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Post by Emery on Jul 21, 2023 14:50:11 GMT -6
So here she was. First things first. Emery looked up at the sky before quickly putting her chin down as the sunlight glanced uncomfortably off of the screen of her head. It was a warm day out- perhaps it would have been too warm were it not for the breeze and the shaded path that Emery was walking down. Winter was certainly her favored season over summer- it gave her an excuse to wear more clothes and better protect her equipment. She didn't have that luxury now however, and was struggling not to sweat in the summer heat. If it bothered Argos however, he didn't show it- though being made of animate stone instead of flesh and blood, perhaps it didn't matter so much to him. Still, Emery was starting to get a bit sick of simply wandering around aimlessly. She was hoping to see some of Argos's personality come out on their walk.
Emery 6 Argos 2.1/2.1
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Post by Emery on Jul 21, 2023 14:53:03 GMT -6
But so far the runic gargoyle hadn't shown interest in much of anything and placidly followed his owner... which was great and easy for her, but didn't give her the information she needed and she really didn't need the exercise. If he wasn't going to do anything of interest, then she might as well find a good spot to sit down for a while and start training him properly. But unfortunately, she didn't see much of the sort around here. They were on a treelined path straight through a path of the woods. On her left, Emery could just barely see open fields through the treeline, where most people would sit for picnics or play with their pets. Emery had no interest in such a thing today... or most days, really. On her right was deeper forest, albeit not too vast- the whole park was contained within the city, after all.
Emery 7 Argos 2.2/2.2
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Post by Emery on Jul 21, 2023 14:58:12 GMT -6
Emery peered into the gloom, but couldn't see any breaks in the treeline or clearings that would be good to sit in. And ahead of her there wasn't much... except for a slight dip in the path, a bit of roughed up grass that went further off the path than usual. Was that a little trail off, or just an inconsistency? There was only one way to find out, and so bit by bit Emery doggedly approached. Sure enough, once she reached it she found it was indeed not just a bit of scuffed grass, but a worn trail that led off into the woods. From this angle, she couldn't quite see where it led. And yet, what reason was there not to follow it? She was looking to get off of this path anyway. It wasn't likely to be dangerous, what with the park being well maintained and in the middle of the city.
Emery 8 Argos 2.3/2.3
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Post by Emery on Jul 21, 2023 20:32:29 GMT -6
Not to mention, the slope leading downwards wasn't very harsh. It would be easy for Emery to go down and get back up again even with the state of her knees if she decided if she didn't like what was down there. And she couldn't imagine Argos putting up a fuss now of all times when he had been so polite thusfar. So down Emery went, carefully testing the soil beneath her shoes before committing. The little trail led a short distance into the woods, the trees towering overhead, and into a small gulley. Down there, a small patch had been cleared away beneath an overhang of soil, creating a roughly ten foot circle of bare earth. A park bench was placed up against the overhang, giving a small, well shaded place to sit in the clearing. It was perfect. A nice place for Emery to sit, but cool and earthy.
Emery 9 Argos 2.4/2.4
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Post by Emery on Jul 21, 2023 20:36:57 GMT -6
It seemed well suited for Argos as well- he showed more interest towards the clearing than he had for the rest of the park the whole time they had been there. The gargoyle carefully sniffed at the leaves before circling the clearing, gently running his claws through the earth. Emery spoke, her speakers rattling. "The earth here is softer than you're used to, isn't it." Argos looked up at her, tilting his head curiously. Emery suddenly realized that those were the first words she had said to him this whole time. Was that why he hadn't responded to her yet? In her stunned silence however, he quickly lost interest again, leaving Emery to her thoughts as he sniffed around the clearing before finally settling down under the park bench, wedged against the base of the small cliff face. Emery supposed it was the closest thing he had here to a cave.
