Re: A Sweet Surprise (open)

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kzauo heard mentions of beef and lamb and poked his muzzle curiously into the kitchen, ears perked with interest. He made little grumbly noise and eased his head past the doorframe, sniffing hopefully.

He looked at Du and tipped his head.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du looked over, caught sight of Kuma-kun and grinned. "Hey, Kuma-kun. Smelled my cupcakes, did you? You can taste-test one of them once they're baked if you want."

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo toddled into the room and sat down by the end of the counter. He rested his chin on the countertop and swiveled his ears back, interested in the promise of cupcakes but a little disappointed that the aforementioned delicious meats were not actually present.

He a questioning whuff noise, wondering what kindof cupcakes they were.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du took a moment to mentally translate the whuff. "They're chocolate and peanut butter with strawberry jam frosting. For Professor Vincent's birthday. I really hope hey turn out." She glanced toward the oven.

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo's muzzle twitched. He didn't entirely like the sound of strawberry and peanut butter together, but his eyes squinted in a bear-smile. He shook his head lightly and lumbered to his four paws to waddle over to the pantry. He gave her side an affectionate nudge with his head as he passed her and went looking for the beef jerky he knew was on one of the higher shelves.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du laughed at the look on the bear's face. "You've never had peanut butter and strawberry jam together, like on toast? Not even when you're in human form? You're missing out."

She rubbed at his head when he nudged her side on the way to the pantry. "What're you looking for?"

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo beared whatever passed for the phrase "delicious dried meats" and started to stand on his hind legs in the pantry. He promptly bopped his head on the top of the pantry door and oohed, pressed his paws to his head, and looked very offended at the doorframe.

He made a short growling noise that sounded remarkably like "Rude," and grabbed a big bag of jerky from the top shelf. He toddled back into the kitched proper (taking care to duck as he pass through the pantry door again) and held out the bag proudly. Which he promptly dropped due to his lack of thumbs.

Kazuo looked down at it and whined.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du watched him with interest, winced in sympathy as he hit his head on the doorframe, and grinned as he came back with a bag of beef jerky. "Ooh, good choi-- oops." She went and picked up the bag for him. "Need a hand getting it open?" Resealable bags weren't easy to open with bear paws.

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo looked embarrassed and rubbed his muzzle with the back of one paw. He drooped his ears and nodded his head, hamming it up and whining like a puppy as if his life depended upon acquiring the beef jerky.

He just... He really wanted a snack.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du laughed at his obvious over-acting. "You poor sweet fluffy thing, you." She opened the bag and held it out so he could reach in. "A day may come when the power of thumbs fails, but it is not this day! This day you snack!"

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo made a tiny howling noise, something along the lines of "I knowwww, I'm unfortunate and adorable and all I need is love.  And beef jerky."

He eased his paw into the bag and delicately plucked out an entire handful pawful of jerky.  He didn't feel bad about it, the bag was massive.  

He balled his free paw into a fist and raised it up victoriously.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du grinned and pulled out a few strips to munch on herself. "Ahh, the salty, savory taste of victory. Victory that lasts for a long long time."

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo grumble-growled his agreement and tore one of the strips in half with his teeth. He sat back on his haunches and made happy little bear noises as he munched. He wiggled as he ate, like a happy three-year-old with a candy bar.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du watched him in amusement, then looked around for Orion. "Want some jerky?"

[Orion]

Orion was staring, jaw slightly slack, at the freaking grizzly bear in the middle of the kitchen. That Du was apparently friends with. He turned his head slowly to blink owlishly at Du, then back to the bear, then gulped.

"Is... I mean intelligent, yeah, but is..." He flapped an entire arm in Kazuo's direction. "Is he someone's pet? Or... Or a student...?"

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo, nibbling on a piece of beef jerky, turned his head to look at Orion as he spoke. His ears swivelled back and he looked offended.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du raised an eyebrow. How had Orion not at least seen Kuma in the hallways by now, two months into the semester? "Aye, he's in my year. You know Kazari Baratoge? Kuma's her brother. He turns human once a month."

[Orion]

Orion brow furrowed. "Kazari... Kazari..." He turned his head and squinted at Kuma, then his eyes went wide.

"You're Kazuo?!" He raked a hand through his hair. "When Kazari said her brother was a bear, I thought she just meant he was big and hairy! I didn't think she meant-- W-well, you're still very big and very hairy. But I didn't think it was a literal thing..."

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du nodded. "Something went backwards with the werebear gene there. I don't think he minds, but you'd have to ask him about that."

[Orion]

Orion looked at the bear again, who was preoccupied with his jerky, then gave Du a questioning lift of his eyebrows. "Aren't they twins, or something? Kazari mentioned a twin, I think."

After a moment, "What d'you look like as a human? I mean, I figure you must look like Kazari, but are you hot like her, or--"

He halted at the growl that Kazuo rumbled out without even looking at him.

"Not what I meant, not what I meant."

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du raised her eyebrows back at Orion, then stifled a snort of laughter at his question and Kuma's answering growl.

"He is hot," she answered with a sly grin in Kuma's direction. "Five foot eleven, honey-brown hair, grey eyes, muscles for days. And the most adorable freckles."

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo stuck the last piece of beef jerky in his mouth and gave Orion a raised-eyebrow "So there" look. The growl had been meant to ward off any passes at his sister, but the other male's response gave Kazuo confidence that Orion wouldn't be hitting on Kazari.

He gave Du a little bow and snuffled, pressing his paws to his cheeks to reiterate that his freckles were, indeed, adorable.

[Meriel "Du" MacNamara]

Du grinned at Kuma and nudged his shoulder. "I think that's enough ego-stroking for one afternoon."

[Orion]

Orion's owlish stare slid from Du as she spoke to Kuma as he put his paws to his face, then back to Du.

"You're friends with a bear."

To Kuma, "You are a bear."

He ran his hands through his hair and blinked. He shouldn't be so surprised, really. Hell, he was --on some level at least-- a cyborg. Being a cyborg had to be much higher on the weird shit scale than being a werething that defaulted in shape to said thing.

Still, though.

[Kazuo "Kuma-kun" Baratoge]

Kazuo paused in the act of reaching out to ruffle Du's hair, and shrugged at Orion.

Beargrumbles. It is was it is, bruh.

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