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[gone_byebye]

No slime today! Ray's been busy with other things, most of which have to do with his nephews. You can't neglect an apprenticeship just because you've been off tootling around South Dakota looking for invisible bureaucrat jailbirds

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[redsnout]

Raptor Red remembers quite a bit about Milliways, ranging from how to get food to what the layout of the outside area is like. But what she remembers best are the humans, and one human in particular.

And nowshe's spotted that particular stupid-brave human/walking source of handouts. This calls for a greeting.

Hopefully, Ray won't mind the sight of a raptor lunging out from between the tables, jaws spread wide as she calls "KHOH!"

[gone_byebye]

There's only one voice in the multiverse that sounds like that; Ray whips around, beaming. "Red!" he calls out. "Hi there!"

He hasn't really got enough for a raptor her size, but he's never given up carrying jerky with him when he comes to Milliways, so he's gonna whip that little bit of an offering out as one more way of saying hi.

[redsnout]

Red accepts the offering, taking care to not take off part of Ray's hand with it. She has a firm grip on the idea of not biting the hand that feeds...well, her chicks more than herself.

After gulping down the jerky, Red nods her head towards the door with a snort. It showed up again and brought her here. Why? She has no idea.

[gone_byebye]

"I have to be honest, Red. I have no idea either," says Ray in answer. "Were you migrating, or doing anything else different from usual?"

[redsnout]

Red shakes her head, and instead mimes sniffing around, swinging her head from side to side. Just the normal scavenging.

While it doesn't keep one's hunting skills sharp, it is a good way to avoid the risks of taking on an angry prey animal, in her experience.

[gone_byebye]

"Huh. Well, I guess that happens sometime. Maybe the Bar's just trying to slip you some extra meat or something. I'm not too sure what else would prompt it, though."

[redsnout]

"Khht." She has no idea, either, but she won't let it bother her. The Bar just does what it does.

But gesturing towards the door has given her an idea. Red bobs her head in the direction of the door, steps forward a few feet, then stops, looking at Ray expectantly.

[gone_byebye]

"... you want me to come with you?" Ray guesses.

[redsnout]

"Phhr!" Her head bobs in a nod, and she begins heading for the door again, reaching it quickly. She's not sure if this will work or not, but...she's not the only one in her pack who likes Ray.

Red shoves the door open and sticks her head out. Outside, it looks like the typical landscape of her home-rocks, trees, and some snow still covering the ground. But she's not interested in that. Instead, she barks out, "Khoh! Khoh! Khoh!"

[gone_byebye]

Ray blinks a moment, but only a moment. Time travel issues and paradoxes to the contrary, the fact is: when somebody asks you if you're a god, when a representative of your country's hereditary enemy asks if you wish their protection, and when the armored knight on the giant purple snorklewacker comes out of the anxiety closet and asks you to come with him on a quest... the answer's always the same.

"Coming!" he says, and jumps to his feet to poke his head out the door as well.

[redsnout]

Red goes quiet for a moment, tilting her head as she listens. Sure enough, there's soon a faint "Khoh! Khoh!" in response.

And then there's another raptor-almost Raptor Red's size-bounding over rocks and tree stumps with surefooted ease. The raptor halts suddenly, sniffs the air, and then charges in the direction of Red and Ray with a bellowed "YEEP!"

[gone_byebye]

Before Ray can get himself entirely out the door he quickly turns around and calls to the nearest waitrat, "Meat, now, and raw- please?" Fortunately, the rats know an urgent situation when they hear it. The new arrival is going to have a nice hunk of Louisiana alligator tail when she gets here.

"Hi, Scribble!" he calls, because really, who else could it be?

[redsnout]

"Yeepyeepyeep!" Scribble bounces, obviously pleased to see Ray. The yeeping is rather incongruous now, as it's no longer coming from a chick-but it's an old habit.

Red, meanwhile, makes an amused sort of snort at Ray. He knows the best way to a raptor's heart.

[gone_byebye]

Domestication, or at least taming, does tend to encourage neotenous behavior. Like hatchling noises. "Scribble!" Ray calls. "Catch!"

It's not a graceful throw, but it's a decently strong one. Moving, bloody prey. Gotta love it!

[redsnout]

"Yeep!" Scribble snags the meat, gulping it down with surprising swiftness. Who needs chewing, really? She shoves her snout forward, sniffing at Ray and chirping happily.

Red glances around for a moment, sniffing at the air, then relaxes. None of the scents of the rest of the pack are fresh-they're not nearby. It's a good thing, in her opinion. Scribble and Red are used to Ray, and to him bringing edible things. The rest of the pack might just think he's edible.

[gone_byebye]

That was something Ray was worried about from the start, and one of the reasons he started feeding the raptors in the first place. Food-giver is a much safer position to be in than food source, so to speak.

For the moment he's a little snort on food, though, so he's just going to scritch what he remembers are Scribble's itchy spots. "I think I might have one of those rope octopi on me," he says, "but you'll probably tear it apart without even trying, at your size."