Unexpected Variables

Charles lowered the skycar outside of one of the turian-themed parks on the Presidium and looked at Ares. "Ready?"

Rumbling, Ares lifted a brow plate before looking out the window. "A park?"

Smirking, Charles refused to let Ares' dubious tone discourage him as he turned off the vehicle and stepped out. "A park," he said, closing the door. He moved over to Ares side and opened the door. "A special park, I think."

Ares climbed out of the skycar and looked around at the flow of turian families heading in and out of the park. "A turian park …."

"Yeah … but only if you want to." Charles waited, patient and fully prepared to get back in the skycar at any indication Ares was uncomfortable with the idea. He wanted it to be something nice for Ares, something happy, but he knew how easily it might backfire.

"But why this park?" Ares flicked his mandibles, glancing down at Charles. "We passed a few driving out here."

Charles slipped a hand into Ares', brushing his thumb over the back of his hand. "Well, it's not just laid out like a turian park, but they brought in trees and stuff from Palaven."

A thoughtful, low hum rolled through Ares, and he watched people entering the park for a long moment before looking down at Charles again. "Alright."

With a contented smile firmly in place, Charles started walking toward the entrance, but he let Ares set the pace. They got quite a few odd, curious looks, but no one seemed outright hostile at their approach. He didn't exactly expect aggression, but even with his father's body decomposing back on Shanxi, Charles struggled to remember the rest of the galaxy wasn't as homophobic as Roger Fairclough. He figured they probably just didn't see too many humans going into that particular park. Or maybe they just weren't used to seeing a human covered in turian hickeys and bite marks going into the park. Either way, so long as Ares was comfortable and happy, so was he.

He tightened his fingers around Ares' in a gentle squeeze. "After, we can grab something to eat if you want, someplace with good dextro options."

"I take it you've looked into places?" Ares lost interest in the turian visitors and instead started looking around at the flora decorating the park as they walked down a path.

"Mhmm. There's a handful of places on the Presidium you might be interested in, and if not, some others in the Wards. I saved a few extranet sites for you to look over." Charles watched Ares out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to make sure the turian relaxed and enjoyed himself before doing the same, taking in the people, plants, and small animals around them.

Ares hummed in response, slowing down and reaching for a tree branch stretching out over the path. At his height, he easily grabbed a hold of the branch and pulled it down a little. Silvery-blue flowers fluttered down when Ares gave it a gentle shake. "It's spring here."

A loose petal landed right on Charles' upturned palm, and he chuckled, extending his arm to catch a few more. "Mhmm. Thought you might like it."

Letting the branch go, Ares looked around at the variety of trees and flowers spread out across the grass. Ditching the path completely, he tugged Charles along as he headed up a gentle slope. Shimmering bushes dotted through with bright, orange berries surrounded a bench at the top. Plucking a berry, Ares offered it to Charles. "We used to have these close to my house. Squeeze it."

Charles gave the flower petals a temporary home in his pocket, planning on adding them to his keepsake box later. Accepting the berry, he turned it over in his palm before doing as he'd been told. Immediately, the strong scent of citrus filled the air, and Ares' nose plates shifted as he smelled the air. The look on his face seemed almost peaceful, and Charles knew then he'd chosen well when he decided on the park.

Smiling softly to himself, Charles asked, "Are they edible?"

"Only at certain stages." Ares looked back at the bush, releasing Charles' hand to search the bushes. "Here," he said, pulling back a bundle of berries such a deep shade of orange they were nearly red. "These are edible."

Choosing a particularly plump looking berry, Charles picked it and held it up to Ares' mouth in offering. Leaning closer, Ares rumbled and opened his mouth, taking the berry and crushing it between his mouth plates. He flicked his mandibles before tilting his head back and swallowing. "You can try it, too. So long as you don't eat a shit ton of them, you'll be fine."

Charles chuckled. "I planned to," he said as he picked another. "Just wanted to take care of my man first." Grinning, he winked and slipped the berry into his mouth, using his front teeth to slice through the flesh and taste the juice before committing to chewing. The bite of sour hit his tongue, making saliva well up in the back of his mouth, and he hummed, biting into it the rest of the way and pulling it back to his molars. He puckered his lips a little as he chewed, eyebrows crinkling inward. "Sour, but not bad," he said, as he swallowed. "Definitely wouldn't want to eat too many of them at once. At least not without something else to break up the taste."

The last few berries bounced in Ares' palm as he chuckled. Tossing the rest in his mouth, he took a second to crush them before swallowing. "If anyone eats too many, they'll have a serious case of the shits, turian or not." He shrugged. "I learned that lesson the hard way one time."

Laughter ripped through Charles' throat, but he cut it off quickly, self-consciously looking around to see several, startled turians watching him. "Good to know," he said, wiping a stray drop of juice from his mouth.

Ares flicked a mandible, obviously amused, as he turned and started walking again, heading deeper into the park and leaving Charles to catch up. Picking up his pace, Charles jogged after the long-legged turian and snagged onto the corner of Ares' jacket. He felt so amazingly at ease, better than he'd felt since before Ares took off the last time. Even though a part of him knew it wouldn't last—Ares would eventually return to work and Charles would be left alone again to deal with his beast—he intended to enjoy every last second of the peace he found with the turian.

"What's that?" he asked, nodding his head toward a bird-like creature picking at the bark of a tree.

With a flutter of his mandibles, Ares hummed and studied the animal. "I can't remember the name, but they're a seasonal bird. You only ever see them in the spring when they lay their eggs. At least where I lived." He huffed a laugh and looked down at Charles. "The birds like to lay their eggs in other birds' nests, make them take care of their little bastards."

Charles grinned up at Ares, the hint of something familiar relaxing him a little more. "There's a bird on Earth that does the same thing; the cuckoo bird." He turned his attention back to the bird, watching as tilted it's head back and let out a few chirps. "So, where do they go when it's not spring? It doesn't really get cold on Palaven, does it?"

"No." They watched the bird fly to a different tree before Ares added, "I think it goes to an island …. It eats something specific, like a plant or something, and it's mostly grown there." He shrugged. "I guess if they took care of their own babies, they wouldn't need to leave the island."

Charles scoffed but smirked. "Fucking deadbeat parents."

Ares chuckled, grinning down at Charles before shrugging. "I guess so, but if you could, wouldn't you put off your chirping bastards on someone else to feed and take care of?"

