"Right-ho, Jeffrey, said McKale, brushing himself off as the light dimmed,"When are we, rather?"
As expected, they hadn't appeared in any new place, and were still huddled near the apartment complex with naught but a few trinkets between them. In fact, it didn't seem like they'd gone very far forward (or backward) in time.
Jeffrey cast a glance lingering glance at Shar, something McKale was beginning to suspect held a bit more meaning than it seemed. Not that he could really tell. He wasn't a mind reader, after all, but Jeffrey (or Shar) always seemed to know something out of the ordinary after sharing one of the looks. McKale frowned a little, pushing down the ugly something feeling that tried to force its way out into the open.
"I believe we've arrived at the day of your bonding, sir."
"Really, Jeffrey?" McKale scrunched his face up disbelievingly, How the bally hell can you tell that, I didn't know the things had dates. Least, not one's the average bloke can-."
"Will the candidates for Synth 13 please make their way to Bravo Bay. I repeat, will the candidates for Synth 13 please make their way to Bravo Bay."
"Oh,"McKale pressed his lips together, clutching the unwrapped Christmas present in his hands, Well, rather." He flicked his gaze between the trio before letting his eyes land back on the comforting sight of Jeffrey, Will you be coming with me then, old chap?"
"I regret not, sir, we need to book a flight back to earth."
"And do something with Bishop, said Cy, peering up at him from the general vicinity of Jeffrey's knee, How long does someone usually stay unconscious for?"
Jeffrey shifted the weight and shook his head. McKale rather suspected that Bishop fellow was rather heavy, being nearly as tall as Jeffrey and not in the least bit lacking in the fit department.
McKale twisted his hands around the gift and nodded, Right then, he chewed his lip, Wish me luck."
Jeffrey dipped his head, smiling, Good luck, sir."
"Will the candidates for Synth 13-"
"Yes, yes, I've got the picture,"McKale let out a deep breath and saluted the group, Right-ho then, I'll be back shortly. Tinkerty-tonk!"
He just hoped his cold feet would find some other poor chappy to bother before he made it to the hatching bay.
.:.:.::.:.:.
Cy watched Jeffrey squirm restlessly between herself and Shar, chewing the inside of his cheek with his head pressed over it in attempt to keep either of them (Shar and Cy, that is) from noticing. As if they were really that blind to the fact that he was...rather uncomfortable, at the moment. They had managed to secure a flight to earth, which would be leaving within the hour, and had little trouble getting a pass for the unconscious Bishop (Jeffrey had explained to the lady at the desk that he was drunk, but they had to return home that day and couldn't wait for him to sober up. Family emergency). They were all ready to go, with their meager possessions tucked away in various pockets and Shar's goggles (a new set, he'd left the first in the aloe) snapped over his eyes. They simply had to wait for McKale to return.
And that, Cy suspected, was why Jeffrey was so nervous. He'd been gone for quite some time now and, more than that, Cy wasn't sure he wanted McKale to bond. After all, his initial reaction to having Cy and Shar in house had not been a pleasant one. Cy, herself, was rather against the idea of McKale bringing home a new bond. If he couldn't be nice to Jeffrey's, he shouldn't be allowed to have any at all.
"It's all right, Jeffrey,"Cy sighed, patience finally wearing out, Whats the worst that could happen?"
Jeffrey slowly flicked his gaze from the Abstract Destiny, where it sat docked amongst the other ships, to Cy. He said nothing, but slowly let his cheek slip out from between his teeth. With a worried smile he gave her a nod, wringing his hands in his lap.
Cy withheld a sigh and plopped her head unceremoniously against Jeffrey's knee.
Why, it hadn't been unpleasant at all! Certainly a tad surprising, yes, but what was the word without a few surprises here and there? It had been quite the corker of a hatching, if McKale did say so himself (which, he thought a moment later, he most certainly was, and a bit prejudicely at that. After all, it had been the only hatching ceremony McKale had ever attended). And really, despite the surprise, McKale thought he'd done rather well.
After all, no one else got twins, least of all such a corking pair as these two.
"So, said one, grinning toothily up at him, You gonna let us open the present?"
"Or did you just bring it along for show and tell, aye old chap?"
And they spoke properly too! McKale beamed to himself, not even bothering to force his grin off his face. A bit cockney, rather, which made McKale think of street urchins and Charles Dickens, but they were much too proper and elegant looking for that.
They, of course, being Sakay and Hushaiju.
"I only have one present, I'm afraid, and I don't really want to make you two chaps - chap and chapette, rather,"McKale corrected himself, Share, this being your first Christmas gift and all, he chewed his lip a moment, pausing in the middle of the corridor.
Was it even something shareable? McKale wasn't sure. But, well, it was intended for them, twins or no twins.
"Oh, dash it all,"McKale tossed his arms in the air, Here, have it!" He thrust the gift towards them.
They exchanged identical grins and dove at the present, snatching it up between four furry paws. They quickly tore the paper from the gift, casting it aside. McKale stirred awkwardly, wringing his hands together. Absently, he crossed his fingers together, casting his gaze upward.
Pleaseletthemlikeit,pleaseletthemlikeit,pleaseletthemlikeit.
"Of course we like it..."
"...it's bloody gorgeous."
"Or cute, rather..."
"...never had a stuffed animal before."
"Never had anything before, really..."
"...being just born, an' all."
McKale's worried, pinched look eased itself into a smile,"Oh, rather, you're quite welcome, then. Would you, ah, like another one? Just so each of you have one, what?"
"Nah..."
"...we can share..."
"...we're good at that."
They shot McKale a wink before their faces fell a little at they shifted their attention back to one another.