Emery 10 Argos 3.0/3.0
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Post by Emery on Jul 24, 2023 10:23:49 GMT -6
He could sit there for a little while- Emery didn't mind. There were other things she could do while Argos made himself comfortable. She settled herself down too, taking the opportunity to set her bag down on the seat next to her. She took a moment to just relax, forcing herself to unclench various aching muscles, stretching her arms, wrists, and neck. She hadn't been walking that long, but they were hurting already- probably because her backpack was full of rocks. She didn't normally make a habit out of walking around with literal stones weighing her down, but they were necessary for Argos's sake. Gargoyles traditionally ate rocks, especially ones rich in semi-precious stones or metal ores, so she would need these to act as treats for him later. Most creatures could be plied to behave with food, after all. If she was lucky, Argos would be within that group.
Emery 1 Argos 3.1/3.1
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Post by Emery on Jul 24, 2023 14:40:51 GMT -6
She plucked a stone out- it was grey but marbled with red. Iron ore. She dropped it on the ground by her feet to see if her theory was correct. A few seconds dragged by before a little "hand" popped out from beneath the bench, grabbing the rock and pulling it back in. It was quickly followed by loud crunching noises as Argos ate it. Perfect. Now she knew that he responded to treats, and now he knew that she had food that she would give him if he behaved. An even balance. With that question answered, Emery supposed she should think about what it was she actually wanted to train him today. She had a lot of options, but not a ton of time after they spent so long just finding a spot to train. She'd probably focus on a couple of basics and then leave it for the day.
Emery 2 Argos 3.2/3.2
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Post by Emery on Jul 24, 2023 14:58:34 GMT -6
So then... she needed to teach him his name, first and foremost. She had mentioned it a couple times in his vicinity, but had never actually tried to relate it to him. And then, she wanted to teach him a couple of basic moves- perhaps how to claw at things, if he ever needed to defend himself. And then perhaps, digging in a more effective way. He would need that for his duties in the mines, at the very least. Perhaps a tolerance of her touch... she might need that if just for her own benefit when teaching him more complicated tricks. It would be nice to teach him speech as well (or at least, an understanding of speech), but that wasn't something that she could teach him in just a day. Or even several days. Not to mention that fact that he couldn't speak back (as far as she knew) meant that it would be very difficult to ascertain his progress.
Emery 3 Argos 3.3/3.3
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Post by Emery on Jul 25, 2023 10:10:33 GMT -6
She tapped her pen on the notebook she had gotten out, the list written. She wasn't sure who she was writing it for- it wasn't exactly a long list to remember. But she would keep it regardless- perhaps to refer back to in future training sessions. She clicked the pen and slipped it back into an inner pocket of her bag, slipping the notebook right next to it. Then she slipped out a water bottle, sloshing it gently. She glanced around carefully- eating and drinking was usually a bit of an embarrassing affair for her, given the screen on her face. When it was clear it was just her and Argos here though, she plugged it into one of the input ports on the side of her head, letting it flow through to her mouth. Eating she actually had to open her casing for- but she wouldn't do that even with Argos present.
Emery 4 Argos 3.4/3.4
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Post by Emery on Jul 25, 2023 10:21:21 GMT -6
Now that she was as rested as refueled as she was going to get... Emery supposed she should actually get started on training Argos. She tilted her head, looking under the bench. He didn't seem to have relaxed any, having curled his front legs under him and hunched his back, staring out into the forest. And yet, if the state of monasteries was to be trusted, that might just be what a "neutral" position looked like for gargoyles. She couldn't even see a hint of movement on his flanks- if she didn't know better, she'd think he was dead. Still, she adjusted her bag and that finally got his attention, his head turning slightly to track the noise. He crawled out from under the bench, not even stretching first. Perhaps he thought they were leaving? But no, Emery was only just getting started- but at least now he was in an ideal position for it.
