Ooo sss??? on Care of Magical Creatures

Jack-Jack

August 24, 2020 7:45 AM

Ooo sss??? by Jack-Jack

Jack-Jack heard the classroom door open. It was the not-people-time. He liked the not-people-time better. People were many and loud. His own people was good and calm and soft. She talked quietly when she came to see him and stroked his ears and didn’t mind if he put his head inside her elbow so that no one else could see him. His own people came to see him sometimes during the not… Hm. The not-many-people-time. In that time, he still sometimes had his people, and sometimes Fezzamarzh. He could say Fezzamarzh. He thought he could anyway. He had tried. Some of those sounds got lost on the way out, and the humans didn't seem to know what he was saying. His people still said he was a good jackelbunny. He had heard that many times and was working on saying it. It was part of his name. ‘You are Jack-Jack.’ ‘You are a good jackelbunny’ He heard this often. He heard Fezzamarzh often. But he also heard Lowanz sometimes. Or just Fezza. Or Scuzemefezza. People had multiple names. Marzh-Lowanz-Scuze-Me-Fezzamarzh. That was a heck of a name. Jack-Jack called him Fezzmarzh for short and because he heard that most. His own whole name was Jack-Jack A Good Jackelbunny. That just made sense. He was Jack-Jack for short.

His people had names too. Many names. He was trying very hard to learn them, or at least her most often name.

He thought that might be her now. It was the not-many-people-time, after all. Other people didn’t come during the not-many-people-time. That was why it was called that. He pressed his paws and his nose up against the cage’s wire front. The air did not smell right. Not his people? He did not want it to be not his people. Maybe if he said her name it would be her instead?

“Oo…. Ssss?” he called. “Oo sss?”

OOC - somewhat directed at Fezzemarzh but I know he is busy, so anyone who has business being in the COMC room after hours may reply.

13 Jack-Jack Ooo sss??? 0 Jack-Jack 1 5

Evelyn Stones

August 31, 2020 9:59 PM

It me. by Evelyn Stones

Working as Professor Marsh' assistant had turned out to be one of the best things Evelyn could have done for herself. While the COMC professor was hardly a talker, she found his company endearing and relaxing, and she found her work even more of the same. Okay, maybe it wasn't so endearing. But it was an opportunity for her to get her anger out, her frustrations out, her sadness out, or else to just put those things away for a while and focus on some physical labor like cleaning cages, feeding freaky things, or grooming something or other. She also did some of the basic work in terms of taking measurements and things, which was nice. She'd learned a lot about the balance between handling something delicately and firmly; too soft and it would get away and possibly hurt itself, but too firm and it would be hurt. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt a thing.

She was there later than she normally was today, as she had been checking on the bowtruckles and they were her favorite, so it always took a little longer. Now, covered in scrapes, she was meant to be cleaning up before heading back to her dorm. It was always a bit odd being around at the hours between classes and bedtime; Sonora was an entirely different place when it was empty and this part of the school was empty even if the rest wasn't.

Carrying a bucket that she had just emptied of some pretty horrifying contents, Evelyn was sweaty, gross, and pretty well ready to go to bed. A sound caught her attention though and she froze. Sometimes Professor Marsh was here to make sounds but usually the sounds she heard were her own, or the sort of bawdy din of various animals on various sleep cycles. This almost sounded like talking.

The jackelope cages were nearby and Evelyn suspected it was one of them, as that made the most sense all things considered, but she didn't want to take chances. She did a thing that made her feel brave, like a new and improved Evelyn, and retrieved her wand, holding it in front of her as she set down the bucket and approached with slow, cautious steps. Times like these made her grateful that she was small, quick, and nimble, but also she sort of wished she was big enough to intimidate even half of the creatures here.

"Hello?" she called as she waved her wand and mattered the incantation to set the end alight. "Is someone there?"

22 Evelyn Stones It me. 1422 0 5

Jack-Jack

August 31, 2020 10:20 PM

Wrong human! by Jack-Jack

Not his people! Wrong smell! Wrong sound! Alert! Jack-Jack scrambled backwards, all the things thumping - feet thumpity-thumping on the floor, food dish bang as he kicked it over, and heart thumpity-thumpity-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. He let out a little squeak of alarm, and buried his head under his straw so she couldn't see him. His antlers and the rest of his body stuck up but it was like when he put his face in the little warm soft place in his people's arm and knew he was safe.