Not once, not even a little, had Charles ever seriously considered fatherhood. He knew he was fucked up. Too fucked up. But he thought if he did have kids, he'd want to do his best to be a good father, something he didn't have growing up. "Mmm. Maybe for a day or two, but not forever. Unless … unless I knew they could be better parents than I could." He let out a wry huff and watched the bird for a second. "Which probably wouldn't be too hard to manage."

"I was talking about a bird, not a baby."

Confused, Charles huffed and glanced up at Ares. "They are the birds' babies, though."

Ares raised a brow plate. "Since when do humans ever say their babies 'chirp'? I don't know much about human brats, but I'm pretty sure they don't chirp."

What? That doesn't even … what the hell were you asking, then? You're fucking with me, aren't you?

Charles lifted a brow himself. "Are you really surprised with as many metaphors as we use that I might take 'chirping bastards' in reference to human kids?"

"I am, actually." Ares snorted and shook his head, but Charles still thought the man was just messing with his head. "Now, if you thought turians, then I'd be the one who'd need to explain what I meant. Turians actually do chirp."

A grin spread across Charles' lips. "That sounds adorable." Chuckling, he bumped Ares' shoulder. "We should adopt a turian baby."

"No thanks," Ares said dryly, "I'd rather keep my hearing."

Laughing, Charles threaded his arm through Ares' and started them moving again. "Hmmm. A whole horde of human babies it is, then. Or maybe krogan … hmmm. Do you think we could get our hands on a quarian baby?"

Ares snorted as they walked. "I'm sure I know a few people who could find one for us."

Snickering a little, Charles glanced around them, catching more than a few odd looks from other turians. One in particular, a man with plates nearly as dark as charcoal, yellow paints, startling green eyes, and gold hoops surrounding the spikes of his crest caught Charles' gaze. The turian's shoulders shook with laughter Charles couldn't hear, and he flicked a mandible at Charles and Ares. Charles grinned, lifting his hand in a half wave, and the turian nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Making friends, I see," Ares said, dragging Charles' attention back to him. Flicking his mandibles, he looked away from the other turian to glance back down at Charles. "Seen him, before?"

When Charles looked over again, the stranger nodded to Ares before turning his attention back to the birds fluttering around on the ground in front of him. He threw out his hand, tossing something out for the birds, and they hopped around, pecking frantically at the grass.

Charles glanced up and shook his head. "Nope. Just caught him laughing at us." Grinning he added, "I mean, we are hilarious."

"Well, laughter is better than some of the other things I'm hearing," Ares said, making Charles tense. Walking, Ares pulled Charles along as they walked beneath a large tree with flowering bushes surrounding its trunk. "My mom liked these flowers."

"What are they saying?" Charles asked softly, gaze on the flowers as he ran his fingers over the smooth petals.

"Nothing. They're just flowers."

Charles huffed, looking up at Ares. "You know that's not what I meant." He chuckled despite himself.

"I do," Ares said, crouching down to pick a rather large flower, its center a glimmering silver with blue-green edges, from one of the branches, "and you're not getting the answer because it'll only ruin things."

Lungs filling to near-bursting with air, Charles swallowed and did his best to push away the dread and frustration prickling at the back of his neck and down his spine as he exhaled. "What's the flower called," he asked, letting the subject drop.

Rumbling softly, Ares held the flower in his hands. "I don't know the real name of it, but everyone calls them Silver Blossoms." He shrugged. "People have to grow them in parks and gardens because they don't grow naturally anymore or something."

"Servias," a voice called out, drawing Charles' attention up and toward the noise. The turian from before walked slowly in their general direction, birds trailing behind him as he tossed seeds to the ground. He looked up, meeting Charles' gaze. "They're called Servias."

Ares rumbled, glancing the turian's way with a lift of his chin—whether in thanks or greeting, Charles wasn't certain—but that was all. Ares seemed more focused on turning the flower over in his hands, talon ghosting over the edges of the petals. Charles smiled at the attractive stranger again before clearing his throat a little and turning his attention back to the man he loved and the flower he held in his hand. Ares may never believe him, but every now and again, when Ares let his guard down enough to just be a man and not a closed-off, hyper-vigilant assassin, he turned into the absolutely most stunning thing Charles ever laid eyes on.

"Why don't they grow naturally anymore?" Charles asked, studying the reverent look on Ares' face with awe.

"I think …" Ares stopped, rumbling in thought as if trying really hard to remember. "… I think the place where they grew was turned into a city or something."

"That sucks." Charles rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I guess it's cool there was a new city, but it sucks if it was the only place they grew normally. Are they hard to grow?"

Humming, Ares turned to offer the flower over before reaching into the bushes for more just as big or very close. "I don't think so. I think the big problem was that people didn't know they didn't grow anymore. I think there was some shit about them having to grow a whole new species of the plant or something." He shrugged, starting to collect a small bouquet of the sizable flowers. "I know my mom told me all this once, but I didn't pay much attention at the time."

A few seconds passed with Charles gaping at the flower in his hand before he glanced at Ares. "Hmmm … I'm not sure whether to be pleased you just gave me a flower—since I'm human and think it's a sweet act—or insulted after what you said before about giving flowers to children who are fascinated by the colors." He grinned, winking at Ares when the turian grunted and looked sideways at him.

"I meant to let you get a look at it better, so I guess you could say it's the latter in that case." Standing, Ares held the small bouquet in his hand. "And you gave me a flower first, so it's only fair."

"You gave me a flower." The affection he felt for the turian leaving him warm inside, Charles' smile softened, but he still added a teasing quality to his voice and said, "It means you like me."

Exasperation making his mandibles flick, Ares said, "I'd figure we're over that now that you're wearing my bite mark. Well, marks, now," he added with a smirk and growl.

More mirth slipped into Charles' grin, and he really played it up, twisting back and forth at the waist like a blushing schoolgirl. He brought the flower up to his nose, inhaling the scent, somehow metallic but also like sandalwood. "You like me," he said, dragging the second word out. Light laughter floated on the air, coming from the other turian feeding the birds, and it made Charles' grin widen.

Rumbling and shaking his head at Charles' antics, Ares jerked his chin back toward the path. "Want to keep going?"

Charles laughed, sliding his arm back through Ares' and squeezing his bicep. "Yeah. You lead, I'll follow. Anywhere. Always."

