[I'm sorry Barry, Taako is really bad at being a polite human. This is why those classes are bullshit, because even most humans don't know real manners. It just alienates them more. It's not something Taako likes on the whole, even though he's not going to be some person out there marching, starting more trouble than he can finish. He's that kinda guy, but not like, solo.
Taako takes another bite, mumbles an 'mm, yeah' to the first part, and swallows this time before he actually talks.]
Been a couple years here. But I've lived a bunch of places. Don't like to stick around in one for too long. There's only so much you can know a city before it just gets stale.
[Or, uh, you piss off some people beyond repair and you or your sister get tipped off to the cops, y'know.]
'Ss not like I can't take my skills wherever, you know? Everyone loves a good cook, and everybody needs food. Easy enough to be like hey, totally tired of this biz, let's find somewhere else fun.
[He talks about this casually, even though he doesn't look like he could be older than his mid-20s, but he's so flippant it doesn't have any weight.]
You come here with anyone, or just by yourself? Sounds like it'd be pretty lonely just turning up outta the woods to here with no connection back.
[A couple years? Barry would have guessed this young man spent only a couple months in each place before bailing, given his apparent age. Maybe he started young? Or maybe he's older than he looks? Some humans can look remarkably young even decades into their lifespans... Human aging has always been confusing to Barry. It's been so long since he was a calf, he barely remembers any of it, even though his time as a youth would for many humans be considered a long and healthy life. It's clear he still has a lot to learn about humans.
There is the possibility this man could be something else. Something Other. But that notion is so completely absurd, Barry drops it immediately.]
You must have seen a lot of places, then. Things, people... Don't y'get tired of travelin'? [That might have sounded rude. Barry clears his throat apologetically.] It's, uh... Sorry, that's none of my business.
[He shakes his head, ears swaying softly with the motion. The comment about the woods is ignored - his kind favors more mountainous terrain, but that's not important.] By myself. My people are very private. Keep to ourselves, don't bother anybody. We were in the middle of migratin' when I decided t'come here. Human cities are a little too packed and noisy for most, but... I like it here. I think this is what I need right now.
[He keeps his body so carefully casual, but he catches Barry's eye just a moment, just enough to watch if he's considering it. Has he caught on yet? Probably not. That's fine; the thrill of it is what makes Taako want to push forward. It's not fun if you just hand it to someone, if they catch him- you lead them to it. You bring them to the dawning realization and grin the entire time when they realize the trick you've pulled the whole time.
It's wonderful. Other species can say what shit they want about it being "mean spirited" or whatever, it is fucking fantastic.
Regardless, he takes another bite, doesn't smile too wide yet.]
I mean, 'ss me 'n my sister. Not alone out there. But you, you're here bein' private in a new way. Minging in with the rest of us and still ending up unknown.
[But he is, as he steps closer, going to put his foot on a pain point. See his reaction.]
So what's it uh, for then, adventure? Like... being among humans, working with 'em. It's not a hassle? You think you can trust 'em?
Barry tips his head to the side, like a curious dog, narrowing his eyes just a little as he watches the young man. Did he hear that right? Did he say 'them'? He did, twice. He's sure he did.
Slip of the tongue. An expression, a colloquialism. Surely. Like speaking about yourself in the third person. Some humans do that for effect sometimes. The 'royal we', the 'collective you', the 'formal they'. Language can be quite confusing, Barry's noticed, especially pronouns.
That's all that was. Surely.]
Uh, w-well... [He chuckles, blushes, aware he'd spent a little too long considering Taako without actually responding.] I mean, aside from how few legs you have, it's not much of a hassle. [As for trust, that's more complicated...] Of course I trust'em. Wouldn't be here if I didn't.
[Even with the odd choice of pronoun, something about the way Taako said that doesn't sit right with him.] Why, you uh, sayin' I shouldn't?
[Something in Taako's chest blossoms with excitement as Barry's eyes narrow a bit, as the conversation pauses, as he looks just a little more closely. Oh, what a chase. What a delight. Makes his heart sing to watch him squirm in uncertainty. Not too long now. He'll catch it. Taako will be sure of it.
In turn, he responds with a toothy grin, a bit of a laugh at his joke. But now, he hasn't stopped smiling.
One might say it's almost foxlike.]
Nah, I mean, I'm just saying...you don't have to just because you're here, in their zone. This should be your space too, right?And if that's the authority...
