Rev sighed as Harriet helped him ease down onto the sofa, "Thanks, Ma." He said with a wheeze. "You sound exhausted, Rev," Harriet said worriedly, noticing his reddened beak, "You look exhausted, too. Oh, your father. Sometimes I could just… ugh. Wait right here, I'll get you some fresh water."
Rev felt a gust of wind blow past him as Harriet zipped off into the kitchen, sending what little bit of his comb he had left flying back. Rev reached up and ran his fingers through the feathers to try to straighten them out, sighing as he felt a twinge of sadness at the sight of his reflection on the glass coffee table. His tattered head crest looked bad enough, but the thinner, downier blue feathers on his head and neck looked even worse as they were growing back in uneven patches. His beak and the little bit of pale pink flesh on his face looked horribly flushed from the fatigue gained from the trek taken to get here and his eyes were baggy and bloodshot.
"Good grief," Rev said quietly, gently fidgeting with his crest feathers in an attempt to make them look somewhat presentable, "I look awful." "No, you don't." Rev turned to see his mom walking around the sofa with a tall glass of water, "Don't worry about it, sweetie," Harriet said placing a tender hand on her son's shoulder, "It'll grow back, Rev. Give it time."
"I know they say time heals all wounds, but," Rev sighed and took the glass from Harriet, taking a few sips before continuing, "But this is one of those wounds that will probably take longer to heal than I have time left to live. I don't… I don't think I'm ever going to be the same again."
"Come on, son, that's not how a winner talks," a voice pipped. Rev and Harriet looked up to see Ralph and Rip walking in through the front door; Ralph was carrying his suitcases while Rip had Rev's tote bag. Tech came in right behind them carrying his own luggage. "You're a Runner, Rev, and Runners are winners. Don't talk like you're a loser."
"Great advice, Pa," Rip said sarcastically, "'Just stop being depressed, son.' Newsflash, Pop, that's not how emotions work." "Don't get sassy with me, Riphon," Ralph clicked, "I'm just saying having a positive attitude can go a long way. Don't worry, Rev, you'll be back on your feet defying the laws of nature in no time. For now, just try to relax and rest up."
"Yeah, sure Pop," Rev sighed, "Whatever you say."
"Ahem," Tech said clearing his throat, catching the Runners' attention, "Not to interrupt, but… can we get settled in? I need to use the bathroom, and I need to know where I'm going to sleep so I can get set up." Harriet dashed over and took Tech's field bag, motioning for him to follow her. Rev scooted over on the sofa to make room for Tech's bag as Harriet led him over to the couch and placed the bag on the ground next to it. Tech placed his backpack down next to Rev on the sofa as Rip zipped over and helped him move the coffee table a bit closer to the wall where the TV hung.
"Ralph, can you help Rip get started with pulling out the sofa bed while I grab some blankets?" Harriet asked, "Tech, follow me. The bathroom's right next to the linen closet." Tech nodded and grabbed his grocery bag of toiletries from his backpack before hurrying after Harriet as she zipped upstairs to the linen closet. "Bathroom's right there to your left, dear." Harriet said pointing to a light blue door with a picture of a cardinal in a birdbath painted on it; the picture was in the same spot that most public bathrooms hang their designation signs. Tech thought it was a bit of an odd detail but shrugged it off and walked in.
Tech was surprised at how luxurious the bathroom looked. The lower half of the walls had a lovely blue and white pattern that made Tech think of the clear blue skies outside while the upper half was painted a simple eggshell white; the floors had simple white bathroom floor tiles and they were so clean that Tech could see his reflection as he stooped down. Tech could see that being a clean freak ran in the family, earning an amused chuckle from the canid as he stood up and placed his dental care products on the sink before pulling out his towels and walking over to the bathtub.
As Tech placed his towels on the table between the bathtub and the toilet, he looked around and noticed there wasn't any toilet paper. Tech lifted the seat and quickly relieved himself, flushed and washed his hands before heading back downstairs where Rip was helping Harriet set up the sofa bed for him; Rev sat in an armchair off to the side struggling to take off his shoes. "Hey, uh, guys," Tech said nervously, "You don't have any toilet paper."
