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Post by Morgan on Oct 20, 2019 14:23:58 GMT -6
Morgan had to admit that their lack of understanding exactly what was going on with the magic was... Dangerous. It had already caused a severe and costly venture unequivocally. What happened with Waar was not something that Morgan could ever hope to regain their self-respect from, probably ever. Morgan had entered adulthood with a sort of glee. Sure, they had always taken care of theirself as a youngster, but being able to do things that had been held behind the gate of adulthood (which Morgan had easily climbed countless times before, nothing held them back) still brought a bit of excitement.
That foolhardiness, the ten-foot-tall-and-bulletproof that came with it, had lead Morgan to repeated follies. Morgan had to start paying for their mistakes, with the addition of earnestly trying to do better. Regardless of whether Morgan could manage to regain the finest modicum of respect from theirself, they had to make an attempt. One morning, Morgan takes young Millicent, riding begrudgingly in their breast pocket with her arms crossed, out with them while they started the morning feeding of all of the beings that belonged to the Estate.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 20, 2019 14:36:57 GMT -6
Morgan steps into Waar's barn, and watches as he instinctively sits up, watching Morgan perhaps spiritually (if one believed in that) before even opening his gleaming green eyes. The human gently scolds him, 'no bites', feeling his desire to snap crankily before they even do. Then Morgan quickly presses the button that would release the meat; a brand new young galabex doe, into Waar's feeding trough. He pays it no mind, taking the no-bites very literally. The drake may be very sleepy, but Morgan was bright eyed. Too bright, their own hazel eyes glowing more green than the typical amber hue that typically lit like a flame when sunlight hit them. It was still dark outside, and cool. Morgan made sure that the mechanism that provided the drake water was properly filling and reacting to keep it cool, and then they nodded to Waar, letting him know that he could eat, before leaving the barn and closing it up.
Millicent had been shaking in their breast pocket, but it was probably the cold air. Millicent had spent the entire time glaring at the big drake, as if daring him to try anything. Morgan chuckled at her pouting. Children.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 20, 2019 14:43:42 GMT -6
It would be a long time before Millicent, a new acquisition technically- but Morgan referred to her in their head as an 'adoption'. She was intelligent, but not like the tat-lungs. She didn't need someone to serve her, she needed a parent. Morgan wasn't ready for that, but neither were those that accidentally had children, or at the very least weren't planning for them. Morgan had, however, planned for this, once they realized that they could (ahem) adopt her. She didn't have much life experience, Morgan had been told, so she would have to be taught as a young child would. 'She is a young child.' Morgan remembered thinking. A very small young child. Thumbelina, Morgan thought, like in the stories. Or Tom Thumb. She was just a really small kid, and needed to be treated as a person. That was important.
That was when Morgan decided to give her their last name.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 20, 2019 14:51:19 GMT -6
Morgan knew that their father would approve. He had been adamant about his beliefs about the young sprites, he studied them, and did research on how people tended to chose to take care of them. He was constantly specific that people should be treating them as children, humanoid children, instead of animals. For most folks, it seemed to be between. Morgan hadn't specifically originally ever considered bringing any sort of child into their life, be it form their body, or a harachiu. However, Millicent was special. There was something about Millicent... Morgan always screwed things up. Maybe, maybe they could do this one right?
Morgan held their hand up to where Millicent could easily see it, and then spoke in common as well as Labs Sign Language. "You would not be so cold if you took the jacket I tried to give you. Will you take it now?" At this, Morgan picked up the tiny jacket from their pocket, made specifically for Millicent. "It will fit over your clothes, Millicent." They held it near the tiny sprite, and she scrunched up her nose and crossed her arms harder.
Well, at least she was in Morgan's pocket, so she wasn't going to freeze to death.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 20, 2019 15:00:28 GMT -6
Morgan remembered, several years ago, sitting beneath the big full-moon maple in their front yard during the spring. Their father had been siting beneath them, technically, since they were sitting in his lap, and he was reading Morgan a story. The story was actually a thick tome about biology, but Morgan didn't mind. He had his big arms around Morgan's tiny frail body, and had the book sat on Morgan's knees as they were reading. It was a nice day, just beginning to warm up after a really cold winter, Morgan remembered. The smell of the air was nice, it was one of the first things that brought Morgan there in their head and heart when the spring came.