"Or at least we think we are, rather..."
"...never actually had to share anything before."
"Except the egg..."
"...of course."
They giggled in unison before turning back to McKale, snuggling the stuffed rabbit between themselves. It was a rather pretty thing, despite being green. It had soft fur and long, silky ears, its greenness accented twice more by the little lime colored ribbon it wore around its neck. Quite pretty, but McKale would have rathered they didn't have to share.
"Anyhow, said one of them, passing the stuffed animal to their sibling
"...where's this Jeffrey cove of yours?"
"And aren't we in a bit of a rush, love?"
"Oh!" McKale slapped a hand to his mouth and nodded. Quickly, he reached down, scooping the hatchlings up and shifting them comfortably in his arms,"Oh, dash it all, Jeffrey's going to be furious." He'd been gone for- Well, McKale wasn't particularly sure how long he'd been gone for, but with the rushing to get to the Destiny, waiting for his bonds to hatch, then the gift giving (not to mention a quick summary of events during their trek from the Destiny to the middle of the hanger deck), McKale had certainly been gone for no small amount of time.
Perhaps he should use the watch to-
Oh. Oh dash it all! Shar still had the rummy thing, didn't he?
With a hurried shout McKale took off down the hanger deck.
.:.:.::.:.:.
"What are you so worried about, anyway?" Cy narrowed his eyes up at him, frowning, That he'll bring home a bond that's not good for him? That he won't bond? That he will?"
Cyilume had been attempting to guess for quite some time, cursing Shar (and herself, just a little) for not having that same mind link. It would be one hell of a lot easier to get answers if she did.
So far Jeffrey had been nothing if not unresponsive. Shar had shot her a sympathetic look more than once, even going to far as to reach across Jeffrey to squeeze her paw.
.:He's nervous, Cy:.
.:I can see that, Shar!:. She rolled her eyes.
.:He doesn't want McKale to bond.:.
.:Sh- h- McKale didn't want him to do it, and he went off and did it anyway.:.
.:He didn't know.:.
.:Of course it did, Shar! He knows everything else McKale disapproves of.:.
.:Cy...:.
"What-ho, what-ho, what-ho, Jeffrey! Shar, Cy."
Cy snapped her gaze from Shar's to watch McKale hurrying toward them, struggling with something in his arms. Cy squinted her eyes at it, or them, really, and hopped off her seat.
Jeffrey was immediately on his feet, striding toward McKale with something akin to a smile beginning to form on his lips. He froze before he reached him, eyes slipping down, down, down at the thing in his arms.
"What ho there, chap!"
"You that Jeffrey cove?"
Two little white heads peeked out of McKale's protective grip, wearing identical smiles and carrying a very similar (mischievous, much to Jeffrey's displeasure) twinkle in their bright blue eyes.
"Sir?" Jeffrey glanced back up at McKale, brow arched, Theres...two of them."
"Well of course there's two of us!" shouted one of the hatchlings, scrambling out of McKale's arm (he bent down a little, to let them off).
"We're Hush..."
"...and Sakay," one turned to the other, Whos going to be who, today?"
"I'll be Sakay, you be Hush."
"Good enough for me...Sakay."
The other gave a wink, Youre welcome then, Hush."
Cy crept closer, wrinkling her nose at the duo, How can you tell them apart?"
The twins whipped around, loping toward her with their chests puffed out, Why that's simple, of course!" said one.
"You must be daft not to see it!"
"Sakay here has darker eyes than me..."
"...and Hush has a lighter fur ridge."
"Quite obvious, really, they said in unison.
McKale let out a little chortle and scooped them up once again before turning to Jeffrey, Are we going then, Jeffrey old thing?"
"Yes...sir, his gaze lingered on the two, before he was forced to wrench himself away. His hand dove into his jacket pocket, producing a wad of tickets which he handed back to Shar before hoisting Bishop over his shoulder.
McKale gave a whoop and hurried after him, Were going home."
Shar and Cy exchanged a glance, conveying more in that look then they ever could in words. With a shrug, Shar hurried after Jeffrey and McKale, Cy in tow.
.:.:.::.:.:.
Has anyone yet stated that Jeffrey's journal is a beautiful looking thing? Leather bound with gold filigree letters? No, I assume not. We've been much too busy writing about...other things. Odd, isn't it, that this is Jeffrey's journal and all of us have added at least one entry of our own to it.
But I'm rambling.
McKale bonded New Year's eve, five days into the future from the point in which Jeffrey and I, I believe 'kidnapped' is the word I want, Mr. Bishop. Jeffrey was nervous during his wait, and I suspect he may have been better off if he had joined McKale in the Bay, as a guest. I believe all of us may have been a bit better off. It was apparent that Hush and Sakay believed they had a one up on us because we were surprised by them. McKale, I suspect, was also surprised.
And then Cy proposed the question we were all thinking. How do you tell them apart? And, quite frankly, the answer was 'you don't, wasn't it? There were differences between them, and they realized that, so they switched their names and refused to tell anyone who was who. It was ingenious, really. Almost flawless.
Almost.
There's never yet been a mystery I couldn't solve, and I was going to take this - them - as the ultimate challenge.
After all, I knew McKale's gender, did I not? (Through Cy's mouth, I'll admit) Maybe I'd figure them out, maybe I wouldn't. I wasn't trying to hurt them, and, like McKale's gender, I would make a point of keeping the information to myself.
But I wanted to know.
I'm not perfect. Temptation affects me the same as any other. And it was tempting me now.
I believe that's all I have to say. Much more than I usually do, as Cy has so kindly pointed out as she preens over my entry. Good-luck to you, and good-bye.
- Shar'voras Tah