3904/Pig Birthday!

Pig Birthday!
Date of Scene:	13 March 2016
Location:	Planetary Plains
Synopsis:	A pig is sold, eaten, and someone might have crapped their pants! Also, recruiting attempts.
Cast of Characters:	Sanary Rondel, 930, 953

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Sanary Rondel has posed:
The Planetary Plains! It's a peaceful night at the plains, with most farmers indoors eating dinner and their livestock doing... Livestock things. Probably a few foxes here and there hounding the less-defended henhouses, but still a fairly peaceful night! Sanary's coordinates would lead to a path not too far from one of the warpgates leading to this area, outside of any actual farms and just smack dab in the middle of a grassy hill overlooking those farms.

     Sanary herself is standing at the top of the hill, her coat blowing dramatically in the wind for a fated nighttime showdown! Well, maybe not a showdown. More like a pig sale. No, it's exactly like a pig sale. She has one on a leash next to her, the big pink animal snorting and glancing around without a care in the world.

Alden (930) has posed:
The Gabumon is pleased to see the area is rather nice and calm, he is still recovering from his assistance against the monsters on that deserted city. He walks down the path, and grins as he spots the familiar face, enjoying the rather dramatic display. He is tempted to clap, but he thinks that might be silly!. Still, he approaches, waving a hand happily, "Hi!" he chirps when close enough, lizardy tail wagging slowly behind him. This was the first time he sees an actual pig, so he spends a few moments to look at the big pink creature.

Kutsuuko Shiratori (953) has posed:
    She's still never going to get used to this. Kutsuuko used to head out around the multiverse from time to time before, but being surrounded by grass and trees from horizon to horizon is surreal to the point of being dreamlike, or perhaps even a little unnerving. It's odd, in a way, how she seems to feel a little less at ease here, on this idyllic farmland, than she had out on the eroding corpse of civilization a few days ago.

    Shiro is loving it of course. For multiple reasons; one of them very esoteric and likely to mean absolutely nothing to either of the other people here, but it's one for which her owner will excuse her. The shinki lookalike flits around from place to place like an excited dragonfly, trailing strokes of lavender light from her halo everywhere she goes. It's almost like she's stolen all of Kutsuuko's energy, because the God Eater herself looks exhausted, trudging through the grass with her God Arc folded and strapped down to her back. There may have been some all-night pestering going on.

    "That it?" she asks Sanary, as if there could possibly be any other answer, glancing at the snuffling animal with a strange sort of glass barrier of unfamiliarity.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Hearing a familiar voice coming from down the path, Sanary turns to offer Alden a light wave. "Ah! Hey, Alden. Good to see you here." She raises an eyebrow curiously as he looks it over, an amused grin crossing her face after a moment. She bends over to pat the pig's head lightly, getting a little closer to eye level with Alden. "Never saw one of these before? It's a pig. Big, meaty, good for eating or raising as pets if you've got the right setup for 'em. Kutsuuko's buying, so..."

     She looks up upon hearing Kutsuuko, offering her and Shiro a light wave as well while straightening back up. "Kutsuuko! Shiro! Hey, good to see you two. Here's the pig as promised. Just washed her today, plenty of meat... Perfect age and size for butchering, really." She squats in place as she starts pointing out various parts of the pig, looking and sounding much more excited than she has in recent days. "The belly's great for a lot of things, not just bacon. The feet have a lot of tough meat on 'em, so those are good for stews. And the shoulder..."

     As Sanary prattles on about suggestions on how to cook each part, the pig perks up when it spots the Gabumon, the Fenrir operative, and the sorta-shinki. It peers at them with those beady little eyes curiously, although it doesn't move much beyond that and snorting occasionally. It's clearly been fed quite a lot to get to the size it's at, yet looking rather healthy despite its weight. It also looks and smells like it's been cleaned recently, so it's probably not too hard to guess that the cleric picked this one out specifically for today.

Alden (930) has posed:
Alden nods a few times, lizardish tail wagging, "Yeah, never saw one of those before." he says, "It does look big." he says softly. "It looks kind of cute." he says with a grin, moving closer to Sanary, and letting the pig examine and sniff around if it wanted. The Gabumon reached to try to pet the creature, moving slowly, only to hae his attention stolen by the arrivals!. He recognizes Kutsuuko from the mission he joined not too long ago and waves happily!. He also spots the small shinki like critter, and Shiro, waving to them happily, friendly digimon. He perks one ear at the mention of ways to cook the pig, blinking at the mention of bacon. Huh, so that's where people not from the digital world get the bacon.

Kutsuuko Shiratori (953) has posed:
    "I've seen them, I guess . . ." Kutsuuko trails off a little uncertainly. "Mostly just on the monitor though. We don't go down to hydroponics or live storage. Pigs are endangered anyways, so the handlers don't like people being around them. Same with . . . every animal really." She concludes, only to become briefly embroiled in the following exchange with Shiro:

"Aragami love them though!"
"Aragami love eating anything that moves and makes noise."
"But they ate all the animals first!"
"Only because animals can't go that fast."
"Well how do you know they don't taste really good? Maybe that's why they wanted to eat them all."
"I've had bacon before! I even shared some with you!"
"But it's not the same!"
"What, do all the bones and guts add extra flavour or something?"
"I don't know! That's why I'm curious!"

