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Post by Noa on Jun 17, 2019 20:55:33 GMT -6
She didn't know, even now, how much nuance had been lost from their awkward, mostly one-sided communications. He might have been quite eloquent had they been on equal grounds.
"Aster will be there," said Rabbit. The creature wrinkled his nose immediately. Thinking back to how he had snapped at Aster the last time they had met, Rabbit felt inclined to add, "If you see him, you cannot attack him. It is his home, and I cannot take you otherwise."
The creature didn't exactly agree, but raised one of his claws to the top of his head, sticking up his claws. Rabbit inclined her head, not quite understanding, but then the creature rose up onto his hind legs and walked a few paces like that.
She had the sudden, absurd notion that he was doing an impression of Aster. The odd gesture with his claws atop his head could have been intended as hair. "Aster?"
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Post by Noa on Jun 17, 2019 20:56:02 GMT -6
The creature nodded, returning to rest on all fours as soon as she spoke the name. He pointed to himself, then mimed looking away, adding a dismissive huff for good measure.
"You… intend to ignore him," Rabbit interpreted. This was beginning to feel more and more like a game of charades.
The creature nodded, looking rather smug and content with this statement. Rabbit… felt that this was one of those moments where an organic humanoid might have sighed.
But if he had promised not to act out, then there was theoretically no reason to refuse him. She nodded. "I will speak to him about this, and see if we can do this tomorrow."
He was not as satisfied with this as she would have expected, considering that she was essentially acquiescing to his request. Reaching up with a claw, he covered the portion of her face where a mouth would have been on a humanoid.
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Post by Noa on Jun 17, 2019 20:56:32 GMT -6
This did nothing to stop Rabbit from emitting noise, as she was a robot and her structure was different from a human's, but she suspected his gesture had been more symbolic than anything. "You wish for me not to tell him?" she guessed. He met this response with an enthusiastic nod, his eyes glinting with something like mischief.
Rabbit said, "I cannot." The creature blinked, then pinned his ears back, narrowing his eyes at her. Thinking it best to try reasoning with him, she appealed to his dislike of the man. "If he is aware of where you will be, then there is no need for the two of you to meet. You wish not to see him, correct?"
The creature blew out a long, disappointed breath, seeming to deflate with it. He didn't nod, but he also didn't argue any further, so Rabbit felt that this was as good as an agreement.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:34:59 GMT -6
"I will let you know tomorrow," she said. For now, she had to take her leave of him. The creature returned to reading the story books again, turning a page just as Rabbit left the range at which her sensors could pick him up.
True to her word, Rabbit spoken to Aster about letting the creature into his library. It was… an odd conversation.
"He wants what?"
"I have been teaching him to read at his request," said Rabbit. "He has reached the point where I think it best to allow him to choose his own reading material."
"Of course you have," said Aster, shaking his head and running his hand through his hair. But he only sighed the once and threw his hands up in surrender. "If he destroys anything, I'm not letting him back in. And warn me when he's going to be here. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to run into me, and at this point I don't want to run into him either."
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:35:29 GMT -6
At this point their mutual intolerance was well entrenched, the creature for his part stubbornly refusing anything to do with Aster's company, and Aster disgruntled by the vehemence of the creature's hostility. Rabbit had wondered whether Aster would not acquiesce to the request on such grounds. He might not have been entirely unjustified if that had been the case, though in this particular matter, at least, Rabbit did not think the feud between the two of them had been the creature's primary motivation.
But this was fortunate for her, that she had not needed to negotiate any further. She suspected she did not have much talent for it.
"Understood," said Rabbit. It had played out much as she expected with regards to Aster's requests, with only his quick acceptance being much beyond her predictions. A schedule was then worked out with the creature on her next visit, and some days after that, on a bright and clear morning, the two of them made their way to the house.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:35:48 GMT -6
The house on the farm was not a small thing, and Rabbit had been given to understand that it had been remodeled extensively since Aster had acquired it to bring it up to par with modern comforts. Aster may not have cared for the trappings of the city, but neither did he have a strong desire to live like a wild man in his place of permanent residence. However, Aster also hadn't renovated it with the idea in mind of letting any of his larger creatures have run of the place either. Avander and the like never set foot inside the house itself, and certainly nothing the size of Grunty was ever let through.
The main door was, therefore, not big enough to accommodate the half breed. They had come to an alternate arrangement, where he had to be let in through the doors on the back porch, which were double, and even then he had to crouch somewhat as he passed through so that he would fit.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:37:03 GMT -6
As soon as he was free of the door, the creature shook himself out, then walked through the house as naturally as though it were his own with not so much an outward hint of discomfort or uncertainty. The illusion he wished to project, however, was undermined by the fact that the house was clearly scaled for a human, and not something of his size or, for that matter, his length. On the first floor, there weren't many narrow doors or hallways, but there were some, and the creature found that he could not explore as he liked.
"This way," said Rabbit. Aster had stressed that he did not want this to be an extended visit. If the creature behaved himself, he might allow repeats, but they weren't here to tour the house.
The creature broke off only reluctantly, or at least made a show of reluctance. How genuine any of it was, she couldn't guess.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:37:20 GMT -6
He was the one who had proposed the idea of wanting more things to read, after all, though she disposed it might well have been a ruse to gain him entry into the house.
