[Text]

[desert_queen]

I'm looking for one of my assistants, she's gone missing.

Robin, are you there? We've got work to do.

[You might, however, find yourself in a busy port town with a bustling shopping scene. And in that town, you might just run across a tiny woman with a miniature bananawani hatchling sticking out of a very expensive purse. She's got her cigarette in a beautiful holder, a hoard of shopping bags hanging on her other arm, and she's definitely a little on the irritated side.

She's got a damn king to marry, and an idiot princess to dispose of fast. Or that's what she had to do. Who knows how she's going to manage now? Or more, how this world of worlds is going to manage having her.]


(OOC: Lady Crocodile, no hook, but you might wanna be careful around that hand anyway.)

Comments

[callada]

[It's a full few days after his return to life before Rosinante manages to find his way off the island he had initially landed on. They weren't seafarers, those farmers, but he's taken some shitty dinghies on some long ocean voyages before, he can do it again. Traversing the New World without the proper tools for the job is a little different from the North Blue, even in its stormiest weather, but the little boat he's made off with holds up long enough to get him across the rough waves and unpredictable weather to a new island - one with a larger town and hopefully better opportunities.

Currently makeup-free and wearing the slightly burned red sweatshirt with incomprehensible text he had picked up in that strange alien city, he walks the cobblestone streets with tired eyes and some serious nicotine withdrawals, looking for an opportunity to fix his miserable situation.

He manages to bum a cigarette off someone finally, then takes it in hand after a puff and turns to see who he's just noticed in his peripheral vision. Boy, he looks a sorry sight next to someone that elegant.]

Um, pardon me, but do you know which island this is?

[Meanwhile, the end of his cigarette has started to light the wooden fruit stand behind him on fire.]

[desert_queen]

[Everything inside of her is screaming no, this leggy bastard is nothing she wants to associate herself with when she's already in a bad mood. He puts a bad taste in her mouth for some reason, she'll blame it on the lankiness and sheer height, she hates men looking down on her and he has no option but to without sitting on the ground. Worse, his unkempt look clashes terribly with her pretty couture and delicate features.

It'd be easy to treat him badly...

But if she decides to get back to her current scheme, she needs to keep something of a good reputation. It's going to make things a lot harder if Cobra hears she's bullying exhausted looking strangers. She's reformed, supposedly. She's supposed to be using her position to help, to keep the common man out of the grasp of cruel pirates. So she's got to at least pretend like she's a vaguely decent person now. And not a cruel pirate herself.

God, this game is frustrating. Plan B is civil war, and that's all good and fine. But it's messier and more complicated. And she'd rather keep it on the back burner for now. So she forces herself to socialize, maybe he's going to have some useful information if she chit-chats.]

The locals call it Grandeur Island 777. The name fits it. [It's a shopping and expense haven. And the locals are side-eyeing all the unwanted and poor looking newcomers.

Crocodile has been treated just fine, though. With Beri to spend, you're a god in these parts.] It's not a place I remember from my home. [She stares at the way the stand owner screeches and puts out the fire fast. He just barely saved some over priced melons from a quick roast. Then he hurls some choice insults at her odd companion, words that shouldn't be said in front of fine ladies.

She finds the whole situation stupid and hilarious.]

[callada]

[All Rosinante spares the man is a glance back over his shoulder to confirm that at least the melons are in good shape still. What? Wouldn't want to harm the guy's livelihood. Content that nobody was actually hurt, he shrugs and has a long draw of that cigarette he's been so desperately craving for far too long.]

Hell of a name. But I can see that it lives up to it.

[A place like this will have undercover Marine activity and he'll have to keep an eye out. The moment they realize he's still alive - no, alive again - is the moment he becomes one of the sea's most wanted. Then again, this is the New World and the Marines don't have the grip on it that they wish they did, unless that's changed in the last thirteen years.

Not a place she remembers, though? That's sort of an odd thing to say.]

Where's home? If you don't mind me asking.

[desert_queen]

[The man silences himself quickly when he realizes that the wealthy patrons in the area are getting irritated with the noise. And just like that, Crocodile loses her source of quiet amusement.

Oh well.] It's excess on top of excess. You should see the casinos. They're obscene. [The tiny bananawani, which is wearing a red bow, leans out of the bag to angrily squeak at whoever is close by. Which includes Rosinante. She catches it before it falls out, pushes it back in with a small sound of irritation.

