[Agremmon Fields] Hunting Wabbits (Eridanus)

[Bob Barton]

"Opps" it looks like Bob had horrible aim. Who could blame him? Its not like he threw random things at everyone in a fight. Even in brawls he relies on his canesword and the cage was really different. When Bob held on to it his fingers went right into the holes so when he threw it, he might have released the object like everything else but his fingers were stuck for a few moments. Long enough for the cage to change its trajectory to fly towards the spot he did not aim for which was the only possible target in the area, Eridanus. Fortunately the vantha was fast enough but instead of dodging it he kicked the cage away. The women were gone so there was no need for anymore showboating. Bob ran to the cage instead of his friend and looked all over it asking "what would you have done if you damaged it?" Not only would it be harder for them to trap a rabbit but "I, I mean you would have to pay Killroy for a new one" and Bob would keep asserting that Eridanus would have to pay regardless. It was his hunting trip and it was only right that he pay of all the costs incurred and that included the drinks at the end of it.

The drinks is not actually included in what Bob expected from Eridanus now and like everyone else, the vantha actually thought that he knew better. With a smirk Bob told his friend that "I will only be waiting for a bell until you come crying back to me. Any later and no matter how hard you try you got to catch me on another day with a nice big bribe" and allowed Eridanus to be on his way. Eridanus might actually find that bait if he thought and looked hard enough but after all the stress Bob had purposely put on him like the grotesque oversized child throwing a tantrum Eridanus thought he was, that had a high probability of not happening. It never worked on Uncle Marny because he knew Bob pretty well but Eridanus? It has only been a few days and he still did not have enough time to get used to Bob yet. How long would it take until Eridanus gave up? "Has it been a bell yet Jinsen?" Bob groaned out bored at his dog. The only companion he had left over here.

Sadly it has only been a few chimes and Bob began to feel bored. "Anything you want to do Jinsen" besides sniffing your own ass? Dogs just had it so simple if it only took that to keep it busy and then Bob got an idea. "You are going to be a bunny Jinsen" he told the dog sticking out his teeth to the front and placing his hands on his head like bunny ears. Like the bunny that Bob and Eridanus should catch if Eridanus is able to bring back some bait, "you are going to have to go into the cage Jinsen!" pushing the dog towards the cage and opening the door for it to enter. But the stupid dog had more sense than Eridanus. It just refused to enter into the cage! "What is the problem now Jinsen?" and it took a while for Bob to realize it. "You want bait of your own don't you?" With a sigh Bob looked around mumbling to himself about how much "I should have got Eridanus to bring some dog bait too...like meat just like veggies for the bunny..."

There was nothing around but fields and trees so Bob decided to use one of the first tools he used to train Jinsen. He went up to the base of one of the trees looking through some sticks picking the biggest and longest one. "Remember this Jinsen?" he asked waving the stick around which the dog followed with its eyes and then Bob threw it at the cage aiming through the door but what kind of loser would be good at throwing a stick? It was not a skill that you could boast being good at. So Bob kept missing the cage as the stick flew to the sides or through the top but he knew that each time he repeated the process he was getting a lot closer as he could see for himself. At least he did not need to go and retrieve the stick by himself because Jinsen was such a "good boy" always bringing it back for another throw. At least it was a good way to teach Jinsen a new command because everytime Bob threw the stick, he would say "fetch!" They both got so used to this until Bob finally threw the stick into the cage with practiced accuracy and Jinsen barreled right into it. The impact slamming the gate shut and locking the dog behind it.

"That's how it is supposed to be done!" Bob shouted excitedly and even better if that happens with the rabbit. When Eridanus returned he would see Bob struggling to get the cage open as he complained about that "cheapass Killroy. Now I know why this is one of the last cages." After a lot of pulling Jinsen was free and Bob resumed his seat in front of a waiting Eridanus as he talked with a victorious smile about how much the vantha "failed? Exactly as I thought." The conditions as Bob thought of it was very simple and he stuck a finger out to get the vantha's attention and to tell him that "you just owe me one and I will tell you next time." What Bob meant by that remains to be seen and maybe he dies not even know what yet but he is the type of person who prefers to have something he can use when he needs it. Now that all of it was out of the way "we are going to have to find that rabbit so that I can make your thingy." Bob planned it all since "we are at the fields. Let's go to one of the farms and see if they would sell you some vegetables or something."

[Eridanus]

Eri returned to the spot where he had left earlier, though it took him awhile to navigate to that exact spot after he went crazy running around in the fields in an attempt to find something, anything that he could use as bait. Of course, he hoped to find any random woodland animal on the way so that he could just go straight to their magical experiment and so that he could triumphantly return and say, "Found no bait, but found the prey instead. I guess easy things are just way beyond me." Unfortunately, luck did not seem to go his way this time, and he returned, dejected, but forcing himself to look as sprightly as possible. There was no need to give Bob more reason to mock him, after all.

The vantha found Bob struggling with the cage, with his dog somehow stuck inside and the lock seemingly jammed. He watched with amusement as Bob swore about the cage and finally after quite a while the door was open and the dog was free. Bob seemed to realize his 'uncool' position when he realized that the vantha had returned, and he quickly resumed his holier-than-thou expression, sitting in that position as he had earlier with a high and mighty attitude. He seemed to be expecting the vantha to fail, and Eri sighed, asking him to just give him the damned conditions.

A favour?

He was slightly cautious of course, but he was well used to this idea of trading favours for deals. He was not exactly rolling in money, and there were more important uses he could put gold to than spending it on this possibly fruitless venture. A favour owed would put things in his area of control, for he deemed the favour asked to be too dangerous he would easily demand another favour in return or simply reject the request outright. He tried to be fair, of course, but when trading favours one must approach such deals like a businessman. He would only return a favour that was equal or less to the hassle of Bob helping him in this case.

"Deal," He replied simply.

When Bob told him of the 'easy way' of finding the bait, he almost felt like bumping his head against a tree. Of course the farms would be a more feasible choice in this case! He had assumed that they would be under some sort of protection from one of the crime syndicates and so had not bothered to go near there, for he did not want to start a conflict that might take time to resolve when he only had one bell before Bob sauntered off. He could have returned to the city of course, but the travel would be unpredictable and might possibly result in him not being able to make it back in time.

