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Post by Ashe on Oct 18, 2020 15:49:48 GMT -6
Reoz came face to face with Ghidorah first. The black and yellow drake arched his neck, snapped his fangs, and made a fake lunge at the corpse. Reoz was startled, but remembered his training and sidestepped fast enough to avoid being bitten - if Ghidorah had even intended to land a hit. Foiled, Ghidorah let out a snarl, jaws parted with electricity crackling between them. He was used to prey cowering beneath him, smelling their fear, feeling it come off of them in waves. Unless he was facing another Sarane, of course - which he obviously wasn't.
Now, now, Ashe told him through their ribbon. You're here to help me train him.
At this, Ghidorah roared his protest. Why should he help train something else, anyway? He didn't care for this walking monstrosity, he didnt want to help him at all. Wasnt that Fafnir's job, anyway? Ashe snorted through his nose at this, and rolled his eyes. You're lucky Fafnir's not here or he would put you in your place, you big oaf.
Ghidorah curled his lip at him and showed his fangs, but Ashe had been the one on his back, knocking some sense into him. Ghidorah didn't scare him.
Besides, I thought you could handle showing a corpse how scary you could be. If you're not up to it, I guess your sire is much scarier than you, anyway….
[Ghidorah: 0 1/5 Reoz: 0 2/5 Ashe: 0 2/10
Intimidation 2]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 18, 2020 15:53:40 GMT -6
That got a rise out of Ghidorah's hackles. The drake turned toward Reoz, who was just standing there, and he snorted out sparks. I suppose I could give this a shot. I am pretty scary. Should be easy. And so, Ghidorah buckled down in front of Reoz and snarled at him. He could play this game their way. It wouldn't take too much effort.
At first, Reoz was taken aback. He didnt know how to react, so he took a step back. Then another. Retreat was foreign to him, yet here he was...
"Hang in there, Reoz!" Ashe called to him. Reoz heard his name, a familiar word, and stopped moving. He looked toward Ashe, who didn't seem scared of this winged beast, and then his gaze returned to the drake. Those fangs were so sharp, those wings were so big… but Reoz wasn't that scared. At least, not that he would show. There was a war going on inside his meager brain. Food… or not food. The eternal question. He trusted Ashe, and Ashe not showing fear was definitely a confidence boost. Not that Reoz even had the brain capacity to really feel fear... He just had the general sense to back down. The tiniest sliver of preservation for his own life.
"Good, you're doing good..."
[Ghidorah: 0 2/5 Reoz: 0 3/5 Ashe: 0 3/10
Intimidation 3]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 18, 2020 16:06:08 GMT -6
Try to scare him a little more, Sparky. But don't hurt him, I swear to Mortavos... Ashe eyed his Drake, as if daring him to try something. For all of his tough words, Ashe wasn't sure if he would be able to react fast enough to save Reoz - he had his nodes and could cast magic quickly, but would the magic strike in time? He had to believe it would, because Ghidorah was the type to test him. Fafnir would listen, Ghidorah would test him, and good lord he had no idea what Hobgoblin would try to do. Pray for rain with that guy.
Ghidorah stepped up at the chance to scare something, someone, anything. He thrashed his tail around and let out a squeal of rage, electricity sparking from his mouth, looking like a build up as if he was going to throw a ball of light at Reoz. Some tendrils of lightning reached out, as if trying to reach the corpse. One of them must have zapped him, because Reoz shrank back suddenly rather than gradually.
Now walk toward him. See what he does.
Ghidorah took a step toward him. Then another. Reoz stepped back, unsure. Ashe let this go on for a short amount of time, letting Reoz feel...whatever he was feeling. That feeling of being bullied, of knowing something's more powerful than you, better than you.
[Ghidorah: 0 3/5 Reoz: 0 4/5 Ashe: 0 4/10
Intimidation 4 Hardy 1]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 18, 2020 16:35:33 GMT -6
Okay, Okay. Back off a little, I think he got the point.
Ghidorah obediently backed off, but he kept the intimidation factor all the way up to ten. He wasn't backing off in reaction to Reoz and he wanted to make sure the Corpse knew that. Whether or not Reoz was able to connect those dots at all.
"Reoz! Ashe called out to him. "I want you to try to scare Ghidorah back. Go! Act scary!"
Reoz, hearing his name, turned his head around to look at Ashe, but he didn't understand the words he was saying or what the man wanted him to do. He looked back at Ghidorah, because that's where Ashe's gaze went to, then back to the man. He took a step toward Ghidorah, since the drake had stepped back in almost an invitation. "That's it, Reoz! Good work, keep going!"
