Ramal
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Post by Ramal on Jul 24, 2024 19:47:05 GMT -6
Ramal was so excited to speak about his family that he briefly forgot how families on the surface usually worked. Of course Zenjesi was confused. From what he understood, most people around here had at most 2 or sometimes 3 parents, and many had no siblings at all. Including Zenjesi, apparently, who described a family so small that it made Ramal sad to even consider how lonely that would be. Yet again it was apparent that the two of them really could not be more different.
"In Lagan..." Ramal began, thinking of how to concisely explain the family structures of his entire people. "Many parents come together and become one family. They share the hatch- children, and they grow up together, until they make their own families some day."
As Zenjesi probably already guessed, Ramal was a difficult person to catch off guard. He rarely took anything so seriously as to be worked up about it. However, the second him leaving home came up, he took a pointed step back, reflexively using his tail to cover his prosthetic foot.
"I did not choose," he said. "I was banished."
[8.7]
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Post by Zenjesi on Jul 27, 2024 19:46:54 GMT -6
Of all of the humanoid individuals Zenjesi had met at the Labs, they were certainly most comfortable in Ramal's company. Yet there was something reassuring in the repetitive and familiar act of weeding a garden. It was productive. It made them feel as if they were contributing to the Friendship. Behind them came a loud snap as Marian broke through the root. She thrashed her head and fragments flew. Perhaps they were not productive enough; she would need a replacement quickly.
The idea of families coming together as Ramal described sounded quaint. Their mind drew upon their closest parallel from their own childhood: witnessing groups of children running in flocks through the streets. They tried to imagine what it would have been like to join them.
But Ramal's reaction to their question was so physical and unexpected that Zenjesi recoiled as well. "You were banished?" they repeated, feeling a sudden rise of something like anger within them. "Why?" Though they always whispered, the last word emerged as more of a hiss. Of all of the people who deserved such a fate, Ramal ought to be far from the top. This, now, was personal.
Zenjesi: 0.6 Marian: 5.2, 2.6
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Ramal
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Post by Ramal on Jul 28, 2024 1:39:06 GMT -6
As soon as he finished confessing, Ramal flinched like he expected the words to have a physical recoil. His gills practically melted, flattening back behind his head making him appear smaller than usual.
"I am sorry," he said. His voice quivered, devoid of its usual enthusiastic charm. "I know I am to shame. I understand if we can't be friends now that you know."
This was the curse that followed him everywhere he went since he took his first breath of air. He had experienced and learned so much since that day, but had he really changed? Standing there in a new city with a new friend and telling the same old story, he wasn't too sure he had. He felt just like the young naive boy that he was back then. The one that didn't know what trees were.
"I hoped you would not have to know, but I would not lie to you," Ramal said, desperate to say something, anything to make the ache in his heart go away.
"Biggest sister is gone because of lying." Though he left it unsaid, it was obvious that he did not want Zenjesi to suffer the same fate.
[8.8]
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Post by Zenjesi on Jul 28, 2024 19:20:13 GMT -6
But the words Ramal spoke next confused them. It confused them more than his description of his family structure, more than his strange assumptions about life on the surface, more even than his choice to befriend Zenjesi. He looked so small and pitiful. The satyr did not know what to do. Marian had grown bored, and began to crawl off into the garden. Usually, they were quite attentive to these things, but now, in their distress, she went entirely unnoticed. Their mouth opened, but before they could respond, he continued.
Shame, cannot be friends... "Ramal..." The satyr paused, gathering their words. "I, too, was banished." One of their hands lifted, momentarily in Ramal's direction and hovered there for a beat. They knew there was some gesture of comfort that involved such a movement, but they did not know how to complete it. Instead, if Ramal did not intervene, they would allow it to awkwardly drift back down onto their lap. "I am... a freak," they mumbled, mimicking the word they had heard from others' lips, "but you...?"
Zenjesi: 0.7 Marian: 5.4, 2.7
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Ramal
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Post by Ramal on Jul 29, 2024 3:34:58 GMT -6
Banished.