Returning to the path, Ares led them deeper into the park. They came to a small creek with a footbridge. Crossing over, wood creaking beneath their feet, they turned a corner. A moment later, they arrived at a section of the park decorated with statues and transcribed stones.

A tug at Ares' arm brought him to a stop as Charles cocked his head at the writing. "My translator's not giving me anything," he said, glancing back up at Ares. "What's it say?"

After a few seconds of looking over one of the stones with a hum, Ares flicked his mandibles. "Most of it is too old, but it's basically a totem. Like an object people can visualize when they try to appeal to the Spirits." He shrugged and looked around. "I don't really know much about it, but it's not like the Spirits are physical beings, but it helps to have something that tells you what to do and say. Like an instruction manual on these things. I'm sure someone else who knows the Spirits shit better than me could read it."

Charles gave him a soft grunt and looked back at the stones a moment longer. "Do you think they brought these from Palaven with the writing already on them?"

Ares shrugged but stopped and looked at one closer. "Probably not. You'd think the carvings would be smoother, the stone more worn. And I'd guess real ones are too valuable to just put in some random park on the Citadel." He rumbled and said, "They probably brought old stones from Palaven, but made the writings fresh."

Charles nodded. "Probably. It's kind of crazy to think about some of the things people send across the galaxy, but I guess most people have stronger ties to home than I ever did."

Stepping back from the stone, Ares hummed. "Let's keep going. I don't really care for this part of the place."

One eyebrow twitched up, and Charles' lips parted to ask why, but he thought better of it. Instead, he just nodded and slipped his arm back through Ares'. "Okay," he said, letting Ares lead him away.

As they made their way to a restaurant named Calveria's for lunch, a young turian—who seriously looked in need of a scrubbing and some oil for his plates—caught Charles' eye. He stood out not because he was in bad shape, but because his gaze seemed intently locked on Ares. After a moment, the kid wove his way through the masses, making his way closer. Charles watched him, he wasn't really big enough to be a threat, but Charles knew a lot of the duct rats on the Citadel practiced the fine art of pickpocketing. Not that any of them really stood a chance with pulling one over on Ares, but still. The kid seemed to hesitate a moment before walking right up to Ares, nose plates twitching as he scented the air.

"Excuse me …." the kid said, getting Ares' attention.

Rumbling in question, Ares looked down at him before flicking his mandible—as if he didn't see the kid coming. "Oh, hey …. Talak, right?"

The kid let out a soft chirp and nodded his head. "I was wondering … since you're Ramona's friend … maybe you have something I can do for you for a few extra credits?" His feet shuffled a little, mandibles fluttering erratically.

Ramona? Oh, right, Jasmine.

Ares hummed, seeming to consider the request before glancing at Charles while he said, "I can think of something you can do …." He asked Charles, "What do you say?"

Heart breaking just looking at the kid, Charles shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I don't know. I guess I could have him walk Eezo or something …. Hell, the kid looks hungry, I'll just give him some credits."

Ares shook his head slightly. "No. It's better to work for them. He's not charity, he's wanting to earn it."

Talak rumbled a little, nodding in agreement. "I can work for them. How do you walk eezo?" He flared his mandibles, brow plate raising a little. "Why would you walk eezo?"

Charles chuckled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "Eezo's what I named my dog. Do you know what a dog is?"

Talak seemed to think about it for a second and then nodded. "Rift has a dog now, he sent us a vid." Then, as if thinking over what he'd just said, his mandibles stilled. He glanced at Ares. "Do you know Rift?"

"Personally? No, but Ramona's mentioned him enough." Rumbling, Ares jerked his head over his shoulder. "Come on. We're going to get something to eat. We can talk about what you can do then."

Mandibles flicking a little, Talak's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of food. He nodded. "Thank you."

Charles had to fight the urge to ask who Rift was, but he didn't say anything, just smiled at Ares as they started walking again.

Walking inside of the buffet, Ares stopped and took in a big breath of the savory air, rumbling as he looked down at Talak. "You'll be eating right today."

Talak grinned, nodding his head again. "Yes, sir." He let out a soft chuckle, his gaze moving over the variety the buffet offered.

"Eh," Ares said, distaste tugging at his plates. "No 'sirs.'" Getting Talak's attention, Ares jerked his chin toward the aisles. "Go get whatever you want and find us again. We'll claim a table."

The kid hesitated, glancing around the room. Charles looked around, too, seeing the place through the duct rat's eyes, remembering what it was like for him back in his days of living on the streets. Clean, neatly dressed strangers watched them with wary eyes. Cold expressions warned them away and threatened to forge a complaint against their presence if they even thought about begging for scraps or credits.

"If he goes over there without us, at least at first, he'll probably get harassed," Charles said softly, and Talak nodded.

Ares rumbled and handed the bundle of flowers he brought back from the park to Charles. "Then you go find a spot, and I'll show him the good shit to get."

Smiling, Charles took the bouquet, mumbling, "You like me." He turned, taking a few steps before pausing. "Which exit?"

Ares motioned to the smaller side doors. "Either of those. Keep my back to the wall."

"Of course." Charles winked and wandered off.

Choosing a table with a clear path to the exits, Charles sat down. It was a good choice, it'd put Ares' back to a wall, let him see all of the doors, and they'd make it outside of the building in a matter of seconds if needed. It also kept them away from the main flow of foot traffic to and from the buffet, giving them a bit of privacy and keeping Talak off display. Charles laid the flowers on the table and watched the two turians as Ares piled an enormous amount of food on the plate clutched tightly in the kid's hands—probably far more than Talak could eat in one sitting.

A waiter stopped by the table to see about taking drink orders. Charles asked for an orange Paragade and one of those turian beers Ares seemed so fond of, and then he told the waiter to bring Talak whatever it was turian kids liked to drink.

When they finally made it back to the table, Charles smiled at them before standing up. "My turn."

He took a couple of minutes to look over the selection once he reached the buffet and then started piling things on his plate in a pretty hit or miss manner. Half of it was stuff he'd never even heard of, and half of what he did know by name, he'd never tried. So he wasn't really sure what he'd like, but he was willing to try new things.

Ah, the glory of an all-you-can-eat buffet.

He made his way back to the table and set down his—far smaller portioned—plate and asked Ares, "Want a glass of water for the flowers, or do you want them to dry out?"

Ares hummed, pausing in showing Talak how to pick apart something that looked like crab. "I guess leave one to dry and the others get some water."