The corpse continued to walk toward Ghidorah, and the Sarane halted mid step, not liking this. He snapped back at him, not wanting to actually give ground to this nasty thing. He was only backing up because Ashe asked him to! Ashe, who led him to victory and opened up so many opportunities for him.
Easy, Sparky. Let him think he can scare you. We need him to think he's scary. But don't worry - we all know who's the real scary monster in these parts!
[Ghidorah: 0 4/5 Reoz: 1 0/5 Ashe: 0 5/10
Intimidation 5 Hardy 2]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 22, 2020 20:36:47 GMT -6
Don't like this. At all. The Sarane grumbled at Ashe through their ribbon. He hissed and snarled and spat at the Corpse Construct, but Reoz kept coming, and Ashe was harassing Ghidorah to back off, so the great Sarane was trying his best to listen to Ashe while saving face. Especially in front of a hen! What would Ivalice think, watching him back off from a slimey corpse? He literally ate dead things! He could eat this dead thing!
Step after step, Reoz forced him back. He was getting the hang of this! All he had to do was walk toward the opponent and they would back away? So easy. He shambled toward Ghidorah again, and the Sarane grudgingly stepped back, at Ashe's command. He was really getting peeved at this and he was this close to exploding, when Ashe called them both off. He didn't want this to backfire and have Ghidorah lose all his patience, snap, and scare the shit out of Reoz before he was ready. That would set them back a bit, and Reoz might have lost all of this confidence when it came time to use it on Ivalice. So Ashe decided to speed things up a bit, see where they were at.
"Reoz," Ashe said, to get his attention. "Let's try this."
[Ghidorah: 1 0/5 Reoz: 1 1/5 Ashe: 0 6/10
Intimidation 6 Hardy 3]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 22, 2020 20:48:06 GMT -6
Ashe led the corpse construct over toward where the white hen was laying, stretched out on the grass. The hens didn't do too much around the Estate, either, Ashe noticed. They were fat and happy little sluts, just waiting for a drake to pick one of them. Sometimes they would squabble amongst themselves over food and such things, but generally they were chill and relaxed. So it would take a little more than a basic pet to stir Ivalice up, Ashe thought. Hopefully Reoz had been taking notes the whole time while Ghidorah was fighting back. Key sounds and moves and other subtle body language.
But who was Ashe kidding? Reoz didn't pick up on things unless you nearly bashed his skull in first to get his attention. Ashe let out his breath in a sigh, not realizing he'd been holding it. No sense in him getting worked up about this so soon. "Reoz, try to scare her! See what you can do."
Reoz walked up to Ivalice. He looked extra disgusting, all dripping goop and torn rotting skin, next to her immaculate, shimmery, white skin. Ashe could see Iva wanted to get up and move away from the beast so she wouldn't be around him, but she hesitated, perhaps on the hope he would just pass on by.
[Ghidorah: 1 0/5-pause Ivalice: 0 1/5 Reoz: 1 2/5 Ashe: 0 7/10
Intimidation 7]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 22, 2020 21:01:28 GMT -6
As Reoz got closer, Ashe could see him actually trying to imitate the drake Sarane that had scared him. Except way downplayed, because Reoz wasn't that intuitive, or that scary beyond the disgusting level. He tried to make himself bigger, but he almost looked goofy instead of scary. Ashe had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at his attempt. And this caused Ivalice to hesitate even more, an actually stand still. She tilted her head to the side, considering, trying to figure out what this goofball was doing. Unfortunately, she didn't appear scared at all and she only wanted to know what was happening.
Reoz circled her, on the prowl. Why wasn't this working? It had worked last time without a hitch, the drake had backed down and even made a bunch of sounds. So why wasn't it working this time? Reoz was at a loss. All you had to do was walk toward them, and they would run away.. He was missing something here. He decided to try a move he'd seen Ghidorah use - lunging forward and snapping his jaws. He didn't come anywhere close to Iva, and the hen probably could have smacked him down had he been too close.
"Keep trying! Act a little scarier!" Ashe cheered him on.
[Ghidorah: 1 0/5-pause Ivalice: 0 2/5 Reoz: 1 3/5 Ashe: 0 8/10
Intimidation 8]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 22, 2020 21:07:04 GMT -6
This wasn't going the best, Ashe noticed, but he didn't want to throw in the towel for Reoz just yet. There was always the possibility that he might be able to figure it out for himself, and adapt in such a way that he could puzzle out how best to scare the hen. It was a long shot. But Ashe had seen longer shots be made...
The two seemed to have fallen into a stalemate. Reoz, of course, wasn't scary enough to intimidate the white hen. He didn't have the confidence Iva had decided he would need in order to pull this off - and often, pets didn't gain the confidence until he'd done it before. And he couldn't do it without having the confidence. And around and around we go.
