[video] Open to all (backdated to the 26th)

[tawarwaith]

[Tauriel's locket was off and propped up on something so that she could look and talk while she worked. Except she was not currently working, despite having a number of tools and materials arrayed out in front of her and a half finished arrow resting on the table before her. Her attention was off to one side where she was busily chiding something out of sight.]

--No! That is not a toy to play with! Come, give it to me.

[Off screen, there is a playful bark followed by a soft whine. I causes her to laugh softly as the whining continues. We will go soon, I promise. She then leans down then, retrieving a wooden dowel that may or may not have been very recently clamped in the teeth of a puppy and sets it off to one side with the rest of the unfinished materials. Successful, she turns her attention back to the arrow she is currently working on, still smiling and clearly amused.]

Hesitant as I am of the courts, especially that of the Unseelie, I currently cannot fault them for the gift they gave me in the form of my companion. Even if he was not quite what I was expecting.

[There is another bark, To which Tauriel chuckles again, once again setting the arrow aside so that she could pick up the locket in order to show off her companion: a puppy that was somewhere in between nine to ten weeks old which resembled in many ways a wolf cub.]

His name is Braig.

[Having shown him off, she changes the angle of the locket to once more show her face.]

The point of all this is that I have never before raised a hound and would appreciate it greatly if anyone could provide me with advice. As you can see he is spirited and already likes to get into trouble!

Comments

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[notavirtue]

Regardless of your devotion, they will reward you for defending yourself if they think they have benefited in some way. They may think it will endear them to us.

[Which it wouldn't, not for him at least. He'd take advantage of their hospitality for as long as he could. That said...]

You name your... pets?

Re: Video

[tawarwaith]

[He is about one of the stranger things that she has seen in awhile so it takes a moment for her to process what it is she is looking at.]

...I. That is-- that is good to know.

[Especially as she is thinking of going unaligned. She shifted her thoughts away from the courts and back towards the puppy]

To answer your question, yes. My people tend to take joy in giving names to things, especially as our names have meaning behind them. Braig means wild in my language.

Video

[notavirtue]

[Javik just waited for her spit it out, assuming she was boggling at him like everyone else did. Not for the first time, he thought of switching to voice to talk to people, but he disliked hiding.]

An apt name, if you intend to tame it. By your people, you mean elves.

[These lockets weren't the best, but he was fairly certain he'd seen the ears.]

Re: Video

[tawarwaith]

[Her ears are not exactly small, so it is very likely.]

Thank you, and yes to both. It is my desire to raise him and I am indeed an elf.

[By now, Tauriel is a touch more composed as she turns her attention away from Braig and back to him. Given the number of elves that were currently here in the Draubworld, she was not at all surprised that he recognized what she was.]

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[notavirtue]

Your kind has a connection with such beasts, I have seen. [Horses, mostly, but dogs counted, right?] I would not think you needed advice in raising them.

[He may or may not be snooping to see what that advice might be. The monarchs had fulfilled his request for a boon, but it turned out he didn't know the first thing about taking care of the things. The horse seemed easier.]

Video

[tawarwaith]

Yes we can speak with animals and share a bond with them, but that does not mean I know how to raise one! It is much like caring for a child. Even a parent asks for advice on how to best raise their offspring.

[And it was confession time for her.]

Perhaps when Mirkwood was younger I might have had more opportunity to create lasting bonds with creatures. But as I was growing up, things were steadily becoming less peaceful and so my skills naturally were more survival oriented.

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[notavirtue]

[He might argue about asking for advice, but held his tongue. Elves looked human, and had certain prothean traits, but the similarities didn't extend that far. Sharing knowledge wasn't as easy among other species as it was with his own.]

My people had no such bonds, save for consuming the wildlife we found. War was all we knew for many centuries. [He leaned over to mess with something out of sight, but was back a moment later.] The reliance on animals here is foreign to me.

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[tawarwaith]

We are no strangers to war ourselves, but we also have periods of prolonged peace as well. And our bond with animals and nature is something that was there with us from our earliest days, as far as I can recall. That does not mean that we do not hunt, for my people, the Silvan Elves enjoy greatly the hunt. We just respect the animal that is hunted and do not prolong it's suffering.

[She is used to his appearance by now, as much as she can be at least. He was strange, but civil and spoke well. That is enough for her.]

What did your people do then to move around vast distances or to hunt prey faster than yourself?

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[notavirtue]

[Maybe a long, long time ago his people had had that sort of connection, but he hadn't seen it even with his access to the memory shard. It probably predated that sort of technology, before they moved to consuming what they needed as an evolutionary prerogative.]

We evolved as hunters and predators, and cultivated our ability to sense even the smallest details in the environment through touch. [The four eyes, six nostrils and assorted sensory pits were certainly part of that. Thankfully, he had an impressive poker face, so Tauriel wouldn't have to worry about him suddenly licking an eyeball.] Eventually we utilized technology to enhance our talents, and found our place among the stars.

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[tawarwaith]

[Tauriel would be very grateful, to the very end of her long days even, if she never had to witness that. She however might be fascinated to learn that his people were apex predators more or less, even if that was not a term she was familiar with.]

