|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 0:50:59 GMT -5
"Uhh.. oh! Yeah, hold on a second," he said, leaning back toward his room and focusing on a large bookshelf. It was mostly filled with coloring and picture books, but one particular item began to glow, then shot off its shelf and flew toward the pair. Snatching it in his hands he unfolded it. "Here!" he said, pointing enthusiastically. The map, as Leedz would quickly discover, was not like those she was familiar with, and in fact had no writing in it at all. Instead, spread across its creased surface were cartoonish representations of all the buildings in the area. Venice pointed to one in particular. "This is my house!"
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 0:57:22 GMT -5
Before ever resting her eyes on the map, Leedz seemed to have encountered another mental BSOD, and was only able to snap herself out of it by following the mink's example and pinching herself for a second time. Once it was established that that did, in fact, still hurt, she warily took the document. "Okay... I'm starting to guess by now that... you're the one doing that...?" Then again, it didn't seem that unusual... There were lots of people in the headline news that could perform amazing feats, and the princess of the Sol dimension could supposedly generate fire. Hell, Leedz herself had a hidden talent or two -- even if it was clumsy at best. Still, it was a little jarring to actually see something like that with one's own eyes. And those eyes had now fallen on the map. And become confused once again. "...The hell?"
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 1:05:27 GMT -5
"Huh? ... Oh, yeah, I'm telekinetic. Anyway," he pointed at the map again. "This is only the central dome. I have maps for the other major domes as well."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 1:09:48 GMT -5
"Domes? What do you mean by domes?" Suddenly Leda blinked and shook her head. "Wait, did you just say telekinetic??" It wasn't so much the skill itself as how casually he'd gone about announcing it.
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 1:24:23 GMT -5
Pausing to look up at her, the hedgemink seemed to zero his focus in on the violet locks of hair around her face. With a burst of cyan light they pulled stiff... and began to braid themselves. "Yeah."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 1:32:55 GMT -5
At the sensation of her fur not only going taut, but furthermore braiding, Leedz's scales stood upright and she flinched in reflex. However, after a moment to draw a deep breath, the pangolin inspected his work on her hair. "...And I can see you're pretty good at it," she finally managed to say. "It's kind of surreal, really. I've never been able to doubt something like this, but at the same time, actually witnessing it is really different from imagining it."
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 1:45:37 GMT -5
He grinned widely. "Thanks. I have to be pretty good when I lift actors and make things fly around the stage in my owner's theater." and then his grin faltered slightly, giving way to curiosity as his eyes drifted to her upright scales. "Say, what are you anyway? I've never seen any kind of beast like you before. Not even a hybrid."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 1:46:45 GMT -5
"...Did... Did you just call me a beast?"
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 1:49:16 GMT -5
"Well, yeah," he gave her a sideways look. "What's wrong with that?"
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 1:51:56 GMT -5
By now her scales had settled back down, but her muzzle remained wrinkled. "Well it's a little derogatory, don't you think?"
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 1:55:18 GMT -5
His head tipped another notch. "No? I mean I'm a beast too. I'm definitely not an overlander."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 1:56:43 GMT -5
"...'Overlander'?"
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 2:00:36 GMT -5
He shrugged. "You know, the people who own us and care for us? I think they call each other human among themselves."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 2:05:31 GMT -5
"OH, oh, humans. Sure." Returning her attention to the map, in meager hopes that she could possibly derive any useful information from it, she added, "I suppose 'beast' makes more sense when comparing a thrope to a human. Still not a word I'd personally use." Internally, however, Leedz had a lot more to say. Suddenly Venice's comments about owners and collars were beginning to come together into a disturbingly vivid image. But it couldn't possibly be true... Could it? Could a region really exist where humans treated thropes like any other animal -- to the point of keeping them as pets? It seemed absolutely ludicrous, but then, so did the twin braids lingering by her cheeks. Improbable didn't equal impossible. She really, REALLY needed to find a way home. And quickly.