Charles thought it was kind of odd but shrugged it off, waving at the waiter. He stepped aside to meet the turian and asked for a glass of tap water for the flowers. The turian flicked his mandibles a few times, looking over Ares and Talak before back at Charles, clearly confused, but nodded his head.

Sitting back down again, Charles took in Talak stuffing his mouth and asked, "How is it?"

"Delicious. Best thing I've had this cycle," the young turian said, glancing up at Charles.

Ares rumbled around his mouthful before swallowing. "The kid and I have been talking.

"That sounds ominous …." Charles raised an eyebrow, picking up his fork.

"You know," Ares said, flicking his mandible, "for that, I'm not going to let him help you with Eezo."

'Let' him?

Charles chuckled, pouting his lip. "Guess I'll just have to ask Lindsey to come over every day and take Eezo for a walk."

Ares wrinkled his nose. "I don't want her in the apartment." Glancing at Talak, he flicked a mandible again before taking a drink from his beer. "What I'm trying to say is that he's up to working for us as long as we want him around. Figured you can show him how to take care of the dog while you work. And I already have plans to make him help me work on that spare room."

'Make' him? Jesus, Ares, are you planning on enslaving the kid?

Surprised Ares wanted the kid in the apartment with no one else there, Charles' eyebrow inched up a little higher. But he trusted Ares, and if Ares trusted the kid, it meant so did Charles. "We have a hamster now, too."

"True." Ares looked at Talak. "Do you know how to mess with a hamster?"

"I don't know what a hamster is," Talak said between shoving forkfuls in his mouth.

Ares snorted. "Well, it's not food. I had to make sure Citadel Souvenirs wasn't selling live food …. I was sorely disappointed I couldn't eat it."

Charles smirked and shook his head. "I mean … it's levo based … but I guess you could eat it. I'm pretty sure Eezo won't think twice about eating it if it gets loose." He looked Talak over for a moment, wondering what exactly Ares just dropped in his lap. "You can help me pick a name for the hamster."

Mandibles fluttering softly, Talak let out a soft chirp. "What do you mean if it gets loose? Is it in a cage?"

"Yeah." Charles nodded, turning his hand out. "They're small, furry rodents … mammals. It can fit in the palm of my hand."

"What are they for?" The kid asked, brow plates twitching.

Charles frowned. "What do you mean what are they for?"

Talak fluttered his mandibles, shifting uncomfortably. "I … Rift said dogs are good at protecting people and to chase around outside …."

"Ah. Uhhh … hamsters are just kinda there, to be honest. I mean, you can hold them and pet them, but mostly they're just there to look at."

Ares clicked something at Talak, something wholly subvocals and utterly meaningless to Charles. "They're a useless animal. Entertainment, mostly."

Talak chuffed, mouth plates quirking up in a playful smile. "Well, yeah, if it's not food and not big enough to protect anyone …."

Charles chuckled, leaning back in his chair, looking between Ares and Talak. "I am so screwed here, aren't I?"

"You'll survive," Ares said with a smirk before taking a huge bite.

"I damn well better." Charles leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table as he started to eat again. "So … how do you know Ramona?" he asked Talak, knowing he shouldn't but between being curious and wanting to weigh the kid out, he figured it was as good of a question as any.

Talak stilled in his seat. After a moment, mandibles fluttering softly, he simply said, "She's really nice to us. I won't give you information on her. I'm sorry."

Ares gave Charles a knowing look, flicking his mandible.

Charles smirked, nodding his head. "Good."

Charles hung back a little as they approached the apartment, uncertainty and curiosity at war inside his head. He wasn't completely certain what Ares was after with the kid or how it'd all play out, but he'd be hard pressed to miss the fact Ares seemed really taken with the kid. And that meant Charles expected to see a lot of him. He was okay with that, he thought. It wasn't like the kid was some delicate flower he'd have to watch out for, or anything. He'd survived as a duct rat, after all.

After disarming and unlocking the door, Ares hit the release. Almost instantly, Talak's eyes widened and his nose plates shifted when the door opened. Charles realized the kid must smell their blood from the night before. He pursed his lips, glancing up at Ares to see what, if anything, he'd say to Talak about it.

Ares hummed and flicked his mandibles. "That's our blood." He huffed and shrugged. "We aren't going to do anything to you, but I get it if you want to cut your losses."

Talak glanced up between Ares and Charles, intelligent eyes taking them both in for a moment. "It's a lot of blood." He took a step back from the door when Eezo rushed down the hall toward them, yipping and wagging her tail.

"Fair enough …." Ares pushed Eezo away from Talak and rumbled. "But Ramona probably wouldn't trust a guy ready to kill a duct rat for no reason, right?"

Talak stared up at Ares, narrowing his eyes as his mandible flicked a few times. "No," he said, but continued to stare at Ares. Finally, he turned his attention back to the dog. "Is that Eezo? It looks different from Lucky."

"Yeah, this is Eezo." Ares stepped aside to let her happily run to Talak. "She likes to lick, but just shove her away. A good growl will make her pay attention."

Charles huffed, crossing his arms, and when Talak looked up at him—despite Eezo jumping, sniffing, licking, and yipping at the young turian—he said, "Or, you could just pet her and play with her since that's what she's trying to do with you."

Talak flicked his mandibles, looking between the dog, Ares, and Charles. "Where am I supposed to walk her?"

"There's a park I usually take her to not far from here. I know someone who works there who'll help you with Eezo. I'll show you where it's at when you're ready … if you're staying."

Talak held a hand out, letting Eezo sniff, lick, and then chew on his talons. Patting the dog on the head, he sidestepped, moving past her toward the door, nose plates still twitching as he went. He glanced back at Ares and Charles, a dubious expression tugging at his plates and stepped inside. Charles bent down, picking Eezo up and turning his attention to Ares, lifting an eyebrow a little alongside a brief shrug.

Grunting, Ares lit a cigarette, talking low around it. "Daring kid." He took his first drag and walked into the apartment.

"Probably has to be," Charles said, just as softly, before rubbing his face against Eezo's and following them inside.

Talak stopped next to the kitchen entrance, gaze roaming over the details of the apartment his vantage point provided.

"I want to take measurements of that spare room," Ares said over his shoulder to Charles. "I guess you can show Talak around, see if you want to give him something to do until I get the shit I need delivered."

