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[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.

[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.

[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]

Good evening.

[No need to be rude, after all.]

Oh? Why would you say that?

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Of course.

{She dismisses the meat, and Afratos clucks discontentedly but she moves closer, holding him up a bit more}

He has a peaceful temperament, luckily.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

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

[collector]

[Gently, Braxiatel's pets Afratos's neck. There's a peculiar smile on his face, not quite the pleasure of a new acquisition or the delight of being surprised, but something as sincere. Curiosity.] I may not be best suited to helping you train him. Aside from my total ignorance, I have a bit of a weakness for animals. I spoil Wolsey rotten, to start with.

[In fact, Brax can be a lot more caring about animals than he is about people.]

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

I will take note of it. Once it is full grown, however, you can spoil it as much as you would like.

{awww but Afratos likes being pet, and nuzzles}

But who is Wolsey, if I may?

[collector]

[Awwwwww, Brax loev Fluffy now. He pets Afratos idly as he talks.]

Bernice's cat. He has a higher security clearance than almost all of my researchers, actually. I've know him as long as I've known Bernice, almost a decade, now.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

I am not surprised at all by that. Does it have higher clearance than Bernice herself?

[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?

[collector]

Only I have that.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

{She laughs lightly}

Of course. Ah, but what would mine be, then?

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

Why not? The beast belongs to me.

[collector]

[He smiles at her.] Wolsey-level.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

{Lightly,} I am quite flattered to be on the same level as a cat, Braxiatel.

But speaking of the animals of your Collection, have you gone to see the bulls yet? They quite like it there, I believe.

[collector]

I'm slightly below that cat in Bernice's affections, so I suppose we all have our reasons to be jealous of Wolsey. But yes, I have, in idle hours. It's nice to look out my window and see them grazing. It gives an Arcadian touch.

[heartscastaside.livejournal.com]

I am glad that they are welcome there. Though, out of my own curiosity, have you received many comments about them? I imagine that few question how they got there, since you Collection is so vast, but at least some must recognize their origin, or at least be reminded of the "legends" of my husband.

[collector]

Oh, a fair few. But you are a legend. Perhaps rooted in fact, but no academic would suggest the stories are real. [He seems amused by this.] So, as I predicted, there are a great deal of rumours circling around their true identities.