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All you can do is offer. Be honest, tell her you're worried.

[ Another pause of hesitation, of Drake wanting to make sure he comes across right. ]

You said it's hard to explain. Did you still want to try?

[K heaves a sigh.]

Yeah that... doesn't really work with her, but.

[He'll try. Maybe it'll be different this time.]

I just... I could sign again. I wouldn't hate it. I haven't.

But I still don't like it. With anyone.

No? Trust your instincts, then, all I know about her is she definitely would've snapped me in half if I wronged you.

[ Drake doesn't know her, but now that K's given context he knows who the other man is talking about. ]

...you know that's fair, right? Even if you never like it. Even if you find somebody you're actually really happy with, that you trust completely, like-- [ No, he shouldn't go there. Drake cuts himself off and tries again quickly. ] There's something horrible and unfair about every world, I think. And what that is, it's gonna be different for everybody. Some things you just live in spite of, because other stuff is worth it.

...or I'm full of shit, you can totally tell me to shut up whenever.

[He has to smile a bit at the description of Sara, because it definitely sounds like her:] She's... protective.

[The rest though. The rest is harder, especially since he's fairly sure he knows what Drake stops himself from saying.]

Are you trying to tell me that contracts are the horrible, unfair thing about this world that needs to be overcome for other, worthy things?

Nah. I'm saying it's okay if you never overcome it, if it's always hard and you always hate it. Because there's still the worthy things that mean we're willing to put up with the bullshit. Today you're gonna sign to help your friend, so maybe right now it's her. I think everyone needs to find something to keep them going, at least... at certain points.

[ He exhales heavily, then sniffs and pushes through. ]

Anyway, uh. Want me to contact her about your lease? Or are you moving back in with her?

[On his end of the line, K cocks his head slightly, trying to decide what he's hearing. He doesn't like text or voice alone for this reason, but this is what he chose, so here they are.]

Thank you, but no. I haven't spoken to her yet about signing.

What does holding up mean for you?

[ ...K wasn't supposed to ask that. People don't, generally, or at least they didn't. Drake's circle of those that do has shrunk again and he didn't expect K to wind up in it, but maybe he's just curious? That'd be easier, Drake thinks. ]

It means I... could probably stand to find another thing or two, to keep going.

It means you're still struggling without your partner.

[He's not unkind about it, and the end lifts ever so slightly - not quite enough to be a question, not a straightforward statement.]

Not just him.

[ Ephemera isn't the only one gone, or even the most recent. The paperwork Drake wanted to get done before calling K is still sitting in front of him, and he turns it over instinctively as if that'll make it all hurt less. Or as if K could see it and call him on it. ]

There's a lot of horrible unfair shit around here, right? But I'm still not totally alone either.

[He might have. He might not have. As it stands he presses his lips together and hesitates a moment, but only a moment.]

I'd like to listen, if you'd like to talk.

[ As always, Drake's first instinct is to brush it off. He's fine, he's always fine, nobody needs to worry about him-- until suddenly he's aggressively not fine at all and more of a burden than he would've been if maybe he'd leaned on somebody a bit sooner. And K said 'I'd like to listen' not just that he could.

Nuance. He might not have mastered precision with vocabulary in his own speech yet, but he does pay close attention now to the words K chooses. ]

Thank you. Did you mean now? It might get kinda long.

I wouldn't expect you to cut it short.

I would like to be able to see you, though. If that's okay.

That's always okay. For more than this, too... if you ever need anything, contract or no contract, you can just show up.

[ He flips the paperwork in front of him back over, then makes a decision. ]

Can I send you a pin to meet me somewhere? You can bring Mango.

Well, I've never been rude.

[He says it mildly, a hint of warmth in his voice that makes it a joke; he knows what Drake means by it, and he appreciates it.]

I'd like that. So would she.

I think we might have different thresholds there, but you get me.

[ It's strange to realize that he can tell K is joking, subtle as it is and over a call. The fondness in his own voice is pretty blatant, betraying his smile. ]

Meet us here?

[ And a pin appears in K's inbox; if he'd recognize the location in the down, it's Harley's tattoo parlor. ]

[He does recognize it, and it's a bit odd, but he trusts Drake.]

Of course. Now?

It'll take me a little bit to get down there. If you're in the Up we could meet up at the elevator?

Okay.

I can do that.

Okay. See you in a little bit.

[ There's a soft beep as the line disconnects, and Drake heads out soon after with Sable at his side. K and Mango will probably beat them to the elevator -- when he spots Drake he'll see that the other man has carrying a large, heavy-seeming bag slung over his shoulder. Closer, there's the sound of something rustling and metal clanking within. ]

Hey. All set?

K and Mango are, indeed, there - and Mango has grown quite a bit over the last couple months, filling out somehow even more despite how solid she already was. The moment she spots Sable and Drake she drops into a play bow, tail wagging furiously, but she's too excited to hold it, wiggling and barking and jumping. K, aware she'll calm down once she can reach them, waits calmly even though he can't help but smile.

It's reflex - thoughtless and conditioned - that when Drake gets in closer, he offers, "Would you like help with that?" And, "It's good to see you. We're ready."

How could anyone not smile at an excited puppy? Drake certainly is as they approach, Sable well trained enough that she isn't straining at her leash but her tail is also wagging furiously at the sight of her friend. They can have a moment to greet each other out in the open before the ride to the down, he figures.

"I'm alright with it, but thank you," he tells K. "Besides, it looks like you've got your hands full. Somebody's growing up fast, huh?"

"I don't know," K admits, but fondly. "I've never seen a dog grow." He knew her mother, though, and she's already nearly the same size. She sidles up to Sable, wiggling and licking her chin and neck and whining now instead of barking.

"How long do they grow?"

"I'm no expert," Drake prefaces himself, also smiling at their dogs' warm greeting, "but I've always been told it's a year of growing for size and then they just fill out for awhile. Remember when you first met Sable, how she was all floppy and lanky? That was her teenage stage."

"You know more than I do," K points out, which is enough in this case.

Regardless, he's going to do his best to take care of Mango, and he calls for her after a few moments of letting her lick at Sable's face.

"She's perfect," is his verdict on the whole thing, regardless.

"Spoken like a true pet parent," he teases K, nodding for them to start moving towards the elevator now that the dogs have gotten their initial bursts of excitement out.

Pets are probably the only kids it's okay to feel that way about, Drake thinks to himself... and even then there are ways it could be dangerous but he's confident in K now that he's gotten her back.

"I'm glad you have her. Been teaching her anything special?"

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