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 Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:21 pm
Cernun listened to the hunter's explanation and felt a sharp flare of anger in the pit of his stomach as he continued listening. He may think that this woman wasn't going to keep him as a pet, but Cernun thought that it was still a cruel and selfish thing to capture him in such a brutal manner just to gaze at him like a zoo animal. He had perused the zoo at Central Park many times and had been especially awed at all of the different beasts kept within as a child. He remembered feeling so fortunate that he could roam through nature instead of being caged—a threat that had always lingered at the back of his mind. The fact that this woman had kidnapped him just to confirm that 'unicorns were real' made him wish he could stand without pain and smash everything in this room. He turned his head to face the couch, his horn scratching against the cushion.
"Why does it matter for this woman to see a unicorn?" he muttered, "I will not grant her any powers nor will I be her longtime companion. The days when we lived among humans are long gone and I don't see any reason to resurrect them. If she really wants to see unicorns, tell her to look through picture books." His voice hardened at every word. The indignant feelings he was letting roil through his chest were still very present.
He turned his head a little to gaze at the hunter, then sighed and fully turned around. He looked down at his feet with his long white tail splayed between them. "If... If this woman gets to see me for a little while... Do you think she will let me go afterwards?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 6:55 pm
Rolling his eyes, Purzio said, "Think what you will. I don't really care either way what you say or what you think about her. All I know is that I get paid when she gets to see you. Besides, I've already told you my stance on this whole crazy situation; I won't let anyone harm an endangered species, that's gotta be illegal or something. Even just trying to keep you as a pet would be wrong, so if she tried to be unreasonable I won't have it. You don't want to seem to believe me, which I understand, but there isn't much else I can do for you at this point. If you want to try and escape, go ahead. It's my job to keep you here until tomorrow when we're meeting, and I'm pretty good at what I do. I'm not worried."
As an awkward silence fell between the two, Purizo decided to try and feed his own curiosity. "Do you mind if we talk? It gets boring having someone else around and not saying anything. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but it'd be nice if we could be civil." Not really waiting for a reply, he asked, "I assume you spend most of your time hiding out in the park, but what do you do for fun? I mean, when you aren't trying to find food and everything else, what kinds of things do you like to do? And are you friends with any humans?"
Although it seemed unlikely that such a rare and cautious beast would reveal itself willingly to any human, there were always a few oddballs, usually ostracized by the greater half of society who seemed to get along with anyone just fine so long as they had a kind heart. After all, he himself was one of them, at least in his own estimate. Particularly in his field of work, many people regarded him with a hint of disgust, probably equating him with the greedy mercenaries of the past. Far from it, all he cared about was his own survival, but there was no way to teach them that.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:41 pm
(( Last week of classes means profs are cramming all the work for us. =___= Sorry I haven't replied sooner, but I'll be able to be on more often after this week! ))
Cernun looked up morosely. This man's questions were irritating him, and it was bloody well none of his business. If he was going to be freed after this whole debacle, what did it matter? He never wanted to see the hunter's face again. He had shot him in the leg and now he expected them to have a conversation? What else could he possibly want or need to know? All of this bitterness and more were stewing in Cernun's mind, which was unusual for him. He was normally a very calm and tranquil being who spent his days in peace.
"Clearly I've found food seeing as I've survived these past twenty years," he said rather scathingly. He looked down for a moment, feeling a bit guilty for his biting remark. He vaguely remembered the face of his mother when she told him to always be nice to strangers. Even Ludo had been a parental figure to him all of these years and had taught him to treat others with caution but also with kindness. This circumstance was quite different, though, wasn't it?
Cernun sighed and tried to be more polite, for the sake of his mother and his friend. "I go to the zoo often in the park. I watch people, I listen to their conversations. I know so many things about New York that I've heard of but I've never seen. I play pipes which I made myself. I have one friend... an old man. He brings me food sometimes... human cooked food. I like... hot dogs. He brings me books and tells me stories. He also brings me clothes, sometimes. He's blind, so he has no idea what I really am."