The midget was here longer than him, and if he deemed it reasonable to procure the required bait from the nearby farms Eri would follow his judgement.

"Alright, lead the way," for he had no inkling exactly where the farms might be. It was possible he would eventually stumble upon them if he randomly walked around, but he did not like wasting time and this whole fiasco with Bob had already wasted enough of it, especially with the midget being so prone to distraction around women.

[Bob Barton]

Bob was satisfied that Eridanus accepted the vague offer that he will owe Bob one and with the deal sealed "I will hold you to it." Eridanus could try his best if he really wanted to weasel out of it with whatever reasoning he wanted to use like being fair and proportionate but that would not be acceptable to Bob. Anything less than the words that Eridanus had used which was "deal" to Bob's "you just owe me one and I will tell you next time" would make the midget very, very unhappy. This would make Eridanus suffer a lot in the near future if he treasured the friendship, partnership, mutual profit or whatever else one might describe their relationship because the legendary midget rage which Antar had experienced before would be the least of the ethaefal's worries. Because this deal was made, Bob did not mind being forced to do the work for today despite the reasons for his outburst earlier when he called Eridanus a lazy piece of shit and instead invited his good "buddy, lets go get us some bait and get us a rabbit unless you want two?" which was one for each of them. Even if they only wanted the legs, Bob could not deny that rabbit meat was tasty too.

It was the least that Bob could do to keep himself from laughing everytime he remembered the look on Eridanus face when he heard that there was bait all around them if he had thought to the farms. As uncool as Bob was earlier with Jinsen mainly because Eridanus missed the awesome method that was used to get the dog into the cage, Eridanus would be feeling very stupid now. "Not that I should blame you about anything. You practically relied on the fact that I would prepare everything for you and now you are paying for it" not through mizas though that would be needed momentarily but with the capable image of Eridanus diminishing in Bob's mind. Bob did not know how to get to the farms as well but he just followed the path at the sides of the fields quietly unless his companion had anything to say. Jinsen had lots to say but Bob has been taking it for a lot of walks recently so it knew when Bob said "quiet" he meant it. Just because Bob allowed it to walk at the front like a leader it should always remember that it was only in appearance. Everytime Jinsen got a little out of hand like trying to get off the path, it got a very nice reminder with Bob pulling hard on its leash for it to get back along with a command "go!" to get it to return to the journey.

After a while of walking Bob finally spotted it "there! That should be a place." It is the only buildings they have seen for so long but while it was easy to say the barn and farmhouse is just another normal building, the grain silo reaching to the top was unmistakable. "We are going there now so if you get lost" which was in practice impossible since there was nothing to get in between them but a few isolated trees and the fences "just head for the tall building there. Come on Jinsen" Bob said clutching on the leash and taking the lead now stepping in front of the dog. Everytime it tried to get ahead of him Bob would tell it with a growl to "get back!" pointing with his cane towards his back and failing that used the cane to press on the dog's body until it was pushed to the back. This continued on until they reached the doors of the farmhouse and Bob looked around to see if Eridanus was still with them. When he came he would ask if "you want to do the talking or me? All we are doing is buying some vegetables..." and that should not be too hard in itself.

The response that Eridanus had given only made Bob feel that he should be charging his friend for all the trouble he was going through. "So you want me to get the bait too? Fine but you better fork over the cash. I only brought Jinsen, the cage and some tools I borrowed with me for the hunt" which was a complete lie but hey, Eridanus had to make some contributions too. It was only fair. Bob knocked on the door without any of the worries Eridanus had on the farmers. Of course the farms would have protection but that was only from trouble. Bob and Eridanus were here as customers and when the door opened, Bob presented himself as one of the most hopeful and respectful customer he could think of remembering some of those people he had entertained in the kennels. "Hi there miss. Do you by any chance have any extra produce to sell? We only need some carrots, cabbages or lettuce. It is for...vegetable stew" he said holding the cage behind him very messily. The woman just laughed mentioning about other idiots who thought they had a good chance of hunting in the fields and brought out some of the bait with Bob putting them into the cage and nudging Eridanus and telling him to "pay the nice lady" which he said "thanks" to before leaving.

And then it was time to begin. Bob tried to ask the woman who already found out what they were up to whether "you know any good places to hunt?" but apparently it was a trade secret even "if we paid extra?" All she told them was that hunting by their own skills would be a good reward and sent them on their way to the "fields over there" as she put it. A good hint she gave which Bob failed to see being a little disappointed with the poor customer service but went along to the place where the woman tried to chase them off to. Along the way he told Eridanus to "keep your eyes open" and his trusty dog Jinsen to "find those rabbits" showing the same face with the hands and the teeth which he did to the dog earlier. Another preparation he had for today was to teach Jinsen the day before all about rabbits. He took it around the kennels showing him all the extra animals Killroy had to sell telling Jinsen to "find a rabbit" as it went from cage to cage barking excitedly. The weasel is "not a rabbit" and neither is the cat which is "not a rabbit too." Bob continued training the dog in the kennels until it reached a real "rabbit! Good boy" and rewarded it with some doggie treats and giving it a good rub as a reward before starting it all over again. Hopefully Jinsen had a good memory of what it had already learned.

[Eridanus]

Eri had the idea of catching as many as he could. Since they were out here, they might as well make a profit out of this. He had no doubt that Bob would try to make him pay as much as possible, both in terms of mizas and effort, so it would be wise for him to at least cut losses and perhaps sell the rabbit to recover costs incurred. He had no intention of eating his rabbit though, it was far better to sell it for any amount to the seaside market or to someone else at a cheaper price than what the usual stores offered. Hungry people who had money to afford vegetables but not meat would most likely be happy to pay for the meat instead.

They walked along the side of the path, and Eri began to realize that Bob knew about this place as much as him. Which was none, really. He asked himself why he even bothered to tangle with this fellow, for Zenai was a much more enjoyable person to be with, but he reminded himself again of the task at hand. Since he had already suffered so much to be in this position, it would be a waste of effort to abandon it suddenly. When they were finally done with all this, he would do Bob's task for him and be even. He doubted that he would want to have anything further to do with Bob besides the usual meaningless interactions.

