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Post by Morgan on Jun 7, 2019 5:28:31 GMT -6
    [+Picnic Lunch] [Setting: The Wiltholm Estate] Morgan awoke the day after mount training Michiryuu to sore muscles in their sides and arms, and the tops of their legs. Morgan had not had difficulty when first learning to ride, perhaps because the trainer of the wiurn and (hen) sarane they learned to ride on originally was quite a good teacher. Morgan hadn't even been this sore after breaking Waar! Perhaps it was the twisting, floating motions and the requirement of climbing up that caused Morgan to hurt to much after Michiryuu's training. The bespectacled human pulled theirself out of bed, performed the usual morning rituals just to get a sense of normality again. The swallowing of the node, and Waar's death had happened so close to each-other that Morgan was left emotionally exhausted.
Morgan dressed, as was fairly rare, in a soft black t-shirt, surprisingly nicely tailored for something so pedestrian, and black slacks, wincing as they bend to pull on the clothes. Afterward, they made a quick picnic lunch, loaded into a nice cherry-bark box, and then walked across the yard to the Konpeito Inn; where Morgan planned to spend some time in the hot-springs, an attempt to loosen the muscles and allow them to heal. Two tat-lungs waited beneath the wooden bridge that crossed a very clear stream. Morgan looked down at them, soft green eyes glowing dimly. Morgan was tired.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 7, 2019 7:26:13 GMT -6
Morgan had the old barn completely torn down a few months prior; the barn had been somewhat neglected after Morgan's father had passed; taking all of his pets with him that day (including the rather huge white sarane drake that he sometimes took Morgan for rides on when they were small)... Seeing the barn hurt Morgan's feelings severely was quite an eyesore on the otherwise beautiful property, so Morgan had a new smaller barn erected on the far side of the yard, and had the inn built in the place of the old barn. The area had beautiful natural hot springs that had been left untouched behind the old barn. All it took was a bit of funding and having a nearby stream cleaned and diverted to flow in a prescribed way. Thanks to good pay, the inn itself had been built quite quickly, all the work concluding a month prior. The two tat-lung stared up at Morgan with bright questioning eyes. Morgan had procured the golden one at high price; but the pearl had been a much less costly venture. Morgan was familiar with the fact that these were not simply fish, and would become dragons at some point. They were recently acquired, and Morgan figured that it would be best to work with them heavily, before they grew. "Good morning Seimei, Good morning Ryuusei." Morgan said, abnormally politely. The two tatlung were interested, but perhaps more in a defiant sort of way. Morgan knew that it would be that way for a long time.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 7, 2019 7:35:00 GMT -6
Morgan stayed leaned over the ornate guardrails of the wooden bridge for some time, tracing the light starry motif across them, and then resting their left hand eventually on a wooden dragon figure that had been carved straight out of the guardrail in the middle. Seimei, the pearl tat-lung, was honestly a sad looking creature. He was scarred finely across his back, not on the face, or the fins, but across the back certainly. The creature had been that way whenever Morgan had seen them swimming in a disrespectfully small 'fish bowl' in the Trading Post. Morgan had sneered, had grit their teeth, had squeezed their hands until their knuckles were pale. The seller had been trying to sell it off for less than it was worth; and as soon as they had seen Morgan pull out a higher denomination, they had taken that instead. Morgan was irate. Absolutely irate, at the treatment of such a dignified creature.
Ryuusei, on the other hand, was a beloved offspring gold that had been acquired with a high price by Morgan, having requested the Jackalope search for one. The Jackalope finally returned with the creature, stating that it was traded out of a 'good friend', and the Jackalope had told Morgan that they had better 'take care of it'. Morgan practically roared; of course Morgan knew the kind of care a dragon deserved!