He wiffled, letting his alarm subside. It was the Sometimes human. He had not yet learnt her name, but she came here sometimes with Fezzamarzh. Sometimes by self. She took things out of cages but she also put things in. His people did that too. She took out bad and put good in. Fezzamarzh too. Maybe that was what people just did? The human was waving a light (ouch). She said 'hello' which he knew and then went 'glub glub glub.' Humans did that a lot.

"'Lo," he imitated, "Oossuss?" he tried. When he said 'krat' he got a nice piece of crunchy orange krat. Sometimes. Sometimes he still didn't say it clearly enough. But maybe if he said his people's name, he would get her. He peered out from his hay at Sometimes. "Oossuss?" he asked.

13 Jack-Jack Wrong human! 0 Jack-Jack 0 5

Evelyn Stones

August 31, 2020 10:34 PM

Big mood. by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn knelt in front of the noisy little jackelope's cage, putting her hands up to show that she meant no harm as she got closer. The poor little thing looked a bit terrified but seemed to calm down when he recognized (?) her. It still totally weirded her out that these little things could talk. She supposed it was a bit like a magical version of a parrot or something, but it seemed rude to keep something sentient enough to have this degree of conversation in a cage all the time. Still, she smiled at the little guy. She gave this one carrots sometimes, but the jackelopes were less work because the students were supposed to be caring for them themselves. This one was Sadie's, and Sadie had been especially proactive about taking care of him.

"Hi, Jack-Jack," she smiled, lowering her wand. She glanced around and noted a bowl of carrots some distance away. "Accio," she demanded of it. It took several tries but the bowl eventually did come to her - albeit a few carrots shy of how it started - and she passed one through the bars to him. Magic was not terribly easy, even basic things, but it was getting better.
She sincerely hoped her father was rolling over in his grave at his eldest's success. "How are you doing, little dude?" She adjusted her position so she could sit cross-legged, her wand on the floor to give off some light still without blinding either of them, and took a carrot for herself. They weren't very good because they'd been sitting out, they were warm, and they were not the sort of nice clean carrots that you would normally eat at dinner. Also because her hands were dirty. But yolo.

22 Evelyn Stones Big mood. 1422 0 5

Jack-Jack

September 01, 2020 4:03 AM

Sowwy by Jack-Jack

"Jack-Jack!" he imitated, bouncing proudly. He knew that one! He was Jack-Jack! "Goojackbun," he added. His people always said it when he tried to talk. It was his other name, and also what you were supposed to say when he said things. The Sometimes human did not know this so he said it for her. "Goodbun goodbun," he repeated.

She sat down. Oh. He had got a people with his word. That was sort of quite good. But it was not the people he had been aiming for. She waved her stick thing and went 'awoo' for a while. Then a good smell came closer.

“Krat!” he identified cheerfully as she pushed one through the bars. He wiffled his nose forward and - WAS THIS A TRAP?! MAYBE THAT WAS A PREDATOR??! But the krat was safely inside, and he thought it might be okay and also it smelt really good. He edged forward enough to quickly grab the end and dragged it back a safe distance away, just in case.

He chomped and he made cheerful noises because he liked the krat very much. He had not said it but had got one anyway. He had called for his people. Maybe that was how words worked though. Maybe krats were just the only thing you could call for so if you called you got a krat, even if you used a people word.

He thought through all the people and him words. He was Jack Jack A. Goodjackelbun. Then there was Marzh-Lowanz-Scuze-Me-Fezzamarzh. His people said a lot names for herself too. Maybe he should try more words. If they all just got krats that was not bad. He still wanted his people though. He loved her more than getting a second krat.

“Sowwy,” he said, a little mournfully, looking up in between chews. “Sowwy?”

13 Jack-Jack Sowwy 0 Jack-Jack 0 5

Evelyn Stones

September 01, 2020 9:50 AM

No, don't be. by Evelyn Stones

"Good jackbun," Evelyn repeated, parsing out the little dude's language as best she could and smiling at him. Sadie had done a good job. "You're a very good bun," she added, expanding on his next comment. He talked a lot like CJ had for a while and toddlers were almost as weird as jackelopes but jackelopes were arguably cuter, so it was nice. Evelyn suspected that was in part because CJ was her brother; other toddlers were cuter than her brother.

