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Post by Zenjesi on Nov 29, 2023 23:16:38 GMT -6
" Oh!" It was plain to see Zenjesi was clearly impressed with Kristofor's statement, bragging or otherwise. "It is not simple," they commended him. Having glimpsed bits of the other performances and seeing the discrepancies in the scores that were posted, they had quite a bit of work to do if they were to stand any sort of chance at ever winning a contest themselves. " He must be impressive," they added of the mammalian's houluh. Their own houluh, by easy comparison, was attempting to itch her ear, but with a puppy's lack of coordination she was struggling to even balance and tipped over onto her side. They gave her a bit of a sad smile. Just as quickly, the moment passed as Ramal turned their question back. It was as if they were disarmed, and their weapon was turned against them. They should have seen this coming. "Uh, I... ah. Yes, I... I have. But I am not the best. I am like Ramal." This entire situation had been abnormally normal. They would have been anxious anyway, but it was so casual that it made them more apprehensive. It was as if they were waiting for something to ignite. "You do not feel it?" Zenjesi asked abruptly, before they even fully considered if they should. Their milky eyes fixated on each of their companions in turn. "My curse?"
Zenjesi: 0.6
Shadow: 1.2, 2.4
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Ramal
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Posts: 160
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Post by Ramal on Nov 30, 2023 0:55:28 GMT -6
"You could help me with my pet training some day," Ramal said as he listened to Kristofor. Despite his humbleness, he seemed fairly accomplished. At least to someone who had literally never done such a thing before. Ramal wasn't sure if he'd ever cross paths with this person again, but he knew that it definitely wouldn't happen if he didn't leave the door open for him.
Shale started to snuffle around again, not quite sure what to do. They were walking before, but now they stopped. She approached a nearby rock and rolled it around with her claws. There were no bugs there for her to eat, but she found the activity comforting regardless.
"This is okay," Ramal said with a wide grin. There was a bit of pastry stuck to his nose, but he paid it no mind. "We could practice together, maybe." He turned as if to address Kristofor directly when Zenjesi suddenly changed the topic. Whatever he was about to ask would have to wait.
"Curse..." Ramal paused. His gills dropped along with the corners of his mouth, pulling his face into a concerned frown. Zenjesi seemed very upset, but Ramal was confused about why. As far as he knew, everything was just fine a moment ago.
"Sorry, I do not know what this means."
[6, 1.2]
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Post by Kristofor on Nov 30, 2023 17:20:58 GMT -6
Dawson, impressive? Well, yes. Yes he is. Kristofor dips his snout briefly to smell his pie, dragging his sandal on the ground. "I-I would like to train him as a s-scenthound, eventually. His s-sense of smell is very good." Better then his own. "His children I hope w-will be impressive too." Which he's no idea. Now that Darwin is grown... he's not quite sure what his specialty should be. But...training someone? Training pets with Ramal? "I d-don't see why not. Nothing too large, please." He's no fan of anything near the size of a tall fox, or a horse. Which he wonders just how tall Suffolk will become in the future.
The repointe is focused on lolling the pork jerky treat around in his maw, the edges of the leather slightly sodden with drool as he noms. Repointe don't graze for hours on the same item, like a cow. But FLAVOR. COLOR IN HIS MOUTH. He loves it.
The fox pauses with a forkful of pie in his mouth at the ...outburst? Curse? His eyes stare at Zenjee with a pause, delicately chewing on the fork itself as he looks.
"I hear nothing wrong?" he responds. Its not the first time he's heard the word. But Zenjee's language has been anything but a curse. "You a-are very polite. Your l-language is excellent."
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Post by Zenjesi on Dec 1, 2023 10:40:20 GMT -6
Confusion. The other two were confused, or... upset? It was difficult to say. But that did not make sense. How could they not know? "I... I am cursed," Zenjesi pushed on, shaking their head. "Others... fear me." They looked between the two again, searching for any sign that they understood, or felt it too. "Something is wrong. I do not know why. I look strange. Strange for... those of my home. But even here. The people are different here. Yet they fear me the same. Do you not feel it?"
It had been some time since they had strung so many words together, and it was quickly evolving into a rant. It could even have been perceived as threatening as they began to wring their hands, all of their anxiety bubbling up and out of their mouth in this flurry of whispered words. Shadow whined uncertainly from the ground, not quite familiar enough with Zenjesi to be comfortable with this sudden display of agitation either.
