Moving the Eggs Who: Dhaval and Tayne Where: Dhaval's room, then outside When: Morning
Dhaval was still in bed. He was comfy, and still warm enough that he didn't really need to get up. He'd found that he liked to get his heat and light particularly around when he'd usually eaten meals, though it seldom worked out that way. He didn't dare go outside alone, and Tayne only had so much time. Maybe he should cultivate a few more acquaintances.
Well, he should be back in a minute. Dhaval sat up slowly. He had a severe case of bedhead and didn't bother trying to address it with more than a few pats. He stretched a bit, glared at his hand when his finger twinged, and sighed slightly. He opened one of his books to read a few pages while he waited for Tayne.
Tayne had left Dhaval behind so he could get showered, get changed, and get fed-- since the first two required he be in his own room, upstairs, and the latter he felt weird doing in front of Dhaval, who didn't eat period. He snagged an apple, which to his surprise had appeared the evening before, and for the trip back. Fresh fruit was something he hoped they had more of, in the future... maybe he'd plan his trip out to the nursery for tomorrow.
Which left today for getting the eggs moved inside, which was his other goal, since Terry still wasn't healed up or recovered or even fully conscious, so he couldn't do a whole ton else.
And, of course, it had to be drizzly. Tayne sighed out the window at the overcast sky before heading back to Dhaval's room and heading inside. Yeah, he hadn't locked the door behind him... he hadn't expected to be gone long. "Hey," he said, and couldn't help a smile at the sight of the guy.
Dhaval looked up from his book and waved cheerily. "Hey, Tiger." Dhaval felt oddly invigorated by the rain. He'd always sort of liked to watch it, but he felt a great urge to get out and get wet. Bad idea in his chair, but he wanted to anyway. Maybe it was that constant urge for hydration at work. If Tayne was a kitten, he was a plant. Dhaval put aside the book and shifted to the edge of the bed, pulling his chair closer. "Breakfast any good?" Dhaval missed food sometimes.
Tayne held up the apple he'd taken one bite from, grinning some. "Fresh fruit. For the first time in, like, weeks? Somebody found it. Reminds me I gotta go check my maps for a nursery and bring back some fruit trees and seeds and such... and lots and lots of dirt." If he couldn't find enough potted plants, anyhow. If they could get a big fruit tree to plant on the roof, it might bear a lot more fruit, but potted plants could be kept inside where there might be some kind of heat, and protection from anyone potentially outside.
He came the rest of the way into the room and dropped onto the bed beside Dhaval, giving him a quick kiss before going back to his apple. "How's your book?"
"You taste like apples." Dhaval smiled, then licked his lips. Fresh fruit wasted divine after weeks without. "It's good. You made some solid selections." Possibly silly ones. But Dhaval wasn't going to complain, and if he had to read slightly subpar books after the world ended, that was better than he could expect. "It's a good plan." Of course Tayne had maps of the area's raiding potential. Dhaval barely restrained himself from a bit of an eye roll, though he admired the thoroughness, really. They needed it. "...Can I have a bite?" Just a little one.
Honestly, Tayne just liked maps in general, so he had quite a few, a couple actually covering the local city. Putting down notes about what smells were where and what he saw different places had actually been pretty easy. He eased back on his elbow, and held up the apple to let Dhaval take it-- or take a bite, with it in his hand. Whatever Dhaval decided. "'Course you can," he said, not about to begrudge the guy a taste now and then. He liked feeding people. "This wasn't the only thing I ate, anyhow. There's a shit-ton of canned and packaged stuff, came in while I was gone, 'pparently, so I had some chicken soup, too."
"Weird breakfast," Dhaval commented, before taking a small, almost delicate bite from Tayne's outstretched hand. He didn't want to go using up resources when he didn't have to, and all he really wanted was the taste and texture. He smiled as he sweet juice rolled over his tongue. He closed his eyes and enjoyed for a moment before he swallowed. "But can't say I condemn the pick." Dhaval went back to adjusting his chair, though he didn't hop in yet. He wanted a reason to get up when he was comfy. The slightly chillier, damp day had brought out a very faint ache in his old injuries, and bed was a pleasant place to deal with that.