The two of them finally found the farm, probably due to the tall grain silo that jutted out into the sky, and he mumbled silently to himself when Bob began treating him like an idiot. It was true that he did not know the place well, but he was no fool and it was obvious that he could not get lost in this place. He was not normally a person prone to rage but somehow Bob raised that particular vice in him. The vantha calmed himself down with his meditative techniques and pretended that the words were glancing off him so that he could remain unaffected.

They knocked on the door, and Bob looked at Eri expectantly for money. He sighed, dipping into his money pouch. He tried to remember what he could about rabbits, and he glanced at the produce they had on display. No point buying quality bait when they were going to kill the rabbit the minute it got trapped anyway. "Nah we're not eating vegetable stew," He stopped the lady, giving Bob a silent glare. "Do you have wheat corn? I think a pound of that would suffice." It was possibly the cheapest vegetable they had there, and he paid the copper miza for the goods. He did not care if Bob deemed him as a cheapskate, for currency was hard to procure especially in Sunberth and he intended to save as much as he could. He had learned early on the importance of being thrifty, and there was no point in wasting money, especially not when he had a grander idea for it sometime in the future. He would need plenty of money in order to enact his plan, and so even every copper saved would contribute towards that plan.

Bob began asking the lady for 'good hunting spots' but of course, she laughed it off and merely pointed them to a random spot in the fields. It was evident to Eri that she was just trying to get rid of them but Bob seemed to believe that gold would encourage her to do so. Perhaps it might if she was merely an employee with a fixed salary, but this lady was probably the owner or co-owner of this farm and so her income would be directly affected by competition. They would not be able to offer enough gold for her to divulge the secret behind her livelihood.

Then it was time for the hunt, and it seemed that the midget had something up his sleeve in the form of his dog. Perhaps this dog would turn out more useful in the end, and Eri wondered why bait was needed if the dog was capable of hunting rabbits. Still, he would just go along and observe what Bob had in mind and maybe he could pick up a thing or two on how to hunt without a dog.

He began to partially focus on the djed streams within him. A rabbit may be able to run away quickly from a distance before he could approach, but with flux augmenting his speed he would be upon the poor animal in a flash like a woodland predator, bait be damned. Dropping into the mindset of a carnivore, Eri kept his eyes and ears open, squinting sometimes when he felt that he might have spotted an aura that signified a living creature in the distance, but cutting the flow of djed into his eyes before he over-extended himself when he realized that he was merely imagining things.

[Bob Barton]

Someone was just putting in too much faith into Bob not that he would not like it. The problem was that Bob is no good at hunting and those few times are really just not enough for him to catch a decent meal for himself. Even with all the preparations he had made to maximize the chance to get them a rabbit by training Jinsen, bringing the cage and thinking of the bait which "by the way, wheat corn is not going to help us unless you are some sort of master hunter" which Bob knew Eridanus was not or he would be taking the lead himself. He should have just let Bob do it all instead of deviating from the plan and suddenly making the midget appear like a fool because it would end up with "you will only hear cheap, cheap, cheap" giving the repeated words of Eridanus attitude in the sound of a bird chirping. While Killroy traded in animals mainly, there were also some birds if Bob was not mistaken and from that he knew that wheat corn is for the birds. There was no telling what they would find now but Bob believes that Eridanus has just hurt their chances because "it will be a chicken" like Eridanus who could not even part with some mizas if the rabbit is lucky enough to elude them.

Because here, Bob is the powerful one. The cat, the tiger, the tsana to the chicken which is Eridanus. Proudly standing and staring back at the vantha in defiance when he tried to have the staredown. Bob knowing that he was in the stronger position did not back down at all and waited until Eridanus backed down as he should to pay the lady. Just what was Eridanus plans that he needed to save a few extra coppers? Whatever it was it must be cheap and thus unimportant so Bob would not have any interest in it. The more important plan was getting the rabbit's foot. Ever since Bob learned malediction it gave him the perfect excuse to go trophy hunting all over the place. With his short stature he needed something to make him seem large and that would be helped by evidence of his conquests which was prettied up and made more presentable to get the idea across to everyone else that he was the better one.

Bob did not have the liberty of using auristics the way Eridanus could but he did not need it as an advantage. Where Eridanus saw the aura, Bob saw movement. Leaves and sticks moving and wobbling enough to make more and more of those fall on the ground and he knew something was there. If Eridanus thought he could learn something he should take notes now. The first and most important step, get a dog like "Jinsen, go-go-go-get-the-rabbit!" he yelled pointing to the bushes excitedly which caused the dog to perk up and run for the both of them to see and hear a struggle inside. Bob waited smiling for his dog to prove to Eridanus why he needed a dog of his own but moments later, Jinsen was running straight back towards Bob who asked as he received it "what is wrong Jinsen? Not a bunny?" He knew he trained the dog how to identify a rabbit and failing to find one would return to him like now but he did not know it was that effective. The fear must have helped a lot then because at the bush Bob could see a red animal popping up clawing to the air and hissing at Jinsen before hiding again. "Are you interested in a weasel instead Eridanus?" Bob asked thinking that they could save the trouble but by no means did he want to tangle with that.

That did not end so well. After rubbing Jinsen on some of his scratches and telling him that "we'll make you better back home alright?" he told Eridanus that "we should find a better spot" and continued on until Bob found a clearing surrounded by trees and bushes. "This should do. You go and hide while I set things up" he told Eridanus because this place even had a little stream running past which also meant even more chances to trap an animal going for a drink. Bob put the cage right at the middle and left it open sprinkling some of the wheat corn around the clearing and a little pile right at the end of the cage. Then he took out his whip and tied it to the door, running it above the pile and through the bars of the cage hiding in the bushes behind it which Eridanus should be at as well. What they were going to do was "as soon as the bunny enters, I will pull on the whip and shut the gate trapping it inside." The word bunny got Jinsen to bark and Bob confirmed "yes, bunny. Now keep quiet" he told it holding it at the mouth with his other hand as they waited.

