Chapter 2.6: Hatchlings!

[yhlee]

[First, some housekeeping: I'm going to be at Worldcon in Dublin and therefore out of the country, with limited time for email, from August 14 to 19. Please bear with me if responses are slow during that time.]

The Cantata is continuing on its way to Autumn Pyre.

Anyone monitoring Jedao will find that he has been tensing and untensing his muscles, and making slow stretching motions, without making overt attempts to escape, so he doesn't stiffen up while he's bound. He says to the room, "A glass of water would be appreciated if anyone's listening."

In the middle of the night (ship's time), there are EXTREMELY loud distress calls from Fluffy's enclosure, and shortly thereafter, multiple very loud chirrups from within the nest. Gerae appears to be sound asleep and unresponsive.

[Anyone who wants a baby pseudo-dragon of their own should report in!]

Comments

checking on the babies

[zuhrovet]

Sasha's awake, trying to figure out how in the Prophet's name she's going to deliver a collection of banking information to Flute without alerting Spider or Firecracker that she had fucked station surveillance up, down, and sideways. Civilians are stupid. She just has to lean on that fact.

As soon as she hears chirping, she heads to the galley and turns on the lights.

[Is Fluffy in the nest, or elsewhere? Can baby pseudo-dragons be handled, or does that interfere with their development or bonding with their parent?]

Re: checking on the babies

[yhlee]

Fluffy is desperately ferrying even more snacks in between the tray that Sasha provided (and that someone else appears to have replenished during the night--asking the grid will reveal that Gerae did this) and her nest. Sasha knows from her study of baby pseudo-dragons that they are RAVENOUS for the first week or so after they hatch, and normally it would be the work of all the adults in the colony keeping the hungry little suckers fed. Fluffy is doing her best, but as a lone pseudo-dragon parent, she is clearly overwhelmed.

Baby pseudo-dragons could and should be handled from early on, especially if they're to be socialized to humans.

Re: checking on the babies

[zuhrovet]

Sasha replenishes the tray yet again, and locates a jar of almond butter and another of fruit preserves. She mixes a spoonful of each, trying for an easily digestible consistency, then looks into the nest and whistles a coaxing invitation.

[Sasha doesn't want to collide with Fluffy, but she will definitely start feeding a hatchling if she can pull one out of the nest without causing too great a disruption.]

Re: checking on the babies

[yhlee]

Baby pseudo-dragons are somewhat clumsy. There's an ear-piercing squawk that sounds like two of the hatchlings are squabbling with each other, and then one hatchling emerges in response to the whistling, and then a second one.

Fluffy trills reassuringly at the babies, and continues her feeding efforts.

Re: checking on the babies

[zuhrovet]

Sasha swipes her right ring finger through the almond butter and fruit mix. She gives the spoon to the first hatchling and picks up the second in her left hand, cradling it close to her body. She offers her tasty finger to lick.

[Important question: what colors are the hatchlings?]

Re: checking on the babies

[yhlee]

The two hatchlings greedily lick away the almond butter and fruit mix. The second's tongue tickles. It's very squirmy.

[My honest answer to "what color is a hatchling" is everyone who adopts a hatchling gets to decide what color it is. Does that work?]

Re: checking on the babies - paging Ione, Alaric, and Sulen

[zuhrovet]

[Sure, but then you should tell me which of the two present hatchlings is blue!]

Sasha should have planned ahead and made a smoothie. There are all sorts of options for protein and vitamins, if you use the blender. "Grid?" she asks. "Is Ione awake? Or Alaric, or Sulen?"

Meanwhile, she's mixing another round of fruit and almond butter. She hums to the hatchlings as she works.

A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

[hoardingpearls]

Before entering Jedao's room, Reshad finds Seyli. She doesn't want to keep Jedao waiting longer than necessary, but an attempt to mitigate harm counts, in her mind, as necessary.

"Can we discuss tactics a moment?" The soundproofing of the door is paramount, here; she checks it.

"I think he's likely to try to feel out your responses. I want to avoid that conflict if at all possible." She looks helpful and earnest, disguising a very real worry.

[Sorry! I've been in a flurry of prep for convention season and one of two talks is now done.]

Re: A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

[kese_seyli]

"Of course," Seyli says, inclining their head toward Reshad. They hold themselves tense, alert, especially this close to Jedao. It doesn't take a trained fox to see how uncomfortable they still are about this entire situation. They're also, curiously perhaps, still in Kel uniform when they have not been dressed as such before.

"You mean bait me," they say, voice flat. "And you don't want me to rise to the bait."

Re: A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

[hoardingpearls]

"I do mean bait you, and I want to reduce the attack surface as much as possible." Reshad suppresses the urge to bait, herself; she needs Seyli calm and thinking. Finding out here and now whether she can provoke them isn't productive.

