Collecting Strays {Ricio}

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha still couldn't get over the fact his house was empty. It'd been a year or so of living completely alone, and he was still confused when he woke up in the morning to silence. Now he just woke up and spent time staring at the ceiling, wondering when he had decided this growing up thing was actually for him. Eventually his pondering was disturbed by two cold wet noses being thrust into his face. One was connected to a large, fluffy black cat while the other was connected to the beige fluff of his sister's dog. The panther glared appropriately at the offending animals before shoving them off, swinging his long legs over the edge of the bed.

Amber eyes scanned the rather bland bedroom, decorated only by various paintings and art supplies. To get dressed... Or not... Was really the only thought on his mind. It only took a moment for a nose to touch him again, followed by a rather high pitched bark. Antosha sighed some, shooting the dog a glare as he petted it's head. "Outside, da?" The dog's only response to look to the door expectantly. He sighed softly and stood up, pulling on a pair of dark jeans but leaving his heavily inked chest exposed.

Padding to the kitchen, Ant was followed by his two pets as he poured their food but grabbed ahold of Vegas' collar to stop him. "Outside." He repeated, grabbing a large bag of generic petfood as he led the small dog to the front door. Which he proceeded to push open and step out, allowing Vegas to run out into the yard. Still holding the pet food he stepped to one side of the porch, already starting to pour when he realized he wasn't alone.

There was a soft hum of surprise as he tilted his head to notice a rather scruffy male on his porch. Someone who looked awfully familiar, but also someone Antosha was damn sure wasn't there when he went to sleep. The 6'10 Russian man put down the petfood and walked over to squat on his hunches, staring at the figure before poking his cheek. He wasn't really mad about finding someone on his porch, nor was he really surprised since it wasn't the weirdest thing he'd ever woken up to find. Besides it wasn't like he could kick the guy off his porch or anything. Mathis might kill him. As he sat his stomach rumbled once and he let out a loud yawn. First- to deal with this guy. Then he could go out to get donuts and coffee.

[Ricio Miller]

The night before Ricio had been wandering around, as was his usual nighttime routine. He rarely made plans for where he would crash during the night. And nine times out of ten things always worked themselves out. But last night was the one time out of ten. Just as Ricio was starting to think about heading back to the park or finding an alley to crash in it started to pour. Ricio didn't mind the weather since he didn't feel the cold rain, but being wet was different. He didn't like the feeling of the wet clothes clinging to him and sleeping out in the rain would mean having to dry out his things in the morning. So he'd ducked under the first roof he came to. It was the porch of a person house, but he figured he would be up and gone before whoever lived there woke up. It wasn't like he was hurting anyone by crashing here, right?

He had woken up about an hour earlier, but he was too comfortable to crawl out from under his jacket. So instead he rolled over and went back to sleep, forgetting that by sleeping in he would chance the owner of this porch finding him.

It all came flooding back when said owner reached out and poked him in the cheek. He jumped up quickly, his arm reflexively reaching out for his pack. Years of living on the street had taught Ricio that most times he was woken up suddenly it was because someone was trying to steal from him, or kick him out in a hurry.

The man crouched in front of him looked vaguely familiar, but Ricio at least knew that he wasn't a cop. He also wasn't holding a weapon of some sort, so he didn't think he was being robbed either.

"Uh...good morning?" Ricio said, smiling even though he was a still a bit concerned as to how this would play out. "Nice porch ya got here."

[Antosha Vikenti]

Amber eyes blinked as the once sleeping figure suddenly jumped up, though the figure they were attached to made no move to stand up as well. Instead he turned his attention to the area around them. Damp grass, the smell of ozone all around, and the sidewalk was darker than it usually was. So... It had rained. Antosha hummed softly before slowly standing up, dusting off his jeans as Vegas came walking up to the stranger, staring at the male in eerie silence.

Rain would explain why someone was sleeping on his porch. Though... "If you needed somewhere to sleep, could have rung doorbell." He said suddenly, nodding to hid door with a soft smile. After that he looked up at down the male, trying to place a name to the familiar street rat before him. "..Roco? Rico... Nyet. Ricio, da? You are Ricio?" Another pleasant smile as watched the shorter male.