Zenjesi: 0.7
Shadow: 1.4, 2.8
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Ramal
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Posts: 160
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Post by Ramal on Dec 3, 2023 22:27:15 GMT -6
Ramal might not know what the word meant, but the sentiment got through all the same. His stance became stiff as the tension escalated. Zenjesi was clearly very upset, and he was fairly certain that it didn't actually have anything to do with him or anything he had said. There was something much deeper at play here. Perhaps that was the meaning of 'curse'.
If he was honest with himself, Ramal did feel a twinge of relief at Zenjesi admitting that others feared them. Fear wasn't quite the way he would describe it, but there was definitely something about them that felt a little... off. He could see others finding that frightening. People often feared what they did not know. Including him, at times.
Though they could not speak, most creatures had an understanding of the mood of those around them. Shale went from playfully rolling rocks around to taking shelter under a table leg, looking up at the trio of people with uncertainty.
"Ya, my friend..." Ramal began, another thing he often said to fill air as he tried to come up with something to say. Rarely was he sincere, but he didn't think any other approach was appropriate. "It is difficult being strange." He hung his head, subconsciously looking at his prosthetic foot.
"I am far away from my home, and many things here are strange. Not everyone is so welcoming for me, either. I think that it is important to... to learn more things before making a choice about who to trust."
[6.1, 1.4]
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Post by Kristofor on Dec 6, 2023 18:25:19 GMT -6
As he listens to Zenjee talk, their agitatedness... doesn't seem to phase Kristofor nearly as much as it should. But to be feared by others? Yes, that is something he knows about. A slight click as he puts his fork and partially eaten pie on the table beside them.
"F-fitting in among other c-cultures is difficult. I agree. Look at me, I'm a fox. F-foxes aren't typically a ...trusted kind of people." Though he's about the most honest fox you'll find on this side of the continent, or at least he tries. "T-to me, you both look very different from what I am u-used to seeing. I haven't seen a f-frog person like you Ramal, and nobody I've seen has eyes like Zenjee. I-its new, but not bad."
"If it helps, I'm not really a-afraid of either of you; now that I've spoken to y-you, you're very nice." He looks at his toes, tail curling around his long legs.
The pork jerky is slowly softening the longer the repointe chews on it; no food as ever lasted this long. But his teeth are tearing and ripping, but really for chewing, keeping the chunk of meat on the back teeth.
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Post by Zenjesi on Dec 7, 2023 12:08:41 GMT -6
Zenjesi was silent. Something in the back of their mind whispered that if the two had not been frightened of them before, they surely would be now. Ramal averted his eyes and Kristofor set his plate aside, but somehow neither of those actions preceded them leaving. They did not react with fear, but... sympathy. Zenjesi blinked a few times, as if that would clear their mind. To hear both of them commiserating with Zenjesi, to hear they had all been distrusted or ostracized...
Inappropriately, Zenjesi let out a soft, raspy laugh; it was an involuntary sound fueled mainly by relief. "We are all strange," they concluded, looking between their two (dare they say it?) friends. Despite the phrase's connotation, it was said with nothing shy of delight.
They took one little tap step closer to the duo, leaning forward just a little further at the waist, as they tended to do when captivated, as they were now by these two. They had never been referred to as 'nice' before. They had also never been referred to as the opposite. Nobody had ever bothered to notice. They wondered if they were, in fact, nice. "You are both kind," they agreed with Kristofor. Of that much, they could be more certain.
But this did raise more questions for the quite sheltered Zenjesi. "What is it like at your homes? Where you were birthed?" they clarified.
Shadow had now determined she no longer needed to monitor the situation, and set about sniffing for more dropped or forgotten treats.
Zenjesi: 0.8
Shadow: 1.6, 3.2
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Ramal
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Post by Ramal on Dec 9, 2023 19:58:58 GMT -6
Ramal's huge green eyes finally snapped away from the ground as Kristofor spoke. It was interesting for him to hear the fuzzy man speak about also being an outcast. Some of the first people he met on the surface were fuzzy, so he thought of them as commonplace. Perhaps this was just another gap in his understanding of the culture of the city. Many kinds of people lived here, so much so that saying what was 'normal' could be difficult. Is this why the three of them so quickly found themselves surrounded by fellow 'outcasts'?
