"Okay. Don't mock me too bad, but I've never actually played a Zelda game. I'm pretty sure there were games at school, but the people I lived with were more... book people. I know it's the game with the triangles, though."

Hmm. Japanese for business. Jude could see Chinese or Russian considering his line of work, but... Japanese? That was a tougher sell. "I think I know someone who could let me learn it quick. I'm just not sure of the consequences. Some things are best done the traditional way." Jude had stayed way the hell away from Michael's psychic girlfriend for obvious my-brain-is-my-own reasons. In his other life he'd been the psychic. He knew just how messy brains could get. If he did need it, though, at least he knew he had options.

Reville crossed back and bumped Jude's hand with her head, making her own pets and also stopping them from walking any further.

"Yeah. You're right. If I don't quit now I'll have to carry them and I live far enough that'd be kinda awkward." For all the energy they had, big dogs didn't seem to be able to walk for very long periods of time. Something about their hearts. "Have you seen the honeycomb collective housing? It's the apartment building with the yellow bee-themed signs." As if that part wasn't obvious. Jude helpfully pointed back toward the direction where they'd come from.

"That's where I live. 3rd floor. Every Friday we have a potluck and invite friends and stuff, but I usually just buy something premade." He was going somewhere, but he hadn't really put it together himself until he actually got there. "Uh. Are you busy? Maybe you could help me bring something not so lame this Friday..."

Never played a Zelda game?! Zaid looked surprised, genuinely startled by the admission. ”They are the best! There is action, and puzzles. I enjoy the temples the most, personally. You have to play it sometime! Especially if you hang out with me like, ever again, because a significant amount of my nerdiness revolves around those games.” he wasn’t sure why it felt important, but having Jude understand one of his favorite games seemed like a big deal. One of the best things of any fandom was having people to share it with. If they were close to his house he would probably drag Jude along and force him to play one now, dogs or no dogs. Well, that would be awkward though. He didn’t want to scare Jude with his enthusiasm for things this soon. Plus, he was pretty sure his Judy Hopps cosplay was still lying out from Halloween... he didn’t know if he was ready to explain that. Oh geez, he needed to clean his apartment anyway.

Zaid wasn’t sure what “learning quick” entailed, but he was sure it involved borrowing someone else’s powers. That gave him a little bit of anxiety for unknown reasons. Maybe it was the rabbit in him, unsure of new things. Or maybe it was a tiny spark of jealousy that Jude borrowed so many powers from time to time. He was kind of digging the bunny ears right now. ”Wouldn’t you retain more learning on your own? Plus, it’s more fun that way. Half of what I know came from gaming with other players and that’s like 90% of the most ridiculous phrases! I have no need to ever tell someone that a cat ate my hamburger, but I know it in Spanish now! Not that I generally eat hamburgers. I try to avoid meat out of principle when I can.” His rabbit instincts made him feel like a traitor if he gave in and ate a few pieces of bacon. But going vegan had been a short lived effort in his teens and now he just did his best to stay cruelty free if nothing else.

Then Jude asked for his help. His ears gave away his excitement, even if he tried to keep it off his face. Dang ears, keep it cool man! ”Of course I’ll help! How many people? Do you have any specific ideas? I know I said I don’t generally eat meat but I can still help cook it if that’s what you need. Like one of the girls at work had me make like a million of those little pigs in a blanket once.... err, I’m rambling, sorry. What I mean is, I’m not busy, I’d lo—like to help.” he almost said love but that sounded too enthusiastic. It turned into a half choked, half sneezes attempt to correct himself. Reville seemed concerned and licked his hand while he coughed. His face turned pink. Oh Stars, way to keep it cool

Huh. No one had ever tried to sell him on Zelda games before, and honestly Zaid was doing a great job of it. "Mmm. Maybe over Christmas break..." Christmas was a surprisingly busy time of year for black ops. People let their guards down. But then again, the Alpha Team had full discretion on those jobs so long as the dollar amount or risk assessment didn't get too high.

> ”Wouldn’t you retain more learning on your own?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. There's a whole world of mutants out here." And Jude made it his business to know the who and where so he could get useful powers in useful times. He wasn't to the point of keeping files on people, just mental track. Still, he'd been around the mutant block more than once by now.

And not eating meat wasn't even weird. "Raised by vegetarians. I get it. Also, seriously, you'll make my adopted mom's year if you stop in and say hi some time."

> ”Of course I’ll help!"