"Good morning, da. Thank you. Many animals are thinking the same, yes?" He let out a slight rumbling humanized version as a purr and he nodded his head to where some obvious strays had arrived -as they did every morning- to eat from the bowl. Antosha turned from the vagrant to walk back to his earlier task and finished pouring the pet food, picking the large bag up with ease as he walked to his door to hold it open for Vegas to enter. Antosha held open the door awhile more, looking at Ricio expectantly. "You are hungry maybe? I might have some food for humans but if not we will have to run to the store or something. Usually I go to a shop for breakfast. Cannot cook to save my life." He laughed sheepishly, treating the near stranger much like he would someone he's known for years. It helped that the Russian man had a fondness for strays that needed assistance, even if the strays themselves didn't know it. He shifted the bag of food in his arms as a few of the strays wandered closer to him, some mewling in protest that there wasn't enough food to go around. So Antosha sighed and walked over to pour more food in the bowl, waiting for the other's response.

{{A/N:
I honestly don't know. He's weird.}}

[Ricio Miller]

After waking up a bit more and taking getting a good look at the man in front of him, Ricio was pretty sure this guy was at least going to throw him of the porch in a hurry. And it looked like this guy was big enough to maybe to that literally.

But taking in his surroundings a bit more, Ricio noticed he wasn’t the only one enjoying the porch. He reached out to stroke one of the passing cats on its way to the dish of food. He was starting to figure he wasn’t in that much trouble after all, especially after the man spoke.

“I..uh…,” Ricio said, sitting up and rubbing the sleep outta his eyes. “I like it out here better.” Ricio was a bit shocked when the man knew his name and it showed on his face. He tried to remember ever talking to this guy before. The man’s face looked familiar, but he still couldn’t recall the name. “Yeah, and you are?”

This really was turning into quite a surprising morning. Not only was Ricio not getting in trouble, but he was being invited for breakfast. He rose slowly, shoving his blanket into his pack as he did.

“Uh,” Ricio said, he usually didn’t find it this hard to come up with his words, but this guy was really throwing him off with all of the niceness. “How about I run to the shop for doughnuts?” There was a place one or two blocks away that wouldn’t take him long to get to. He reached into his pockets hoping to find something to contribute and only came up with scraps of rolling paper and a lighter. “I’m kinda sort on funds though.” He grinned sheepishly up at the man.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha was the type of guy who could never say no to those who needed him. If he was in the right place at the right time he'd run across a street to save a girl. Or, in his younger days, he would run across a frozen lake to get a scared girl off the ice. In fact his inability to leave strays alone even extended to those of the four legged kind, which explained the seven felines currently exploring the expanse of his porch for any remaining food.

At the man's confusion, Antosha offered a soft smile and tilted his head to his door once more to show it was still on the table to go in. "I am Antosha. We never spoke really but I tend to put money in your cup when I see you. I happened to catch your name when you were discussing with someone." He didn't add on that he usually put some ridiculous amount of money in the man's cup -usually a fifty dollar will- because that might seem rude. He definitely wasn't going to add that he also carried around money specifically for the vagrant just in case he happened to run into the man. That would just sound stalkerish.

His amber eyes watched as the male stood slowly, making a mental note of the obvious height difference. Which was usually the case when it came to the Russian, but he'd been sure the other had been fairly taller before. But maybe that was because Antosha had grown the extra two inches since he left Hammel and memory always did funny things to people's heights.

A smile graced his face once again at Ricio's offer, happy that the vagrant seemed to be able to read his mind. The comment about lacking money just elicited a shrug from Antosha and he shifted the bag in his hands once more. "My wallets inside. Wait one moment." With that said the Russian went back inside his rather empty house, carrying the food back to the original storage space before heading into his bedroom. He made quick work of rifling through his pockets before pulling out fifteen dollars, since he couldn't quite remember the prices of large quantities of donuts. Once in hand he went back out to where the vagrant was -hopefully- still on the porch, holding out the money with a small smile.

"Here. You go get while I make coffee? When you get back if you'd would like I have a shower you can use." Which might come across as a pointed remark to the male's hygiene but really Antosha was just trying to be hospitable. He even bathed some of the feline strays when they seemed like they needed it... Though they often didn't return for almost a week after those incidents.

