Refugees

[Existentially Odd]

It felt odd for Kerr to open his eyes as a new night bled into every crevice of the city - heralding yet another in his existence - and see his own ceiling for once.  To wake up in his own bed.  It seemed this view had not been his for... well, a very long time.  Longer than a few nights, at any rate, but it didn\'t stop him blinking and frowning lethargically around himself as if he were a stranger to his surrounds.

Although he recognised that it was a good thing for his life to resume its rhythm, there was a hollowness to it all that weighed heavily upon his heart.  A new stage in his existence had come and passed quietly on, leaving him floundering in so many ways.  Mandy and Ben, the Oligarchy and Sawyl, Tag... even the twins... his mind wouldn\'t cease turning all this over and trying to logically order everything in accordance with his mixed up feelings.  There could be no order yet, however.  For a start, Mandy had only been gone a night.  The night before he\'d taken her home and then returned, bereft in many ways, relieved in others. Tag had caught his attention and he\'d taken the wild-looking shifter shopping once more, filling out his wardrobe (with more than just ten pairs of boxer shorts - there were now two suits, dress shoes and countless shirts and pants upon the shiny new hangers) with great enthusiasm and having the tangled mess that was his hair cut off.  The transformation had been remarkable and prompted some interest in the boy\'s newfound beauty from Sawyl - to the point where there\'d even been a civil (though brief) conversation.

That had been last night - also the night he\'d stripped the sheets off his bed because they smelled too strongly of both Ben and Mandy and it had flummoxed him to the point where he hadn\'t been able to sleep.  Tonight was another beginning, though - something he was only half-heartedly interested in attempting.  Too much \'new\' had come to pass and totally skewed all the \'usual\'.  He was fucking sick of trying to maintain his equilibrium.

Getting out of bed, he showered and dressed smartly in a pair of crisp black slacks, shiny black dress shoes, navy blue dress shirt - with decorative ruffles at the wrists and throat - and a vest (buttoned up) that went with the pants.  Making himself feel better by indulging in a familiar ritual such as dressing with distinction, didn\'t go nearly as far towards making him as happy as he\'d expected it would, though.  He left the bedroom, seeking distraction and possible entertainment but only finding it difficult to adjust, so was soon moping about the house restlessly. It wasn\'t long before heexasperated himself, deciding that he would have to put his excessive energy to use, somehow.  He threw himself into the housework, hoping to halt all the thinking about... everything... as well as get the place looking a lot sharper.

He was extremely surprised, therefore, to carry a couple of loads of sheets, towels and clothes (that would be washed, not dry-cleaned) down into the basement area and find his only charge snuffling about curiously.  "Tag... what are you doing down here?" he asked in concern, frowning as he noticed the shifter watching the monitors connected to the security cameras with great interest (or so he interpreted it to be, in his shocked state).

[Trillian]

Tag had been on an exploration expedition.  He\'d wanted to familiarise himself with a place he knew was going to be his home, and there were many nooks that he\'d stumbled across.  It had been less of a familiarisation exercise and more like a prowling adventure.
 
The door to the basement had been a thoroughly enjoyable find.  It was like a secret cavern, only cleaner.  There were many interesting things to touch and peer into - especially all the laundry items.  The washing machine tub made an interesting sound when Tag climb halfway into it (well, as much as he could) and rapped on the inner metal shell.
 
When he\'d grunted, his voice had echoed and magnified, scaring him out of it so that he\'d stumbled backward and gave it a wary look until he\'d found the ironing board.  This amused him for quite a long time until he\'d found the monitors, and here he simply stared, transfixed... until Kerr broke him out of his mesmerised reverie.
 
Startled because he\'d been so consumed in the monitors, he cried out and whirled around, snarling, before he recognised Kerr and his face changed from panicked fury to excitement.  "Kerrrrrrr!" he growled, and ran to the vampire so he could take his hand.  "TV!"

[Existentially Odd]

"You... know about TV?" the vampire questioned, allowing his free hand to be taken briefly, before he gave Tag\'s a squeeze, released it, then veered towards the folding table (set just in front of the large washing machine and dryer) to put down the dirty laundry items he held.  Once that was done, he turned back to face the shifter, frowning and slowly lifting his hands to his hips.