Looking down at them now, watching them enjoy the huge stream that looped in on itself and constantly flowed, having their own tiny dens in their fishy-forms at the moment, playing with their many nice toys that Morgan had procured for them... Morgan felt a bit at peace.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 7, 2019 7:52:15 GMT -6
It was about time for feeding, Morgan noted. Morgan had procured the absolute best brands of food for the tat-lungs, a colony of calico feederfish, live for the tat-lungs of course and bred in a fish tank in the Inn for the purpose. Beautiful pearls for Seimei, old coins for Ryuusei, blue and gold topaz for both... Thin strips of baakir and murp steak to get them ready for their adult diets. These were fed in rotation, to make sure that they had all of the nutrients that growing dragons needed. Morgan spared no expenses when it came to their creatures. Morgan had also procured treats for the purpose of training. Tat-lungs would not train the same as a regular creature, Morgan knew; but if anyone deserved to be the lord of dragons, it was Morgan. No questions required.
Morgan stepped down off of the bridge, and went into the inn. Let us see... It was fish day, today. Morgan took a clean bucket and a small net and scooped out some of the calico-feederfish (beautiful and useful; absolute requirements for Morgan's uses) into the water-filled bucket. Morgan hauled them out to the bridge, and deposited them into the water of the stream. Both tat-lungs ignored Morgan for the most part, instead going after the tinier fishes. They were already regal; using their whiskers to find the prey more easily.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 7, 2019 7:57:54 GMT -6
Morgan took great solace in watching them feed as they did. Seimei was surprisingly more decisive, picking and sweeping up the feeders as if he was planning his moves beforehand. Ryuusei, on the other hand, had taken to it with a kind of natural grace, it was surprising to see how unconcerned with Seimei he was. Morgan had been afraid that they would absolutely hate each other and that Morgan would have to separate them. The two were highly competitive (Seimei far more so than Ryuusei- usually goading him into elaborate and strange games that belied their witt) and already, Seimei was far longer and leaner than Ryuusei. He seemed to have had a much harder life than the golden one. It made Morgan incredibly angry to think about it.
Morgan watched them feed until the last fish was gulped up (by Ryuusei, who seemed to pull out the 'win' at the last moment and beat out the obviously a bit upset Seimei). Morgan fought the urge to give a handout to Seimei, and decided against it. He had already learned to take care of himself, and would probably be insulted by receiving obvious handouts.
Morgan felt a bit of a kinship to these creatures, and it was just as it should be.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 8, 2019 2:54:03 GMT -6
When Morgan was a young child, their father would sit at the edge of their bed (fashioned carefully to look like a huge cloud with a ornately carved dragon around it) and read them stories... About dragons. Most nights they read from a science textbook, moving from book to book at time went on; but Morgan adored the fairy tales, the stories about the regal creatures. The tiny blond child could almost imagine being a dragon, could imagine what it would be like to fly like one; to look down over all the things of the land that were under their claws, with bright eyes that saw everything, even the smallest creature scurrying along the tiniest nooks in the craggy hillsides...
Of course Morgan would wind up making an entire house on their estate to hold mostly Tat-lungs; they deserved someone that could devote as much time as possible to them. Morgan sat down for a moment, on a small cherry-wood seat, so that they could watch the two creatures. It would appear as though the two didn't exactly get along, but adversity was important for an individual's development. That was a personal philosophy of Morgan's; but if the two began hurting one another of course they would be separated.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 8, 2019 3:06:37 GMT -6
The bespectacled human glanced up, rubbing their sore muscles on their neck. A breeze gently flowed through, picking up and twisting the red maple leaves and pushing Morgan's bangs over into their face. Morgan shook their head out of habit, the hair flopping out of the way again. They'd be back in front of their eyes, probably up under their glasses as well. Perhaps it was time for another haircut... Morgan felt something settle on their hair, and put their hand on top of their head. They removed the strange object and held it gently in their palm to look at it. Ah, it was one of the plum blossoms. It was a beautiful delicate white with a crimson center; and had a faintly sweet smell. Morgan stared at it, feeling a bit... Strange. After a moment, they bent down (another wince due to sore muscles) and put the flower down into the stream. There were already a ton of them floating there.
