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Post by Vixen on Jun 6, 2019 23:56:46 GMT -6
Admittedly, Vixen was terrible at asking for help. Maybe it was a pride thing, maybe she was anti-social, maybe she just didn't know how to ask, or didn't want to be a bother- so when she saw a flyer offering to share a proven training technique for healers, it seemed like a reasonable get-out-of-jail-free card. She had enjoyed collaborating with other trainers in the past and observing their methods, and being that she'd never taught it herself. Her only concept of it was perhaps deliberately wounding herself and hoping her creature took an interest in repairing it; perhaps that's what this stranger was advising? Either way, it'd be nice to have some confirmation on the subject, so she had written a reply by Izer with a time and place. After her recent run-in with a Sarane, and relying on Ashe's Equillion to heal her, having a trained healer seemed like a good idea. So here she stood, nervously tugging at her loose, slash-backed tank top with one hand, the other looped around the blue nylon halter of her purple-shaded Galabex.
Leilani herself as an interesting creature, poised and graceful with flighty blue eyes that flickered side to side, framed with long, swooping lashes that moved Vixen to envy. The doe had such a sweet expression, and it was a hilariously false advertisement- Vixen took care to stay against Lani's side, as the precious-looking deer had an unexpected ability. When she was frightened or agitated, she spat. Oh no, not just spit. She spat acid. Vixen had witnessed her melt beams of wood, pieces of wall in the Mansion. In fact, Vixen had brought her safety-gear with her- a visor with a plastic face shield sat on top of her head, perched on top of the half-ponytail she'd pulled her hair into, leaving raven tresses framing her scaled neck. She had no clue what would be expected of them, so beside them was a backpack with a pocket knife, a pouch of berries for training treats, a first aid kit (hey, if they were training to heal, injuries would be involved, and who knows if the creatures would comply?), rope, bottles of water, and sandwiches. Hey, if this person was helping her, she could at least feed them, right? Right...
((Leilani 2.3 // Loyalty 11))
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Post by Riku on Jun 7, 2019 14:01:20 GMT -6
Riku 1/10 — Cameron 1/5 ‘This was why we put up the flier. We’re trying to meet people, Riku.’ He said to himself in his head. He had allowed himself to turn into a shy and clumsy recluse outside of animal interaction. People just...well, he didn’t work with them very well. (Perhaps due to the fact that he killed everyone he had ever met ten years ago, and it still haunts him into simply not meeting people he might eventually kill again by accident..?) After a very moving encounter with a very successful Arch Mage, Riku had become inspired to ‘be himself’.....and find out what that means. Who was he? What did he bring into this world? Well, he had just recently become the very first professional trainer of all Malii breeds, so that could be his thing. He had also successfully trained ‘heal’, which wasn’t a common move to have on command, so he felt he could offer that as well. Cameron was flying above him like a vulture circling its prey. Walking bored him after a while, and he loved having usable wings - unlike most of his Malii brethren, who’s wings didn’t flap or fold when they flew. “Who are we meeting today, Riku?” He excitedly asked through the ribbon. “What kind of Malii do they have?” “Well, the Izer said it was a Galabex, so...” Riku laughed, covering his eyes from the sun to look up at Cameron. “I don’t know that breed of Malii.” The creature replied, having never met a Galabex before. Thus was the effect of only owning Malii. Lots and lots of Malii. Riku searched his memory to remind himself how it was he trained Scarlet, Cameron's sister, to heal. He wasn’t very clear in the flier...she had a telepathic ribbon, and he simply cut his hand open with the hope she’d care enough to heal it - which she did! But...that doesn’t mean another creature would. Often, animals didn’t even know they could do the things their trainers want then to do until its shown or explained to them. That was much harder to do without a ribbon. Maybe this wouldn’t be as impressive on his part as he’d originally hoped....but surely they’d get through it together. He was reaching the place he was told to meet the other person at, and could see their figure as he got closer. ‘Okay....Now’s the time to be confident. Just....be yourself, Riku.’ he thought. “Hello there!” He said with a larger smile and a wave to be seen even at the still distance. He did this as not to accidentally sneak up on the person.