[Ricio Miller]

Although Ricio lived off of the kindness of others, he didn’t consider himself to be a moocher. Sure he realized that people helped him. And for that he was thankful. But he also thought of it more as allowing others to be kind, being good, reaching their better potentials. After all he would help anyone he could as well. Just because he had different things to offer or because people didn’t realize that he was helping them in his small little way, didn’t mean that he wasn’t helping just as them.

Ricio smiled at the man’s name. Now he was starting to remember him. Though he was pretty sure he’d never actually caught the man’s name before now, he did recall a very tall man leaving very generous tips in his cups from time to time. He had never really put two and two together, but now that he thought back those tips had always come whenever the Antosha had been by.

Ricio left his pack by where it had been when it served as his pillow for the evening and stood by the doorway waiting a tad sheepishly for the man to return with money for the doughnut run.

“Be back in a bit,” Ricio said, grinning at the man as he tucked the money into his pocket. ‘A bit’ being the closest Ricio ever came to giving exact times. With that he turned and left to head to the store. It was only a few blocks away and Ricio only got slightly distracted along the way so it didn’t take him long. He made his order by tapping on the glass and getting a waitresses attention, as usual. Ricio had only a small concept of how much everyday items cost, so when he handed that waitress what Antosha had given him he hadn’t expected to receive quite so many doughnuts in return. Still he figured he could coax Antosha into letting him save some for later. And perhaps some of the other strays on the porch could eat some.

Ricio returned, holding several boxes of treats. He almost dropped on making it up the steps to the porch and trying not to trip over any of the cats still mingling on the porch. He set down the boxes before grabbing a Boston cream with one hand and a French cruller with the other. He grinned at Antosha, with a bit of glaze stuck in his beard. “Think we got enough?”

He was still debating over the offer for a shower. It had been a bit since he had swung by his brother’s house, but he wasn’t sure if he would feel comfortable enough in Antosha’s place. And he really didn’t want to make a scene in front of his new friend. Still…

“So, your bathroom got a window?”

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha couldn't help but grin at the man waiting sheepishly for him. Something about the image -or possibly Ricio's height- made Ant picture a little kid waiting to get to open their present. He leaned against the door with a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, nodding his head some in acknowledgement of the other's words. "Take your time." His deep voice concluded. He watched the retreating back, unable to wipe the smile from his face. Obviously he was more lonely that he'd thought if something as simple as watching a new found friend walk away while being content in the knowledge they'd return.

Turning to go inside to start the coffee and find supplies for the vagrant to wear. Clean clothes would have to be offered, since Ant was planning on trying to convince the other to let him do a bit of laundry. Shit... He was going a bit overboard for a near stranger wasn't he? An unfamiliar sight caught his attention in the corner of his eye and the Russian turned slightly, frowning when he caught sight of a pack sitting in the corner of his porch. Obviously it belonged to the vagrant, since Antosha was sure that was exactly where he'd woken the man up. However that also meant Ant couldn't just pick it up and take it inside. He didn't know the man that well, nor did he want to be accused of riffling through the vagrant's things should the pack be in a different position. The panther took a few minutes of staring at the pack before a sharp bark inside reminded him of another alternative. Opening his door quickly, Antosha poked his head in. "Vegas!" The dog trotted to him with its usual inquiring expression. He nodded his head to the pack before pointing to it with a raised brow. "Guard." The words were clipped and pointed, but not as harsh as he would usually use when dealing the the canine persuasion.

As Vegas settled into a position right beside the pack, Antosha walked inside to start his pot of coffee. He tapped a slow, repetitive beat into the counter as he watched the street from his kitchen. Deciding that the coffee maker was taking too long to be watched, Antosha headed into his house to riffle through his closet. Eventually he came out with a small pair of jeans, a pair of boxers, and a soft black cashmere sweater that Mayu had given him one year that ended up being too small. Once that was sorted he tossed the clothes onto the sink counter in his hallway bathroom, removing a thick grey towel from his linen closet. He gave his work a satisfied nod before returning to the kitchen.