Still waiting a while longer, Bob would pull Jinsen back to his side if it ever tried to leave and use his arm to hold back Eridanus if he tried to move or peek outside because as he told the vantha "we don't want it to know that we are here." Since he could not look out too much, Bob relied on his ears and straightened up when he heard some crackling sounds when something stepped on the wheat corn. Quietly trying his best to not move around the branches and leaves, Bob tried to pop his head out for a look but his precautions made it hard and each time he felt them pressing on him he got down again to find another way up. He only stopped when he heard something hitting on the wooden frame of the cage. This was it, "It is ours!" he yelled out as he stood up and pulled on his whip to slam the cage shut running towards it while he heard some "quack?"ing and then finding a duck in it. It was rabbit season today and not a duck so Bob got a little frustrated. "Should we just go home with the bird or wait longer?" but how long should they wait? It has already gone on pretty long. "I say we just cook it. I am getting hungry..."

OOCSorry for it being a little messed up but just to give you something to do I got DD. You can get BB if it walks by if you are up for it. Just remember if Jinsen senses a rabbit he will chase it like a nutjob.

[Eridanus]

Although it was pretty clear that Bob was not a master hunter, it was evident his experience in this area surpassed the vantha, and whatever Eri did not have in terms of things to look out for during hunting and all that tiny details had to be improvised from his own experience of hunting men in his darker days as well as magic. He took note of how Bob focused on the way the shrubbery moved, and though it was obvious to him now he would never have thought that one should look out for it for potential prey. The midget seemed to have found something, and he quickly called his dog - Jinsen by what he was calling it - to catch the prey. Eri hoped that it succeeded and they could quickly get down to the real business, not to mention he was already reconsidering selling the meat when he could just cook it. That was the problem with mortal bodies, they had to follow mortal rules and hunger was one of them.

The dog came back with a defeated countenance, and Eri peered at their target to see that it was a weasel. The scratch marks on the dog proved that the weasel was far more superior in defending itself and Bob asked Eri if he wanted the weasel. "No thanks, we still have time anyway. We're not that desperate. Yet." He waved off the shorter man, still intent on grabbing their rabbit. They trudged on again, and soon they found a smaller clearing with a small stream. It was like some fiction novel on a group of explorers really, with the kind of scenery they were getting. Bob went to set up the trap, and Eri looked around to see which was the best hiding spot with respect to the cage.

He spotted a large enough shrub to hide them near the cage, and he tentatively kicked the bush, making sure there was not already woodland animals with sharp claws which have made their homes there. Satisfied as to the emptiness of residence, he shimmied into the bush, lowering his body until only his head could be seen which he watched Bob finishing the last part of the trap by tying his whip on the door frame of the cage.

He wanted to take a look, but Bob stopped him for fear of scaring any their prey. Unlike the more experienced hunter the idea of purely relying on his ears did not appeal to him, and he used sound more as a prompt for him. Whenever he heard something suspicious he would feed djed into his eyes, the magical sight allowing him to see through the thin cover of the clump of leaves hiding their body from sight if he concentrated hard enough to vaguely catch an outline of the cage. The few times when there were false alarms he almost informed Bob that they might have gotten their prey, but stopped himself in time when he focused more on the minimal aura given by the cage and saw that there was no glob of colours that signified a living thing.

He heard a rustle, and it was evident that Bob heard it too. By now he was already used to regularly switching his auristics on and off at the precise stage where he could just see through the leaves to conserve his djed, and he quickly tuned in to the cage's aura, seeing a vague misty outline in the cage that signified something living that had walked into their trap. He turned to inform Bob, but the midget was already in action, tugging on his whip with conviction to slam shut the door of the cage.

They came out of their hiding spot, and they found... a duck. He tried not to be dejected when they saw the bird, though honestly duck meat was pretty good if roasted properly too. Suddenly, he saw more movement further to the side, and he squinted, vaguely seeing their desired prey nibbling on something on the ground, darting here and there while looking out for predators like them.

Bob offered to just give up their hunt and be happy with their spoils, and he raised a hand, and be begun to creep towards the rabbit's location stealthily. If Bob were to ask him what he was doing, he would turn back a finger to his lips to get him to quieten down. He did not want his prey getting scared, not after all this trouble to finally find one. He continued to creep closer, stepping on the ground where there were no twigs or leaves that would betray his position and he went from tree to tree, getting ever closer to the bunny.

Before Bob could ask him again, he would turn back again and put his finger to his lips once more, then placing his hands on his head to represent a rabbit just as he saw Bob did to Jinsen. He wanted to tell Bob in sign language to not make any noise so he could catch the rabbit. Little did he know that Jinsen would turn to see what Bob was looking at - which was the vantha. Jinsen would have seen the 'bunny sign' that Eri was doing, and when the dog looked at Eri it would have seen the rabbit that the vantha was stalking further behind. This combination of signs were enough to make the dog bark excitedly, and Jinsen rushed forward barking loudly as it hunted the prey that Bob taught it to, wanting to make its master happy this time unlike the previous time with the weasel.

The rabbit looked up to hear the barking, and it quickly darted away in the opposite direction, and Eri sighed, placing his palm on his forehead. He did not waste time, and he quickly channelled the djed streams within his body while coming out from his carefully hidden spot, running towards the rabbit. He felt his astral body coursing downwards to his legs as he redirected the streams, and he soon felt faster, stronger and just like a predator.

He went into a running crouch, ready to pounce and grab the rabbit in an awkward wrestling move as he sped towards their prey, with Jinsen not far behind barking wildly. The rabbit dodged left and right, intelligent in dodging predators after having lived so many years, and Eri had to narrowly side-step to prevent himself from smashing comically onto a tree trunk. It was like some cartoon where the intelligent rabbit outwitted its big bad dumb predator. Eri shook the thoughts out of his head, for they did not even make sense. The focus was on the present, and he was sure as hell going to get this bunny just so that he could be 'even' with Bob since the midget had already caught his own prey. He could not do it with traps the way hunters did, but he would do it his way, or pursuit like a predatory carnivore.