[He takes another bite of the scone, having almost depleted it, and looking at it curiously.]
Wouldn't be hard for them, if you don't take a stand, to snuff it out. They should earn it. You shouldn't just hafta know their stuff to be allowed in.
[Which they haven't. The laws come too little too late for him. The things he'd lose, if he was outed. The things Lup would lose. He isn't much of a freedom fighter, not a one man liberation front, but when you use words like Other it's just proof that they don't want you here.]
Like he's removed from it all. Like he's outside of them, separate from them. Like Barry is.
Now that he's aware of it, Barry observes the young man a lot closer, taking in every detail he can spot, like he's considering a specimen in a lab. The way he words himself is very noticeable now. Deliberate. The use of pronouns, certainly, but also the detached way he speaks of society. "Know their stuff", "allowed in", "wouldn't be hard for them to snuff it out". "They should earn it". He almost sounds like those activists. Humans and Others, the ones who are shown on TV being arrested outside government buildings, still shouting and chanting, demanding new legislation, denouncing the O-word.
But he doesn't look like an activist. Doesn't behave like one. Doesn't seem like he's about to recruit him to some underground resistance cell. He's smiling in a way that makes Barry's skin prickle. Not necessarily sinister, but not... friendly either. More like he's enjoying himself. Amused. Why? They're not saying anything particularly funny or enjoyable. What is he hiding from him? Why does his smile look so unnatural?
Barry feels uncomfortable. He hates being in the dark. Hates being unsure.]
Gotta be honest, Mr. Taako... I can't say I do. I'm perfectly happy bein' here, gettin' t'learn, gettin' t'be a part of your society... [Your society. Because it is yours, isn't it?
Barry leans in closer, lowers his voice a little. For some reason, his pulse is racing.] Y'keep sayin' "them". Is that just... a new language trend with you humans?
[Oh, and he is enjoying himself. He can feel the thrill in the way Barry squirms, the way he watches and leans forward, and Taako can practically hear his heartbeat. What is he thinking is about to happen? Does he think he’ll be hurt? Is he wondering just what Taako knows? He could pull it back now, make him think he was all imagining it, but he doesn’t want to be pursued in a way that might alert other people. There's the long con hook, but it's one he can't afford here. He can hear the other conversations happening, the room semi-full enough to give them the blissful privacy of the crowd, and they are not paying attention. No one is ever paying quite close enough attention.
He leans in in turn, shoulders hunched close, laying the almost eaten scone off to the side as he does, and looks Barry in the eyes.]
Oh yeah, totally.
[Barry will only see it for a second; like he blinked and somehow saw through his eyelids to the scene before him, like a film suddenly falling over the world and showing a blacklight detail. But for just a moment, the man sitting before him is not human at all. His grin is stretched wide, snowy white fur over his snout and up to those icy blue eyes, the same (now matching) white hair pulled back around his head. Two volpine ears sit atop it, tipped in black, and the color travels through his same clothes, out to the hands close to his on the table.
Barry might imagine it looks predatory, that wide toothed grin, the way his eyes lock to make sure he's looking. But more than anything, he looks like he’s about to burst into laughter.
But as soon as he’s seen it, it’s done, and the human is back across from him, perching his head on his hands, fingers laced together under his chin and very, very smug.]
Did he think the young man would hurt him? Would divulge some secret in whispers? Would laugh it off and make a fool out of him? He doesn't know. Anything but this.
Taako changes, suddenly and without warning, his human features completely vanishing in the time it takes Barry to blink. And who - what - sits before him in place of the young human man takes him by surprise so badly he can feel his front legs twitching sharply, knocking into the table and rattling the dishes, like he's going to rear back. Like he's staring down a threat in the woods and needs to make himself huge and threatening, kick his legs out, protect himself, anything.
The man is an Other. Of what kind, Barry doesn't know. He's never seen anything like it - a creature that can change shape like this, pass for human so convincingly with such little effort. Did anyone else see it? Is it magic? Is it just a trick of the eye? Was there something in his coffee?
What is he?]
You're--! Y-You're not--
[Barry realizes he's raising his voice, and quickly looks around at the patrons staring their way. Not at Taako, the snowy-white vulpine Other hiding his true form behind smooth human skin, but at him. The noisy taur disturbing their quiet afternoon coffee. He goes red all the way up to his floppy ears, shrinks in on himself, hooves scraping nervously at the floor as he leans in, eyes wide, whispering,]
[It's so fucking hard not to lose his cool right there. Just burn his clout in this city and scatter off somewhere else, because it will have entirely been worth it for the expression on his face and the noise that came out of his mouth. But Barry sees him keep his cool, standing from the table in a fluid motion as he moves, keeping that smile suddenly utterly charming towards the other patrons.]
