[PRP] About those shapeshifters... (Oliver & Horace)

[Melancholies]

Today was a bad day.

Today was, in fact, an exceptionally bad day. Mostly because Oliver had been enjoying a very normal day up until this point, until he passed a store front window and noticed that he had <******** furry ears on his ******** head.

Which was how he ended up on a bench, waiting for a bus (which he has just narrowly missed, by the way), his scarf wrapped awkwardly around his head the way Russian babushka's did. His foot tapped anxiously on the ground. Time could literally not go any slower. Lord have absolute ******** mercy.

The Semblance of Unity

short start 4 u!

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace had just picked up his fourth (fifth) cup of coffee. He'd been forced to park far away, which was annoying, but coffee was worth any inconvenience. He took a sip, almost burning his tongue but, again... any inconvenience... Sighing, deeply, he walked down the sidewalk after sliding the stopper thing in the opening of the coffee cup. What were those things even called.

As he walked, he caught sight of a familiar person. Well, they had bundled up a scarf oddly around their head, but... "Hey," he called out, jogging over. "Shiloh - do you need a ride?"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Oliver paled, tensed, fought the urge to turn towards the unfamiliar voice; but he did, despite his gut instinct. The owner of the voice was no more familiar. He had no idea who this man was. There were a few times in his youth where he was mistaken for Shiloh, and vice versa, but that was back when they were forced to have the same haircut and wore things that looked similar. Regardless, they did have the same face still.

"I...?" He pulled the scarf over his head even tighter, awkward as all hell. His voice wasn't as scratchy as Shiloh's was, at the very least. Similar still, but slightly off, "You're mistaken." He glanced away.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I.." Horace looked puzzled. "You don't remember me? We met in-" He looked around before continuing. "-other Ashdown when I tried to hadouken and blew up your flower, yeah?" The boy looked awfully like Shiloh and he was going to feel super dumb if this attempt as jogging free a memory did not work.

He came closed and leaned against part of the buss stop. "I'm Horace?"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

As the grimy city bus rolled up to the curb, an epiphany struck Oliver like a lightning bolt.

"Oh Horace." His voice became relieved exhuberence, "That's right-- sorry, I've been up all night with college bullshit." Which was only a partial lie. He'd been up all night with Moonwalker anxiety rather than school woes, but that was beside the point. This man might save him and his furry a** from public transportation. He'd swapped places with Shiloh before, but again, in their youth. Could he still play the part, he wondered?

He stood up swiftly, leaner than his brother but still identical apart frpm the uncanny subtleties. "A ride sounds a lot better than this garbage." He nodded his head towards the bus as people got off.

His ears moved uncomfortable under the scarf.

The semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace's expression shifted slightly before settling into a friendly smile. "Yeah, the professors have been pretty wicked lately. To be honest, I didn't know you were in college - what's your major?" He jerked his head in the direction he was initially walking.

"My car's this way. I can drop you off wherever unless you're going out of town, sorry."

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"You say that like they aren't always." Replied Oliver smoothly. Now, he wasn't aware of Shiloh's strange college predicament, and he never would have guessed he'd even pursue a furthering in education, but he still felt relatively safe responding with his own actual major, "Music theory." Truth was he had a double major in business, but he wasn't going to say that. Shiloh wasn't an over achiever and Oliver wasn't looking to gloat (for once).

"It's not out of town, really. We live in an apartment." He stretched, "It's far enough to be a chore to walk to but close enough to make a bus ride annoying, you feel me? So I appreciate this, man."

Colloquialisms were so weird.

"The hell you in school for?" He tried to keep the small talk going, counting down the seconds until he could make it home

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Music theory always seemed kind of cool." As they walked, he took out his phone and texted someone, then slipped it back into his pocket. "We? Do you live with your rabbit boyfriend? I debated getting an apartment when I moved here, but I got a house for pretty cheap. It's too big, though."