Morgan remembered hearing a commotion, and the two looked over at a young kid, easily half Morgan's own age, fighting against his mother about putting on his shoes. Morgan had never really had the strength to fight like that, but they remembered wondering why the boy was fighting so hard over something so small.
Now Morgan realized that it was just a kid thing. Millicent would eventually put on the jacket, they knew. Whenever she got really cold. Morgan gently put the jacket in their other breast pocket, to give to her whenever she asked. Millicent may not understand what Morgan was saying, but she did seem to understand rudimentary movements cleverly.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 24, 2019 16:48:16 GMT -6
Morgan kept that in mind as they continued. Millicent would have to be worked with extensively since she was as old as she was without understanding language. That would make it difficult to teach any child about language, and Millicent would be no different. Morgan would work with her just as they did with the tat-lungs, without the benefit of a ring to speak to her with. "Millicent, just tell me when you get cold." Morgan said and signed, pointing to theirself afterward to drive home the point. Millicent just rode in Morgan's pocket with her arms crossed, but she was more cuddled into the pocket for warmth now. Morgan was patient. After feeding Waar, it was time to go make sure that the tat-lungs were getting their breakfast well enough. They tended to take care of theirself plenty well enough, but that didn't keep Morgan from visiting them several times a day.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 24, 2019 16:51:39 GMT -6
And visit they did, but not before Morgan walked across the frosted grass that was in fact the first frost of the year this early in the morning. It would warm up decently around noon, Morgan just knew. However, at the moment, the grass looked more like painted frosted glass, and it crunched beneath Morgan's boots. Millicent couldn't help but notice, standing on her tippy toes to check, that Morgan's 'huge' boots left marks in the grass where they melted the frost off of it. She sat back down in Morgan's pocket. Millicent didn't particularly want to do this, but she did love to see the outside. She didn't get to see it a lot before, and it was very different! She wasn't expecting it to be this cold though, admittedly. She looks out from the pocket over the outside, and ignored Morgan otherwise. She wasn't sure if she liked Morgan yet at all.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 24, 2019 17:06:06 GMT -6
Morgan was pretty sure that they knew that Millicent wasn't going to warm up to them for a long time. That was fine, as long as she was okay. That was what worried Morgan the most, perhaps. What kind of life had she lived before now? Morgan hadn't been told. She seemed to be more than okay physically, not a blemish on any part of her, nor a scar. She was all in one piece after all, and young. However, not all scars laid on the surface, and Morgan knew that well enough without having to think much about it. Harachiu were pretty much small people. Did she live with other harachiu, or was she all alone? Was she accustomed to human interaction, or what? Morgan felt at the very least like Millicent was well adjusted acting, and that was good. Morgan did not expect her to like them right away. Maybe not even ever.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 24, 2019 17:12:23 GMT -6
Even if Millicent never really wound up warming up to Morgan, Morgan knew several different things. One of them is that Millicent had to be protected, and Harachiu was they are aren't able to protect themselves or even really feed theirselves in the actual wild. Morgan knew that based on their size, they were just too small to deal with that sort of danger. Morgan couldn't help but wonder where they come from, and how they live the way that they do, somewhere out there. Morgan knew that Millicent needed to learn as much as she could, and of course most importantly, she needed to learn how to communicate. That would allow he to make her needs more known than what Morgan would otherwise know by watching her movements. The pair make their way to the brook, which is kept artificially warm, and look down to see the beautiful butterfly-finned form of Domino.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 24, 2019 17:16:12 GMT -6
Morgan could hear the minute voice of Millicent, as soft and high-pitched as a bird, gasp from their shirt pocket. "Oh, huh? You see Domino?" Morgan said, and signed. Then they pointed down to the swimming form of the seryn, perhaps just as intelligent in her silver eyes as Millicent was in her own eyes. "Domino." Morgan repeated, this time pointing down to the seryn instead. Millicent largely ignored this, and stared down with eyes filled with wonder about the creature. "It's good to know that you like Domino." Morgan said, proudly. Domino looked up at the pair, or well, Mostly at Morgan since Millicent was so small that it took her a moment to notice her. At that, Morgan tilted over the food pail that they had brought for Domino, and Domino quickly began gathering the food. Morgan was pleased, and the pair watched Domino eat.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 31, 2019 20:28:26 GMT -6
