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Post by Xentus on Mar 2, 2020 21:36:20 GMT -6
 
Azhal x Corbis
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Post by Xentus on Mar 3, 2020 21:58:52 GMT -6
> Xentus, accompanied by...
 Xio, the Trod (and the kairfuryoo)
Ah well, this was certainly different than anything he'd done before. The leopard finished sorting and filling in the paper work, turning it in to the receptionist all the while still trying to figure out the what and why of whatever he was getting himself into. It was primarily Xio's idea, even if he was the one who took the time busily arranging this all. The Trod had a fondness for animals, watching and caring for the menagerie he kept at the kennel. It was especially fond of the smaller ones. It was around them that the droid even spoke, showing a side of its personality that he never would've thought a robot could have. It had pondered about the idea of rearing young and caring for the tiny baby beasts, showing a keen interest in the orbaru and kairfuryoo. Well, other people's kairfuryoos. Azhal was a new addition to his assembly, and one that Xio greatly appreciated.
The Trod waited patiently while keeping a steady hand on the leads attached to the bird-like gremlins. It cooed very quietly to the orange one, Azhal, who was trilling and chirping quite loudly at the sterile environment of the waiting room. The other one, Corbis, was a creature not his own. She was borrowed from Jack, the leopard's mining partner, who was gracious enough to lend the beast for courtship in exchange for one of its young. A fine arrangement for the leopard. He didn't really want to have too many of these waist high egg fiends around. Despite being a new addition, Azhal showed his talents already by collecting a bunch of smooth, egg shaped rocks in its enclosure.. Mostly because Xio didn't have the heart to take the rocks away during morning time exercise outings. And the robot didn't want to upset the creature by ridding it of its proudly obtained clutch.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 3, 2020 22:16:53 GMT -6
With the paperwork sorted out, the leopard was given the go-ahead to occupy one of the breeding rooms or a plot in the yard. A small tag was handed to him in exchange for the papers as a way to notify any employees or guests that he'd been allowed to be there. Xentus simply went with it, thanking the receptionist and heading back to his robot.
"Let us take a room, Xio", he plainly told the driod, beckoning it to follow after him. It nodded, red eyes gleaming under the fluorescent lights, and followed after its master. Xentus typically let the droid manage any matters it had to attend to competently on its own volition. The mental link between them was rarely used. Somehow, it felt odd taking control over something that had its own personality and desires. Even if it was simply a program. He could appreciate the servitude it provided without having to force it to do so.
The two waist high egg gremlins followed after the robot on their leads. They took to squabbling at each other, grabbing at tails (many to choose from between themselves, the robot, and the leopard) to occupy their claws, and pulling at the leads every so often whenever their attention was taken by whatever fascinating thing they saw. Azhal took the prize for tail-grabber, taking hold of the metallic Trod tail, his own, as well as the leopard's. It squawked happily at its achievement, as if to gloat to Corbis. The black kairfuryoo tried to take the tails away, pecking at the orange arms of its mate. Xentus peeked over his shoulder at the commotion, wondering if this was normal behavior for these creatures.. He hadn't gotten much time to study them before moving forward with this breeding thing. Certainly he would get all the more time to get to know them though!
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 1:16:27 GMT -6
While walking to a suitable, unoccupied room, the leopard took the time to think about these creatures in his company. Off the top of his head, he knew only two things about kairfuryoo. The first, was that they really enjoyed taking care of eggs. For whatever reason, they obsessively collected, nurtured, warmed, and loved eggs of all kinds. It mattered not if the eggs were their own or stolen from some poor mother's nest. Even egg shaped rocks did not escape their care. Which would explain Azhal's collection of stones. He wasn't exactly sure what would drive them to have such a behavior.. It wasn't a modified prey drive, otherwise they would eat whatever they collected. It wasn't much of a parental care drive either, as they abandoned hatchlings. It didn't really make any sense..