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Post by Vixen on Jun 7, 2019 19:00:40 GMT -6
Leilani noticed the newcomers before Vixen did, ever the flighty prey animal. She nervously tittered on her cloven hooves, swinging her body sideways in an attempt to turn around. Vixen shushed her, keeping flat against her neck but not overly restraining her movements. Too much restraint, she had found, just increased fear and tension. Leilani would have to learn to trust her, at least in part, to gauge a situation and decide if they needed to be on alert, but for now, that was not in their cards. Eventually, she supposed she would have to desensitize the doe to unnerving situations and creatures in hopes of building a hardier partner; it was simply impractical to have an acid-spitting animal that was so easily startled and put on alert. Maybe learning to control her healing ability will give her some degree of confidence? It was a pretty thought, but Vixen wasn't entirely sold on the reality of such a plan. Having turned into her spinning Galabex, Vixen was now on her opposite side and found herself peering over the doe's back to view their gradually approaching companions.
A handsome young man, about her age, was approaching them, and immediately Vixen felt some degree of comfort in familiarity. He was a stranger, sure, but small similarities such as sharing a species (well, somewhat), or an age bracket, put a thin layer of ease on an alien situation. It wasn't that Vixen was scared of strangers, no, but she had run into enough assholes- Reign, Tybalt, Alex, just off the top of her head- that agreeing to meet someone blindly, in a fairly isolated area such as a training spot, and without one of her default defenders, caused a certain degree of underlying tension mentally. This man had a kind expression, at least as a quick first impression, and lacked the arrogant, bowed up strut of some of the previously mentioned jerks in Vixen's life. Though her immediate gauge of people was not always foolproof, she felt somewhat confident that tall gentleman could be one whose company she would enjoy and be comfortable in.... at least so far. Instinctive in her assessment of threats around her, Vixen's eyes next flickered to the Malii flying overhead. Smaller creature, not so much of a thread of overpowering herself or Lani; that was another comfort. Having ascertained that fact, she could allow herself to take in and appreciate the unique beauty of the Malii- the golden flames, the silvery coloring and darker stripes, feathered wings... a pretty little thing, to be sure. As they approached, Vixen tugged Leilani's halter, forcing her to spin in a circle and placing Vixen between her and their guests, keeping a snug hold on the lead rope and allowing Lani to view the man and his pet, but not turn her head directly towards them. Lani herself was swiveling violet ears this way and that, her short tail flung high in a signal of alert caution. Not wishing to shout next to her flighty creature, Vixen allowed them to come closer before responding to his greeting.
"Hi yourself. I'm Vixen, and you must be Riku? This is Leilani. Ah- she'll get used to you, and she's not aggressive, but I think I should warn you, she is skittish, and spits... er, spits acid. Just don't directly face her until she gets over herself. Sorry!" Ah, what was with the babbling? Anyone that was perfunctory at the Labs knew that any creature might possess any number of risky traits. At least she was giving a warning. Carefully keeping Lani's nose angled towards the ground, she allowed the doe to look more directly at Riku, her large blue eyes sweeping him for but a second before becoming locked on the Malii, velvety nostrils flared at the flying creature. No, she did not like That Thing being higher than her head, thank you very much! She pinned her ears, and recognizing the initial warning sign, Vixen walked her in a tight circle again, breaking her focus and lock on the target. Once they straightened back out, Vixen shot Riku a somewhat apologetic grin, half shrugging her shoulders. What can ya do, huh?
