[Audio]

[sand_wormie]

[There is no visual, since the datapad is in Luke's pocket. The sound's a bit muffled, but a little of the ambience can be picked up on - traffic and wind. He's outside somewhere. And speaking.]

Hey... it's okay, little guy. I won't hurt you.

- I'm not food, either. Yes, I'm sure you do eat dead people sometimes, but I'm alive. See? ...That's better

Comments

[video]

[abominable]

[...] Uh, are you sure you should be playing with that... friendly looking thing right there?

Re: [video]

[sand_wormie]

[There's a pause, and a little fumbling before Luke digs his datapad out of his pocket and gets a look at it.]

[He's on a balcony, and there's a hawk-bat clinging to the duracrete next to him. It's molting, the green juvenile skin crinkled up and disgusting on it. The thing is about three feet from beak to tail, with a five-foot wingspan.]

It's fine. He's not going to hurt me.

[The hawk-bat goes and bites at Luke's fingers - it's not biting down, but it's making that kind of motion - and he pulls another patch of green skin off its back.]

[video]

[abominable]

[oh, it was more... delightful than it sounded. Hm.] ... What is it exactly?

Re: [video]

[sand_wormie]

[It's still... rather big for a kid like Luke to call "little guy", but he doesn't seem to know that.]

It's a hawk-bat. They're supposed to be only one of two native animals left - almost every other animal on this planet was taken here from somewhere else. Or its ancestors were. [A little self-conscious, as he starts on another piece, apparently not caring that there's ichor on his hands now] -I downloaded this whole thing on animals that live here, yesterday.

Usually they're in flocks, and they're really close... But this one's alone. So I'm helping him.

[video]

[abominable]

Well... if you're sure it won't bite your fingers off. If it does I can help, healing and such. [he waggles his fingers.] Very useful in light of finger biting.

You're from this ah- this universe, aren't you? You're more comfortable than most, and not whining about robots.

Re: [video]

[sand_wormie]

I don't think he will. He's not going to be all loyal, he's not a pet, but he knows I'm not food or a predator. ...Thanks, though.

[The skin on the hawk-bat's angular head is coming off in sticky flakes; possibly because of that, it's leaning hard into Luke's fingers.]

Yeah! I've never been on this planet before - and back home we call it Imperial Center, anyway. I've always wanted to come here.