(alright)
Davin nodded again. "Yeah. I've been writing down what I remember and what I've been able to research, but…I was so young, I don't remember much." he barely remembered his own family's faces sometimes, much less details of culture and tradition that now he would give anything to remember.
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"Oh…" Tohru sighed, "Well, it's good you've been documenting what you can at least."
He lifted his mug back up to his face, trying to hide a bit from the sense of awkwardness that settled into his body.
He took a sip from his mug, nodding faintly. "It is good, yeah, I just…I don't know. There are so many things that I remember or have found out through research that I would love to do, but it just…it doesn't feel right. For instance, most Kaythani wore a lot of jewelry. Piercings, bracelets, anklets, rings, stuff on our tails, beadwork wound around our horns…and I could replicate that if I wanted to, but it wouldn't feel right, because it wouldn't…it wouldn't have the same significance, and the stones and metals used wouldn't be from Kaythan, so what would even be the point? And I can't even get ahold of the materials or any premade stuff, because it's all become fucking…fucking collectors items now, for rich Imperials to display and say "those savages sure made some gorgeous jewelry", or for them to wear to parties and say "yes, it's genuine Kaythani make, isn't it lovely and rare? It was so expensive", and they get to exploit my people even after they're dead." he clenched his jaw, shaking his head. "It's bullshit."
"Yeah, it fucking sucks," Tohru replied, a scowl falling over his face.
His parents had 'collected' a few such items themselves. Maybe he'd go back one day and take them as a "fuck you" to his folks, and to bring something from home for Davin. It was an interesting thought to entertain at least.
"I'm familiar enough with that side of it… It's disgusting, to say the least. You can't advocate for the killing of a people and treat their arts as a commodity. Absolutely messed up. Even some Rebel leaders buy that stuff as a status symbol, from what I understand. And they sometimes use its beauty and tragic story to recruit people, even though they're not really… about rectifying what happened on Kaythan."
(Okay, so side plot idea? Tohru really wants to get something genuinely Kaythani for Davin and secretly takes on some really dangerous high-paying bounties to be able to afford it. I was already thinking he goes back to bounty hunting for some reason, but now I've found an actual viable motivation.)
He glanced down at his hands for a moment, nodding a little. "Yeah. And it's not like I can just…go back to Kaythan and get my own, because one, the surface of the planet is still…highly toxic, and two, even if it wasn't, the Empire guards it too well for me to be able to slip in and out without them noticing." he took another sip of his coffee.
(ooooh yeah!)
"The Empire guards it still?" Tohru asked, hiding his train of thought behind more questions, "What is there to guard, anyhow?"
I'll get him a piece of home… I'll do it if it kills me.
"Yeah. I guess they don't want people going there to loot it and then getting sick and dying, or something. I don't know. Most of the stuff that does come off planet is from either licenced salvaging companies, or the empire itself." He replied with a shrug.
"Oh, I didn't know that bit," Tohru admitted, "Though I do guess it's for the best they're keeping people off the planet for their own safety, even if that's not their only reasoning."
He let out a sigh, pondering how he could help.
"Yeah." He replied quietly, shrugging his shoulder for a moment and rinsing out his coffee cup, shaking his head a little bit.
Tohru rubbed his finger on the rim of the mug, idly playing with it a bit before he did the same.
"Did you want to get any more done before I went to work this evening?" he asked, gesturing at the freshly painted walls.
He shrugged a little. "Mm, I don't know. Probably would be a good idea, yeah. But it's up to you." He smiled faintly.
"Yeah, that's fine with me," Tohru agreed, "I just… didn't know if that conversation was maybe a bit heavy and you weren't feeling up to it, or something like that."
He stretched a bit and walked back to where the last bucket of paint was.
"Guess we'll do the kitchen?"
"Yeah. Sounds good." He replied, gathering his hair up and tying it back again, to make sure it wouldn't get in the way.
Tohru grabbed for the tape again and started to line the room again.
Ugh, maybe if I'm going to keep dredging up horrible shit like that, I should actually do something for him.
He started to help tape the room, tail curling close to his body to keep it out of Tohru's way. He didn't want the other man tripping on it, after all.
Once again, when they finished taping, Tohru popped open the paint can, gave it a little stir, and they got back to work.
"Oh, this one looks really nice too," he said as he laid the first brush stroke on the wall.
"Yeah, it does." Davin agreeed, grabbing his own brush and getting to work at the opposite end.
Keeping a close eye on the time, Tohru continued to help Davin paint. They were making good timing. In fact, he didn't feel like he even had to worry about not making it to work.
He hummed softly as he brushed paint over the plaster, trying to keep his mind occupied with not worrying about Davin and how he couldn't help him.
Davin kept painting calmly, his tail still curled close to his body. His horns he couldn't help, but they didn't stick out all that far, in any case.
(Hey, I've been feeling subpar mentally lately, and now we've had a death in the family. I'm definitely going to be slower to reply, but I haven't forgotten about this)
Tohru stood back, looking at the color on the walls. He liked it even more than he had in the paint can.
"Hm, what do you think?" he asked.
(you're fine! Take all the time you need!)
"It looks great." He said with a satisfied smile, leaning forward to continue working on painting the wall.
(Thanks!)
Tohru leaned to carefully paint by the cabinets, making sure he didn't get any paint on the wood. He was probably more focused on this stretch than any other parts he'd painted, especially since he'd been thinking a lot about Davin before.
Davin kept working on the wall, starting to hum quietly to himself as he did, tail flicking faintly to the beat of the music.
After navigating around the corners of the counters, careful not to get paint anywhere it shouldn't be, Tohru stepped back and swept a gaze over the paint job, double checking that he'd done everything right.
Davin kept painting and humming, focused on his work.