Still, upon seeing his expression when they did reach the library, she thought it wasn't wholly a false premise. He was, she thought, actually quite excited, though doing his best to avoid the appearance of it. His face affected only polite interest, but she could see the tip of his tail twitching wildly, and his gaze darted from place to place a great deal when he thought she wasn't looking.
"Choose as you like, but be careful how you handle the books," Rabbit said. "If they are too small, I will fetch them for you."
The creature appeared to pay her no mind, but he did seem to take that as a cue to begin browsing through the books in earnest.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:37:50 GMT -6
Though 'in earnest' was not necessarily synonymous with 'in a hurry' in his case; he looked through the shelves slowly, the slowness likely compounded by his still somewhat rudimentary grasp of reading, which impeded his progress. Eventually he gave up reading the titles and began perusing more based on how interesting the spines looked, which may have been a poor method for choosing, but must have strained his mental resources rather less.
If a book looked to be of particular interest, then he would read the title more closely, and sometimes he would keep one, or else return it to the shelf. He was sparing in his selections for now, only keeping a few books. Rabbit imagined it was at least in part due to how time consuming it was for him to read at all at present. Perhaps his appetites would become more voracious as his skill with words improved.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:38:04 GMT -6
But then he came upon a particular book in the collection: something much larger than the others, though not very well bound. The book looked careworn in places, though this was as much thanks to the cheap work as it was a testament to how much it had been used. The book caught and held the creature's attention for long enough that Rabbit glanced at the title, to see what had given him such pause.
It was an encyclopedia of the creatures of the labs. Aster had several copies, in fact; Rabbit had been at the estate long enough to have seen yet another edition come through the mail. They were delivered free of charge, Aster explained, to help the public understand how to care for and live with the creatures that comprised such a large part of life here, especially given the influx of immigrants since the labs began their work. Such beasts could not be found in most other places, after all.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:38:19 GMT -6
The creature glanced at her, and Rabbit began to explain. "This is an older copy of the species encyclopedia issued by the labs," she said. "There is information here on all the officially released species, though this one may be somewhat out of date. There has not been significant changes in many years, however, or so I'm told… Most of the information here should still be accurate, though it doesn't offer the depth that first hand experience would give a trainer." She had her own database to rely on, and thus had not much use for something like this, but the creature clearly seemed interested upon hearing her explanation.
He motioned to the book, and then to himself.
"You would be welcome to borrow it; that was within the terms of the agreement. But if you wish to keep it for yourself…" Rabbit had to think about that for a moment.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:38:52 GMT -6
As she did, the creature watched her expectantly, waiting for an answer. He didn’t seem terribly bothered, as though he was confident that she would acquiesce to it in the end. Something about that was a little remiss, but… Rabbit didn’t immediately know what to make of it.
As for his question itself, however, she could only offer him this conclusion: “I will put forth the question to him,” she said. “Perhaps he will agree, but we cannot relinquish it to you without his permission.”
The creature inclined his head, as if he were thinking over her answer, but it didn’t take long for him to give a dismissive flick of his wings, then nod. Rabbit thought the matter closed with that, but then he pointed to a different book. Following his indication, Rabbit saw another species encyclopedia, the date writ on it marking it out as a newer edition.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:39:05 GMT -6
“Ah,” she said. “Yes, it is the same book. Newer.” There was a pause as she followed what must have been his line of thought. “Yes, I suppose you are right. He may not have much need of the one you were interested in, if he has another.”
The creature seemed satisfied with that and subsided.
“Is this all you wish to take?” said Rabbit. He had only made the one selection thus far. At her prompting, the creature went back to perusing, and at length he selected several other books. The shelves he seemed most interested in were, by some coincidence, also the ones that had gathered the most dust--- strategy and philosophy, Rabbit realized, as she studied the titles of his selections. Aster had them, but had little enough interest in them. She wondered how he had come to acquire them in the first place, but that was a question for another time.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:41:02 GMT -6
“These you will have to return, I believe,” Rabbit said. “I do not think he has any duplicates of them.”
The creature narrowed his eyes at her, and pointedly dragged a foreclaw through the thickly caked dust of one shelf.
“Yes,” said Rabbit. “I am aware that he does not seem to pay them much attention. If you would like, I can ask him, but I cannot offer you much assurance for his answer.”
The creature sighed, then shook his head. “Very well then,” said Rabbit. “Let us be off.”
The two of them took their leave, though the creature did so slowly, with a last considering look around at the library before he followed Rabbit out the door. In the days and weeks that followed, Rabbit saw him poring over the tomes that he had taken from their trip inside the house--- in particular, the encyclopedia.
What he found there to interest him, he did not divulge.
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Post by Noa on Sept 15, 2019 16:45:31 GMT -6
He did, however, have other notions that he wished to communicate to her.
It was on one of their trips through the city, to make their way to the gym for their daily sessions, during which he pointed out a poster that had been put up not far from the gym premises. An advertisement for a tournament--- one or another such thing always seemed to be going on at a given time, though this flyer was relatively new.
And completely unsuited to the creature himself. "It is a poster advertising the upcoming petite-class creature tournament," said Rabbit. "Are you interested in watching it? It is not due to begin for another few weeks, I believe."
The creature shook his head, then gestured to it again, then to himself.
"You cannot mean to enter. You are much too large," said Rabbit. At that, the creature gave her a rather flat look in response.
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