Reoz tried walking forward, steady and sure. He held himself higher, but he still lacked...something. Something that almost came natural to creatures like Ghidorah. He would have to find it, bring it out, and use it if he was going to be able to scary the life out of his food.
Ivalice, meanwhile, wouldn't move a single foot as he approached, and she would actually snap at his haunches if he ever accidentally presented an opportunity.
[Ghidorah: 1 0/5-pause Ivalice: 0 3/5 Reoz: 1 4/5 Ashe: 0 9/10
Intimidation 9]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 23, 2020 2:51:34 GMT -6
Since it didn't seem to be working, Ashe called Reoz off. He just wasn't acting scary at all! Reoz shambled toward Ashe, leaving the hen alone, though he hesitated every few steps and glanced back at the hen. Ivalice watched him with wary eyes, but didn't pursue him. Ashe wasn't sure what he would do, Reoz or himself, if the hen decided to attack. Shamefully, he hadn't trained her anything yet really and she was her own creature. But he did have Ghidorah, and he could easily call on the drake to round up the hen if need be. Thankfully, anyway, Iva was one of the most docile of his hens to start with.
Reoz joined up with Ashe and together they approached Ghidorah. The large drake stood there, looking unimpressed and, as always, a little pissed off.
Didn't work, did it? he said smugly.
Ashe scowled at him. Considering you were supposed to help me train him, it sounds like you failed more than me. Couldn't even show him how it's done, or give him pointers.
Why would I?
Ashe rolled his eyes and gestured. Reoz was going to stay with him, while Ghidorah really showed him how it was done. Go get Ivalice to move to the other side of the clearing. Intimidate her into obedience, so Reoz can see where he failed. And hopefully he would be able to put two and two together....
Ghidorah snorted and headed toward Ivalice. At first, she didn't want to move, but he drew himself up to his full height and gave her a stare, that's all he had to do, to get her moving. She slunk away, only for him to follow her.
[Ghidorah: 1 0/5 Ivalice: 0 4/5 Reoz: 2 0/5 Ashe: 1 0/10
Intimidation 10]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 23, 2020 2:57:36 GMT -6
Ivalice didn't like being moved around like some Murp in a herd, but she didn't really have a choice. Ghidorah was a champion, he had defeated many other drakes, and he had the confidence to show for it. He wouldn't take no for an answer, and though he'd never hurt the hens, he was one that they were all respectful around. He had chosen a number of them to breed with, and even they, who knew how he treated hens and could go soft when he needed to, respected his wishes.
So she moved, too. He was quite intimidating, wasn't he? With that stare. Those fangs. Those muscles and claws. He could easily rip a hen a new one if he decided to. He moved after her, herding her, growling softly if she went the wrong way or if she didn't do it fast enough. He had her across the clearing in no time, and when he let off the pressure, Ivalice looked at him, then huffed a sigh and laid down. She liked to make it look like it had been her decision to move after all, and now she'd found the perfect spot to lay down.
Reoz watched this display, but Ashe wasn't sure how much he was going to be able to work out from it. Reoz wasn't the smartest, you couldn't exactly hear the gears turning in that brain of his - did he have his own, or was it whatever he ate? If the latter, maybe he just needed to eat a Tat Lung... - but hopefully... Ashe crossed his fingers as he called Ghidorah back over.
[Ghidorah: 1 1/5 Ivalice: 1 0/5 Reoz: 2 1/5 Ashe: 1 1/10
Intimidation 11]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 23, 2020 3:02:20 GMT -6
Ghidorah walked over to Ashe obediently, overly pleased with himself for making that poor hen move. What a bully. He came to a stop in front of them, about ten to fifteen paces off. He didn't want to get too close, because he didn't want to. But also he figured he'd be standing in front of the corpse helping Ashe train it, and he couldn't do that if he was close enough to be kissing it. Why did he have to do this training anyway, wasn't that Ashe's job...
Thank you. Alright, he's seen how you do it. Now I want you to intimidate him again. Maybe something will click, since he'd seen it work on someone other than him
Gladly. Of course Ghidorah would love to intimidate this nasty piece of flesh! He shifted his weight so he was drawn up on all four limbs and arched his head high, proud and confident. He looked as if he thought the entire world was nothing more than fodder for his success. As he turned his gaze onto the corpse, Reoz felt the power behind it, he felt the urge to back off. So he did. He even instinctively lowered his head and took a step back. But Ashe didn't want that!
[Ghidorah: 1 2/5 Ivalice: 1 0/5 - pause Reoz: 2 2/5 Ashe: 1 2/10
Intimidation 12 Hardy 4]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 23, 2020 3:11:30 GMT -6
Ashe wanted Reoz to fight back. Maybe he should have trained him to accept being in scary creatures' presences first, gotten him used to that, then he wouldn't have to worry about the future master cowering before the current teacher.
