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Post by Xentus on Sept 23, 2020 10:55:40 GMT -6
The golem stared at him for a moment longer, then its gaze traveled down his arm, to his hand, to his finger, then to the weed he was pointing at. Xentus was doing his best to affirm his will toward the concept of 'plant'. Weeds, overgrowth, greenery.. Whatever it took to impress this to the golem. This was a much more different form of training than he was used to. Slower. More careful and direct. Saturn was eager to please, but getting it to know what he wanted was still a process he was trying to figure out. He thought that the more broken down form of teaching it what he wanted would help prevent any confusion later.
"Saturn, open", he directed, giving the golem a moment to open its mouth, "Bite. Plant." Adding direction to the simple action of opening and closing its head was a little awkward, but with hope, Saturn would understand well enough.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 23, 2020 13:07:44 GMT -6
Xentus watched as Saturn's head tilted, opened segments clattering as it seemed to process the combination of commands it recognized. Open. Bite. Plant. It bit the open air, pressing its head forward to nudge the weed stem with the tip of its skull. The leopard blinked. Then chuckled. Then laughed. Oh what was it doing? Ah, silly thing. Well, that much was proof that it didn't understand the intentions behind his words. It had the right idea, though! And to the leopard, that was what mattered the most. Xentus gave himself a moment to catch his breath, a gentle hand rubbing the top of Saturn's head. The golem seemed really happy to have made its master so pleased! Its inner seed glowed vibrantly, head clattering in mimicry of the leopard's laugh. "Let us try that again, Saturn haha", the leopard said to the creature after taking a moment to collect himself.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 23, 2020 13:27:31 GMT -6
"Alright. Open. Plant. Bite", Xentus reiterated, saying each word slowly, but with a commanding tone. A clawed finger pointed at a wary looking weed, hoping to help direct the golem to its target. The creature, growing used to this set of command words, followed through. Segmented head pieces spreading apart, revealing its interior. It located the plant, positioning it between its open maw. Then bite - closing its head opon the unsuspecting plant. And... Now what? Its directive was fulfilled. Saturn stood there with its head clamped around a weed, seeming oddly stuck.
"Very good Saturn, yes", the leopard praised, feeling accomplished for the golem at completing such a minute task. The next step was to have it pull and release. And then, tie it all together in a short, simple command. He figured they were at the half way point. "Now then. Pull", Xentus directed, beginning to assist the golem by pulling it toward him.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 23, 2020 13:37:32 GMT -6
Saturn was almost limp under his touch, letting its body be manipulated however its master wanted. Its head stay firmly shut, dragging the weed along with it. Little force was required to uproot the errant plant from the flowerbed that it invaded. Its long trail of roots ended with a snap. And with that, it was successfully plucked. The loose, dry soil aided in the ease of extraction. How it managed to thrive in such unattended soil, he had no idea. Weeds were hardy. Plants he wanted to keep in his garden? Fickle and weak. If only weeds grew in more tasteful assortments..
"Good pull, Saturn", the mammalian praised, "Let us do that again, yes? Open. Plant. Bite." The weed in the creature's mouth fell as it opened up, aiming itself at a weed, then thrust forth and clamped down on it. That part was ingrained well. Then, the leopard directed for the creature to pull, still aiding in its motions.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 23, 2020 13:45:08 GMT -6
This time, he had it move its head up while its body moved back. Saturn didn't resist, its body moving as its master manipulated. Like some kind of puppet. It was fun, in a way, to have something so pliable and reactive to his simple touch. No other creature in his personal menagerie was like this. Nazura might've been the closest he had to a beast that let him do as he wanted, but even that hunk of scales and fire could be stubborn if he was in a poor mood.
As soon as the weed was ripped from the earth, Xentus gave the golem its well earned praise. "Well done, Saturn. Good pull", he chimed, petting its head. Saturn's seed glowed bright, seeming to appreciate the recognition for what all it was doing, even if it didn't quite understand it. As long as it pleased its master.. As long as it served its master, it was happy.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 23, 2020 16:03:53 GMT -6
They tried this routine again. Open, plant, bite, pull. Xentus guided the creature a few more times, each time slowly giving it less and less help. Saturn wasn't exactly a smart creature, but repetition for the desired result was a process that worked well on its kind. As long as there was no sudden change in variable, the golem could perform this task with high success. It did have trouble when met with weeds of woodier stems or different colors. To decide what was considered 'plant' or not was almost asking too much of it to do alone. Xentus was more than happy to guide it when it seemed to struggle deeming something as 'plant', nudging it forward to bite upon the stem. It was met with gentle praise, a caring touch, and an ever patient master. Xentus hovered his hands about the golem's form as he gave it the next set of directives. Open, plant, bite, pull.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 23, 2020 16:18:43 GMT -6
The first three parts of the command were done nearly flawlessly. The pull part is where the golem hesitated. The leopard silently encouraged the golem to put weight and force behind it's head, to tug, to pull, to rip. It felt his will. It knew what he wanted. And carefully, without aid, the golem tossed its head, teetering backward as it pulled the weed from the ground, roots and all. Xentus beamed. They'd reached a breakthrough! Such a feat might not be impressive for some, but for the leopard and the golem, it was a grand step taken. Saturn was showered with praise. It had served well! Ah, it would be a pretty good help in getting the flowerbed clear of the pesky weeds. Now to roll it into one simple command. He was too invested at this point not to finish this little exercise. Thinking on it for a moment, he decided that 'harvest' would suit well.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 24, 2020 9:19:04 GMT -6
It was too much of a mouthful to direct the golem every time he wanted it to uproot a weed, after all. He'd shift it to understand 'harvest'. "Saturn, let us do this more, yes?", the leopard started, feeling confident, "Harvest. Open, plant, bite, pull. Harvest." The command word was sandwiching the words the golem knew. He figured this would help the associated actions 'bleed' out onto the word 'harvest'. Whether or not it would work, he wasn't sure. He might've been complicating things by repeating it twice. But, he'd just need to see how the golem responded. Saturn seemed to ignore the new word added to the mix, continuing on with its learned act of uprooting a single plant. It looked up almost expectantly at Xentus, a stiff weed pinched between its mouth segments. The mammalian leaned down and rubbed its head, smiling. "Good harvest, Saturn. Harvest", he chimed to it, watching as it soaked in all the praise and attention.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 24, 2020 9:37:19 GMT -6
"Again. Harvest- open, plant, bite, pull. Harvest", the leopard directed, withdrawing his hand to uproot a few errant weeds himself. The golems weren't great at learning by example, but they did seem more receptive to actions that he performed. Perhaps it help fortify his will? Whatever the case, Saturn would hopefully pick up on this whole 'harvest' thing as he plucked weeds right beside it. The golem was slow, uprooting only a single stem while he clutched a handful. Still worthy of praise, in his eyes.
