Jorden

[ginger_firebird]

~Outside~

“Do you know what this is? It’s a wolf. I worked with a woman who loved wolves. She would follow people from a distance before taking them out. I liked her, but she was scary.”

Mantis is in front of the apartment building again. He’s dressed and bundled up in white from the scarves covering his head and mouth to the jacket, scarf, pants, shirt, and shoes covering the rest of his form. Yaga is playing with some votive candles as they sail out of a box and settle into a loose ring around an assortment of objects. In the middle of the ring are several small figurines of animals and related objects: a nest with an egg in it, a white snake, an octopus, a raven, a wolf, and a praying mantis. He adjusts some of the candles by hand, but only with one hand. In the occupied arm is a small and fuzzy looking animal with grey fur and wide purple eyes.

“Watch this. This is the important part.” The little animal chirps with surprise as Mantis waves his free hand over the candles, setting all of them alight at once. He laughs at the noise and sits down, holding the small animal against his chest. “Don’t worry. You’re safe here.”

This seemed to soothe the little animal who trills and nuzzles its face against his chest.

“I’m pretty sure you’re a boy. What kind of name can I give a little boy like you?”

 ~Indoors~

Up in his apartment, Mantis is in the kitchen. The new friend is clinging to his chest and held up in a sling tied around Mantis’s body. Yaga meows quietly and sits on the counter as Mantis cracks open a window to set out several baking trays with cake in them. He looks out onto the world outside and sighs. Yaga walks onto his lap and sniffs at the little friend, getting a scared chirp. Mantis hugs his little friend closer and sighs again.

“I’m never going to enjoy this day, am I?”

Comments

[ginger_firebird]

"It's not very good because you need to practice more. Anyone can cook. You will learn to cook."

In fact, Mantis is now on a bit of a slant to make sure that happens. He's very assured now that Ben comes from a line of people on one side or another who are just a little bit awful when it comes to caring for themselves.

"Pokemon Center. Doesn't sound too hard to miss." He looks down at espurr and bounces him slightly. The little pokemon hardly budges. "I know only a few things about what kind of creature he is."

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben shrugs, then cuts himself another slice. "I figure I can learn. It's a matter of effort and learning. But you're right, I like to visit friends on an empty stomach. First I like the company, it's better than living without other people, and second my stomach isn't empty for very long."

He's found that, as time went on, he's craved company more. Ben actually came out to attend parties and have a good time.

"What do you know about them? What I know is that they're a kind of animal, but there's magic to them. They're smart and generally friendly towards people, which is good considering how strong they can be."

[ginger_firebird]

"Then if you're so determined to be a guest in other houses, the least you can do is figure out how to be the person who brings food over instead of expecting to be fed. I can teach you plenty of simple recipes that make for good snacks."

Mantis is less inclined to sek out company, but there are times when it's fun. He doesn't have stamina for crowds the way others do.

"He has psychic powers. There's something about his ears, maybe the source of them, that he's desperate to protect. He even has an idea of what his name is, but the intelligence behind it is similar to that of a small child. I found him because we became aware of each other when I was looking out for animals in the Wilds."