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 Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 5:48 pm
It was that sweet light that came as the full pumpkin moon rose into the sky, taking the place of the sun. Fai, having nothing to do--finding no mirrors to play with and trying to avoid his grapes for the moment--was strolling through the school campus to watch the scarelings in their native habitats.
Ah, it would be much better with a bottle of wine, he thought, tucking his hands into his sleeves just to keep them occupied. "Really, though, this land is so cold," he said in mild complaint. He saw a bench and headed for it, seeing that he would see more students if he stayed in one place.
The horseman sat down, one plant head peeking out of his robes to watch as well. Perfectly innocent people watching. From a horsemen. Riiiiight.
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 5:53 pm
The shadow drutten found him first, and sat politely, giving the horseman puppy eyes, in hopes that perhaps this person carried Fear candy on him, somewhere.
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 5:55 pm
Fai looked down at the minipet, a curious expression on his face. Absently he grabbed Precious before the plant snapped at the minipet. "A... shadow minipet," he said thoughtfully. "The true question is, can you even be dissected?" he wondered curiously, leaning forward to poke it and see if it was solid.
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:18 pm
"Dissected?" The voice was female, light, gentle, and utterly shocked. "Are you going to dissect my mini?" Siddie hustled forward and rescued the drutten from Fai, her mouth pulling down in a scowl. "This is Clove, and I love it very much. You shouldn't dissect minis that aren't yours," she scolded the horseman.
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:21 pm
"Oh? It's a pet?" Fai said. "I see, forgive me for presuming that minipets are mostly wild here--I spend too much time in the forest." Ah, but this was an interesting specimen as well, wasn't she? "I am Faiyum Riaz of the Famine Clan," he introduced himself. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Possibly. It possibly could be a pleasure. He was certain that it would be interesting.
"Lovely night, don't you think?" he asked, looking at the sky with a slight smile. "If a bit more brisk than my old home."
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:34 pm
Siddie deposited her favored pet on her shoulder, and Clove flowed down into her hood to hide. "It's safer to assume that minipets are pets, at least on campus," she said primly. Her smile was chilly, her posture almost as formal as a lady of Conquest, though her outfit was casual. "Famine clan, is it? I do hope you are finding Halloweentown welcoming. I am Obsidian Depths. You may call me Siddie, if you wish."
She curtsied, a deliberately formal gesture. "I had the honor of visiting the Clans' homelands, once, briefly. My condolences for your loss."
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:40 pm
"Thank you," he said calmly. "We are still adjusting from the loss of many of our loved ones. And I will take your advice on that," he added. "This society is so strange to me. Those minipets that were kept were used to work--this concept of 'pets' is a bit unfamiliar to me, as well. They are kept for... companionship?" he asked.
But he definitely knew the stupidity of the average minipet, so he questioned just how companionable they could be. Wisely, though, he kept that to himself. "It is... similar to you," he said, looking at the mini and her again. "Is that why you are so fond of it?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:46 pm
"For companionship," Siddie agreed coolly, "and for decoration.Surely, you must be familiar with the use of jewelry and clothing to emphasize one's best traits?" She looked him up and down thoughtfully. "Perhaps not," she smiled. "But please take my word for it - minipets make lovely companions, both as pets and as -- mm -- accessories."
She gave him an inquisitive look. "Have you not used minipets as assistants in your -- ah -- endeavors?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:51 pm
"I do have one," Fai said. "I use him for collecting herbs." He moved and a soft jingle came from near the ground beneath his robes. "I, perhaps, can understand if I think of it," he admitted, reaching up and taking his hood off to reveal the vines that covered his head.
"Precious is somewhat like that, I suppose. It was my crowning achievement as an Alchemist of Famine--and as such, I felt it only appropriate to use it as... you say, an accessory." The plant seemed to wake at the new light, heads lifting and moving so that they could look at the shadow creature in front of them. "And, much like a minipet, it is not very intelligent."
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Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 6:41 am
Siddie's demeanor thawed a little as Fai agreed with her and lowered his hood; she smiled at the plant. "How lovely. It bites, I imagine? Would it be rude of me to ask if it is attached?" She remembered the parasitic flowers of Famine; she'd always thought it a nice idea.
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Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 7:27 am
"Oh yes, it bites," Fai said with a slight smile. "And eats random objects, I'm afraid. And yes, it is attached, grafted, actually, into my skull. But I am fond of it," he said, patting the largest head that had crept up through his sleeve. "Of course, my specialty as an Alchemist is plants, as you have no doubt already guessed, so I might be a bit biased towards Precious. Just as you seem biased towards a minipet that resembles you?" he offered.
"Please, sit with me," he added, scooting over so there was more room on the bench. "I hardly think its comfortable standing there all night. Tell me more about using minipets for fashion, my dear, I can only begin to imagine how you would keep them still long enough to create an accent..."
Actually, now that he thought about it, there were a few... slightly cruel ways. Were scarelings into that? Fascinating!
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Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:27 am
"It's certainly a work of art," Siddie nodded, and seated herself on the bench at Fai's invitation - though not close enough that Precious could n** at her. "We've all got our biases." She reached up to her shoulder to ruffle Clove's ears affectionately.
"Oh, they don't have to stay still," she told him. "I sometimes have Clove wear collars that match my outfit, and it's a charming little creature; I feel that having a well-behaved and well-groomed minipet on your shoulder or accompanying you makes a statement about your personal tastes, and a little about your personality. I suppose an aggressive mini could make a statement too," she mused, "but that's an entirely different thing, and not something I would do." She shook her head. "I haven't had time to enter any of my minis into competitions, between classwork and extracurricular activities, but I hope to show some of my finer ones after I graduate."
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Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:33 am
"I see," Fai said, thinking about it. "It is somewhat... vaguely like our mounts, but smaller?" he asked. "A horseman's mount speaks volumes about what clan he or she is from, as well as their personalities. Of course it is far more personal than a minipet, since it is summoned from one's FEAR, but the general concept could be considered the same. Truly, this is quite fascinating to me," he told her. "I would have never considered the relationship between minipets and those from Halloween to be so... close."
He looked at Clove thoughtfully. "So there are competitions between minipets? Do they battle? Or perform feats of skill?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:46 am
"I've never seen a Horseman's mount," Siddie said interestedly. "I suppose that's because they're so personal. I didn't know they were part of your own Fear." Clove peered at Fai, decided that he was not an immediate threat, and climbed down Siddie's shoulder and into her lap; she petted it absently as she spoke. "Some creeple aren't as close to their minis, or don't keep minis. My parents don't allow them in the house. But I love mine, and I don't think I'm too unusual in that."
She nodded. "There are battle tournaments, agility competitions, races, and then there's minipet shows, where minis are displayed and judged on their beauty and their breed standard. I would be entering Clove in tournaments. It loves to battle, and since shadow druttens aren't a standard subtype of druttens, I couldn't enter it in show competitions anyway."
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Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:53 am
"I see," Fai said thoughtfully. "That would be interesting to see, actually. Perhaps someday I will have to look into those competitions of yours." He was always curious about strange customs, after all.
"Tell me," he said, changing the subject. "Are you acquainted with many horsemen?" Since she had some knowledge about them--and had even visited their isles before the... incident. "I am starting to study the relations between the two groups--students and horsemen, but I have not had much opportunity to see them interact."
Other than the fact he was interacting with one, now.
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