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Post by Xentus on Oct 17, 2020 14:13:36 GMT -6
The world was a much scarier place when one stood as tall as an outstretched hand. Gingerly, Xentus tried to comfort the fairy by patting its back. The gesture wasn't rejected, but it seemed Haru just wanted to shield himself from the sight of the creature. To the leopard, the koguma didn't seem to be anything peculiar, much less any sort of scary. Perhaps odd, due to its insectoid features. But if Haru found it scary, the fae likely would think much of those who roam his garden frightening. It was going to be a difficult process tempering such a view out of the fae. He'd need exposure to the creatures which call the garden their dwelling and perhaps to truly frightening sights. But, they'd work their way up.
"It is alright, Haru", Xentus cooed, "The koguma finds Xentus frightening for the same reason Haru might find it terrifying - towering size. But Xentus means it no harm, yes? It needs time to adjust to him, as Haru does it it." He wasn't sure if his words were lost to the fae, but Haru's head poked out from under his hand to look at his face, discerning if he was lying or not.
14 -- Accept Blood/Scary Sights - 4
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Post by Xentus on Oct 17, 2020 14:42:51 GMT -6
But the leopard was honest. The mammalian turned away to point toward the koguma, still happily chewing the offered strawberry. It was making a mess of the fruit, smearing the red juices across its mandibles. Haru's gaze followed after the leopard's, a repulsed expression spreading across his face as he looked upon the koguma once again. The little fae could feel his throat tighten, not wanting to be seen or eaten by the insectoid creature. But another reassuring touch on his back calmed this feeling some.
"Just observe, Haru", the leopard muttered quietly. To sit and watch and see that the koguma was nothing to fear. Another strawberry was procured and held out to the creature in an effort to lure it closer. But the beast was still wary of the man. Its orange-red eyes assessed the mammalian and his offering for a moment, considering whether or not it was worth it.. And tentatively began toeing closer to nab the fruit.
15 -- Accept Blood/Scary Sights - 5
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Post by Nadia on Oct 18, 2020 7:47:44 GMT -6
As you work in the garden, you notice a small creature wriggling in a beautiful fruit hanging off a nearby plant. Upon closer inspection, you see that it is a disgusting slimy worm-like creature. Fearing for your plants, you take an even closer look to discover that all of the fruit in your garden is riddled with holes - there is indeed a worm infestation here. Not only will you have to remove all the current harvest from your garden, but your pets seem disappointed...
(Next 5 posts yield no results)
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Post by Xentus on Dec 4, 2020 9:36:45 GMT -6
The monster looked timid. A frightened monster wasn't much of a monster, eas it? Or that simply meant that there were even greater beasts to fear. But the leopard wasn't much of a beast. Just a fuzzy man. Haru watched from the shelter of the leopard's palm as the koguma's spindly fingers grabbed the offered strawberry, then hopped a safe distance away to enjoy its meal. The harachiu didn't like the strange insectoid beast still, but it was a little less scary now, he supposed.
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A short while later, the leopard and fae found themselves back at the lotine pond - an area of.. Mixed interest to the fairy. Haru was interested in seeing the floating lola again, but also scared of the strange, brilliant monster which lurked in the murky depths. The harachiu nervously looked about the surface of the shimmering water, scanning for any disturbance. He felt somewhat safe from his perch atop the leopard's shoulder, at least.
16 -- Accept Blood/Scary Sights - 6
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Post by Xentus on Dec 4, 2020 9:42:42 GMT -6
It was almost feeding time for the lotine, and Xentus figured he'd get her meal prepared. A couple of fresh fish were on the menu today, from his fishing venture none too long ago. Knowing Haru's fear of relatively large beasts in the garden, the fae probably wouldn't take well to the sight of the process of gutting and cleaning.. But, tempering that kind of repulsion away would do the fae well. Living sheltered from such things wasn't much way to exist in this truly frightening world of theirs.
"Now, Haru, do not be alarmed..", the leopard gently murmured to the shoulder-fae, glancing at him as he unwrapped the fish. The harachiu wasn't frightened by mere fish. They were already dead and not scary and oh what was he doing with that knife? The fae's ears flattened back against his head as he averted his eyes, sparing himself from watching the man cut into the dead fish's belly.