((Leilani 2.4 // Loyalty 11))
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Post by Riku on Jun 8, 2019 15:43:28 GMT -6
Riku 2/10 — Cameron 2/5
Reaching the girl and her doe, Riku was finally able to examine the person he’d agreed to meet. Gorgeous. That was the first thing he recognized...not that he would know what to do with that fact. Such a figure was the type that confirmed he was attracted to women...or at least that he noticed them. Not the he could miss this one. Her shirt was loose and partially shredded, which was sexy yet casual.
He was very capable of not being a pervert. He saw the scales on her neck and found them unique and charming....although he recognized his own bias. If she was less attractive, the scales would have probably further deterred him. He couldn’t clearly see where the started and where the ended, but he kept his imagination from drawing out the possibilities.
Nodding to confirm the woman had guessed his identity correctly, he examined the Galabex. Purple wasn’t a color he figured was common...but then again, he hadn’t ever met a Galabex before. Maybe they were more elemental (or simply colorful) than he had always assumed. Gods knew he had a few rainbow colored Malii, even though the brown Woodland breed were more common.
Acid spit? He chuckled to himself as she spoke and tried to control her doe. Maybe the acid could be useful? Knives were extreme, after all. (And burning yourself with acid wasn’t?)
“Oh wow, that’s unexpected. Haha!” He laughed in response. “I get it. My Malii here can rip open the heavens, literally...but don’t tell him that. It’ll all go to his head.” Joking was fun, right? He tried to be himself...and this was how he talked to his animals (whether or not they understood him).
Seeing the Galabex’s reaction to Cameron’s restless wings, he summoned the Malli back to the ground next to his feet.
“You have a beautiful creature, there.” He gestured as the woman distracted it. “This is my Cameron.” He got down on his knee, placing a hand deep into the soft fur on it’s upper back. ’You can go ahead and say hello to the girl, but be gentle. I think that Galabex is skittish...’
Cameron folded his wings down and ‘away’, cautiously moving closer to the other human. He led with his head, angled down in a sweet ‘you may pet me’ type of way. He didn’t understand the words spoken outside of his ribbon, so he didn’t know the doe spat acid....but it was larger than he was, so he kept an eye on it. Those hooves looked like they’d hurt in his face.
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Post by Vixen on Jun 12, 2019 14:36:30 GMT -6
That's unexpected. "Ha, yeah. Imagine my surprise when she got startled and melted a hole in the wall by my head. Hence this very fashionable gear," she chuckled, tapping the plastic face shield on top of her head. His next sentence caught her ear. Rip open the heavens? Vixen cocked her head sideways, the corner of her mouth lifted in a half-smile, her curiosity piqued. What exactly did that mean? Not that the Malii could make it rain, not bring a storm, no, rip open the heavens. What a descriptor. Some type of elemental move, she imagined- maybe a light-based attack, judging simply by the appearance of the Malii? She was intrigued; what did that even look like? How was that trained? Questions were on the tip of her tongue, but she reined them in; perhaps later. She didn't want to get off on a tangent or distract them too early. It was inevitable, she was sure, but they could at least stay somewhat on track initially.
As Cameron touched down, Lani jerked her head up and back, ears flattening briefly before flipping forward, framing her small, stubby horns. Recognizing curiosity, as opposed to hostility, Vixen cautiously fed the lead rope through her hands, giving the doe use of her head. The Galabex dipped her head down to the Malii's level, though still a few feet between them, sniffing delicately. Now that he was below her and wasn't quite so "busy", she was markedly less nervous, now treating him with the same casual curiosity with which she regarded Vixen's various smaller quadrupeds. He didn't seem to be hunting her, and overall had a benign presence and neutral body language- sure, she could roll with that. As he approached Vixen, she lifted her head back up and side-stepped, not excessively skittish, but also not expressing much interest in interacting with him directly. When it came to socializing, Leilani largely preferred the company of other hooved prey-types, like Equillion or the other Galabex. Vixen, on the other hand, immediately knelt to the pet and Riku's level, offering her hand to be smelled. "Thank you..." Purple eyes flickered briefly to Riku's before focusing on the creature. "Hi, Cameron," she crooned softly, flattening her palm and grazing her fingers across the Malii's neck and shoulders. The pale fur was silky and slick, and as she pet him, her eyes drifted to his wings, casually admiring them. They were very different from her own Malii, one of which had the traditional ethereal, flame-esque wings, while the other was without wings entirely. Ah, poor Chaac- not that he ever seemed to mind his lack of flight, or pay attention to those above him; perhaps he didn't feel the instincts as if he should be able to fly. That was just fine, anyway, as his primary training purpose was simply an in-house ground runner at the Keeps. Eh, I should work with him or his mom soon. A large, shadowy figure labeled "STRESS" lurked in the corner of Vixen's mind, casually mocking her as it flashed dozens of images of pets she "should work with soon". Fuck! Stop, I'm trying. One at a time! She had her "one" out right now, anyway. Speaking of...