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:19 am
Sighing at the beast's tone, Purizo wished he had an easier job. Of course, he was good at what he did, and so it wasn't too difficult to get things done, but it seemed as though he made so many enemies along the way. When he heard the beast begin to speak again, however, he felt relieved; at least they were talking. Glad to finally have some decent conversation, Purizo listened politely, not wanting to offend his already testy guest.
"I wouldn't have guessed you would like the zoo," he remarked, hoping he hadn't already said the wrong thing. "I mean...it's kind of depressing to see a bunch of wild animals locked up in cages, even to me."
Leaning back gently against his palms, Purzio smiled. "It's fun to watch people go by, isn't it? I actually know people who, when they've got nothing else to do, just go sit on benches in the city and watch what kinds of people pass by. It's fun to listen in on conversations too...but I guess it's more part of my job when I need to collect information, so it feels like eavesdropping," he pointed out, although it had been a while since he had resorted to such measures.
Scratching his head a bit, Purizo smiled as he suppressed a chuckle. Thinking of a unicorn, even a humanoid one, the last thing he would guess to feed it would be a hot dog. Even he himself wouldn't eat them, although they were so popular it wasn't too big a surprise. "Speaking of food, are you hungry at all?" he asked, wondering if he should start dinner and what he might feed his guest.
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Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:50 am
Cernun's ears pricked at the mention of food. He had never seen how people cooked in a kitchen before. Sometimes, he watched people bring grills (Ludo told him what they were called) and make hot dogs on them. He nodded slowly so he wouldn't appear too hungry, then cautiously slipped off the couch. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he had the sudden urge to start touching things in the apartment.
He completely forgot about the hunter now. His hands slowly drifted across the wooden shelf with an assortment of things on it. He touched the cool square thing with a picture inside it. That was... glass? Yes, glass. He'd found enough empty Coca-Cola bottles in his lifetime thrown carelessly in the park. There was a strange plant in a pot, something he had never seen grow outside. He touched the leaves with care; they felt a bit rubbery and thicker than normal leaves. He bent down and knocked the wood on the floor before his eyes slid to... what was that in the middle? It was like grass or dirt, but with very ornate designs on it. Cernun slid his hands onto it and was pleasantly surprised by how shaggy it felt, almost like fur. Once he was done admiring the strange grass, he stood back up and looked around some more. He saw... books. Yes, books. Ludo brought him books quite often and he had taught him to read a little; quite a feat for an blind old man, but he had usually brought him books that Ludo knew the words in front to back. Cernun picked one up and flipped through the pages. His eyes caught the phrases 'war,' 'history,' 'the battle of Hastings' and he felt a small smile appear on his face. This was a familiar and comforting ritual to him.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 5:07 pm
As he went into the kitchen, Purizo noticed the unicorn slipping off the couch and wandering around the room and made sure to keep an eye on him while he was cooking. Since the kitchen was separated from the living room by nothing more than a naked doorway and a counter, he could see through perfectly and didn't mind having his guest up and about. Being a bachelor, he didn't really keep much around for himself, but there was usually enough to make a decent meal or two before he'd need to go shopping again.
Deciding to make soup, he pulled out a pot and let some water boil as he pulled various vegetables out of the fridge and a few spices out of the cabinet. As he cooked, he watched the unicorn checking out his surroundings and smiled a bit. It was almost like watching a child or someone who had been lost at sea when they finally came home.
As the soup came together, he looked out into the living room and asked, "Do you like books?" rather than the more obvious question of 'Can you read,' since he didn't want to insult this man any more than he already had.
"I'm afraid there isn't much there to read, unless you like history books and hunting guides. I actually don't read much myself. I usually just watch TV if I have spare time or when I'm eating...which, come to think of it, isn't really all that often either," he chuckled to himself, thinking about how little time he actually spent away from work.
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