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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 12, 2008 15:35:15 GMT -5
Jamison smiled. "And how about for your employers?"
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 12, 2008 15:46:57 GMT -5
Erik frowned. He didn't much fancy being called "The Living Skeleton" the rest of his life. Then he caught the nuance of Jamison's question.
"I haven't an employer now."
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 12, 2008 16:18:18 GMT -5
"I happen to be in need of an assistant for my current venture. I had held off procuring one until now, as students or others in my field might be tempted to steal my notes and beat me to publishing, and the idea of hiring a man off the street to come in and deal with such a precious subject, well, is simply ridiculous."
He gestured to the merman, who was excitedly holding out its prized items to the boy. The boy was making a noble attempt to regard the items and carry on their conversation, but he appeared to be more than a little overwhelmed. Jamison thought it best to get to the point.
"But you two are already so well acquainted, and I am quite certain you would do nothing to harm it intentionally. We will have to discuss your wages, of course, and there is the matter of this awkward situation we find ourselves in at the moment, but I believe that if we can manage to reach some kind of understanding, you could be quite satisfied here. First, however, I will need a name; I can't go about calling you 'boy' all the time, now, can I?"
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 12, 2008 19:26:29 GMT -5
Behind the mask, Erik's eyes widened in a mix of surprise and hope.
"You'd... pay me? To care for him?"
Erik glanced at the merman, and impulsively he reached out to showily pluck a red marble from its hand, making it disappear with a flourish and then, a moment later, pulling it from behind its ear and handing it back.
He'd had to put down the knife to do it, of course.
"You can call me Erik," he said, somewhat imperiously.
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Post by Professor Henry Jamison on Jun 12, 2008 21:01:44 GMT -5
Jamison quirked a brown in amusement at the boy's showmanship. Once a carney, always a carney.
"Splendid! A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Monsieur Erik. You may call me Professor Jamison. Now, I should like to finalize a few details with you before you begin your work. Won't you come out of there and help me draw up the proper papers as a form of assurance for both of us?"
Henry turned his back on the tank and walked back to his desk, taking a moment to set the spare chair in front of it before moving around to take his own seat. From his desk he removed a few blank sheets of parchment and a pen, and, while he waited for the child, began to draw up Erik's "formal papers of employment."
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Post by Wanizame on Jun 12, 2008 21:54:12 GMT -5
At the show of magic, the creature hopped back and forth excitedly, and then dove into the water to replace its little pile of Red Things near the light.
It chased the fish--now much larger--around the tank in its excitement and then lept up onto the shore again, grabbed Erik's hand and tugged him toward the little cave that it slept in.
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 13, 2008 15:00:16 GMT -5
Not for the first time, Erik wondered what he was getting into. Naturally cautious, he yet had that arrogant quality that assumed he was crafty enough to survive, regardless of the situation. He hesitated before leaving the tank.
And was suddenly being urged towards the creature's den. He glanced over his shoulder at Jamison, who was writing--not looking at them--and followed.
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Post by Wanizame on Jun 13, 2008 15:04:05 GMT -5
The creature led the boy back into the dark space and crouched down in front of him, staring at him intently. It cast a look outside to see that Jamison was not looking in their direction--and normal human eyes couldn't pierce the depth of dark here anyway.
Along the way, it had picked up the little monkey skull and knocked it again against Erik's mask, holding one up beside the other and then looking out toward the professor with what might have been concern.
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 13, 2008 15:15:21 GMT -5
Erik, of course, could see better than normal humans in the dark. What he could not see was the significance of what the merman was trying to tell him. Clearly the creature was making some comparison between him and the skull...
Erik frowned.
"I thought of that," he said softly. "But I just won't let him see me. He won't know there's anything to... see." He didn't know why he was trying to explain this, anyway. "They're not going to lock me up again," he said fiercely. "I can take care of myself. And you, too."
He touched the skull and shook his head, then covered his face with his hands before looking significantly out towards the professor.
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Post by Wanizame on Jun 13, 2008 15:21:08 GMT -5
The merman pursed its wide lips and shook the skull insistantly, cast about the floor of the cave and found a leave a vegitation from its nest and held it up in front of the skull, knocked it hard against Erik's mask, pointed out of the cave toward Jamison, and wicked the leaf away from the skull.
It tilted its head at Erik and then smashed the little skull against the wall of the cave.
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 13, 2008 15:31:48 GMT -5
Erik shook his head again.
"I'll be fine," he said. "I can take care of myself. I promise. I won't leave you."
He sought the creature's uninjured hand and held it, the soft flesh cool and pleasant against his fingers.
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Post by Wanizame on Jun 13, 2008 15:35:23 GMT -5
It gave a series of rapid and low clicks and moved forward in its crouch pulling the boy against its smooth chest and belly and holding him there protectively.
The clicks ended in a sort of grinding whisper that sounded vaguely like "Care"
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 13, 2008 15:44:10 GMT -5
Erik wanted very much to fight the creature's embrace, unused as he was to such handling. But after his inadvertent injury of it, he was trying very hard to be careful. And after his initial moment of panic, he found it not entirely unpleasant.
He wished he knew what it was saying. If it was saying anything. If those clicking noises was language or just... noise. Erik blinked.
"Did you say 'care'?" he said softly, his head turning slightly though he could not see its face in this position. "Yes, I'll care for you. That's what I'm doing here. He's right; I can't do it Out There. Not yet, anyway. But we'll wait, and we'll get out. When we're ready."
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Post by Wanizame on Jun 13, 2008 15:47:57 GMT -5
"Care care." it hissed.
It released the boy and took his hand again, leading him back out of the cave and ushering him over to the hatch, then it turned and slipped into the water, flitting around and chasing fish for a few moments before pressing up against the glass to watch the professor and Erik interact curiously.
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Erik (age 8)
- Ingenious Pilot -
not yet a manwhore
Posts: 165
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Post by Erik (age 8) on Jun 13, 2008 16:45:20 GMT -5
That seemed fairly self-explanatory, Erik thought. With one last look at the creature he cautiously approached Jamison, his left hand on his knife again. Almost as if he himself were the wild creature trapped at bay.
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