Closing and locking the door behind them, Charles nodded. "Sure …." He watched as Talak's nose plates continued to twitch, clearly uncomfortable with whatever his nose picked up. He made his way past the kid to the balcony and cracked the door, letting the place air out a little. He thought he'd gotten at least most of the blood cleaned up that morning, but apparently, he'd missed something somewhere.

Setting Eezo on the floor, he lingered next to the balcony door and lit a cigarillo before shoving his free hand into his pocket. He took a couple of drags, just standing there looking over the kid for a minute. "That's the hamster," he said, pointing at the cage sitting on the breakfast bar.

Talak looked at the cage, mandibles fluttering before taking a couple of steps closer to it. He watched as the little ball of fur ran around, tunneling through the bedding Charles put in there that morning. Reaching up, he scratched the back of his head with the hand holding his lit cigarette. "I don't really know what to have you do …."

Talak looked back up at Charles before shifting his gaze around the apartment. Wordlessly, he went into the kitchen and opened the cabinet beneath the sink. Charles moved to the breakfast bar to watch as the kid gathered cleaning supplies, stopping to read bottles, and then carried them off down the hall. Snorting softly, Charles trailed along, stopping to glance in at Ares as he closed his omni-tool and stepped out into the hall. They both watched as Talak seemed, quite literally, follow his nose to the source of whatever blood Charles missed. For fuck's sake, he hoped it was just blood he'd missed. He took a drag of his cigarillo, glancing at Ares as the kid entered the bathroom and started cleaning.

After taking a long drag from his cigarette, Ares hummed. "At least he'll stop sniffing the air enough to work on something else."

Talak's mandibles stilled, shoulder's tensing just a fraction. Charles gently elbowed Ares in the side and tilted his head toward the bedroom, urging Ares to follow him. Ares huffed but stuck the cigarette in his mouth and followed. Charles closed the door mostly behind them, ears straining to listen.

"So … he's just going to be living here?" he asked, making sure there wasn't any judgment in his low voice or questioning expression.

He just wanted to have a solid game plan. The idea of having the kid around indefinitely didn't exactly thrill Charles, but if Ares wanted the kid to move in, he'd deal with it. Yeah, it might be awkward, and there'd be a lot of things he'd need to take into consideration … things to hide. But for Ares, he'd deal. Anything for Ares. Anything.

Ares shrugged as if it were really no big deal at all. "Up to him, I guess, though I doubt he'll stay overnight in the beginning. He's still a duct rat. The ducts are safe." He took a drag, blowing the smoke to the side. "We are strangers enough that he can't trust us completely, even with her backing me up that one time. Until he's cool sticking around, I'm sure he'll do fine when we tell him to be here by a certain time."

Charles fought the urge to frown, he'd spent enough time on the streets to understand how the kid probably thought. And, to be honest, he knew if Talak was desperate enough, he wouldn't turn down a place to crash even with utter and complete strangers. Though he probably didn't feel all that desperate living on a climate controlled space station. That really wasn't the point, though.

Taking a drag of his cigarillo, Charles said, "You should offer him the chance to shower while he's here. Probably better coming from you. I can wash his clothes for him, if he wants. Give him something to wear in the meantime. Cut some holes in some sweats for his spurs?" He lifted an eyebrow.

Ares shrugged again before nodding. "I'll let him know. But if he's sticking around, we should get him some clothes so we don't ruin all your shit."

Charles let out a soft chuckle, scratching the back of his head again. "Yeah … I already have one turian tearing my clothes to hell. Don't need another." He smirked, taking a drag. "I kind of feel bad we don't have a second bedroom for him …."

Ares hummed. "We'll—what's the saying—cross that river when we get to it?"

"Yeah." Close enough. Charles smiled, moving in and pressing up on his toes to give Ares a quick peck on his mouth plates.

Rumbling, he chuckled before stepping out of the bedroom and heading to the bathroom. "Talak …."

Charles followed after, staying out of the way, trying to be unobtrusive but supportive.

The kid turned, looking up at Ares, flicking a mandible. "Yeah?"

"When you got that how you want it, I want you to shower." Ares reached into the shower and grabbed his usual scrub and a brush he only used when he had something really stuck to his plates. "Use my shit. Charles will let you wear some of his clothes while we get yours clean." He tossed the tub of scrub to the kid.

Talak caught it out of the air, slowly lowering his gaze from Ares to look at the small tub. His mandibles flicked a few more times before he said, "Cut holes in a pair of sweats?" He glanced at Charles, making it painfully obvious he heard everything Charles said.

Charles snorted softly, fighting the urge to rub his neck and took a drag. "Yeah. That work for you?"

Flicking his mandible again, Talak said, "Sure."

Ares nodded and tossed the brush onto the counter. "Use that to get the stuck on shit off. It'll be a bit sore after, but you need it off."

Talak blinked, setting the scrub down next to the brush. "It's been a while, but I remember how to shower."

Charles snorted, turning away to rein in the laugh before it escaped. The kid had an attitude, and it amused him. Composed, he leaned against hallway wall, facing the two turians again.

"I wasn't saying you don't …." Ares flared his mandibles, brow plates dipping into a scowl. "I was insinuating that you haven't had to scrub off hardened molts."

Flicking his mandibles again, Talak bobbed his head in a nod. "Thank you … Ares."

Humming, Ares took a drag. "Don't mention it." He turned to Charles and jerked his head out toward the living room. "Good?"

Charles nodded and pushed off the wall. "I'm going to go get him something ready to wear."

He made his way to the bedroom and put out his cigarillo before rummaging around in the dresser. Coming back out with old sweats and a t-shirt, he took them to the kitchen and dug through the drawers. When he found a pair of scissors, he used them to cut holes in the calves of the sweats before folding them and putting them on the breakfast bar. He tossed the scissors back into the drawer and took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

Feeling lost in his own space, he lit another cigarillo and wandered into the living room. Pulling the coffee table a little closer, he sat on the edge of the couch. He really wasn't so sure about the whole thing. What if the kid saw something or heard something he shouldn't? And … fuck he felt like a selfish ass, but he really didn't want Ares attention divided any further.

Ares sat down, stretching out his legs as he took a long drag from his cigarette. "I'm ordering supplies for a sliding wall for that room." Leaning forward, he flicked ash into the ashtray on the table. "I plan to make him help."

Smoke trickled out of Charles' nose as he nodded. "How long do you think it'll take you?"

Ares hummed around his cigarette, sitting back again and scratching at the prosthetic plate over his cheek. "Depends on how fast he catches on."

