application for Duncan Shriek, from Jeff VanderMeer's novels of Ambergris.

[duncan_shriek]

In the Sorting Room, a rug lay upon the floor, and under the rug, something began to thump and shift

Comments

[gourmetchairman]

"Well, we can get you some cheese if you desire," Kaga offered.

[duncan_shriek]

"What I'd really like, if you're offering, is some water for my friend," said Duncan. Who appeared to be unaccompanied.

[gourmetchairman]

Kaga looked around, but didn't see this 'friend' he was talking about.

"I see. Well, the house elf should be bringing some."

As if summoned (which it kinda was), a house elf appeared with some water.

[duncan_shriek]

From another pocket inside his coat, Duncan brought out a small and faintly luminous ball of something.

"It's curled around a drop of moisture," he explained, not meaning to be cryptic, but being so anyhow. "Here, help me pour some water on it?" He held out the thing in both hands.

[gourmetchairman]

Kaga blinked. What, exactly, was going on?

Nevertheless, taking care not to get too close, he poured the water on that strange ball.

[duncan_shriek]

The ball unfurled and grew more luminous. Revealed now to be a sort of starfish, it strobed a pleasant and muted blue.

"Excellent." Duncan smiled as the starfish spread its arms across the bare skin of his palms and worked its way around to the back of one hand. Where it had been, the grimy skin shone clean. "Thank you. Who are you?" he asked Kaga. His directness was not that of a rude person, but that of someone who's been long away from polite society.

[gourmetchairman]

Kaga flinched away. What was that?

"Er...Takeshi Kaga. Chairman of the Gourmet Academy."

[duncan_shriek]

"Is that where we are? The Gourmet Academy? I hope you're not planning on eating the long-stalked speakers."

That was why Duncan was here. The speakers, that was. Not the eating thereof. He would advise strongly against the eating thereof.

[gourmetchairman]

"No...what? Who?" Poor Kaga, he's now confused. "Long stalked speakers?"

[duncan_shriek]

"Growing out of the ground," Duncan elaborated. "Tall speakers, metallic on the outside, pink spongy flesh on the inside. Does this sound familiar to you, at all?"

[gourmetchairman]

"No? Maybe. I thought I heard about something like that a few days ago, but then the demon sun got exorcised." He was probably mistaking something for another, but he's also slowly backing away.

[duncan_shriek]

"Have any of them burst?" Duncan noticed the edginess, the backing away. It didn't lessen the urgency of his need to know what the fungi were doing.

[gourmetchairman]

"I don't know!" Kaga said quickly. "I haven't gone outside since it started raining pink goo."

[duncan_shriek]

"Raining pink goo ..." Duncan swore, briefly and tonelessly, under his breath; something about Truff and rats. "Worse than I expected, then."

[gourmetchairman]

"I...see. Well, if you get out of here, have fun with that."

Kaga didn't even bother voting, he would rather get as much space between him and the crazy hobo as possible.