Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:27:50 GMT -6
Mosserati (NPC) Stamina: 5 Strength: 5 Resistance: 9 Dexterity: 3 Mentality: 3 Special Abilities: Earth Resistance Moves: Tail Strike, Shield of Stone, Crystalline Power
One would think that for someone who told herself to take things easy - to gradually work herself back into the saddle of things, who then ended up nearly killing herself twice within the span of a single week, and mere days after found herself in the high-octane setting of the Fighting Pit once more - one would get the universal message and pull back, to relax and recollect themselves. One would think, but not the mammalian. By which it meant she certainly did think it, but for one reason or another, went and did the complete opposite anyway.
And now she was back at the Park, in her little side of the pens that had seen so much destruction and reparation over the course of its ownership as to hardly look like it used to. And she was with a lamadidron.
A lamadidron that she did not own.
Parts of her blamed it on her curiosity - she just had to see if any new offers were up before the (fateful) encounter. Other parts her inability to say no - the woman had been so polite and nice and the cause seemed to be worth-while.
(1) Mosserati: +0 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:28:44 GMT -6
But so had the nest-theft. And that nearly cost her a mauling.
So other parts of her brain tried to be re-assuring: its a lamadidron. They’re calm, they’re nice. Big, certainly, and on the stubborn side, but calm. She knew stubborn, from Nightmare to Cathàn, and the experience would be invaluable here. But then again, she also knew stubborn.. And the struggles that would come. Couple that with the fact she’d never trainers a lamadidron before and suddenly the day was going to be all kinds of interesting.
At least she could console herself with knowing it was a stonemoss. Fairly run-of-the-mill, nothing that would spit fire or lightning at her. Just a very large, crystalline stone club with impressive reach that she also had to teach it how to use.
What could go wrong?
So many different and unique things if she started off with that. So, instead, she decided to begin with the easier/least murdery thing first. And it began with a fair amount of patience and no small amount of waiting.
(2) Mosserati: +0 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:29:04 GMT -6
This lamadidron was new to her, but more importantly, she was new to him. Her scent, her bearing, her presence was all new and as far as most creatures went, ‘new’ equaled ‘suspicious’ at best, ‘scary’ at worst. Rather than jumping right up into the lamadidron’s face, she kept her distance - he got to stay in the park yard, wander it, explore it; and she stayed behind the fence, walking around it, letting him see her and get used to her presence.
From there the logical progression went further. Gradually she occasionally entered the yard, walked around a bit, then left again, making sure to keep her actions casual and calm. Once that seemed to no longer garner the stonemoss’ attentions as sharply, she stayed inside the yard, doing some tidy-work by collecting some branches, pulling up some weeds, general small menial things while ever trying to inch her way closer and closer with her workings.
If the stonemoss objected, he didn’t show it, but he did seem to grow steadily more bored as the hours went on. Every now and then he’s go to one of the two (remaining) trees and scratch himself on the bark or try and dig the ground here and there if a particular scent was picked up (and the place was a plethora of that. The rains could wash the soil from the top, but a dozen different creatures had passed here and left two dozen different traces of themselves, from musk to elemental burns).
So far so good.
(3) Mosserati: +0 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:29:28 GMT -6
Darky rummaged through the park’s hefty discard pile, a small mountain of broken practice dummies, logs, poles, boards, tarps and even a rock or two here and there. After a short while, she dragged some broken crates out of it and pulled them to the middle of the yard. She set two down flat, end-to-end, two more upwards behind them and two more smaller ones upward to the sides. Over all that she tossed an old broken tarp to pull the effect together - it certainly wasn’t intended ever to be used as a comfortable couch, but visually it was as close to the shape of one as she had methods to make it.
Now began the waiting game.
It didn’t take long for the lamadidron to take interest in the action going on and when the object was complete, he slowly made his way closer and closer while simultaneously trying to appear as if he didn’t notice or particularly care about said object. While Darky stood back and waited, gloves and bracer on just in case, a silvery whistle waiting in palm.
In observing him she guessed this was his usual approach to the couch at home as well. Except this one was far more lumpier, smelled like soil and had nothing of ‘home’ around it. For that matter it never occurred to her to wonder how a full-grown lamadidron got access to a couch in the first place, though that hardly mattered to the context.
