video » "Pet Adoption" From "Charming Not Sincere" blog of Rebecca Atherton » Entry 0.01

[insincerecharm]

[The video starts with Becks beaming and giving a quick wave to the audience. Nothing about her looks awkward, if anything, addressing a group of strangers via a video channel looks like it's the most natural thing in the universe.]

Hey, guys. Becks, here, checking in. I've been doing that settling thing, getting used to the job and the whole-- [There's a flourish of one hand.] being alive again. Weird thing, that. Waking up from dead. [There's the tiniest, surprised shift on her face.] And not the usual way! Don't get me wrong, I love that I didn't wake up a shambling undead mess. That's great, but you know-- unexpected.

[There's a beat and she gives a facial shrug before she's distracted by something off-screen, that gives a soft, but not quite menacing, growl.

"Stop it. No, you can't do that, leave it alone. You--"

She sighs and disappears from view for a moment before returning with her arms full of a sleek, black cat. Or it is definitely in the cat family, bigger than your average domestic cat, but not by much-- he might be the size of cocker spaniel? His branched tail swishes and he headbutts Becks under the chin, and the bones near his front paws are just visible at the bottom edge of the video.]

This is Spike. I got him at the auction at the swear-in. He's still learning how to be a pet, but he's doing pretty good at only a week into his new living arrangements. If I could just get him to quit trying to use the bed as a scratching post!

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[catlady]

He seems... nice.

[ Certainly not a cat she's familiar with. ]

[insincerecharm]

[She laughs a little.] He's something, all right. They said he's a-- [She squints and thinks back for a moment.] cactus cat. His fur is kinda prickly instead soft, but I don't mind it. He's cool as hell.

[catlady]

Not that I'm judging, of course, pets are a very personal thing, but how did this particular... prickly friend manage to catch your eye?

[insincerecharm]

Were you not at the last Swear-In? I was at the auction.

[catlady]

Not since I had an awkward run-in with my ex at the last one I attended. From what I've heard, it's probably for the best considering all the nonsense that happened at the last few.

But I didn't ask how you acquired him, I asked asked about him specifically. There are plenty of normal cats -- and other animals -- out there who need a home, why does this one appeal to you?

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[irwins]

Huh. Never pegged you for a cat person.

[He leans closer to peer at the feline thing. It's... well probably cute, but Shaun's view on animals is skewed.]

Sort of looks dangerous. [Shaun nods his approval.] I like it.

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[insincerecharm]

I didn't peg me for a cat person either, but then I saw him and I knew I needed this guy in my life. [She laughs a little and scratches him between the ears. She only took it because it's technically under amplification weight, Shaun. Don't worry. She smirks at that next remark.] I figured you might.

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[irwins]

Well I hope you two are very happy together.

[And that it goes better than Rick and Lois. RIP Lois. But yeah, Shaun already did a quick bit of math in his head on how big said cat looks. Should be fine.]

Seriously though, that thing looks like it could eat Maggie's dogs.

[insincerecharm]

Thanks, Shaun. [She beams.] Hopefully, my roommates feel the same. [A quick laugh.] Probably.... but I'm hoping he won't be aggressive. If he is-- [She gives a sad sort of pout, but shrugs, knowing the reality of it really is just simply: ] I'll just have to give him back to the government.

[irwins]

Roommates. Right. How's that going by the way? You stuck with anyone uncool?

[He will help you menace them if you like, Becks. He has no doubts that Becks can handle herself, but she's a friend and he's always happy to lend a hand.]

I bet he won't. He looks like he likes you. Just don't get rabies or whatever.

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[am_i_a_monster]

He's beautiful. Does he have a an actual scratching post?

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[insincerecharm]

He does! I just don't think he's figured out that's what it's for. [There's a beat and she tips her head slightly to one side.] And there's the fact that he's a cat-like cryptid and not an domestic one, so who knows if he even wants one? We're definitely still in the figuring each other out stages of pet ownership.

[am_i_a_monster]

It's a good stage, building that bond.  It was a little different with each of my pets.

[She moves the camera to show her cats and dogs in the background, the dogs playing and the cats napping.  Then moves it back to her and becomes more serious.] 

Sorry you died.  I went through that too, right before I was portered here.

[insincerecharm]

We couldn't really have pets, where I'm from. It's a weird, new experience for me. [But Becks is all about weird, new experiences, so it kind of fight right to go with it. Especially because things are...different here.] I'm not. It was my decision in the end. [She gives a small, sympathetic look to the other woman, still.] I'm sorry to have it in common with people, though. I'm sure most people didn't make the choice, like I did.

[am_i_a_monster]

People had pets where I'm from. But I never had one.  [Her dad wouldn't have allowed it with his views on honouring animals.]  I've made up for it now.

[One of the cats wakes up from his nap and jumps onto Abigail's lap.   She gently pets him and frowns slightly.  A suicide?]

That's..I'm sorry about that too.  Mine wasn't my choice.  I mean, it sort of was, in a way because I didn't run from him.  I didn't think I had a choice.

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[deadthing]

[Spike is cool (and kind of freaky) but he's not the reason Noah decides to comment on Becks' post.

He isn't sure of the network etiquette, whether it's rude to reply to someone's video with just text, but... he can't talk about this over video. He just can't. Even typing it out he backspaces a bunch of times, almost doesn't press 'send.']

It is weird. I was dead too.

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[insincerecharm]

[She just keeps the responses to the same setting as he replied in, it's easier that way. She's somehow unsurprised that someone latched on to that part of this, though.]

Back home, or did something happen here?

[deadthing]

[Bless her for that.]

Home. A while ago.

[insincerecharm]

That sucks. You wanna talk about it? [She assumes he must want to, because he brought it up. And first pop out of the box, to boot.]

[deadthing]

Not about the dying, but the alive again part. Like... what now I guess.

We don't have to though. I just haven't met anyone else it happened to.

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[choosetruth]

[Georgia probably doesn't need to ask this. Becks might be an Irwin, but she's far from stupid. Georgia's going to ask anyway.]

How much does he weigh?

[insincerecharm]

[She pulls a face at Georgia's question. Not that it's a surprising thing to hear.] Thirty pounds. They said he shouldn't get any bigger at this point. [She rolls one shoulder in a shrug.] If he gets bigger than amplification weight, I'll give him back. [This world may not be like theirs, and the rules may be very different, but some things would honestly still not be something she could deal with.]

[choosetruth]

Good. [Not a surprising answer, either, but good to establish.] I never took you for a cat person.

[insincerecharm]

You know, I never did, either. [She laughs a bit.] He just kinda called to me, I dunno.

[The fact that she knows she can give him back if she doesn't feel equipped to handle it kind of helps. Not like she's exactly ever had any pets before or anything. She may be really, really bad at it.]

[choosetruth]

I do not know the feeling.

[She's never been tempted by a pet. Certainly not since she was old enough to understand the risks. Even the safe ones didn't tempt her.]

But hey, if it makes you happy. Just don't ask me to catsit.