The word rung around in his head, no longer in his own voice, but someone else's. He froze for an awkwardly long moment, his already large eyes wider than ever. For the first time in his life, he had to contemplate what being banished really meant to him. Since Zenjesi had suffered a similar fate, would he think less of them? Of course not. Then maybe, just maybe, there was room for him to forgive himself, too.
Suddenly, he grabbed Zenjesi's free hand and yanked them into a loose hug. "I cannot let you say mean things about my friend," he said, following their 'freak' comment. He knew what that word meant, he had heard it enough times himself. He briefly squeezed them a bit tighter before finally letting go.
Ramal chuckled lightly, his gaze drifting up to a single fluffy white cloud above. "You know," he said. "In Lagan, people say that air is poison. If you breathe too many air, you will die."
"They are wrong," he concluded. Wrong about the air, and maybe many other things, too. Most of which he was still untangling, like plucking the weeds from the garden of his mind.
[8.9]
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Post by Zenjesi on Jul 31, 2024 13:24:29 GMT -6
They believed the gesture involved placing the hand on the other party's shoulder, or perhaps their head? Though they believed the head was usually reserved for children. Or was that only a gesture for one's own child, regardless of age-- Quite suddenly their face was pressed up against Ramal's shoulder. They froze there, unsure of what to do with their limbs. This was a friendly action, was it not? After Ramal said he would not allow such talk, they worried for just an instant he might be attempting to smother them. But no, they were released. It was only then that they realized that being embraced had been... nice.
As he went on, they felt their concern return. Certainly, breathing air was not poisonous to someone like Zenjesi. But Ramal? They did not know. What if his Lagan people were right, and Zenjesi's only friend was slowly dying? But he seemed confident that he was alright. Zenjesi supposed no one would know something like that better than he. They let out a slightly shaky breath. "They are wrong," Zenjesi agreed. "But I may be a freak," they added with a soft chuckle. It was an attempt at humor, at least. The plants in the garden rustled, disturbed by the exploration of the bulldozer.
"Why do they lie to you? About the air?"
Zenjesi: 0.8 Marian: 5.6, 2.8
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Ramal
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Post by Ramal on Aug 8, 2024 21:26:00 GMT -6
Ramal's stance continued to soften as Zenjesi considered what he said and concluded with a joke. Look at them, a little group of freaks. The word felt less harsh when he considered it that way, which was no doubt what they were going for by saying it.
"No, they do not lie," Ramal said, shaking his head. Even with everything he had experience and all that he had learned, he refused to entertain the thought that his people had intentionally lied to him. "They do not know. It is impossible to know."
"People in Lagan, they never ever leave. Outside is danger, the world is danger." He instantly thought of Marian, a creature that would absolutely not be tolerated there. So many things about his life here would be strictly forbidden for being far too unpredictable and dangerous.
"People who break rules - people like me - we must not come back, because danger comes with us."
[9]
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Post by Zenjesi on Aug 11, 2024 19:10:22 GMT -6
Though the conversation had taken a darker turn, Zenjesi did not feel that it was a dangerous or threatening one. Usually, when such topics arose as who and why they were, they needed to excuse themselves from the situation. But then again, what was to follow was typically not sympathy or condolences, or even, as in Ramal's case, a similar story. They listened to their friend's explanation quietly and thoughtfully. Yet the word 'danger' also brought Marian to their mind. Zenjesi reached back for the bulldozer and -- Their heart skipped a beat and they whirled around. She was gone.
"Marian!" they hissed, as they quickly rose to their hooves. Of course, she did not respond, but it did not matter; a large white reptile was hard pressed to camouflage itself in this environment. She had not gone far, and had caused no destruction. Zenjesi exhaled, picking their way carefully over to her before looking back to Ramal. "What is the rule that you broke?" Stooping, the satyr hooked their arms underneath hers, hoisting her into the air as best they could. The bulldozer writhed and hissed and growled. Courtesy of the amulet, she did not damage Zenjesi, though she did disrupt their balance, leaving them waddling and stumbling awkwardly back towards their friend.