Emery 5 Argos 4.0/4.0
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Post by Emery on Jul 25, 2023 10:25:35 GMT -6
So. Argos's name. It was the ideal trick to start creatures off with. It got them used to the general structure of training while simultaneously not pressuring them too hard to perform. Plus, being able to get a creature's attention with their name was always useful. Emery had every intention of taking Argos down into the mines with her, and they would need to know how to communicate while they were down there. Him knowing his name would be useful, then. The gargoyle stood still looking at her in the center of the earthy clearing, not even blinking- not that she was sure that gargoyles even needed to blink. It was difficult to tell if he was paying attention at all, considering that his lack of pupils meant that she couldn't track his gaze. Still, his head was craned slightly in her direction, as if patiently waiting for her to do something.
Emery 6 Argos 4.1/4.1 Name 1
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Post by Emery on Jul 25, 2023 10:32:32 GMT -6
Well, she couldn't refuse that. "Argos." She said, pointing at the gargoyle. Most creatures she wouldn't bother with the gesture, but runic gargoyles were meant to be sapient, so perhaps pointing would help. After a moment of contemplation, he tilted his head the other way, still pointing his eye sockets in her direction. Emery supposed it was as close to acknowledgement as she was going to get. She pulled a small stone out of her bag, laced with metal ores. She tossed it to Argos's feet, letting him take his treat. He grabbed it with an unnerving quickness, shoving it in his mouth before chewing loudly, lacing the air with the sound of cracking rock. She wasn't expecting him to move so quickly, given how sluggish he was in all other instances. Apparently his slow nature and deliberate actions were a choice rather than a requirement for his particular species.
Emery 7 Argos 4.2/4.2 Name 2
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Post by Emery on Jul 25, 2023 10:35:23 GMT -6
She waited until he was done eating before trying again. A cracking noise beyond the clearing caught his attention, drawing his head in that direction. Perfect. "Argos." She said again, trying to bring his attention back to her. When it didn't work, she cranked the volume up on her screen a few notches. "ARGOS." She repeated, her speakers crackling. Argos glanced back at her, surprised- perhaps he wasn't aware she could make such a loud noise. Still, it was enough for her. She grabbed another rock from the pack, and he followed her movements with his head. "Good job, Argos." She said, summoning some praise as she threw the rock to him. To her surprise, he actually caught it this time, raising it to his mouth and eating a bit more slowly as he watched her carefully. Perhaps he was looking to see if there were any other tricks she knew.
Emery 8 Argos 4.3/4.3 Name 3
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Post by Emery on Jul 25, 2023 13:01:50 GMT -6
She repeated that a few times- first she'd wait until he got distracted. This could take a while given Argos's propensity to stand perfectly still (perhaps he was even napping), but once it was clear he was no longer focusing on her, she would call his name again. If he didn't respond she wouldn't give him anything, but when he did she tossed him another treat from her bag. Soon he was glancing over any time she said his name... though that wasn't where she wanted him to leave it. She needed him to be able to understand it was that word specifically that she wanted him to respond to, not just anything. So, she started talking- specifically, playing an audiobook that she had recorded on her WATT, letting it run for a while through her own voice modulator. Argos seem keen to follow along for a while, but she gave him no treats.
Emery 9 Argos 4.4/4.4 Name 4
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Post by Emery on Jul 25, 2023 13:07:18 GMT -6
After a while, Argos began to drift off again, looking into the woods once more for any interesting sounds or signs of movement. It was the middle of the day after all, and all sorts of things rustled in the underbrush. Halfway through a sentence though, Emery slipped in his name. Instantly, his head snapped up and he looked back at Emery- were his ears playing tricks on him? She threw him another particularly large stone as if to say no, they were not. He quickly picked it up, looked at it hesitantly... looked back at up at Emery... and took a bite, returning to his spot under her park bench to finish eating. Emery nodded, got out her notebook and pen, and quickly crossed out 'Name'. It was the first of many tricks, but it was a vital one to have learned- and he did so swimmingly. Now they could focus on something more complex.
Emery 10 Argos 5.0/5.0 Name 5
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