two

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

{In the coliseum, Caster not only has her hood down today, but also has a baby griffin perched carefully on her arm. She's handling it like one would handle a falcon, which makes sense, considering the sizable claws, even though it's so small}

Ahh, Afratos, you're eating larger animals now, so it is close to time for you to learn how to fly. You cannot nest too long if you are to be for more than show.

{She waves her hand, and a piece of raw meat appears, flying up into the air. It watches curiously, squawking as it's unsure how to get to it exactly.}

Take your time, little one. It will come naturally as you get hungrier.

{It still paces nervously, its small wings flapping excitedly. Go ahead and approach, but please don't pet the griffin unless you want to lose a finger! ♥}

Comments

[collector]

[From the coliseum stands, there is applause.]

[Brax smiles and calls out to Caster] Better than the games.

[Then, after consideration:] Not that I enjoyed the games. I thought them rather barbaric at times. May I step in to the arena?

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Of course. You can help with its training, if you would like.

{She smiles} But I would know nothing of the games themselves.

[collector]

I would love to. [He hops over the side of the stands and strolls over.] It was just death as sport. Neither particularly novel or particularly interesting.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Indeed, it does not seem so. The War is no different, but we Servants do not know which audience we entertain.

{She makes the meat float a bit closer, and Afratos half-growls and paces more}

[collector]

[Brax watches this with no small amount of curiosity. He has never seen a griffin trained before.] And it won't bite you instead of that meat?

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

It may try to, but it is unable. I am the one that summoned it, so it cannot bite my hand unless the contract by which I had summoned it is broken.

{Amused at the thought, she pets it idly} It's ironic, that way. A griffin has more control over its contract than a Servant.

[collector]

Does it? How curious. May I...? [He holds out a hand, out of beak-range, but it's clear request is to pet Afratos.]

[everdistant_utopia]

[Saber won't be coming anywhere near, and that's only partially because of the griffin. She'll just watch for the moment.

She is, however, slightly surprised at the hood-less Caster.]

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

{Caster instantly looks towards Saber, smiling coolly}

Ahh, good evening, Saber. You seem to have found me without my hood. How lucky for you.

[everdistant_utopia]

Good evening.

[No need to be rude, after all.]

Oh? Why would you say that?

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

It is not an opportunity that many are afforded. But griffins prefer eye contact with their masters.

[everdistant_utopia]

How did you come by such a creature in this place?

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

What a foolish question to ask one of the Caster class. Come, Saber, I would have thought you more clever than that.

[flawless-genius.livejournal.com]

[Guess who has a couple of friends that happen to be gryphon? He stops short when he sees what she has] Why do you have a gryphon with you?

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Why not? The beast belongs to me.

[flawless-genius.livejournal.com]

Belongs to you? [That doesn't sound exactly right to him, since the griffins he knows would object very strongly to being owned by anyone.]

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

It is my summoned pet.

[flawless-genius.livejournal.com]

..I did not know it was possible to summon a griffin.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Obviously it is, or else I would not have it here.

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

I would say there's a sight you don't see every day, but as it seems it's a sight that has become far more commonplace recently it would be completely false as well as terribly cliche.

So how long do these things usually take? Learning to fly and all that, I mean.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Until it is hungry enough and food is offered out of its reach, essentially. They are intelligent creatures and can learn on their own.

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

That's more than you can say for most undergrads at the very least. All ready they have a leg up on most of the people on the Collection. Well done, them.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Undergrads are but human children. Beasts are often much smarter than we give them credit for.

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

I've never really known one in the flesh. The only thing I have to go on are myths and folktales, which up until recently were all considered to be all together fictional in nature.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Recently? Would that be because of my partnership with Braxiatel, or something else?