"No, not a frog," Ramal quickly interjected, shaking his head. "I am Lagan."
Before he had a chance to elaborate, Zenjesi started laughing. Just as quickly as it had arrived, the tension in the air faded away. It would seem their words had the desired effect. Ramal's stance softened, and he allowed himself another bite of the pie. Directly from the top, just like before.
"Ya, Lagan is," Ramal took a breath, unsure what the first thing he should say was. He had an odd mix of emotions regarding his long lost home, but he relished the opportunity to speak about it nonetheless.
"Well, there is no... air." He gestured at the sky above. "Also I am not birthed. I was hatched," he said confidently, as if any of that made any sense at all.
[6.2, 1.6]
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Post by Kristofor on Dec 10, 2023 22:14:44 GMT -6
He'd take that. They were all strange, in their own ways. Getting Zenjee to laugh eases some of Kristofor's own inner tension; His ears perk up and his tail sweeps the ground once side to side as he picks up his pie again to eat more of it. Oh, this is very good pie.
Wait, Ramal isn't a frog? Well... ok that makes sense. Most frogs have no extra 'finger ears' coming off their heads, for what frogs he's met. Not a toad either, he doesn't sport that 'deep toady voice' either.
"What is Lagan?" he asks Ramal, fixated with curiosity. What sort of place has no air? "Were you h-hatched underwater?" Its either underwater or beyond the sky but only people have gone that far away from the ground of which they stand now.
"My home is far to the n-northwest forests. Animals lived together in c-community, like this city but much smaller. Less... 'house'. H-humans were rare i-interactions, seldom good. F-farmers are the w-worst type of human." So the humans he has interacted with, its been almost a blessing that they weren't attempting to make him a rug. "Big open s-space, lots of room to run." A place he'd love to take his repointe to, if he ever actually 'gets' back home. He can hear munching still behind him. That must be a good piece of meat leather.
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Post by Zenjesi on Dec 11, 2023 10:50:25 GMT -6
If there was one thing Zenjesi enjoyed, it was to learn. They would likely not identify that trait in themselves if asked, but they had a pervasive and somewhat problematic curiosity that drove them to seek out answers, and, at times, the questions in the first place. It seemed they were in good company, as Kristofor gave voice to every question on their tongue. Well, not every question. "Do you remember the inside of the egg?" they asked Ramal abruptly.
As Kristofor began to describe his hometown, the satyr turned to him. Many of the things he mentioned piqued their interest, but there was one in particular that touched on a particular and more personal chord. It buried all other questions for the moment beneath its weight. "What did the humans do?"
At this moment, Zenjesi noticed Shadow was standing on her hind legs, one forepaw against their leg. She was looking up at them with her tail wagging hopefully. How long had she been there? They shook their head and picked her up. The houluh nestled into their arms, head tucking underneath one side of their capelet, calm as ever.
Zenjesi: 0.9
Shadow: 1.8, 3.6
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Ramal
Full Member
Posts: 160
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Post by Ramal on Dec 11, 2023 18:17:52 GMT -6
"Lagan is.. belonging to the lake," he explained. That was the literal meaning of the word, as best as he could translate it, anyway. "Ya, everything is in water," he nodded in confirmation to Kristofor.
Now Zenjesi was asking about his hatching as well. Ramal didn't quite know why the topic was so popular, but it did make him laugh. "I one time asked the same, to littlest sister! By the time she could talk, she had forgotten, too," he said. "I guess we will not know."
Ramal slipped another treat down to Shale while he listened to what Kristofor had to say about his homeland. As expected, it was very different from the lake. Many of the words he used to describe it were confusing to Ramal. He was getting the feeling that, yet again, his understanding of land people culture was lacking. There were just so many of them, and they were all very different. It was a lot to keep track of.
There was one thing, however, that he really didn't feel like he understood. "Oi, you say there is animal city, and there is humans, but what about Krissofors? Where is your family?"
[6.3, 1.8]
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Post by Kristofor on Dec 12, 2023 20:56:49 GMT -6
An hatched creature? He looks nothing like any sort of bird, and last he checked, birds don't live underwater. Doesn't look like a fish, an otter or a beaver either. Kristofor's ears tilt forward in interest as he listens to Ramal speak about the lake, and the egg memory. He doesn't remember being a little cub with his ears and eyes closed either, so the story of forgetting the inside of the egg makes sense to him.