"It was better than beans," Tayne chuckled, and took the apple back to his own mouth for another bite, himself. "Figured you wouldn't 'ppreciate beans. And canned peaches seemed like overkill, with a fresh apple. So... soup! It was quick." He really needed to go hunting. Maybe he'd do that after they moved the eggs, take care of butchering things up a bit, maybe try drying some like that Verity kid had suggested... or experiment with salting. They had plenty of salt, and plenty of basins he could use....
"Beans are fine." Maybe he was more amenable, considering he'd grown up on only vegetarian protein sources. "But, well, kind of pointless for me, now. At least the apple tasted good." He was sort of tempted to steal another bite. Maybe closer to Tayne this time? But they had the morning to be getting on with, and if having a boyfriend made him a little giddy, he could deal with it like a sensible person. Dhaval did an excellent imitation of a sensible person! He finally braced himself and moved into his chair with a grunt. He was so lucky his last few surgeries had been successful. If he'd been any more helpless than he was now, he didn't know if he'd still be alive.
Apparently Tayne's sorta-kinda joke about beans and the unspoken results thereof had been overlooked. Which was probably for the best, to be honest. He sat up fully again, took another bite of his now half-eaten apple, and reached over to brush back Dhaval's hair. "You know I'd share anythin' I had with you, right? If you wanted a couple bites, now'n then. All you gotta do is say."
That was oddly sweet and Dhaval looked down for a moment, a little discomfited. It only lasted a second before he looked up and nodded. "I just miss taste. Though light has... I guess I can't call it flavor. Different feelings. A hot, dry day without a cloud in the sky is kind of tingly, like carbonation, and a cloudy day reminds me a bit of popsicles... Kind of sweet and smooth." He smiled and shrugged. At least he knew Tayne didn't mind his yammering on, but he still felt a little silly whenever he felt himself doing it. "If I could mooch a little every so often, I'd appreciate it. Especially if you found cherries or berries... I guess it's late in the season, but those are favorites."
Chuckling, Tayne touched Dhaval's face and promised, "I'll see what I can do." He didn't imagine he'd find a lot of berry bushes or cherry trees around Detroit, but he'd certainly keep his eye open. Anything he could do to make Dhaval's life a little nicer, he'd at least try. "For today, though... you wanna help me move those eggs inside?" He knew where he wanted to put them, too-- it was even downstairs, so Dhaval could check on them whenever he felt like it. Which was hopefully often, when Tayne was busy.
"Great idea." Dhaval didn't like worrying about them out in the car. A truck was one of the safer places, true. Thick windows, heavy frame. It'd take quite a monster or a very determined human to break through. But it'd still be a load off his mind if the babies were here to keep an eye on. "Here, let me grab a shirt and I'll make a nest for them to come inside... Another accomplishment for the perma-lap." He tugged a blue work shirt from the backpack where he continued to stuff everything he wasn't using. His room lacked a dresser or closet. It was terribly wrinkled, but he somehow doubted the eggs would mind. Dhaval shaped it into a rough ring. "There, this seems comfy."
"I've got blankets an' shit in the truck, too, we can bring in, so we don't get your clothes too, like... covered in feathers or whatever." Tayne pushed himself off the bed, with another bite of apple as he did so. Best to finish the thing before he got his hands full of eggs. "Or on second thought, maybe I'd better carry those, myself, since those are full of feathers...."
"The eggs should be fine. We've kept them pretty tidy. And the litter you'd expect if they were being taken care of by mama is pretty minimized." He didn't mind providing the nest, at least for a short transport. He wanted to be sure and take care of the eggs as best he could. The project held a lot of special promise, not just for the survivors, but for him. They were something he shared with Tayne, after all. "Let's head out and pick them up."
"Oh, mama-bird left plenty of litter behind, trust me," Tayne said, making a face and heading to the door. If he couldn't push Dhaval around, then by god, he was going to open the doors! He held it open for Dhaval, locking it behind them. "I never did really clean it up. Seemed like too much a job, for me, with the eggs still in there. Maybe now I will." At least his truck would still make an okay escape, if anything happened to the hotel. For him. And maybe Dhaval. It'd be a little crowded with anyone else....
