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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:33:04 GMT -6
Perhaps it was only that she had the mental presence to be amused at his reaction. It occurred to her that they were both part Wiurn. Aster had told her of the parentage of the creature in her care, though privately she thought that none of him looked anything like a Gallor that she could recognize. But if they shared a parent species, did they understand each other too?
… She didn’t think it was a wise time to broach that particular question.
On the walk back to the barn, the creature fared a little better, but only because he had managed to tire himself out. Rabbit thought that might have been intentional too. The creature did seem to have been exercising with more than his usual intensity. Still, she could see him react to the movements and shouts of the dummies. The reactions were not so great in magnitude, but she ventured to say they were not less in number.
(75)
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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:33:31 GMT -6
But Rabbit was certain that he would improve with time. It was just that it would take time for it to happen. She was in no great rush herself, though Aster might have wished that she felt the urgency a little more. He often asked after her progress, and she could sometimes see evidence of what seemed to be an ongoing war in managing the little fairies that lived in his home.
The creature himself was also impatient for improvement, though his reasons were more internally derived than Aster's. He understood, Rabbit supposed, that the dummies could not harm him, and it vexed him that he could not quell his reactions even with that knowledge. Rabbit’s speech might have impacted the way he thought about such things as well. Perhaps he had given it no thought before this, and hadn’t recognized that it might present a weakness, or an advantage to be had.
(76)
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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:34:07 GMT -6
At least neither she nor Aster could fault his work ethic. The creature went out with her each day to the pool and back, through the gauntlet of dummies. When he saw that they were not put away--- Rabbit and Aster had briefly considered bringing them out each day, but quickly realized the amount of work it would involve to set this up daily--- the creature went so far as to go out on his own and sit among them for periods of time.
It was not the way Rabbit might have chosen for him to go about it, but even forced exposure did work, after a while. His willingness to do it sped up the process, but not much else in his efforts did much to expedite it. But as the days slipped by, the creature was finally able to ignore the noises and movements of some of the dummies.
(77)
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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:34:30 GMT -6
First the ones that were further away from him, then the ones nearer, until one could go off next to him without him so much as flinching. It was only at this point that he seemed to be satisfied with the outcome. At least, he no longer seemed to be in quite so serious a mood all the time.
Of course, that was not quite the end of it. The dummies were impressive in their number and variety, and the noises they made were really quite impressive; and because of their number, some of them were forever going off, not always within distance for their movements to startle the creature, but generally within earshot. The ensuing din wasn’t to be underestimated. But these were still the same sorts of movements, the same sorts of noise, and from sources that were known to the creature. Moreover, they were all dead, or inanimate, such as it was.
(78)
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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:34:50 GMT -6
“You’re not thinking of taking him in through the city, are you?” Aster said, having listened to her line of thought up to that point. “Don’t cause a public disturbance. I don’t care, but it’s going to be a hassle if they get concerned about safety. I don’t want to give them any reason to want to put us under surveillance.”
He was right about that, and while Rabbit didn’t have that exact idea in mind when she proposed it, having it ruled out made her wonder what other options were available.
In the end, what they settled for were walks through the more populated areas of the property.
The creature seemed genuinely interested, and perhaps even a little excited--- no, that might be an exaggeration. But his attention was certainly on Rabbit as soon as he noticed that they were deviating from their usual route to and from the pool.
(79)
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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:35:16 GMT -6
As they approached the Thundergug enclosure, she watched him for signs of being unsettled by Grunty for other reasons. Belatedly, she remembered that Grunty often spooked other creatures by mere virtue of his size, or perhaps the overwhelming visual presentation of his head crest. It might have been a mistake to bring the creature here first, though Grunty’s was the closest enclosure to where they had been at the barn…
But the creature did not seem cowed by Grunty at all. He observed the Thundergug from a safe distance, but only with the air of a creature studying a novel phenomenon, nothing more.
And then the choice of the Thundergug turned out to be a completely reasonable first test. The Gug was not prone to very sudden or quick movements, and despite his size, he was generally relatively quiet unless disturbed… or unless issues of food were in play. According to Aster, when that happened, all bets were off.
(80)
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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:35:30 GMT -6
For better or for worse, currently he was quite sedate, having been fed--- by Rabbit herself, in fact--- not long ago.
From there, they went to the holding pens for some of Aster’s less tame but still reasonable creatures. Some of these made more noise than others, but none of them were loud or abrupt enough to force a reaction from the creature now.
The final test was the long stretch of stable created to house the Sarane.
Rabbit knew from experience that this was the loudest, most unruly enclosure. There were some creatures here that she could only feed indirectly, by shoving the food into the enclosure through a slot. The males, and some of the larger females, were inclined to be hostile toward anyone who had not forced them to submit--- a strange species quirk that had a certain appeal to Aster, as a person who didn’t wish to associate much with anyone else.
(81)
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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:35:56 GMT -6
Rabbit had no intention of having the creature interact with them in any capacity, but the snarls and snapping and the occasional bellow ought to be enough to test his tolerance.
The Sarane did not disappoint. The ruckus was well apparent before they had drawn close, and grew worse as some of the Sarane sensed another presence, a strange scent. She could see something… It wasn’t apprehension, exactly, and it wasn’t distaste either, but it was close. The creature walking with her did not care for either the presence or the conduct of these other, more brutish dragons.
