A black ooze seeps up in the drain. The pipes make a strange sound. Kade enters the bathroom, and he hears a gurgling sound come from the shower. The bathtub fills up with the black ooze. He stares at it with a mix of confusion and intrigue.
There are a few bubbles that pop. A silly little face slowly surfaces from the liquid. A literal ear to ear smile with droopy egg like eyes. It's Dren! Kade blinks a couple times and says “hi?”
Dren has a cute small friendly voice "Hello! I'm Dren. Friend?"
He gives a nervous smile "Yes? Hi there."
"Dren eat your pastrami" Dren starts to crawl out of the tub.
"What no I want the pastrami :(" He tries to give some space.
Dren is out of the tub and shakes violently. She sloshes the black water everywhere as she stands up.
"ACK" Kade gets DRENCHED. It's a mix of water and spit. Dren heads out the door with a waddle.
Lock and Luna are both in the kitchen. Lock’s making her usual bland beef and rice combo. Luna is making ramen. Shortly after, Dren waddles in. Lock looks over in shock, “what the heck is that thing???”
Luna looks over and a couple tears manage to drip from her eyes but she quickly wipes them. "Oh them, erm. I'm not sure."
She goes over to the new fren and asks, "oh hello, what's your name?"
Dren smiles and stands up straight "Dren of cold." Lock squints as she watches.
Luna nods and smiles brightly! "Ah you're Dren, nice to finally meet you. I'm Luna." She holds a paw out for them.
Drens hand feels like a stiff taxadermy paw as she puts her hand in Luna's. "Dren make very move for getting here"
"Well, Luna glad Dren here." She notes the odd paw mentally. "Why Dren come here?"
"Dren lonely want friend. Risen very" Dren nods as she talks. Dren leans over to the side and sees Lock, "Yellow? Who this?"
"That's Lock. Lock good friend of Risen." Luna says matching Dren’s demeanor.
"Good friend" Dren smiles widely as she holds out a petrified paw to Lock for her to shake.
Lock looks down at the paw in horror and disgust "uhm...no thanks..." Dren’s ears droop down making her face a long frown.
"wha- but Dren friend???"
"Dren friend for sure, just sometimes some people take longer to accept. Dren Luna friend, and Risen friend at least." She smiles and tries to console Dren.
Dren snorts and sniffles as her eyes water. Lock speaks up "I uh...I just, don't want a friend? Like I prefer to be alone." Drens frown greatens as she makes a whining sound.
Luna kneels down next to Dren. "Dren, some people want alone. And that is ok." Luna opens her arms up as if offering a hug. "Dren still friend."
A basket ball appears in Dren’s hands aswell as a small head band on her head.
Erm. Luna makes like a hoop with her arms. "Okay Dren, play ball."
Kade enters to watch and also make tea.
Dren is crying and snorting as she puts the ball through the hoop
Lock looks very confused "what is happening?"
Luna turns her head to Lock. "I have absolutely no idea, but I'm trying to calm Dren down?" Then, she turns her head back. "Good job Dren! 2 points!"
"I'm ballin" Dren cries
"Um, I mean you are, but in both ways..." Help.
Kade stifles a chuckle.
"đ đ° đ âšī¸ " Dren
Lock rolls her eyes and tries to walk out of the room. Dren moves over in Lock's way as she pleads "Please, I'm very friend just give be friend?!?!?"
"Lock, please, just be her friend?" Luna asks sweetly.
"No, I don't want to" Lock grumbles and getting irritated
Luna turns to Dren. "Dren, if Lock doesn't want to be your friend, then she doesn't want it. You're gonna have to accept that no means no."
"Nooo, Dren need friend, alone not good, will be best, promise" Dren reaches out to touch Lock's hand. Lock pulls her hand back as her ears fold back. Lock sounds pissed and upset "NO, I don't want to be your friend, I don't want to be anyone's friend!" Dren gets quiet as she watches Lock storm off to the hall.