Zaid was too nice. Jude felt like he was taking advantage of his new friend, but... he was offering. "It's nothing formal, just a standing invitation thing so just bring what you don't mind eating and what you might not mind having leftovers of. There's at least one other vegetarian so veggies definitely won't go amiss. Here." Jude fished out his phone, only briefly annoyed by the new crack as he swiped in his unlock code. "Let me text you and then you'll have my number." And then the ball was be firmly in Zaid's court, which Jude hoped meant that if Zaid was just being nice, he could ghost him without too much guilt.

”If you give it a shot you have to tell me what you think! Or, you should tell me. I mean, I’m always at the cafe so if you keep walking around this area I’m sure the dogs would spot me. Maybe that sounded weird,” Why wouldn’t his mouth just stop? It was like someone forgot his filter and let his brain and voice work in tandem.

”I have only met a handful of mutants since I came to the city that I know of. Although I have been actively avoiding catching attention when possible. If I knew where your adopted mom was I would say hi. Or consider it at least, though. Unless it’s like a pet store where I’m going to get chased down by fifty dogs or something. I haven’t forgotten what my hat looked like when these two were done with it.” his tail was still safely hidden under his jacket for reasons.

And then, a miracle. Jude handed him his phone. Zaid felt bad when he saw the damage, wondering if he could afford to fix it. It seemed a shame not to do SOMETHING since it was oartially his fault. Then he was distracted by the opportunity to enter his number. Zaid took it, making sure he got the digits right. He would be mortally embarrassed if he typed it wrong and Jude thought he did it on purpose. Rather than ghosting, there was the higher possibility of Zaid becoming an adorable rabbit shadow to his new friend.

bE COOL. Yes, cool, he could be totally chill and composed. He would not let his inner bunny spazz escape! ”I know a great veggie burger that might make a good slider! And I’m sure I have some other recipes at home. Most people like the veggie patties though, since they are a black bean base and taste great grilled.” his brain was formulating something he could piece together. He was excited to cook for someone, even if it would involve being around strangers, which he generally hated. B

Jude had to remind himself that not everyone knew about the Mansion, mutant or not. "There's a mutant school in state. I used to go there, actually. Adopted mom volunteers for half the week there." He didn't really keep up with the comings and going to the x-men so he couldn't say for sure if she'd retired, but since her boyfriend had to announce it in a press conference, that was probably safe to assume. "Have you ever seen those Dusklight movies? With the vampires?" Maybe a bad segue, but Jude was curious.

Zaid had ideas for cooking and that sounded pretty good. Jude, for all his quibbles, would try anything at least once. Mostly, he'd do just about anything to keep that kind of enthusiasm from Zaid going.

"Text me a grocery list. I'll make sure I get the goods." Jude collected the second leash and gave both giant dogs a good pt. It reminded him that Zaid headphones were on his person and he offered them back. "I'll see you on Friday then".

Ah, the mutant school. Zaid had heard of it vaguely in passing. Actually, his parents mentioned it once or twice in the past when they moved. They thought it was good to stay in the area because of the school, but preferred raising Zaid on their own. He wondered if they intended to bring him there one day before the accident. Logically, Zaid could have tracked it down himself and made use of the free lodging, but the idea of being around so many people made his little tail quiver. There were plenty of reasons not to have a permanent residence somewhere with lots of kids around. And he was 20, almost 21, he needed independence! ”I think I heard of that before. I never visited though. I guess it would make sense that’s where I’d find more mutants though.” Based on the descriptions Jude gave, it also made sense his mom would volunteer around a bunch of mutant kids. Would she really like meeting Zaid? It kinda made him nervous to find out.

”Uh, Dusklight? I heard of them, but I don’t go to the movies much unless it’s one of my fandoms. Although if it’s streaming I could probably find it too,” there were several movies he needed to watch when he had time.

When Jude handed the headphones back it was hard for Zaid to keep his nose from twitching. Oh Stars, don’t make it obvious you smelt your own headphones! But the new scent was terribly distracting, in a good way. He smelt leather, pomade, dogs of course, and a little bit of paper all rolled into one. It smelt like a guy. His headphones smelt like a guy. He put them around his neck and spun around, trying to hide the blush on his face. ”Right, I’ll send you the list. See you Friday! Don’t feed the dogs any more hats until then! he gave one last smile before he bolted. There was a good chance his tail was wagging. Do bunnies wag their tails? Screw it, his tail was wagging, and he wasn’t going to stop it.