The rabbit suddenly swerved right, and Eri swore as he skidded to a stop, quickly attempting to dissipate the flux in his body as he redirected his djed streams back to their normal course. He did not want to risk suddenly turning at an extreme angle with the djed streams in his legs. Earlier on the avertions were fine, but the rabbit's new decision to move at a ninety degree angle foiled his plans and he swore again.

He could hear the barks of Jinsen increasing, and his heart soared in joy when he realized that all was not loss. The dog looked like a failure of a dog, but a dog was a dog and it was rare that a rabbit would be able to outrun the predator. Jinsen did not seemed fazed by the rabbit's attempt to avoid its pursuers and it doggedly followed, slowly closing the gap between them. Eri jogged forward, keeping an eye on the pair, hoping for an opportunity to come his way.

It was as if their earlier crappy luck turned good, for the rabbit noticed that Jinsen was close on its tails and it began to swerve to its left again, putting it towards Eri's path. The vantha ran forward again, intent on catching the rabbit in a pincer move that would trap it between Jinsen and him.

The distance between the hunted and the vantha gradually decreased, and he felt his blood rushing at the excitement of catching the little animal. It was interesting that he felt almost the same rush at hunting animals as he hunted men long ago, but better since he did not have any morbid thoughts and conflicting 'conscience days' this time. Finally, he caught up with the rabbit, and it quickly changed direction ninety-degrees in a last-ditch attempt to shake off its predator. Eri skidded when the rabbit suddenly changed course, and he vaulted to kick himself off the tree in front of him, at the same time turning his body to sail towards the rabbit in a powerful leap. He landed with an "oof" on the ground, feeling a twitching movement below his body and he knew that he had his prey.

He continued lying there while the rabbit suffocated, though it was not his idea to do that and it was more like him catching his breath from the extended running. After a while he felt that his body was at ease with itself, and he also realized that the twitching had stopped. He had evidently suffocated and squashed the rabbit under his weight, but he did not want to be tricked, reaching below his body with his hands until he found a furry clump, grabbing tightly on it before lifting himself off the ground.

The rabbit did not seem to be breathing, and he grabbed the body, jogging back to Bob. The dog had already reached him, and it was quite disappointed to find that Eri managed to get its prey first. When it found Eri slumped over the rabbit it was apparently too dull to realize that its target was under the vantha, and so it just trod back to Bob with its ears forlorn, dejected at a second failure. Eri quickly covered the distance between the clearing and him, and when Jinsen heard movement behind him it turned to see Eri holding the rabbit and it began to bark excitedly again, trying to reach for the rabbit but unable to do so when Eri lifted his catch high enough.

"Go back to Bob. Bob! Over there. Bob. Not me," He tried telling the dog, adding its master's name several times in the hope of getting it to see his point. He had no skills around animals like Bob did, and thus had no idea on how to handle them besides killing or eating them. Whether Jinsen returned to Bob or ignored his pleas, he would head back to Bob with the dead rabbit triumphantly, a self-satisfied grin as he waved the furry corpse.

"Ok... now what?"

OOCRIP BB xD

[Bob Barton]

Eridanus was getting greedy. They already had a perfectly good duck so why would they even need a rabbit unless it was needed for a certain special event but the duck is still better. A rabbit was dull only having long ears, buck teeth and four legs as Bob already knows and taught it to Jinsen the day before. "This is a rabbit Jinsen" he told it as he carried it with one hand holding on to the ears and the other hand lifting it from the bottom. "Have a look and remember it Jinsen" he told it as he pushed the rabbit right to its face which forced the dog to shy away not wanting to have anything to do with the animal but as Bob told it, "have a look!" and he kept persisting to bring it to Jinsen's face until he had "enough!" as he yelled out to get the dogs attention and put the rabbit on the floor holding it in place with one hand and having his other hand grab at the dog's head to forcibly get it to face what should be its prey. "Rabbit-Jinsen, Jinsen-rabbit" he introduced the two "and just look at its nice, curly long ears, the innocent, white coat and the cute, big teeth?" Bob continued drilling that into Jinsen and tested what it knew by forcing it to choose between a rabbit and a hare and that was how Jinsen could start the later test with all the other animals as explained earlier.

So how could someone think that Jinsen would not have a reaction to seeing the bunny signs that Bob had taught it only just yesterday? Even without that Jinsen already caught their prey's scent and was busy staring into its direction but Bob was too busy to take note of what his dog was doing being busy enough with picking up the duck in the cage and asking Eridanus if "you have gone crazy already?" This obsession must be really taking a toll on the vantha and Bob was beginning to rethink associating himself with such a person. "You're been talking crazy the whole time in the bushes" seeing things that were not there "and now you want a rabbit so much the sight of a duck got you stuck in a hopping loop!" The best part was that Eridanus started acting like a rabbit too and Bob thought the reason was the thing that people used to say about you needing to think like your target to get them. Unfortunately for the vantha that was the visual stimulus that Bob used knowing it is the easier way to get Jinsen what he wanted it to do and the dog went after the rabbit. "Not you too Jinsen. Come back here!"

In a matter of moments would be all along as he saw Eridanus going along for the chase. In the row he saw what they were all going after and it was the order of a man, a big white furball and a small white furball and it did not take much for him to realize that the obsession from the vantha and dog conjured up a rabbit near them and Bob caught up in it begin to run after them as well. So came the comical scene of a big chase just for a rabbit by two men and a dog. The biggest fail in the picture? Bob who was carrying his duck as well and in the sheer forced run was quacking with each step he took. "Just shut up or the rabbit will know that I am around too" not that it would matter since it was more focused on trying to escape Jinsen and Eridanus. They all had a head start and obviously a dog and flux enhanced vantha would be able to run faster. Slowly but surely the distance between Bob and the rest of them got bigger and even he could see that the amount of trees at the sides were increasing. Bob was getting tired and about to stop soon but then it was the whip that was still dangling on the cage which stopped him when it tangled with his clumsily moving legs doing their best to have a good speed and he fell towards the ground missing the rest of it all.