The Russian poured himself a cup of coffee before heading out on his porch, tossing a bone in front of the small Shiba Inu still sitting at attention in front of the pack. The dog's ears flicked and he gave a small yip but didn't make any other movement. Taking a sip of his coffee, Antosha relaxed against the porch railing, amber eyes still scanning the street until he saw the vagrant walking towards him- still quite a distance away. He watched with interest as Ricio drew closer, almost about to reach out when the other threatened to drop the treats. "More than enough, for just the two."

Laughing lightly he resisted the urge to tell Ricio about the glaze in the other's beard and instead bent down to pull out a simple glazed, and hopefully unfilled, donut. Which he then proceeded to toss to the cats still lingering about his porch. Right... "Vegas. That's good now." He glanced over Ricio's shoulder to look at the dog, who dropped out of his position to begin chewing on his bone. After that he grabbed his own chocolate cover donut and took a rather vigorous bite of it, grinning happily at having food that he didn't have to get himself.

At the male's question he raised an eyebrow but shrugged off his curiosity. "It only has one window... but it's a fairly large one.. I have curtains so no one can see in though."

[Ricio Miller]

Ricio offered the man another sheepish smile. He really hadn’t expected to get so many doughnuts for the cash Antosha had given him. And even if he had realized the price of tasty doughnut treats, he would have felt odd about pocketing the change. Sure Ricio was used to handouts, he lived off of them in fact, but he didn’t steal. And there was something about taking the change from someone who asked him to buy them breakfast that felt like stealing.

Ricio finished his doughnuts and dug into his pack for his tobacco and papers. “You’ve got quite the community here,” he said, as he started rolling up a smoke. He looked over his shoulder at the cats still wondering about and the large dog on the porch. It was nice to see someone kind enough to give back, to animals and humans alike. “You sure have a kind heart,” he added. And nice eyes, he thought. But he didn’t want to voice his opinions on that matter just yet. After all, he’d lucked out so far about not upsetting the good Samaritan so far that he didn’t want to mess it up now. Still he couldn’t keep from smiling as he looked at his new friend.

“His name is Vegas? Like the city?” Ricio asked. He had lived there once, for a short while. Back when he was making his way around on the west coast he had wandered the streets of that city, figuring people who had extra cash jumping in their pockets might be a little more inclined to share some of it.

Ricio sat weighing his options for a bit while he enjoyed his first smoke of the morning. On the one hand, he didn’t want to turn away from anything offered, whether it be breakfast or a nice shower. But on the other hand, he really wasn’t sure if he was comfortable with just hopping into another man’s shower. Still if it had a window, he should he able to swing it. And still, it was getting to be the time of year when Ricio could enjoy his baths in the lake or streams in and around Pilot Ridge. That was always much better than getting cramped up in someone’s bathroom. Ricio wasn’t really concerned about curtains, he’d long ago given up his sense of privacy.

“I guess a quick shower would be nice,” Ricio said, the struggle within him still evident on his face. “If you’re still offerin’.”

[Antosha Vikenti]

There was another sheepish smile on the man's face that made Ant still picture the kid waiting for their present. Antosha just smiled kindly, figuring that the male hadn't expected so many donuts. Truth be told, Antosha hadn't expected Ricio to return with so many either. But he was just expecting the other would ask for a dozen and keep the change (or give it back, which seemed more likely considering that the man seemed nicer than the average street ret). He wouldn't complain about the amount and in the end he'd probably just keep some for later and let Ricio keep the rest for whatever he'd like.

"A community of mostly cats, though... Dogs... Well Vegas isn't even mine. I don't really care for dogs." He rambled some, eyes watching with curiosity. He didn't add that his dislike of dog extended to the point he wouldn't feed one that mistakenly wandered into his yard. Because that wasn't actually true. Antosha would feed the dog and retreat indoors to glare until the dog left. But at the next words from Ricio had Antosha turning his head down, used to the compliments about various things but not wanting to actually respond to it. It only took Ant a few moments before he glanced up and shot the other a small smirk. "Thanks. But nice hearts aren't always the best things to have.."

Taking another bite from his donut, Antosha turned his attention to the slowly cooling coffee in his hands. "Ah. Shaw never said specifically. But me and Mayu assumed it was like the city." He explained, mentally picturing the depressed and gothic boy they used to know. Used to though, because time can change people. Unfortunately it never changed Shaw enough and the two, Mayu and Shaw, ended up breaking it off right before their high school graduation. Then she met Akilles over that summer... And the rest is history.