Sorry guys, no prob-- just a spider.
[Barry might notice he's grabbed a napkin off the table as he stood, which he's now balling in his fist. Everyone knows him, though. Knows his face. He walks over and deposits the napkin in the trash, and by the time he makes it back to the table to hear Barry speak, everything is over.
This is his domain, Barry. He's untouchable.
Taako slides back into his seat, crossing his legs, leaning forward.]
Well I'm a grower, not a shower.
[God, why is he like this. He snickers, though, sticking his tongue out a little at his own joke.]
But y'know. All kinds of stuff. Magic's magic, my guy. Just somethin' I got. So what were you thinkin'? Did I getcha?
[He just looks like he's about to laugh again, the joy still fluttering in his chest.]
["Magic's magic," he says, as if that clears up anything. This young man has magic? Barry has never met anyone who has magic before! He's heard murmurs of it, certainly, whispers of folks deep in the forest and in far off lands, folks who are born with abilities far beyond what his simple mind is able to comprehend. Folks who are hunted for their magic, who live in fear of the humans who in turn fear them.
Is that what this is? Does Taako hide because he is fearful? Because he is hunted?
He doesn't look fearful. If anything, it looks like he's enjoying himself immensely.
Like he's the hunter.]
Y-Yes! Yes, of course you did!
[Taako got him so good. He'd had no idea, not even a clue. But now that the initial shock has dissipated, now that the young man has established his dominance and made it clear who's got the upper hand here, Barry finds himself more curious than afraid. His eyes are still wide, his pulse is still racing, but he leans in even closer, studying the contours of Taako's face, the line of his ear that was so pointed just a moment ago.
For a prey animal, Barry isn't very smart around obvious predators. Even if all they're hunting is a reaction.]
I-- I've never seen anything like that before. How does it work? H-How long have you been hidin'?
[Barry is actually enthusiastic about this, and it's-- it's surprisingly just an incredible feeling. It's been so long since he's talked to someone that isn't a human or his sister, gotten a good goof on a person that he had to cover up immediately. But it's in his nature. It's an itch, a need to make sure the world is just slightly off it's step. Like a tic or a gift or a curse from whatever magic he summons, like an agent of entropy. Frankly, he thinks if he was some great god looking down on his own work, they'd probably be pretty pissed he uses it to do this shit and not much more, but he hasn't been murdered yet, so. It works out. Sure.
He just stays in place, balancing his chin on his laced together fingers, propped up by his elbows. He probably looks like he's in love, which is just so hilarious an image he's trying not to laugh just thinking about it.]
Eeh, I dunno. A hundred, one fifty, I don't really keep track.
[Not even long for his species. He's young. But they were always early bloomers.]
Man, I really thought you were gonna up and bolt, my man. Do you stay in the habit of seein' someone's teeth and then put your head in their mouth? Jeez.
[The glamor is still in effect, Taako looking perfectly human at a glance or study, but if Barry really concentrates he might be able to make out bits and pieces where the silhouette doesn't match-- now that he knows what he's looking for. Where the tiniest movement above his head from the flick of an ear, to a tail curled around the leg of his chair. Just moments. Second guesses. Things most people would notice only if they truly, truly looked.]
But it's just what I can do. Just how it's always worked.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Taako takes another bite, mumbles an 'mm, yeah' to the first part, and swallows this time before he actually talks.]
Been a couple years here. But I've lived a bunch of places. Don't like to stick around in one for too long. There's only so much you can know a city before it just gets stale.
[Or, uh, you piss off some people beyond repair and you or your sister get tipped off to the cops, y'know.]
'Ss not like I can't take my skills wherever, you know? Everyone loves a good cook, and everybody needs food. Easy enough to be like hey, totally tired of this biz, let's find somewhere else fun.
[He talks about this casually, even though he doesn't look like he could be older than his mid-20s, but he's so flippant it doesn't have any weight.]
You come here with anyone, or just by yourself? Sounds like it'd be pretty lonely just turning up outta the woods to here with no connection back.
no subject
There is the possibility this man could be something else. Something Other. But that notion is so completely absurd, Barry drops it immediately.]
