Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 21, 2023 13:25:37 GMT -6
( Mear, Foreign Language - Common I: 7 )
"So what other words would be easier to hear than figure out?"
That wouldn't be the right question, since we can't know what we don't know, the agate chuckled, but with an air of seriousness. But.. if I come across any, I'll be sure to ask you. For now, thought.. Perhaps a book?
"A book?" Darky blinked.
A book, and the agate held up her bag in one claw, I believe the shijin might have slipped on in there. Immediately the sphinx turned, grabbing the bag off the claw and opening it up. Sure enough, though placed somewhat inconspicuously behind other objects, there was indeed a small, colourful book. The sphinx looked up to the agate with a mixture of confusion, pride, and perhaps a little bit of indignancy, "Mear, this is a children's book."
I know, he smiled, nonplussed, We all have to start somewhere.
(13) Darky: 13 Mear: 160 (3/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 21, 2023 13:26:11 GMT -6
( Mear, Foreign Language - Common I: 8 )
In principle the idea was a simple one - the two could rest underneath the tree, shaded from the midday sun, and the sphinx would read aloud passage from the book. A sentence at a time, without any thoughts to back it up. The agate, then had to recite the sentence back, or at least in as close a meaning as he could (and because this would have uniquely counted as 'cheating' the sphinx had to sit in a manner where the agate couldn't see the lettering to drag up context he otherwise didn't have vocally).
To an outsider's perspective it seemed alike to a very one-sided conversation of mammalian and tat-lung, although the subject matter was very much equivalent to 'Mrs. Apple went to town to buy some food. Mr. Lettuce held a party, and invited all his friends'. A far cry from the philosophical echelons the tat-lung aspired to with their innate brilliance, but.. as the tat–lung had said, they all need to start from somewhere.
(14) Darky: 14 Mear: 160 (4/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 21, 2023 13:26:36 GMT -6
( Mear, Foreign Language - Common I: 9 )
By and large the agate managed to get much of the context right, although largely by virtue of having spent quite a few years alongside the mammalian and picking up context clues as was. The ones he did stumble upon became lessons, recorded neatly in memory as 'what not to do' versus 'what to do instead'. This, of course, didn't really lend him the absolute skill in the language.
That part was helped along by a second book, one about a particular cow looking for a particular home in the meadows (leading the mammalian to wonder what else Amonuro decided was worthwhile 'packing' when she wasn't looking), and the length discussion that followed between agate and sphinx, that was more along the lines of a linguistic debate than any real lesson.
To be sure, certain words still remained a mystery to the agate, and language in its infinite complexity could still be misinterpreted, but in terms of a linguistic baseline he felt assured enough to at least understand the core of what all this 'Common' stuff involved. And that was a start.
(15) Darky: 15 Mear: 161 (0/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:42:22 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 1 )
Leaving the tat-lung to contemplate on several knew meanings, the mammalian's focus shifted back to the cheeky. One of the other traits of a good messenger was their ability to get from one place to another fast, and generally it was pretty hard to find anything faster or more direct than flight (short of just.. teleporting). Now, in the past she'd already trained Calexia to do just that, and although both she and Validus were gallor, the cheeky was maybe only a third of the dauntless' size.
Which presented new type of opportunity that it otherwise wouldn't have.. Darky hadn't had a chance to observe Validus, or his brother, as much as some of the other creatures, considering he mostly spent time in the Land keep in order to get accustomed to the area. So because of that, she wasn't entirely sure if the cheekies had ever really tried to fly or not.
(16) Darky: 16 Validus: 2 (1/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:42:48 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 2 )
Presumably at least some instincts would have been intact enough to try gliding, although that wasn't always a guarantee. The cheeky brothers weren't raised by a gallor parent who taught them the necessary survival skills, after all. They had been grown in the Labs, and while the scientists assured certain instincts were as strong as if wild-raised, well.. Let's just say the mammalian wasn't going to place all hopes on that without at least a little proof.
Which would have to involve some trail and error.. of a sort. The other flying ones she'd trained were generally pretty smart about it (such as the tat-lung) or simply bloodthirsty enough to follow a good set of bait (as had been the case with sarane). Option one didn't really apply here, but she could still try and work with option two (admittedly with far less blood, and probably a lot more toys).
First things first, an instinct check.