The second thing he knew about kairfuryoo was that they were extremely intelligent. They could garner some rough understanding of language, and even if they may not be able to speak themselves, they definitely could communicate their desires. Even if those desires were typically egg-centric. Sometimes, thinking about the wit of beasts made him question the morality of keeping them as pets or servants.. Even the relationship between himself and the Trod was one that made him slightly uneasy. He knew for certain that he was its master and it obeyed. Did it want to though..? Who was he to say. Perhaps the artificial personality programmed within wouldn't allow anything against his wishes. And, even considering it had no true will of its own, he felt the need to make it happy.. He went with that, and didn't try to strain his brain further regarding that subject. With the case of the kairfuryoo, it was the same kind of vein. But, he did take solace in the fact that the egg goblins didn't seem unwilling to follow after his (or the robot's) lead.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 1:37:11 GMT -6
Ah, perhaps he would have just go with his original intent on observing the behavior of these creatures. That might put his mind at rest. Sentient beings and their roles was such a touchy subject, even if it was one he thought of within the confines of his own mind. The thoughts wandered, considering the Talkesh and magic wiurn in his care. The three headed creature was one he considered as a companion, rather than something he outright owned. It was a beast that demanded respect. And yet, he still thought of it as a beast. He hoped that wasn't wrong of him. As for the wiurn.. He left that creature to its own devices most of the time. It enjoyed its mind games and teasing a bit too much at times, even if he was fond of it.
With a shake of his head, the leopard tried to bring his focuse back on reality. Xio internally was slightly concerned for the leopard, though did nothing to voice it. The droid could feel bits of pieces of the leopard's emotions through their brain-link, even if it was currently autonomous. It felt his confusion and moral dilemma. Perhaps it wouldn't know why, but somehow, with the information of its master being distraught, it thought to distract the feline somehow.. An empty room. They had been walking through these sterile white halls aiming for a room, and yet, had passed many perfectly empty ones. The leopard seemed too deep within his thoughts to notice.
A tap on his shoulder alerted the leopard, looking up and out of his haze finally. The white droid stopped and pointed at an unoccupied play room. It was likely intended for orbaru, but it had toys and entertainment that would suit the kairfuryoos just fine.
"Ah, good eye, Xio. This room should do", he sheepishly said with a nod to the robot.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 1:52:07 GMT -6
The Trod opened the door and led the two kairfuryoo inside, soon followed by the leopard. Xentus placed the tag on the door, then locked it behind him, closing it with a click. The play room was thankfully a bit more colorful than the white hall way. The floor was carpeted and plush, swirling in a pastel green and yellow pattern that roughly resembled grass. The walls were painted with a childish outdoors scene, featuring a bright blue sky, some fluffy white clouds, trees, bushes, and a sun with a smiley face. The floor was littered with an arrangement of toys, as suitable for small children as they were for animals. It seemed rather appropriate for the egg goblins, seeing as they likely were on par with the behavior of kids. The two creatures hushed their squabbling for once upon entering the room. They seemed to be enamored by the variety of things to play with in here.
"Let them off the leads, Xio. It should be fine for them to play in here", Xentus decided with an affirmative nod after examining the area. There was no way out aside from the way in, and the two of them would be keeping watch in case the two birds happened to not get along. He had no real worry about that though. There had been some mild feather pulling and pecking, but it seemed to be more playful than malicious.
As requested, the robot released the creatures from the leashes and watched as they started to roam about this new surrounding. Azhal sounded some careful and curious squawks as he examined a children's slide. Corbis took to searching through the various toys in search of anything round enough to pass off as an egg, presumably. Now that they were free from the short leads, they were much more interested in exploring instead of each other.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 2:08:14 GMT -6
"Curious creatures, aren't they?", Xentus commented to the droid as he found a cutesy plastic chair to sit on. He simply received a nod in reply as the robot followed suit and found itself a chair. The both of them were a little awkwardly seated, large imposing bodies perched atop small simple chairs likely designed for for beings without tails. They both made due with what was available. The mammalian shifted in his place until he was comfortable, long tail swirling around his lap and dangling down to the floor. The robot was a little less graceful, sitting far up on the seat and letting its tail drape up and over the backing. The leopard smirked at the sight, holding in a chuckle. Could a robot prefer sitting over standing? Or was this part of its programming? Ah, he shouldn't think about it too much. Xio was as much as a companion as it was a servant.
