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nexus_crossings2020-11-01 09:45 am
ginger_firebird) wrote in nexus_crossings2020-11-01 09:45 am
Jorden
~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?”
“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?”
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?”
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He looked down at the little creature. “He’s really cute, though! I’ve never seen anything like him before. What is he?”
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He holds up Francour a little. The espurr chirps. "I don't know what he is, but I know he has powers like mine. I can hear clear and tiny thoughts in his head."
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Of course, he leaned in for a closer look at the little critter in Mantis’ hands.
“Powers?” He asked. He wasn’t frightened by the thought of someone who could sense others thoughts. The longer Minoru lived and worked in the Nexus, the more superhuman or even non-human things he seemed to find.
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Espurr leans towards Minoru and boops him ever so gently on the nose.
"Telepathy, like mine, and he can move things." Mantis rattles off the details with utter and complete calm. "We're two of a kind."
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The only telepaths he’d met were the Antheans, but Mantis didn’t feel like the aliens. He was as thin as one of them, though.
“Sometimes I wish I could talk to Kazumi like that.” Quickly clarifying, “She’s my pet butterball python. Raised her since she was a hatchling.”
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Mantis is decidedly very thin, but also very much a human. He has met the Antheans, though, and would appreciate the comparisson.
"I've tried reading the minds of proper animals. If you really want to know what she thinks of you, I can have a look inside her mind."
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“...That would be really neat.” He decided with a smile.
“My brother and I share an apartment (now with pictures!) not too far from here.” He pointed in a direction away from the plaza and gave the address. “If you want to come over! Once you’re done with your ritual, of course.”
He did not want to impose on Mantis’ special celebration, but he was definitely curious.
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Mantis looks back at the little shrine, lit candles and all, and nods. He stands up slowly, minding the espurr's head as he does so. The pokemon climbs up to his shoulder and grabs on to parts of the scarf covering Mantis's head.
"The ritual is done for now. I can make the cake whenever it suits me."
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He opened the door to their apartment to find the lights off. Isamu wasn’t home. He was probably at IRIS, Minoru mentioned.
“Make yourself at home.” He welcomed his visitor.
The living area was small, but well-suited for two people. Books covered much of the available wall space, and plenty of table space as well. The large window let in a lot of natural light. On the side of the room, there was a reptile enclosure, where a still-growing butter ball python was sunning herself on a rock.
“Hey there, Kazumi. I brought a friend over to meet you!” He cooed at his snake.
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He crouches down just slightly and turns his head to the espurr. "What do you think?" A little trill answers him. "It's a python. You're too big for it to eat."
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“She’s not looking for a meal either, little guy.” Minoru added on behalf of the espurr. “Just fed yesterday.”
He carefully opened the top of the enclosure. Kazumi perked up.
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Espurr looks at Mantis as the man starts trying to read the snake's thoughts. He never knows what he's going to find, only that there will be things to find. "She just ate, so her thoughts will likely be about us."
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Kazumi had been raised by Minoru since she was a hatchling, so she was very used to his presence and his touch. She was not fearful around humans, and was a genuinely curious animal. He hardly had to coax her, and she was already climbing up his arm the way she used to do when she was smaller. (She was approaching three years old now, getting close to four feet long.)
“You can hold her too, if it helps.” He smiled. “She likes to explore. So I let her.”
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"What a pretty thing." Now that there are less physical barriers, he goes for a direct read of her mind, expecting to find thoughts about finding out who is around her. "Hello, Kazumi."
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There was indeed a connection there - similar but not exactly like how Minoru and Kazumi talked during those few hours at the Halloween party. Minoru, dressed as a Slytherin student (Isamu was a Ravenclaw), had gained parseltongue as part of the transformation. Unfortunately, a bit of angel booze made the night one giant blur for Minoru, that part included.
[please, feel free to actually read her. Permission granted to assume what the snake might be thinking.]