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Post by Unokins on Jun 4, 2015 3:56:54 GMT
Rook nodded when Emkai spoke, plopped its butt down at the edge of the fireman's cloak, and watched the apples with a keen eye. It chirped at the apples, as if expecting a reply. Then it began whistling a rather complicated song.
Gale shrugged at Omaron's reply, even laughing when that snarky comment was made. What a mouth this one had! Gale sort of wished he could be half as witty. But he would take ripping someone's throat out without getting queasy over words any day. His ears twitched, and he responded to Rook, their whistling melding together into one tune.
It was a simple conversation between the two. What are the plans? East, still. What else is out here, you think? No Kiltar, I think. Not yet, anyway. How far do you think they are? Probably half a sun. Maybe a full one. I like these others.
Gale paused, and Rook glanced at him. Then he nodded.
Go now. Hurry up, slow butt.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 4, 2015 4:04:25 GMT
Omaron scowled. "I couldn't do anything before I was untied." Nevertheless he got to his feet, wincing and stretching as well as he could. Emkai kept hold of the loose end of the belt.
"Breakfast is apples, and we're eating as we go."
"Yes yes, very well. If we're going to get moving I suppose we should do it." Omaron glanced at Rook and Gale, thinking about their chirping and whistling song they'd just finished. It was almost like waking up to birdsong, but a bit more obnoxious.
Roki gathered up Emkai's cloak and the apples. "Right then, on." And she led the way out of the clearing.
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Post by Unokins on Jun 4, 2015 4:09:16 GMT
Gale could feel the tinge of annoyance from Omaron at their talking. Gale glanced over at him, eyes squinted into a glare. What so annoying, rabbit man? He asked, a daring tone in the question - the accusation.
But he quickly was distracted as Rook presented him with several more apples, all skewered on its giant fingers. Gale's ears twitched and he smiled at the creature as he took them, whistling his thanks. It did seem that Gale's arms were a bit... twiggier, than they were at the arena not even twenty-four hours ago. Such was the nature of his abilities. He ate happily.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 4, 2015 12:17:01 GMT
Omaron's brows rose, even as Gale was distracted by Rook. "Rabbit man?" he asked in genuine confusion. "What about me seems rabbit-like to you?"
Emkai actually smiled a little at this though he said nothing. He only followed Roki, and Omaron was obliged to follow.
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Post by Unokins on Jun 4, 2015 19:40:54 GMT
Gale skipped around, so he was walking backwards besides Roki and grinning savagely at Omaron. So jumpy. Gale said. He motioned to the blood that had dried on his front. No like blood. Or meat. Meat good! Meat best! Gale made a face. Of course, he was talking about raw meat and the organs he would take from both animals and people alike. But Omaron was extremely picking about all of it. Wide eyes. Scared eyes. Rabbit! Rabbit!
Gale whistled at Rook, and the monster nodded its head. There, he had Rook agreeing with him, so no way he was wrong. Whatever argument Omaron posed was going to be wrong period.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 5, 2015 2:18:27 GMT
Omaron's face went a delicate shade of green, and he wiped at his jaw with his bound hands. A few flakes of dried blood came off.
"I-I don't see how not wanting to eat people makes me a rabbit," he told Gale. "Why do you eat people? It's just... wrong." He couldn't think of any other word that exactly fit why he was feeling sick to his stomach just thinking about the events of the day before.
Roki glanced back at them over her shoulder but didn't comment.
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Post by Unokins on Jun 5, 2015 2:28:35 GMT
Gale's head cocked to the side. He, too, was still covered in a fair amount of blood. But it didn't seem bother him like it did Omaron. Even the blood on his face and the cut that scabbed over on his chest seemed perfectly natural to the boy.
Wrong? No. It normal. Fight. Win. Eat. That meal for day. Sometimes they would supplement the food. Usually if Gale's opponent had been half starved, he would get some other food after. But it was usually gross, and not as good as the warm meat of something he had just killed.
Kiltar eat people, too. He continued, eyeing Omaron closely. Big fancy. Much happen. Very important. Every now and then. Gale shrugged. No eat people in V... Vel... Vel-whatever?
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Post by Buggy on Jun 5, 2015 3:02:36 GMT
The green tint of Omaron's face got a bit more pronounced. He shouldn't have been as surprised as he was that the Kiltar ate people, really, but it did raise questions about some of the meals he'd had there.
"No, no we don't. We eat normal things like mutton and pork, and grains and vegetables and ale. We have farms for all of that; we don't have to just... do... that."
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Post by Unokins on Jun 5, 2015 3:08:00 GMT
Gale's confusion only seemed to grow. Didn't eat people? What was mutton? He scratched at his head, ears twitching. "Hmmm," he mused, obviously thinking hard. This was so... backwards. They just ate animals and plants always?
What about bads? He asked. Several pictures might have found their way into their minds, each one similar. The arena, with a desperate looking person lunging forward with a weapon. They might have almost heard the people screaming and the rancorous sounds of the crowd. Bads no get eaten or fight? What do with them?
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Post by Buggy on Jun 5, 2015 3:16:00 GMT
"They go to PRISON," Omaron said, sounding disturbed. "We don't make SPECTACLES of them for everyone's amusement; that's barbaric!"
Emkai didn't turn around, but Roki frowned back at them. "Generally where we come from, people are given a chance to prove they're innocent before any punishments are doled out."
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Post by Unokins on Jun 5, 2015 3:22:11 GMT
Gale's mouth fell open as they spoke. He looked from Omaron to Roki back to Omaron and then Roki again. He either didn't understand or was incapable of envisioning a place where people were... given a chance to avoid punishment? Could talk to someone and they would listen?
Why??? Gale asked, confusion coming forward almost more than the word. How??? It was so... so backwards! How did it work?! No spectacles? What did they do instead? And what did barbaric mean?
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Post by Buggy on Jun 5, 2015 3:45:02 GMT
"Because sometimes officers of the law make mistakes. That's why." Roki turned back to face the front again. "And because a person who has done wrong can still contribute to society, if they choose to do so."
Omaron sighed and looked back to the ground, thinking. His thoughts began to stray from he thread of the conversation.
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Post by Unokins on Jun 5, 2015 3:54:07 GMT
Gale shook his head. He didn't get it at all. The thought of not using violence to solve something was beyond him. And people who did wrong actually being trusted enough to... to just. He didn't know what contribute meant. But. They weren't killed or made to fight. So that was something.
Your place weird, he said, a tiny pouting frown on his face. He was frustrated, not understanding any of this. Surely it was something he could get! But trying to imagine someone like Pulchra just... just calmly accepting something that someone said that would save them from being put in the ring. He ground his teeth. It could never happen! Never EVER! No WAY something like that could work!
Make no sense. None. What punishment? He asked. Whip? Club? Knife? Fire? Needle? Bad stuff in food? What!? There had to be SOME pain in it. Something to show how serious the punishment was.
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Post by Buggy on Jun 5, 2015 4:04:15 GMT
"Imprisonment and sometimes hard labor, that's all," Roki replied. "But it depends on what they did. There are executions in Edra still, I hear."
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Post by Unokins on Jun 5, 2015 4:14:17 GMT
Gale ran a hand through his hair. What did executions mean? Why did she keep having to use these big nonsense words that didn't mean anything to Gale! It was stupid, just like their stupid... things with the bad people.
That all it takes? Gale demanded. That all, and- and- the bads no bad anymore?!
How different were their places that they didn't NEED to rely on torture or arena fights to keep people in line and satiate the blood lust of the common people? Did the common people even HAVE any blood lust? What... What was their places like?
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