--Marriage--

[takesitall]

Oh, doctor~

[Aventurine enters Ratio's apartment with a cheerful little whistle, looking around for the doctor. They had plans for dinner tonight, just to relax after the week, and the door was unlocked but there is not Ratio.]

Doctor?

Comments

[takesitall]

Chertan, what are you doing...?

[He lets Chertan tug his hand, but he doesn't touch the key.]

[ignoranceisblight]

[He pushes himself forward a little, presenting the key to Aventurine again.]

[takesitall]

I--Chertan, I don't think Ratio wants me to take the key...

[He does touch it, but only because it's hard to avoid like this.]

[ignoranceisblight]

[Insistent meow. You don't know that for sure, Aventurine!!]

[takesitall]

...if he gets mad at me, I'm blaming you.

[He takes the key, confused.]

[ignoranceisblight]

[Once the key is taken, he starts walking towards home, though he does pause to look back at Aventurine.

Follow him!!]

[takesitall]

[And he's going, pulling out his phone to text Ratio.]

I got the key from Chertan. He was weirdly insistent.

[ignoranceisblight]

[There's no response from Ratio for now.

When they get to Ratio's house, "Chertan" sits down by the door and looks up at Aventurine.]

[takesitall]

....what? Do you want me to let you in?

[He sighs and goes looking for where Ratio keeps the spare key.

...wait.]

Chertan, you're blocking the spare key.

[ignoranceisblight]

[That just earns a judgmental stare. Aventurine, you're holding a key.]

[takesitall]

[Aventurine chuckles.]

You are so much like your human. Are you telling me I have the spare key right here?

[ignoranceisblight]

[Meowing!! Of course he is!]

[takesitall]

I see, I see.

[He gently nudges Chertan aside so he can safely open the door.]

There. Happy?

[ignoranceisblight]

[Not quite.

He darts behind Aventurine to start nudging him inside.]

[takesitall]

[He laughs, utterly confused but following.]

Fine, fine, I'm going, I'm going! Bossy kitty~

[ignoranceisblight]

[Just a meow in response.

Once Aventurine's inside and the door has been closed, Ratio hesitates, uncertain... before letting the transformation drop.]

[takesitall]

Now, Chertan--

[Aventurine turns around from where he was relocking the door and just. drops the key.]

Uh. Ratio?

[ignoranceisblight]

... I realized not too long ago that I did, in fact, want you to take the key.

[Just. Clarifying that right out of the gate.

He goes over and picks it up from where he dropped it.]

Forgive me for the deception, Stelle... thought it was best I didn't tell anyone.

[takesitall]

Back up, hold on. You can shapeshift?

[ignoranceisblight]

I can--it's rather limited, but I've been capable of it since I was a teenager.

[takesitall]

So you've never had a cat. It's just always been you?

[ignoranceisblight]

It's always just been me. Again, I am deeply sorry for the deception, I--

[... Fuck.]

Go take a seat, I should... explain. Wine?

[takesitall]

Yes, please.

[Dazed, Aventurine goes to sit on the sofa. What the hell?]

[ignoranceisblight]

[He'll bring the wine, as well as a light snack and sit down to explain.

How his family had been bothering him about getting married (which had been a little worse than he'd let on to Aventurine before this whole mess), how this whole thing with the key on the collar was Stelle's idea, and how he'd decided to go along with it with Caelus's encouragement.]

At first, it was going to be a way to stop my family from their incessant bothering me about the matter, one way or another. Anyone trying to take the key by force wasn't going to be worth my time.

[takesitall]

Understandable. Honestly I never questioned why you had a key around a cat's neck--it made sense to me. Anyone who Chertan likes--liked would be a good person.