Antosha turned away from Ricio, wanting to give the other a bit of privacy to whatever he was clearly thinking about. Plus it seemed to be enough of a companionable silence anyway. As he sipped from his coffee, he kept his eyes purposely away from the street rat. It would be better not to seem like he was staring at the eye pleasing (if a little scruffy) male. That might just scare his new friend away. Or worse, creep him out. There was a small possibility it might open up a whole new sort of friendship if he acted on his urge to flirt, but Antosha didn't want to risk a new friend on 'maybe'.

Looking up some, his amber eyes studied Ricio's face intently before he raised an eyebrow and took a long swallow of the coffee to finish it off. "Of course I still offer. But if you'd be too uncomfortable, don't feel like you have to say yes. I can be... ah... What is the word... I can be overbearing?"

[Ricio Miller]

Ricio’s eyebrow raised as Antosha discussed his little community. Clearly the man was a lover of all creatures in need. Or at least cats and men who camped out on his porch. But if he didn’t really care for dog, then why did he have one as a pet?

His expression stayed confused at Antosha’s next comment. What could be wrong about having a kind heart? By Ricio’s standards, having a kind heart was on the very short list of things he considered to be worth having. “I disagree,” Ricio said. “Without kind hearts where would I be?” He gave the man a smile and a soft pat on the shoulder.

And again Ricio’s eyebrow darted upwards when Antosha dropped other names into the conversation. “Are Shaw and Mayu…roommates of yours?” he asked. After all that would explain why there was a dog around. “They should come have some doughnuts.”

Now that Ricio had committed himself to a decision, he was trying not to worry about it. It helped to have doughnuts and Antosha there to distract him. While at first Ricio worried that Antosha had figured out his problem with the indoors and just how much of a problem it was, he smiled when he realized that perhaps Antosha thought his fears came from something else.

He smiled realizing that if Antosha had leapt to that conclusion, then maybe he wouldn’t mind hearing Ricio’s thoughts on his eyes. Or his smile.

“No, it’ll be fine,” Ricio said, deciding to take a leap. “It’s not like you’re gonna jump me in the shower, right?” He gave the man a smile, hoping Antosha would either take it as a joke, or perhaps an invitation. Whatever made his new friend comfortable. And his reaction would help Ricio figure Antosha out.

Though truth be told, being in the shower longer than to actually shower might be a bit too much for Ricio’s first time stepping through Antosha’s door.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha chuckled softly at Ricio's confusion and pretended to ponder the question, twisting his face into 'contemplation'. After a few moments he tilted his head down at Ricio and offered the other a soft smile. "You would still be on my porch, right?" There was a tone to his voice that even Antosha couldn't place. It was something akin to a joke and slight wistfulness at the same time.

Shit. More confusion. Antosha really should work on this whole dropping his sister's name into every conversation. Most people probably didn't want to hear about his family, especially when they barely knew him. A sheepish smile pulled at his lips and he shook his head. "Shaw is an old boyfriend of Mayu, who is my younger sister... She's at Stanford with her fiance, I'm watching Vegas until she comes back for summer." Alright, so that wasn't too much information to share. Granted Ricio probably still didn't care anyway. There was a pause before he glanced back at the house. "Nyet. No roommates. I live alone in here." Which would explain why he was so willing to let strangers inside.

Had Antosha any indication that Ricio wasn't disturbed by being in a stranger's house but rather the house itself, he might have offered to open up all the windows and doors in an attempt to help. He wasn't really practiced in dealing with people with claustrophobia, so he might have thought that would be the best solution. Aside from just letting the stranger wander out to find some lake or stream to bathe in. But since he had no idea, he was content in thinking that it was him that bother Ricio. After all showering in a stranger's house was weird enough without it being some creepy giant.

But when Ricio's words registered in his mind, the content thought banished and he couldn't avoid the small smirk that pulled at his lips. Well. It certainly made his life easier if the pleasing male might swing his way. Though... "Ah... Well you are my type, maybe we wait until you can remember my name?" The smirk widened as he continued. "Would hate for you to call out the wrong thing."