You must have seen a lot of places, then. Things, people... Don't y'get tired of travelin'? [That might have sounded rude. Barry clears his throat apologetically.] It's, uh... Sorry, that's none of my business.
[He shakes his head, ears swaying softly with the motion. The comment about the woods is ignored - his kind favors more mountainous terrain, but that's not important.] By myself. My people are very private. Keep to ourselves, don't bother anybody. We were in the middle of migratin' when I decided t'come here. Human cities are a little too packed and noisy for most, but... I like it here. I think this is what I need right now.
no subject
It's wonderful. Other species can say what shit they want about it being "mean spirited" or whatever, it is fucking fantastic.
Regardless, he takes another bite, doesn't smile too wide yet.]
I mean, 'ss me 'n my sister. Not alone out there. But you, you're here bein' private in a new way. Minging in with the rest of us and still ending up unknown.
[But he is, as he steps closer, going to put his foot on a pain point. See his reaction.]
So what's it uh, for then, adventure? Like... being among humans, working with 'em. It's not a hassle? You think you can trust 'em?
[Doesn't say us, meanwhile. Them.
This will be very, very interesting.]
no subject
Barry tips his head to the side, like a curious dog, narrowing his eyes just a little as he watches the young man. Did he hear that right? Did he say 'them'? He did, twice. He's sure he did.
Slip of the tongue. An expression, a colloquialism. Surely. Like speaking about yourself in the third person. Some humans do that for effect sometimes. The 'royal we', the 'collective you', the 'formal they'. Language can be quite confusing, Barry's noticed, especially pronouns.
That's all that was. Surely.]
Uh, w-well... [He chuckles, blushes, aware he'd spent a little too long considering Taako without actually responding.] I mean, aside from how few legs you have, it's not much of a hassle. [As for trust, that's more complicated...] Of course I trust'em. Wouldn't be here if I didn't.
[Even with the odd choice of pronoun, something about the way Taako said that doesn't sit right with him.] Why, you uh, sayin' I shouldn't?
no subject
In turn, he responds with a toothy grin, a bit of a laugh at his joke. But now, he hasn't stopped smiling.
One might say it's almost foxlike.]
Nah, I mean, I'm just saying...you don't have to just because you're here, in their zone. This should be your space too, right?And if that's the authority...
[He takes another bite of the scone, having almost depleted it, and looking at it curiously.]
Wouldn't be hard for them, if you don't take a stand, to snuff it out. They should earn it. You shouldn't just hafta know their stuff to be allowed in.
[Which they haven't. The laws come too little too late for him. The things he'd lose, if he was outed. The things Lup would lose. He isn't much of a freedom fighter, not a one man liberation front, but when you use words like Other it's just proof that they don't want you here.]
You know what I'm saying?
no subject
Their. Them. They.
Like he's removed from it all. Like he's outside of them, separate from them. Like Barry is.
Now that he's aware of it, Barry observes the young man a lot closer, taking in every detail he can spot, like he's considering a specimen in a lab. The way he words himself is very noticeable now. Deliberate. The use of pronouns, certainly, but also the detached way he speaks of society. "Know their stuff", "allowed in", "wouldn't be hard for them to snuff it out". "They should earn it". He almost sounds like those activists. Humans and Others, the ones who are shown on TV being arrested outside government buildings, still shouting and chanting, demanding new legislation, denouncing the O-word.
But he doesn't look like an activist. Doesn't behave like one. Doesn't seem like he's about to recruit him to some underground resistance cell. He's smiling in a way that makes Barry's skin prickle. Not necessarily sinister, but not... friendly either. More like he's enjoying himself. Amused. Why? They're not saying anything particularly funny or enjoyable. What is he hiding from him? Why does his smile look so unnatural?
Barry feels uncomfortable. He hates being in the dark. Hates being unsure.]
Gotta be honest, Mr. Taako... I can't say I do. I'm perfectly happy bein' here, gettin' t'learn, gettin' t'be a part of your society... [Your society. Because it is yours, isn't it?
Barry leans in closer, lowers his voice a little. For some reason, his pulse is racing.] Y'keep sayin' "them". Is that just... a new language trend with you humans?
no subject
He leans in in turn, shoulders hunched close, laying the almost eaten scone off to the side as he does, and looks Barry in the eyes.]
Oh yeah, totally.