And it wasn’t that the din wasn’t getting to him either, but now she could see him… forcing himself not to react. And more to the point, it was working. Even when the challenges came unexpectedly, like the sudden lash of a tail outside the enclosure, the creature did not flinch.
(82)
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Post by Noa on May 11, 2019 0:38:57 GMT -6
(End: Accept Sudden Movement, Accept Noise)
Perhaps she had underestimated the effects of sufficient determination. Well, it had never been said that robots were infallible either.
At any rate, they returned in a state of tentative success. The creature certainly seemed to be in high spirits. He understood, she supposed, that it was a test of what they had been working on these last few days.
Rabbit did not flatter herself that the creature's satisfaction was based in her own approval. He had merely overcome a challenge that he had imposed on himself.
Well, nearly overcome. Rabbit walked around with him a few days more before she was certain. She did not wish to celebrate prematurely. But it seemed that the creature was inured to such things now, and as such, he bore with it with as much good grace as he had for anything; and in the meantime, he had grown adept enough at swimming that he now gave nearly as good as he got when Azalea came to tease him.
(83)
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Post by Noa on May 20, 2019 19:47:57 GMT -6
(Start: Accept Darkness, Nightvision)
If Rabbit were to be consulted on the state of the creature’s rehabilitation, she would have ventured to say that it was going well. He was still no sweet, tractable creature, but he had grown more reasonable with time and care, and his physical state was well on its way to recovery. The time they had spent at the gym seemed to help very much in that regard. Since they began the more intense regimen at the facilities, each day, she could see his endurance improving, and even his frame was slowly filling out with good food and exercise.
There was still the matter of desensitizing him, however. That work had been left to her by Aster, and Rabbit had made a start of it, but there was some ways to go before she would be able to call the process finished.
Thus, she began to take him out on evening walks.
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Post by Noa on May 20, 2019 19:48:11 GMT -6
It was a slight deviation from their usual schedule, which he noticed immediately, of course. He had also begun to learn that these deviations usually came with some goal on her part that she wished to impart on him. Thus, he greeted her with an expectant look, and Rabbit wasted no time in giving him the explanation.
“I am hoping to acclimate you to the darkness,” she said. “I do not anticipate that you will be forced to move around in the dark very often, but the possibility may yet come up, and it would be best to be prepared.”
The creature gave a flick of his wings, which Rabbit had learned to mean something like a shrug--- a gesture of nonchalance, or dismissal. He walked toward the barn door, then looked back at her expectantly. Rabbit walked to his side and opened it, then stepped aside so he could walk out behind her.
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Post by Noa on May 20, 2019 19:48:51 GMT -6
It was a curious thing, his habit. He was perfectly capable of opening the door himself, if he so wished. There was no knob or latch that might have been difficult for him to grasp; it merely operated by force, and his physical strength, even when weakened, had likely been greater than her own. And yet, he preferred to have her do it.
Perhaps the reason for it was not dissimilar to how he did not escape, or wander much beyond the barn without her company. As much time as they had spent together thus far, some aspects of his motives were still a mystery to her.
It was not quite dark yet. Rabbit had come to seek him at twilight, so as to give him a chance to slowly ease into the dark. And evening walks, so she had heard, were enjoyable for reasons entirely unrelated to any kind of acclimation whatsoever.
(3)
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Post by Noa on May 20, 2019 19:49:01 GMT -6
It was a warm evening in late spring, and while this made no difference to Rabbit, perhaps it would be pleasant for the creature.
They took a slow, meandering course around the edge of the property. Much of it was overgrown, especially at the fringes. Aster had never cared to upkeep more than he used, saying the growth would be a good place for the local wildlife to shelter, even if all of it had slowly been replaced by lab-created things, so how ‘wild’ any of it really was was debatable.
The creature showed some interest in the bushes and trees, or perhaps for what he thought might be hiding within. Once or twice, they did hear the rustle of movement, and the creature’s head would snap around as he sought for it. But the darkness was creeping in with steady sureness, and she began to register some frustration on his part that he could not see as well as he wished.
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Post by Noa on May 20, 2019 19:49:42 GMT -6
“It is growing darker,” she said. She was not terribly impeded by their being in the dark herself, having other means of visual reference, as well as registers for other sensory data besides to rely on in case those were insufficient for her needs. He did not have these advantages, however, and could only huff.
Well, perhaps she was stating the obvious.
“I understand that it will be uncomfortable for you. But the most important thing is not to lose one’s composure. Panic will not help you, so it is best to remain calm, and seek your way forward with your rational thought intact.” A moment’s pause, and she added, “If your current method is not satisfactory, you can find a different way forward.”
The creature’s tail swung sharply, as if to express his dissatisfaction with something she had said.
Hazarding a guess, Rabbit said, “Becoming angry will not help either.”
(5)
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Post by Noa on May 20, 2019 19:49:54 GMT -6
It was as if all the fight went out of him with those words. She could register a slight slump in his shoulders. Very well, he seemed to say, if anger was off limits, then he would give up. He shot her a bland look, as if asking what she wanted him to do, then.
“First, try to calm yourself,” she said. “Then… focus. Your eyes will adjust slowly to the dark, and you will find that you are able to see more than you had before if you concentrate. Night is not total and absolute darkness, and remaining calm will allow you to better focus on what you can see than what you cannot.”
The creature didn’t seem as though he had total faith in her words, but he closed his eyes, breathing out a long breath, then opened them again. There was certainly less agitation in his body language, at least, and he did appear to be trying to focus.
(6)
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