|
Post by Jack on Jun 9, 2020 20:58:28 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Jun 9, 2020 21:01:04 GMT -6
She had to admit, the Aarg breed was weird. Frog, however, was a sweetheart, and she couldn't fault him for something he couldn't help. She knew they were meeting Nina today, but wasn't sure the Orbaru female she was going to bring along, but that was alright, they were usually on the same wavelength with things after all. They'd done so many breedings in the past, it was hard for them to not do what they were doing already. Jack stared up at the sky for a moment before reaching for the door to the Breeding Center and stepping into the cool air inside. It was hot and muggy outside, completely miserable, but hey, she liked doing what she was about to do, so she couldn't be too terribly upset. Sure, there were plenty of other things she could be doing at the moment, but this was much more fun. Jack just hoped Nina would have fun with it too!
1/30
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Jun 9, 2020 21:05:04 GMT -6
Nina was overjoyed when Jack suggested they meet up at the breeding center again. She hastily picked out an Orbaru from her flock, knowing only that it needed to be female. She wasn't too sure about the genetics of the zombie breed yet, so she decided to give it a try. They were definitely not as cute as the silkies or sloths, but they were neat in their own weird way. Nina was curious enough to give it a shot, anyway.
"You are female, right?" she saked Maxilla, turning her around to figure it out. It was harder to tell with the tip of her tail being made of bone instead of fluff like normal Orbaru. Nina was reasonably confident she had it right and tucked the creature under her arm to head to the breeding center. When she got there, she immediately looked for Jack so they could fill out the forms and get started. Why was she so excited? She tried to keep herself calm as she saw Jack and gave her a friendly wave.
2
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Jun 9, 2020 21:09:09 GMT -6
Jack smiled a waved when she saw her friend and perked up when she saw the zombie under one of her arms. Fantastic! That would work well with Frog, or at least she thought so. The little heart on the female's chest (she had the same kind at the Kennel after all) might make for a strange pattern, but hey, she wasn't going to worry too much about it. She supposed Nina would work with it better than she would at least, would probably like it more too at that. "Hey Nina, how've you been?" she asked excitedly, motioning for her friend to come to the counter with her so they could fill out the paperwork together. The good thing about getting a contest hall prize Orbaru was that they had no genetic history, they were a blank slate, and with two of them breeding together, well, that would work even better.
3/30
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Jun 9, 2020 21:17:51 GMT -6
Nina was surprised to see how brightly colored the Orbaru Jack brought was. She always thought that Jack liked things with more muted, natural colors. Either way, she thought that Maxilla's black would blend well with the striking bright colors of the male. Not that Orbaru genetics were ever that straightforward, really.
"Good, good, how are you? It's so good to see you again," she said in a chipper tone. She couldn't smile like a person, but by now Jack should be able to read her body language and tone well enough to know that she would be if she could. As soon as she sat down to fill out the forms, Maxilla started to wiggle, wanting to escape. She grabbed the Orbaru and set her gently on her lap. She was extra gentle with the strange zombie, since she didn't know how fragile it was. It seemed like a wonder her skinny tail didn't fall right off!
Nina was used to filling out the breeding forms by now, so she did it in a rather automatic faction, then passed them over to Jack to finish up. She wasn't really thinking about it at all. Her mind was entirely to full of other thoughts at the moment.
4
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Jun 9, 2020 21:22:42 GMT -6
"Good to hear! I'm doing well, thanks for asking," Jack said with a smile as she noted the TROD seemed happy to see her as well. It made her happy to have a friend, and Nina was one of the best she could have. Was it strange, having a robot as a friend? She would never say it was, in fact, she was pretty excited about it in all honesty, not that it really mattered to her one bit that Nina was robotic. Jack dutifully filled out her portion of the form after setting Frog onto the floor, and then handed them over to the receptionist again. "It's really good to see you again too! It's been awhile, hasn't it? What have you been up to lately? Have anything new?" she gushed a little with a chuckle as she watched Frog attempt to climb onto Nina's lap in order to play with the other Orbaru.
5/30
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Jun 9, 2020 21:37:11 GMT -6
"Oh, yes, I have been a bit busy actually." Did Jack want to see her more often? The thought would have made her blush, if she was capable. "We have had a change of staff at the Zu. My receptionist retired, so now I am doing her job as well as trying to replace her. It's a lot of work, but I am sure we will find someone soon. It's nice to take a break." Nina suddenly felt self conscious. Was she talking about herself too much?
The good news was that the male Orbaru was trying to climb up on her, so she had an excuse to stop talking for a second. She leaned over in such a way that it made it easier for him to climb up, but she didn't pick him up herself. She wanted to see if he could make it. He looked like a tough little dude, so maybe he would be able to do it on his own. Maxilla didn't seem interested in what he was doing, and instead wanted to play with the pen Nina had been using before.
6
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Jun 13, 2020 1:18:29 GMT -6
"Oh I bet you'll find someone, but if you ever need any help, please don't hesitate to ask! I know I have a lot going on, but still, I'm always here for a friend," Jack told her, reaching out for her shoulder for a moment with a smile before pulling back again and chuckling at Frog who was desperately trying to climb onto Nina. "Well, he's certainly single minded!" she laughed for a moment and tilted her head.
Nina was perfect, she really was, at least for what she was planning. The TROD had given her Alexei, her first dominant Drake, her Drake she had sunk the most training into, her very first. Yes, she was perfect, ans she edged a little closer for a moment, "I have something for you, if you'll accept it?"
Frog was doing his best to get onto her lap but paused when he heard the woman speak for a moment. That usually meant she had something important to say, but for now, he started to climb again and then whined at the TROD, trying to get her to help him up so he could see the female Zombie.