[Barry will only see it for a second; like he blinked and somehow saw through his eyelids to the scene before him, like a film suddenly falling over the world and showing a blacklight detail. But for just a moment, the man sitting before him is not human at all. His grin is stretched wide, snowy white fur over his snout and up to those icy blue eyes, the same (now matching) white hair pulled back around his head. Two volpine ears sit atop it, tipped in black, and the color travels through his same clothes, out to the hands close to his on the table.
Barry might imagine it looks predatory, that wide toothed grin, the way his eyes lock to make sure he's looking. But more than anything, he looks like he’s about to burst into laughter.
But as soon as he’s seen it, it’s done, and the human is back across from him, perching his head on his hands, fingers laced together under his chin and very, very smug.]
Glad you’re fittin’ in.
[He smiles, and his teeth stay sharp.
Gosh, this is all so funny.]
no subject
Did he think the young man would hurt him? Would divulge some secret in whispers? Would laugh it off and make a fool out of him? He doesn't know. Anything but this.
Taako changes, suddenly and without warning, his human features completely vanishing in the time it takes Barry to blink. And who - what - sits before him in place of the young human man takes him by surprise so badly he can feel his front legs twitching sharply, knocking into the table and rattling the dishes, like he's going to rear back. Like he's staring down a threat in the woods and needs to make himself huge and threatening, kick his legs out, protect himself, anything.
The man is an Other. Of what kind, Barry doesn't know. He's never seen anything like it - a creature that can change shape like this, pass for human so convincingly with such little effort. Did anyone else see it? Is it magic? Is it just a trick of the eye? Was there something in his coffee?
What is he?]
You're--! Y-You're not--
[Barry realizes he's raising his voice, and quickly looks around at the patrons staring their way. Not at Taako, the snowy-white vulpine Other hiding his true form behind smooth human skin, but at him. The noisy taur disturbing their quiet afternoon coffee. He goes red all the way up to his floppy ears, shrinks in on himself, hooves scraping nervously at the floor as he leans in, eyes wide, whispering,]
Y-You're not human. How-- H-How did you do that?
no subject
Sorry guys, no prob-- just a spider.
[Barry might notice he's grabbed a napkin off the table as he stood, which he's now balling in his fist. Everyone knows him, though. Knows his face. He walks over and deposits the napkin in the trash, and by the time he makes it back to the table to hear Barry speak, everything is over.
This is his domain, Barry. He's untouchable.
Taako slides back into his seat, crossing his legs, leaning forward.]
Well I'm a grower, not a shower.
[God, why is he like this. He snickers, though, sticking his tongue out a little at his own joke.]
But y'know. All kinds of stuff. Magic's magic, my guy. Just somethin' I got. So what were you thinkin'? Did I getcha?
[He just looks like he's about to laugh again, the joy still fluttering in his chest.]
no subject
Is that what this is? Does Taako hide because he is fearful? Because he is hunted?
He doesn't look fearful. If anything, it looks like he's enjoying himself immensely.
Like he's the hunter.]
Y-Yes! Yes, of course you did!
[Taako got him so good. He'd had no idea, not even a clue. But now that the initial shock has dissipated, now that the young man has established his dominance and made it clear who's got the upper hand here, Barry finds himself more curious than afraid. His eyes are still wide, his pulse is still racing, but he leans in even closer, studying the contours of Taako's face, the line of his ear that was so pointed just a moment ago.
For a prey animal, Barry isn't very smart around obvious predators. Even if all they're hunting is a reaction.]
I-- I've never seen anything like that before. How does it work? H-How long have you been hidin'?
no subject
He just stays in place, balancing his chin on his laced together fingers, propped up by his elbows. He probably looks like he's in love, which is just so hilarious an image he's trying not to laugh just thinking about it.]
Eeh, I dunno. A hundred, one fifty, I don't really keep track.
[Not even long for his species. He's young. But they were always early bloomers.]
Man, I really thought you were gonna up and bolt, my man. Do you stay in the habit of seein' someone's teeth and then put your head in their mouth? Jeez.
[The glamor is still in effect, Taako looking perfectly human at a glance or study, but if Barry really concentrates he might be able to make out bits and pieces where the silhouette doesn't match-- now that he knows what he's looking for. Where the tiniest movement above his head from the flick of an ear, to a tail curled around the leg of his chair. Just moments. Second guesses. Things most people would notice only if they truly, truly looked.]
But it's just what I can do. Just how it's always worked.