17 -- Accept Blood/Scary Sights - 7
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Post by Xentus on Dec 4, 2020 10:17:58 GMT -6
"It's ok Haru..", the man gently cooed, in an attempt to coerce the fae into watching. He wasn't exactly convincing, but the calm tone of voice was assuring that there wasn't anything to be afraid of. Haru was more repulsed than afraid in this case, but the two feelings stemmed from the same root. The man continued to work on gutting the fish, separating entrails from the belly with care. Whether or not the lotine cared for fish guts or not was a mystery to him, but he figured it was healthier for the serpentine-like plant creature to go without.
Tentatively, after a few minutes, Haru snuck a small peek at what the leopard had done to that poor fish. There was this odd sound of cracking.. He saw the disgusting guts in a small pile to the side, and was just in time to witness as the man carved through the rib bones of the fish, separating the fillets of meat.
18 -- Accept Blood/Scary Sights - 8
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Post by Xentus on Dec 4, 2020 10:27:18 GMT -6
While the sight was still repulsive (and made the fae a little queasy), the fillet was starting to look more like something one would eat, he supposed. The harachiu preferred a varied assortment of fruits, nuts, and vegetables for food, but had seen the leopard eating meats like that before. It didn't seem all too bad now, save for the remains.. The head was there, staring coldly up into the sun. A wave of nausea passed through the little fae's body. But he persisted through it.
"It is not so bad, Haru, see?", Xentus assured, "And all remains will return to nature." The head, bones, and guts were slated for the compost pile. While he figured there was some creature in his collection that might not mind having scraps for lunch, the fish nutrients would do well for his garden. They were put to the side and work began on the second fish.
19 -- Accept Blood/Scary Sights - 9
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Post by Xentus on Dec 4, 2020 10:36:38 GMT -6
Haru wasn't a fan of the process, but he slowly figured it to be not too bad.. As long as he didn't need to get his own hands dirty, that is. But he was safe up here from the gross and ick upon the leopard's shoulder. While he wasn't watching the leopard's work with care or interest, he was able to keep his queasiness at bay for the time being. Instead, he distracted himself with the view from up here. The shimmering pond water was especially nice under the sunlight.. Even if monsters lurked in there. And just as the thought crossed his mind, something from below disturbed the surface. A light whimper escaped the fae, warning the leopard of the impending attack.
"Hm?", the leopard hummed, glancing first at the fae, then to the water, "Ah, Valii must be ready for her meal. Good lookout, Haru." The tone of familiarity in the man's was almost alarming to the fae. He knew what was in there? So, it couldn't be so scary.. Right? And from the depths rose not nearly as much of a monster as he thought, but instead a rather elegant serpent.
20 -- Accept Blood/Scary Sights - 10
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Post by Xentus on Dec 8, 2020 10:22:21 GMT -6
The lotine's black eyes stared hard at the mammalian, as if to pass through gaze alone her current state of hunger. She could smell the scent of fish, so tantalizing.. A less mannered creature would've already sprung forward and nabbed whatever morsels were closest. But, the serpent exercised patience. Haru watched as the leopard finished filleting the other fish, then offered forth the bone-free chunks of flesh to the patient lotine. It grabbed what it could between its paws and its mouth, then slunk back into the comfortable waters, disappearing from sight.
"Beautiful, that one", the leopard commented, glancing briefly at the fairy on his shoulder. How did the lotine manage to blend in so well with the surrounding pond waters? That bright rainbow hide shimmered with such brilliance under the sun. That was a mystery to solve another time, he supposed. With the pond-serpent fed, the man decided to move on.
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Post by Xentus on Dec 8, 2020 12:03:21 GMT -6
While there was a lot of work to be done in the garden, there wasn't any single chore in particular that he was looking forward to.. He just wanted to spend some more time with the young harachiu. While the tiny fae seemed to be quite independent still, it seemed to be slowly warming up to him.. If anything, at least he could provide some comfort to the little one in times of peril. As well as teach it a lesson or two when the situation brought them forth. Seeing Haru as essentially a small child, well.. There was much to teach. Getting the fairy to speak was next on his list, though he wasn't sure how to approach that one. He felt that would have to wait until they'd come to know one another a little better. Xentus straightened out, gathering up the remains of the fish, and headed to the compost pile.
