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Post by Badrani on Oct 4, 2020 13:19:33 GMT -6
He wasn't done with his questions yet. "Do... You have-" He thinks, practically racking his brain. He murmurs the word in Ssashirk, and then asks anyway. "Tips, on... land to trade for?" He asks. Scarcely does he get that out before he is puzzling out the next few questions. The rain picks up again, practically a deafening downpour. He scurries closer to the brick wall, but still a good distance away from the human. He had never assumed that Rain would make noise. Sure, water sometimes fell in the desert, but it was Rare. He'd only ever heard of it, never really seen it himself.
"And pets." He said, nodding. "Eeef this is... Working? Will need to-" The word is far from him. He turns towards the human, hoping that there would be a word on their face somewhere, metaphorically. "...Blend?" Maybe that was it. "Camouflage." That sounds better, he nods along with it.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 4, 2020 13:45:33 GMT -6
Oh boy. Morgan has to make a bit of a decision. They figured this would be easy. Make the deal, contract out the work of getting the payment (whatever it would be), wait until the sample got here, make the trade, and never see the individual again. Maybe the sample would even pass through multiple hands, so that Morgan would never meet the person that collected it. However, this was... Not according to plan. It made hardly any sense.
The price had been a cozy retirement in the Labs City, a way to protect one-self, and to be able to blend in. So Morgan had procured credits for a permit, critters that would be easily taken care of and allow to be blended in, and of course magic was the best way to go, even if a little costly, when it came to protecting one's self. That being said, while technically more costly than lessons, it would be less costly when it came to being able to detach from this individual as soon as possible.
Morgan had a facility to run. They didn't have time for this.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 4, 2020 13:48:59 GMT -6
However, watching the older and taller Ssashirk scramble under the awning and closer to the bricks at the deafening sound of rain and thunder, seeing how terrified he really was despite the fact that he was hiding it behind carefully calculated indifference, and also noticing that he was kind of lost? That made Morgan's famous bleeding heart begin to drip. This poor guy probably had people that wanted to get him over this, this sample. There was a reason that this sample was so important- and that it could have cost them a lot more than it did. They had expected NOT to get this sample at all.
Morgan's face pinches for a moment, they cover their glasses with a hand and sigh to the heavens. Then, they look at him. "We're gonna have to talk s-some, after this. So that we can help you blend in. You don't know the slightest thing about living in the Labs." Morgan felt a little stupid for assuming that this was going to be this easy. If he got caught? It would be Morgan's fault.
That weighed a little on them, even if they didn't really like people.
Especially since they didn't like people.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 4, 2020 13:52:58 GMT -6
Morgan regretted the decision immediately. Like they needed more people around them. If it weren't for the sensitive nature of this entire operation, Morgan would simply send people from WELP to go out and deal with him. However, they didn't really need anyone knowing what sample this was, or where it was from. "Okay, where to s-start." They thought. Then, they pulled out their personal WATT, and typed in a few things, scrolling on it when they found it. "T-there we are. Okay, so there is a plot on Miisaa Avenue, it is kinda far out. The l-land is on the eastern side of town, and is almost outside of town, but not cu-quite. It is called Antelope's Rest." Morgan says. Technically, the word refers to some kind of animal that used to exist before Baakir were a thing, if they remembered correctly.
"This would b-be perfect. It's far enough away from me that people shouldn't get suspicious." And on the same street as the Jackalope. Makes delivery of the rest of the items for node-making easier. "It is also secluded."
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Post by Morgan on Oct 4, 2020 13:56:16 GMT -6
Then, Morgan put their WATT back into their pocket. "It is very close to the bookstore. You need books partially for a hobby. Y-you need to lay low for a few days... That is, stay in your house for a week or two. To throw what I assume is going to be your tail." Oh, he wasn't going to understand that, was he. "Tail meaning, p-people that might be following you." Morgan hadn't seen anyone so far, and that was either luck, or people not wanting to get out in the rain.
"T-there will probably be a book to help you understand writing i-in common too. You're gonna need it." They reasoned. "You should be able to f-find one in Ssashirk- I assume you speak Ssashirk?" Morgan glances up at them, and realizes that he has brightly colored eyes. They glance down the street again, a little quickly perhaps.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 4, 2020 14:05:49 GMT -6
Hopefully the individual also read Ssashirk. "Now, about the berry. The berries only grow in the winter season. I'm sure you understand s-seasons to some degree at least. A-anyway, I won't be able to get you that until the end of the year." Morgan said, knowing for sure. "Please be patient, I'm sure y-you understand the delicacy of the situation. Until we're able to get you the things, we-we'll put a detail on you, from a distance. Don't worry." Morgan says, finding theirself trying to make sure that he would be understanding. This wasn't going to be a perfect situation at all, but it was to be understood.
The vial was worth it.
Then, a bit of embarrassment moves through them, they chuckle and rub the back of their neck anxiously. "I took the liberty of p-procuring you some pets. Easy ones to care f-for. None dangerous, but I'm sure if you w-want you can eventually get a guard pet." Morgan had picked the animals out theirself, some were a bit difficult to get, in fact.