"Excellent, Saturn, good harvest", Xentus praised, offering it another affectionate rub on the head, "Again!" The leopard repeated the string of commands, encouraging the golem onward. The time for praise would get reduced, as would the number of commands. Saturn was more than happy to pluck another weed for its master, presenting it confidently to the mammalian while he was busy uprooting his own handful of the errant plants.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 24, 2020 9:42:33 GMT -6
"Harvest", the leopard directed plainly, showing the golem his collection of unwanted weeds. Saturn seemed confused. What did the master want? Those were plant. Plant get bite. It.. Didn't seem to be what the leopard wanted. Xentus figured it was much too soon for it to understand the word alone. He followed it up with the learned string of words, nodding as the golem seemed to perk up and perform its task of uprooting a single weed.
"Harvest", the leopard reiterated, pointing the golem to the rest of the flowerbed, "Open, plant, bite, pull. Harvest." These words were getting to mean less to his hears the more he repeated them. The experience was something he would need in the future, when he was satisfied with his rearing of these creatures. Ah, if he ever wanted to bring Saturn's progeny here, he'd need to repeat this all over again.. Not the most encouraging prospect, but one that he felt alright with.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 24, 2020 9:53:14 GMT -6
The word, what did it mean? The golem could sense its master's will, yet struggled to understand it. Harvest. The creature slowly processed the new command as it performed the other actions the leopard instilled upon it. This time, instead of stopping at a single plant, the golem continued to a second one. Harvest was to repeat this plant pulling thing, it decided. It stopped and looked at Xentus expectantly, with two weed stems in its segmented head.
"Yes, Saturn! Good harvest", the master praised it, this full affection and praise returning. It pleased the master! That was all it wanted to do. Saturn's inner seed glowed bright, head clattering in a muffled sort due to the weeds clamped between the parts. The leopard gestured for the golem to continue, repeating only the word 'harvest' to it. And.. It seemed the creature understood this command well enough now. It waddled forward and ripped another dandelion from the flowerbed.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 24, 2020 10:19:03 GMT -6
And then, another. Its work made the master pleased, it could tell. This whole training thing took a bit of work, but Xentus felt satisfied. The golem was plucking plants and he could work along side it. It took some time, sure, but the end result was exactly as he'd hoped. A little gardening companion. He figured they could clear out this flowerbed and get it fertilized before calling it for the day. As far as completing gardening chores went, he barely got anything done. A mental sigh escaped him when he thought about the work that was still needed to shape this place up into something he could be proud of.
The wheelbarrow was filled with shredded bits of plant and hoisted over to the compost pile. A meager result, but one that was filled of the efforts spent today. Saturn walked alongside its master as he tidied up here and there before leaving for the day. The chores could wait for another day.
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> Exeunt Xentus and Saturn (25)
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Post by Nadia on Sept 24, 2020 10:28:46 GMT -6
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Post by Xentus on Sept 25, 2020 0:07:02 GMT -6
Gardening Venture #3 > Xentus, accompanied by...
Fall was in full swing now. The air was cool, yet neither too hot or too cold. The temperature was fickle, shifting its mood as it pleased. Some trees had already started to turn color, loosing their leaves in any wind that was too rough. A time of harvest. But.. Not for this ramshackle garden.
Despite it taking shape, it was still in all manner of disarray. The fence was coming along, with most of the posts driven into the earth. The flowerbeds were kept in good shape, but there was still plenty of overgrown area that went unused. There was a lot of work to be done. But, the leopard had other priorities. "This one thought you may enjoy it here, Haru. What is the matter?", Xentus gently asked the sullen looking fairy, sulking atop a mushroom, "You flower faes are one with flora, no?"
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Post by Xentus on Sept 25, 2020 0:20:02 GMT -6
The harachiu was tight lipped. He simply pouted, barely offering the chance for the leopard to figure what was wrong. His mismatched eyes avoided the mammalian's gaze, averting and looking away whenever he tried to make contact. And eventually, the man gave up. A sigh escaped him as he turned away to fetch some supplies, leaving the fairy to his own devices. As soon as the mammalian disappeared behind some overgrowth, Haru perked up and took a better look about the garden. His ears were flicked in the direction he last saw the mammalian wander off, but his eyes were dancing about the various plants - animate and stationary alike. This place was wonderful! He just.. Couldn't let that feline know. At least not yet. He needed to get his excitement out on his own before sharing it. What if he didn't want to share it at all? There was much to be decided on how he felt about the leopard.
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