7/30
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Jun 13, 2020 5:51:20 GMT -6
"I..." she was about to say something like 'I couldn't possibly ask you to help' or 'I don't need you to worry about me' or some other platitude, but she held back. Instead, she changed her mind and only said. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
Nina was quite charmed by the little Orbaru. He was trying so hard! Too bad his arms were so short. Eventually, she gave up on him ever getting up on her lap and put Maxilla down on the floor instead so that they could play together. Maxilla seemed more bored than excited about playing with him, though.
"Ah, what?" Nina was taken aback. Suddenly she seemed very flustered with her nervous body language. The thought of what Jack could possibly say next made her mind race. What could she possibly have for her? "I, uh, are you going to tell me what it is first?" She tried to make it sound like she was playfully teasing her friend, but it mostly came off as awkward stumbling.
8
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Jun 13, 2020 17:44:54 GMT -6
Jack smiled brightly at her friend and then looked down at the two Orbaru for a little bit. She wasn't sure what the offspring were going to look like, but hopefully they would be pretty good in the end. Happily she watched as Frog wiggled when the Zombie was put onto the floor and then pounced at her, though she doubted he would get to her. It was going to be alright though, it would probably be a bad idea if he got her at this point. Giving a little chuckle, she looked back over at Nina and tried to chose her words carefully, "Well... you remember Alexei? He's... he's fathered several clutches and I'm hoping you'll take one of the whelps..."
Frog wasn't sure what he was trying to do, other than playing with the other Orbaru. She didn't seem too interested in him though, which was sad, and after he pounced and missed, he drooped a little and let out a sad boop.
9/30
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Jun 13, 2020 18:12:28 GMT -6
If she were a human, the sound of Alexei's name would make her sweat. She knew that Jack was still caring for him, or at least she could have assumed, but even the thought of Alexei and what he represented sent a cold chill down her mechanical spine. Flashes of images flew through her mind, of Maeshe's blood, Alexei trying to throw her to the ground, everything that had happened...
"Ah," she said with a long pause. "I appreciate the offer, but..." then she didn't say anything else. She wasn't sure what to say. Somewhere in her mind she knew that Jack was just trying to be nice or maybe encouraging, but she didn't feel like she could accept the offer. To take on raising a Sarane inherently involved the fighting pit, and that was something she was not yet ready to face.
Maxilla watched Frog jump over her and turned her head to look at him with her weird blank eyes. What a strange fellow. Much more lively than the other zombies she normally hung out with! She was curious, but also still pretty lazy, so she just watched him run around without getting up to join him.
10
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Jun 13, 2020 18:19:36 GMT -6
A frown crossed her face as she thought about what Nina's trailed off sentence could mean. She didn't want a hatchling? Scratching her head, she tried to reason with her a little bit, or at least give her reasons for wanting to give Nina one of them. "This is a Hen, a tier two Hen hatchling, so you won't have to break her, but she'll be strong enough with enough training to run the Gauntlet. Much less bloody, and she's absolutely gorgeous, a lovely shade of gold and purple, I think you'll love her," Jack said with a soothing voice, reaching out to put her hand on Nina's shoulder and looking her in the eyes. The woman smiled at her again and wondered if there was something more to this.
Frog laid down and rolled onto his back, staring at her as he grinned and booped. He pawed at Maxilla and wondered what was going to happen if she actually responded to what he was trying to do.
11/30
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Jun 20, 2020 20:34:07 GMT -6
A hen. Right. That did come with less complications, but Nina didn't really want to talk about why she wanted to decline the offer. Strong enough to run the Gauntlet. That was exactly what she was worried about. For some reason, she felt really awkward saying that out loud. Could she possibly admit to Jack that the reason she hadn't been training for battle wasn't that she was 'just too busy' as she had been saying? She was so nice, so genuine about the offer, so Nina felt like she had to say something. If she couldn't talk to her best friend, who could she talk to?
"Ah, she sounds lovely, but... I haven't been fighting much lately." By 'much' she meant 'at all' but it was too hard to say that right now. "I wouldn't want to take her in and not give her... the best life she could have, I guess..." she sounded defeated.
Maxilla scratched her belly and yawned. It was like she forgot Frog was even there. Until she rolled over to look at him. She tilted her head and booped, as if she was saying 'what are you doing?'
12
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Jun 20, 2020 20:37:19 GMT -6
Jack looked at her friend and went to place her hand on the TROD's shoulder, "I worry about you, you know. Worry about how you get along and all that, I'd feel much better if you took her. Even if you didn't want to train her to fight in the Pit and run the Gauntlet, you need something to help defend you, you can't do it all alone you know. I learned that the hard way as well." Smiling, she looked down at the two Orbaru, Frog was pawing at the Zombie and she chuckled a little, reaching down to scratch at his head a little. "Besides, the moment she hatched I thought of you, and I could certainly help you out with the training or anything you might need. If it doesn't work out between you two, I'll always be happy to take her back," Jack told her seriously, then looked at her, eyes sparkling, "Please Nina?"
13/30
|
|
|
Post by Silver on Jun 21, 2020 0:13:41 GMT -6
Nina looked at Jack, surprised, then looked at the floor. Did she really worry like that? It made her feel bad, but at the same time it felt nice to hear. Someone worried about her. She wasn't sure what to think. It was a lot to take in. The least she could do was accept the offer, at least for now. Even though Jack offered, she'd never be able to give her back. If the hen never fought, but was a good companion, that had to be a nice life, right?
"I, uh... alright. That's very kind of you. I'll take her in, see how we, uh, get along, I guess." It was obvious that she didn't really know what to say. She shyly turned away to look at the Orbaru for a moment to catch her breath, so to speak. Maxilla was very curious about Frog now that she was looking at him. He was very strange looking. She reached out to touch his ear where the little spike was to see what it felt like.
14
|
|