There was a small pause as the Russian thought over the idea of using a shower for purposes other than showering. He'd done it before, but only once. He wasn't particularly keen on the idea of repeating it. Water was a terrifying thing for the Russian and usually he could handle showering (and enjoyed it) but that activity had too much water spraying in his face and he'd be ashamed to admit he'd actually panicked. "And, ah... Am not a fan of water in any case." He added, another sheepish smile on his face.

[Ricio Miller]

"I'd be on your porch maybe," Ricio said, smiling back at Antosha. "But if you didn't have a kind heart, you'd probably be kicking me off." Ricio had been kicked off of his fair share or porches, store windows, gazebos, public parks, and so on. Usually people didn't invite him to stay for breakfast. Sure there was the kind stranger now and then would giving him something to take on his way. But Antosha was the first one in the long time who'd sat down and talked with him.

Ricio nodded his head along as Antosha explained things. Ricio might not be able to relate to most people, but that didn't mean he didn't like to hear what their lives were like. Heck he'd even chatted with some poor soul who said he was an investment banker, whatever that was. Ricio often worried for people whose lives revolved around money and other such foolishness. But doing something for a sibling, that he could understand. "Is Mayu your only sister?" Ricio asked. "I've got two myself." Of course, he wished they were away from Pilot Ridge most of the time. His brother was different. But his sisters drove him nuts constantly worrying about him and trying to get him off of the streets.

"Well at least you've got your strays." Ricio lived a bit of a solitary lifestyle, but he didn't really consider himself to be alone. Except for when it got really bad in the winter, there was usually always someone around for him to be with.

Ricio had to chuckle at Anotsha comment. "Sounds like a plan to me." Of course he was pretty sure he'd remember Antosha's name after this, but he never could be too sure. Names were something he forgot pretty quickly if he didn't bump into the person on a regular basis. But he was starting to get the feeling that he would be stopping by to check up on his new friend often enough. Even if Antosha didn't offer him food every time, though that would certainly help.

"Are you...uh..." Ricio paused for a moment trying to remember the right word for fear of water. "Hydrophobic? Or something?" Yeah Ricio could be a bit forward sometimes. Ricio always told people to be true to themselves. That meant no secrets. True he had his own secrets, he avoided realizing that. He could be a bit blind when it came to analyzing himself.

[Antosha Vikenti]

"Fair enough." Antosha responded, offering the vagrant only a soft shrug. He didn't want to make a big fuss over something so simple. Especially not when the easier thing to do was agree with Ricio's opinion. As he brought his coffee to his lips he glanced over at Ricio, noticing for the first time that he had yet to offer the stray something to drink. A small smile pulled at his lips and he cocked his head to the side. "I just realized... Would you like something to drink?" He held up his coffee mug as further explanation.

A small wave of relief washed over the panther when Ricio nodded along, taking it as a sign the other was listening. Not just pretending to listen. Or at least that's what he was hoping he was seeing from the other man. Knowing his luck he might have just been projecting things that weren't actually there. Still, Antosha couldn't help but smile gently at Ricio's question. Even more so when the vagrant offered up a piece of information about himself. "No. I have one other sister. She's finishing up schooling at Hammel. Then I have twin brother." This time he remembered to leave out names. Barely, but he did manage it.

"And my cat." He pointed out, cocking his head back towards his home. A black tail was visible from between the curtains, flicking lazily to suggest the animal it was connected to was falling asleep. Antosha mentally sighed, realizing that was about all he had going on in his home life. Granted he might bring home the occasional person but they never stuck around. Nor did he really have friends he could entertain at his house. Leaving Pilot Ridge for college and then returning hadn't done him any favors in the social department.

The chuckle issued from the smaller male served to increase the strength of Ant's smile. A smile which seemed less and less likely to fade the more he got to have such a friendly chat with the near stranger. Granted he'd come to know more about Ricio that morning than he would have thought possible when he first was the scraggly vagrant. But Antosha wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and instead he just took another drink from his coffee... Or he tried to. Much to his disappointment the cup was empty, causing the shifter to stare down to the bottom in hopes of developing a coffee summoning power. When no such thing occurred Antosha sighed audibly, standing up straighter.