Zenjesi: 0.9 Marian: 5.8, 2.9
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Ramal
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Post by Ramal on Aug 11, 2024 20:47:51 GMT -6
Hearing Zenjesi call out her name made him realize he didn't know where the little beast was, either. He frantically looked at the ground around his tail to make sure she wasn't about to pounce on him. Then he remembered that Pashmina was supposed to be nearby, too. Was she safe? He quickly located her on the top of the greenhouse, still glaring down at the Bulldozer. He smiled and waved at her, letting her know that he appreciated her support.
By the time he looked back, Zenjesi had located Marian. He wanted to help stabilize them, but he recalled their previous warning about the amulet, so he weakly dropped his hand to his side and answered the question instead.
"Well, remember I say that nobody leaves? Ya, that is the biggest rule."
"I sometime used to sneak away from teacher during lessons," he said, pantomiming a tip-toe motion. "I like to explore while the others was busy. One day I find something stuck against the barrier, so I went to see."
"It is a little monster!" He gnashed his teeth for emphasis, and continued to gesture as he told the tale. "It is small, so I think it is just a baby. I wanted to help, so I tried to make it free and let it go without nobody knowing."
"But I did not see that the momma monster is watching. Once I am out of the barrier, well..." he lifted his prosthetic foot and looked down at it, figuring that the end of the story was now obvious.
[9.1]
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Post by Zenjesi on Aug 11, 2024 22:51:52 GMT -6
The satyr was not terribly tall, and that fact was doing them no favors in this circumstance. The bulldozer's tail was dragging between their legs. It was a sight to behold, they were certain. Or they would have thought so, if they had not been so preoccupied with maneuvering.
But a moment later, their attention was completely captured by Ramal's story instead. His gestures and reenactment of the tale had them enraptured. In fact, they were so engrossed that they had neglected to release Marian. But even the bulldozer, pinned as she was against Zenjesi's chest, paused in her thrashing as Ramal began his animated story. The three eyes on that side of her head all followed his wild gestures.
And as the explanation came to a somewhat unceremonious conclusion, Zenjesi's eyes widened and then lingered on Ramal's foot. "How did you escape? Who was the monster?" they whispered. Marian had lost interest in the exchange now, and her wriggling was too much for the satyr to bear - literally. They clumsily set her on the ground. Then they remembered Ramal's proximity, and they hefted her once more, just to angle her snout a different direction. Perhaps that would be enough to prevent her from targeting the poor young man.
Zenjesi: 1.0 -- logged! Marian: 6.0, 3.0
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Post by Emery on Aug 19, 2024 14:43:06 GMT -6
Emery came to the community park with not one, but two creatures in tow. She had thought to buy a kairfuryoo for assistive purposes a while ago. Her own body was frail, and a lot of strenuous physical activities were beyond her. A kairfuryoo seemed to be the perfect solution, if she could train one to act as a service animal. After all, they were bred- nay, designed to be perfect caretakers. Everyone knew how carefully they tended to the eggs of other creatures. They'd carefully incubate them, carry them, treat them like their own- or, perhaps, better. In addition, despite being intelligent enough to be considered sapient, they took to their jobs with single-minded zeal. As far as Emery had learned so far, they were perfectly designed such that they were obsessed with any job they were given. They didn't have ambitions, desires, or even hobbies. That being said, they had enough problem solving skills on their own to make them the perfect helpers. It was just what Emery needed- a creature that was not her, but could act as an extension of herself and her will to carry out tasks for her. All Emery had to do was train it. Emery 1 Ayzere 0.1/0.1 Damir 0.1/0.1
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Post by Emery on Aug 19, 2024 14:53:19 GMT -6
...And the other one. Emery had only purchased a single kairfuryoo, an infant as requested. That way she could carefully raise it and mold it for the needed behavioral patterns, which she intended to start in on quite young. After all, Emery needed her assistant as soon as possible. But when the creature had arrived, it was accompanied by a "bonus", as the seller so put it. Said bonus was a second creature- a kair. Emery had heard of these as well. Atavistic throwbacks to some of the original genetic stock that kairfuryoo were based off of. They were much more rambunctious, independent, and in many cases, violent. Emery wasn't particularly pleased about the situation, but it was too late now to give the creature back. She wasn't about to neglect it however- that would undoubtedly make it impossible to deal with as an adult. The earlier she could start raising it with proper manners in mind, the better. Besides, they seemed quite bonded to each other anyway- perhaps in more stressful situations they could help the other one take the edge off... or at least help each other burn off that youthful energy given that Emery couldn't really "play" in the way they wanted.
