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Oh, no, Robert, I'd fulled intend to wear little more than fifteen centimeters of cloth on my person. I simply hoped she'd make it to my tastes, that's all.

[She's joking, obviously, though most wouldn't be able to tell it from her expression: she's kept it entirely open and helpful, a pleasant correction to his assumption. Isn't that nice of her?]

[Most wouldn't be able to, but most people aren't literally her with a chromosome flipped, either. So if she's going to play with him, then very well; he's perfectly willing to play right back.]

And what would your tastes involve, precisely? Ruffles, polka dots?

Oh, nothing so ostentatious. Red or white, which would you prefer?

[Look at these two fucks, mildly bullying one another as they stroll down the beach. Truly, this is love.]

[Red, of course.]

White. Pure and feminine — like a sacrificial lamb.

[She laughs and steps in closer, til she can bump up against him as they walk.]

Is that how you're going to be looking at me? As some kind of innocent?

Certainly not.

[He gives her hand a squeeze, flashing a half-conspiratorial smile in her direction.]

I simply think that if you're going to be biting your figurative thumb in the direction of Columbia's standards for modesty, you might as well make a mockery of their fanaticism while you're at it.

Edited 2017-05-15 18:33 (UTC)

Ah. Then of course it'll have to be white. Though really, I'm going to have to ask Miss Everett how on earth they make it so those don't turn translucent the moment one hits the water. Simply for my own edification, you understand, I'm certain there's something wonderfully tricky about the fabric.

Perhaps there's nothing tricky at all about the fabric, and you'll simply have to take your chances.

I suppose I shall. Certainly I know you'd enjoy that: me soaking wet and with practically nothing on, I should think--

[In other threads, in other comms, they would go on. They really would, and it would be disgusting, and so it's probably good that Rosalind breaks off as something catches her eye.]

Ah. There's your dragons.

[Somewhere out there, in some universe, Henry is rolling his eyes in disgust and abject disbelief at how abruptly Robert's attention swerves from the topic of bathing suits onto the topic of dragons, not just making his head snap up to look in the direction Rosalind has indicated, but causing his voice to leap up a pitch or two in his enthusiasm as well.

But she's right; there they are, dragons, milling around in the dunes and chattering at each other in soft chirps and tones, stirring up the sand with the prints from their feet and tails. There are several unhatched eggs yet, as well, but plenty of already-hatched dragons to examine.

Delightful.]

Would you look at them! There's so many!

[Despite herself, Rosalind feels a little thrill run through her at the sight. Good god, look at them: brown and blue and green, waddling around as two larger ones stare out over their brood. There's other nests dotted behind them, and Rosalind takes note of that: they live in clusters, apparently.]

They've got wings, Robert . . .

[She murmurs it, not wanting to startle any of the babies off. They're already examining them (or him, really, they must be able to smell the food on him; a few braver ones are already edging closer, chirping up inquiries and nosing against his shoes).]

I wonder if they breathe fire? Ah-- behave--

[That's to Punnett, who's begun wiggling excitedly. With a little huff she starts tucking his tendrils into the backpack, intent on zipping him up while she examines the dragons.]

They do have wings.

[Good lord, they're like average people who've just been brought within close proximity of a cat, their vocabulary and intellectual quality of their remarks are both dropping like a stone.

LOOK AT YOU, YOU'RE A DRAGON, indeed.]

Ah — I think I heard an account that they have the capacity for it, but not naturally. There's some catalyst to allow for the, er, fire.

[HE WANTS TO PET THEM...]

The color variation is astonishing...

[He should pet them. He most definitely should pet them, and that's not just encouragement from the general narration: one particularly bold dragon that's waddled up to Robert's boot is shouting out his eager desire for attention. Pet me and feed me and love me are all intermingled there, a nonverbal golden cloud that's sent telepathically up to the Luteces, and which boils down to: pay attention to me.

The dragon-- blue, and a little fatter than his siblings-- butts his head gently against Robert's ankle, then looks up hopefully at him.]

To say the least. I've seen green, but never blue or brown. Do you think they have different capabilities, or that it's a purely aesthetic change?

Edited 2017-05-16 01:49 (UTC)

Ah, I've seen a brown before. A young man on the network had one — as I recall, it was rather fat and lazy in...temperament...

