Tony arrived. He remembered the place well enough and getting there hadn't been hard. He took a seat at the bar, hand raised in greeting to Rhiow. "Hey. Long time no see, I guess."
Rhiow got up, taking a spare moment to clean the bits of fish out of her whiskers before she butted her head against his hand. "I'm glad to see you," she said. "Were you re-podded, or did the AI get you?"
"Oh, we know that answer now," Rhiow said, grateful for the scratches. "The reason for that and GLaDOS both. "Apparently not being in your own universe is bad for your soul. It falls out if the AIs don't pay attention so - repodding."
Jono didn't come down to the Drunken Dragon very often, but after the last mission, being around people seemed like a good idea.
He hadn't slept well, the memories fading but not completely gone. He nodded as he came in, changing direction when he saw Rhiow. 'Ey, he said, taking a stool nearby.
There was a new smell on him, too. Somebody (namely Jono) had brought back a cat from the away mission.
Good to see you again Jono, Rhiow said, switching into the mental dialect of the Speech. Jono had said she didn't have to, but it only felt polite.
Rhiow lifted her head, sniffing the air. There was a new scent in her nostrils, something that wasn't Jono. You smell like Person - you wouldn't happen to have run into my colleague Arhu would you?
She didn't have to, but Jono had to admit that it was kind of nice. Especially when he didn't have to hold up the bridge for the conversation to happen.
No so as I'd know? he said, tilting his head. I smell like... It took him a moment to put it together, then he shook his head. Oh, roight. Nah. Got adopted on the mission. Didn' seem proper t' leave 'er behin'.
Rhiow's whiskers twitched. From what she had picked up from the Whisperer about what had happened down on the planet, it hadn't sounded like it had gone expressly well.
"Is she young? I warn you that Arhu... well, Arhu isn't the polite Person to young queens his age." Toms rarely were as elegant in their youth as they were when they got older.
Daja didn't tend to visit the Drunken Dragon much - when alcohol makes you lose control of your magic, a tavern isn't exactly a place you frequent often - but today, she had decided that she should try and get out a little.
After collecting a (thankfully, non alcoholic) cider from the bar, she was pleasantly surprised when she turned to find a familiar creature in the corner.
"Rhiow!" she said, smiling. She hadn't seen Rhiow since before she was taken by GLaDOS!
Rhiow sat up straight, licking her whiskers. "Hh'asha," she said. "You've been away for quite some time, it's good to have you back."
She turned her attention back to the fish, which by now was little more than a pile of skin and bones. Still, Rhiow was hardly one to waste any edible part of her dinner. "How have you been keeping yourself? Well?"
"Yes, I have. It's so good to see you gain, Rhiow - I've missed you."
Taking up a chair on a table nearby, Daja sat down so that she could talk to Rhiow easily. "I've been doing very well, thank you. I've managed to get my forge up and running, and business has been..." Daja paused, thinking of her trouble with Zetta, "...good, even if my clients haven't always been ideal."
She turned a knowing smile to Rhiow. "And I've met a friend of yours - Arhu."
"Dear Queen Iau, do I have to apologize for the boy or was he civilized for once? I've been trying to beat manners into him for a while, no telling whether or not it sticks."
She sat back away and began to wash her paws, cleaning between her claws daintily.
Arhu had seen Rhiow when she passed by, and had first started following her with the intention of talking. And then he'd seen the fish - oh, the fish, the thing that wasn't magically-reconstituted-Stacy-slop - and he'd been even more firmly hooked.
He hopped up onto the counter carefully, because he still wasn't the best at judging distances and it wasn't like he wanted to stumble around here, and gave her an utterly hopeful look. His ears perked forward, and he tried not to stare constantly at the fish, but it was still awfully hard when it just smelled so good.
His pathetic look was really kind of hilarious. "Carp, to be precise. They live in the Hh'oha-hu River," Rhiow said, licking her whiskers. He looked like he might explode if he didn't get to eat any. "You can have some, I'm not going to eat the whole thing."
Arhu might, given a chance. He was still growing, after all.
"Really?" His whiskers went forward in a pleased smile. "I'm guessing that's in the City. Can anyone fish there?" Not to take everything, of course. He'd learned that whole thing about the library.
Still, he couldn't help but stare at Rhiow's fish, if only because it was right there.
"It's Ha-hu's river. You remember I introduced you to him? The Power? It seems as if he's either been repodded or let his consciousness merge with the river - either way, he gave me permission to hunt his waters a long time ago, and I doubt he'd be angry if you did the same."
At the second question, Rhiow's ear flicked like she was shaking off a fly. "If you eat more than half of it I'll swat you so hard your ears ring for days."
Comments 55
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He pulled a face as he gave Rhiow a few pets behind the ears, "Going through the whole slime thing again wasn't that great."
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He hadn't slept well, the memories fading but not completely gone. He nodded as he came in, changing direction when he saw Rhiow. 'Ey, he said, taking a stool nearby.
There was a new smell on him, too. Somebody (namely Jono) had brought back a cat from the away mission.
Reply
Rhiow lifted her head, sniffing the air. There was a new scent in her nostrils, something that wasn't Jono. You smell like Person - you wouldn't happen to have run into my colleague Arhu would you?
Reply
No so as I'd know? he said, tilting his head. I smell like... It took him a moment to put it together, then he shook his head. Oh, roight. Nah. Got adopted on the mission. Didn' seem proper t' leave 'er behin'.
Reply
"Is she young? I warn you that Arhu... well, Arhu isn't the polite Person to young queens his age." Toms rarely were as elegant in their youth as they were when they got older.
Reply
After collecting a (thankfully, non alcoholic) cider from the bar, she was pleasantly surprised when she turned to find a familiar creature in the corner.
"Rhiow!" she said, smiling. She hadn't seen Rhiow since before she was taken by GLaDOS!
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She turned her attention back to the fish, which by now was little more than a pile of skin and bones. Still, Rhiow was hardly one to waste any edible part of her dinner. "How have you been keeping yourself? Well?"
Reply
Taking up a chair on a table nearby, Daja sat down so that she could talk to Rhiow easily. "I've been doing very well, thank you. I've managed to get my forge up and running, and business has been..." Daja paused, thinking of her trouble with Zetta, "...good, even if my clients haven't always been ideal."
She turned a knowing smile to Rhiow. "And I've met a friend of yours - Arhu."
Reply
She sat back away and began to wash her paws, cleaning between her claws daintily.
Reply
Arhu had seen Rhiow when she passed by, and had first started following her with the intention of talking. And then he'd seen the fish - oh, the fish, the thing that wasn't magically-reconstituted-Stacy-slop - and he'd been even more firmly hooked.
He hopped up onto the counter carefully, because he still wasn't the best at judging distances and it wasn't like he wanted to stumble around here, and gave her an utterly hopeful look. His ears perked forward, and he tried not to stare constantly at the fish, but it was still awfully hard when it just smelled so good.
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Arhu might, given a chance. He was still growing, after all.
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Still, he couldn't help but stare at Rhiow's fish, if only because it was right there.
"So...how much are you gonna want?"
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At the second question, Rhiow's ear flicked like she was shaking off a fly. "If you eat more than half of it I'll swat you so hard your ears ring for days."
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