"It's a pity we didn't think to save feathers. They'd have made great insulation." Dhaval wasn't sure if birds did that, but he'd owned a lot of down coats. Feathers were cozy. And they wouldn't have the hotbox that was a car in the sun to take care of the temperature when the space heater was down. "Some tidying up wouldn't hurt, but it probably isn't a priority." They'd always have something to take care of. Or, rather, Tayne would. Dhaval would hover around and try to be useful when it came to any tasks confined to the first floor requiring no reach above five feet or so and no heavy lifting.
"I've still got a space heater rigged to a car battery, so they'll stay warm," Tayne assured him. "And thinkin' I might say at night, t'give it a break, like stick 'em in somebody's bed. Yours-- ours--" He corrected with a little grin. "Or Taylor's, whatever. You can totally ride 'round the floor with 'em on your lap, if you wanna, that'll keep 'em warm, too." He laughed a little, leading the way out into the lobby. "Was thinkin' she might help out some, too. Taylor, I mean. She seemed so excited 'bout 'em, and there are three of them."
"I'm not sure how good an idea sleeping with them is. I mean, well, if they hatch at night..." He didn't worry too much about breaking them. They were big eggs and they hadn't been treated with that chemical cocktail that left chicken eggs in the States so brittle. But when Dhaval thought of it, he found he liked the idea of baby dragons hatching beside him. "I probably will give them rides. Let them soak up some sound." He remembered a book with dragons who learned to talk from listening to human speech around their eggs. Good series. "Sure, get Taylor in on it." He'd sort of rather have kept them to himself and Tayne, but in a very petty way. And he knew Taylor. She was a good kid, insofar as he understood kids. Not a bad choice if there had to be an extra caretaker.
Since Tayne wasn't thinking about the eggs as "his and Dhaval's"-- mostly just "his", at this point, and then they would become "his, Dhaval's, and Taylor's" once they hatched-- it didn't even occur to him that there might have been reason for Dhaval to be unhappy. "As much advantage as we can get, with 'em, the better," he agreed, to the idea of Dhaval carting them around and talking to them. "If they know what we sound like from the start, maybe they'll be predis-- pred-- maybe they'll like us better. Who knows? Not too worried 'bout 'em hatching at night, though-- figure it'll be noisy enough it'll wake me up."
"It takes a while to be born. I guess they'll be all awkward and soggy once they do get out, so it's not like they'd be able to hurt us if they wanted to. And maybe they'll impress on the first person they see, like ducks." He rather liked the image of Tayne with three tiny monsters following him around. Quacking, presumably, or roaring. Whatever the case, he'd need a constant supply of breadcrumbs. "Probably you, I'd bet. So you could have them for minions. Especially if they could fly." Tayne on his motorcycle, flanked by bird monsters... Yeah, Dhaval was theoretically impressed.
"Hey, I'm hoping they imprint on you if they do," Tayne countered with a grin, holding the lobby door open for him. "Or one of 'em does. Better to spread them out, y'know?" Especially since he really kind of had a lot to do, and having one squalling baby monster following him around would get in the way bad enough. Three? He didn't even want to think about it. Besides, then one would always be there to protect Dhaval and keep him company, even if Tayne couldn't always be.
"I guess that's fair, but I'd still like to watch them shadow you around." It'd be precious. "But I guess if we're impressing dragons we should each get one, ideally." Dhaval knew he shouldn't be enjoying this. He really shouldn't be able to enjoy anything. His parents and extended family were dead or worse, everyone he'd ever known, his career and his life were over... But he couldn't help being happy. Adaptability, denial, or maybe living an adventure really was as much fun as he'd always read. He'd always been more elf than hobbit. "Well, let's get them ready to imprint."
Fair, or smart, whatever. As long as Dhaval was okay with it, Tayne would go with whatever reasoning he wanted to go with. "Let's do that," he chuckled and pulled out his keys to unlock first the back door of the truck's camper, then left Dhaval to open up while he went up front to turn on the engine so it could rev up the battery again. At least it wasn't raining, right now. It was just a little damp, on the ground, and Tayne made a point to avoid puddles as much as possible.