"So what does your healing method typically involve? I came out here ready to slice my palm like some ritual sacrifice." Offering Cameron a final scratch, she rocked back on her heels and stood, casually resting a hand across the back of her doe, who had fallen to picking at the grass in front of her, content to ignore Riku and his pet. "I'm not sure if that's right, or... I mean I've been healed by lab creatures before, but it was circumstantial since I was already injured..." Her other hand subconsciously brushed fingers to her scar through her tank top, grimacing faintly before her face straightened out hand dropping to the pocket of her shorts. "But I'm assuming it doesn't have to be that severe, or else I can't imagine most people would get around to training it, heh."
((Leilani 3 // Loyalty 13))
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Post by Riku on Jun 17, 2019 16:13:35 GMT -6
Riku 3/10 — Cameron 3/5
Cameron didn’t much mind that the Galabex seemed to ignore him. He was unsure about the new species and the size and apparent skittishness made him a bit uncomfortable. If it saw him as a threat and attacked him it would not be very fun. He could defend himself well enough - but he didn’t want to. And this definitely wasn’t that sort of play date...but at any rate, he knew Riku would protect him. (Of course, he didn’t realize the boy was entirely incapable of fighting of any kind. What could a eye-closed swat while turned away and covering his face with his other hand do to a doe?)
He pushed his head and shoulder into the hand that caressed his skin underneath the fur. He loved being loved...and it was a nice start to his first experience meeting a human other than Riku or his family. ’I like her...’ he said through the ribbon.
Riku smiled at his friendly Malii’s comment. What a softie. He appreciated that quality, of course. The Malii’s sister was less affectionate even with him. Perhaps he started training her to fight too soon. It made her a bit cold...
Laughing at Vixen’s half-joke, he replied “Well, that’s actually exactly what I had planned.” He made a funny face in slight embarrassment - but he was pretty confident in his approach. If it works, it works, right...?
“Either knives or acid spit will work....though I don't think we want to encourage that sort of behavior in her, do we?” He looked at the doe and smiled. What a pretty thing. Almost a shame he didn’t have interest in hooved creatures. “And no, it doesn’t have to be that bad. They can probably heal a deep cut....but they also might freak out at the sight of the blood.” He laughed a bit, thinking back to his first experience...before he knew that. “We can just focus on healing alone today, so it can be as small as a paper cut if we wanted.” He gestured at his own hands and pointed with one hand to his other hand’s fingertip.
Cameron was sitting down calmly, waiting for his next instruction. Usually he’d wander about, but the other creature made him nervous. For now he figured he’d just wait for Riku. He tried to listen to the humans’ conversation, but he couldn’t understand the words.
“We just want them to know they are capable and how to do it. Then we can connect the command to the ability.” Pausing for a second, he looked at all of her equipment. He was glad she came prepared. “Oh, and I’ll take the cut. Don’t worry about that part.”
He gestured to his hands again, showing his palms upward so she could see there were no scars. “It only hurts until they heal it, and since they do it fast it doesn’t leave a scar. So I don’t mind.”
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