"What do you think of them, Xio? Xentus hopes they get along just fine", the leopard asked curiously to the droid, his eyes shifting between the two kairfuryoo. Looked like Corbis found a nicely sized ball to take care of in place of an egg. She was now gathering any kind of stringy toy, presumably to make a nest. Azhal watched her jealously from his perch atop the slide, making a clicking noise with his beak for some reason. Xentus guessed it was to draw the black one's attention, but she really didn't pay any mind to him.
"... Entertaining", the reply came from the Trod after a moment watching the birds, the androgynous voice slowly deciding upon the word to use. It was rare that the white robot ever really spoke. It usually took some prompting to get a verbal reply from the machine, or just the right scenario to get that voice module going.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 2:37:18 GMT -6
Sometimes, he wondered why the droid didn't seem to like speaking. At no point did he choose what kind of personality the thing had.. Heck, he didn't even have a manual for it. He'd simply been shot in the brain, told to enjoy his new droid, and was off on his merry way. At the time, he had no complaints about the process. But nowadays, he wished he knew a bit more about the thing.. Perhaps it would be something garnered with time. Aside from its servitude keeping his kennel tidy and the occasional shopping errand, he hadn't really spent quality time with Xio. He had some hope this breeding venture would result in some robot-master bonding. If that was even a thing. But, if it was better off being the silent watcher of the keep, that was fine too.
Corbis succeeded in making herself a string and cord nest, deciding on settling near the slide as per Azhal's demands. The orange kairfuryoo seemed to be pleased with himself, squatting atop the plastic slide is if he were king over the playpen. His green eyes sometimes glanced at the ball Corbis was sitting on, seeming to devise some means of taking it as his own. There were other balls around that he could've chosen, but it seemed the best one to pick was the one which was already taken. Was it possible that the two could perhaps... Share the ball? Xentus watched carefully, ready to step in should a fight break out between the to over who got to warm the ball. Xio seemed rather intent on the matter as well, leaning in and watching closely.
"This one knows they are but strangers to each other, but he does not want a fight to happen between them", the leopard warily commented to the droid, intent on sparking some conversation.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 2:54:34 GMT -6
"... It would be unfortunate", the droid carefully replied, seeming to thoughtfully consider its masters words, "I will assist them."
And with that, the Trod stood and went over to the birds, finding a ball on its way over. Xentus raised a brow at its actions, but had no complaints. He didn't mean for the droid to go over and trouble itself with preventing any kind of fight.. But he could see how it could've interpreted his words that way. Whether it was the desire to serve or its own decision to play peacemaker, he couldn't tell. It could've been a mix of both as well. The robot had a particular fondness for the company of creatures. Watching over a kennel did that, he guessed, for he had the same kind of drive as well. From his point of view though, a little lovers quarrel between the two egg gremlins would've have necessarily been entirely a bad thing. It established boundaries and showed where one individual would draw the line. But it would be inconvenient if the fight ended up being much more serious. A bit counter intuitive for the purposes of trying to mate the two things.
Xio carefully approached the orange kairfuryoo, showing the ball in a manner that was more secretive than direct. It was its attempt to distract the creature from its growing jealousy of Corbis and it seemed to be working. An interested trill emanated from the bird as it craned its neck to try to get a better view of what the trod was hiding. The black kairfuryoo's attention was split between watching Azhal and warming her ball. She was wary of the male trying something funny to make off with her egg.. But the heroic white thing seemed to distract him. Her feathers puffed up, tail wrapping around the ball in a feeble effort to incubate it.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 16:40:28 GMT -6
Watching comfortably from his perch atop the plastic chair, the leopard pondered just exactly what his role here served. Was he supposed to supervise, and not interfere with whatever naturally occurs between the breeding pair? Or was he to kindle any fondness between them? Given that this was his first experience with such a thing, he really was clueless as to what even do. A furrowed brow made his mild frustration evident. It really wasn't that entertaining, at least compared to the fun of taming the giant beasts he preferred. Combating against a wiurn intent on gnashing its teeth on your face was thrilling. Sitting in a playpen for egg goblins.. Had its own kind of thrill, he supposed. Just not one that he cared for.