Nothing is going her way today. And her pet refuses to behave on top of it.] I'm currently residing in Alabasta. [She takes a long drag, and blows out a heart shaped smoke ring.] I woke up here, a long way from home. [She tilts her head, keep it up girl, be pleasant. Honey over poison and all that.] Do you know why these things are happening? Even my best sources are keeping quiet.

[callada]

[Oh, the casinos probably are obscene, he doesn't doubt that. Sounds like a place worth checking out later if only to keep an eye on who does business there and who makes for frequent clients -

No. Nope. It's going to be hard to get out of that mindset. What shakes him out of it this time is the squeak from the little reptile, which he regards with a brief curious glance but nothing more. Weird pet.

She's clearly noticed that things aren't right, though. Which is nice - he'd started to think he was going crazy, on that last little island where the residents tried so hard to stick to business as usual. Still, whatever happened physically moved her all the way from Alabasta? Just picked her up and dropped her? How strange.

As if considering her question, he rubs his chin. Ugh, stubble. A razor, that's another thing he needs to find, if he can manage to figure out how to get his hands on some coin.]

Can't say I have any idea. What sort of things have been happening? I just came off the sea. Didn't seem like much was off while I was out there.

[desert_queen]

[She's absolutely going to invest in that obscenity. She needs in on the gambling scene here, she'll make another fortune with ease. These people are pathetic, obsessed with excess and wealth. She hates them, they're weak and disgusting. But they're easy prey. A fool and his money are soon parted. And Crocodile brought herself up to where she is on that saying.

She's still trying to fake polite to Rosinante. But it's hard for her. He's so rough. If he just came off of the sea, it makes sense, but in the end she really does like well groomed and handsome men. The glistening, muscular, maybe a decade younger than her type. The ones with money to blow and or skills worth having around.

But she keeps running into rough, stubbly, and often poor ones. It's a trend that she's not particularly pleased with.

He has no information. That he's being honest about, anyway. His looks are nagging at her too, his features are familiar. She swears it. She just can't put her finger on it, and it's make the whole situation more upsetting. She should just walk away now, and leave him to figure out things on his own.] Hmm.

[She takes another drag, and sighs. She's not drunk enough for any of this nonsense. Robin is far better for socializing with the common man. Or uncommon man. Either way.] The news is all wrong, the charts are off, the logs a mess. Just to name a few things. [That's to say nothing of the landmass issues, the struggle with even more dangerous animals, and robot sentinels in certain towns. It's a mess.] From what I've heard, the Marines are launching a mass investigation. They're not the only ones, though.

[callada]

[If she's particularly quick, and particularly skilled at reading people, she might just catch that flicker of tension at the corner of his eyes and in the line of his mouth before he covers for the mistake by bringing his hand up swiftly to claim the cigarette again. Always an easy misdirection. People watch the hand, the obvious movement, and not the face. Still, he's tired. Letting things through when he shouldn't at all.

The Marines would certainly launch an investigation. Or they'd set a bunch of sailors out under the guise of an investigation to cover for the fact that they - that someone in the government - probably knows exactly what has happened. It's going to be tough going without access to that information anymore. Maybe he'll figure something out.

He taps ash off the end of his cigarette onto the street.]

Thought the news was funny when I got off here, but I hadn't had time to do much reading yet.

[Rosinante flicks his eyes up the street, as if making sure nobody is listening in on them talk. Really, if it was a problem he would suggest they move aside, but a woman like her probably wants nothing to do with some scruffy sailor like him, even if she's being kind enough to chat. She must be just as confused by all of it as he is.]

Sounds like you're caught up on the latest, but the latest isn't enough. Look, I could use a hand. Been on a long journey. But I'm a retired guardsman from an island in the North Blue and I know how to handle myself in a fight. Know a thing or two about handling Marines, too.

[That last part he says quietly, with a slight conspiratorial lift of his eyebrow.]

If you've got business in this place, I can help make sure you get it done, so long as you can spare some beri.

[desert_queen]

[She's very quick, and entirely observant. And those eyes have her attention, just for a moment. It's worth noting the reaction, but what it means is a lot harder to figure out. Perhaps impossible for now. But she doesn't act like she's trying to figure him out, instead leaning forward, so cute and tiny, raising up on her toes for a moment as if she's just trying to see him from so far down.

She loves being so damn pretty. She can get away with cute gestures like this, and no one thinks otherwise of it. So many underestimate her, because of how soft and small she is. Men are especially weak against that sweet face and feminine smile. And she uses this to her best advantage.

The sea is harder for a woman, so she needs to use every damn trick in the book to get ahead. And she does, with skill.