Dhav got the door open and leaned in to examine the eggs. They didn't change much visually day to day, of course, but it was still pleasant to survey them proudly. He picked up the closest to cradle in his hands a moment. It was solid and heavy, bigger, certainly, than any egg he'd held before, though that wasn't saying much. It wasn't like he'd ever been handed an ostrich egg. He wondered idly how big the creatures that hatched would grow. DInosaurs hatched from eggs only this size. But most likely, these creatures were more avian. "Well, they look good. Morning, kids. Hope you had a nice night."
Coming back around behind the truck once the engine was thrumming, Tayne chuckled at Dhaval and his talking to them. "Don't imagine they'd look anything but good. Too bad we can't tell what's in 'em and how they're doin' inside...." But there was really no way to know. Tayne picked up another of the eggs and held it to his ear, against his cheek, listening for a heartbeat.
"Well, I figure we'll get one who's a fairly brazen tough guy, one with a gimp leg who's timid yet spunky, and one hilarious cutup, since life is apparently now written by weirdos like me." Dhaval shrugged, then attended to assembling the little nest he'd brought along and picked up another of the eggs, setting it in his lap gently. It was a bit heavier than it looked and pretty steady, though he kept a hand on it in case it tried to roll away. "There, nice and comfy, right, kid?" If they were smart birds, maybe they could learn to mimic, like a parrot or a corvid. "Think we could get them to say 'Polly wanna cracker?' Just for laughs?"
"You think they might be able to talk?" Tayne asked, a little puzzled and amused by the concept. "If so, then sure, we could try it." He set the third egg down in Dhaval's lap, giving his knee a little squeeze and his mouth a quick kiss before straightening up again. "But I'm more interested in teaching 'em to protect us an' hunt an' that sort of thing." And if he had a vague thought to maybe teach them to carry people, he wasn't going to mention it, lest he give Dhaval more hope than was warranted. For all he knew, they wouldn't get big enough to carry anyone.
"Um, well, the way parrots can. It's just a maybe. If they're mimics. One of my cousins had a mynah that liked insulting people." Dhaval smiled bashfully at being kissed. The affection was pretty much always welcome, but he was still very shy of being spotted. He kept his hands around the eggs in case they decided to roll away instead of reaching over, so he just met Tayne's eyes for a moment. "But your plan is more important. And I'm pretty sure mimics just pick up what they feel like more than they really learn specific phrases. Usually things they shouldn't repeat in front of you mother and will."
"I'm too practical, I guess," Tayne chuckled as he pulled out the space heater and shut the truck's back door. Being outside meant he felt a lot more comfortable being affectionate. They were, he felt like, pretty alone out here. He couldn't smell or hear anyone, and they were far enough away from the windows that he doubted anyone else was out here. Besides, Dhav's little smile was adorable. "You come up with ideas that're much more fun and funny than mine."
"Pity I'm not much good at anything else. But I'm glad to be the morale boost." He worked out a system where he kept his left arm wrapped around the eggs and rested his right hang gently on top of them. He had to hunch over a little bit, but he tended to do that anyway. He had pretty bad posture when he wasn't thinking about it. "And now I'm paranoid about dropping them. Excellent. I guess you'll have to push me inside." There was the very slightest grudging edge to his voice.
Apparently Dhaval had been kind of annoyed by the pushing around. That wasn't a pleasant thought, especially since Tayne had enjoyed doing it so much. He supposed he'd better get enough enjoyment out of this last one as he could manage, then.... "I'll try to make it as painless as possible," he answered, keeping his tone dry and joking. "Lemme rev the truck a few times, then shut it down, and I'll-- ah, shit!"
A big, fat raindrop just fell on the top of his head, and he jumped back, startled.
Dhaval hoped that meant Tayne had realized he didn't really care for being pushed, though if he'd realized Tayne liked doing the pushing, he'd probably have been willing to discuss options. "Yeah, I'll wait while..." He blinked bemusedly at Tayne's reaction, searching for a possible cause. A few drops hit him as well, the drizzly sky wringing a bit more rain out of the clouds. Dhaval absently licked a drop that had fallen near his mouth. It took him a moment to remember that Tayne really didn't like rain. More extreme than he'd thought, but Tayne was sort of a one for excessive reactions, as his nightmare proved. "Oh, right, you don't like getting caught in the rain." He reached out with his right hand to Tayne. Not much of a comfort, but well meant.