Perhaps, over time, Morgan would be able to fix the issues that they continued to create. It was simple, really. The simplest solution was usually the easiest one, but not always the correct one. That was what complicated it, a tad. Sure, Morgan had a hunch that all things were interconnected. Many things melded to create certain outputs, and certain things all came together to one point and then diverged again. Most things could be found at once source. That was what Morgan thought of as they looked down to the dancing spotty form of the butterfly-like fish. Millicent, on the other hand, thought of other things. She was not in any way simple. In some ways, she would prove to be far more complex than Morgan tended to be mentally. However; she was currently simply enjoying the spotty looks of the strange fish, and they way it's silver eyes reminded her of her own eyes. Intelligence. Ah.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 31, 2019 20:33:28 GMT -6
It didn't take long for finally, Millicent to reach out to the tiny jacket, and put it on herself. She did it with such quietness and delicateness that Morgan could scarcely feel her stir in the breast pocket. The tiny harachiu was now quite a bit warmer, but still shivered. She didn't dare get too much closer to Morgan's chest to get any of Morgan's warmth, mostly because she was far too proud for that. She was already back to sulking a bit that she had accepted this much help at the moment. Finally, after all of the food was collected, Domino swam back to her own hideout beneath the bridge, her own curiosity was sated by staring at the tiny human. Domino had decided that she was but a fry, perhaps a human fry, and it didn't even really register to anyone of course how wrong she was. How would anyone know the mind of even a sentient fish?
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Post by Morgan on Oct 31, 2019 20:52:24 GMT -6
That was the biggest thing that Morgan would eventually kick theirself over. Sure, they had been interested in studying sentient creatures, but it became a little more than that over time. Morgan couldn't imaging being without their family of beings now. They were all interconnected, and Morgan was immensely lonely for so long... Why had they not done this before? Morgan backed up, glanced down to check on Millicent. Aha! She was wearing the jacket! Morgan tried really hard not to look smug, but they felt a little smug. Yes, that was what Morgan had said. It was too cold for her to be refusing extra clothing. Hopefully she would get used to it over time? Still, as soon as Millicent noticed that Morgan was looking at her, she frowned and crossed her arms in a 'hmph' manner. Morgan suppressed the start of a chuckle, and then stepped across the small decorative bridge the rest of the way.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 31, 2019 20:58:11 GMT -6
The bridge was one of Morgan's favorite parts about their estate; it was a delicate personal touch that they had made. Every once in a while, they tried to add something personal to the large estate. Morgan had lived here their whole life. It was theirs, the Estate's fibers interwove in Morgan's own fibers in some ways. However, it sometimes felt like it was never truly theirs. Would they have moved out had their father lived? To go find a flat on the town, perhaps even a penthouse, to live in? Or would they have lived their with their father until he passed of old age? Perhaps it never was Morgan's home, only borrowed. It helped the healing process to add small personal touches to the big house. Sometimes, it felt terribly empty. Morgan refused to acknowledge this, and would still not do so. Still, Morgan was happy to be able to provide homes for others. Circumstances of Birth had no bearing on their thoughts for them.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 31, 2019 21:03:35 GMT -6
That was the most important part really. Morgan always had a hunch, a strange suspicion, about the tat-lungs and other such beings. Sentient. There had to be something that differed Nico with Domino, and those two with even Seimei. Morgan had to think about everything as deeply as possible; what made them subservient in the Lab's eyes? Was it only that they were created in the Labs? Was that the only thing? Harachiu were not made by the labs, correct? The circumstances of one's birth were pointless to be concerned about in all honesty, according to Morgan. Sentients were sentients, and they were very happy to be able to give a home without worry of hunger or danger to all of these lovely beings. Morgan finally had made it to the nightingale porch of the Inn. Immediately, Morgan gently open the door, and stepped in carefully while closing it behind them. It was much warmer in here, Morgan hoped to teach Millicent about taking on and off clothes depending on temperature needs.
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