Charles let out a soft grunt of acknowledgment.

A moment later, Talak came back through the living room, rounding the breakfast bar with nothing more than a wary glance in their direction. He put everything back under the sink before coming out again, mandibles fluttering, uncertainty in his eyes. "Is there anything else you want me to do before I shower?"

Ares shook his head. "No. Go ahead and get those molted plates off."

Talak chuffed and chirped, nodding his head. "Alright." He glanced at the pile of clothes on the counter, lifting a finger to point as he sought Charles' gaze.

Charles nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, I don't have anything better. Bring out your other things, and I'll throw them in the wash."

"Thank you," Talak said, his voice soft, yet almost … sad? Scooping the clothes up, he made his way back down the hall.

The muffled sound of the shower filled the air, and Charles let out a heavy breath. "How old do you think he is?"

"I'd say twelve or thirteen." Ares stamped out his cigarette and stood. "I'm going to get these fucking prosthetics off. We still have that mirror in the bedroom, yeah?"

"Yeah. Want some help?" Charles took a drag, looking up at him.

"Getting them off? Not really, but I'm interested in hearing some ideas about the kid." Ares shrugged. "You're here more than me, so you'd know what should be done around here."

Masking a sigh by exhaling smoke, Charles stood, flicking his ashes on his way up. He met Ares' gaze and put a teasing smirk on his face as he reached over to grab a handful of Ares' jacket, tugging him a little. "I thought I told you I wanted a baby turian, not a teenager."

Ares scoffed. "Teenagers are useful, babies are messy and stink. And they're loud."

Charles chuckled, though he didn't really feel it, nerves still nipping at the back of his mind. "Are we really doing this? Taking in a kid with as fucked up as we both are?"

Ares shrugged and grabbed Charles' wrist, pulling his hand off the jacket and using it to lead him to the bedroom. He released Charles once in there and went to his duffle bag. Finding the adhesive solvent for his prosthetics, he glanced back at Charles. "You were a street kid, so you know some shit about him I wouldn't. You can teach him what you know, and I'll give him some things to be useful with when he's an adult."

Charles hummed, killing off his cigarillo and putting it out in the ashtray on the table next to Ares' side of the bed. Sitting down, he stretched his legs out in front of him. "What if he hears something or sees something … I mean, with what happened a few days ago with me …." He took a deep breath. "I want to help the kid, I just don't want us to end up making things worse for him or putting either of us in danger of exposure." He realized he really just wanted to hear Ares tell him everything would be okay.

And I won't turn into my father and terrorize the poor kid.

Ares hummed as he looked into the mirror, dabbing solvent on a cloth and starting to pat it over his prosthetics. "We're not going to be exposed. The kid knows how to keep secrets, and I doubt he's going to turn on the ones giving him work, food, and someplace to stay." Pausing, he looked over his shoulder, watching Charles a moment before flicking his mandibles. "And we won't make it worse for him. We're teaching him." He set the cloth down and turned completely. "And if you're worried about those blackouts, we said we'd work on it on Omega. The kid will be fine here taking care of the dog and rat."

Feeling a little more relaxed with Ares' reassurances, Charles snorted at the turian's word choice. "It's not a rat." He sucked in a deep breath, holding Ares' gaze and trusting in him to make sure everything would work out. "Okay," he said, bobbing his head. "We're doing this."

"It's a rodent. Rodents are rats." Ares returned to the mirror and rumbled. "If you want him gone, say so. You're around more than me."

Laying back on the bed, Charles tucked his hands under his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Nah. I don't want him gone. I'm just nervous, but I'll deal." He smirked. "And you can't call all rodents rats any more than I can call you a parrot."

One of those odd buzzing sounds Ares sometimes made resonated through the room. "That's awfully racist of you."

No more racist than all the jabs you take at humans.

Charles' snorted. "I'm just saying you're avian, too."

"A rodent is an animal." Ares peeled off a plate and looked over his shoulder. "A turian is not an animal. Would you like me to start calling you pyjak or, what's it called, monkey?"

"Well, that would just be silly. We evolved from primates, not monkeys." Charles struggled to keep his tone serious and his smartass smirk under lock and key.

Ares chuffed. "And by your reasoning of turians being avian, I don't even have to go as specific as primate. I just need a mammal, so technically, I could call you a rodent, too."

"That was your reasoning not mine, my sexy, avian man." Charles turned a little to leer at Ares. "Point being, rats and hamsters are both rodents, but obviously not all rodents are rats. Also, we're all fucking animals. Just apex species, survival of the fittest, evolved further than the rest of the critters on our home planets. I would never seriously call you a parrot, of course. But if you're asking if I consider myself a primate, then yes, I do."

Ares rumbled, the sound filled with exasperation. "It's a fucking rat," he said, tone making it obvious he remained unswayed by Charles' argument.

Chuckle shaking his shoulders, Charles let his head rest back against his hands again. "Ares?"

Ares hummed in question. "What?"

"It's really cool that you're doing this for him," Charles said, voice softening with his sincerity as he tilted his head enough to keep Ares in sight.

The turian's responding hum was a bit deeper, but he didn't speak as he peeled off one of the larger prosthetics from his forehead. Charles watched him as he worked, letting the silence take over. He was curious to see Talak's response to Ares' revealed scars, but he really hoped the kid didn't say anything stupid. He doubted the turian said anything to prepare Talak.

Setting the last of his removed plates aside, Ares stood straighter and glanced over his shoulder. "Kid's still in there. Might as well get out there and wait to see how he reacts to seeing me."

Charles smirked as he sat up. "Well, I know how I react to seeing you."

Rumbling, Ares wiped his hands on his pants and led the way out into the main room. He walked to the kitchen and started to look through the cabinets, checking out the dextro selection Charles bought while he was gone. How in the world Ares could even think about food after gorging himself at the buffet was beyond Charles.

Charles pulled himself up onto a stool. "Your trip go okay?"

Ares shrugged, humming as he pulled out a round container covered in bright, red wrapping and looked it over. "To be expected."

Charles hummed and nodded, despite the fact Ares' attention lay elsewhere. When he heard the shower turn off, he glanced down the hall, waiting for Talak to show himself again. A few minutes passed, and Charles started to wonder what was taking him so long. He glanced up at Ares and lifted an eyebrow. Ares didn't seem to notice, his attention on a bag of some kind of junk food.