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 3:52:16 GMT -5
Well, so much for having his curiosity satisfied over her species. Instead, while the strange girl seemed to become lost in her own thoughts, Venice allowed his to drift as well. Glancing from the map, to her neck, to the house, and then back several times over, the hybrid realized if his owner were to find out about this he was going to be in biiig trouble. "You know, Silvie's not gonna be happy when she finds a feral in her house..."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 14:51:15 GMT -5
Would you stop calling me that? Leedz wanted to ask. Instead she sighed and rolled her eyes. Apparently it was the word they used for foreigners, so there really wasn't much point in arguing on it. "Well, I won't be in the house much longer once I figure out which direction I should start traveling in. I shouldn't hang around here anyway; I'm afraid I'll break something." This map may as well have been drawn on a napkin during a bar fight for all its usefulness, the pangolin silently bemoaned. I guess I'll just have to find some public information on my own. It was worth a shot, at least. Putting on an appreciative smile, Leda handed the map back to Venice after struggling for an hour to fold it and said, "Well, thanks for all the help, and sorry again for just showing up like this. If you could do me one last favor and point me at the front door, I'll get out of your hair."
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 15:07:43 GMT -5
The hybrid's brow raised. "No!" he blurted, waving his hands. "You can't go out without a collar, the beastcatchers will get you!"
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 15:09:48 GMT -5
Leedz made a face that could only be described as the visual representation of a groan. "The... what?"
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 15:14:30 GMT -5
"The beastcatchers!" he repeated, staring at her incredulously. "They pick up strays and take them to the pound!"
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 15:19:26 GMT -5
Just how far out from Soleanna can this place BE?? the pangolin wondered, taking to gently massaging her temples. I mean, honestly, since when have HUMANS dominated the planet?! "Okay, okay... Where do you suggest I get a... ..." It almost looked as though it pained her to say it. "...collar?"
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 15:28:27 GMT -5
"Well uh..." he seemed to wilt a bit. "You need to have your owner buy you one."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 15:30:16 GMT -5
"But I don't have an, er, 'owner'. Why can't I just get one myself?"
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 15:36:20 GMT -5
"Because beasts aren't allowed to spend money," he frowned. "And besides, if you try to go anywhere without a collar or your owner they'll just call the beastcatchers on you."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 15:44:00 GMT -5
At last Leda's patience snapped and she through her hands in the air. "So, what, we're just COMPLETELY second-class citizens here?! No wonder you were being kept in a cage!"
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 15:49:03 GMT -5
"Wha?" he glanced back into his room. "No, the cage is so I don't float around my room at night," he looked back. "Waking up on the ceiling isn't very fun."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 15:51:17 GMT -5
Leedz groaned deeply and flopped backwards onto the nearby couch -- which she hadn't yet noticed was on a larger scale than her own at home. " I think I'm ready to hit my head again."
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 16:03:12 GMT -5
Venice quickly scampered up onto the furniture beside her and promptly flopped onto his belly. "Maybe if you do that you'll remember how you got here?" his tail swished, and he frowned. "By the way, I'm the only beast in this house allowed to be on the furniture."
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 16:10:14 GMT -5
Still on her back, Leedz glanced at him upside down. "Oh, I'm not going to slash the cushions or anything. My scales are dulled."
|
|
|
Post by Jamie Lee on May 23, 2009 16:18:17 GMT -5
His frown deepened "Okay... but if someone catches you I better not get in trouble," As if having a collarless feral won't get me in enough trouble anyway, he thought grimly. "Say, you never answered me before when I asked what you were?"
|
|
|
Post by Leda on May 23, 2009 16:24:52 GMT -5
Folding her hands behind her head (and wincing upon inadvertently leaning on her injury site), the pangolin answered, "Well in theory I'm an artist, but my best friends both blast past me on a rocket ship in that regard, so for the most part I'm a writer."
|
|