2025-02-07 - A Special Project for a Special Person

[TXT to Erika] Tank: Hey there. Just wanted to say hi. Working on overhauling a few costumes for a Valentines event and was thinking of you.

[TXT to Tank] Erika: Hey Tank. Good to hear from you. Past two weeks have been ultra busy at the clinics, but I've thought about you though that time too.

[TXT to Tank] Erika: Have you heard about the pink bunnies cropping up around the park?

[TXT to Erika] Tank: Yeah, I didn't want to bother you, figured I'd try to catch you when I could.

[TXT to Erika] Tank: Those bunnies are kind of funny looking, but cute. I've only seen one from afar.

[TXT to Tank] Erika: A message wouldn't be a bother, but I might not have been able to reply. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

[TXT to Tank] Erika: Only from afar, huh? If I showed up at your shop would that distract you too much from getting your work done? Also, do you have any fruit or other sweets handy?

[TXT to Erika] Tank: I am pretty sure you showing up would distract me from just about anything. But, good news is I've been plowing through the workload while you were busy, so I can slice whatever time you have out of my day.

[TXT to Erika] Tank: And yes, I've got my cabinet of goodies because those dancers and actors and what not, some of them just do NOT eat, and I don't need them having sugar level crashes when I'm trying to pin up their outfits.

[TXT to Tank] Erika: Then I'll be there shortly after getting Dunball ready to come with me.

[TXT to Erika] Tank: Dunball?

After sending that enigmatic message, Erika proceeds to tuck her phone away and gathers up her snugglebunny, talking to him gently as she turns the shawl he's been getting used to into a "bunny bjorn" and proceeds to depart her apartment. After reaching the ferry and between talking to the pink fluff along the way she pulls her phone out and types something quickly into the phone and snaps a downward picture to send.

[TXT to Tank] Erika: (Attached picture is of a snugglebunny in a make-shift chest carrier made from a knitted scarf nestled between the curves of Erika's breasts covered by her shirt of course as well) Yes, Dunball. I'll tell you his formal name when you meet him also.

When the alert goes off, Tank sets down the last mask he had been hurriedly working on to check out the photo. He pauses for a moment, staring at it. Then he tilts his head to the side. And then he just grins. Glancing at the time stamp, and then the time, he narrows one eye in thought.

And then he is off, grabbing some fabric and scissors. How fast can be make what is in his head? He's about to find out!

Erika keeps an eye on her phone's screen during the ferry ride. At least she knows Tank saw the message. But she doesn't know what his reaction to it was. Well, that'll be something to discover once she gets to the shop she guesses at this point. So the phone goes back into the bra and, potentially to the annoyance of the other passengers, she begins to have a softly spoken, one-way conversation with Dunball the Bun. She does this in Norwegian however so at least this keeps most of those around her from listening into what she is saying.

She tells him about Tank actually, speaking about how they met on New Years and their subsequent meetings around the karaoke. And their date, she gets a little more excited about this causing her volume to go up. Does the bun understand? Not likely. Does it seem to be paying attention to her? Actually yes. Maybe its the vibrations from her chest as she speaks, but what ever it is the ears are sticking up from the scarf and its looking up at her as she speaks.

Disembarking the ferry after it arrives at Spellbound Island, Erika takes a quick turn into an "Employees Only" door and takes a quick trip down a stairwell into the tunnels. She no longer has to depend on the navigation app from the employee support site to get to Tank's workshop and sends a quick text as she approaches the door.

[TXT to Tank] Erika: Incoming! Do I need to knock?

[TXT to Erika] Tank: Not unless there is a sock on the door. Come on in!

Inside the workshop, Tank has been working feverishly. Apparently he hyper focuses because he didn't even think to text back an s knowledgement.

But with Erika opens the door, Tank is dashing over to it with an excited look on his face.

"Is that not the cutest thing ever?" he calls out. Then he nods at Erika's chest. "And that fluffy critter ain't bad either."

He winks and then, if the bun doesn't present a challenge, he leans over to gently kiss Erika's cheek. "Hey you."

Erika was about to say something as she entered but seeing evidence of Tank's manic bout of crafting, even if currently ignorant of the nature of the project, stifles what she was about to say. Instead his comments and his kiss combine to elicit a joyful laugh from her and, after the kiss, she responds in kind in Norwegian, "Hei der, Tank."

Before Tank can pull back from having leaned for the kiss she turns and returns the kiss as well planting a light one on Tank's cheek as well.

After the exchanged greetings and kisses she slightly nods downward at the pink bunny with alienesque eyes and says, "This, Tank, is Dunball or, more formally, Sjef Dunete," as a means of introduction. She then clarifies the names by saying, "The first means fluff ball and the other is Fluffy Chief or Chief Fluffy depending on how you mean it. I considered another name for him but Loke might have not appreciated my naming a little creature after him." The third name is obviously Norwegian but sounds almost exactly like the English version of the name: Loki. She continues immediately by adding, "A friend on hearing I was considering that suggested Chief for mischief but her own naming her bun Fluffy inspired me to another set of names as you can tell."

From within the scarf, Dunball responds with a trill as he hears his names being said and then, almost as if making the first sound predicated it, he looks up over the edge of the scarf and tilts his ears together in the same direction and sings a simple little song consisting of only five notes which, despite its simplicity, has a plaintive sense to it as if the bun is missing something dear to him.

The smile that Tank has for Erika is considerable, but then when the tiny little guy starts making noise, Tank turns his attention in that direction quickly. He blinks. "Wow. That guy is...adorable." He extends his fingers gently in the direction, but not putting it too close enough to appear a threat. Mostly to place it in the realm where it could reach out to him if he wanted.