His gaze ran the length of the wild boy, impressed anew with the handsome looks regular bathing and a haircut had revealed - once he was more aware of the ways of the world, Kerr felt that Tag would certainly make hearts flutter.  Intelligent, watchful eyes and a set of wide, expressive lips were the key.  His dress sense however... Kerr realised as he looked him over that it still needed work.

"How do you know about TV?" he continued, wondering if the youth was ready to elaborate on his background and speaking abilities.  A wave of guilt followed hastily on the heels of this thought, because he hadn\'t exactly been attentive when it came to his latest houseguest, what with Mandy leaving and Sawyl and he suddenly having numerous issues to work through.  Tag should have been a higher priority and Kerr resolved then and there to make him so.

[Trillian]

Tag nodded.  In the brief time he\'d come into the city to stay with the other vampire, he\'d been in a hotel room where a television set had been clicked on to keep him quiet and entertained for a night.  He\'d only had one sitting at it but it was a memorable enough experience for him to remember what the thing was called.
 
"TV," he said again, and looked over at the monitors.  They weren\'t as interesting as the other TV he\'d seen, and knowing nothing about security cameras or broadcasting stations (and in fact thinking that different TVs showed different things because of what was inside the box itself rather than what was being projected through it) he was happy enough to just recognise it for what it was.
 
He knew the house was on the TV somehow, and he sensed that it was real time, but he still hadn\'t made all the connections.  His assumptions were strangely correct though, in all his innocence.

[Existentially Odd]

Finding Tag\'s elaboration unclear, Kerr decided he should explain at greater depth.  "No... these aren\'t TVs," he insisted with an indulgent smile, stepping closer to the bank of monitors - it was as good a way as any to introduce the younger male to the concept of securing their home.

"Upstairs, there are cameras, they connect through the walls to these ten monitors - monitors - and then to this recording hub," he said, pointing at the relevant items as he spoke.  "They don\'t show television programs for entertainment," he grinned, surprised to find that he was instinctively watching Tag\'s thoughts (though it was very unlike him to do so with anyone beyond his family) and interpreting what the shifter had once seen, "but they help keep us safe.  Sawyl... Meinwen... Dei... me... we all sleep through the day.  We cannot go out into the sun or we die - we have the security system to protect the house and stop people coming in and... stealing from us.  Hurting us.  Do you understand?"

A frown of apprehension settled on his brow as he watched to see if he\'d just overloaded Tag with information, wanting to throw in explanatory thought images if he could, to make things more comprehendable.  He wasn\'t sure he\'d meted everything out adequately, but was keen to find out just how much the wild boy could absorb in one go; the only way to do that was trial and error.  He wasn\'t sure that Tag knew everything there was to know about vampires, either.

[Trillian]

Tag followed most of what Kerr was saying, not quite getting the concept of the recording hub or how the cameras worked exactly but certainly knowing what Kerr meant by being protected with a security system.  He knew about the daylight thing because the other vampire had beaten it into him so he wouldn\'t forget, and got the gist of what all the TVs

monitors?

were for was quite impressed with Kerr\'s setup.  He\'d already accepted that these TVs showed the house, and he knew them to be real time.

"When people..." he broke off to think about how to phrase himself, for he\'d forgotten the best words to say what he meant to say.  "In house... Tag goes RARGH!"   As Tag expressed this last sentiment, he pulled a menacing expression and leapt against Kerr.

[Existentially Odd]

The vampire blinked in surprise, immediately assuming that by \'people in house\' he meant that the twins had attacked him - then reason entered the picture and he realised that Tag was saying he would attack anyone that tried to enter their home.  It hadn\'t occurred to him that there could be other benefits to having a mortal around; he probably would have felt guilty if he had, he mused, but since the shifter had volunteered his services, he didn\'t need to feel that way.  Of course, that didn\'t stop him raising a mild protest.

