[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

Video

[notavirtue]

That is not... [He shut his mouth, shaking his head instead of continuing. Reaching meant travelling between stars again, but he didn't think it worth correcting. He'd taken a star for himself, after all, so it wasn't like she was wrong.] Nevermind. My point is only that just because it is aesthetically pleasing does not mean it is safe. The stars are no different from the shadows.

[There was a noise, difficult to hear over the locket, that sounded like a low, rumbling growl. Javik shot a dark look towards something out of view, and it stopped. His boon might not be a puppy, but it was still going to make noise.]

[tawarwaith]

It was my hope that the stars would be safe, removed as they were from Morgoth's taint. However if I were to ever travel the stars, I will follow your advice and walk with caution in my step.

[ She tilted her head trying to identify the sound. ]

Do you have a pup given to you as well?

[notavirtue]

[He had no idea who or what Morgoth was, but made a mental note of it all the same. Species that were still planetbound came up with odd theories for invading alien life.]

No. They are full grown. [He probably should have specified a number, though at the time he didn't think the request would be fulfilled. Now, he had two adult varren to train.] They are... not like your beast.

[tawarwaith]

Did you receive a boon for a companion as well then? Or did you find creatures of your own?

[notavirtue]

My request was granted, yes. They are not native to this world.

[They were probably going to be an invasive species soon, though. He wasn't sure what the monarchs were thinking when they gifted him a breeding pair. Javik picked up the locket from wherever it was sitting, though he didn't aim the feed anywhere else.]

They are called varren, from the krogan homeworld of Tuchanka.

[tawarwaith]

I am impressed the Monarch thought to award you with two. What sort of creature are they-- that is what purpose do they serve?

[ She was curious now to know more about different animals and if she could possibly understand an animal not from Arda. Her guess was no, but it was still a fun concept to think of. ]

[notavirtue]

I have asked for very little, but they reward me beyond what I could have possibly earned. [He didn't sound happy about that, actually.] If they think it will make me think more favorably of them, they are wrong.

[He hesitated a moment, then turned the locket towards the floor. Both beasts turned their heads in unison when they realized someone was paying attention to them, and they were most definitely alien. Like dogs, they had four legs, a tail and hunting instincts, but that's where the similarities ended. They were more reptilian, with scales and large, pupil-less amber eyes. One was dark grey with a silver underbelly, the other red with copper. Even with their mouths closed, their large canines were visible.]

They serve many purposes. Companionship, war beasts, food. Here, they will serve me, as your... Braig should serve you.

[tawarwaith]

[ Wait they rewarded him more than what he was expecting, and he was grumpy about it?

And then she saw the alien dogs and suddenly understood why he might be less than grateful for their gifting. There is an audible gasp from her as she leans back from the locket. ]

They are like nothing I have ever seen before. Have you cared for such creatures before?

[ Where did you even begin? ]

[notavirtue]

[His default cruise control was grumpy, but he was more angry about the apparent attempt to woo him, rather than boon itself. He had asked specifically for varren. The locket was set back in front of him, but one of the varren stood up and stuck its face in his. He pushed it down with a grimace.]

I admit I have not. It seemed... simpler in theory.

[tawarwaith]

[ She was used to grumpy cruise control, thanks to her king. His grumpy was nothing new. ]

It is easier if they are young. Might I assume that they are not young?

[notavirtue]

No, they are full grown. A breeding pair. [He wondered if somewhere else in the universe, someone had just found their prized pair of varren missing. He had no way of explaining how 'magic' worked around here, or at all.] They are tame, but require some direction.

[tawarwaith]

[She hoped they were tame, with canines like that, they could do real damage otherwise!]

Either you are favored greatly by the courts, or they wished to add misery to your life. I have heard tell treats of food work best to gain their attention and trust. I have yet to try with Braig. I need to do some hunting first.

[ Because she has no idea dog food can be bought. ]

[notavirtue]

I very much doubt it was the former. I have not heeded the command of the monarchs since arriving here. [Still, they were relatively well behaved, so it wasn't all bad. It remained to be seen if the monarchs knew how quickly varren multiplied, and the consequences that would have down the road.]

Then their training is not unlike that of a horse. Reward desirable behavior with something valuable to them. Do you intend to train yours as a beast of war?

[tawarwaith]

[They had similar thoughts, then as she had left Caer Scrima as soon as possible both times now. She nods to his assessment.]

That would be correct, in theory at least. I do not know if such tactics will always work on creatures that are stubborn or willful. [Looking at you Braig.] I think he will serve me better as a hunting companion than a creature of war. Should it come down to fighting, I will not stay his jaws.

[Also she is totally lacking in the skills to train him for war. A person at least is a different matter.]

[notavirtue]

We will both find out soon, I think. [As if on cue, the red varren's face filled up the view in the locket, though not for long. More than likely she was only curious because Javik kept talking at it, but couldn't see anything interesting for herself. Javik made no move to correct her, though his expression soured until the varren settled back down.]

It will come down to fighting. Train it to be unafraid of swords and - other weapons. [He'd almost said gunfire, then remembered where he was.]

[tawarwaith]

[She didn't blame the Varren in the slightest. That look made her eyes widen as well.]

Already you appear to have a knack for taming your beasts.

[She sighs a little and picked at the half finished arrow, deciding now was a s good a time to finish it.]

If he has the heart for war, he will learn it. I will not force such training upon him otherwise.

[notavirtue]

I should hope so. They are primitive beasts. [He'd say the same for the likes of humans, though. Unfortunately, prothean superiority had a lot to do with their numbers and their mastery of mass effect technology. Both were lacking here.]

War does not give us the luxury of choice, heart or not.

[tawarwaith]

Primitive beasts still have a will of their own. As do all things. [ Like trees. ] This is true, but I would rather him run than have slain because he could not defend himself.

[notavirtue]

If he must run, he will eventually have to defend himself.

[The growling noise came again, followed by a needy whine. Will of their own, indeed. Javik looked irritated again, but he could only deny them the attention they needed for so long.]

I should go. We may speak again later.

[tawarwaith]

I shall inform you if anyone passes on some helpful advice. I wish you luck in handling your... Varren. Oh, one last thing, names do help with training. It allows them to know who you are speaking to! And helps foster bonding.

[notavirtue]

I will consider it.

[Bonding. Whatever. Although it did remind him -]

I am called Javik. Any advice you find would be appreciated.

[tawarwaith]

[Oh right, names! She sometimes forgot that not everyone knew her name already.] I am called Tauriel. May your days be fair until we next speak again!

[notavirtue]

[Spoken like a true elf. Whatever Javik's reply would have been was drowned out when one of the varren started barking madly. Not to be left out, the other howled. Snarling some incomprehensible curse, Javik reached over and closed the locket. That was lesson number one for not ignoring pets that need to go outside.]