The spontaneity was perhaps a little odd for Morgan, but things had been changing, lately. The bespectacled human tried not to think about it too much. Instead, they watched as the two tat-lung began some sort of game, racing around to grab the plum blossoms and pull them under. Somehow, they seemed to be taking score.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 8, 2019 3:21:27 GMT -6
Morgan knew, as a native of the Labs City, that the Tat-lungs were not truly dragons, perhaps. They were developed by the labs, and supposedly from donated material from some sort of actual dragon, who knows where from. This made Morgan angry at first, as a child. Meddling with dragons, with sentient beings, was originally horrific to the young child. As Morgan grew, they realized that anger would not necessarily change it; and that it was best to deal with what information was held now. Morgan refused to think of them as any less, despite their parentage. The circumstances of one's birth doesn't necessarily change what they are. It was a bit of information imparted to them by their father. Morgan had taken it to heart found it a useful platitude. It was perhaps strange for most to look down at what for all intents and purposes looked precisely like some brightly colored fish. However, it had been well known for many years now that they were in fact much more like Dragons. Morgan watched the creatures play their game; and it ended much the same as the last game that they had played- with Seimei coming up just short of victory.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 8, 2019 3:31:50 GMT -6
Morgan tried not to feel pity over Seimei's general condition and what his background must have been. Pity was not something a tat-lung would appreciate, so Morgan did not give him any special treatment. However, he looked... Awful. Too-thin, too-long, scarred up, refused to be touched. Sure, Ryuusei did not like being stroked either, not even when Morgan had to have them checked by a veterinarian when they were first procured and quarantined to make sure they were healthy enough to be placed, but he was more proud about it. Seimei seemed almost... Fearful. More disgusted and prideful, but extensively more violent about avoiding it than any other creature Morgan had thus far.
Morgan was unsure about what to do about Seimei's condition. The veterinarian had stated that he was fine; he'd healed physically, but that he would probably always be a little gun-shy about being touched. Understandable; Morgan disliked being touched also. However; it was concerning to see that it would be a difficulty whenever they had to have their health checked up in the future. Morgan refused to neglect the needs of a creature under their care in any way. Seimei seemed to notice Morgan watching them, and glared back. Ryuusei was instead enjoying the sunbathing a bit away.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 8, 2019 3:40:05 GMT -6
It was almost uncanny, the clear eyes of the creature, surprisingly beautiful despite the horrid treatment it must have received. Morgan had demanded the seller to tell them how the creature had gained that scarring; but the seller had denied knowing, and after being threatened, had absolutely refused to answer. Morgan had left, creature in tow, and now felt a little sick whenever they thought about what could have happened. A poor living space could have caused the cuts, but they were deep... Another creature could have left them; a humanoid could have abused the creature directly. Morgan hated it. HATED it. Already, their tired green eyes were glowing hot. Morgan just watched Seimei until he moved on, finally deciding to stop glaring at Morgan and go find something else to do.
Ryuusei seemed to get his fill of sunning, and moved in the opposite direction. It would seem like the two of them would like some privacy from one another, for a bit. Morgan had made sure that the entire area was easily big enough for even more Tat-lungs, let alone these two. They had enough room to separate if they wanted. Both of them began to move out towards the Hot Springs, at their own pace. It was time for Morgan to go to the Hot Springs, too.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 8, 2019 4:17:13 GMT -6
Morgan sometimes wondered what it would have been like had they spent any amount of time as a child with, well, other children. Morgan had went to a prestigious school as a young kid, with only a few others. They really never spent any time with them after school or anything. The best that Morgan had done was play chess and other such things with the other folks, even from other schools. Morgan spent most of their time studying or otherwise, so it was not really on Morgan's top priorities as a kiddo. However, watching Seimei and Ryuusei's strange rivalry was something that made Morgan felt somewhat curious over. It was somewhat odd to think about it as an adult when they didn't care even in the slightest as a young person; but Morgan felt like they might have missed out on... Something. Morgan stood up from their sitting position, and walked to the Inn, and quickly got ready to get into the hot springs. The 'human' area (more like the Morgan Area) was made completely of glass so that Morgan could see the creatures living in the cool stream and the 'pet' hot-springs pools while relaxing.
