closed; heartbreak and ice cream

[bythewaves]

Who: Doppel!Arnold, Arnold & Julien & Doppel!Julien............possibly Liam lol
What: Bad movies, ice cream, and possibly hugging. Also dramatic weeping. Because that is what you do.
When: Sometime before statue smashing goes on
Where: The Benedict House

For once, both Arnold and Benedict are miserable together. Julien seemed very upset the last time he hung up, and this makes them both fret, even if Benedict's main source of distress is his pull back to the Neuschwanstein Castle, which he really, really does not like. Especially not when they are also somewhat on the outs with Liam.

"I don't want to go back."

"I know man, I know. But you'll only get more miserable if you stay."

"But Liam... and Julien..."

"Julien said you could maybe look for his dopple? That might help, I know you're lonely there."

"I... I guess... but not yet. I don't want to go yet. Can we... maybe put a movie on?"

"Guess so. Get the ice cream out?"

"The Choc Chip Dip?"

"Yeah."

Comments

[espigeonage]

"I'm calling you Caius. You took the same ancient history classes as me, you know why." Julien came from Julius, Cesar was too obvious, Gaius had been one of his other names. And besides, Anghel had sometimes called Yuuya "Cain" but no one wanted to name anyone that.

Julien's double cast another few glances over his shoulder, but knew now that Julien would catch him and bear him back down if he took off. 'Caius' just didn't have a passion for flight. He muttered something softly. "Nerd."

"Damn right. Remember, you come here, you get petted as much as you like, and Arnold can come back with you to that castle you like so much." With 'Caius' being so passive it's an effort to make him do anything, but it's a break from worrying about mushrooms.

The... other guy stopped on the porch, his feathers pulling closer to his body in an 'expression' of apprehension. "It'll be noisy."

"C'est la vie. It's not for long." A heartless Julien hops onto his double's back and immediately has to do his best to banish a sudden very bad idea that, from his shiver, Caius has too. Anyway he rings the doorbell and hops back down, noting with disgust that his double is better at maintaining his tail. "You can be a good distraction."

[bythewaves]

"Doorbell"

"Your turn to get it"

"No way, it's yours, and we just got to the good bit!"

"I can pause the movie and I got the door last time."

"Fiiiiiiiiiine you didn't order anything?"

"No, it's your money I didn't want to use it..."

"Aw don't be like that Benedict, we've got the same signature, it's not like anyone can tell!"

"Lisa will scold."

"Lisa's already mad I didn't tell her at first, and yes don't throw popcorn at me I'm going."

Arnold opens the door with a dramatic flourish.

"Good evening Benedict residence, we aren't accepting solicitors and we haven't ordered pizza but if you're the pizza boy we'll take the pizza anyw... Oh! Julien!" He smiles and only his eyes are a little worried. "And... your double? Hello!"

[espigeonage]

Julien knows it's not rational but he doesn't perceive his double as looking much like him at all. He's a giant pigeon, and Julien's image of himself is distorted but not that. Of course Caius looks exactly like Julien except that he isn't wearing anything, his feathers are neater, and he has different body language. Very subdued body language. He doesn't look Arnold in the eye, his feathers are held slicked, his head and tail are down.

"Gi suilon! Yeah, this is Caius, I thought I'd bring him by." His own tail up and his body nearly upright, Julien nudges his double, who makes a very deep voiced hrrrm-ing pigeon noise.

[bythewaves]

The only reason Arnold does not squee at the pidgeon noise is because they are in public, but he beams brightly at them both.

"Caius! Nice to meet you. Come in, come in. Benedict and I are watching trashy movies, if you want to join in. Can I get you guys anything?"

"BENEDICT WE HAVE GUESTS!" he hollers down the hallway, and that brings Benedict out, eyes widening to see Julien's dopple.

"Hi?"

[espigeonage]

Caius flinches at the shout, but reluctantly comes in. Julien nods at Benedict. Having a contrast here makes it much more evident that Julien keeps his feathers fluffed somewhat, and moves and gestures and makes the effort to connect to people. Now he pushes past, standing tall enough to be on level with either Arnold.

"Be nice, he's shy and doesn't really like noise. Give him space." He's more brusque towards his double than he would be for most people, but he doesn't want to bully a bird, much. "Can you water down some Gatorade? We had to do some flying."

Addressing the floor, Caius says something almost too quiet to catch. "Strawberries."

[bythewaves]

Benedict blinks at both of them and nods shyly, waving at Caius.

"Sure, I can do that. Do you want to come inside and watch the movie, Caius?"

Arnold, however, got elven hearing back when he used the teleporter, so he blinks at Caius queryingly.

"Strawberries? To eat or as a drink? I can probably manage a strawberry shake..."

[espigeonage]

Either Julien's voice must sound strange to changed hearing. Instead of producing his voice in his throat it's down in his chest, where his lungs branch out, and a sound is made by either branch and blended. To human ears it sound human, maybe a little richer, but that's a carefully refined performance.

