Thread: All Steamed Space (Shikokudarkstar X Charlie_Death)

Merrill rose up slowly from his chair when he heard knocking on his door. He waved away Murk, allowing the alien to slide away into the kitchens to pester his mate. Whoever it was at the door wouldn't take kindly to seeing an non-native creature residing in Merrill's home with him. The gentleman checked the flampkin one last time to make sure it was down for it's nap for good and then wandered down to the door. Opening the old door carefully, Merrill allowed himself to be seen fully by his neighbor. This was the other neighbor that Murk swore up and down had a 'scent of lust' for Merrill. He remembered Mr. Ayden Andrewson. The man was a friendly sort and had been so since Merrill had moved into town years ago. This old house had been something of a hobby since he often took out his frustration at his collegue Mr. Brent upon some renovation project. Even before he had his unexpected house guests, Merrill didn't allow people very far into his home. Most people claimed that with his engineer genius he was supposed to show them around and flaunt his home but the patchwork house wasn't something Merrill wished to show off. Even more so with two aliens mucking about. Two aliens that had no concept of privacy or decorum and Merrill had caught the two many times on the floor or in the halls 'mating' before he finally said the right words to keep the two in their room for such an event. Merrill smiled at the man before him, appearing to be polite even if the man wouldn't be allowed into his home. Mr. Andrewson, good day to you as well. Merrill leaned on the door as he listend to the man for a moment. I am aware but a man of my talents is used to being secretive. Mrs. Greenlake wishes to know about my housemates. I have been rather firm with her but I fear she will wish to cause a scandal. Merrill pushed back his ruffled brown hair. He had once had a woman describe it as 'chestnut' colored but she had been rather enamored with him at the time so he wasn't sure she was a good source. Merrill often appeared ruffled, or some form of disorder was often about his wardrobe. He usually started out clean and neat but as the day went and he tinkered with his gadgets, he lost most...if not all that order. He had almost given up on top hats as he seemed cursed with ill luck. His last top hat had been destroyed in an explosion that took off an eyebrow. Luckily said hair had grown back but his top hat hadn't been replaced. Merrill chatted for a bit before finally finding a way to excuse himself. Mostly, he could smell whatever it was Kutuel had been making. The alien had a strange fascination with creative cooking. The first few weeks had been awful but the alien had improved much and his cooking was more often than not, delectable. Merrill had politely excused himself and watched Mr. Andrewson leave before heading back into the kitchen. -------- The next day, Merrill did not have a good start. The flampkin was upset with the locks on the doors and in protest...had burned holes through all the ones that lead to the stable. After fixing that mess he had arrived at work late only to get into an explosive argument with one Dr. Colten Brent. Merrill wasn't sure what the man's problem was, but he was certain that the man was in fact the hack that he claimed Merrill was. The staff often found ways to pull them apart and had done so quickly. Of course the dreadful man had shown up later when Merrill was revealing another one of his latest successes. This one had not been based on alien tech. He had simply created it to help with controlling his annoyed flampkin, when he discovered that it had real potential. He called it a 'flame lock box. It was immune to fire, as it was metal and had air circulation to allow the fire to breathe. It was like a fireplace, he supposed but it was portable and used heated water to spread the heat throughout a larger area. He even proposed the idea of putting the pipes beneath the floor to heat it! He had watched Dr. Brent through this and ignored the man. There was no need for that fool to talk down to him. After the presentation, Merrill was cleaning up when he noticed that the good doctor had yet to leave. He wanted to sigh, but instead stood up and leaned against the table. Was there something you wanted to know, Mr. Brent?