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Post by Julian on Jul 6, 2008 7:37:50 GMT -5
*Julian paused, leaning back to watch carefully.*
"As in...anything red?"
*He seemed to be thinking quite hard on the implications. Lifting the knife again, he drew it quickly across his hand. Holding it up for Iza to see the slow flow of blood, his brow arched.*
"Like this?"
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Post by Wanizame on Jul 6, 2008 7:42:33 GMT -5
It had seen blood before, of course--mostly from fish, but it had never seemed quite right.
The creature leaned over Julian to sniff at the injury, again finding that void of smell.
"Like but not like."
It sat up enough to take the man's hand carefully into its own and prodded gently at the wound, bloodying a clawed finger.
"Pretty hurt? Is okay?"
It muttered, looking at its own reddened digit before lifting it up to its snout and drawing in blood a vertical line under each dark eye.
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Post by Julian on Jul 6, 2008 7:46:01 GMT -5
*Julian couldn't help but smile as it marked itself. With his blood. There was a strange tinge of pride and something like wonder. Then he closed his hand briefly before opening it again and showing it to Izame. The wound slowly restitched itself, leaving only hints of red smeared against his pale skin.*
"It doesn't hurt. I heal quickly."
*He softly touched the skin just below the marks the sharkman had drawn on himself.*
"What inspired you to do that?"
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Post by Wanizame on Jul 6, 2008 7:50:11 GMT -5
Izame gave its vocalized shrug again, looking at Julian's palm, pushing the left over blood around with its thick thumb to make sure the cut was really gone.
It arched over a bit and ran one webbed hand over the "gills" in its side.
"Hurt many many." and then made a circle with the same hand in front of its own face, where the old ink was still faintly visible on its new skin. "Ink too. To make ugly monster."
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Post by Julian on Jul 6, 2008 7:59:48 GMT -5
*Julian's fingers caressed the hints of the older marks, studying their intricacies.*
"To make yourself ugly?" *He couldn't quite fathom it. Erik would never have... He met the other's gaze in question.*
"Who did you hurt?"
*His head tilted.*
"And where did you learn such forms of punishment?"
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Post by Wanizame on Jul 6, 2008 8:09:35 GMT -5
The patterns were exotic, Eastern and coastal native tribe inspired with lovely curls and strong lines that flowed nicely with the face--well, better with a human face.
Izame blinked a bit and shook its head.
"No...net-men hurt shark, make more fright, for make money. Sell to carnival--is where met little Care care."
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Post by Julian on Jul 6, 2008 8:13:40 GMT -5
"Oh!" *Julian felt the color rise in his face, but he didn't understand why. Part of him was...angry. There were echoes of something half-remembered as his hand made firmer contact with the sharkman's skin. It was like...he could almost see...feel...there was something in the pattern that he couldn't quiet place.*
"I am sorry. But there is no one that will want to see you pained here."
*He smiled sadly.*
"You will be safe."
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Post by Wanizame on Jul 6, 2008 8:20:33 GMT -5
Izame gave a toothy grin which would have been frightening to any "normal" human being and laid its head back down on Julian's chest.
"Is good. Pretty Julian much like Care care Erik." It settled in, pushing its snout across the man's chest to his far shoulder so that Julian could trace the faded patterns over the creature's head and down its back.
"Shark keep safe Julian. Care care. Is good?"
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Post by Julian on Jul 6, 2008 8:25:33 GMT -5
"Very good."
*Julian smiled in relief as his fingertips danced further down the creatures back, swirling with the patterns, looking for meaning in every one.*
"Perhaps you might meet the others at some point."
"I mean those that are where I am from." *He clarified quickly.*
"Where is it that you were, before the men took you? Where do you come from?"
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Post by Wanizame on Jul 6, 2008 8:29:51 GMT -5
It continued its clicking purr and returned to kneading at Julian with its claws before answering.
"Much water ocean. Deep deep deep, but before...no memory, shark is...many many many many many long time in ocean before net-men."
It lifted its head a moment and tilted it back at Julian.
"Where from Julian?"
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Post by Julian on Jul 6, 2008 8:35:57 GMT -5
*Julian shrugged.*
"From here. As much as I am from anywhere."
*His hand slid gently over the newly formed dorsal fin, stretching it out slowly.*
"I was pulled from Erik here in these cellars."
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Post by Wanizame on Jul 6, 2008 9:02:57 GMT -5
It was firm and flexible, as any cartilage structure, and could clearly break if bent too far in any direction--the little creature wouldn't be able to sleep or lie on its back any more, or lean against a wall. The sides of the fin were marked with swirling, swooping ink, and the great shark that had adorned Izame's back was bisected by the new appendage, but still discernible.
"By Nadir?" It remembered the name of Julian's father.
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Post by Julian on Jul 7, 2008 5:30:51 GMT -5
*Julian was gentle with the fin, more curious than anything else. At the question he was pulled more firmly back to the conversation.*
"No." *He answered simply.* "By Death."
*As if that explained everything to the final point, Julian returned to stroking the baby-soft skin of the sharkman's back tenderly.*
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Post by Wanizame on Jul 7, 2008 7:28:00 GMT -5
"Oh." it clicked and laid its head down again, the corners of its wide mouth turned up as it was pleased with the attention it received.
"Julian...Erik is very old now?"
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Post by Julian on Jul 7, 2008 7:41:03 GMT -5
*Julian stopped his affections for a moment, thinking hard on the question. He shrugged. It was rather relative. Especially to him that was barely a year old.*
"How old is old?"
*He didn't know how Izame defined such trivial things.*
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