snowblindrpg | [log] The Pit [open]

[She turns to look at him sharply, but -- yeah, there's no chance he didn't see. Tess gives her sleeping bag a particularly vicious shove to get it back in its bag.]

You say that.

[But she gives RGBV a more thoughtful look herself as she rocks back to sit on her heels and holds out a hand to invite the coatl to come perch on her again. He eyes her a second before turning away and circling the pair of them in the air instead, flicking his tongue out to taste the air around Beckett in particular.]

Yeah, Roy, real subtle. Thanks for that.

[Sorry, Tess. At least he isn't actively calling you out on that Biggest Longest Coatl. He just looks on with mild curiosity at the tongue-flicks, wondering if he should offer it his hand for a closer sniff. Would his clan affinity for animals still be in effect...

Does this even count as an animal.] Roy? I was expecting something in Old Nahuatl.

[Okay maybe calling out a bit.]

Then again, whatever it does see it might have trouble communicating back.

It's short for Roy-gee-biv. Because he's a rainbow.

[She's had to explain this way too often lately; it's starting to lose its punch for her. Tess makes an annoyed sound in her throat; it seems today is the day for secrets to come out. Cool, that's fine. She didn't even like those secrets anyway.]

Yeah, that'd probably be a problem if it weren't for the fact that I can talk to him.

[It takes Beckett an embarrassingly long moment to parse out the joke, though once he does he has got to admit it's rather clever. And as he does, he forgets himself slightly and offer Roy-gee-biv a finger to sniff.]

Has he said anything about how you got here? Here as in Norfinbury. I'm curious about his perspective. As a feathered rainbow serpent of the gods.

[RGBV's tongue flickers close enough to brush Beckett's skin. The coatl shifts forward, moving to start coiling his way up Beckett's arm.]

He's told me that it's cold and that he doesn't like it. A lot. He's said that a lot, and what makes you think gods are involved? He's just a dumb snake.

[That she just admitted she can talk to.]

Don't insult him, he can understand you. [Yeah, about that. Beckett stands at remarkable ease considering he's being climbed by a feathered rainbow serpent of the gods, but some of his best friends have been snakes.]

The feathered serpent was a major Mesoamerican deity. The Aztecs callled it Quetzalcoatl. [He pronounces the the Old Nahuatl way.] I don't know if any gods were directly involved here, but I'm going to err on the side of respect, considering he's about to be inches from my face.

Yeeeeah I know about Quetzalcoatl. Don't worry, Roy's not his kid or anything. Just a snake that looks like a deity. Trust me, I've had him for a while.

[But Quetzalcoatl's kid is present in this room....

RGBV climbs ever higher. Enjoy being a jungle gym, Beckett.]

[He is enjoying it, sort of. It's not often he thinks about it, but Beckett does miss having animals around. Probably a clan thing.]

Are you going to tell me where you got him, or is this when I'm finally told to mind my own business?

Black market? Friend of a friend? Deepest darkest jungles of Mexico?

[She shrugs. She could try out any of those -- but a thought occurs to her and she grins at the humor she finds in phrasing it this way.]

Shady backyard breeder. That one's actually true.

[It's just a form of the truth twisted out of all recognition.]

[Yeah, he can tell. The grin probably does it. So, one doubtful raised eyebrow later, Beckett decides to vary his approach.

He addresses Roy, as politely as though he'd been chatting with snakes all his life. Which is a form of truth, too.] You are not going to help me out, are you?

[RGBV fixes his gaze on Beckett's face. He doesn't appear to be doing much of anything to one who doesn't speak the language of serpents...but if Beckett is such a one he'll be getting a reply more or less along the lines of 'I would have you feed me.' Tess snorts, not bothering to translate in the event that Beckett isn't some kind of beast-talker.]

Look at that, you got the same answer out of him that I always do.

[Beckett does not, specifically, speak Snake, but there's something to be said for his Clan's rapport with beasts of all sorts. He gets hunger. It's a feeling he can empathize with deeply, after all.]

What does he eat? I am assuming he needs to eat. Now, even if he didn't before.

[Tess's eyebrows climb as she gives Beckett a more openly assessing look, trying to decide if he understood or if that was just a lucky guess.]

Smaller animals, same as any snake. I should be giving him whole carcasses, but we make do with chickens and turkeys from the grocery store -- huh, Roy-Roy? Yeah, we like our Butterballs.

[She snorts in amusement at some memory, shaking her head.]

And chicken nuggets when we first got here. That didn't go over well.

[So there's another reason she's been lingering in the downtown area beyond getting her own bacon fix....]

[Look at that girl and her feathered snake. How precious. Beckett makes no attempt to dodge her look, in fact looking back squarely. Why, yes, he communicated with your big long coatl. He's pretty special, you know.]

You're a very tolerant feathered serpent of the gods, [he idly lets Roy know.] I'm sorry that I don't happen to be carrying any turkeys.

[He could try to offer it blood... but he could also just go on ahead and chuck himself into the pit and save Tess the effort.]

And he manages with the weather? Cold blood isn't fun, I've been informed.

He's been very well socialized.

[More like conditioned to know that he gets fed more often and more richly when he doesn't try to eat Tess's acquaintances. She gives Beckett a briefly confused look.]

He's not cold-blooded.

Isn't he? [Beckett returns just as confused a look.] More bird than reptile, then? He's not exactly easy to categorize. What with the snakelike body, rainbow feathers, and magical flying.

Yeah, artificially created species are like that. It's almost like he's a creature of legend or something.

Almost. [He snorts, though quietly as to not startle poor Roy.] I hope you're enjoying your little game. I found hiding my true nature an annoying waste of time fairly quickly.

[Tess snorts. Her "secret" is already unraveling around her rather quickly, as far as she's concerned.]

You know, I'm pretty sure I haven't actually lied to anyone here.

[Beckett raises an eyebrow, and almost leaves it at that, because really?] Do you honestly expect me to reduce deception to simply lying? I'm almost offended. No, scratch that almost.

No, I just think it's funnier that way.

[She watches RGBV as the serpent starts investigating some pocket or fold of Beckett's clothes.]

Maybe I just want to ditch all the baggage for a while. You think of that?

[Don't go it, Roy-Roy, all you'll find is his gross handkerchief.]

No, no I haven't. [What you call baggage is what he calls the last remnant of a ten thousand year history.] So you're the type who wishes she was just normal.

Pfft, hardly. But if I don't have any of the benefits here, why hang on to the responsibilities?

[Roy-Roy buries his nose in that pocket, flicks out his tongue, and -- recoils quite quickly. He looks somehow offended.]

I wasn't aware that what you truly were entailed any responsibilities?

[A genuine question. Fishing, of course. Idly, he tries to nudge the maltreated snake's head away from being further stuck where it doesn't belong.] Let it go, I don't carry random dead birds in my pocket.

[RGBV opens his mouth in a mostly idle threat display, though he lets himself be nudged and closes it again in favor of climbing over Beckett's shoulder to see what might lie beyond. Tess, for her part, laughs -- there's a little bit of a hiss to the sound.]

Oh, tons of responsibilities. Had to keep my station clean, prep the food in a timely manner. Sometimes I had to close by myself. Terribly responsible.

[log] The Pit [open]

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