(17) Darky: 17 Validus: 2 (2/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:43:27 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 3 )
With a soft meep, the sphinx picked up the gallor beneath the forearm pits, holding him not unlike an amiable cat. As far as Validus went, he didn't much mind, seeing as a little affection was actually preferable. But even he didn't quite anticipate what happened next.
"Okay, so.. Don't get freaked out, but we'll go for a bit of a walk-and-run, okay?" the sphinx tried smiling, all the while aware that it might not be the most comfortable for Validus to be wrangled in what's to come. The cheeky merely blinked back with his small curious eyes, giving a curious chirp (and making her feel all the worse. Heck, if she's lucky the gallor might end up actually finding it fun, but just as likely it could go the other way).
"Alright, let's give this a go," she pushed through the smile, trying to sound light-hearted. "A bit of pretending we're flying, yeah?"
(18) Darky: 18 Validus: 2 (3/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:43:49 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 4 )
Raising and lowering the gallor in her arms, as if trying to make an infant giggle, she first tested to see what his muscle response would be to any sort of sudden motion. To her relief, the wings did extend and twitch to the adjustment in altitude, ready to properly unfold if needed. Good, that was promising.
Next, she adjusted the grip on the cheeky in order to be able to hold him over her head. Not something that could be kept up indefinitely, to be sure, since even cheeky's still had weight compared to their size, and her own training was more towards dexterity than pure strength, but hopefully long enough. At first she began to walk around the yard's edge, aiming to eventually make a full lap around. Not long after, she began to pick up the pace, starting into a lighter jog, then a sprint, all the while keeping an eye on the cheeky's reactions.
(19) Darky: 19 Validus: 2 (4/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:44:19 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 5 )
For one, he seemed to very much enjoy the speed, even if awkwardly fidgeting against the constantly changing centre of gravity. But the key element were the wings, extending out and balancing himself against her grip, to avoid sliding one way or another. The faster she went, the broader they extended, until she could almost feel the lightness of the cheeky's form through her grip suggesting the air was picking up underneath the wings.
To test this, at full sprint, the sphinx slowed down a couple of sudden steps, and let go of the cheeky, allowing the momentum to carry him onwards. And it did, for quite a considerably if not descending distance, as Validus happily chirped along, wings full out and seemingly locked into place, until finally landing in the grass with a playful tumble.
"Okay!" the sphinx watched the cheeky roll upright again, smiling for real now, "Bit clumsy, but we can work with that."
(20) Darky: 20 - (added) Validus: 3 (0/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:45:49 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 6 )
Now that she knew the instinct was in place, it was a lot easier to proceed with confidence that the 'traditional' method would work. First, she'd need to get Validus to start making more frequent use of the wings all on his own, and what better way to do that than through a kind of catch-and-play. Stopping by the bags, the sphinx took out what looked like a short pole attached to a long line, in turn attached to a little clip. For all intents and purpose it might have appeared similar to a fishing rod, if the line was instead made up of sturdy rope making it much safer in any accidental tangled-up type situation.
At the end of the line, she attached a piece of dried fruit into the clip, before holding it out in front of her. A poor man's swing lure, to be certain, but one doesn't need to be fancy if it still works.
(21) Darky: 21 Validus: 3 (1/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:46:11 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 7 )
"Hey, Validus!" the sphinx called, catching his attention. The cheeky's brief distraction with a ladybug in the grass was promptly interrupted as he turned and looked towards her. A small swing of the fruit on the line was all it took to also get him locked onto that, tiny nostrils twitching atop the beak. While smell wasn't perhaps the best quality of a gallor, the sight was enough for him to recognise it as something sweet and melon-like (the favourite kind), sending him to bound over in short order.
As he approached the game of keep-away began, with the sphinx moving the pole and line in circles up and around him, trying to first get him to jump. It didn't really take that much convincing, and soon enough the cheeky was bounding and leaping whenever the lure made a pass over his head. While the wings did become extended, they weren't exactly doing full flaps yet.
(22) Darky: 22 Validus: 3 (2/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:46:43 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 8 )
For that, the mammalian pulled the line back a little, leaving the fruit to dangle even higher over his head. "C'mon, Validus. Try and get it, you can do it," she encouraged, now wiggling the juicy treat directly over his head. The gallor squirmed and chirped on all fours, the usual display of 'I would rather have it be given to me than try to put in effort' at first, but the more the tasty fruit remained in sight, the quicker that resolve fell away.