Another couple of minutes passed, and when Charles still didn't hear or see anything from Talak, he slid off the stool and headed to the bathroom door. After standing there a moment just listening, he finally lifted his hand to tap softly on the door. "Everything okay in there?"

After a moment, the door slid opened, and Talak looked up at him, letting out a meek, confused sounding trill. "Human clothes are weird."

Charles snorted, looking him over. "Yeah, but you got everything on right. Is it comfortable enough?"

Gathering up his dirty clothes, Talak nodded.

Stepping out of the way, Charles waved him toward the closet where Ares' planned to build himself a special room. "The clothes washer is in there. Just set them down, I'll take care of it."

After Talak did as he was told, Charles followed him back toward the kitchen where Ares still rummaged and sat down on a stool. Talak stopped and looked around for a moment, seeming uncertain as to what was expected of him. Charles nodded at the other stool when he met his gaze. Fluttering his mandibles a little, Talak pulled himself up on a stool and watched the hamster running around its cage.

Ares finally found something that appealed to him, opening a box and pulling out what looked a bit like a potato chip. He glanced up at Talak and hummed, sticking the chip in his mouth and asking, "Sore?"

Talak looked up, and it didn't take a genius to tell the very second he registered Ares' face. He fell completely still save for his nose plates, twitching furiously as he scented Ares. It seemed like he was trying to verify it was, in fact, the same turian. He blinked a couple of times, and Charles thought he heard him swallow before slowly nodding his head.

Ares flicked a mandible before stepping closer to the breakfast bar. He set the box on the counter and flicked his hand in a short wave, saying, "Point to the worst spot."

Talak blinked again, but to his credit, he responded faster than the first time as he lifted a hand to point to a spot on his back which seemed just barely beyond his reach.

"Show me." Ares jerked his chin up. "Let me make sure you didn't scrub off something important," he said with a low, amused rumble.

Talak let out a soft chuff before slowly standing up again. He turned around and pulled the shirt up, material flipping inside out as it moved over his cowl before catching on his crest. Talak let out a soft, frustrated growl as he struggled.

Charles suppressed a laugh and reached over, hesitating before making contact. "I'm going to help, alright?"

Talak chuffed but nodded, nearly putting a hole in the shirt with his crest in the process. Charles helped him ease the shirt free from his crest and arms before giving the kid a smile and moving back to lean against the breakfast bar.

Ares hummed and nodded once. "I'll order you some shit for the soreness. Use it after you shower, and the tenderness will ease up." He grabbed the box of chips, pulling out a handful and shoving them in his mouth as he turned to the refrigerator.

Charles reached for the shirt as Talak turned back around, easing it from the kid's grasp and rolling it up in his hands until he had the neckline in his hands. He hummed to himself before glancing over at Ares. "Hand me a knife, please?"

Instead of grabbing a kitchen knife, Ares unsheathed his combat knife from his side and stabbed it into the countertop.

Charles huffed, muttering under his breath, "You didn't have to stick it in the counter." He supposed he deserved it for asking for a knife instead of taking the time to direct Ares to the drawer with the scissors. Prying the weapon free, he glanced at Talak, really hoping the kid was taking everything in as easy of a stride as he seemed. Using the knife, Charles cut a slit down the neckline in the front before setting the knife back on the counter. Holding the shirt out toward Talak, he said, "Try that."

Talak flicked his mandibles, taking the shirt from Charles and sliding it back on over his crest with far more ease. It seemed like it hung around his cowl more comfortably, too. Charles smiled and nodded to himself before sitting back down.

"I'll wash your stuff here in a minute. After that, you can take Eezo to the park with me. Sound good?" He raised an eyebrow.

Hearing her name, Eezo jumped off the couch and came running over, wagging her tail and putting her legs up on his shin. He reached down to sink his fingers into her fur, scratching her neck.

Talak nodded. "Sounds good."

Ares hummed around his mouthful before tipping his head back to swallow. "When you get back, the supplies for the storeroom should be here."

Talak let out a soft chirp and nodded again. "I haven't really done anything like that before …."

Ares offered the box to Talak, and he reached inside, pulling out a modest handful. "I'll show you. We'll see if you're a good—what do humans call it, handyman?" Ares asked, glancing at Charles.

Charles let out a snort; it always amused him when Ares decided to use human terms and then asked for verification. It also—stupidly—made him happy. Nodding, he said, "Yeah."

Ares nodded and set the box on the counter, fetching Talak a bottle of water from the fridge. "My dad was very good with his hands. He made all sorts of shit around the house."

"I don't remember much about my dad." Talak fluttered his mandibles, looking over the chips before tossing a couple in his mouth. "Or my mom, really. But I remember I had an older brother who liked to build things. I never got to help, I was still too small."

Charles got up and went to the closet to wash the kid's clothes, but he kept an ear turned to the conversation.

"Are you interested in it?"

After a brief pause, Talak said, "I don't know, but I'll do my best."

Ares hummed. "I wasn't doubting that, I was asking if you'd be interested in learning how to make something."

Again, another pause, and Charles knew the kid was trying to think of the best way to respond to keep Ares happy and willing to let him hang around. After a few seconds, Talak said, "I think it would be a good thing to know."

Charles doubted the kid had much of a genuine interest in anything other than survival. He sure as hell didn't while on the streets. It was depressing as fuck. Jasmine probably didn't either, probably why she ended up hooked on red sand.

Ares rumbled a light chuckle. "Yeah, I figured …."

Talak's trill carried down the hall, sounding a little uneasy even to Charles' ears. "Maybe I'll really like it once we start doing it …."

Charles heard a long pause before Ares hummed softly. "Look, kid …. He may not know when a turian is talking out their ass, but I'd rather you speak truthfully. I won't kick you out, and I won't force you to stay if you want out, but I'd rather you speak your thoughts. I'll respect you and tell you mine if you do the same."

"I wasn't lying … I don't know if I'm interested. I might be." After a moment of silence, Talak added, "I can't know until I try."

"Alright," Ares said after a long pause.

Removing the clothes from the sonic wash, Charles put them in the sanitizer and then went back out to sit next to Talak. He leaned in a little toward the kid, whispering though he knew damn well Ares heard him just fine, "I can tell just fine when a turian's talking out their ass, he just likes to think turians are better at everything than humans."

Talak fluttered a mandible, mouth plates shifting a little in a smile. "Maybe just most things."

