So much confuses him these days. He rubs his face with one hand, then drags his fingers through his hair, finally wrestling his other fingers free of the kitten as he bites a little too hard. He gives the little animal a boop on the nose. "Stop that."
To Malcolm, he says, "I don't know. Just--it's a prison ship. I know it's not a normal one. But should I be allowed to have a pet?"
"They let inmates have alcohol, drugs and weapons, Neal. I don't think anyone is going to have qualms about your super dangerous malnourished kitten," Malcolm tells him.
He strokes the kitten uncertainly, the motion for his own comfort as well as the animal's. After a moment, he gestures for Malcolm to join him on the floor if he wants to. It's not like there are bunches of places to sit in the room.
"I've also never had a pet. It wasn't a good idea. When I was a kid, it just wasn't, and then I left home and moved too much."
And he had to be ready to pick up and leave at a moment's notice. Not the best situation to try adopting an animal. "I like animals. I've always wanted a dog. But..."
He looks down at the kitten again. "It feels wrong."
"I don't know," he admits, aggravated, though not at Malcolm. "What if something happens to me? What if something happens to me and anyone I ask to pick up the slack if something happens? What if..."
What if he has the chance to escape and his cat is on the other side of the Barge?
“What if you start by just saying you’re going to take care of the cat until you find a friendly port where it will have a good home?” Malcolm suggests.
Malcolm doesn’t believe for one second that Neal will give up this cat, but keeping it feels like too large of a commitment for him, so they’ll break it up.
“Or you can gift him to another Barge passenger who you think is more… stable in their position here at some point. When you find someone suitable.”
“I appreciate your trust, but I’m a bird person, not a cat person. Just keep the idea in the back of your mind. When you meet the right person, you’ll know,” Malcolm tells him. “Do you think you might name him in the meantime?”
“I mean… It doesn’t seem fair, naming him when I’m not keeping him. Whoever keeps him should do it.”
He’s still petting the kitten, even as it pulls threads loose climbing his jacket. He winces and lifts the animal carefully away from his clothes. “I think he needs a scratching post. Or one of those towers.”
"Could go by Mr Famous until then," he says, half-smiling. He looks at Malcolm to see if the other man recognizes the reference, but if not-- "Audrey Hepburn's most well-known dog."
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To Malcolm, he says, "I don't know. Just--it's a prison ship. I know it's not a normal one. But should I be allowed to have a pet?"
What are the rules, Malcolm!?
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"I've also never had a pet. It wasn't a good idea. When I was a kid, it just wasn't, and then I left home and moved too much."
And he had to be ready to pick up and leave at a moment's notice. Not the best situation to try adopting an animal. "I like animals. I've always wanted a dog. But..."
He looks down at the kitten again. "It feels wrong."
Maybe wrong isn't the word.
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What if he has the chance to escape and his cat is on the other side of the Barge?
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Unless none of the ports they get to are friendly.
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“Or you can gift him to another Barge passenger who you think is more… stable in their position here at some point. When you find someone suitable.”
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It’s a wrench to say it, but Malcolm has to be a better choice.
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He’s still petting the kitten, even as it pulls threads loose climbing his jacket. He winces and lifts the animal carefully away from his clothes. “I think he needs a scratching post. Or one of those towers.”
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He rubs the kitten's head with the side of his thumb. "What d'you think, little guy? Mr Famous for now?"
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