Morgan took two towels, wrapped one around them, and put the other on a bench nearby to keep it dry. The two tat-lungs had already went to their own personal hot springs pools to rest. These two were a little cooler than the one that Morgan used.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 9, 2019 5:02:07 GMT -6
Morgan's glasses were removed and sat down on top of the dry towel. Morgan stepped down into the hot water, of course it was a bit of a shock at first despite the heat being expected, but soon, the human was sitting fully in the hot spring water. Slowly, their muscles began to relax; but that didn't really calm Morgan's racing mind any at all. Morgan closed their eyes for a moment, and tried to empty their mind for a moment. After a while, Morgan turns around with a jerked movement, having heard a strange noise. Ah; it was just Ryuusei; feeling up against the glass. Morgan watched curiously as the golden tat-lung seemed to figure out pretty quickly, perhaps by using his long whiskers, that the glass is indeed a barrier. He seemed to back up and then move back a few times, as if figuring out exactly how to tell that the glass was there. After a moment, some sort of understanding seemed to pass his eyes, and Ryuusei swam away to look at something else.
Ryuusei was very clever, though still young. However; Morgan looked past him, and realized that Seimei had been watching him figure that out through the entire process. Ah, there was the real mastermind, right?
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Post by Morgan on Jun 9, 2019 5:22:34 GMT -6
Morgan found their relationship interesting, that was for sure. Ryuusei was brash and bold, confident, sure of himself, and very wise. However, Seimei was cunning and clever, making up for whatever happened by learning through the mistakes of others, it seemed. Morgan's gaze caught the attention of Seimei, and they glared at one another for a moment, before Seimei moved on as well, picking... Something up from the bottom of Ryuusei's hot springs pool. It was a ball, Morgan realized, one of the tat-chews, the blue one. Seimei swam right up behind Ryuusei and it was almost like he... Shot? The ball at him. Ryuusei turned, frustrated, and grabbed the ball in his own mouth. Morgan could hardly believe what they were seeing; they had no idea that juvie tat-lungs were strong enough to play like that. How did they breath? Gills? Morgan hadn't really considered this, but it made sense. Didn't fish usually use their mouths to pull water over their gills or something like that?
Morgan realized that they probably should have found out more about this stage. Seeing that most of the tat-lung in the labs were mature now, there was not a whole lot of updated information about the juvenile stages.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 9, 2019 5:34:12 GMT -6
The human settled back down, figuring that the tat-lungs were too smart to 'drown' their-selves in the pool, at least. Morgan tended not to be overly concerned about such things; but they had expected the tat-lungs to be more interested in the tat-chews after they grew up, and not during this stage. Morgan leaned back again now that they were not distracted, and noticed that the pain had left the muscles as they began to relax. Hot water worked wonders for that. Morgan showered each day obsessively, but nothing was really better than actually sitting in some nice warm water for relieving the muscles. After about thirty minutes, Morgan raised up, feeling woefully prune-y, and then moved over to throw the wet towel in a washer nearby, and then quickly towel off with the dry one. Afterwards, Morgan placed their glasses back on, carefully.
Morgan felt quite refreshed, and switched back into the slacks and t-shirt. The tat-lungs watched carefully, as if trying to figure out the nature of humans through this alone. Soon, Morgan knew that they would have to become more intrusive into their everyday lives, but right now this was just the right side of slow and easy.
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Post by Morgan on Jun 9, 2019 5:41:04 GMT -6
Tat-lungs were quite supposedly much more intelligent than humans. If they were indeed originally dragons, Morgan would believe this without second thought; in fact it would be obvious. However, Morgan somewhat doubted the Labs' ability to produce a creature that was more intelligent than a human, dragon-genetics or not. However, as of right now, perhaps due to watching them react, Morgan felt somewhat like they at least had the intelligence of a human. It was probably true, that they were more intelligent than humans, since they were so obviously clever in their fish-forms. Fish were not well known for their witt, after all. Morgan moved to the room that house the hot pools for the two creatures, and pulled a book out to read, siting on the cherry bench that was in the patio-portion, enjoying the scent of the plum petals beyond.
This part of the place was built to where the fish-like creatures would just have to jump from the small brook, into the pools. They were chosen specifically for the tat-lungs because they were not as hot as the one Morgan would be using. The creatures seemed to enjoy using them for resting purposes, interestingly enough. Morgan watched the golden and the white tat-lungs chasing each other.
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