"Come on in..." He steps back and waves her in. "I, uh...have been working on something that might help him." He nods towards her sling. "If you were looking for a small upgrade on that."

Stepping into the shop, Erika smiles back at Tank and says, "That's sweet, it would be nice to have something more permanent and be able to hopefully reclaim my shawl. It was a gift from my grandmother."

She looks around also and asks, "Where do you keep the fruit by the way?" and further explains, "I'm expecting him to be hungry again soon."

Casting another glance down at the shawl, Tank nods. "Yeah, we don't want anything to happen to that." He beckons her in and moves towards a swath of stretchy fabric that has been assembled into something of a band with some supports in the back. "Not the best job, but it was a quick one. If it works almost as good, at the very least, you can take the shawl back and then I can work on something else to replace it."

He waves a hand over towards the cabinet. "I've got some things over there, some candy, fruits, that sort of thing. Grab whichever you think he'll like the most."

Erika walks over to the cabinet and after looking in it comes away with a banana and a Hershey's bar. Setting the former down first she begins to open the latter and says, "I've heard on the employee forums that they like candy so lets see what he thinks of milk chocolate."

Breaking off a small rectangle from the main bar she holds it close to Dunball and the bunny like creature seems to stretch towards the chocolate and takes it in his mouth and pulls it back into the shawl with him. She then puts the banana back and says, "Well that's a successful test," she says before walking over to Tank and his project.

"Oh, that looks like it'll do a good job," she says before asking, "Did you estimate his size from the picture I sent?"

Tank watches Erika feed the little guy, and smiles as it seems that the items are good enough to make him happy. "Looks that way to me." He lays out the project he had put together for Erika to see it. Then he glances sidelong at her, and his cheeks flush ever so slightly. "Uh, no, I just kind of ... ball parked and gave a lot of flexibility either way."

Tank could have pointed out that he has all of Erika's measurements from when he made the dress and sweaters the other day. But he forgot that in the moment, and does not have the easy excuse to go to.

He just laughs a bit. "Did you want to try it on?"

"Yes, lets," Erika says as she unties the scarf and sets it and Dunball down on the surface next to Tank's creation. She hands the bun another segment of chocolate bar and then asks, "Would you help me put it on?" explaining further, "I'd hate to stress it and undo your work after all."

Tank waves his hand dismissively in the air. "Oh, it really should be able to be stressed. It has to be able to withstand all of that." He picks up the sling and then holds it up. "You want to try to back into it, and we can see how this works? Once we confirm that, we should make sure you can get that on your own."

Erika follows Tank's directions. At the same time she says, "And just stay right there, Dunball, okay?" in that 'talking-to-cute-little-animals' type voice.

The bun nibbles at the second piece of chocolate much more slowly than how it gobbled down the first.

"Apparently people have been finding that these guys are paired up so I'm hoping that I end up finding his partner... friend... what ever they are," she explains while watching Tank fasten the BunBjörn on her so she can see how it's meant to be done.

Tank is very careful to set it into place without ending up with any sort of inappropriate touching, despite the need to wrap his arms around her to pull it tight around behind her. "Ok, grab him." He looks at the bun and sighs. "That's a shame. Maybe we can help. I'll keep an eye out. It's always sad not to have your partner, right?"

He then turns the twist at the back to tighten it once Erika retrieves him and nestles him in.

Erika uses both hands to pick up the pink bun and settles Dunball down into the prototype BunBjörn. "I know it smells different, just trust me," she says as the little critter squirms a little. "I'll also get you another piece of chocolate," she promises him.

The bun calms down and Erika slides him into position and then hands the third and final piece of chocolate from the first row of the bar.

"It sure is," Erika says as the carrier is tightened and then says, "This was nice, thank you for making it. I bet people would pay for these you know."

Watching as Erika takes care of the bun, Tank cannot stop grinning. "Ok, he is pretty adorable." He works to tighten the sling for a moment, just one twist in the back that should be easily manageable for Erika with an arm over her shoulder. "Let me know how this feels?" He drops his hands away, but they land on her shoulders, just sort of resting there comfortably.

He laughs and shakes his head, giving her shoulders a bit of a gentle massage. "No, this is a special one just for you. Because you're special." He leans forward and gives her cheek a quick kiss. "I've got enough side hustles going on, can't afford the time to add another one."

Erika laughs at the side hustles commentary and then nods about the fit. "It's snug but not uncomfortably so," she says and then glances down at Dunball who, looking up at her trills then coos softly. "He seems to like it also," she adds and then she chuckles. "I'm not sure when I started calling him him either. There're no clear gender markers but... well, its decided right?"

She leans into the massage and after the kiss she returns it in kind and says, "Speaking of hustles, I was interrupting your work so I should probably get out of here, right?"

As long as Erika is remaining, Tank's fingers continue to ply their trade against her shoulders, as he leans a bit against her back. "It does seem that he is comfortable with that." Tank shrugs, and is not about to argue either with or about the creature and its gender. It seems content, so he is content.

"Well, I would certainly never want to see you go, but if you have things you have to attend to..." Tank smiles. "When are you going to be free next? I'll work around your schedule. I'd like to see you again." He peers down at Dunball. "And you too, little guy!"

Erika nods. "I need to pick up some supplies, particularly a litterbox," she explains. She leans in and gives Tank another kiss on the cheek and then steps back before turning to the door. "I should have free time next week, perhaps I should show you where I found the little guy?" she suggests as she heads towards the exit into the service tunnels.