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Sadde is home; it's a Friday evening, his shift is over, and there's no school. He's reading a book, lying on his bed in his small-but-tidy apartment.
He is also quite naked, because it's his place and why not?
Glam and Ashras in Wormverse
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mxglam
mxglam
...this is somewhat troubling. "That's... the sun. It... gives energy to stuff, here. You know? Um."
—he stops walking. He's bringing Ashras to the PHQ, and then, what? Are they going to turn him into a Ward? What are they going to do to him? He looks at Ashras. That... feels like making a major decision for someone else.
mxglam
"...never mind, just had a thought about how I probably don't want to hand you over to the Protectorate just like that. Maybe. I might change my mind. In the meantime, wanna grab a bite?" He rubs his stomach to indicate his meaning.
the-long-dawn
He shrugs agreeably (with another of those probably-meaningful tail-flicks) and nods.
mxglam
He starts leading them there and points at the tail. "What's that mean?" Pause. "Shit you have a tail how am I gonna... um... I did not think this through." Another pause. "Eh, whatever, Case 53s exist, worst-case scenario someone calls the Protec... torate... on us..."
He keeps walking as he says these things, but then he pauses again.
"Can you hide this tail somehow?" he asks, pointing at Ashras' tail and then at his own... butt? Lack of tail?
He keeps walking as he says these things, but then he pauses again.
"Can you hide this tail somehow?" he asks, pointing at Ashras' tail and then at his own... butt? Lack of tail?
the-long-dawn
...Ashras absorbs all this communication and then answers it with a confused look and a shrug.
mxglam
Yes. Confused look is right. He points at Ashras' tail again, then at his own lack of tail, then at Ashras' tail, then makes an X with his arms, and asks again, "Can you hide it?" He also gestures under his own T-shirt, maybe Ashras' could hide it in his clothing, or...?
mxglam
Sadde scratches his head. "Drat. Okay, how do I—okay. Um." He looks around. The street's empty, no one's looking at them, but that'll change at any time, and people will call the Protectorate on them and...
...
Sadde conjures a—is that a cloak? It looks like a cloak.
mxglam
"Good! Good." He offers Ashras the cloak and continues leading them to the closest Burger King, because he's just not going to McDonald's again today.
the-long-dawn
Ashras puts on the cloak, which makes him look like a weirdo and possibly some kind of extremely low-budget cape but at least conceals the tail.
mxglam
Which was entirely the plan. Sadde's used to being weird, it's being targeted by the Protectorate he'd rather avoid.
For now, anyway.
"So, this is Burger King, here you eat burgers. What do you wanna eat?" He points at the large pictures above the counter.
For now, anyway.
"So, this is Burger King, here you eat burgers. What do you wanna eat?" He points at the large pictures above the counter.
mxglam
"...right, I'll choose for you, then."
He orders a thing for him, and a thing for Ashras, and there's soda (coke and sprite) and fries.
He orders a thing for him, and a thing for Ashras, and there's soda (coke and sprite) and fries.
the-long-dawn
Ashras sniffs the soda dubiously and declines to try it, but he manages a burger and fries just fine after observing how one is meant to eat them. He smiles at Sadde.
mxglam
"Are you sure? Alright, I suppose they aren't the healthiest things to eat."
He chews and thinks. "What am I going to do with you? I might bring you to the Protectorate anyway, but that'd be hypocritical, I don't want to submit to them either. But how are we even gonna communicate so I can ask you what you want?" Pause. "Well, clearly what you want is return to wherever it is you're from." Pause. Look around. Make sure no one's looking. "Can you do stuff like this?" he asks, making a golf ball appear in his hands. He really wants to know what Ashras' powers are, but...
He chews and thinks. "What am I going to do with you? I might bring you to the Protectorate anyway, but that'd be hypocritical, I don't want to submit to them either. But how are we even gonna communicate so I can ask you what you want?" Pause. "Well, clearly what you want is return to wherever it is you're from." Pause. Look around. Make sure no one's looking. "Can you do stuff like this?" he asks, making a golf ball appear in his hands. He really wants to know what Ashras' powers are, but...
the-long-dawn
He gazes contemplatively at the golf ball for a second, shrugs in what is perhaps an I-hope-I'm-not-misinterpreting-you way, and then fishes an engraved steel pin out of his pocket. Its size would make for an enormous sewing needle or a slightly skinny nail, and it's blunt at both ends and decorated with a precise pattern of grooves.
When Ashras holds the pin by one end, the grooves glow softly and a small flame sprouts from the free end. He looks at Sadde to check whether this is the sort of thing he was being asked about.
When Ashras holds the pin by one end, the grooves glow softly and a small flame sprouts from the free end. He looks at Sadde to check whether this is the sort of thing he was being asked about.
mxglam
Sadde looks interested! He nods. "Okay, disappearing neko who makes needles that create fire?"
the-long-dawn
Ashras shrugs the shrug of someone who probably didn't understand that question, stops lighting up the fire pin, and puts it away.
mxglam
"Well, alright, that's not terribly varied. Anyway..." Think and chew, chew and think. Reach decision. Sigh. "Alright, I think it's... better if I take you to the Protectorate. I barely have enough money to take care of myself, let alone you."
mxglam
Right. So after they're done eating, Sadde leads them to the PHQ, via Boardwalk. He talks about stuff, because not having a language in common is no excuse not to communicate, but it's mostly innocuous stuff, where they are, where they're going, what that thing is, etc.
the-long-dawn
By the second time Sadde names an object, Ashras picks up on the pattern and starts correctly repeating the names of things whenever Sadde offers them, despite variations in phrasing.
mxglam
Ooh! He starts teaching him other words, being slower and more careful with his pronunciation and using simpler structures.