Joshua walks in and grabs a knife and a carrot and starts chopping it up. He accidentally cuts his finger and whines loudly.

Mailman walks over next to him, "What's wrong?"

"I cut my fiiiiinger," Joshua shows MailMan his barely cut finger

"Is that blood?" MailMan asks

"Maybe" Joshua replies

Mailman almost falls over but catches himself on the counter, "Oh good heavens."

"You good?" Joshua asks.

"Yyeah yeah just uh not going to look," MailMan replies. Joshua offers MailMan a slice of carrot while looking for a bandaid. "Oh thank you," MailMan takes it and eats it. It has some of Joshua's blood on it. MailMan finishes eating it as he looks over at Joshua, his wee lil gears turning in his noggin. Joshua finds a bandaid and puts it on his poor finger and then looks over at MailMan.

"Something wrong?" he asks.

"I think I know what you are," MailMan replies

"What?" Joshua asks confused

"You're hadal?" MailMan says a little confused

"The fuck is hadal?" Joshua asks even more confused

"Uhh what I am I think," MailMan replies

"So what does that mean for me?" Joshua asks.

"You may be a lot more different than you may think.."

"So what can I do?"

"Altering?" MailMan replies, a little confused

"What?"

"Altering reality"

"I can just do that!?" Joshua says, excited and scared.

"Yes, unless the taste of your blood is lying," MailMan replies

"How would I even test this?" Joshua asks

"I'm not sure, I dont do it often myself," MailMan says

"Give me something to try!" Joshua bouncing is on his wee little legs.

"What is something you've always wanted to have?" MailMan asks

"Uhmmm, I have always wanted to try one of those tootsie roll lollipops," Joshua replies

"Try to create one," MailMan says. Joshua visibly thinks really hard and a tootsie pop appears on top of MailMan. MailMan watches smiling and doesn't notice it. Joshua grabs it off of MailMan's head and looks at it for a second, then bounces up and down with joy, "I did it!"

MailMan's face lights up at Josh being happy, "That's amazing!"

"Do you want it?" Joshua offers MailMan the lolipop.

"Sure!" MailMan accepts it and goes to unwrap it. He ain't no bitch and he bites it with his gums like a fucking psychopath and chews. It's a fucking hotdog, the lollipop is the end of a god damn hotdog. MailMan holds out the other half of the lollipop left, "My! You did great! Try it!"

"Uhm dear, that is a hotdog" Joshua points out

"You just said it was a tootsie roll," MailMan says.

"I thought it was but it's a hotdog, did I mess up or something?" Joshua asks.

"Alters can be a bit wacky sometimes," MailMan finishes eating it.

"Oh," Joshua says.

"Great try though!" MailMan reaffirms

"Thank you!" Joshua smiles

Mailman reaches in his bag and pulls out a bag of tootsie rolls and holds it out to him, "Here!"

"These aren't drugged right?" Joshua takes one of the tootsie rolls.

"Of course not!" MailMan replies. Joshua pops the tootsie roll in his mouth and sucks on it like a normal human being. Mailman is proud, for that's the only true way to have one of those (These opinions are not expressed by the majority of the TWR team), he goes to finish up what Joshua was cooking and it happens to be carrot stew. MailMan finishes making it and offers Joshua a bowl. Joshua takes the bowl with a smile.

"I could have finished making it dear," he says.

"I thought it would be nice," MailMan smiles back.

"Well it was, so thank you, dear," Joshua starts slurping his soup. Mailman creepily watches him eat as usual. Joshua finishes drinking his soup and eating it, "Tasty"

"I'm glad you like it," MailMan smiles.

"So what else can I do with alters?" Joshua asks

"Anything you want, if you can think you can do i- well, try," MailMan replies

"What if I removed all of your trauma casually?" Joshua asks

"That is an idea," MailMan replies

"Do you want me to?" Joshua asks

"Would you prefer me that way?"

Joshua looks down in thought and then shakes his head, "No, I love you just the way you are now"

"That's sweet of you Joshy!" MailMan says. Joshua looks to be thinking really hard as MailMan feels a knife dragging through their brain, removing the trauma. MailMan winces and grabs his head. He seems to be in severe pain as he drops to his knees, "AHHHHHH!!" Joshua continues to think really hard, trying his best to ignore the screaming. MailMan is gasping for air from the pain and trembling as he does.

It suddenly stops as Joshua stops thinking as he looks down at MailMan.

"How do you feel dear?" Joshua asks.

MailMan is panting and trying to catch his breath, "hhh-"

"I'll give you a second" Joshua says

After a bit, MailMan pulls himself up to his feet and shakes his head, before looking over at Joshua, "My, was that painful!"

"Sorry about that dear," Joshua says

"I'm ok now Joshy" MailMan smiles, it seems a lot more genuine.

Joshua is pleasantly surprised and smiles back, "Oh wow, your smile." After the smile, MailMan's face is actually expressive and conveys multiple emotions rather than a blank slate, he tilts his head curiously.

"What about it?" he asks.

"You're......actually showing emotions holy shit," Joshua is smiling so wide, and without a second beat Joshua hugs MailMan tightly.

MailMan is surprised, "Oh- I take it that's a good thing?" Even his tone has new levels he never spoke in before.

"It is! It's a really good thing!" Joshua giggles and sounds so happy and joyful.

"You're so happy all of the sudden,...uh oh… I didn't drug you did I???" MailMan asks.

"No, no you didn't! I'm just so happy that you’re so expressive now!" Joshua replies with joy and happiness in his voice.

MailMan gives a small chuckle, "Thank goodness," he sounds relieved.

"You chuckled!" Joshua sounds even happier as he starts purring.

"And you purred!" MailMan chuckles again.

"God, I love you even more now!" Joshua giggles.

"I must be doing something right, then!" MailMan says

"You are! You're just being you and I love it!" Joshua says, with so much joy in his voice still.

"So what's the plan for today?" MailMan asks

"Whatever you want! I just want to, not like in a creepy way but, just watch you do stuff!" Joshua replies happily

"Hmmm not sure what I want to do.." MailMan furrows his brow in thought. Joshua giggles and just stares up at him. MailMan looks at him grinning, "Oh yeah, I wanted to watch what you do at work!"

Joshua's smile drops, "Oh, uhm let's not do that maybe?"

MailMan tilts his head, "Why not?"

"Just not a great idea, considering I look like this," Joshua says while gesturing at his body.

"Do they hate furries or something?" MailMan looks puzzled.

"No, they just wouldn't understand why I look like this," Joshua replies.

"We could try to explain!" MailMan offers

"How would we explain this?" Joshua asks

"hmmm...maybe something like hi I'm a cat now!" MailMan says

"I doubt that would work," Joshua says

"Hi I'm a snake," MailMan says

"I see that dear," Joshua giggles

"See? It works" MailMan points out

"No that-" Joshua bursts out laughing

"Laughter is a good sign, I'd say it worked great!" MailMan says

"Dearrr, it wouldn't work, they would just contain me!" Joshua says in a light-hearted tone.

MailMan looks tired as he blinks some, "You can't be contained!"

"Dear, it's rather late we should go lay down," Joshua yawns

"Yeah, I'm, I'm headed over there," he stares at the sofa in the other room as if he's going to magically teleport.

"Dear I'm just gonna carry you," Joshua picks MailMan up and carries him to the living room