As he was flying in the air Bob cursed at getting caught up in all the madness when he already had a prize. A prize which he had to protect and he bent his back to raise his arms as high as possible so that there would be less of a chance of the cage colliding to the ground. It was no more harder than the landing and as hard as Bob tried to reduce its impact, there was no way for him to be able to get his body into the proper position. So he just twisted and turned a little to give the least exposed space to the ground and he fell on his side skidding a little bit before coming to a stop. "Phew, saved the duck. And I have to go through all this for a damned rabbit?" Bob asked himself aloud as he got himself up and untied the whip from the cage to keep it away so that he would not make the same mistake again. Checking that nothing in him, on him or the cage with its strange content was broken, Bob continued the pursuit of the rabbit hoping to catch it before the stupid dog and clumsy vantha then not only would he have caught a duck, he would also have gotten the rabbit they were aiming for today so not only would their goals for a lucky rabbit's foot be fulfilled, the goals for the special event would be fulfilled too.

Bob ran for a few seconds before he stopped, realizing that he had lost everyone in the forest so "its only you left with me at least until I need dinner" he told the duck and looked around for signs of the chase. Bob spotted tracks all over with loads of animals but he was just unable to identify which was the rabbit's or Jinsen's because there was just too much so he looked for the rarer breed in the forest today. Besides him, there was also Eridanus and unless there are other rabbit hunters or people who loved to take random strolls in the woods, Bob would pick up the trail momentarily. With the flux it was easy for Eridanus to leave prints in the soil and that made it easier for Bob to find the tracks which led to "there!" On his way he heard his name being mentioned over and over again and thinking that Eridanus might have failed shouted out for the vantha to know where he was that "I am over here with the duck!" A duck which was now pretty shaken because Bob shook the cage to get some of the wheat corn out into his hand and was munching on to regain some energy for himself.

"Now what?" It was going to be the dirty job of butchering and preserving the animal parts so "you are going to have to take us to a nice quiet place to work." Bob got them this far and he could not think of everything. He could also not do this in Killroy's because it would just not mix well with his job. Before that, "give me the rabbit" so Jinsen would stop barking and leave them some peace.

[Eridanus]

Eri heard Bob shout and he headed towards the voice, with Jinsen barking and trying to get at the rabbit along the way. He found Bob and he handed the rabbit over, and when the dog saw its owner had possession of the animal it was supposed to hunt it somehow formed the idea that it was the one who got the animal for Bob. Regardless, that meant the dog believed its duty to be done and would stop houndinghehe the vantha.

"I suppose we could just do it back in that clearing just now," Eri ventured, for cooking was the last thing on his mind. He primarily just wanted to try to replicate that magical phenomenon, and the tools they required were already with them, even with water from the stream nearby to clean themselves up after the messy job of butchering them. He had an inkling of how to make fire, but it would be suspicious if he did so in front of Bob and he had no doubt the midget might try to blackmail him or something. Sunberth was not a very welcoming place for practitioners of the arcane.

They two of them headed back, and when they have settled down comfortably Eri took back his catch. They would do the rest later, or if he was lazy enough they could just try to sell the remains to some hungry sod in the city. For now, they would concentrate on the task at hand before any more interruptions were required. As they say, work before pleasure, and Eri quite agreed with the saying.

The vantha took a closer look at the rabbit, and he found that there was a partially nibbled piece of... something. It was a blue and pink flower, but the tint of the colour was not one he had seen before. Even if he had, he probably would not have noticed, for he seemed to be focused on doing something more important than noticing flowers. A small part of him was curious to know if the flower was unique to the environment in Sunberth, but it would probably be a low priority for him if he even remembered next time to check.

However, he remembered reading somewhere that either salt or alcohol was needed to preserve animal parts or meat, and he recalled the dried, shrivelled remains of... something back in Sahova which the wizards kept in jars for their experiments. He used to work as a low level assistant for them, and so he picked up a few tips regarding preservation of parts. He would definitely need alcohol. Not just normal ones would do, but the really serious ones that could knock one out after just a few sips.

He conveyed this information back to Bob, and so they began their weary trudge back to the city, a tall vantha holding a dead rabbit by its ears, a midget with a still quacking duck inside a cage and a dog that quite happily trod besides its master. They took quite a while, and both were more or less silent during the journey for they were really quite tired after that bout of hunting. Eri just wanting to get the job done and Bob probably do, though Bob would want to get it over with so he could begin the feasting.

They went to the Castle Commons where Eri knew that one could find all kinds of things if one were to search long enough. The duo went from shop to shop, asking for any vendor that sold high concentrate alcohol, and it was as if providence were shining on them for they found what they were looking for - a vendor specializing in selling preservatives and whatnot. Eri asked Bob if he wanted salt to preserve the meat, or if they were planning to dig in from the start. If not, he would just buy a tiny jug of alcohol that should be enough for them.

He led Bob north to where the city met the river that ran through the city, and this would be where they would finally begin. He laid the rabbit on the ground, and he drew his steel long sword, carefully aiming to sever its leg cleanly and he positioned the blade just above the line. He kept his arm steady until it was in place, and the blade went down swiftly, amputating the rabbit's foot.

"Want a second one?" He asked, for rabbits have two feet, obviously. If Bob were to signify his assent Eri would then proceed to chop off the second foot, letting the remaining blood that had not dried to bleed out. He waited for Bob to proceed with whatever plans he had for the duck, and then it was time to proceed to wash their parts in the river, keeping their things close enough in sight, for it would be quite a bummer to find their stuff stolen the minute they turned their backs. Eri reminded himself that they were back in the city, where one's back would be open for physical stabbing and one's belongings open to stealing if one was not careful enough.

They washed the dirt, soil and grime out of the parts, pushing and squeezing any remaining blood out of the small animal parts, letting the water wash away all the undesirables. Next, he would ask if Bob happened to bring any small jugs or containers that could hold liquid. If Bob had them, he would distribute the alcohol equally, making up the remainder with water from the river. If not, he would shrug and they would have to take turns to share the same container, waiting for one part to dry and shrivel up in the concoction before dropping another part in.