And her impressions of Rosinante are changing more because of his lack of reaction at her looks. Hell, the bananawani got more of a reaction than her appearance seemed to. And she likes that. He's calm and polite, which is a massive plus in her mind, while the men nearby are struggling and visibly leering.

Disgusting, stupid pigs. Vulgar things with no control. And she wrecks men like them, leaving them in tears or worse. But men like him survive. He might just be what she's looking for. A smart enough, level headed man that holds a certain level of intimidation from sheer size alone. And if his skill against the Marines are the real deal? She might keep him around a little longer.]

I'll take you up on it. I have no quarrel with the Marines at all. But I'm not used to traveling alone. [She offers her baggage to him, so many shopping bags. If he's going to get paid, she might as well get him working now. If he runs off with them, it's his funeral. If not, she'll pay him more than what he deserves for his services.] You look rough. You need to eat? [She's not above paying for a meal, in the least. She takes good care of her underlings, financially at least.]

[callada]

[Suddenly a dozen things are being handed to him and he has to pop that cigarette back in his mouth to take them, lest he burn through her baggage. Look, he's clumsy but he's no idiot, he knows how to minimize at least some things some of the time, especially when she seems to jump at the idea of paying him. It's a job well below his skill level, but she looks wealthy, and it will be easy money until he finds Law.

If he's here. Maybe the guy is still stranded back in that strange city on a desert world. There's an ache in his heart where Law ought to be, for having been without the kid - or rather, the man, now - for a few days is more time than they've been apart ever since they left to try and find a cure.

Maybe he'll have to do this alone. But that's fine. He knows now. He has to pull the trigger first because his brother didn't spare him the first time and certainly won't the second.]

Food wouldn't be a bad idea. Been a long few days in a small boat and this city looks like it has restaurants with more filling fare than rations and fish.

[His quiet brand of understated humor. He shoots her a smile, and nods to the road ahead.] Lead the way. And... thanks. I'm Salvador.

[desert_queen]

[Yeah, best not to piss your new boss off too badly before you've even gotten a meal out of her. But honestly, it's a job pretty far beneath of the skill level of most of the men that get paid or roped into this position. She's too damn pretty to carry her own baggage, and if Daz can do it, Salvador can too. Especially since she has very little to go on about his skill or value besides what he's told her. And that, like his name, means little. She doesn't trust people as a rule. So far all she knows, he's another lying thug trying to take advantage of a tiny woman under half of his height. She'd make a good victim, in the eyes of fools that don't know better.

She's going to have a decent time regardless of what his intentions are.

For now, he's just one hell of a tall baggage carrying device. One that she's going to pay well enough for his company.] Of course. What would suit you? I have a restaurant in mind, but I'm not entirely inconsiderate. [Her voice is sweet and playful, the same gentle fun that helped her snag the damn king. And she pulls out a parasol from her bag, and opens it over her head as she leaves the shaded area and walks back into the sun.] This way. [She's definitely got her hands full still, she went a little overboard shopping. But she's managed to at least locate her ship, and the crew on it are on their way. They know that if they betray her, she'll send assassins to the end of the earth to end them. So she's hardly bothered at all by waiting for them.

She knows they'll make it to her. Or it's their lives at stake.] Let's see... [She turns a few minutes after starting off, remembering where she saw the place earlier that looked and smelled so good. It definitely seemed luxurious. But not pretentious. And if she can get them a table outdoors, his appearance won't bother the patrons too much.

It's beautiful. Stunning little bistro tables, the quality of them outstanding. The food smells delightful, and the menu promises all sorts of quality foods.]

[callada]

[If she's trying to sweet-talk him, it's not working in her intended fashion. He takes note of the tone, realizes someone wealthy and influential while physically small probably has plenty of other hidden talents, and even if she doesn't have a devil fruit she likely has succeeded at her fair share of manipulative little games. But that's fine. So has he.

The place she leads him to is exactly the sort of place his brother favors, if a little less lavish. It will do. He glances over the menu and nods his approval, and lets a waiter lead them to one of the tables outside. The man offers to seat his new employer first, and when Rosinante goes to set down all of the bags beside the table he manages to collide with said waiter as he comes around to pull a chair out for him. He bends double over the back of the chair, pulling it down with him onto the paving stones with a loud clatter.]