(4) Mosserati: +0 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:29:57 GMT -6
Eventually the couch and stonemoss were side-by-side and both seemed to stand still. This was a classical moment of “I am not doing anything, though I’m well aware I’m about to do something, but you can’t say anything just yet” some of the more destructive pets would occasionally perform (her own kennel was not except from this). Then, the neck craned and lowered, smelling this new contraption carefully, on this side and that while the rest of him stood still. Apparently whatever he smelled seemed to appease, for mere moments later the beaked mouth opened to nip at the tarp covering the boxes.
It wasn’t stealthy, Darky was staring right at him, but all the same she gave it a few seconds before she sounded a shrill note from the whistle and called out, “Mosserati! Uch-uch!” The note did its job perfectly, sending the stonemoss onto his feet and bounding off a short distance, his crime most obviously caught, while Darky felt some relief. The whistle was effective, but not quite all creatures responded to it the same way..
Then, she sat down on a log and continued to wait. If the stonemoss was anything like her own kennel gremlins this was but a minor set-back. Sure as rain, only minutes later, the lamadidron was already inching his way back towards the faux couch.
(5) Mosserati: +1 (0/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:30:19 GMT -6
And thus began the song and dance in earnest. The first stage was an establishing of authority, since the mammalian didn’t really have it over the stonemoss like his owner did. Whenever he began to nibble at the contraption, she’d sound the whistle and shoo him off. He’d run, but in a manner which indicated it was more instinct to the sudden noise than her having any control over him. They had no bond and until this morning they had never even met. But if it was one thing Darky knew to do with stubborn creatures, it was to be even more stubborn.
So each time he came back she’d continue to sound the whistle and call out that “Uch-uck!” to send him running away again. It worked well enough right up until the stonemoss seemed to think this was now a ‘game’ of theirs. She didn’t make any outright aggressive motions towards him, so it wasn’t a threat anymore, but action called for reaction, and every time she shooed him away, he would come right back because of it.
With that point reached, a place where it was neither trust nor distrust but something of a ‘tolerance’ between them, it was time to move onto stage two.
Cause stopping there would have just left the lamadidron assuming the ideas was to eat the couch, as opposed to the exact opposite.
(6) Mosserati: +1 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:30:45 GMT -6
Stepping it up, she began using the whistle and solo “Uck-uck!” interchangeably, sometimes together, sometimes alone. Likewise she took her attentions back to tidying up the yard, calling for the stonemoss to stop only if she noticed it. The idea was to create a disconnect between the action and gaining attention for it, for that tended to be reward all in itself. If the stonemoss listened and backed off, she dug in a pouch by her belt and gave him some moss agate shards as a reward. It felt weird feeding a creature rocks, but in all honestly that wasn’t the weirdest food Labs animals had.
The plan took its time. Mosserati was a little too entranced with the idea they were still ‘playing’, getting rougher and rougher in his nibbling after each reprimand, but especially if he was ignored. The sphinx suspected perhaps there was an attention issue in his youth, where he hadn’t quite been given as much care as he needed. As a result, the novelty of the ‘game’ wore thin quickly, especially when he made the connection that she was a ‘food-bringer’.
“Uck-uck!” Darky called one last time, whistle unused, causing the stonemoss to back up some steps, before walking over to him and offering some shards as a treat, “Good, Mosserati. Good job.”
Between tiring of the game and tiring of the couch itself, the stonemoss lost his interest in it before they could properly finish things up. As such, the sphinx took some of the moss agate shards and placed them onto the ‘arm rest’ of the couch and stood back, waiting.
(7) Mosserati: +1 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:31:12 GMT -6
She made no attempt at hiding it and within moments of the lamadidron realizing what she’d done, he came walking over, ready to nibble them up. Head craning forward, towards the couch, the beak opened--
“Uck-uck! Mosserati.. Uck-uck!”
The head hesitated. It was enough as the sphinx walked over, picking new shards from the pouch as a reward. “Good, Mosserati. Good job.” Then, moved the couch shards to the other arm rest. A minute or two passed where the lamadidron seemed to consider his options and intentions. He took a tentative step towards the couch. The sphinx did nothing. He reached out his head. The sphinx did nothing. He got closer, beak opening to bite at the shards..
