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[zoomingupthathill]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, MADMAX. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 005.08.019.85 *** MADMAX has joined 005.08.019.85 <MADMAX> do your thing or whatever <MADMAX> don't be dumb

Main: MADMAX
Anon: houndsof

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[polarvoid]

[Alright, this shouldn't be too hard...he's able to stand in general on his own two feet (hooves), which is a far cry from the falling over he was doing a minute ago. Now to navigate...this...

Basil decides to put his hands on Max's shoulders to help with balance, and for the first time potentially- at least beyond the way he was holding onto her elbow- she'll really be able to feel how his hands are just...hands again. Mostly human, tipped with claws...nothing like how they are when he's a Gargoyle. His knees still betray him a bit and tremble slightly as he copies what they'd been doing, step, step...

Then stumbles, accidentally nudging her forward a little with one of his knees with a soft, alarmed bleat under his breath.]

Oof. S-sorry...

[He manages to readjust without too much difficulty, and after another second to balance himself, Basil decides to just ignore his stupid legs and use his arms to pull himself up. Hup!

And just like that, he's on her back, his arms immediately- carefully- looping around her neck as he leans forward so he doesn't end up falling backwards and taking them both down with him.]

[zoomingupthathill]

[ Hands on her shoulders. Basil's hands on her shoulders, and while the deer wants to sniff and nuzzle, the girl wants to revel in this, in how easy it would be for him to put his arm around her.

Basil's knee pushing nudging into her snaps Max out of that little daydream, and she inwardly scolds herself...and her ears perk up at the small bleat. ]

F-fine! It's fine— [ And, with the sudden display of arm strength, he's up before she can realize it.

In a reversal of their earlier positioning, his chin's at her shoulder.

Max scoops Basil's legs—lithe, and light—up with her hands cupping his knees. Still, she doesn't push them up yet. Not until she asks: ]

Okay... D'you feel, uh...secure?

[ It's been forever since she's given or gotten a piggyback ride. Not since she was very young, before her best friend Nate had the start of his growth spurt...and not since her dad paid her any bit of attention. So Max is sort of flying by the seat of her pants here, but it feels like the right thing to do, to confirm that she's not going to stand and he'll topple off. ]

[polarvoid]

[Gotta love that monster strength coming in clutch, even if Basil feels like he could be knocked over by a light breeze right now.

Also, don't feel bad Max...you are FAR from the only one who is having that impulse right now. With Basil on her back and his chin on her shoulder, he's very close...he could lean in and smell her hair if he wanted- honestly he can without even trying to- but the moment the thought enters his brain he smothers it because?? No???? Brain stop????

He hunches his shoulders just a little and stares straight ahead, like the steps they're going to have to climb are more of a mountain than a small obstacle.]

Y-yeah! Yes. I'm fine.

[He feels quite safe in Max's arms actually, thank you very much. It's funny though, because Basil can't remember the last time he's done anything like this either...it has to have been years ago. Maybe Hero carried him to his parents' car when the others buried him at the beach and he fell asleep...]

Are you...?

[zoomingupthathill]

[ Face forward, don't Think about it, that's the strategy for today! Max has gotten used to not needing to breathe, but...Basil hasn't. So while there's no inhale or exhale subtly moving him, Max worries- wonders, if she's going to feel his breath on her neck.

She clears her throat. ]

Mmmhmm, then let's just...

[ Moment of truth, as she waits for her knees to give out...but they don't! Max straightens up slowly, adjusting for Basil's weight on her back. ]

Hell yeah, okay. Easy.

[ True to her word, Max brings them up the steps to the porch while walking next to the stone railing, one slow step at a time. ]

[polarvoid]

[Haha well ABOUT THAT...

Basil still has these long stints of time where he doesn't breathe, because the nautral impulse to do so is no longer there. His body isn't requiring it, and thus, he doesn't. But sometimes, like how you'll sometimes become aware that you need to blink, or breathe manually (I'm sorry), Basil is having that happen more frequently with the breathing part.

Which is to say, at some point as they make their way forward, Basil will feel that urge to take in a breath again, before he remembers himself and exhales slowly just to get the buildup of air out of his lungs. He's not really thinking about it himself though, too focused now on watching Max's hooves to track the steps she takes.]

[zoomingupthathill]

[ HaHaHaHaHa why—

The moment Max can feel Basil's breath against her cheek— well, in the position he's in, any fur of hers he may be brushing against he'll feel stand on end. Max takes in a quick gasp and jumps a little, holding his legs just a little tighter so she doesn't drop him. ]

Aah! [ It's mixed with- oh, damn it, it's her turn to let out a small bleat. ]

[polarvoid]

Wah-!

[Oops we're just all bleating now, aren't we?

Basil tightens his grip on Max a little, not so much that he's afraid he'll fall, but because her exclamation was a little startling.]

W-what-?! Are you okay?

[zoomingupthathill]

[ Leaning against the stone railing, ears curling back almost timidly—no, shyly—Max stammers: ]

I-it just- your, um, breath, it tickled—

[polarvoid]

...hah? W-was I-?

[Breathing? Oh god. Well, yes, breathing is normal...but he shouldn't have to like this.

This is all so weird.]

Sorry! I'll try...try, um...n...not...to...

[zoomingupthathill]

—I just didn't expect it! That's all!!

[ kids. kids, please. ]

[polarvoid]

R..right! Sorry...