"Thank you," he chuckled, his hands automatically raising to grasp Tag\'s upper arms in an effort to steady him.  It felt good to laugh and he had an urge to hug the reason for his lightening mood - so he did.  "Thank you," he said again, then released Tag almost as swiftly as he\'d embraced him, smiling gently down at him.  "But you - Tag - will probably want to go out and explore the city, so don\'t worry too much about us here."

He tilted his head as a question occurred to him, his gaze straying to encompass the room for a brief moment.  "What else have you found down here in the basement?" he hinted, curious about just how much exploring Tag had been doing.  He\'d had plenty of daylight hours to fill in while the vampires slept - God knew what he might have found by now.  The only thing of any concern to Kerr was the door to the sewers that led off this underground room.  Sawyl used the tunnel system to travel secretly anywhere in the city - he had dedicated himself to learning the ways to his favourite places when they\'d first moved in, as only Sawyl on a mission of discovery could - but the breadths of the changing pipes in the system often got a bit too tight for Kerr\'s liking.  Certainly, if they ever had to escape anywhere in the daylight, it would prove worthwhile, but only for somewhere to enter and find a hiding spot.

Tag, on the other hand, would find the network no issue - especially if he was in wolf form.  The only trouble was that he might not be able to find his way back out of the labyrinth and then, should he climb to the surface to locate himself, might only be further confused - not being overly familiar with the city\'s layout above ground either.  Kerr could only hope, for the time being, that the heavy metal portal - round and suspended half a metre off the slate floor, looking something like a Hobbit door or a manhole cover from the street - hadn\'t been found by his charge.  Or, if it had been, that he wouldn\'t venture in without a guide.  He supposed that could be something Sawyl could teach him - if Tag indicated that he wanted to enter such a smelly, dank place willingly, of course.

He wondered if his sire would consent to spending time with the shifter as well; he had a feeling here was enough curiosity in the child for him to agree.  He would have to ask explicitly, though, otherwise Sawyl would hold himself aloof, as a sign of his disapproval over the continued invasion of his home.

[Trillian]

When Kerr thanked him so warmly, Tag beamed a proud smile, until the open-ended question about what he\'d found in the basement was asked.  Tag then looked around himself and grunted softly, pointing at the washer and then at the wall where some of the more interesting smells had occurred.  Kerr was likely to pick up the same mixed scents if he\'d had the opportunity or the urge to snuffle along the skirting board as Tag had.
 
He\'d not found the door to the sewers though he had hit upon a waft of the smell.  As soon as it had hit his nose, however, he\'d shied away from investigating further and followed a cleaner though more chemical smell - which was why he\'d delved into the washing machine\'s tub.  He stared at Kerr for a long moment, wondering what his guardian would ask of him, and lifted a hand to rub his palm over his closely cropped head.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr folded his arms across his broad chest and tilted his head back in order to look down his nose at the shorter male.  There was a teasing smirk lifting the corner of his mouth, since he\'d decided it was in his best interests to no longer let Tag get away with grunts and points.  Enough of him always making the effort - he\'d need to be met at least halfway if there was to be noticeable improvement any time soon.

"Nuh uh, not good enough, Tag.  What have you found down here?  What are the names of those things?  If you don\'t know, you need to start asking questions so that you learn.  By the time the Oligarchy decide to take you away from here, I want you to be able to hold a fluent conversation.  So... name some things," he ordered with a shrug, not unkindly but certainly like he meant to be obeyed.  Immediately.

[Trillian]

Tag\'s face fell - not so much with the challenge (well, a little bit at being challenged), but more so because he\'d disappointed Kerr with his first response, which hadn\'t been much of a response.
 
Tag grunted, then shook his head at himself.  "Okay."  Old habits died hard, not that he knew this cliche by its saying, but he certainly already knew the concept behind it.
 
"Wall smells," he said, pointing at the wall again and looking at it.  Then he looked at the washing machine and couldn\'t think of what it was called, though he decided he knew what it was for.  "Bath."  He frowned, knowing it was wrong, and shook his head again, wanting to guess once more.  "Clothes.  Bath."
 
He sighed.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr\'s eyes narrowed, his smirk growing.  Somehow, it pleased him that simple things were vaguely known yet not completely understood, and that he could do Tag the service of teaching him.