Luna matches Dren's silence, but then she says, "I'm sorry Dren."
"Dren not knows whats worse than ballin" Dren drops the basketball in defeat
"I'm sure Lock will change her mind at some point. Just might take a bit of time. This is all new to her, friends and living with people." Luna softly smiles trying to console.
"New to Dren but Dren not act like no bitch"
Luna nods in agreement, "maybe so, but Lock saw lots of bad things yesterday."
"Then being friend help!" Dren smiles as she starts to walk towards the hall
"...oh dear." Luna follows behind.
Lock storms into her room and slams the door. Dren waddles over to the door but can’t turn the knob with her petrified hands as she frowns.
Luna walks in. "What wrong with Dren paw?"
"No work"
She sighs and looks down, "I'm sorry Dren, wish your paw worked. Even so, I really don't think going into Lock's room is a good idea Dren."
"Why not?" Dren looks over at Luna
"Lock wants to be alone. That's it."
"But Dren doesnt. Dren needs more important" Dren says with a serious face
"You're with Risen, Dren not alone." Luna sighs "want go in living room with Luna? More friends there." She smiles and leads the way.
Dren smiles "Ok!" Dren follows.
Luna walks in and sits on the couch. Dren walks over to Otto and pats his face. Dren’s hands are covered in black spit.
"Oh fuck noT THE FISH-"
Dren whispers as she keeps patting his face "shushy, the fish takes what takes and gives what gives. Only soul of the soul is your being!"
He sobs.
Dren smiles as she keeps patting his face
"...wha?" Luna mutters silently but otherwise keeps silent.
"I don't want the fish... I DON'T WANT THE FISH!" He grabs his knife from yesterday and tries to stab Dren. His eyes are still closed. Luna tries to grab Otto to stop him from stabbing. He's stopped.
"Otto. Please don't stab."
"But the fish is licking my face..."
"That's not a fish! That's just Dren, wake up!"
Pat pat pat pat
"Wh-" He wakes up. First of the month. He looks at Dren. "...you should've let me stab it..." He mumbles.
"...if it was a fish, I would've let you. Dren is not a fish though." She breathes a sigh of relief.
"There there flesh being" pat pat pat pat
He tries to push Dren away. "Get the fuck away from me...?"
Dren steps back as she frowns and her eyes water
"You don't just... touch random people on the face-"
"Dren, listen, you really need to not pat people on the face unless they say they want that. That's called 'consent'." Luna pinches her nose in annoyance.
"Fuck... I was having such a good dream till this happened too-"
Dren looks down "Now I wanna go ballin again"
"You... you ball?"
"Ballin. Sporty crying"
"...you mean bawling or balling- My hearing is shit, dude."
"Yes very"
"...I'm going back to the outpost, fuck this- Cya later Luna."
He gets up and tries to leave.
"Bye Otto, sorry about that."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Dren cries
Luna's ears flatten and she grumbles. "Owwwwww.."
{- This is going fucking horribly. -}
"I'm sorry Dren. Guess Otto didn't like being touched like that.."
"Dren hands curse of friend go away" Dren stares at her own paws in fear
"No no, it's just that some people don't like being touched. Especially when they're sleeping. And Lock's just being moody."
Cole is honnnkkk snooreeee mi mi mi mi mi mi
Luna is trying to regain control of the situation but is likely failing.
"No, hand cursed, let test" Dren walks over to Cole and pats his face
"Oh no." Luna grimaces and watches.
Cole groans and stirs slightly
Dren continues patting him straight on the face
Cole's eyes slowly open as they glow pink as he speaks quietly, "either I need to take my meds or something just woke me up from a really nice dream."
Dren smiles "Another flesh being" pat pat pat pat pat
"Naw, that's just Dren."
"....i'm going back to sleep," Cole closes his eyes.