“Mosserati, uck-uck!”
The head recoiled, as did most of the body.
“Good, Mosserati. Good job,” Darky smiled and gave him some new shards for a treat.
It was the last and final step, of tempting the lamadidron to bite, and rewarding him when he ceased to once the command was given. For their part it had been rather couch-specific, but then, she figured the owner could practice using it so eventually it could apply to other objects (or living things) that they wished to remain unbitten.
(8) Mosserati: +1 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:31:35 GMT -6
That had been the first day. She returned the lamadidron to the owner, with some guidance and tips how best to get that command to stick with him. Usually she would spend a few more days repeating commands to her own creatures, so it would solidify through use rather than endless repetition once and then not much again, but given the creature wasn’t hers, that would fall upon the owner now. Mosserati certainly had the capacity to remember the training, but only if the owner maintained the same degree of authority in daily life as they had in training.
On the second day, the lamadidron was back at the park with the sphinx, though this time they could skip the whole ‘getting to adjust to you’ steps from yesterday. He was no more or less bound to her than before, but they had grown to have beginnings of an Understanding - if he did good, he got reward; she had the reward and dictated what was good. This worked only as long as Mosserati didn’t disagree.
They were barely through the gate, with the door latched behind him, when the lamadidron suddenly froze into place, staring ahead. In the middle of the yard was a form, a figure, something large and definitely not friend-shaped.
A sarane dummy.
(9) Mosserati: +1 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:32:13 GMT -6
Darky had come by the park but an hour earlier, before heading to pick up the lamadidron again and the immediate effect made her hopeful. For today, she needed to undo all her yesterday’s work and teach him how to harm something.
The best way? Give him something else to harm, other than herself.
Mosserati must have known what sarane were, at least to some degree, or its general physical shape was enough to spark genetic memory deep down of a predator. Whichever the case, he Did Not Like This Thing and the fact the Thing wasn’t even moving, just kinda drooped wooden limbs hanging on some poles, was beside the point.
Darky moved towards it, but stayed a wide berth once at the centre of the park. If this was going to go down as intended, the lamadidron needed a wide enough personal space to fit it, himself, his tail and some extra room for movement in any direction, just in case he spooked or mistimed something.
Plus, it wasn’t like her physical presence was as needed as just her vocal cords.. and a little bit of arcane pinch.
(10) Mosserati: +2 (0/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:32:42 GMT -6
The stonemoss remained on the yard edge, moving around this strange wood-beast very calmly. At least.. that’s what it appeared on the outside. The sphinx knew most acts creatures tended to use to intimidate or appear non-threatening and this was one of them - just because the wooden dummy wasn’t moving didn’t mean it wasn’t a threat. Mosserati wanted it known he wasn’t phased by it, lest it take that as a sign of weakness.
The circling took its time, the curiosity of the creature driving him ever closer. The more Darky watched, the more she began to suspect that perhaps the lamadidron had not actually seen a sarane before, at least not a full-sized, grown one. He wanted to know what this was so he would know how to deal with it. If he already knew, there would have been no reason to bother setting one’s self in harm’s way.
All the while the sphinx sat, watched and waited, for she could do nothing until Mosserati was close enough for the trick to work. And eventually, he was.
With a dash of concentration and a few small hand movements, she drew upon a small piece of arcane focus, the back of her head giving a soft glow. Wood creaked, the dummy shuddered and suddenly the sarane head slowly rose up all on its own with a groaning sound.
( Darky uses Push (2 Hollow MP) )
(11) Mosserati: +2 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:33:07 GMT -6
The reaction was immediate. First, Mosserati jumped backwards, startled by the sudden movement. Then, guided by instinct and the few set of things he knew how to do by heart, the clubbed crystal tail lashed out in that very same motion, smacking the dummy in the side and nearly knocking it off its feet, had the sphinx not quickly adjusted the spell to keep it in place.
“Good job, Mosserati,” she called, “Good hit!”
