Nants Igonyama Bagithi

January 2020
Hong Kong, China
Long before their Drift, but shortly after they were forced into the same lab space in Hong Kong, Newt was trying really, really hard to convince Hermann that remodelling the space was a fantastic idea. 'Remodelling' in the sense of 'tearing down' and by 'space', that wall.
Hermann found the lab perfectly acceptable (barring the excess of Kaiju remains and irritating xeno/zoo/bio/whatever~logist).
And then the handy-dandy Shatterdome Contractor got involved, "regretfully" informing Newt that the wall in question was, in fact, a load-bearing wall and removing it would bring the upstairs down upon their heads. Newt remarked he wouldn't mind a skylight. SC remarked they were a few stories underground and the people between them and the outside would not appreciate being displaced; also, a skylight that far away would be inconsequential in terms of light.
When Hermann tried to enter the lab the next morning, the smell of wet paint was so strong it was like walking into a wall.
"Doctor Geiszler-"
"NEWT!"
"What have you done?!"
"I made it pretty," said Newt.
Hermann took in their that massive sunset adorning that entire side of the lab: "What is that?"
"I call it, "The Load-Bearing Wall of Life!"
Sunrise then.
"Very well. I'll leave you and your fumes alone."
"Oh, I got this is for you. So your side won't feel left out."
A red and blue plush came sailing across the room, and it was only with years of training that Hermann didn't flinch.
"A toy bird."
"Iago, in fact. They're not from the same movie, but meh. He's supposedly named after that asshole from that Shakespeare play. What better to impersonate a lying, scheming coot than with a lying, scheming coot?"
"You mean to mock my father with an idiot bird."
"Exactly. I'm doing it with a mural."
The "Load-Bearing Wall of Life" was eventually covered by the slowly encroaching mass of posters and charts. After a while, they'd forgotten about it completely.
Or so Hermann'd thought. 
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