However, it was getting late, and they needed to wrap this up. Before the rain let up, preferably. "For the night, you can stay at this address, n-no questions asked." At this, Morgan pulled out a map- it was procured from one of their Ssashirk workers. A map of the city in Saakash- complete with an x to mark the spot.
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Post by Badrani on Oct 4, 2020 15:44:39 GMT -6
He does feel lost. He's trying not to show it. All of those years of training, from hatching to do his job, to be emotionless on the surface, to push down fear, and now that he is no longer in that life the fear is welling up a ton. He is glad that the small being has a penchant for not looking at his face, so he has a moment to close his second eyelids to wipe the possibility of tears away. He blinks a few times after that, just to make sure.
This is so strange, and though he knew it was an important step to make, it was still so different. It hit him all at once.
The small being is right though, he barely knows common, and knows nothing of this place of twisted metal and trash, of rain and... Thunder?
He nods. Help would not be preferable under normal circumstances (he'd hoped to be able to be alone) but he still needed it, pride or no.
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Post by Badrani on Oct 4, 2020 15:48:55 GMT -6
He watches with extreme interest as the human pulls out from their pocket a... Scroll? However, when the scroll lights up, he realizes that it must be something else. The human moves their tiny hands across it, with the blunt nails carefully trimmed it would seem, and they speak. He nods along. "Antelope's Rest." He'd commit that to memory. Land. For himself. That he wouldn't have to move away from out of necessity. That was an odd thing.
"Books." He murmurs. Surely he wouldn't get too bored? But then again, a few weeks of being stuck at 'home', which doesn't move? That might be difficult to adjust to. "Saakash." He murmurs. "I read Saakash." He manages that out without embarrassing himself. "Not Ssashirk. That is... Race." The human clearly didn't know much about his people. Maybe that was a good thing. "But reading common- useful. Would uh, be useful." It's starting to come back, now that he is hearing the language again.
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Post by Badrani on Oct 4, 2020 15:52:32 GMT -6
The scroll-like item that glows is ferreted away, and he is just barely able to keep himself from diving down into the pocket after it- mostly because he wants to study it. How strange it was that the people of this place had technology, and lots of it- but didn't really appreciate it, or at least they didn't in his eyes. He would like to learn more about it, but maybe in the future. He'd probably never be good at it.
"Seasons, yes." He hadn't expected to have to wait, but it made sense. Certain food sources in his homeland only grew after the rains, and some only when there had been no rains for a while. It would be weird to actually see seasons in person, but he had heard of the ones less dry areas had. He takes the map, and nearly jumps out of his skin. It was so odd to see his own language on the paper- though it was nearly absolute whelpscratch. At least it would be helpful.
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Post by Badrani on Oct 4, 2020 15:55:41 GMT -6
Of course he knew that other Ssashirk lived here. He'd heard about it, the ones that had 'gone soft', the ones that only visited to trade. Trade was good here. The soft skins knew nothing of value, so they traded large amounts of items that were practically a fortune for stupid things, hatchling toys at best. A few religious artifacts showed up at the Labs, he'd heard. Little prayer-stuates of the Mother. The people here would probably use them to decorate their houses, but they cost barely anything to make. Practically every Ssashirk that cared to had one, for a shaving or two of copper.
The humans practically showered Ssashirk traders in wealth, for beads or toys or art. It was absolutely hilarious.
But when the humans had scrolls of light, well, that made him understand. The land here was prosperous. It was a thousand wonders it had not been looted and destroyed in war.
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Post by Badrani on Oct 4, 2020 15:59:41 GMT -6
He turns back to the human, laminated map in hand, and he nods. What was the word, the word for being given a gift? "Thank you." That was it. He needed to get out of this... Rain. It was so loud, and the lights hurt his eyes. "Will go there. Then will get books, yes. You-" He searches for the word, voice trilling a bit. "See, in few weeks? After lose tail, of course. Um... Help? With common? With job? With learn how to care for animal?" He says, voice trilling high each time, asking. "Will... Will repay with..." He squints, unsure.
"Not sure. Companionship? Help learn Saakash?" He asked. He looks out over the street, leaning up off of the wall. It was nearly time to go.
"I go." He says, simply. He steps out into the rain, and feels it beat hard against his cloak. In a few weeks, perhaps he would figure out what he was going to do with his life. He looks down at the map, bringing it up to his face, mostly to hide his face from the world.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 4, 2020 16:06:11 GMT -6
Morgan was pretty glad that the exchange was almost over. This was a weird situation, in the entirety of it. They removed a flask from their pocket and took a swig, and then put it back. It was time to get home, and to cook dinner for Millicent, and feed the tat-lung family too. "Okay, Saakash, I get it." They say, holding their hands up and moving them back and forth. "Apparently, me learning that language would be pu-pretty useful too." They mull it over for a moment. "Meet me here." They pointed up at the Catseye. "In two weeks. I will come back, and we'll work on all of t-that." Hopefully, the jackalope would have another crystal for them at that time, too.
Morgan watches the individual leave in the driving rain. It was time for them to head on home, too. They'd managed not to laugh too hard at the offer of companionship earlier, but as soon as he was out of sight and Morgan was halfway home (the rain started to lighten up, thank goodness) they had a good chuckle.
Morgan really didn't like people enough for that.
[Exit Morgan, for now.]
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