What is it like among the stars? I can only ever imagine I am walking among them, sharing in their beauty. Oh, but to actually go there and walk among the creations of Elbereth Gilthoniel... that is a dream worthy of any Eldar!

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[notavirtue]

Cold and dark, with little and less between stars. Uninhabitable planets outnumber the garden worlds, and even there you will find plants and animals too dangerous to consider taming. In dark space there are nightmares you cannot imagine, until they are upon you.

[Dreams were best left to the young and the foolish. Maybe in another lifetime he could have admired the beauty the galaxy had to offer. Instead, he had known only war, and there was nothing to admire about it in the least.]

Re: Video

[tawarwaith]

[That... sounded not at all like the stars the Eldar loved. Those stars served to instill hope and served as a memory of the past...]

Perhaps where you are from... I cannot think that true of the sky above me.

Video

[notavirtue]

Not so long ago monsters and shadows fell from the night sky. I do not think such things are exclusive to my place of origin.

[As far as he was concerned, this could still be a planet in someone unknown nebula in a tiny corner of the galaxy he knew. Being told the world was flat still didn't jive with him.]

private voice;

[bythewaves]

[ It is the red hair that draws him. The flash of fire that is almost the right colour for his brothers, for his mother. It is the pup that holds him, the bittersweet memories of Celegorm and Huan rising up to engulf him ]

A strong name for a little one. [ He says eventually ] May he grow into it!

private voice;

[tawarwaith]

[As it is only voice that she hears, she cannot tell who it was that spoke, except the voice sounded wistful.]

I think he will, already he has a mind of his own. I only hope I can raise him well,

private voice;

[bythewaves]

[ And voice it will stay until he can be assured she doesn't want to kill him on sight ]

I am sure you will do well. Raising hounds, I have found, is not so entirely different to raising children and younger siblings - a firm hand, and lots of love. [ the barest hint of amusement ]

I... forgive me for asking, but your hair...the colour is passing unusual...

private voice;

[tawarwaith]

Of that I have little experience in as well. I have no siblings and am unwed!

[Being only 600 years old made her little more than a baby among other elves who had lived far longer.]

It is a common enough color among my people. Though some might argue my hair is a shade brighter than most.

private voice;

[bythewaves]

They are a trial and a joy.

Is it? I had not thought to see such a colour outside of my family, but perhaps it is more common amongst the Silvan?

private voice;

[tawarwaith]

Perhaps I will know the joy of children one day. Until then I shall make do with Braig.

[She looks thoughtful for a moment, even her hands that had not been idle in fletching slowed as she thought of her kin.]

Almost all who are silvan by birth bear reddish hair, yes. There are some among us whose origins are Sindar and so have pale hair instead.

private voice;

[bythewaves]

Perhaps - I wish you joy in them, if your road leads that way.

[ Ah ]

Truly? Most of the Silvan I knew had darker hair, but then, I had only few dealings with them - my brothers might have known better, I think. I dealt mostly with the Sindar. [ because when you are one of only two of your brothers who the Sindar will still talk to... ]

I suppose it is mostly amongst the Noldor then, that such a colour is unusual.

private voice;

[tawarwaith]

[She doubts she will ever have children at this point since her journey as veered so far from the familiar of home. It is through those thoughts that darkness lies, so she pushes them away, once more turning her attentions to finishing the arrow.]

I cannot speak for all silvan-- just those of Mirkwood as that is my home. [And she has not ventured far beyond it's borders much.

To her credit she does not flinch when the Noldor are mentioned.]

I met one who has red hair like mine! Nerdanel is her name and she is quite pleasant to speak with.

private video~

[bythewaves]

Mirkwood? I fear I do not know that name - where is it located?

[ Well then. And the video flips on, to reveal Maglor - it is probably obvious that he is at the station, its steel and concrete visible in the background. He himself is outside, and he is far too pale still ]

Then you have met my mother. Maglor Feanorion I am. I would say well met, but I fear few meetings with my family are ever so.

private video~

[tawarwaith]

It once had another name, known in days past as Greenwood, The Great. It is located South of the Grey Mountains and East of the Misty Mountains. My home-- the Woodland Realm is located in the northern reaches of the forest.

[That he is also at the station surprises her, but not so much, as the station is huge. Naturally his name does give her pause, but it is only fleeting.]

I will still offer you greetings, even knowing your name and the legacy of your family. I do not bear the same animosity to you as others might.

[It doesn't mean that she won't be cautious however.]

private video~

[bythewaves]

I do not think we ever ventured east of the Misty Mountains, although perhaps some of my more adventurous brothers may have done. All I know of those lands is that Men first came from beyond them. But what they left behind left such a shadow on them that they would not speak of it, not even to Finrod who they loved.

That you would give me courteous greeting and not the edge of a knife I count as blessing enough, and I thank you.

[ he sounds a little wistful, still ]

private video~

[tawarwaith]

I fear you speak of a time long before my days. [She is after all a baby elf.] You are welcome and know this, I will bear no grudges here, except for against those things that would seek to harm me or those I hold dear.

[She notes the tone in his voice and tilts her head slightly.]

You sound troubled. What bothers you?