Charles let out a huff of laughter, sitting up straight again. "Yep, I'm so screwed."

Ares snorted. "Kid's right."

"Pffft. He's only agreeing because he's a turian, too." Charles reached into his pocket, digging out his cigarillos. "And he wants to stay on your good side." He glanced at Talak when the kid squirmed a little. "Don't worry, you're right to. He's the boss around here, and he knows it." Putting a cigarillo in his mouth, he lit it and blew the smoke out toward Ares, smirking. "And he has me wrapped around his little finger."

Talak cast a dubious look down at his own hands, and Charles chuckled.

Ares hummed, fetching his own cigarettes, putting one in his mouth, and lighting it. "I don't get that saying, but I can assume I know what it basically means," he said before taking a drag and blowing the smoke out to the side.

"Maybe you should enlighten our new friend, then. He seems pretty confused." Charles took another drag, glancing at Talak again with a smirk.

Rumbling, Ares paused to smoke for a few seconds. "I don't disagree with my command around here, but 'wrapped around my finger' seems a bit much. I don't have that much pull around here."

Charles turned his attention back to Ares and lifted an eyebrow. "Don't you, though? You know there's not a damn thing I won't do for you." He sighed. "I may not always know or understand what you want or need, but I'm always willing. Anything."

Ares hummed, mandibles flicking a few times, but he didn't respond. He had to know. He was everything to Charles. Everything.

Charles got up after a few seconds and checked on the laundry. Folding Talak's clothes, he brought them back out with him. "When you change, just fold that stuff and leave it on the counter, you can use it again later if you need to."

Talak nodded, taking the clothes and disappearing down the hall.

Charles turned his attention to Ares, taking a drag and blowing the smoke back out slowly. "I'm working to make this place a home for us … because I understand now, you need me to stay here while you're out there. I'm learning to be okay with that. And when you come home, you'll have a home waiting," he said, voice low but his words chosen well enough that they wouldn't mean anything special to Talak.

Taking a deep drag, Ares let the smoke waft out from beneath his mandibles. "I'm trying to get used to it."

Charles smiled and gave him a little nod as he took another drag. "Good … it'll make it easier for me, too."

Ares hummed, nodding as he looked away and out toward the Citadel outside of the balcony doors. "We should see if the kid still plans to stick around. He'll need more than one outfit and scraps of human clothes. And a bed."

Charles sighed, scratching the side of his head. "Where would we put another bed?"

"A single bed his size will easily fit in the storeroom for now," Ares said with a shrug.

Charles thought about it for a few seconds. "If he doesn't think it feels too confining … don't want him to feel trapped. If he doesn't like that, we can move the furniture around in the living room. He won't have much in the way of privacy, but he'll have space. He'll have to figure out which is more important for him."

"I have an idea," Ares said before sticking his cigarette in his mouth and stepping around the breakfast bar to stand in front of the living room. "We'll give him two choices, we find a place he can keep a permanent bed, or we can get him one that he can take with him anywhere." Ares turned to Charles. "It'll take him some muscle, but I can make him a pack he can take with him when he goes to the others in the ducts."

Charles nodded a little, then reached out to snag Ares' jacket and tugged, urging him closer—despite the turian's confused rumble—to stand between his knees and wrapped an arm around his waist. "You know … we can afford a bigger place …."

Brow plates creeping up, Ares asked, "You'd want one?"

Charles sucked in a deep breath and lifted a shoulder. "If we're talking about having Talak here indefinitely … moving is a pain in the ass, but I wouldn't mind being able to let him have his own room, set it up the way he wants."

Ares hummed in thought. "You talk better to him than I do. See his reaction to the idea of having an actual space for him, and then we'll think about a bigger place. No use moving if he doesn't even want something 'too confining' like you said."

"I'm guessing he already knows, but I figure I'll bring it up to him in a few days, see how things go." Charles smiled, glancing down the hall toward the closed bathroom door.

Ares snorted around his cigarette, taking a drag before blowing the smoke up over their heads. "I know he can hear us, but it's better you bring it up."

Charles took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright."

"Want me to take a look while you're out?" Ares leaned back and looked down at Charles. "Or are you planning on making it all a surprise like here while I'm gone?"

Heart doing the stupid, pitter-patter thing in his chest, Charles smiled and shook his head. "No, I definitely think this is a thing we should do together. But … are you sure you want to work on that cubby of yours if we're moving?"

Ares hummed. "Probably not …." Sighing, he opened his omni-tool and began typing. "I can hold off on the delivery until we find a better place. I won't say no to a better option for my things."

The little reminder of Ares' intent to really stick through it with Charles brought a grin to his lips, probably making his whole damn face light up. He squeezed Ares' waist, just a little, a silent way of saying 'I love you'. He glanced down the hall as the bathroom door opened, Talak clearly not wanting to meet either of their gazes. He looked back up at Ares.

"Sounds like it's something we should do either way, then," Charles said, wanting the kid to know they'd be moving as much for them as anything else.

Ares nodded, humming as he stepped back to flick ashes into the ashtray. "Guess it's time to take the dog," he said to Charles, clicking his mandibles. "And do warn Talak before the park that she'll drag him as soon as she sees that human girl."

Charles laughed and glanced at Talak again. "Catch that?"

Talak finally lifted his gaze to them as he stopped at the end of the hall and let out a little trill. "What human girl?"

"Lindsey. A friend of mine." Charles waved a hand. "I mentioned her at the restaurant; she works at the park and Eezo loves her."

Talak hummed and nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," Charles repeated, giving him a nod in return. "Ready?"

Talak nodded again, and Charles looked up at Ares, grabbing his cowl and gently tugging as he turned his face up for a kiss. Ares leaned down but didn't remove his cigarette, turning his head for Charles to kiss the side of his mouth and mandible.

"We'll be back in a bit," Charles said, sliding down off the stool.

"Stop by Heavy Spirits and get me some horosk. You're out," Ares said as he walked back to his bottle of water on the kitchen counter.

Charles snorted. "No. You're out. I don't drink that shit. But, you're not out, look in the cabinet above the refrigerator."

Following the direction, Ares headed for the cabinet. "Then get more anyways." He opened the cabinet, grabbing one of the four bottles up there. "Just in case."

Charles narrowed his eyes a little, looking at Ares a little closer, looking for signs of pain. Not seeing anything to worry him at the moment, he chuckled and nodded as he grabbed Eezo's leash. "You got it."