[A little struck with wonder, Robert carefully lowers himself down to a crouch and extends his hand, unaware that his mouth is hanging slightly open as he does his best not to startle the little blue dragon.]

Rosie, look...

I see.

[Double-checking to make sure Punnett is safely contained, Rosalind kneels down in the sand, watching with interest (and, beneath it all, a little awe). The dragon is pleased; he all but throws himself towards Robert's hand, eager to be pet and fed.

A little ways away, one of the larger green dragons snorts. The other hatchlings chitter, but Robert's blue dragon ignores them; he has attention, and that's all that matters.]

[Attention he certainly has, and he's not soon likely to lose it, either, with the way he's sucking up to Robert; he's holding his palm at an angle that gives the dragon the perfect opportunity to butt up against his hand.]

Hello, there...

[He whistles softly, utterly charmed.]

Friendly little bloke, aren't you...?

[Oh. Oh, oh, and the dragon glances up. A moment later, and he echoes the sound of that whistle: higher pitched, to be certain, and far louder in his enthusiasm, but an exact echo of Robert's noise. At his side, Rosalind laughs softly in delight.]

...Did it just...

[Oh, oh, oh!]

That was a perfect imitation...! You heard it too, didn't you? Not even the slightest bit sharp or flat, it's incredible...

Trying singing to it.

[She nudges his arm, just in case he's too fixated on the dragon to hear her.]

See if it's old enough to imitate that. I wonder if they all will . . .

Ah...

[If he weren't so preoccupied with the dragons, and actually had the time and focus both to think about it, he might've ended up a little more self-conscious about the prospect of suddenly singing on command — but as it is, her suggestion is more than imperative enough to sway him, and he regards the little dragon for a minute to make sure he's holding its attention while he considers.

Then, at length, he softly sings a pattern of eight notes and waits to see if he can get the dragon to repeat them.

It's only after it does, and he's gotten it playing with those same eight sounds over and over again, that he starts singing the vocals proper.]

[To his credit, the dragon does his absolute best to keep up. He acts as a counterpoint to Robert for the first half of the song, echoing his notes half a beat behind, which creates a lovely echoing effect. But he's only a baby, and that's an entire song . . . so soon he contents himself with simply wriggling around in the sand, nuzzling against Robert's hand and letting out little chirps and the occasional sung note.

Rosalind, for her part, simply turns her head. She sighs softly, hooks her arm through his, and buries her face against him, her eyes closing as she listens.]

...It sings...

[That's what slips out once he's finished, breathy and full of awe and wonder as he continues petting and rolling the fat little dragon in the sand, using the movements of his hand to tempt it into wriggling around and putting on a little show for the both of them.]

Remarkable...

[He may well explode from delight.]

Not bad for a first time, wouldn't you say, my dear?

Not at all. Oh--

[Because it's like a small explosion just went off. Joy, rosy-golden, floods through both their minds; Rosalind gasps from the force of it. Joy, because that was most definitely a compliment, the dragon knows it was, he's clever enough to sense intent and emotion from people already (isn't he a clever boy?). He chirps eagerly up at them again and again-- but oh, no, he wants more of those compliments, and soon he's hoisting himself back onto his feet, all the better to more clearly warble out that eight-note ditty that starts the song.

He pants up at them afterwards, waiting for his praise.]

[This is the one, Robert knows instantly. This is it, this is the dragon that's going to come home with them, this wriggly little blue menace who was so brave in the face of the unknown, so determined to seek out attention and to perform for approval. This is the one that's going to be theirs — his, to be sure, but what's his is theirs, that's just how it is — this rambunctious little baby of a thing, enthralling Rosalind with its talents and Robert with its charm.

So this is the psychic connection they can make, he thinks, and it's nothing short of overwhelming, the blast of such pure raw positivity all but bowling him over when it hits. It's a few seconds before he notices that his cheeks are starting to hurt, and it's only another few after that when he realizes it's because he's started grinning, and doesn't actually know when that happened.]

...I did say we'd keep the best one, didn't I? I do think we may just have found him, my dear.

Yes.

[She's normally not that inclined towards handing out praise like that, but this little man deserves it. She's smiling: not as brightly or as fiercely as Robert, but rather quietly pleased, her eyes trained forward as she tips her head to rest against Robert more fully.]

Good god, I should think he wouldn't even need feeding to follow us home. What do you want to call him?

[The dragon edges closer, nipping gently at Robert's fingers.]

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