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Post by Xentus on Dec 8, 2020 12:36:45 GMT -6
Haru quietly held on tight for the ride, having a mild aversion to the pile of heads, guts, and bones the man had clutched in his palm. How he could touch the mass without any form of protection for his hand was beyond the fae's comprehension. He didn't want to think about it too much. The walk to the compost was on the long side. On the far end of the garden were a couple of piles of litter, leaves, and other assorted biologic junk that was set to decompose and turn to mulch. Xentus grabbed a pitchfork and gave one of the piles a little shuffle, then tossed in the fish remains. To soon return to the earth and ain in the growth of something new. Haru seemed mildly curious about what looked like strange dirt piles, but the leopard soon turned away to attend to other matters, leaving no time for questions.
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Post by Xentus on Dec 8, 2020 12:41:40 GMT -6
The footpath about the garden was hardly worn enough to be called a path, giving rise to a new construction chore to do - lay out a more formal cobblestone or brick path around the place. Ah, the list of things to do around this place only seemed to grow.. Xentus felt that his time here was just about up for the day. And it wasn't just because he wanted to set aside chores for later. The menagerie keep needed some attending, and he had some shopping to do.. The man was lost in thought as he rounded his way to the gazebo. Haru seemed to notice the man lost in thought, but this was the normal. It wouldn't be surprising if he even forgot he had the tiny fae perched atop his shoulder there. In turn, Xentus oddly felt that he was forgetting something, a furrowed brow across his face and a hum escaping his throat.
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Post by Xentus on Dec 8, 2020 12:48:26 GMT -6
The tiny fairy let out a dry cough to bring itself back to the man's attention, causing him to perk up and seem to remember its existence. "Ah, Haru.. How about we call it a day, yes? This one is certain you might be tired after all the fun you've been having", he commented with a chuckle. Fun probably wasn't the same word the fae would use to describe their adventure for the day. But.. He was a little worn out, he supposed. The harachui offered no words in turn to the leopard, but instead gave him a tiny hum. Xentus was a little surprised at first, but gave the fae an understanding smile. That was perhaps the first time he got to properly hear the fae's voice. Aside from the tiny shriek of terror earlier. Perhaps the tight-lipped fae would grow a little less mute with time. The leopard, after having gathered his belongings, turned to head out of the garden. To return another time.
25 > Exeunt Xentus and Haru (25).
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Post by Xentus on Dec 11, 2020 19:52:30 GMT -6
Gardening Venture #4 > Xentus, accompanied by...
It was time for a change of pace. Accompanying the leopard for his round of garden chores for the day was a little lizard, painted with bright stripes on its iridescent scales. But, most notably of all were the brightly glowing mushrooms growing upon its back. Xentus had somewhat recently acquired the strange lizard from the stranger Sanctuary Sector. A place which he visited once or twice. The facility was interesting, but the creatures produced there were even more so. The lizards were sold as but whelps, and while he did feel that he should've spent more time with the little thing while it was young (especially considering how charming those floppy frills were), it had grown rather quickly in a short span of time. Just in time for the harvesting season too. Though.. How exactly did he go about harvesting those mushrooms?
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Post by Xentus on Dec 11, 2020 20:08:16 GMT -6
The leopard looked upon the lizard with great interest while it ate offerings of mealworms from his palm. The mushrooms looked firmly attached. And.. What would they even be used for, should he actually be able to harvest produce from the creature anyway? Glowing mushrooms sounded far from what one might want to actually consume. Even though the idea seemed rather tempting. But, the leopard knew enough about various fungi to ascertain that these glowing kind were most likely fatally poisonous if ingested. Perhaps they would be more suited towards some kind of magical brew. Undoubtedly, the apothecary would know. Perhaps once he figured how to entice the lizard to shed its mushrooms would he give that old woman a visit and ask her some questions. For now, he would do his own research and study the mussimander more personally. It was a rather cute little thing, though staring at it for too long bothered his eyes.
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