He was tempted to avoid answering the question, if only to try and save face in front of the vagrant. But he tilted his head to Ricio regardless and offered a sheepish grin. "Is actually just aquaphobia now." He offered up the first bit of information with a slow shrug. "But yes. Is not so bad that I cannot shower or be splashed... I cannot handle swimming at all and I avoid the ocean like a plague, nor can I handle when water is on my face and I cannot remove it. Like rainstorms and shower." This was more information then he would usually give a stranger, but Antosha saw no harm in divulging with Ricio. Which was probably an idiotic move considering he now barely knew the male.

Taking a step back, Antosha held up his cup with a small grin. "I am out of coffee. It would be good time to take that shower while I refill." Still walking backwards to the door Antosha's grin faded some. "Ah... I found... Clean clothes if you were interested in changing?" Yeah. Saying it out loud definitely made it seem like a stalker (creeper) move.

[Ricio Miller]

Ricio's eyes lit up at the prospect of coffee. Sure, he was enjoying the doughnuts, but since his trip to the shop where he had smelled what they had brewing he had hoped for a cup himself. He sometimes made coffee for himself over the fire, but since it wasn't something he could survive off of, he didn't often spend his tips on that. Still when he'd seen Antosha with a cup he had considered outright asking the man for some, but luckliey he was offered. "Please," Ricio said, grinning. "With lots of sugar." Hopefully he wouldn't burn his tongue, something that happened a lot with him and hot beverages. He many not be able to feel heat, but he could still burn.

"A twin, really? You two identical?" Ricio asked. His brother and looked nothing alike. All his siblings were adopted from different countries, so none of them looked related. So Ricio had always been fascinated, and perhaps a bit jealous, of siblings that did.

Ricio nodded along again as Antosha explained the aquaphobia. It was nice to hear someone else talk about their phobia. And still, Ricio found it hard to form the words to explain his own fears. He was much better at deal with others problems. Or at least giving out advice to them whether they wanted it or not.

"Uh...yeah..." Ricio said, trying to stall for time. "Don't suppose I could have a cup before I head in?" That sounded like a good enough reason, right. After all he had just woken up, he needed a while before he was ready to face the indoors. "And don't worry about that, I'm sure I've got something in my pack." Though he wouldn't say no to free clothes, he didn't really need them at the moment. Also he could be a bit picky when it came to what he wore. Not necessarily the style, but he was particular about fabrics and textures.

[Antosha Vikenti]

{{Making this short for sanity}}

The panther bit back the urge to laugh at the light he say in Ricio's eyes. It reminded of himself early in the morning; barely awake but eager enough to consume the black swill. He was a little disappointed the other wanted to dilute the amazing substance with sugar, but Antosha couldn't hold it against him. It would have been worse if he'd asked to put milk in it. Or god forbid the man asked Antosha to put both into it. Thank might have just stopped the Russian's heart. However, as eager as he was to give the other what he wanted, Antosha wanted to wait till he got inside for the shower before giving him the coffee.

"Well... We used to look the same. But we do not have near the similarities as before. My skin is far more decorated than his." Antosha explained delicately. The urge to show Ricio his family was growing as he spoke about them and perhaps the only thing saving the vagrant from having to see pictures was the fact Ant's phone was inside. Yes, he concluded, I should stop showing off the pictures...

Antosha raised a delicate eyebrow at Ricio's words. If he wasn't mistaken he almost senses... Hesitance in the other man. Amber eyes flicked between the cup in his hand to his doorway before he took a step backwards, heading to the doorway while turning his attention to Ricio. "The coffee is inside, and you might well check the bathroom to see it meets standards." He responded easily, head cocked to the side before he reached behind him to open to door. "Come. I do not bite... Much." Hopefully the cheesy joke would put the other at ease. As the other responded to the bit about the clothes, Antosha tried to squash the worry that having clothes set out already would freak the male out. So he slowly shrugged and tried to figure out how he could remove them without the vagrant noticing. "You could at least have the shirt. Does not fit me but is very nice. Feels... Like fluffy butter. If you needed could even wash some of your own. So you have clean for next time." Nope. Not creepy at all. The Russian squashed his inner wince and stepped inside his house, hoping Ricio would still follow.