Finally, there was a jump accompanied by the somewhat frantic, barely coordinated flap of wings, but it was enough to snag the piece of fruit from the snare. The landing was as haphazard as the jump, though at least he had the sense to twist himself right side up and fully extend the wings in the right angle to slow down, before landing in the grass, the tasty treat quickly devoured.
(23) Darky: 23 Validus: 3 (3/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:47:05 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 9 )
A pretty decent start, as the mammalian wasn't rightfully expecting him to get it right on the first try anyway. Plus, that's what repetition was for, since Validus needed to come into his wings just as much as learn to do so on command. Perhaps a bit late in general scope of things, but better than never.
The sphinx continued to play the jumping game for a little bit, trying to encourage Validus into getting more confident with his agility and in-air turning. Such skills and muscle memory would become crucial in actual flight, particularly when needing to react to air currents or sudden change of altitude. Perhaps a bit ironic that this was passed-on advice coming from someone who seemed rightfully terrified of ever actually flying herself, whether through spells or via a mount.. Well, regardless, it didn't change the science of it, even if the science wasn't necessarily comforting enough for her to try.
(24) Darky: 24 Validus: 3 (4/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:47:29 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 10 )
The beginning went by quite slowly at first, with more jumps ending up in disgraceful hops more than anything, but gradually the cheeky was getting the hang of it, or perhaps just remembering unused instincts. The leaps became cleaner, the landing smoother, and a few times he even ended up doing a full body turn mid-air with a flap of the wings giving two steps more altitude, before landing.
It was at that point that the mammalian figured to take it up a notch. Now, instead of merely luring him vertically upwards as high as possible, she began to swing the lure around in wide arcs across the field, trying to be fast enough for the gallor to chase, but not quite so slow as to have him catch it. Validus found the change in the 'game' very welcoming, feeling like he could definitely sprint up to speed a lot better when he didn't have to focus so much on the 'up' part.
(25) Darky: 25 Validus: 4 (0/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:48:03 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 11 )
Well, the joke was rather on him, since no sooner had the sphinx enticed him to chase the lure close to ground, that she suddenly flicked the rod upwards and it was out of Validus' immediate reach. Since the fruit would have been much too heavy for this part, she made sure to swap out the 'treat' bit with a feather token, hoping the fluttering colours would be just as enticing to chase.
The first couple of times this happened the lure simply flew out of Validus' line of sight and he actually stopped to look around. Since that was happening on ground-level, however, he rather comically missed the lure slowly fluttering just above him. Fortunately the gallor got wise to that quite quickly, and subsequent chases were a lot more like the sphinx was hoping: the cheeky running to build up speed, and then when the lure jerked upwards, using his wings to either jump or glide a part of the distance after.
They also made for rather good rudders for both ground-based and middle-of-the-air heel turns. The key was to make the air feel just as comfortable as the ground, since eventually Validus would have to take to considerably greater heights. As such, mostly this part was intended to make the next one easier.. since that's where it was time for the agate to step in.
(26) Darky: 26 Validus: 4 (1/5) Mear: 161 (1/5)
|
|
Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
|
Post by Darky on Jul 24, 2023 15:48:38 GMT -6
( Validus, Fly: 12 )
The first aerial test.. Not for command, but to see how well the cheeky would do with heights now that he seemed to have general fluttering and gliding down. He didn't really need to fly so much as make it safely to the ground in one piece, and maybe learn how to control the particular angle and direction of descent as well. And, well, if he decided to just.. not land, that would have been perfect too.
With the cheeky being small enough as to be carried by a humanoid, Validus was downright minuscule compared to the agate as he carefully picked him up. I do believe this would be a first time trying it this way, Mear noted, adjusting to hold Validus in a grip best perhaps described a 'parrot-cat burger'.
"Yeah, well, we've a lot more tools at our disposal now too, so why not use them and see what happens?" the sphinx smiled, even as slight nervousness chewed at the edges of her mind. There's leap of faiths and then there's.. well, whatever they'll end up calling this.
With a swoosh the agate kicked off the ground and took high into the air, much to the gleeful chittering of the cheeky held in his arms. Darky, ever looking to find a silver lining, considered this a good sign: a speed junkie mentality would certainly make things easier.
(27) Darky: 27 Validus: 4 (2/5) Mear: 161 (2/5)
|
|