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Akibel Mowar is on his way home from the blacksmith's when he spots it. People are shrieking and fleeing from it, which seems reasonable, as it's a fuckoff huge snake with a mirror for a face. A big mirror.
Kib can't so much flee. He can shriek - he can lurch in the direction of the nearest house and try the door - it's locked. He can amble briskly...
He can break into a run when the snake gains on him and fall flat on his face.
And he can get eaten up.
And it's too bright too bright too bright and he flings his arm over his eyes.
secondchance
secondchance
Kib laughs. "Okay, I need to go to bed. Things quiet down a lot overnight but you can probably amuse yourself frowning at architecture or something. I'll be up around sunrise-ish."
secondchance
"Spending money if you see somebody open late for business -" Kib hands him some currency. "- and come find me at my teacher's house when the sun's up."
secondchance
And Kib goes home to his own bed for the night and soothes small co-prentices who are going to miss him and sleeps.
And Fëanor wanders around poking things and taking samples and people stare at him but nothing worse happens, and finds his way to Kib in the morning.
"I wanted to get at least hair samples from people but at home that'd be extremely strange-seeming to ask."
secondchance
"It's not nearly as weird here and not in the same way at all. I'll ask the household." And he goes back into his house and comes out with snippets of hair from six people.
secondchance
"I can ask more people, it's just a little odd when I don't know them well, how many did you want?"
"I honestly have no idea what it'd take to discover what we need because I don't know what we need."
secondchance
"Do you want to go hang out near a creche and see if we can catch a stork coming in? I should actually put out an ad in the news saying I got snaked and didn't die..."
secondchance
So Kib takes him to the nearest creche. "This is where I got dropped," he says. "There's a stork a couple times a day, usually, for any given creche. Might have a wai- no, there's one."
There is indeed a stork. It looks like a bird only a little bit even from a distance; it's got a hollow chest cavity with a baby tucked into it and no actual feathers. It flaps a lot, seemingly too heavy to glide except when it comes in for a neat landing on the creche roof. It plucks the baby out of itself and puts it down and goes SQUAWK and then flies away.
There is indeed a stork. It looks like a bird only a little bit even from a distance; it's got a hollow chest cavity with a baby tucked into it and no actual feathers. It flaps a lot, seemingly too heavy to glide except when it comes in for a neat landing on the creche roof. It plucks the baby out of itself and puts it down and goes SQUAWK and then flies away.
secondchance
"Well, the creche is expecting that one now, that's what the squawk is for. Might be able to convince them to let you have it, I guess, although probably not if you say you're planning to conduct experiments."
"I can be trustworthy."
He can. He walks over and explains that he is a traveller from a faraway land where children are raised by a few dedicated adults, and that he's done this for seven children and it's gone quite well, and he can swear that the child will be safe and have every opportunity in the world.
secondchance
They're not a hard sell, it goes like this: Well, okay, they're a touch crowded and one of the people who usually handles the smallest babies is out sick and may be gone all month or worse, here you go.
"Might want to be near the creche when we're scheduled to go back in case she doesn't count as cargo," Kib remarks.
"Might want to be near the creche when we're scheduled to go back in case she doesn't count as cargo," Kib remarks.
Fëanor is holding the baby. He does act like someone who does that a lot. "Yes, that makes sense. I'll be very annoyed with Eonwë if he leaves her behind and oblige him to go back for her, but still. My children have a sister!"
secondchance
"Should probably go buy some milk off them or find out who their supplier is, she's going to be hungry."
The creche will happily sell some milk and provide free advice on what other foods babies usually tolerate well.
The creche will happily sell some milk and provide free advice on what other foods babies usually tolerate well.
"Elven women can make their breasts generate food for their babies, if they want to. I am not even sure why human women have breasts, the food thing is the whole reason for them."