"We don't use toilet paper, remember?" Rip droned, "We have a bidet. Everyone has their own cloths to dry off with." "Didn't you bring any with you, Tech?" Rip asked. Tech groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slowly in frustration, "No. No I didn't. It's been so long, I… I can't believe I forgot about that." Rip and Rev both let out a hiss as they winced uncomfortably, exchanging an awkward glance.
"Hey, who left the toilet seat up? As if I need to ask?" A voice snapped. Tech turned to see Ralph standing behind him, arms crossed and glaring at Tech with an irritated expression. "I thought you'd remember from your last visit, Mr. Coyote," Ralph huffed, "We don't appreciate falling into the toilet."
"Sorry," Tech said in a slightly sarcastic tone, "I guess I was in a bit of a rush to ask why there's no toilet paper in the bathroom. Apparently you forgot that that is something of a necessity for me." "Nonsense," Ralph said rolling his eyes, "I've never needed toilet paper before, none of us have. The bidet system works just fine."
"Sure, for you!" Tech barked, "But I'm not a bird! I need a bit more than a sprinkling of water to clean… down there. Even if the bidet was enough, I don't have my own cloth. What am I supposed to wipe with?" Ralph put his hand to his chin in a manner that seemed like he was thinking and hummed, "Well, frankly, Mr. Coyote, that sounds like a 'you' problem."
"Ralph, that's enough," Harriet snapped. "If it helps, Tech, we still have the rolls left over from your last visit. I'll pick up another small package of two-ply when I go shopping tomorrow; that should at least get you through your stay here. Okay?" Tech nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you, Mrs. Runner."
Everyone turned and saw Rev letting out a loud yawn as he started nodding off in the chair. Tech smiled and walked over, gently grabbing Rev's arm and giving it a little shake to rouse the half-asleep roadrunner. Rev let out a confused hum as he blinked his eyes open, "Huh… Tech? W-what is it? Are we there already?"
"We've been there for about 45 minutes, Rev," Tech said softly, trying to suppress a chuckle, "You're half asleep and fighting the nod. Why don't you go up to your room and take a nap?" Rev moaned and shook his head and said, "I don't want to walk anymore… my legs hurt." Tech turned to see another chair on the other side of the room; it was a recliner. Tech smirked as an idea formed in his head.
The coyote grabbed one of the blankets Harriet had gotten him as well as one of the throw pillows off the sofa and made up the recliner. Tech walked back over and carefully helped Rev onto his feet, leading him over to the recliner and easing him down into it before leaning it back and raising the footrest. Rev let out a sigh as Tech placed the pillow under his head and draped the blanket over him. "Sleep tight, buddy." Tech whispered.
Ralph watched on uncomfortably as Tech took Rev's shoes off and helped him settle into the recliner, grumbling, "Rip, go upstairs and work on your studies." Rip just rolled his eyes and sighed as he walked off mumbling, "Whatever." Ralph crossed his arms and let out a frustrated click of his beak. "Ralph, relax," Harriet said in a hushed voice, "What do you actually think is going to happen?" Ralph gave Harriet an impatient glance before giving a huff and rolling his eyes. "Ralph, seriously, stop it. It's only for a few days, a week at most. Rev will be fine; we will be fine."
"I hear what you're saying, Harriet," Ralph sighed, narrowing his eyes as Tech walked past and grabbed his pajamas from his backpack and his weighted blanket from his tote, tossing the blanket onto the mattress before heading back up the stairs to the bathroom. "Still, it just doesn't feel right having him here. I don't understand why you insist on accommodating the coyote to this degree. For Meep's sake, I only agreed to let him come here so that Rev would come home."
"And here he is," Harriet said pointing to their unconscious son, "Rev's here at home, safe and sound and in one piece. I'd say that's more than worth the cost of a package of two-ply, don't you?" Ralph just grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Dear, relax." Harriet chuffed, "I'll make sure Rev's out of your recliner before you get home tomorrow. Just let him sleep; poor thing is exhausted. As for Tech, I don't think we'll have to worry too much about him tonight. He looked just as tired as Rev."
"All the same, honey," Ralph said with a pensive hum, "I'm going to be keeping a close eye on him… just in case."