enjoyed knowing someone was there so he attempted to further the interaction.

“Something other than goldfish,” He turned to look Caden in the eyes with a rather serious expression. “I do not goldfish but that crazy man tries to keep feeding them to me. Caden, I do not like them!” He shook his head in exasperation. He finally moved to stand up but had to catch himself on the arm of the couch as his legs almost gave out from under him. He stretched a bit before extending a hand out to the other. “Will you come and get some food with me? Please?”

He had to laugh a little at the request, completely agreeing with Izaya. Caden accepted the hand, pulling himself up and shaking his head. “Yeah, we can get food,” he answered, a grin spreading across his face. The anxiousness still seemed to be present in the younger boy, but if he wanted company, then the empath wasn’t going to say no. “I won’t let you just eat goldfish the whole trip there. Promise.”

Caden led them out of the RV, seeing that they were still idle at their pit-stop. “Anything in particular you’re craving?” he asked, stretching his arms once they were outside. “Or am I going to have to pick out random things in hopes that you’ll like them?”

Friends? No. | Izaya

[empcthx]

dear-lucille

Lucille let her shoulders fall, relaxing for a split second, then actually turned towards him.

“Well, thanks I gues-” oh. Oh no. Oh shit he looked like a damn puppy. He was like a shaggy poodle that she had just verbally kICKED.

God damnit why. W h y.

Lucy sighed. “It was sweet of you to check in. But really, I’m fine.” She let go of her suitcase long enough to run a hand through her hair. It really looked like he meant well, which, point for him. Guess chivalry really wasn’t dead, or whatever. But it didn’t matter that he looked like a kicked puppy, because he was still a stranger, and if there was one childhood lesson that really stuck with her it was that one. But, well…she was lost. Maybe he could give her directions? Worst case scenario, he snarks at her some anti-mutant shit and she screams for help.

“If you really want to help, do you know how to get to the nearest Sanctuary? I’m, um, visiting my sister. My car broke down though, so I guess I’m a little lost.” Oh god why couldn’t she be a decent liar like her sister?

Caden grinned when she seemed to relax, not entirely used to seeming like an aggressor or a formidable threat of any sort. He liked to think that he was a rather calming presence, but he supposed that there really was no way to tell when you’re wandering around alone, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

But his sheepish smile dropped at the mention of the sanctuary, and he knew that his suspicions were confirmed. “I hate to tell you this,” Caden began, biting his bottom lip and looking down to his feet. “But if you’re looking for the mutant Sanctuary in New York, then you’re out of luck. It was destroyed, and there’s no one left.”

The empath let out a small sigh and looked back up to gage her response, genuinely concerned that she might not believe him. “If you were looking for your sister then...” he trailed off. “I’m sorry.” Caden was silent for a second before he shook his head and tried inject a bit of hope into the conversation. “There’s a group of us, all mutants. We’re headed to California. There are rumors of another Sanctuary there, if you want to join us?”

[empcthx]

dcnamoore

     “so he’s spontaneous.” interesting. often times, people’s actions tended to speak a lot more about them than words ever would, so dana wasn’t bothered by the short reply. if anything, they were even more curious to get to know their cheery new companion. “very. come sit,” they patted the seat beside them. “what did you do before this, caden? i get performing waiter vibes from you. very charismatic.”

The curiousity was a little unnerving. He was so used to being on the other end of the inquiry that he wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. But the switch was more than a bit refreshing, and Caden made his way to the seat, crossing his legs and tilting his head. “Before the road trip?” he clarified. “I was at the sanctuary.” The mention of his old home put a bit of a damper on his bright demeanor, but he shook himself out of it, not wanting to dwell on it too long, instead choosing to chuckle at the analysis of him. “Not a waiter, but that might have been fun, I think.” The empath tilted his head and decided to turn the question around. “And you? What were you up to before you got joined this trip?”