Either way, they would have to wait anyway, and he suggested to Bob that they should skin and prepare the meat while the waited for the alcohol to soak in and take effect.

oocMeh uninspired post... I somehow couldn't work in that crazy plan... next time I suppose >.<

[Bob Barton]

The clearing just now? No way! Everyone knows that "the criminal never returns to the scene of the crime" and they have just ducknapped even if their intention was to get the rabbit but Eridanus was insistent. Bob just looked over the rabbit a bit lost on "how did you even kill the rabbit?" As far as he could tell there was no wound mark on it from any of the two swords that Eridanus had on him nor were there and bruise marks from any neck snapping though Bob doubted if the vantha would actually be so brutal. "Could it have been you Jinsen?" he asked holding out the rabbit to the dog which just looked it. That was just not possible because there was no bite marks on it either and Bob would not like to think that his dog would so willingly give up a prize to someone else if he could even get around the idea of his dog actually being competent at something. Pulling out the rabbit from the dog's reach just as it was about to snap at it Bob would tell it that "the rabbit is not for you" because it was his as the person who planned and conceived the idea of catching the rabbit while Eridanus just idled around.

Just as that happened something dropped from the rabbit's mouth which Bob would have ignored if it was not for the fact it was so brightly coloured. "What's this" a flower? Bob never thought that a rabbit would try eating something this or Eridanus could have saved himself some mizas unless... "you did not poison it did you?" which would have explained a lot about the lack of any marks on its body. Since Bob never even seen this flower or knew about it, he threw the one he had away just in case it really was poisoned. "I am not touching that one" he told Eridanus who he expected to remove the remaining flower from the rabbit's mouth among other things which was why he happily took out the tools and told Eridanus to "go ahead" with the dirty job of butchering the rabbit. Always with the excuses...he started talking about getting some alcohol because he needed it for the job which was absolute nonsense because "am I really going to believe that you are scared enough to need a drink so that you can get to actually butchering a dead rabbit up?"

Oh wait, "so it is really needed?" and hopefully Eridanus will explain the whole thing properly as Bob would require on their way to the Castle Commons before he had nothing to say which suited Bob just fine. It was already noisy enough with "Jinsen! Stop trying to pick a fight with a caged duck!" Bob was silent more because he had to focus on keeping the duck out of the dog's way unless when he stopped to try and tell it that it was "enough" and tired because he had to move his arms quickly all over the place. When he saw that Jinsen started using less energy to jump and bark he held out the duck confirming if it "had enough?" and for the first few times the dog leaped up in a definite no he had to start it all over again until the last time it just walked on the ground defeated. Bob held out the duck one last time asking again whether it "had enough" and kept pushing the cage closer until he was satisfied that Jinsen finally understood and "you better not forget it next time" when he tried to stop the dog from doing anything.

It was actually pretty easy to get the alcohol with Oktuberia coming up and all Bob had to ask was "do you have any strong drinks?" There was actually plenty to go around as he saw the wasted people around the stalls but "why don't you want that Eridanus?" who was being rather picky probably trying to preserve his mizas and " at this rate we will have to work on things tomorrow so why don't you just get this one" pointing at a jug beside him in hopes that the vantha would accept to save them the time. It was not until they reached the vendor and Eridanus also offered to get some salt and Bob could only think to himself that it was only now that he is willing to spend some money. With a smile he told Eridanus "why not?" especially if he is paying because he still had no idea what he had planned for the duck. It's fate was sealed when they both were at the river. As Eridanus was chopping rabbit feet, Bob rattled at the cage with his sword to get the ducks attention until it only had eyes on him, the last thing it would see. A little more rattling in the hole and Bob thrust the sword forward using the bars for support and he never guessed that the blood would reach that far.

"A second duck?" Bob asked distracted with what he just did. Then he realized that Eridanus was talking about the rabbit feet and he told him that "we have no reason to keep it all on it so two for you and two for me." Then handing over the duck to the vantha Bob would tell him "you know what? Take the duck's legs too and keep one for yourself. I will just follow your lead on how you want to use alcohol in all of this" which by the sheer amount of blood around Bob pretty much figures that it was for getting them drunk and forgetting all about it. Following suit with Eridanus Bob took some of the parts to wash in the river just being satisfied with dunking them in the water over and over and brushing off whatever waste remained. "Look good enough for you?" he asked handing them over to Eridanus because if it was not then the vantha would have to do the proper things. While Bob left him to it he looked through his things only finding that he had the waterskin left so "you are going to have to wait while I finish it all."

"You can get started with that first" Bob told Eridanus when he talked about skinning. Bob knew a little but he rather see the vantha's technique and take a little breather. "I don't know a thing about preserving though so how long do you think that we will have to wait?"

[Eridanus]

Eri had insisted on being picky with the alcohol even though there were plenty in abundance for those were home-brewed, and thus their quality was suspect. If they truly wanted to preserve the animal parts and not expect to have maggots and other organisms specializing in decomposition to assault them and their new toys it would be wise to properly preserve them. Honestly he was all for using the bone, like the rat skull for it was easier to simply remove the flesh and muscle from the bone, properly washing the newly skinned bone and maybe a touch of disinfectant would be enough. However, Bob wanted a 'lucky rabbit foot', and so they had to go a bit further in order to ensure that their foot remained a foot rather than well, a mess of maggot-ridden flesh in a few weeks.

Bob somehow wanted the salt, but Eri wondered if the midget truly wanted to preserve the meat or simply just to get as much free things as he could out of him. While he had been bargaining with the vendor, he insisted on packaging the bunch with an ounce of salt to sweeten the deal. The merchant was all "Buy it if you want it", but Eri impressed upon the man that competition was pretty tough for an alcohol seller especially during Oktuberia. He had taken pains to ensure that the merchant saw him only as an alcohol-lover and not looking for preservatives, and he 'accidentally' let slip that he was trying to new recipe to see if wine laced with salt would provide a new alcoholic high. It was complete nonsense, of course, and something that Eri had came up with in order to improvise, and he off-handedly mention that he could get better prices from other vendors anyway.