Emery 2 Ayzere 0.2/0.2 Damir 0.2/0.2
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Post by Emery on Aug 19, 2024 14:57:04 GMT -6
And play they did, rolling over each other across the ground of this public space that was now thankfully a bit more clean. Emery no longer felt like she had to worry about them rolling onto a broken beer bottle or a leftover shard of wood from the fence. It still wasn't in fantastic condition, but it was a good enough place for the children to wrestle around for a bit. After receiving the babies, Emery had done a bit of research on names. Kairfuryoo didn't really have anything in the way of "culture"- they were too quick to integrate with other people for that, so it was up to Emery to give them a names from human cultures. After doing some digging, she found some obscure names that she was pretty sure no one would call her on- Ayzere and Damir. Gold and Iron. They were fitting enough for the creatures' appearances and tendencies, seeing as both of them currently loved coveting shiny objects. This was no doubt due to the kairfuryoo instinct to protect eggs or other valuables. Emery had already had to steal back some of her coins out of their nest after they had dragged them in.
Emery 3 Ayzere 0.3/0.3 Damir 0.3/0.3
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Post by Emery on Aug 20, 2024 8:54:05 GMT -6
They were very closely bonded, as far as Emery could tell. She supposed that was just the nature of being, technically, twin siblings. Not born from the same egg, but certainly from the same clutch. They were the only other entity the other knew, and so were joined at the hip. Hopefully, over time, Emery could tease them apart a bit. She needed Ayzere to do her job, after all. It would be... inconvenient, at least, for Emery to have to drag an entire, massive kair around with her in addition to the smaller kairfuryoo. Plus, having an assistant that was neurotically attached to its sibling to the point of separation anxiety was undoubtedly a major flaw. Still, Emery could work on that later. For now, she needed to work on both of them having a bond not just to each other, but her. For that, she had brought with her a variety of toys and games. Perhaps they'd come to associate her with these things, and so feel more trusting. They hadn't shown any aggression to Emery so far, but she could tell that they weren't "friends" for any meaning of the word. In being bought and sold, the pair had met a lot of strangers.
Emery 4 Ayzere 0.4/0.4 Damir 0.4/0.4
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Post by Emery on Aug 20, 2024 9:02:04 GMT -6
As a result, Emery was just one of many faces in a crowd- another ephemeral thing drifting through their lives that would have no major bearing on their courses. This was, of course, false- but the children had no way of knowing that. She just had to get to know them a bit better. She followed them around quietly for a few minutes, watching as they tossed and tumbled each other through the paths of the park, watching as they wrestled and bit at each other. When it looked like they were getting a bit TOO violent however, Emery decided to take a stand against it. Or a sit, really. She settled herself on a nearby park bench and opened her bag, digging through the contents for a moment. The kair just barely offered her a glance before going back to trying to bite his sister in the face. Then, Emery pulled out what she had been looking for- a rubber ball that squeaked when squeezed. She gave it a test-squeeze and sure enough, both of the babies' heads shot up at the sound of it, their feathers fluffing. "Would you like this?" Emery said, and held it towards the ground.
Emery 5 Ayzere 1.0/1.0 Damir 1.0/1.0
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