Day 126 :: action [OPEN]

[individuates]

Who: Tama-chan the friendly anklegator. Kaoru available on request :)
Open: Open
When: Day 126
Where: Around the Bastion.
What: Tama-chan being friendly.
Format: Action
Warnings: None. Unless you're squicked by extremely freshly-caught fish.

[lately, someone has been learning how to swim]

[it all started a few weeks back with a bellyflop into the onsen and a good deal of flailing, which made Kaoru decide that something needed to be done. Thus, after splashing about with her mama in the onsen and the river every day or so since then, Tama-chan has learned how to swim.

She also learned that she can catch fish in her mouth if she's fast enough, but since it freaks Kaoru out a bit to see them flopping around, she tries not to do it around him. But Kaoru isn't with her today. Tama-chan likes to share with the people she loves and, well... she loves everyone.

Care for a fish?]

Comments

[freedom_engineer]

[How convenient for Tama, then, that Colin is down at the river. He's got two baskets full of fruit that he's currently cleaning. It would be so easy to pay Colin a visit while he's doing this, wouldn't it?]

[individuates]

[what is that, what is that? Is it food? Can she eat the food? She stomps on over along the river bank to see what he's doing, making curious chirps in the back of her throat. The fish is laid beside him as an offering, while she noses at the baskets in interest.]

[freedom_engineer]

Oh, hey there, little one.

Do you eat fruit? I don't know if you'll like this.

[There's a LOT of fruit here, though. He won't miss a little of it. Here, Tama. He'll cut you a slice of it and hold it out to you.]

Eat the fruit, not my fingers. And careful, it's sweet, you may not be familiar with that taste.

[individuates]

[she gives his hand a lick to see if any flavour of the fruit lingers on them, so she can figure out if she likes it before committing to a piece. Not entirely sure the taste lives up to how good the fruit smells, but she gives the piece a try anyway...

...the fruit is dropped as discreetly as possible to one side, and she edges carefully away from it. If anything her movements read as disappointed, even a little sheepish. That would be a no, Colin. Sorry.]

[freedom_engineer]

Somehow, I didn't think so.

[Colin chuckles quietly and pats Tama gently on the head.]

Still, no harm in trying it.

I bet you'd like a nice, juicy Pecker, wouldn't you? I bet we can attract one or two with some of this fruit, and this lovely fish you've given me.

You may like a juice-basted breast of one of those, though. And I bet this fish would taste pretty good if it were roasted and spritzed with some of the juice... Come to think of it, that does sound pretty tasty. I'll have to talk to Rin about that.

[Colin doesn't know much about nature, but he does know gifts when he sees them. He takes the fish from where Tama put it, and with a few quick alterations, he turns his knife from a cutting knife to a scaling knife and sets to work scaling it. He can make a fish skewer pretty quickly, at least.]

[individuates]

[She would prefer a Pecker, not going to lie. But they're hard for her to get - She can catch Squirts and Gasfellas, drag them down, but Peckers fly away and Tama-chan hasn't figured out how to jump in such a way as to catch one. And her becoming a big, legendary anklegator is a good long way off yet.

...wait wait wait. A few chups and she edges into his space. What are you doing? Don't take out the guts, they're the best part! Don't say you plan on cooking that...]

[freedom_engineer]

[What am I doing, Tama? Why, I'm getting the best parts for you, in thanks!

In truth, Colin doesn't have much of an appetite for meat. But he knows what gifts from animals mean, his twin sister at LEAST taught him that much. And he knows that organ meat is probably the best thing for animals. Also some of the tastiest.

So, guess what Tama? He's gutting it... and now he's putting the guts down in front of you.]

Here you go, little one. You'll like these more than I will.

But I bet you'll like what I'm going to do with the rest of it, too... you may not like the fruit, but the juice supposedly gives the meat a real nice zesty flavor.

[Fair warning, Tama. Roasting fish is pretty easy, but Colin's also a pretty bad cook...]

[individuates]

[Humans. Such strange creatures. Her mama doesn't particularly like food to be bloody or wriggling either. Well, it would be a shame to let those innards go to waste so... she'll go ahead and chow down on those. You should use the time to get as much done as possible, because she will get all up in your space, as animals tend to do when there's food involved. She is a curious creature. When she's done eating, she stares up at him, then carefully, pointedly, pushes the fruits to one side. Zesty? Yuck.]

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin has no problem with Tama being curious. It's what the young do. And while Tama's wolfing down the guts, he's setting up a fish skewer to roast. He does, however, know the importance of teaching the young proper behavior. When you push aside his food, Tama? That gets you a quick, light bop on the snout with his hand.]

No.

[But he's not going to scold you further, Tama. Are you going to stick around after getting disciplined?]

Now, if you behave, I'll show you how to catch a bird.

Of course, I doubt you'll be able to set your own traps, but I'm sure I'll have you bringing fish to me as bait in no time...