Horace pointed towards a green car. "That one's mine. AC's broken for now, but the heat works." He fished his keys out. "I'm undecided right now. Maybe something in magical theory. Or magical law enforcement."

melancholies

Text to: Plantboy Shiloh
hey u got a doppelganger in town? just checking

 

[Melancholies]

"Magic theory seems pretty neat." Oliver agreed, because he had heard about the course from Shiloh. He was about to make a comment on especially since it wasn't a thing before, but he caught himself when he realized he didn't recognize Horace from the void. "And yeah, uh—with my boyfriend. It isn't super fancy." Which, well, it wasn't. Not anymore.

"Heat isn't a problem." He admitted, tugging the scarf around his head a little tighter. God, Shiloh would laugh at how ridiculous he looked right now, he could hear it.


The Semblance of Unity
text to: HORUS
???? wht tf kind of questin is this
u makin a noble joke bcs #toosoon
actually u dont kno abt that s**t do u nvm

Oliver, of course, never pulled out his phone.

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

melancholies

Text to: Plantboy Shiloh
look dude idk about noble m'lord but i gotta boy here what looks like u and says is u so

Luckily, Horace was extremely quick at texting. It was a learned skill. Sometimes, he still found his fingers reflexively tapping delete on every message thread. It was a hard habit to break. He unlocked his car and gestured for 'Shiloh' to get in.

"So, where're we going?" He frowned a little. "Do you.. need earmuffs or something? It can't be easy to keep that around her ears."  

[Melancholies]

Oliver hopped right in without question.

"Earmuffs...?" He seemed a little put off by the offer, instinctively clutching the scarf. "No no, I'm fine."


The Semblance of Unity
text to: HORUS
hey dont mlord me man
anyway uhhhh thts rly odd lol???
i mean i hve a twin brother but idk why hed be doin that

"Anyway, it's straight ahead, make a left at the stop sign." He sniffed a few times as he tried to remember, since this wasn't the house he lived in before the void, "Um... after like three blocks there should be a complex on the right." If he was wrong, at least he'd be close enough to walk it. Probably.

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Mhmm." He pulled out his phone, read the message, and placed it back in his pocket when they stopped at an intersection. Horace began driving to Ollie's instructions. After a moment, he glanced at his passenger.

"So when are you gonna tell me who you really are?"

malncholies

 

[Melancholies]

Ollie had this in the bag. He got a free ride at someone's expense, was skipping out on public transport, was getting home quicker than twenty minutes. Lord he could already taste the spiced chai, the warmth of his apartment and the comfortable company of his precious cat darlings. Maybe he'd even take an extra step. Maybe he'd go all out. Maybe he'd have his tea and pop a bagel in the toaster.

Except then Horace popped a question he wasn't expecting, and it made him jolt.

Incidentally, his ears shot up and it slipped the scarf off of his head in the process. He shrieked. Two fluffy raccoon ears adorned the sides of his face.

"D-DON'T ACCUSE ME LIKE I'M SOME CRIMINAL!" He absolutely panicked, oh yes he did. Oliver Beaumont hated it when he got called out.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace jerked the wheel when Ollie screeched, resulting in no less than three cars honking angrily at them. "******** Christ, don't ever yell when I'm driving. Do you wanna end up in an accident!?" He glanced over at Oliver.

"So who the hell are you and... why do you have ears?" Horace blinked.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"EVERYONE HAS EARS!" He was still shrieking (but slightly softer), heart now effectively beating five times as fast as it probably ought to be and blood pressure skyrocketing, "It's not my fault you can't drive! It's not my fault I'm in a death trap! I'm in a death trap." He wheezed, one hand pressed against the window and the other hand clutching the center console. His foot was somehow up and smashed against the dashboard like his body was trying desperately to brace for any sort of impact, but realistically if an accident occurred he'd probably end up snapping his spine and most of the bones in his legs given the (comedic) position.

"I-I panicked okay?! It's not my fault! It's not!" he seemed much more intent on proving his "innocence" rather than actually answering Horace's question. His ears lay smashed back against his head as far as they could manage. "I never wanted to be a furry. It's not my fault!"

His phone buzzed at that moment, and he scrambled loudly for it. On the front was a text from Shiloh—the actual Shiloh—and it read: "so wtf r u up to lol"

"You were cavorting with the enemy behind my back the entire time." He as flabbergasted. "I'm in a death trap." He started to repeat again.

The Semblance of Unity