"Come on, Reoz! Be scary! Push back, push through him, you can do it!" Ashe moved around to the other side of Ghidorah, careful to stay out of range of those wings or the tail. Not that Ghidorah would dare attack him, and would never want to hurt him, things could go awry in the heat of the moment. Reoz looked a little startled to see Ashe over there, instead of with him, and when Ashe started using his name and holding up treats, Reoz decided he had to try to go through the Drake to get to Ashe, to get to the food. He tried to ignore the instinct that told him to get away from the monster in front of him, and he took a couple of steps forward. But the pressure Ghidorah was putting on him felt like a weight; from his stare to his posture, Ghidorah emanated a 'threat'. He was threatening Reoz to try him, threatening him to not just stand there, threatening him to come closer.
[Ghidorah: 1 3/5 Ivalice: 1 0/5 - pause Reoz: 2 3/5 Ashe: 1 3/10
Intimidation 13 Hardy 5]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 23, 2020 3:19:59 GMT -6
Ghidorah wasn't entirely on board with Reoz trying to push his way through like that, and he leaned forward, his gaze boring holes into Reoz's skull. The corpse construct wasn't bright enough to know the full extent of the danger he was in - he could be crispy barbecue in a second if Ghidorah so wished it - but every instinctual fiber in him was screaming at him to stop. But the urge for food was a little bit stronger, and he took another step and then another. Ashe had a whole slab of meat in his hand now; at some point, he had run back to the bags he had and pulled it out for extra motivation. If it wasn't for the continued mental conversation between man and Sarane, Ghidorah would have whipped around and grabbed it up himself, it smelled that good.
Don't give him that, give it to me, he was saying.
You'll get it, don't worry, I have to make him jealous. Just keep going, stare him down, lunge forward if you have to. But don't touch him, whatever you do! The last part, Ashe said with all the mental firmness he could muster. His own form of intimidation, in fact. He was a tiny human, he needed to make up for it with bluffs.
[Ghidorah: 1 4/5 Ivalice: 1 0/5 - pause Reoz: 2 4/5 Ashe: 1 4/10
Intimidation 14 Hardy 6]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 23, 2020 3:24:13 GMT -6
The piece of meat was hanging there, waiting for him. He just had to go for it. Ghidorah, however, was faster, and he blocked his way at every step. Reoz was getting frustrated with food on the line, and he started to snarl and snap at the Drake, who was always just out of reach. Once, Ghidorah lunged forward and snapped at his leg. Reoz pulled his leg out of the way and whipped his tails around to smack him in retaliation. His tails managed to miss the Sarane, as he was too slow to land a blow like that, but it was giving him the confidence boost that he needed. He wasn't as powerless as Ghidorah had made him feel - he could fight back! He could and he would. He stepped forward another step. Ashe was getting closer. But Ghidorah let out a roar and charged him. It was only two steps or so, but Reoz lost some ground because of it. And when he lost the ground, Ashe... gave the Sarane the slab of meat?! How could he? Reoz watched as the Sarane gulped it down without ceremony, as if he was given those all the time, as if the human fed him that great on a regular basis! Reoz, no matter how much he ate, was always hungry...
[Ghidorah: 2 0/5 Ivalice: 1 0/5 - pause Reoz: 3 0/5 Ashe: 1 5/10
Intimidation 15 Hardy 7]
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Post by Ashe on Oct 23, 2020 3:29:12 GMT -6
Alright, now he was pissed. Why did the Sarane get the piece of meat and he didn't? This was only amplified when Ashe pulled out another steak slab and made sure he could see and smell it. He was standing so close to the Sarane, what if that great beast got to eat that one, too? Ashe stepped closer to Ghidorah just to make him mad. And it worked.
He was mad enough that he charged forward himself, making loud gurgling and bone snapping noises at the Sarane. He couldn't roar like the drake could, after all. He was more pissed and desperate for the food than he was scared of that beast now, and he was going to show it! Ghidorah was startled, not scared - he would like that point made very clear to his Master Ashe. He didn't want the man trying to sully his reputation. It was bad enough Iva was able to witness all of this.
In the end of this small struggle for power, Reoz actually broke free past Ghidorah. The Sarane side stepped and allowed him to reach Ashe, and the man actually had to throw the steak at Reoz and run and duck behind Ghidorah, lest he get trampled by an overexcited zombie puppy dog.
[Ghidorah: 2 1/5 Ivalice: 1 0/5 - pause Reoz: 3 1/5 Ashe: 1 6/10
Intimidation 16 Hardy 8]
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