A start was made, the ground was set and from thereon it was just keeping to the plan, working their way up step by step.
The first of those was to teach the lamadidron what command word went with the hit, and what he needed to do as a result. He had a few options in defending himself, and as the dummy drooped to motionless death once more, he couldn’t help but be drawn back to it, seeming to assume it dead or downed. When the head rose to life again, there was another startle, but this time, instead of the tail being swung, it rose up behind him and gave off a faint glow, the lamadidron’s rocky hide gaining a brief and short shimmer.
Decidedly, that was not what they were here to learn. “No, Mosserati,” the sphinx sighed, as the sarane head drooped, “Let’s try again.”
(12) Mosserati: +2 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:33:31 GMT -6
Attempted three and four were likewise duds, though she could have sworn the stonemoss seemed more sheeny than before after the crystal had done its shimmer again. In a last ditch attempt, she let go of the head and instead moved the arcane forces to raise the wings in a sudden wooden clatter and creaking.
That did it. The lamadidron hissed in surprise, jumped back and up came the tail in a diagonal swing, clattering into the dummy. Had it not been built specifically for sarane themselves to rough up, the poor target may have very well collapsed in on itself from that impact. But it kept itself together, even if it almost came off of the stilts it was raised up on.
“Good! Good hit, Mosserati!” Not if only he could repeat that.
The grasp of the spell didn’t last indefinitely, but it was enough to get a few more attempts out. At one point the lamadidron seemed spooked enough that a literal wall of stone apparated in front of it and Darky sat there staring, not quite sure how to deal with it, but within a few seconds it already crumbled away.
“Alright..” she blinked, “Note to self - do research on that.”
(13) Mosserati: +2 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:33:51 GMT -6
Then it was time to refresh the spell. The rocky surprise aside, even Mosserati was beginning to realize the only ‘true’ way to get this wooden monster to ‘die’ was to hit it. The other options didn’t seem to phase it at all and it still kept moving. When the puppetry had achieved that goal, it was time for step two - commands.
For this one the sphinx had gone for a simple word - “Hit”. Perhaps because of her calling out to him, urging him on, or perhaps because there was a strong sense of catharsis in hitting something frightening and/or predatory, but the stonemoss took to the command in short order. Perhaps, too, it helped that this was playing to his nature, as opposed to against it like with the couch, so there was very little new to learn.
Whichever the case, as the drake was puppeteered into moving, the sphinx called to him, “Mosserati, hit!” and whether hearing or instinct, the lamadidron oblidged with a swing of its tail. It was never quite the same swing, however, but that was a matter of practise. After a while, in seeing him become more confident in his swings and trusting to be caught less in the proverbial crossfire, the sphinx stood and moved closer to him.
( Darky uses Push (2 Hollow MP) )
(14) Mosserati: +2 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 9, 2019 9:34:13 GMT -6
By and by, especially with the magic waning, the sphinx called for him to hit as the dummy was moving or when it stood still. Either way, if the lamadidron obliged she then began to reward him with a treat, once close enough. By the time the spell’s duration expired and the dummy fell permanently still again, she hoped a refresh wasn’t going to be needed any more.
For about an hour they kept on training, her occasionally goading him to one side of the dummy or another, just to change the angle and position some, then if the tail swung a hit, give him some moss agate shards are treats. If it was a miss, she’d call for him to try again. After a while even Mosserati seemed to grow more confident in the swings, much less with listening to her command. When that point was reached, she dragged some other pieces of broken wood from the discard pile and set them up in the yard. She lead Mosserati to each one, and told him to hit. If he did, he was rewarded, if not, she just repeated the command to break through his indecision.
The idea was to get him used to more than just one shape of target. There was no knowing what kind of ‘defence-requiring’ situations he and his owner might get into, but it helped for the lamadidron to already start off with a disconnect of only attacking sarane, and instead train into him the instinct to just attack at targets pointed.
When the day waned into evening, the pouch of shards was empty, her magic was spent and both of them looked about as tired as the other. They had no bond between them, but in this they seemed to share. So, packing things up, she finally guided him from the park, to return to his owner, now a whole tail-slam ability worth richer.
(15) - (added) Mosserati: +3 (0/5)
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