[They are handling this....well.

Basil, for his part, holds his breath. Like, he forces himself to hold it, and guess what happens when you don't have to breathe? Nothing! He can hold his breath for the rest of time if he wants to!!

He's fine now. It's fine. He won't do it again Max he promises-]

[zoomingupthathill]

[ Max leans against the stone railing for a moment, trying to reclaim the cool, unaffected attitude that she...sometimes accomplishes.

And then, she just keeps on inching up the stairs, hooves clopping on the concrete.

Thankfully. Thankfully! There's nothing else to tickle or distract her, just...how hyperconscious she is of the weight on her back. Her arms hooked under Basil's knees hold tight...and it doesn't take long before they're up at the top of the porch! ]

There- there we go, lemme—

[ Slowly, she crouches down so Basil can climb off. ]

[polarvoid]

[It's a relief, once they make it to the top. So much so that Basil can't help but say:]

Haah...thank goodness...

[As Max is carefully letting him down. He'll gently place his hooves back on the floor, keeping a hand on Max's shoulder so he doesn't immediately eat shit upon standing. The wooden floor is, as expected, slippery, but he supposes it could be worse. His knees are still knobbly, and he feels like he could fall over at any moment...but they've survived that moment. It has passed.

......for now.]

T-thank you.

[zoomingupthathill]

[ don't you fucking say for now-

Max needs a moment to stand, as her own knees are a little achy. She stays crouched, therefore, but raises an arm in case he needs help stabilizing himself. ]

Don't mention it. [ She's doing some mental math here. Can...she make it up the house stairs...? ]

[polarvoid]

[That will be something they're both going to have to learn, as Basil remembers oh- right- he lives on the second floor.]

I...I guess I owe you one, huh? For...for next time.

[Not that he's sure what that will entail, granted.]

[zoomingupthathill]

[ What does next time entail? Max feels her brain momentarily stall in response. ]

No. No, you don't owe me anything, that's- this is just...what friends do.

[ Just friend stuff! Normal friend stuff!! ]

[polarvoid]

I-I know! It's just...I might...be like this for a little while.

[This might be his first experience getting changed by Mana personally, but he has seen it happen to others. He knows the general time-frame, more or less.]

I'm going to have to learn from you.

[zoomingupthathill]

[ ...oh god she's gonna be his teacher-

Give her a second. Okay, she can do this. Ain't too different from the mall. It's just being an undead- no, scratch that, it is wildly different. ]

M-maybe I can...direct to you one of the...people who's been one for longer. I don't think I'm a great mentor.

[ But. But okay, she motions for him to lean on her, she's going to get him to the couch. ]

[polarvoid]

[Couch he can do. Honestly he might just sleep on the couch until his legs decide to work properly again. They can explain what's going on to questioning housemates just trying to get their morning coffee later.]

I'm not really sure if any of us are, to be honest...

[Like, he's been a Gargoyle for some time now, and he's still to this day learning new and horrible things about it.]

I-if you want to! I mean...I...I just thought it might be easier since...since we live together, and stuff...

[And maybe he wants to hang out with you more-]

[zoomingupthathill]

[ Since they live together. Right, no, that makes sense.

And...if she did, she could spend more time with him...

Max pointedly does not look at Basil, as she realizes that thought's passing through her head. ]

...Yeah. Like... You've got a point, so, uh, sure, I can show you the ropes.

[polarvoid]

[Basil notices the way Max averts her gaze, and he tries not to think too hard about it. He didn't push too hard, did he? He didn't want to make her change her mind on his behalf or anything...

But still. The idea makes him happy, and he can't help it if his tail wiggles a little at the thought, his hooves tippy-tapping in place.]

Thank you! It'll be better than, just...stumbling around...not reallly knowing what I'm doing.

[zoomingupthathill]

[ Max is trying...very hard not to read into anything. It's just because they live together. And- and she's not trying to make anything else happen, so that's fine! That's absolutely fine!

Her tail swishing idly has nothing to do with this. The way she feels compelled to bump her head against Basil's lightly—which she does not do thank you very much—has nothing to do with this. The contentment flooding her body at every little bit of physical contact...has nothing to do with this.

She lightly elbows him. It's a friendly gesture, nothing more. ]

What'd I say about thanking me? Besides, I bet you'll be fine. No one expects you to get it right away, they say- like, it's called walking like a newborn deer for a reason, isn't it?

[ ...Sure, Max. ]

[polarvoid]

[Oh don't worry Max, Basil is in the same boat. He's! Trying very hard to not make it a thing!! But it's already becoming a thing in his head, and there's not really much he can do about that. He's just going to have to blame the instincts on this one, he thinks.]

Hehee...yeah, I guess so! I'm just glad...we can be deer together. It does make it feel a little less lonely.

[zoomingupthathill]

[ Blaming the instincts. That's a great idea, it's just the instincts. ]

...It, uh... Yeah, I...guess it does.

[ She's a little surprised to say that; never would she wish this fate on someone else, but...it feels nice knowing she can help Basil out. ]

...I'll make sure you get the right kind of food. So it's not harder on you.

[polarvoid]

[The right kind of food...right. It's hard to forget how Max has to live these days, unable to eat anything but meat. And for Basil, someone who actually probably wouldn't eat much meat at all unless he was forced to...the idea makes him a little queasy.

He nods though, shuffling his hooves just a little.]

We still have...jerky, right?