"Less 'don't like' and more 'tend to panic'," Tayne answered, giving Dhaval's hand a squeeze but then rather hurriedly climbing into the cab of his truck, to get out of it. "Shit," he said again, but more forlornly than surprised, this time, as he looked out at the dripping sky. Maybe if he made a run for it... with Dhaval... somehow. Fuck.
There was an umbrella in here somewhere, wasn't there? He twisted around to try and sift around behind the seats, looking for it.
Dhaval found he had a certain affection for Tayne's moments of weakness. He spent most of his time admiring the man's courage and sense, and having a chance to look after him inflated his spirits and his ego. Since he was really enjoying the rain, he wheeled over, very carefully, and stopped just outside the door. He was a lot lower than Tayne, which felt silly, but getting him into the truck would require a lot of pointless effort. "Wait it out, then?" He rested his hand on Tayne's knee gently.
"You'll g-get soaked," Tayne protested, pausing in his search through trash and maps and coats piled up behind the seats to look back out at Dhaval, looking strained. "If I g-gotta wait it out. And the eggs...." He shook his head. "I'll find the umb-- umb-- the rain-thing. Fucking st-st-st-stutter. I'll find that and then get us inside. Or let you wheel in, since you g-g-got over here...." It was a lot shorter space, though.
"I'm a plant. I like being wet." Dhaval smiled. "Here, put the eggs next to you. I'll just be wet. It probably won't last." He held up one of the eggs. This was a really awkward angle for conversation. But he wasn't going to leave Tayne out in the rain to panic or make him walk through it to get inside. Not being afraid of rain wasn't exactly anything to brag about, but he was afraid of so many things that he actually felt sort of brave right now. As soon as the eggs were handed up, he'd see what kind of reassurance he could manage from outside a truck.
"Yeah, but I d-d-don't like you wet," Tayne countered, forced to stop his search for rain-protection-- he did get a coat out which was waterproof, anyway-- to take the eggs, setting them one by one on the seat beside him, and kept one in his hand, since he apparently wasn't allowed to go anywhere yet. He managed a little bit of a smile and added, "Though I g-guess I could just hurry up an' get th'wet c-c-clothes off, soon's we g-get inside...."
"Hmm, bet you'd say different if I suggested we share a hot shower." Dhaval was getting a little more comfortable kidding with Tayne. He didn't blush. "And I guess that's a good plan. Once the eggs are situated. But this really does feel good, trust me..." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back to soak up the rain, which was coming in cold, solid drops in the late-summer air, much nicer than a stream of needly little streams. He only indulged for a moment, then reached up again to squeeze Tayne's knee. About all he could comfortably reach.
All Tayne could do was glance at Dhaval and his basking in the water that was falling all over him, and he shuddered and had to look away, down at the egg on his hands, rolling it gently from one to the other before just settling it on his lap. "G-g-g-glad you like it, 'least." They'd have to be very quick about the egg-settling, he decided. Because the imagining of Dhaval dripping everywhere, water flying off his hair every time he moved his head, made him shudder again.
Dhaval saw his attempts to lighten the mood weren't doing any good. He was having trouble getting his head around Tayne's phobia. Being afraid of deep or fast moving water was sensible, and thunderstorms scared some people, but a quiet summer rain? A fear that mundane had to be paralyzing. Dhaval could only suppose that Tayne wasn't used to being afraid and didn't know what to do with himself. The kind of observation he tried not to voice. "It's already slowing down. I'm sure we can make a break for it soon."
If it was bad enough to get him kicked out of the army, it counted as pretty bad. Tayne nodded, without a whole lot of hope. "If I c-c-could find that d-damn umb-- thing-- I'd be better." Not a ton better, but enough to get them inside. If this were a life or death situation, he might be better, at least briefly-- but then, he might not, either. He belatedly revved the truck engine a few times, since that was what he'd intended to do, then leaned back to resume his search, draping the coat he'd found across his lap to protect his knees from the stray droplets falling into the cab with him. "Aha! F-found it!" Now he just had to tug the damn thing out, wedged in under the seat as it was.