Caius makes no response. After a pause Julien ventures, "Strawberries to eat. That's less trouble, and it's not two things to drink at once. Right?" He's answered with a jerky, awkward nod, and shrugs a wing as he looks back at the Arnolds. "Maybe later. I don't think he's eating enough out at that castle. What are you guys watching?"

[bythewaves]

Arnold nods and vanishes into the kitchen with a "be right back" and Benedict gestures them into the living room, where the two of them apparently eschewed the couch for piling bean bags in a heap and there are at least two cartons of ice cream, one of which is already empty. No alcohol, at least?

"Mm, its that series with the dinosaur island? The one with the smart dinosaurs who may or may not be aliens and the lady who studies them and wants to keep them safe from the outside world and the evil game hunter who wants to stuff them all."

[espigeonage]

Bean bags are just about the easiest 'furniture' for an enormous bird to use. At Julien's urging Caius takes over one, laying his chest over it and making it utterly disappear from view. The anxious cast to his feathers makes him look smaller than Julien but he's still big.

"C'mon, those are cheesy gold! The first two anyway. After that... oh, dear." He preens his double's crest in a businesslike way and looks at Benedict. Julien's aware that he'll dominate the conversation if allowed, so he'll remove himself. "I'm going to see if Arnold needs help. You guys stay here. Be nice!"

Caius turns his head to look after him, then keeps turning it until his beak is pointed over his own back to stare with a round blue eye at Benedict, who might hear the very faint noise he makes in his chest. "Suil?"

[bythewaves]

Benedict nods, watching Julien go. He settles himself in another bean bag and eyes Caius back when he does, and lifts a hand to wave shyly in answer.

"Hi? Sorry. I ... Arnold can be... loud. Did you want some ice cream while we wait?"

Pretty eyes he thinks.

[espigeonage]

Caius hesitates, and does that awkward nod, and then pauses again, some of the blue-dyed feathers on the back of his neck rising and ruffling.

He's a little louder now, though unlike Julien he barely opens his beak. "But I can't... it's... spoons. They're hard."

[bythewaves]

"Oh..." Benedict looks utterly miserable "I'm sorry, I'm a terrible host, I should have thought of that! Um. If I put it in a bow?"

[espigeonage]

Caius's head droops. "Messy. Birds... don't eat ice cream."

Head lowered, he glances at Benedict. "You could... no."

that was meant to be bowl...

[bythewaves]

Benedict wrings his hands in distress.

"Well.. yes, I suppose it would be a little, I'm sorry, I should have thought of that. Oh! Oh dear, it wouldn't be bad for you? No, stupid Benedict, it probably is, I'm sorry, I nearly poisoned you!"

Pausing briefly he blinks at Caius.

"I could... what?"

[espigeonage]

He tries to remember if he's had any ice cream since growing a beak. Probably not. He remembers liking it, or Julien liking it, anyway. "I don't have the right kind of mouth, anymore. Or I never did..."

Caius gapes his beak. Closes it again. It's a stupid thing to ask. Maybe he should anyway. Says "Feed me?"

[bythewaves]

Benedict blinks, arrested in thought.

"Oh... that's... that's a good idea, actually. You're sure ice-cream won't hurt you?"

[espigeonage]

He'd had some dairy before and it had worked fine, right? Or Julien had? Caius gapes his beak again. It would be a begging-baby-bird gesture if he'd tipped his head back.

[bythewaves]

Oh that's cute and Benedict smiles shyly and obligingly scoops a spoonful up to feed Caius.

"Tell me if its too much or too little or if it's no good okay?"

What it is is the richest triple choc chip either of them could get their hands on .

[espigeonage]

Caius swallows the spoonful and considers. It's very sweet, sweeter than he generally likes things. It's probably bad for him - it's definitely bad for him. If some gets on his feathers it will be a pain trying to get it out.

On the other hand, he's really big, and he's hungry. He opens his beak again.

[bythewaves]

CUTE

Benedict smiles and keeps going, making sure each scoop has a few choc chips in it as well.

"I guess that means it tastes good, huh?"

[espigeonage]

"Mmm." He then stops and blinks hard, inner eyelids closed. Birds don't express pain very clearly, especially pigeons. After a moment he says "Brain freeze. 's enough."

[bythewaves]

"Oooh ouch" Benedict winces in sympathy, and obligingly eats the next spooful himself.

"Did you want me to start the movie again? Who knows how long the others will take."

[espigeonage]

"'Kay." Caius settles, feathers finally starting to puff. He wants those strawberries, or other food; he really has been eating lightly for a while, and swallowing something distracts a little from the nagging, annoying sense that he has to go back now right now.

"Pet me."

[bythewaves]

"Eh?" Benedict blinks. "Is that... okay? Julien normally... doesn't like it?"

But... FEATHERS and his hand is already shyly inching towards Caius

[espigeonage]

There is a pause, and Caius looks at him again, animal-blank. Being petted is demeaning, but it feels good, and when you turn into an animal you have to be the animal.

"Pet me."