"Washing machine," he said, and walked over to it, scooping up the sheets he wanted to wash on the way.  "It works like this," he began, giving his charge a look like he meant him to be paying attention as he arranged the linen in the tub.  "Put in your dirty clothes, sheets or towels - not too many, don\'t go over... say... the top of the tub, to about here - then get a scoop of powder - this much - tip it in, close the lid, press this button to turn it on, this one for the amount of water - you\'ll want to press it five times if it\'s a full load - this for the temperature (just leave it on cold, works best anyway) and this one to start the wash. You try - this way, you\'ll be able to wash your clothes on your own, if you want to," he explained, turning the machine off and on again (as Tag would find it after a load was completed) so that he could see the shifter demonstrate this simple lesson back to him.

There were so many things in the house that Kerr was keen to have the youth learn to operate - not just because knowing how to turn on a television and load up a DVD was part of accepted society, but also because Tag\'s independence was very important to him.  Equipping him to survive the suburban jungle and pass as a native resident, immersed in technology and all the forms of entertainment from the earliest of ages, was merely step one.  Formal education would have to follow... but it was still a ways off.

[Trillian]

Kerr would be pleased to find that Tag was a fast learner.  The shifter watched avidly, the demonstration Kerr was giving was the easiest way for him to learn (for observation had always been Tag\'s biggest teacher).
 
He did as he\'d been shown, liking the soft \'beep\' sounds it made as he pressed buttons in the order Kerr showed him.  There was writing beside each button that he figured was telling him what did what, but they were simply squiggly lines and unrecogniseable patterns to him.  From left to right, by Kerr\'s explanation, it was about temperature, size and then time.  He could remember that, he thought.
 
He grunted when he was finished, the reconfirmed.  "Okay."

[Existentially Odd]

"Alright," Kerr grinned once the water started to fill, nodding approvingly and placing a friendly arm around Tag\'s shoulders.  "You\'ll be able to wash any time you like or need to - though I\'ll always check if you have washing when I do a load.  This is the dryer.  I use it to dry the clothes exclusively because we can\'t go out in the sun to hang them on the line, though you could if you wanted to," he offered, then chuckled and dropped his arm.

"At least... I think you can.  I believe there\'s a clothes line out in the back yard somewhere.  Alright, this is the iron and the ironing board - turn it on at the wall there and adjust the temperature to suit whatever you\'re ironing.  I think we\'ll save that lesson for when you have some clothes you want pressed, and then we can have the very stimulating discussion about fabrics and heat resistance," he laughed, knowing he might be the only one to understand his joke but he appreciated it enough for the both of them.

Looking around, there really wasn\'t a lot else for him to demonstrate or discuss in the basement... unless he broached the sewer door.  He bit his lip and mulled it over, slipping his hands into his pants pockets.  "Anything else down here you want to know about?" he then asked, deciding he\'d give Tag the final say.

[Trillian]

Tag grinned and chuckled along with Kerr when the vampire laughed, because laughter really was contagious.  Even though he didn\'t know why he was laughing, it felt good to do so with Kerr.  Once the question was posed to him about what else he wanted to know about the basement, Tag looked around first to his left, then to his right, his eyes roaming, not really settling on one thing and then shook his head.  "No?" he said, the inflection of his voice turning it into a question.  If Kerr had something to show him, he would stay here and look at it.  Otherwise, he was happy to go back upstairs.

[Existentially Odd]

Satisfied that he wasn\'t about to lose his charge to the labyrinthine sewer system any time soon, the vampire grinned and slapped Tag on the shoulder.  "Fair enough!" he exclaimed and then - because he\'d enjoyed hearing the shifter laugh and suspected that someone who was partly animal would enjoy the physicality he felt like indulging in at that precise moment - he leaned down and tackled Tag, scooping him up and throwing him over his shoulder in a fireman\'s hold.

"Right then, let\'s head back upstairs and learn how to clean bathrooms!" he announced jovially, striding towards the basement steps, intending to mount them two at a time and then place Tag on his feet in the kitchen - depending on his reaction.