Dhaval nodded, riding a rather silly train of thought. He really liked soaking, and soon water would be too scarce for long showers. The plumbing couldn't hold forever. Rain was his best bet. But Tayne wouldn't come watch him while he got himself drenched, obviously. He needed to expand his social circle. To someone who liked rain. He didn't for a minute think it was any safer to be out here in the wet. Maybe the human predators would be less likely to be out, but animals usually liked getting wet. He brought himself back to the present. "If you want to head inside, Tiger. I'll wait with you if you'd rather stay here until the sky leaves us alone."
Not sure whether Dhaval was teasing him or not, Tayne gave him a brief over-the-shoulder glance of frustrated confusion before getting back to the umbrella. It finally came loose, nearly sending him rolling off the seat, but he managed to keep his balance. He unwrapped the little velcro tab keeping it shut, held it out into the rain, and pressed the button to open it. It flared out immediately, and the rain started to patter on it, shielding the truck door and partially shielding Dhaval, too. Tayne sighed with a little relief.
Dhaval lamented rather than welcomed the cessation of a complete soaking, and he moved away a little to let Tayne out of the truck. Now they'd have to pass the eggs around all over again, but he didn't mind. It was wet and cool and the morning sunlight that sneaked through the clouds was gentle and had a very bright taste about it, like fresh greens. He was becoming a sunlight gourmet. "Let's go and get the little ones situated, then." He wasn't sure how to be nice about Tayne's difficulties. It was raining. Softly. How did you come across as sensitive to that? So he didn't mention it again. He was still sopping, of course.
Taking the egg out of his own lap and handing it over to Dhaval, Tayne turned back to get the others and pass them back out, too. Dhaval not mentioning the problem was good with him; the more it got mentioned, the more embarrassed and annoyed he got. Pretending there wasn't a problem was probably the best way for him to go about it. Once the eggs were once again settled, he turned off the truck's engine and slid out of the cab, wincing a little as his shoes hit a puddle on the asphalt. "A'ight. Let's get inside."
"Let's." Dhaval reached up and contorted his hand awkwardly to take Tayne's and stroke the back of his hand. Then he busied himself orienting the eggs again, keeping them as dry as could be. A little water wouldn't hurt them, but a lot of water definitely could, and he wasn't sure what constituted a "lot." He bunched his shirt up around them and held them close. He realized maybe he should make distracting conversation for Tayne's sake. "So where have you decided we should put them during the day? Sleeping with them at night is fine, but we won't be in bed very much of the day. You especially."
"In th-the storage c-closet next t-to your room," Tayne said with a little grin, squeezing Dhaval's hand for the moment he had it. It seemed smart, to him. It was close to Dhaval, so he could check on them whenever he felt like it-- which would force him to get out more often, too-- and it was behind a door, so they couldn't get out if they started hatching. Plus, it was much, much smaller than Dhaval's closet, and had shelves, to keep things separate. "We'll hafta move 'em once they hatch, o'course, there ain't really much room for 'em t-t-to move 'round in there, but until then...." He closed the truck door, holding the umbrella a little closer than he probably should have, and turned to try and figure out how to push and still hold the umbrella, at the same time.
Dhaval almost offered to hold the umbrella before he remembered his hands were occupied. "Well, good, I'll be able to check on them a lot as they get close to hatching." He cuold immediately picture himself spending whole afternoons peeking in on the eggs every twenty minutes. He'd always had trouble with impatience. He wasn't sure that the storage closet immediately adjacent to his room was a very good bet for getting him out more, but he supposed even being in the hallway with greater regularity was something. "Hmm, y'know, I do go read in the lobby most days. I'm not a complete hermit anymore."
"Oh yeah?" Having something to talk about helped a little, though Tayne sounded a bit distracted as he answered. "Well, g-g-good. Wouldn't wantcha to be a t-t-total hermit when I w-wasn't 'round. D-didja get any v-v-v-visitors d-down there?" He finally hunched down a bit and held the handles of the chair, umbrella handle wedged between one hand and where he held the chair. It wasn't very secure, but it kept him dry. Ish. He started them towards the hotel door, maybe going a little faster than usual.
