EVENT: BLANKET FIC

[trainmasters]

Who: All the lovely Heroes!
When: Day 44, morning
Where: Around the train

[ It may have been only a few days, but did that heatwave feel like it lasted forever to anyone else? No? Either way, it's gone now. Bringing with it a blessed coolness. Actually wait, it's cold-- too cold! Worse yet, not even going into the train seems to really help. Fortunately, someone seems to have been kind enough to leave some nice, fuzzy blankets lying around. Too bad it doesn't seem to help much unless you share them with someone...

Either way, you're in luck because you've got some new teammates on the train! The notification appears cheerfully on everyone's Chains:

WELCOME NEW HEROES

Enjoy the cold...? ]

[[ NOTES: You're welcome to make team posts if you like, or intro directly into this mingle if you haven't already. Until next month's placements, the cold snap will persist-- along with the lovely blankets lying around. Enjoy! ]]

Comments

A

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Squeaking?]

[Thinks it's Sunset at first except Sunset can't scratch that big.]

[UM]

....

Hello? [To the closed door.]

A

[featherbeaned]

[ The squeak itself is also way, way too big to be Sunset. Is there a canary the size of a Jurassic Park velociraptor in there, or something? ]

...! [ CHIRP! ]

[ Snuffles at the gap under the door, sniff sniff snoof sniff sniff. ]

Re: A

[schrodingerscockroach]

[...is this teammate.]

[IS THIS MALICE PUTTING MONSTERS ON THE TRAIN???]

Okay, I'm going to need you to step back from the door and calm down.

[Time to see if it's intelligent.[

[featherbeaned]

[ Calm down? She is calm, she just wants out to sniff and explore and understand — ]

[ Nevertheless, she reluctantly withdraws her snoot and backs up a few steps to sit, watching the door intently. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[So not mindless monsters at least.]

I'm opening the door. Do not jump on me.

[Okay, opening the door slowly, peaking in to see what's there.]

[featherbeaned]

[ IT'S. IT'S A GODDAMN DRAGON. She's the size of a (very) large Big Dog, almost two and a half feet at the shoulders, sitting like a cat with her tail wrapped loose around herself. It wiggles faintly at the tip. And also, has some li'l spikes visible between the feathers … ]

[ Her ears prick up high when he comes in ]

[ And her whole body gives a faint, quivering wiggle, like gosh she wants to get up all in his space to give him a good, thorough sniffing, but it's fine she can wait she can be polite it's fine ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

....

[That's a dragon.]

[Honestly, he was kind of expecting a wolf, CONSIDERING, but instead it's a furry dragon.]

[Bone dragons, flower dragons, furry dragons.]

.....hi. Did you just wake up?

[featherbeaned]

[ Not so much fur as feathers, but still. Definitely a dragon-thing. ]

[ Cheep? Chirp! ]

[ She watches his mouth intently as he talks, her head cocking to one side ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Furry, feather thing.]

...can you nod or shake your head?

[featherbeaned]

[ Tilts her head the other way, her ears going briefly lopsided. ]

[ nnnnods ]

[ Nods, nods! ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Okay. Did you wake up in here?

[Gestures to room. And is she still mouth staring?]

[featherbeaned]

[ She sure is, sorry if it's disconcerting to be stared at so intently by an Actual Literal Predator. ]

[ Squints … ]

Yyyyeee. [ Bleps out her tongue, brow-ridges furrowing. ]

[ Nods! ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Listen, he's been stared at by worse. So far, she hasn't been hostile and that counts for a lot.]

....

So, you probably have questions. Which we could try to work through.

Or I can take you to the library and read you a book and see if that helps you talking and then answer questions??

[featherbeaned]

[ The next sound is more of a considering mreep, her tail giving a bit of a slow, swishy wiggle. ]

[ But rather than answer, she slowly, sssssllllloooowwwwly stretches out her snoot towards him, snuffling curiously. Shuffles closer-! ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Holds out a hand for sniffing????]

[He's reasonably sure she won't bite it off.]

[featherbeaned]

[ Happy cheeping, yes, good, let her sniff. Pushes her nose at him to give him an extremely thorough snoofling, starting at his hand and then along his arm and around his legs. ]

[ From this close, he'll be able to feel the warmth radiating out of her, like she's a big floofy portable space heater. ]

Hiiiii.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Jesus, is that normal? She doesn't LOOK sick. Not weakened, anyway.]

....hi.

[featherbeaned]

[ With her bright eyes and glossy feathers, she sure does look to be in the picture of health! After a couple of times circling him, still sniffing him everywhere she can reach without jumping up, she nudges her head up under his hand like a cat demanding pets. ]

Hi!

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Okay, now he will give pets. Careful to go with the grain of feathers, he's pretty sure moving back with those is bad.]

Library or no?

[featherbeaned]

[ They're soft and pettable and, again, warm as heck. She seems to approve, if the continued nudges and leaning is anything to go by. ]

Llll … [ Rumbles,,, ] Li. Libree. Libra...ry.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Library it is. This way.

[Another pet and ear scritch and gonna lead the way to the library.]

[featherbeaned]

[ ohhhh my gosh tho?? ]

[ there's so many smells out here ]

[ there's so much ]

[ it might take them a while (or, more than a while) to get there, because she quickly gets busy scampering around all over to Explore and Investigate ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[He will let her explore even if he makes sure they don't backtrack or go off course TOO much.]

[And point and explain things. More words to use.]

[featherbeaned]

[ Sorry if she makes a beeline towards the kitchen area of the lounge car ]

[ Well. She's not sorry, she's kinda having the time of her life here. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

You hungry?

[Is this hungry exploring or animal sees food and must eat it exploring?]