A bat.

[murderbaby]

WHO: Mhavos & Athessa
WHAT: A bat.
WHEN: Harvestmere, like, now.
WHERE: Kirkwall rooftops.
NOTES: A bat.

Apparently, he's working too much.

Since Mhavos has nothing to do but work, he doesn't really see how this is a problem, and suspects what Athessa means is I'm bored, entertain me. After the normal token refusal (he's busy, he has work to do, really, Athessa-) he gives in. In his quiet, selfish heart, he knows he's doing it because he feels flattered at the prospect of being anyone's entertainment of choice, even if he's likely the fourth or fifth candidate she's asked.

They take the ferry out, and as night is falling quickly, Mhavos finds a shadow to fit himself in, and quickly hoofs it up onto a rooftop. He whistles to her, the call of a bird common to Val Royeaux and, hopefully, here. He hated learning birdcalls. He hopes he doesn't have to again.

But, anyway, the meaning is, can you make it up here? Not that they went over signals before. He figures, with her competitive nature, it's implicit.

Comments

[sulahnan]

"Littler than you," she points out, hefting the bat off of Mhavos with two arms under its wings. It latches on briefly, apparently not wanting to let go of his newfound elf perch, but with some coaxing the bat realizes that Athessa is a more willing elf to cling to. It twists around in her arms and attaches itself to the front of Athessa's shirt.

"Awww, it's cute," she coos at it, giving it gentle scritches behind the ears. "You ok?"

That last to Mhavos, because even if the trash broke his fall, he did just fall off a building.

[murderbaby]

He assumes she's talking to the bat.

He gets up slowly, groaning a little. He doesn't think anything's broken, but it might be bruised. And he's not going to go to the healer if anything is broken, because the only healer he knows is Isaac, and he's not asking the man to check if he broke his arse.

"The thing used to cushion its landing; it's fine. You should be careful; its teeth are huge."

[sulahnan]

"I was talking to you," she says, giving Mhavos a look. But nevertheless, she looks down at the chittering critter clinging to her front. With both hands on its pudgy cheeks, she uses her thumbs to expose the aforementioned teeth, and laughs.

"I don't think we have to worry." Of course, nothing likes having its lips forced back, so the bat moves its head to dislodge Athessa's hands, then proceeds to lick her fingers in the hopes that there's something tasty to be found there.

[murderbaby]

"It seems rather fond of you," Mhavos says, as he pulls the rotting trash still stuck to him off. He hopes these clothes can be salvaged. "Make sure it's not the blood-sucking type."

[sulahnan]

"It's not," she assures, as the bat finds that her fingers are less appetizing than previously thought. "Those huge teeth you saw are for munchin' on fruit."

And then the bat seems to want to go back to its original elf perch, wiggling and trying to extend the little hooked part of its wings without letting go. "Seems to like you, too, Mhav. Where did it even come from? It definitely isn't Fade-touched."

[murderbaby]

"How in the world do you know that?" He says, while walking around to stand at her shoulder (and back a little). The bat chirrups in Mhavos' direction, and he takes a half-step back.

"I think the only creature that knows where it came from is... it." He gestures to the bat. "And it doesn't seem capable of speech." Thank the Maker.

[sulahnan]

As funny as it would be to tell him she doesn't actually know and that she's basing it on the fact that it didn't chomp her fingers off, she decides to be nice.

"This kind of bat is usually itty bitty--" A technical term. "--and they sleep in curled leaves, they're all over the Marches. Same kind of teeth as those, too, and the closest thing to meat they eat is bugs." The bat, while Athessa is giving her lecture on bats, clambers over her shoulder to latch onto her back like a furry rucksack and snuffles in her hair.

"Weird that this guy's got white fur, too. Usually night-time creatures have dark fur, makes it easier to sneak up on prey. So...probably a fruit-eater. No sneaking required."

[murderbaby]

"I really must study up on my knowledge of fauna; this is ridiculous." He peers at the beast, staying carefully out if the creature's reach. "We'll have to give it over to RiftWatch. I don't know what they'll do with a giant bat, but they may have enough fruit to feed it."

[sulahnan]

"Why would we have to give it over?" She makes a face, only partly because the bat's snuffling in her hair tickles something fierce. It's not fade-touched, it's clearly not malicious, and as far as she knows, it's not Riftwatch's purview to handle animal control in the city unless it meets the aforementioned criteria.

[murderbaby]

"Because it's huge," Mhavos says, gesturing to the awful thing. "And- And I've no idea what to do with it."

[sulahnan]

"We either leave it here, or we keep it, but it's not Fadetouched so it's not really Riftwatch's problem outside of who it just body-slammed."

[murderbaby]

"And what, exactly, do you think we should do with it?"

[sulahnan]

"Well, first we should see if there are any others about," she says, reasonably. "Or if anyone is missing a pet. And if those turn up nothing, we keep it, name it, take care of it. A pet, or maybe a mascot!"

[murderbaby]

Mhavos just kinda stares for a second. He knows where this ends. This abomination is no one's pet. Having more than one around is unthinkable. Thus.

"Why would we want to keep it?"

[sulahnan]

"Because it's cute and fluffy and, if there aren't any others, all alone out here." Duh, Mhavos.

[murderbaby]

Arguments like 'Athessa, this is just a huge flying rat' will be met with blithe dismissal, he knows it. Instead, more practical, "how are we going to feed it?"

[sulahnan]

"Scraps from the dining hall, nobody eats the fruit they get fast enough so it goes bad anyway, we can just pilfer the stuff that's too far gone." Next question, please. She's convinced.

[murderbaby]

"I don't think that would be a very healthy..." He sighs, shoulders dropping. "There's no convincing you, is there."

[sulahnan]

Nope! My mind's made up!" She stands up a bit straighter, to exaggerate the whole inch she has on him. "C'mon, let's go see if we can find where it came from, first. Then we can head back and set it up somewhere comfy and dark."