(Untitled)

[azhdarchidae]

[The device is hanging from the base of Janine's neck. There's a fringe of pale not-hair, which on that part of her body is fluffy and almost cravat-like, hanging over the upper edge of the screen. Most of the rest of her isn't visible, but wing-arms on each side and the underside of a perspective-distorted long beak are coming in and out of view.]

Comments

video;

[oneminutemaze]

[ Ariadne remembers her from being a cheetah, though she's not terribly certain the dinosaur will recognize her, save for the scarf around her neck. ]

What are you trying to do?

Re: video;

[azhdarchidae]

[The underside of the beak pulls up out of view, and then the tip from the side shows up, upside down, sliding across the screen for six feet, passing the nostril, finally stopping at the big, red, upside-down eye. Janine is holding her gigantic head at an odd angle to see into the screen at the base of it. The eye shifts, focuses, round red pupil shrinking and growing slightly.]

Working, really. They made shells bigger and stronger in the Cretaceous.

video;

[oneminutemaze]

[ She hadn't realized how large the dinosaur was, but she does now. Swallowing slightly as the beak slides by and the eye ends up in view, there's a slight smile. Nice dinosaur. Please no attempting to rip out her throat for asking questions. ]

I think they made a lot of things bigger and stronger in the Cretaceous.

What are you working on?

Re: video;

[azhdarchidae]

Good point.

It's for a keychain. Sorta. No keys.

[oneminutemaze]

Just decorative then?

[azhdarchidae]

Used to be for the sound. [There's a noise, a metallic cha-ching! that does sound like a long keychain getting lashed out and pulled back. After a moment there's another noise, similar though not quite the same - shells and chitin, so it's more rattly and rings less.]

Now it's more that I left the old one behind. Wonder if I can find good vines here...

[oneminutemaze]

Why's the sound so important? [ Ever-curious. ]

If you can't find any vines in the forest, I could probably get some rope for you, if you'd like.

[azhdarchidae]

It would let people know I was coming.

You don't have to do that.

[oneminutemaze]

I guess that might be a good idea.

[ There's a shrug. ] I know. I thought I'd offer, though.

[azhdarchidae]

It was kind of like the bell on the cat, except this cat put in on herself. Or something.

Right... well, thanks, I guess. [Janine doesn't like asking for help.]

[oneminutemaze]

[ There's a slight laugh. ] You're also much larger than a cat and people are more likely to panic if you sneak up on them.

No problem. [ Ariadne just really enjoys having things to do, no matter what the project is. ]

[azhdarchidae]

I wasn't always. Used to want people to know for entirely different reasons... [She sounds almost wistful.]

[oneminutemaze]

Oh? Like what? [ Please share. ]

[azhdarchidae]

[Her eye, then more of her head, pulls back out of sight, and the shell-piercing operations resume.]

*pock!* Like 'here comes Janine, get the sign against the evil eye ready'. *pock-crack!* I was a weird kid.

[oneminutemaze]

[ There's another pause. She's fairly certain dinosaurs shouldn't know what keychains are, but signs against the evil eye? Something's off. ]

So... You weren't always a dinosaur, then?

[azhdarchidae]

*pock-crack!*

Nope. *pock-crack!* Christ these things are fragile...

I can give you the forty-words-or-less hideously simplified summary.