driftfleet | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: The Heron crew + visitors
Broadcast: nope
Action: The Heron
When: August

[As the ship drifts on, what are you up to this month, Herons?]

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Not even one. And judging from that response to her missive, she should be sorely missed and your vulpine revolution set ablaze before it could reach the barricade.

You have such a way with words, even when you're disappointing me.

At least I do try to avoid disappointing you too often. I hope it's not too awful here. [He frowns slightly, hands pausing for a moment in their petting.] If I had the power I held in Between it would be easier to protect you, you know? [As little physical power as he might have, Monty's aware he did have some political sway.]

[She hums and sits up, curling in his lap and tapping his chin.]

There's still plenty you can do here. You can help me keep an eye on my Story, for one. I've been keeping it in the air vents.

And anyways, having you here makes this place a thousand times more tolerable. I don't mind being here as long as you're here too.

Aren't there rodents in those? [You told him there were space rats, Renart. Aren't they in the vents? He pouts a bit, but lowers his head to nip her finger playfully after a moment if she hasn't moved it away.]

Occasionally. I'm keeping their numbers down.

[Which is probably not the best mental image when they're being flirty.]

[It's really not, and Monty wrinkles his nose accordingly.]

You're entirely too vulpine sometimes, I hope you're aware. [He sighs before leaning in to rub his nose against hers. It's a prelude to another kiss.] It's already getting you in trouble here.

It isn't. It was her fault.

[She's purring softly, though.]

I can't help the way I am, anyway.

[Monty's well aware that it's mostly Renart's fault, but he is biased in the vixen's favor.]

No, I don't suppose you can. But you can just ignore her and the fox with her. It may be for the best just to keep the peace. You already know you're the queen of them all. Do you need to prove it?

It isn't about being queen of them.

[Her expression sobers.]

I can't just abandon them. They're still foxes. They're my kin.

[Monty tries to place himself in her shoes for this. What would he do if he found people using 'domesticated' humans as pets?]

You're going to make this more difficult for me. [But he sounds resigned.] What would you actually like to do?

I wish I had a good answer for you. Or any answer at all, really.

[She shakes her head.]

We can't very well remove the foxes from that park. It would be unsafe. And we've got no way of going back to their home to return them, which is what we should do.

[Monty mulls that over, trying to think of a compromise.]

Is there any way you could teach them to be more like foxes again without being aggressive? Perhaps undo some of the conditioning?

I don't know. They've been selectively bred for who knows how long....

[But it's worth trying, isn't it? It's all she can do right now.]

I might as well try, though.

I'll help, if I can. You're free to teach them how to pester a human properly with me.

[Yes, he's offering himself for nips and snarls, but it's a small price to pay if it will keep Renard from tangling with Wrath.

Really? You're sure you'd be okay with that?

[Because she can't imagine any human being able to stand an entire skulk of foxes getting bitey.]

If you could keep it to under five after me at a time, that would make things more manageable, but I think I can handle foxes biting me.

[She chuckles.] They're smaller than I am, at least.

Praise god! I might have fingers by the end of this. [Fingers that he uses to pinch her bottom lightly, just to make her twitch.] What would you be teaching them, then? Just to bite at people who get too friendly? How to hunt?

[She jumps, reaching down to smack his hand lightly with an amused grin.] How to be cautious of strangers, for starters. Being friendly towards humans got you killed in my time.

[He shifts to stroking her thigh after being smacked. Monty wrinkles his nose at her.]

Doesn't your time span 900 years? O wise daughter of the fields and fens.

[Relaxing, she hums lightly.]

Humans have really never been fans of foxes, unfortunately.

And yet, the see fit to make pets of them?

[That doesn't entirely follow.]

That is a recent change. Only the last few decades, and as far as I can tell most if them still dislike us.

On the one hand, humans breeding foxes to be pets. On the other, still making a sport out of hunting us down.

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