"Sometimes people walk by. Creepy new guy was most recent." Dhaval carefully made sure his feet were tucked up and comfortably on their rests. Tayne wasn't going fast enough that it was really important, but the change in velocity suggested prudence might be in order. "I don't think I'll ever be a people person." He carefully didn't notice Tayne's increased stammering. Dhav couldn't do anything about the fact that he found it sort of endearing, so he just didn't acknowledge it either way. "And while you were gone I got to be in quarantine. That was fun." He licked a drop of water as it slid past his mouth. Mmm. Shouldn't taste good, of course. This was still Detroit and the decades of pollution hadn't dissipated. But fresh water always did.
"Q-q-q-- what?" Tayne didn't even try very hard to get that one out. He let it slide after a couple failed consonants. "Why? Because of-- oh, the b-bug thing? The sick? Which th-they found out were b-b-bugs, I hear. What'd they d-do? Lock you in your room?" He would have to ask about the creepy new guy later. If he remembered past the whole "rain and wet Dhaval" problem, which was a toss-up.
"Yeah, which I thought the whole time, you might remember." He wasn't sure if he was more annoyed or smug about that. "Actually, they moved me up to the second floor. So that was exciting. We all laid there and were ill for no good reason." He scowled a bit. "Oh, but I got to talk to Erin. Which was kinda helpful." He'd been able to relax a lot more knowing there was a pretty regular guy upstairs being held for everyone's safety, rather than a ravening snake monster barely restrained. "I wouldn't have minded being locked in my room, really."
"Oh. Yeah." Tayne sighed a bit, reminded about Erin-- though it turned into a shudder and a quick shake as a drop of chill water hit his hand and he had to flick it off. Worse, Terry still wasn't better, so what the hell were they going to do about the poor guy? "I told him 'bout the g-g-guy in the mall... who was him? And he d-d-didn't take it all th-that well." Like he would have, anyway. Erin's thought that he was probably the "copy" was, sadly, the one Tayne had always thought true. How did anyone deal with that? "Would love t-t-t'see how th-they g-got you and your ch-chair upstairs, though."
"Pepper," Dhaval said simply. "And the chair isn't bad. It's only forty pounds. I always get light ones. I don't need to live in mine." The chairs meant for people who were paralyzed or otherwise totally dependent on the wheels were more elaborate, and Dhaval had the advantage of being a pretty average size. He'd have bought lighter ones, but he'd discovered in college that those wore out pretty quickly. "I'm just glad they brought it. I'd have just been stuck in bed otherwise. And that drives me crazy pretty fast." Feeling ill and staring at ceilings was Dhaval's least favorite place to be. He'd rather be hemmed in by monsters or interrogated about why he didn't have a girlfriend.
"D-didja at least enjoy b-bein' on a diff'rent floor for a bit?" Tayne asked, relaxing a bit as they finally got under the overhang over the hotel door. He closed the last distance to the door itself with relief, and let Dhaval reach over to open the door, since he was closer. Safety and dryness was only a few feet away. ... well, mostly dryness. Since Dhaval was still dripping. Ugh. Tayne shook his hand again, this time as Dhaval's hair dripped on it.
Dhaval opened the door more slowly than Tayne probably would have liked, not wanting to move too much with the eggs on his lap."Oh, it was nice to have sun coming through windows I could actually see out of. Not that it was a great view. Derelict hellscape and all. Of course, that's Detroit." He spoke with the comfortable disdain of a lifer. "Otherwise? Well, I guess the rooms were nicer. But it's still a hotel. Innately boring." And the second floor had been empty but for the ill and Erin, so it wasn't as though society had exploded for him. "I guess it's kind of how quarantine works. Not being fun, that is."
"Guess it g-g-got old fast, huh?" Tayne said, trying to sound sympathetic and apologetic, but not really managing it. He was too relieved to be getting inside. He pushed Dhaval in, then stood in the doorway to shake out the umbrella onto the sidewalk outside. It was a very thorough and vigorous shaking, and he expertly kept the flying water going outside rather than on him. He'd been doing that sort of thing for a long time, now; he knew how to manage it. "How long'd th-they k-k-k-keep you in there?"
"Not too long. They found out about the spider things pretty quickly." Dhaval watched Tayne as casually as he could. Yeah, he was going to have to learn not to bask in a cool soaking with his boyfriend around. Which was a pity. It wasn't really practical to want to snuggle in the shower together, not when they didn't even hold hands where anyone stood a chance of seeing them. But he'd sort of liked the idea, had been thinking about suggesting it for the middle of the night. Not likely. "Let's get the babies put down, then."