I'm fine, I'm fine -

[He waves off the shocked server before he can try to give Rosi a hand, and instead he picks himself up, dusts himself off, then places the chair upright and sits himself down with a huff. The waiter is full of apologies as he sets a drinks menu down on the table, then goes to tend to other waiting customers to give Crocodile and Rosinante a chance to make themselves comfortable.]

[desert_queen]

[Oh, he's clumsy. Very clumsy. That's an unfortunate trait. She's worked with some very quirky people, but being like that makes for a hard placement in any part of her industries. Oh well, for now, she's pretty much paying him for his ability to hold bags and the fact that he's large enough to scare away a good deal of unwanted vermin.

She makes an acceptable amount of worried looks, but nods as he settles back into the chair. She also makes a note that he's worth keeping around for a bit for comedic relief if nothing else. She hasn't been this amused in ages. At least not without someone suffering in a worse way.

She pulls her bananawani out of the bag he's inside of, and sets him at another chair at the table. And he sits there like a small child. He's about the same size as one, grumpy, chubby, and scaly. While this probably isn't acceptable, she's full aware that money buys privilege. And she likes to push this every chance she can get. She's powerful, but limited in many regards by what she can do without risking her reputation. And this silliness is one of the few things she can do without risking her schemes.

She starts looking through the drink menu for something to drink, the options are amazing. But something else catches her eye. Just a few steps away from the restaurants seats is a newspaper vending machine. She loves keeping up with the news, and is about to send Salvador over to get one for her when she sees the headline.

Warlord Lady Crocodile to become the bride of his majesty Nefertari Cobra.

And with it, a large picture of her with him. And his charming daughter.

No wonder people are falling over her more than usual. You can't get better clientele than soon to be royalty. She sighs, rubs her temple, and tilts her head towards the waiter when he returns.] Bourbon sour to start with, please.

[callada]

[There, see, everything back to normal. Two people and a... what is that thing, a fat lizard? sitting at a table like the world isn't somehow collapsing in on itself with a dozen others joining in.

He notices the way her eyes look intently at something, but he can't follow her gaze without turning too obviously in his seat. Instead he takes the drinks menu in hand. She looks familiar in a way he's having trouble placing, himself. Must be someone who had made a name for herself recently - or, well. Maybe a decade ago. They're one and the same to him.

But for now it's a mystery he can't quite crack. More disappointing is that in the fall he must have lost his cigarette, though it was nearly burned out anyway.]

Gin and tonic is fine.

[The waiter heads off again, and Rosinante looks over at his companion.]

I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.

[desert_queen]

[It's delightful chaos in Crocodile's opinion. And she'd enjoy it a lot more if she had a bit more control over it. But that can be had later. She needs to rein herself in a little, focus on her current plans as much as possible. Once she has more funding, more power, and better weapons? The might she'll possess will be frightening.

And that's just how she likes it.] Not a bad choice. [Gin isn't her favorite, but conversation is something for her that needs to be practiced. She could far too easily step into that cold, irritated place that's inside of her. And a woman who behaves that way has to work a lot harder to get what they want.] Oh? I'm Crocodile. [It's not like her picture and name aren't in the news just out of reach. He'll hear it eventually. The whole Miss 0 business and the secrecy thereof is for Baroque Works and some of their deeper plans. This is personal, and this man won't be involved with that.]

[callada]

[Crocodile! That's it, that's right. The warlord. Former warlord? There are always a few too many to keep up with, as the titles get exchanged. He vaguely recalls hearing of his - or apparently, her? - defeat, and stripped of the title, Crocodile had fled to one of the older kingdoms.

He swore Crocodile had been male, though, when the news had come up. Maybe he'd misheard.]

I've heard your name. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

[Which he offers with a genuine-enough smile. It certainly explains the wealth. And also the fairly shady business, potentially.

The waiter arrives with their drinks and a basket of steaming freshly-baked rolls, and a menu for each of them. He opens his up, but doesn't really focus on the text.]

So you said earlier the news is all wrong, but I didn't get a chance to ask how. Only paper I noticed on my way into town here had a year I thought was in the future. How is that possible?

[desert_queen]

I'm not surprised. I think everyone has here. I suppose it was too much to desire a low profile.

[Oh, there's finally something decent looking about him. Something that pulls him further away from Doffy in her mind. That smile is adorable, lovely and kinder than expected. And she tilts her head approvingly at it.

He's still not her type, though. And she's still pretty certain he's a member of that obnoxious gene pool.]

