Though it mostly consisted of him being used as a crutch, Hunter enjoyed the increasingly uncommon walks his uncle would take with him. They were usually a rare time when his uncle wasn't expecting anything of him, wasn't talking business with him, and (probably) wouldn't get mad at him. Even with the hand resting heavily on his shoulder, the weight of his uncle leaning mostly on him, Hunter was pleased with the brief walk they'd taken around the courtyard. His uncle had signaled to him that he was growing tired, and they'd turned around, now walking down the hall from the elevator to his uncle's quarters.
He hadn't been expecting anything, just soaking in and enjoying the warmth of the feeling, so he didn't hear his uncle say his name at first, till one of his ears was tweaked and it was repeated a little more sharply. « Hunter. Little Bird, were you listening to me? »
He started, straightening up at the nickname and rubbing his ear. « I— sorry, Uncle, I was thinking. » The nickname sounded endearing, but it wasn't particularly Hunter's favourite. The day he'd gotten it, his uncle had been especially bothered with how much he'd been chirping that day, going on about what he'd seen in a documentary. It had been expounded on since then. He knew it was just something sweet his uncle called him, and there was no harm in it, but it always made him self-conscious and bubbled up an uncomfortable feeling.
« And what were you thinking of? » It was a simple question, voiced in the same soft demeanour his uncle always spoke in with him, but it made Hunter shuffle his feet.
« Um... nothing, really. I've just missed spending time with you is all. » They stopped at the door, and his uncle turned to face him, hands resting on both shoulders and smiling faintly at him once again.
« I see. You know you can spend time with me whenever you want, Hunter. You need only ask. » But it was never that simple. Hunter bit back the protest and merely nodded.
« Thank you Hunter. I had a pleasant time as well. Now, I'll see you later. You better run along as, if I'm not mistaken, your next shift starts soon. »
And with that, he disappeared inside and closed the door as Hunter jolted, glancing down at his watch. « Ah, shit. »
He ran down the flights of stairs, as the family unloading the elevator was taking far too long, and stopped on floor four to poke his head into the break room there and grab his gold vest, nametag already attached to the front.
He was in the process of shrugging it on and buckling it up as he made for the stairwell on the other side of the building, closer to the security office, when suddenly someone rushed at him, and he flinched, shifting into a defensive stance.
Oh. It was just a hotel guest, and a wealthy one at that, if her attire was anything to go by. He went to answer her question, mouth barely opened, before she forged on and he closed it again.
It was hard to keep up with the whirlwind way she was speaking, but he managed to, making mental notes of everything she was describing.
« Okay, okay— so— you left your bag in the restaurant, right? I don't know if it's been called in— » and he technically wasn't even clocked in, so he hoped this wouldn't take too long, « —but lucky for you, I actually have the keys, and can check for you. »
He unlooped his keyring from his belt, and flipped through it to find the master key. He turned to her before unlocking the door. « You can stand in the door and watch to make sure I don't do anything funny to your bag, but you can't come in yourself, understand? »
He stepped inside, unclipping his flashlight and turning the beam on the ground. He didn't want the restaurant's main lights to attract anybody if he turned them on. « You remember what table you were at? »
He kept looking as he waited for a response, and finally the beam caught something. He picked it up, glancing it over. The label said Dior, for sure.
« I think I found it. » He made his way back, and stopped just in front of the other. « But I can't give it to you just yet. Protocol says I need a coworker to witness checking the bag for ID, just so if anything is missing you know it wasn't me. » He was holding it casually, but had a firm grip on it and was prepared to yank it away if she grabbed for it.
« You'll have to come back to the security office with me. You can get it back after we verify your ID. » He checked his watch. And maybe Kikimora wouldn't gloat to his uncle about him being late if it was for good reason.