Actually, showers didn't bother Tayne at all-- they were contained, and he could always turn them off if he had to. Baths, on the other hand, scared the hell out of him... but showers were okay. Otherwise he'd be a very stinky man, and he actually hated to smell badly for too long at a time. He wrapped up the umbrella, gave it one last shake, and closed the door behind him. "Let's," he agreed, and got back to the pushing, umbrella now dangling from one wrist. "G-gotta g-get 'em all settled." He at least had the second space heater and battery inside, all ready... so he wouldn't have to go back outside. Thank god. "Th-thought I heard a heartbeat, in one... might be g-gettin' closer."
"So we'll be introduced properly soon, huh?" Dhaval was about to try and pet the eggs and had to admit that was a little too silly, even for him. It was just secreted calcium, probably very full now of baby monster. "Well, see you guys when you decide to come out." He shook his head a bit. He still liked being wet, but the ropey strands dripping down the back of his neck weren't the most comfortable of possible sensations. "So should we put a sign on the door? I doubt there's a reason anyone would go in there, but if someone were looking for cleaning supplies or linen, stuff like that, we don't want them disturbed."
"We sh-should definitely put a sign up," Tayne agreed, nodding. "D-don't want nobody g-gettin' in there and thinkin' they're for eating. Some people wanted t-to eat 'em when I first got 'em." Raising them was a much better use, he thought... as long as they could be tamed. If not, well, then they made a few very small meals. He was hoping they could, though. "If it is c-comin' up, I'd better get my ass movin' on g-gettin' 'em something to eat. I'll hafta go out... once it st-stops rainin', I will."
"We'll need a few options, too," Dhaval said thoughtfully. "Not all the monsters are carnivores. And I know Mama attacked you, but even if they're the same as she was, well, she might have just been defending her territory." And birds ate all kinds of things. Big ones would need large food sources, grass, he supposed, or fruit, or meat was a definite possibility. "You kids are going to be handfuls." Dhaval had at some point forgotten to keep in mind that they might be vicious and untrainable. He wanted baby monsters. To do his bidding.
"You kn-know somethin' I don't, then?" Tayne asked curiously. "I ain't c-come across many non-c-c-c-- not-meat-eaters." Or, well, any. But he also hadn't really been looking. "Mama-bird had a meat-eater beak, I c-c-can tell you that now. Hooked and mean-lookin'. D-doesn't mean she weren't c-carrion eater, maybe, like a c-crow. But she ate meat. We'll see what th-these guys eat." If they didn't eat meat... well, they'd be hard-pressed to keep them fed, he imagined. Hunting was, at the moment, the only large-scale method of feeding themselves they had. Canned food needed to be saved for when hunting and foraging was thin, and fresh fruit, even once he got some plants in here to grow, was going to be thin on the ground.
"I guess we're probably set, than." Dhaval realized he had no real reason to say not all monsters were meat-eaters. It just stood to reason. Carnivory might be the basic state for life, but why would creatures with chambered stomachs and flat teeth not still exist? He also wasn't sure of the extent of the mutations. "I'm really speculating, I guess, but it'd be really bizarre if every vegetarian on the planet had lost the taste for greens. Though a little better for us, maybe. Less competition. Anyway, if we're feeding them meat, they'll probably grow pretty fast. Well, that's true anyway, but lots of fat and protein. We might have pretty big babies soon."
"I'm hopin' for b-big babies," Tayne assured him with a little grin. "B-better guard dogs, that way. Better hunters." And with the possibility of giving Dhaval a lift now and then, to get him out of the hotel. But that was staying behind his teeth until he had a better idea of what was possible. They turned down the hall towards the linen closet in question, past Dhaval's room-- their room, sort of, now. "Though I d-do wonder 'bout the plant-eater types... would th-the monster ones have eaten th-them all? Or would th-they've g-gotten away? Hid somewhere, outside town?" If there were still such things as plant-eaters, they could maybe even find and corral a herd, well outside town, and use those to feed the bird-babies... once the bird-babies could fly out to get them, anyway.