When I arrived, I saw a version of myself in the news. A huge, hulking man that had tried to incite a civil war, and had nearly succeeded. It was shocking. And also dated in the future. [She's trying to look worried again, saddened perhaps, and not what she really feels about the whole situation. Which is purely disappointment and disgust. Would she have ended up so useless if she hadn't begged for Ivankov's assistance? She doesn't even want to think about it.] I don't know how it's possible. But it's hardly the only thing to consider. [She pauses to look over her menu, and decides that she's not fucking getting a salad today. She's too stressed out for that, she needs real food. She's not going to pander to public opinion all of the time anyway. Just enough to make them worship her and her sweet, fragile femininity.] I found evidence of at least three different versions of Alabasta. Theoretically, that's impossible. All of it is.

[callada]

[One doesn't become a warlord to keep a low profile, but he doesn't point that out. Pirates pay attention and fear them. The Marines pay attention and use them when convenient, and scorn them the rest of the time. The role has its benefits, but it's anything but under the radar.

Noticing that the smile seems to put her at ease is pleasing, though. She's trouble and he will do well to stay on her good side for as long as is convenient. Earn money. Part amicably, with any luck. Find Law. Capture Doflamingo. The world's most difficult checklist, in the current situation, with each step an escalating challenge.]

I had thought the Crocodile I had heard of was male.

[That part is particularly strange. Even if he can accept the fact that he's here, he's alive, and the date is wrong, he had thought that was the fault of that Hadriel place. Duplicates of people and entire islands? Can't possibly be caused by the same thing, can it? He doesn't bother hiding his confusion - it would actually be worse if it looked like he knew what was going on. So he shakes his head and that smile sets itself into a frown.]

What do you think it means?

[desert_queen]

[She knows damn well that a low profile was impossible, she's not stupid, even if she tends to play down her intelligence greatly. And the whole situation amuses her too much.] I'm sure it sounds silly. But even a woman in my position occasionally desires a bit of privacy. And I assumed that in this place I'd get it. Foolish of me. [Men like it when women are docile and stupid. When they admit they're wrong. In her experiences, at least. So she keeps the act up to some degree, no matter what company she keeps aside from her highest employees and partners.

She really is trouble, but she's not likely to cause him much of it at this point. Like her male counterparts, trust is not something she has for people as a rule. She's perhaps a little more likely to let someone in, but that's a marginal chance still. So she can play nice, knowing her power will protect her if the situation arises. This means she can play nicely, and have a good time without worry if nothing else.

For now, she's going to simply wine and dine herself, and pay his way until she's bored of him.] Have you seen the pictures of him? Sir Crocodile? I was expecting something different from the headlines. He doesn't look very much like me. [She's still in shock about that, real and pure shock. It's like her youth, pushed into masculine hell. He's ugly, and she can't imagine living that way.

But he has fantastic tastes in clothes. She has to give him that.] I think there are a few potential guilty parties that we can easily point a finger at. I think someone was meddling where they shouldn't have meddled. Perhaps a few someones, working together.

[The waiter is back, and she orders herself a steak dinner. The fact that there's a fresh tomato salad on the menu is a plus too. She also gets a steak, raw and very expensive, for her little pet. Who is still sitting there like a fat awkward child, waiting for mommy to give him a treat.

Maternal instinct is a bitch, and she takes it out on the damn thing.] There are only a handful of people capable of something this foolish, that I can think of anyway. And many of them are Marine funded. Which means getting the truth about this situation out might be easier said than done.

[callada]

[He gives a polite chuckle of acknowledgment and lets her talk. Privacy? A fair desire even if hard to obtain. Sir Crocodile being different? Naturally, though he can't recall the exact details. Rosinante has surely seen the bounty posters but he's seen a lot of other ones too, and then the poster goes out of circulation when the bounty gets frozen, and it all gets lost in the shuffle.

Though come to think of it, Alabasta... wasn't his brother keeping tabs on a big-time pirate there? Potential business partner? He had lost so many of his notes to Vergo and left behind his belongings on that little rescue dinghy, and now wouldn't be the time to check, anyway. But there's something in the back of his mind suggesting there's a connection he's overlooked here. Shit. That's going to bother him.

He glances over again at the fat little reptile as she orders for it, then selects his own - and unlike her, he's definitely going for the salad. Roasted eggplant and chickpeas over lettuce and basil and a whole lot more? You bet.]

Yeah, the Marines have that scientist, right? Vegapunk. I thought he made weapons, though.

[That's public enough knowledge anyway. There are plenty of others, too, but some of them he doesn't want to lay blame on for something this big and potentially destructive. Vegapunk, though - who does a lot more than weapons - can handle a pointed finger. It wouldn't be the first time that he had stepped past the bounds Rosinante considers ethically responsible. The man is lucky he has the backing of the government to pursue his projects.]

