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 Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:53 pm
It was big.
It was loud.
It was tethered to a tree by a loose loop of vine.
It was angry.
Every time Rise moved a little closer towards it, the buzzing would intensify and it would flail the business end of its body around menacingly as it thrashed its sprawling barbed limbs.
Cue could not take her eyes off it.
Because.
It was just.
The cutest damn thing she had ever seen.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:00 pm
 " - and so Fell did a marvelous feat of wrangling it, that dear fellow, and so here we are. Oh Cue," Rise enthused, highly pleased and excited by her intense stare. " I honestly just thought of you when I saw this wasp in our shop, even if it was menacing our fruity goods." He chuckled at his own joke - he was catching on, at this 'making jokes' thing - " it's bold, stark, so intense, such a lively little creature." He eyed it and nodded sagely. " I'm sure it would be a perfect companion for you. I think it's time you had a pet, my dear."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:06 pm
Yes...so bold, stark, so intense, so lively, so - ...what?
"Oh no. No, no," she demurred, finally transferring her line of sight, "I'm no good with pets."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:10 pm
His eyes were wide and glowing, seeking her gaze so that he could impart the importance of her owning this wasp. "Nonsense, Cue! You look so taken by it, and it would be so happy with you. Why," he pointed to it with his muzzle, proudly stating as if he'd made it so, "it flies, it's too big to get underfoot, and it will surely protect you well on your journeys."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:12 pm
"No, no - I couldn't possibly take care of another living creature," she shook her head hastily, "why, I - I don't even know what it eats."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:16 pm
"Oh it'll eat anything I imagine," he assured, prepared for all her modest excuses. "It sampled everything in the shop, really!" He laughed again, he was really getting very witty. "We tossed it fruits at first, which it took to, but when one of the carcasses we were sunning got too close to it..." he paused at the recollection, "well, what a sight. A fine pet for sure, easy to provide for, entertaining to watch and to own."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:24 pm
"...Anything?" She looked at it again, trying to envision its gnashing mandibles shredding the half-pickled corpse of a coypu or muskrat. Yes...she could rather see it, the dusky wings beating with fury and purpose as strips of mostly-raw meat disappeared into the uncompromising shapes of white on black...it rather reminded her of something, those white on black lines, but the exquisite quiver of its trembling wings prevented her from pursuing this inquiry with anything more than absent wonderment.
But - no. No, no. No. She could not take a pet, even one as adorable as this. "I'm sorry, Rise, I'm just not...ready, I suppose, for the responsibility."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:34 pm
He had the edge, he knew it, and so he encouraged "oh no, no Cue - I think you are most certainly ready." His enthusiastic smile wide across his face, he thought, was very genuine and encouraging also.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:40 pm
That grin. That grin with the predatory edge. There it was again. And there it brought again: the distinct feeling that Rise was no longer talking about pets.
Speaking of which... "Where are the kids today?" She made a great show of looking right and left and all over the suspiciously empty shop space.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:55 pm
"They're on a field trip with Fell and their aunties," he said, chipper at the mention of his children (and pleased that Cue was thinking of them). "They seemed very eager to go, not sure why, but as long as they're having fun...anyway, Cue, please," Rise beseeched, "you really should take that wasp. It came to our shop, it's been waiting patiently for you," it buzzed violently, "it's meant to be yours. You are ready, Cue, you really are. I can tell. Trust your dear uncle Rise."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 2:13 pm
Even his favourite topic had not been sufficiently distracting. Dear uncle Rise was really intent on her association with the wasp. ...And for once she could hardly blame him. She stole another look - it really was a magnificent creature, all sharp lines and deadly curves. And that monochromatic colour scheme was indeed unspeakably attractive. And familiar. But more importantly, attractive. If she had been in any way receptive to the idea of pet ownership...but, no, she was not. She could not fathom the thought of running with another for more than a few days at a time. She could not, possibly, take this wasp.
"I could not possibly take this wasp," the tone of her reply, she hoped, made it clear it was her final decision, "I appreciate the offer - immensely - but it is my nature to run alone. I'm sorry, Rise. Now that I've delivered the minks, I must go. Please give me the next assignment, and I shall fulfil it post-haste." One last look at the beautiful beast as she made to leave.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 2:18 pm
Her dear uncle Rise was very, very saddened. The severity of her refusal disappointed him so - his expression became at once pleading and sorrowful, he could barely think of business at all. "If you must, Cue." He began slowly, attempting to recall what the shop needed for the next few weeks.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 1:04 am
Life had not been kind to Once Forgotten. His increasingly desperate search for his father had hit one dead end after the other until eventually he had no other choice but to return to his siblings in failure. It hadn’t seemed quite to bad at the time. After all, they still had each other. But Forgotten had returned to find that not only were they doing fine without him but they seemed happy. They were settling in, finding friends and partners, they didn’t need him anymore. Even Shattered, dear Shattered with the self-confidence of a caterpillar, was managing. This of course meant that his entire life’s purpose had just crumpled to dust in front of his eyes. Unsurprisingly it had left him at a complete loss and after a good deal of moping and following each of his siblings around in turn, one face began to appear in his mind to distract him. Cue Queue. He’d never said a proper thank you for the aid she had given him… or apologised for some of things he had said to her. “Come to the food store at the edge of the salt marshes…”“Ah, there it is.” The Kiokote was marching purposely towards the food store, a march that quickly became a stupefied halt as he realised one of the Kimeti already there was in fact the one he had been looking for. He had not expected it to be so easy, considering finding Kimeti was apparently not his strongest skill. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 1:25 am
She stopped dead in her tracks as the Kiokote appeared. Is this another one of those annoying 'conscience' moments again? was her first (slightly panicked) thought. This fellow - this annoying fellow had a bad habit of popping up in her mind's eye lately whenever she was on the brink of a bad decision - and she didn't mean 'poor'. Well, alright, it was just that one decision lately, but it had been annoying enough.
No...wait. Her imaginary vision of him usually faded around the chest (why waste so much effort conjuring up the whole image, after all?). This one was full-formed, and as solid, stompy, and uncompromisingly black-and-white as he'd been that night.
...Unconpromisingly black-and-white.
Oh.
Part of her wanted to look back at the wasp, part of her wanted to go bang her head against a tree. Instead, she did neither, and said nothing. She waited for him to approach instead. Her revelation was done.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:18 am
He approached at a slow pace. She didn’t look pleased, but then, he hadn’t expected her to be. “Hello…” The Kiokote stopped a respectful distance from her, lifting his head in some hope of raising his confidence as well. “It’s… nice to see you.” He looked past her momentarily at the buck she had been speaking to. “I hope I’m not… interrupting.” The wasp hadn’t quite caught his attention yet.
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