The merchant finally gave up his act, for indeed he was getting seriously undercut by the other amateur brewers, and Eri closed the deal by telling the man that he was looking for quality, and he suspected that the man might just have the quality he needed. This last word made the merchant puff out his chest in pride, and allowed Eri to sneakily buy that small bit of alcohol at a discounted rate along with the ounce of salt wrapped in a tiny paper package. "Your salt," He told the midget, tossing the man the package.

Bob asked him about the time required, and as he tried to recall what he had been told almost two centuries ago, his heart sank when the details showed up in his mind. The proper procedure would take forty-eight bells, at least if one were to follow the Sahova Standard of Preservation, as the proud nuits like to say when lecturing him about strictly following the specified duration when tasking him to preserve whatever pieces of... things they handed to him.

Eri made a quick calculation, and he decided to soak it for maybe five chimes to let the alcohol seep in first to start their experiment. If nothing happened at the end of it all it would be a waste to go through all the effort to preserve it and they could just throw it away. Knowing Bob though, the midget might try to sell it to some unsuspecting fool with some elaborate story. Regardless, it would only make sense to go through the trouble if their experiment worked, and so he conveyed this to Bob, making sure to switch the four animal parts - two rabbit's feet and two duck's feet - every five chimes.

In the meantime, he took out his assassin's dagger to proceed with his rabbit. It was strange to use a weapon that spoke of silent kills and wicked gashes to do simple as mundane as preparing a rabbit, but he knew that his eating knife would not be sharp enough to do the task, and his long swords would be overkill - too bulky and large to do the job. Without further ado, he lay the rabbit on its back, pinching the skin just above to avoid stabbing into the flesh needlessly. Using the crease created by the pinching, he punctured the skin carefully with the dagger so as not to stab into the stomach, sticking first a finger into the hole and then using his grip to tear the skin from there.

He tore the skin around the stomach lining until a strip of skin was removed in the belly, then firmly grabbed the ends of the skin that led to the head and the part of the skin attached to the rest of the legs. Like taking out a glove from the wrist instead of from the fingers, he tugged the rest of the skin away from the rabbit, the skin turning inside out in what seemed like a grotesque de-gloving of the animal.

He motioned to Bob to do the same with the duck, and he helped to remove some feathers at the initial point of the puncturing, helping the midget to create that hole with his assassin's dagger. His Spiritist mentor in Avanthal, Jared, always liked to tell him, "If I give you soulmist, you're only a spiritist for a day. If I teach you how to make soulmist, you're a spiritist forever." With this mindset, he was firm in not doing anything for Bob with the duck, demonstrating and showing him how to skin and de-glove the duck like he did with the rabbit, helping only in certain areas if the midget was unsure.

When that was done, he had to remove the organs from the rabbit, and so he made sure that Bob was watching him clearly before he continued. He tried to remember what he could from illustrations he had read in various wilderness survival and cooking books, and he remembered that there was no need to remove the feet for well, he had already done so. Picking up his dagger once more, he drove it into the neck, removing the rabbit's head. Next, he carefully insert the dagger through the rabbit's groin. He was doing it slowly so that he would not accidentally cut into places he did not want to.

Increasing the size of the hole he made, he removed the intestines and other unwanted parts that the rabbit used to defecate, and from there he increased the cut to remove the tail. Now that that was done, he motioned for Bob to do something similar to the duck, pitching in to help if needed. Next, he looked at the morbid rabbit corpse as he wondered what was next. Was that all? He looked at the lump of flesh, and suddenly remembered that he had to remove the organs first. Gripping the dagger, he carefully created a laceration down the stomach lining, and a random thought about how he had done exactly this, except to a human with his long swords before. He banished such thoughts from his mind again with some difficulty, focusing his mind again on the present.

He took care to cut just enough to penetrate the stomach walls, and opening the flap he removed the guts and various organs in the rabbit. It was important not to eat an infected rabbit, and he carefully scrutinized the inner walls of the rabbit's flesh as well as the organs to make sure that everything was in order. He was no animal handler, but he remembered the books emphasizing the need to check for fungal growth or white patches, and when he was satisfied that the rabbit he caught was a sprightly healthy bunny, he discarded the innards, digging a small hold in the soft ground and burying the discards.

He instructed Bob to proceed, and he told Bob about the need to check for signs of infection and unnatural growth in the duck to avoid poisoning them both. When the midget was done similar, he motioned towards the river again, and they went to wash the innards of their various animals, making sure that what remained after the water washed away the impurities was what one would find in a butcher's store. He checked Bob's duck and he told him to focus on cleaning the insides of the animal, removing any remnant fluids or internal pieces that may have been left behind. He also made sure to wash the gore away from his assassin's dagger.

Finally, that was done, and the duo headed back to their 'camp-site'. By then, the initial soaking of the feet would be done, and Eri suggested that they proceed with their 'experiment' while waiting for their food to cook. He gathered a bunch of rocks, clearing the dirt or soil off them and told Bob to find them a enough wood dry enough to be able to support a fire. While waiting for his acquaintance to return, he placed a bunch of rocks into formation in such a way that it could contain the fire that would be created from within but also to support placing the meat over it in a sort of make-shift stove.

When Bob returned, he would place the bunch of wood in the middle of his rock formation, taking out his flint and steel. He had no intention of actually using it of course, but some acting was necessary to not arouse suspicion. He focused on the djed streams within him, and as his hands disappeared from the midget's view into the rocky stove, he listlessly scraped the flint and steel together, making sure Bob could hear his attempts at starting a fire. What he actually did though, was to slowly extrude a tiny bit of res from his body, for he only needed a tiny bit to begin, and nature would do the rest. Focusing on the res while making sure to continue striking the flint, he transmuted the materialized djed into fire, withdrawing his hands as the cackling ball devoured the first few pieces of wood it could fine.

Fanning the flames, he allowed the fire to grow into a sufficient size before he was satisfied, motioning for Bob to hand him this duck so that he could place both of their painstakingly prepared meat over the carefully placed stones. "We'll just need to remember to turn them over every once in a while," He remarked, before reaching over to remove the last duck feet from the alcoholic mixture.

This was now finally the time to do what Bob knew more than him, and he said, "Now it's your turn to teach me how to do that thing you did with your rat skull," taking a rabbit and duck foot.