Meanwhile, Xio embraced the ideal of playing cupid for the avian creatures. It was already successful in garnering the orange one's attention and preventing any kind of scuffle. The droid teased the ball's presence, carefully watching Azhal's curious face for the right moment to relinquish ownership to them. The kairfuryoo trilled eagerly, almost desperately wanting the ball for himself. Whatever driving force caused these creatures to care for round objects was in full force. Soon, its little grabby claws scratched up against the metallic body of the droid, sounding light clinks with every tap. Now. Xio pretended to fumble the secret ball directly into the creature's clutches.
Azhal let out a victorious chirp! The ball was his, safely secured in his clutches. His green eyes then peered over the edge of the slide to Corbis, who was intently watching. Whether or not the creature wanted to strike jealousy or prove that it could steal eggs well was hard to tell. The black kairfuryoo seemed to gather her thoughts about this herself. Her opinion was left unvoiced and instead she doubled down on fluffing up her feathers.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 17:08:24 GMT -6
"Well done, Xio", the leopard cheekily praised the droid from his seat. His thoughts bounced around between deciding what exactly to do here and whether or not he should've been helping Xio out. The Trod seemed to have it under control though. It would certainly be much more entertaining to play with the two egg gremlins to help get them accustomed to each other.. Ah, seemed like the best course of action anyway. Figuring out what to do or how long it would take looked like questions that would be answered as he went about this activity. He settled with the idea that he could treat this akin to familiarity training, but instead of familiarizing the creature with himself, he'd have to branch that out to another beast as well. Which didn't sound like it would take an overwhelming amount of effort. And the droid was certainly ahead of the game on this.
After making his decision, Xentus too rose from his comfortable plastic chair and found what he thought would be a good toy to use; a mouse attached to a string on a stick. These things looked like they would probably eat or hunt mice. He wasn't really sure. Xio did a lot of the care taking, which included handling feeding time. So he wasn't exactly sure if mice were interesting enough to gather their attention.. Well, if they weren't, he'd be just fine with trying something else.
The birds seemed to be perfectly happy, each with their own nesting spot and each with their own egg to care for. They didn't seem too particularly interested in each other or sharing a space any closer than what had now been established. Time to shake it up. Xio stepped back and observed as its master started to fling the mouse toy around Corbis. What was that feline doing?
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 17:35:57 GMT -6
Briefly, the intent to stop whatever the leopard was planning on crossed the possible array of actions the robot would take.. Yet, the trod stood back and did nothing. Surely, whatever its master had thought to do would be the best. It would watch, observe, and learn. And so it witnessed as the leopard crouched down and teasingly wiggled the mouse before Corbis.. And then watched an angry beak peck at the hand, a squawk from the black bird accompanying the action. Xentus recoiled from the surprise more than any pain the peck caused. A puzzled look crossed his muzzle, unsure of what he even did wrong. Did these birds not like to play? Did he give them the wrong toy? Being unfamiliar with the species, their body language was amazingly hard to read. Paired with the fact they were incredibly intelligent, it was even more difficult to figure out what was going through that complex mind. The leopard sat there scratching his head, trying to figure out what to do here exactly. His blue eyes peeked up to Xio, who was returning the glance. Not judgingly so, but more curiously. Or so he felt. The robotic face was just as difficult to read as the beaked things. ".. Is assistance required?", it tentatively asked as their gazes met. Xio came to realize that its master wasn't quite well versed with these creatures, despite all the effort the leopard went through to set up this arrangement. It knew a thing or two after watching Azhal for the week or so it had been since the bird came into its care. It was no expert, but perhaps it could extend its knowledge to its master. After a moment of deliberation, the leopard silently nodded, then scooted back to see just how the robot handled these little goblins.11
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 20:37:16 GMT -6
The white trod returned its attention back to the black kairfuryoo after its master nodded. It seemed to enjoy offering its help, even if the leopard was reluctant to take it at times. No matter. It would demonstrate what it knew of these creatures and satisfy the request. Xio picked up the dropped mouse toy and instead of teasing Corbie with it, it instead offered the stick end to her. Even though Xentus had thought it through himself that these creatures were quite intelligent, he didn't seem to fully grasp the scope of that concept until he watched as the bird took the stick and began flinging the mouse about. She trilled happily, finding amusement in the robot being the cat who chased after the rat. A cheery sounding hum emanated from the robot as it played. There was no shame in being the beast for the sake of making friendly with one.