Oleander enters the room. "Oh what rhe fuck"
Dren frowns as she looks at her own paws "Mine peeper paws are cursed!"
"...or Cole was sleeping and you woke him up from a really nice dream?" She raises an eyebrow.
"What is... that...' Oleander asks Luna
"No cursed. No more paw" Dren tucks her hands away as she folds her arms
"Erm, that's Dren Oleander. Dren is from the nonferal world and they want friends."
Drens head slwoly turns to face Oleander with a smile "Is that the sound of opportunity?"
"Oh- hi- Im Oleander- I can be a friend." They say awkwardly
"Oh boy howdy mic boyo yay, Dren have a new friend today" Dren grins wider
Luna dscareds internally.
Oleander nods. "Yeah man-" They finger gun nervously.
Dren giggles, "better friend than that dinky dorky."
"yay Dren got new friend!"
"Whats dinky dory?"
Dren growls to herself "Lock, grump"
"Aw... im sorry." Oleander smiles a little, tilting his head. "Youre kinda cute, arent you?"
"Purp think Dren cute? Big preesh, bigest preesh" Dren nods happily
Luna tilts her head from the wording.
Purp nods. "Yeah! Do you like headpats?"
"Very. Like an anvil but soft"
"Yay! Headpats for Dren!" Luna cheers
Oleander walks closer. "May i pat your head?"
Dren nods
Oleander pats Drens head!! They’re cringing slightly at the drool.
It squishes as Dren smiles
They give scritches behind the ears
Dren's eyes roll into the back of her head
"Is that a good or bad thing???"
"I have absolutely no idea. I'm assuming good, like scritching behind the ears is like feeling really good, but who knows." Luna shrugs and watches. She has a lot of experience with that specific spot.
It looks more demonic than enjoyable?
Oleander stops.
"...maybe you shou-- yeaaaaaaaaaah..."
Her eyes suddenly snap back into view "So what do? Do friend things all day?"
"What do you want to do?" Oleander asks
"We just sorta sit here and wait for something to happen. Do you wanna do something Dren?"
"Need help? Dren is best help"
"Well... there is something but im not sure youd know about it?"
"Hmm?" Luna looks up.
Dren tilts her head
"Do you know anything about uh... 7 zingers of hell?"
"Wowie! woahza! Does Dren know zingers? Dren can find zingers real good! The best good"
"Alright Dren!" Luna cheers.
"How so??" Oleander askss
"Dren can locate very, who want see first?"
"I dont know their names-"
"There's Slinger, slasher, conduit, gander, far between, magpie, and one other type that I don't know yet. Slingers are probably easiest? I'm not sure."
"Know where sling- what mean easiest? Easiest to what?"
"We have to kill the 7 zingers of Hell apparently. But we're not sure what order we should go for."
"Kill?!?! Not very friend maker huh? Why not not kill?"
"Uhhhhhh, Oleander?"
"We dont have to kill em- We just wanna meet em-" Oleander says
"Yeah."
Dren smiles again "Slinger zinger mic beeper is in lucky hell"
"What about gander?" Oleander asks curiously
"Slaughter the horses, One funky bunny at a time"
"...right, let's uh go to Slinger land then?" Luna dscareds.
"Oh we're going right now??"
Luna shrugs. "I have no idea what's happening right now. It's like a fever dream."
"Ask when want go, can lead"
"Okay," Oleander smiles. "Well for right now, what do you like to eat?"
"Scrapings of cement is usually Dren snack"
Oleander blinks. "I. i see. Is it good????"
"Crumbleeee"
"Um.." Luna has no response
"So true." Oleander pats her head. "Do you like any other food?'
Dren stares at Oleander quietly.
"Okay understandable."
"We could order UberEats? Maybe get Dren a variety of things to eat." Luna says
"Yeah sure" They order a smorgasbord of various food and absolutely nothing wacky involving their UberEats driver and their weird partner Bladeeee happens.