Now, this fish you brought me? The advantage of cooking it is that it spreads the smell far and wide. And assuming Paarthurnax isn't patrolling the sky, I'm sure we'll get a pecker in no time.

Do you have the patience to wait, little one? Or have I hurt your pride?

[individuates]

[makes a little noise that could almost pass for a chuckle, licks the hand that bopped her and nudges the fruit away again. Yes. It's a fun game, fun!

She'd suck at setting her own traps. You see these stubby little legs of hers? No dexterity whatsoever. Patience, though? She does have that. She settles and watches him with a tilted head, eyes occasionally flickering toward the fish. Perhaps momentarily she considers taking it back, because it does smell good... but no. It was a gift, a gift!]

[freedom_engineer]

This has backfired horribly, hasn't it?

[Colin pokes her on the snout again, he'll need to ask Kaoru how to discipline Tama. But in the meantime...]

Yes, yes... Now watch this.

[Colin empties one of the fruit baskets. He then grabs it and the fish, and heads off some distance away. He rigs a simple length of rope to a stick, positions the basket on the stick, and puts the fish under the basket. Then, he returns to where he was sitting. It should also be noted that Colin is not a hunter, this will likely end poorly.]

Now, we wait. Maybe you'll get a pecker yet, eh Tama?

[Have another pat on the head.]

[unwrittenformula]

[Tama isn't the only somewhat domesticated creature roaming around the Bastion anymore, and a certain bi-pedal fox is by the river as well, washing his paws in the cool water and playfully batting at the fish that swam by.

So far though, Zoroark hadn't noticed that he wasn't alone.]

[individuates]

[Tama-chan being in the water at that particular moment would contribute greatly to her not being noticed. She is a stealthy and amazing swimmer. Well. Except for the way her horn sticks up above the surface of the water. She hasn't quite mastered swimming deeply yet.]

[unwrittenformula]

[Oh. Well. That certainly is something moving through the water. Zoroark stops and tilts his head to the side with a quiet murr.

What are you?]

[individuates]

[Tama-chan is Tama-chan. The top of her face breaks the surface of the water and she gazes at the interloper a little warily. She's not sure what to do in this situation. Last time she encountered another creature inside the Bastion that was Paarthurnax, and she was with her mama at the time so it was okay.

She makes a soft curious noise, but it comes out as more of a blub, accompanied by a bubble.

Friend?]

[unwrittenformula]

[Oh, it has a face! It's kind of like a Gyarados but not really. Still, it has Zoroark curious, and he sits up with his ears perking.

Yes, he can be friend~]

[individuates]

[she dips her head slightly and pushes toward him, sending a little wave toward his paws.

Want to play? Tama-chan is a good swimmer. Great. Excellent, even. But you don't get a fish yet. She wants to test you a bit first.]

[unwrittenformula]

[He wouldn't mind playing! But that river wasn't very big, and he wasn't sure about getting in. He did splash back a little, giving a toothy smile at the creature]

[individuates]

[gives another curious blub and paddles toward the river bank until her feet make contact with the ground. Can't you wade? You should wade with Tama-chan. It'll be fun!]

[unwrittenformula]

[But his fur will get all wet!

It does sound fun, though. He'll just have to make sure he doesn't come in to the apartment later a dripping mess.

Nodding, Zoroark moves closer to the water, eventually moving in enough to wade in on the shallow bank.]

[individuates]

[silly. If you had scales like Tama-chan that wouldn't be a problem at all. Why don't you have scales? That's just poor planning! She paddles a little circle around him before swimming a little deeper into the river. Deep for her, anyway. Follow?]

If this is too squicky for you, let me know and I'll change it

[wayofvoice]

[Paarthurnax is still perched by his large Mammoth-y haul from the morning, although he's moved it from a place less blatantly public, and turns his head slowly to stare at the little Anklegator that's approaching him. He seems to consider the offering of fish before lowering his head into the Mammoth corpse. A loud crunch later, and then Paar is lowering his head closer to the little creature.]

[Yes, hello, he will accept your offer of fish! In return, here, he will lay down a broken off rib bone for Tama. There's still meat clinging to it.]

[individuates]

[...that sure is a big creature you have there. She steps forward a little cautiously, setting her fish down lightly and accepts her Tama-chan-sized portion, gnawing the meat off the bone. She doesn't get to eat much real meat - generally speaking she eats whatever she can defeat on the Skyway, Squirts and Gasfellas mostly. This meat is different - richer.

Her tongue flickers as she lifts her head, cleaning the blood from her snout, and she gently nudges the fish towards Paarthurnax again. It's a small offering. But she can go and find another.]

[wayofvoice]

[Paarthurnax doesn't seem to mind the tininess of the portion he's being given. He just delicately picks it up between his fangs before snapping his head and jaws back to swallow it whole.]

Kogaan. Naak eyvir, pus gein.

[individuates]

[cleans off the bone completely, even attempts to crack it for the marrow inside but her jaws aren't quite strong enough to manage that yet. She just falls to gnawing it for a while, quite happy with what she's got.]