Ever so jealously, Azhal watched from over the handles of the slide he was perched atop and made his wishes known with a squawk. The egg-ball was insignificant at this point. He wanted a turn with the toy now! The orange kairfuryoo dove down the slide and hobbled over to the robot's side, then crouched in mimicry. Noticing this, Xio scooted over to allow the creature some space to participate, watching carefully as Azhal's little claws did their best to grab the mouse to take the toy for himself. Corbis in turn swatted the plush rodent around almost violently, like a child who knew no such thing as restraint. It smacked the metallic droid with a soft thump, then struck the orange egg goblin across the beak. The black one took glee in this it seemed, and subsequently ran away from the crime scene with a series of clucks escaping her beak.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 21:29:01 GMT -6
Xentus couldn't help but to laugh at the sight of the events unfolding before him. Somehow, he felt a little less discouraged about getting pecked at, seeing just how finicky and flamboyant the little gremlins could be. Squawking, Ahzal followed after the black kairfuryoo, feathers fluffed and in a huff. It seemed to be playful enough, or so the leopard hoped. Xio did nothing but observe, seeing no reason to interfere with the frolicking between the two. If the droid was fine with this behavior, he supposed he would be too. The feline sat with his legs crossed on the plush carpet floor, his long fluffy tail wrapping around to settle cozily atop his lap.
"This one sees what you mean by these creatures being entertaining", Xentus laughed, blue eyes tracking after the loud bright orange one. Gradually, he could see the appeal in having one of these bird gremlins as a companion. They were certainly different from the other beasts he kept. Much more... Self aware? He supposed. They grasped certain concepts (such as being the puppet master behind a mouse on a stick) and could be clearly jealous.. And had desires a bit more complex than eating and surviving. The whole egg thing still baffled him though. He tried not to think of it too hard.
Corbis nearly made a lap around the room before she tripped over an orbaru plush laying on the floor. It sent her face first into the soft carpet, no matter the amount of arm flapping she attempted before going down. The mouse toy went flying, and a few loosed feathers floated in the air. A sound that sounded a bit like wailing came from the poor black bird. Alarmed, the leopard started to get up and over there to help, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 4, 2020 22:24:22 GMT -6
The leopard gave a confused glance to the glove-like hand that stopped him from helping the poor little kairfuryoo out. His eyes traveled up the arm and to an expressionless face, whos eyes met his own before pointing to the pair of birds. Following suit, the feline's gaze watched as the orange male headed not to the toy he sought after, but to the black female on the floor. He gently nuzzled her neck with his beak, crouching over to do so, a soft chitter escaping his throat. Azhal seemed to be concerned for Corbis, making his best effort to ensure that she was okay after her tumble. His little claws gently helped her up, then once she seemed situated, he went over to retrieve the toy that had went flying away.
Corbis, despite having a beak, looked like she was pouting. It was oddly cute. And what was cuter was the return of Azhal, presenting her with the mouse on a stick. It immediately cheered the black little bird up. She happily took the stick end and waved it around, watching the mouse sail through the air under her control. And play time resumed like nothing had ever happened. The mouse wielding kairfuryoo was chased around the room as its mate followed after it, picking back up where they left off.
A wave of relief washed over the leopard as he settled in to observe the birds once more. "They are like children", he commented, a small smile curling up on his muzzle. The statement made him feel ever worse that these beings were kept locked up in the kennel. They were definitely much more interesting than he gave them credit for. And proving yet again that their intelligence was surprisingly keen. He made mental notes of their behavior as he watched on.
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Oct 30, 2024 11:03:36 GMT -6
Oct 30, 2024 11:03:36 GMT -6
This song is one of the most common culprits for me, lol
Oct 23, 2024 13:48:09 GMT -6
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This song is one of the most common culprits for me, lol
Oct 23, 2024 13:48:09 GMT -6
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