Rue brings Frank a gift.

Life, Relationship change

Following the death of his faithful feline companion at the hands of Plague, Frank DeTroy has fallen into a deep depression, but Rue thinks they may have just the thing to cheer him up.

Warp has just made it back home after the gruelling day(s) he's endured, and he's looking at the bottle of Smirnoff on the counter. At this point, there is a knock on his door. Rue is stood there, their arm resting underneath a strange 'bump' formed in their hoodie.   Frank’s eyebrows raise in surprise, but then lower as he smiles, “If I keep having visitors like this, my secret warehouse won’t stay secret very long,” he stands to the side, looking at the lump hidden in the hoodie as he does so, “Please come in if you like, what brings you round at this time of night?”   Rue gives a small smile back, stepping into the warehouse and glancing around, ''You know I can track you down by smell, right?'' Rue quips back, the bump in their hoodie shifting slightly, ''Anyway, I need your help with something.'' At this, the 'bump' lets out a small meow, a little black ear poking out from the top of the hoodie.   Frank’s eyes widen as he stares at the ear, “Is that what I think it is?” His voice trembling ever so slightly.   Rue opens the zip of their hoodie to reveal a black cat curled up inside. The cat appears to be young, maybe 7 or 8 months old. Its fur is slightly dirty and it looks a little underweight, but from the way it nuzzles against Rue, it does seem to be friendly.   ''I've seen this little guy around the Railyard for a while,'' Rue explains, gently rubbing under the cat's chin and eliciting a pur, 'I've fed him whenever I could, but he needs someone to look after him, and the Railyard isn't exactly the safest place for it.'' They look up at Frank nervously. ''I understand if you won't, but... Think you'd be up for it?''   Frank looks at Rue, listening intently as they speak then looks down at the small cat and ever so hesitantly reaches out, his finger tips brushing through the dark fur as he feels for himself how thin it is. He smiles and lifts it out of the hoodie to hold it close to his chest, gently stroking his thumb under its chin as tears spill freely down his face.   He looks back to Rue again, “I’d love nothing more, thank you Rue”   The cat lifts its head and purs contently as Frank provides it with chin scratches, its green eyes closed as it settles in his arms, ''I'm glad,'' Rue grins, brushing some fur from their shirt, ''He deserves a good home, and I couldn't think of a better person for the job.''   From their jeans pockets, they retrieve two small tins of tuna cat food, holding them up for Frank to see as they walk towards the counter, "Here, he seems to like this.'' They place the tins next to the bottle of Smirnoff.   Franks smiles as he holds his new cat, “Perhaps you could do me a small favour in turn, and get rid of that” he looks pointedly at the bottle of cheap vodka, “I’d appreciate it”   He looks down at the bundle of fur in his arms before saying, “I think I’ll call you… Charcoal”   The cat looks up at Frank, tilting his head slightly. At the name, Charcoal lets out a cheerful meow. Rue picks up the unopened bottle and looks at Frank, an understanding look crossing their face, ''I take it you don't drink either, then?''   At the question, a look of shame passes over Frank's face ever so briefly, "Not anymore"   Rue nods sympathetically, ''I'll take it out with me,'' They start walking back towards the door, ''I won't take up any more of your night, I'm sure you're exhausted after the day... Or... Days? We just had.''   "I am, but my door is always open to you, and the others" He walks with Rue as they leave.   ''Thanks, Frank.'' Rue smiles, taking a moment to give Charcoal one more scratch behind his ear. ''Be good, Charcoal, I'll come and check up on you when I can.'' Charcoal lets out a little 'hmm', seemingly half asleep in Frank's arms.   Frank smiles in turn and bids Rue goodnight, then looks down at Charcoal, looks at his hand which is now covered in dirt and says, "Now for our first trial, giving you a bath"   Charcoal's ears perk up at that, his eyes opening again to look at Frank questioningly, ''Meow?''   Frank scratches his ears soothingly, "Don't worry, I'll be gentle... Now where did I leave that anti-flea shampoo?" He sets Charcoal down to explore his new home while he gets the bath ready, as he does so, he passes Sliver's urn and stops. He gently places a hand upon it before whispering, "I'll do better for this one, Sliver, I promise"   Charcoal starts to sniff their new surroundings, his little nose twitching and his tail swishing lazily. He hops onto the arm chair where he finds a collar. After thoroughly inspecting the scent on the collar, Charcoal rolls over, rubbing his head against the material as he purrs.   Frank, having gotten the bath ready, comes in to find little Charcoal nuzzling the collar and smiles. He thinks to Ghost and the existence of those beyond, wondering to himself if perhaps, Sliver is watching over Charcoal herself. He chuckles to himself, "If so, you couldn't have asked for a better guardian angel, come along, time to get you cleaned up, then we'll get you fed and then, then I think its time for us both to rest"   Charcoal chirps at Frank, looking up at him curiously as he follows the man to the bathroom. Once there, Charcoal stops at the doorway, his ears flattening somewhat as he lets out a grumpy growl.   "Yes I know, but you need to be clean" Frank lifts Charcoal up gently and slowly lowers him into the warm water up to his chest fur. After much complaining and a bit of struggling, the small kitty is made clean for the first time in what is likely a long time. Frank then takes him into the kitchen and prepares one of the tins of tuna and sets it down for Charcoal's enjoyment.   Charcoal is actively voicing his dislike of the bath, growling the entire time as he tries to wriggle free from his ordeal. When he’s clean, he continues his little tantrum until he hears the sound of the tin opening, the smell of tuna permeating the air. Charcoal doesn’t wait for Frank to fully set the little plate down, instead diving in the second it’s low enough for him to reach it.   Frank watches and smiles as Charcoal eats, setting a reminder on his phone to take Charcoal to the vet for a checkup as soon as possible and to get him vaccinated, a frown miring his face for a moment as he highlights a vaccination for rabies as top priority.   Charcoal finishes his meal, licking the little droplets from the fur around his mouth. He walks back towards the arm chair, hopping on it and curling up near the collar. He extends one paw in front of him and starts grooming it.   Reminder set and dish cleared away, Frank walks over and watches Charcoal for a moment, before his eyes settle on Sliver’s collar. Thinking for a moment, he reaches over and picks it up, name plate facing him, and runs his thumb across the metal to smooth it out before using the nail of his forefinger to etch a new name into it. He unlatches it and gently loops it around Charcoal’s neck, tightening it as necessary, before latching it again and stepping back to admire the young cat’s new look.