Someone has answers. The government will probably put out a statement about it anyway. People are gonna be worried.

[The government statement will almost certainly be a selective version of the truth, but that's acceptable. The goal will be to keep civilians from panicking while they work on fixing this mess.]

[desert_queen]

There's Vegapunk, but he's not the only one to look towards. And a mind like that can do far more than just weaponry. He's a good start, but not enough. At least not alone.

[She's starting to think that this was a commissioned failure. There's always need for new technology, to push further. But playing with things that shouldn't be played with can have very dangerous results.]

I'm sure. But which government? If there's more than one of me, perhaps more than one Salvador? Then there's more than one of each of them. [Or maybe they're all just gone. Unlikely, but a nicer thing to think about.] I wonder if they're all fighting among themselves now. [She thinks so, hopes so, the idea is absolutely amusing to her. Fat cats fighting over who's the real one, that would be delightful.]

[callada]

[More than one of himself?

Somehow, that particular thought hadn't occurred to him yet. It should have but there are too many factors to consider and his mind has been racing with dealing wit the possibilities since the moment he arrived and started to notice the particular things that have gone wrong.

More than one of himself should be frightening but there's some amount of relief in the idea too. Someone who knows what he's been through, who understands the double - or perhaps triple - life he's had to lead. Someone he could talk to and plan with. Someone to help lure Doffy into his much-deserved prison cell.

On the other hand, the idea of multiple governments is pretty frightening. But if it means he'll get to be witness to Mary Geoise tearing itself apart then it will be immensely worthwhile.]

Guess there's a lot of changes we'll all have to get used to. It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

[desert_queen]

Interesting is one way of putting it. [Crocodile is thrilled at just how many ways this world might end up ripping itself apart, how many arrogant bastards she can crush under her designer heels as they're too focus on their own stupidity to see that she's on her way to ruin them and take what's theirs. And she's quiet for a moment, holding and sipping her drink with the sweetest smile on her face. She's always at her prettiest when she's plotting something absolutely awful.

But she doesn't have the time to really sit and enjoy a good plot right now, and she needs more information first anyway. On top of that, the waiter is back to their table with their food. She's famished, and it's going to be hard to be slow and ladylike about it. Especially with how good it actually looks.] A decent meal, finally.

[The last place she'd eaten wasn't particularly special, and she's really hoping this actually tastes as good as it looks and smells. She sighs irritably though, the waiter has walked away and the steak for Baby has been left uncut up. And he makes such a damn mess when he eats it whole. So she works on cutting it up for him, feeling absolutely irritated and ridiculous for a moment, but it's done quickly and set in front of him.

Hopefully he won't eat the tablecloth too this time.]

[callada]

[Rosinante is quite hungry himself, even if he's learned long ago how not to show it. So if she digs in with a little more enthusiasm than is normally granted someone of her social status, he won't complain. Likely won't even notice. The salad is beautiful but he's more focused on eating it anyway.

Though he does glance over at the strange little reptile. There's something oddly pleasant about how much she clearly cares for it. Reminds him in a way of Sengoku and that goat - an animal he had always had a fondness for after it helped break him out of his shell when he was so young. Perhaps it's still around with the former fleet admiral somewhere.]

How long have you had him? Or her. [How would one even know, really?]

[desert_queen]

[By not fussing over her eating, which is still pretty polite, just not fragile lady polite, he's ensuring his employment in her inner circle a little longer. She looks for quite a few traits in people she keeps close to her. And useful doesn't always follow the traditional ideas.

Sometimes just not annoying her into murderous rage is enough to be useful

She eats another bite, chews and swallows carefully, and then sighs at the question.] Roughly three weeks. His name is Baby. [You can tell by having a vet do the dirty work. She's certainly not sexing a bananawani.] He is a rare pet. They rarely stay anywhere near this small, he's a toy variety bred for me.

[callada]

Three weeks? I guess he must be pretty young still then. Think he'll get any bigger at all?

[The way she fusses over him, she's clearly attached. He would have thought she'd had him longer. Buying him a fancy steak dinner rather than just feeding him scraps of raw meat, for example. If that's not love for a pet, what is?

And who the hell breeds toy varieties of enormous animals specifically for one woman, anyway? Sure, she's ridiculously wealthy - so maybe that's all it is. She probably has a cadre of pet breeders or something.]