She frowned a little when he retreated so far away to eat his carrot. It made her sad to think he had reason to be afraid, even if it was probably only animal instinct that led his behavior in this case. Then he start apologising and her frown deepened. "You don't have to be sorry. You don't have to be scared," she said very quietly. "I know, it's not any fun to be in a cage, is it? But it's worse if you make it even smaller for yourself by being afraid," she murmured. Even by proportion, her room at her dad's house was bigger than Jack-Jack's cage, but it had never felt very big when she'd been locked in it. She'd spent most of her time sitting on the floor between her bed and the wall, sitting in the closet, or pacing. None of those ever made her feel any less caged. "Don't be sorry, Jack-Jack," she said.

A vague thought crossed her mind that a jackelope cowering and apologising might not actually bode well for his assigned student's caregiving abilities. Sadie always seemed nice when Evelyn saw them interact but she wasn't seeing a lot of good signs. She thought of what Gary had said, about making a difference for even one person, and about the difference it had made when Professor Wright and Heinrich stood up for her. Really, it all went back to Ness guiding her through survival all those years ago. What a difference it makes to have someone step in. With that in mind, she cocked her head a little. "Is Sadie nice to you, little dude?" she asked as neutrally as possible.

22 Evelyn Stones No, don't be. 1422 0 5

Jack-Jack

September 01, 2020 5:47 PM

I'm not by Jack-Jack

Aha. He had taught her words! She knew goodjackbun now!

"Goodbun," he repeated back at her. He thought she might not be a bun. He knew she was a people really, but he had never heard anyone say 'goodpeepl' so he didn't know if that was a word. When someone tried, you said 'goodbun' and she was clearly trying.

She still went 'glub glub glub' a lot, except this time it went 'glub glub sorry glub.' Yes! Yes! He had used a people word and she had used it back! Correct! Success! His ears pricked up and he looked at her excitedly. She glub glub glubbed a lot more but then she said it again. Only strange. You not be sorry? He knew that. He was Jack-Jack.

"Jack-Jack," he confirmed, "Sowwy!" If she understood, why did she not do? Why did she not go get like she had with the krats?

She was just sitting, and quieting. That was not bad, because his people did quieting often. Maybe she was trying to be his people? That was sort of nice. He liked the quiet. He wiffled slightly closer. But she was not good at pretending for very long. She started glubbing again and....some words... there was a maybe word in there? He knew the middle part of Izadienice.

"Sowwy," he tried again, because that had come closest so far to producing the result he wanted. "Oosuss," he wasn't as good at that one but Sometimes at least seemed to listen, "Oosaluss," closer, "Ooseless!" Yes! That was it! "Sowwy ooseless," he informed her. That was it! That was the whole thing! She had to get it now! He wiffled his nose hopefully at her.

13 Jack-Jack I'm not 0 Jack-Jack 0 5

Evelyn Stones

September 01, 2020 7:53 PM

Right, because you're a good bun. by Evelyn Stones

Jack-Jack looked excited about something and Evelyn couldn't for the life of her tell what it was. "Sorry?" she said again, wondering if it was the repetition that he enjoyed, since he kept saying the word to her. Perhaps she was putting too much on him. Jackelopes could talk, sure, but they had to have been taught the words first, and they probably weren't complicated enough to understand the concept of apologising. It reminded her of the old school dad jokes. Hi, Jack-Jack, I'm sorry.

She froze, a horrible thought settling in her mind. Jack-Jack nuzzled closer, looking excited as he repeated himself, adding words that still didn't make a lot of sense to Evelyn but that she was starting to pry apart. "Your human?" she asked softly. "Sadie is sorry?" She didn't want to give voice to the rest of what the little jackelope was saying, but she made a mental note to approach the younger girl as soon as was feasible. Which would be like . . . tomorrow. She just had to sort out the best way to do it. Since they weren't in classes together, it would be a matter of figuring out the right way to approach without making her anxious. Of course, she did see Sadie here sometimes but she didn't want to wait until the next time the girl visited since she didn't know when that would be.

As she thought, she put her fingers up to the bar, giving Jack-Jack a little pet. "Your human isn't useless," she said softly, feeling foolish for having thought Jack-Jack was the one who felt stuck in a cage.

22 Evelyn Stones Right, because you're a good bun. 1422 0 5