But then Zenjee asked what the humans did. A shiver runs down his spine, his fur flattens in fearful memory. The cage. The thunderous gunshots. The imminence of being caved in upon for being dug out from above. He doesn't speak, but shakes his head, ears flattening to his skull. No, he... just no.
"M-mine? Well, t-they are still back in the a-animal t-town. H-humans rarely come to the f-forest anymore..." he tries to get a grip on his internal panicking, Empty his mind... take a deep breath. Close your eyes. He weighs less then a slice of bread...
The chewing sounds stop, Suffolk smells fear smell from fox. He looks between the smaller creatures, some tall as fox, interacting with others. Nosing the fox's arm, he makes a chuffing noise. Fox scared?
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Post by Zenjesi on Dec 13, 2023 17:45:16 GMT -6
Ramal's explanation thus far was brief, but it intrigued Zenjesi. To think of being born - or hatched, as it were - underwater raised so many further questions. And Ramal had a sibling, too. But it was Kristofor's turn to share and... oh dear. Zenjesi had been concerned that their earlier rant would scare their newfound friends away, but it seemed that their frantic rambling had not been the answer: an insensitive question was.
They were not excellent at reading the subtleties of body language in humans, but in fox mammalians the signs were evidently more recognizable. Zenjesi immediately reached out to try and calm him down, but was afraid of their touch making his state somehow worse, so their hands merely hovered over his arms. "Do not..." they began, but... do not what? Do not worry? Do not answer the question? They could not settle on one in time, so they simply left the two words hanging as an awkward plea.
The conversation seemed to reach an unnatural lull then as Kristofor seemed distracted, and Zenjesi felt unpleasantly responsible. "I will allow you to leave," they began mumbling, ducking their head and moving past the two. They set Shadow on the table while they began to fumble with the bags of treats and the other things they had brought. "I am sorry," they added softly. They turned, again with bowed head, and offered the entirety of the rest of the pies that Ramal and Kristofor had each sampled to each of them, respectively.
Zenjesi: 1.0 - logged
Shadow: 2.0, 4.0
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Post by Kristofor on Dec 14, 2023 4:13:48 GMT -6
He stepped on his own tail. The shock of stepping on his tail in shoes kicks Kristofor out of his own thought process.
And... he's ashamed.
Do not... do not stay here. Thats what Zenjee's phrase finished inside his head. He had an opportunity to get out, so he would take it.
"T-thank you for the pie, and the opportunity to meet the two of you. W-we might see each other in the contest hall. G-good day."
He takes his pie slice to scarf the rest of his portion into an open maw, pats his muzzle with a napkin, and returns the plate and fork to keep the parting casual. But there was more offered? "Th-thank you." He would take an extra slice for himself, as ginger and apple wasn't a known item for being good for dogs? If it was good for him?
"C-come Suffolk. Goodbye," The two end up going back to the apartment instead of doing much further for Suffolk's walk. The repointe had his snack, he didn't seem to mind. His gaze kept looking at the unkempt end of the fox's tail, but not understand why he didn't dust his tracks away.
-exit, +1 Suffolk
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Ramal
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Posts: 160
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Post by Ramal on Dec 18, 2023 1:54:44 GMT -6
There were many things Ramal still did not know about the people in the city, but the kind of pain and sadness expressed by Kristofor was not hard to understand. Clearly, the topic being discussed had dredged up something deep and painful. The grin across Ramal's face faded quickly, and his cheerful ramblings were replaced with respectful silence. It would be inappropriate to interrupt.
Being honest and a little bit vulnerable had gotten him out of a tight spot once, but it wasn't about to work a second time. Both of his new companions seemed flustered, and rather than attempt to change topic again, he simply let Kristofor leave on his own terms. He considered making a joke about voting for each other at the next contest, but he decided against it.
"Thank you for the treats," Ramal said, accepting some of the leftovers. As he picked it up, he was reminded of what Zenjesi said when they first arrived. 'Treats for friends.'
"Oi, if you are still looking for friends, you can visit me at Community Park. We just opened, but I think many people will join me some day."
"I hope you will be one of them."
[6.4, 2]
[Fin]
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