"Why the Kel uniform?" It's asked in tones of curiosity.

Re: A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

[kese_seyli]

"Why not the Kel uniform?" They shrug. "It's what he's always seen me in and I have no desire to confirm or deny my status as Kel/unKel to him." They're not...totally lying. Someone well versed in detecting lies would be able to pick up on the fact there is a good deal of truth to the comment.

Re: A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

[hoardingpearls]

"Always is once," she points out. Once, that he remembers, that is. "Do you have an answer ready for him prodding you about it?" No judgement in her tone: Reshad is working, and that means preparing her unlikely teammates for what she thinks is most likely. And she hadn't missed their flinch, before.

"If not now, I suspect he will soon. I know it frightens you, what he's capable of; right now that's a vulnerability. He'll see it." She's more blunt, now, looking up into Seyli's face with concern.

Re: A conversation outside, Paging Seyli

[kese_seyli]

"No, I don't have anything planned to say to him. I don't intend on saying anything to him. And I seem to be the only person on this moth who fears him in anyway," they say, on the defense. They don't understand why more people aren't, to be honest.

Pseudodragon Uncircled

[lleullawgyffes]

Virmad, normally a heavy sleeper, is up late reading Teo’s annotated poetry book, as he does from time to time, and hears Fluffy’s sounds — and then Fluffy’s hatchlings’ sounds!

“Oh, fuck,” he says aloud to no-one. “It finally happened.”

He tucks a pen into the poetry book to mark his page, then opens his door and pokes his head out. “Grid, where’s Gerae?”

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

[yhlee]

"Gerae is in his room sleeping," the grid informs Virmad.

[Further inquiry will reveal that Gerae was up half the night, ironically, and just fell asleep one hour ago.]

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

[lleullawgyffes]

He would, Virmad thinks, be distressed to have missed the hatching; it’s a shame to wake him, but...

He goes to Gerae’s room first, then. “Grid, could you” — he winces apologetically — “wake Gerae?”

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

[yhlee]

Virmad hears some thumps, muffled borderline heretical swearing, and then about two minutes later Gerae emerges. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Gerae says, looking bleary. "Is there an emergen--" He hears the chirruping and his eyes go wide. "We have to help Fluffy!"

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

[lleullawgyffes]

“I didn’t think you’d want to miss this,” Virmad says, gesturing for Gerae to lead the way. “Sorry to wake you so soon.”

Re: Pseudodragon Uncircled

[yhlee]

Gerae nods, and hastens toward the pseudo-dragon enclosure where Sasha is already dealing with two hatchlings. She's holding one; the other appears to be trying to eat a spoon.

[Please join zuhrovet and anyone else who shows up for this at this thread starting here. :) The spoon-eating hatchling is going to be very curious about Virmad, and will be any color you want.]

relationship-building - paging the Cantata

[zuhrovet]

At a reasonable hour of the evening, Sasha goes to the engine room. She thinks for a while, then uses Alaric's interface to send a message to the Cantata: "Will you teach me a song?"

She asks the grid to transcribe their answer. She doesn't mind trying to learn songs by ear, but she's sure the Cantata's range exceeds her own, and she's curious about what the result will be.

Re: relationship-building - paging the Cantata

[yhlee]

The Cantata replies that it would be delighted, if Sasha teaches it some of hers.

The first song that the Cantata sings turns out to be theme and variations, starting out with a very simple pentatonic melody and becoming gradually more and more complex, until it's singing complex multiple counterpoint with itself.

Re: relationship-building - paging the Cantata

[zuhrovet]

It's as if someone has taken one of the more complicated Kirrish songs and given it to an orchestra. Sasha supposes the Cantata came by their name fairly. She transmits "acknowledgment" and "I am slow," then sings the melody and the first few variations. She catches herself slipping into Kirrish patterns a couple of times, but by the second or third runthrough she's more confident.

Re: relationship-building - paging the Cantata

[yhlee]

The Cantata listens, then says contritely (through the grid) that it forgot that Sasha and her people can only sing with one voice at a time, and wonders if people ever gather together for harmonies, or if that is against their custom. It says it is very grateful that Sasha has chosen to songshare with it.

Re: relationship-building - paging the Cantata

[zuhrovet]

"Some people do sing together," Sasha messages, "and also we create tools to make more complicated music. Sometimes I sing with the grid. Would you like to hear an example?"

Re: relationship-building - paging the Cantata

[yhlee]

The Cantata thrums in delight and replies that it would love to hear an example, and would it be permitted to learn her songs?

[Just a note--feel free to continue this but I am planning a new move post tonight.]