    The weariest of sighs follows. It seems like the two just completely talked over Sanary's explanation. Rude. "Alright alright, nine hundred wasn't it?" Kutsuuko grumbles something about the most expensive girl she's ever taken out to dinner while she fishes out an obviously brand new, standard credit chit. "I don't have to pay in gold coins or something, right?" She looks to Alden. "Don't get attached to livestock. It only ends up in heartbreak."

Alden (930) has posed:
Alden smiles as he hears the pair, his tail wagging slowly, "That's good advice." he says softly, "I can see how that can be a good idea, unless you end up changing your mind about it being livestock instead of a pet." he replies. He lets the poor pig alone, and approaches Kutsuuko and Shiro, "Nice to meet you." he tells to Shiro, and the likely excitable shinki like thing around. "I'm Alden."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"Pigs can be cute, yeah. This one's about... A year and a half old now?" Sanary sounds confident of that as she checks that pig over, nodding after confirming that to herself. "A lot of places'll sell you meat from pigs younger than that, but the flavor's not all there that early. They actually make for decent pets if you raise 'em that way, but this one's definitely for eating." She seems rather calm talking about the likely impending death of the pig.

     How morbid. "But if you want something that's better as a pet, I could bring one of those by next time and help you get some space set up for that." Business is business!

     Hearing that sigh from Kutsuuko, the healer snickers lightly and either didn't notice or doesn't mind that most of that explanation went over their heads. Alden seems to have been listening, at least! "Nine hundred, yep. Nah, I'll take just about anything. I know this place back at... Uh. The Citadel that can do the conversions if you don't have credits on hand."

     Right. The Citadel. "... Speaking of that. Uh. I actually got a little job offer for you two. How much do you two know about the Confederacy?"

Kutsuuko Shiratori (953) has posed:
    "Gotcha." Kutsuuko replies to Sanary, tiredly handing over the pre-paid balance with enough reluctance to imply that it just came out of a brand new paycheque. "And thanks, but no thanks. The Den is a no-pet zone and Fenrir definitely won't be allowing random people to start coming in and doing renovations. That's something I can't do anything about with money. Besides, Shiro is enough work as is."

    "Hey!"

    Though she clearly isn't intending to fight, Kutsuuko unslings the compact configuration God Arc from over her shoulder, the motion resembling someone gladly ditching a heavy camping backpack rather than something that weighs in at five times a typical engine block. Shiro briefly alights on the pig's nose, staring into its beady eyes as if expecting to grasp some kind of deeper meaning behind its rudimentary intelligence, before swiftly figuring out that there isn't anything to learn from a dumb hog and taking off again, circling around like a tiny spy drone.

    Kutsuuko continues on remarkably conversationally. "Used to work for them." she replies. "Been to the Citadel plenty of times, including the Seat of Power. If you're looking for a new recruit, I'm sorry to say you're asking the wrong girl. Fenrir cut ties years ago."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"I getcha... I don't think there's a policy on pets where I live, but there's... Probably not enough room and too much crap in my space to have one, anyway." Sanary laughs lightly as the offer to have a pet pig is turned down, taking the money and even offering Kutsuuko an apologetic grin before turning to Shiro and holding out the leash. It's a cheap one, but it's sturdy enough, and the pig itself looks trained enough (or just too lazy) to bolt, anyway. It just looks back at Shiro with those curious eyes, watching the tiny being as he flitters about.

     Pocketing the money, Sanary blinks slowly as Kutsuuko mentions her previous employment with the Confederacy, although it's not quite enough to confirm if that was in a mercenary capacity or a more direct one. Either way, that last part does draw a disappointed sigh from the healer.

     "Ah, that's a shame. You're a strong fighter. I saw it in our last two missions. Would've been great having you sign up all official-like, but..." She gives an understanding nod (even if she doesn't really understand). "If that's Fenrir's thing, I can't ask you to bail on them. Still, if you're ever looking for less..."

     Sanary pauses with a puzzled look. "What's the word... Unofficial? Undocumented...? Ah, you probably get what I mean." She grins, although there's a serious look in her eye. "We're always looking for strong people that can really change things. So if you or any of yours are interested, give me a call."

Kutsuuko Shiratori (953) has posed:
    "I appreciate the recognition~" Kutsuuko voices in a tired attempt to sound smug. "Best of the best and all that~ Don't take it personally though. I literally can't go against Fenrir, loyalty or not. If you're outsourcing on a contract basis, then I might see you on that side, but as it stands, we're not getting tied up in the war." It is at this point that Shiro hovers over to land on Kutsuuko's shoulder, her pale silver-pink hair still fluttering slowly even sat down. "Master." she prompts simply. Oddly, it doesn't sound needy or excitable. It somehow seems like it has nothing to do with the pig at all.

    "Ahhhh, fine, fine! You're so impatient!" the God Eater laments instead, rolling her shoulders on purpose just to make the !shinki wobble, a few stiff pops sounding out regardless. "Just remember, no more snacks until your birthday! This cost half of this week's pay!" "That's because you only did guide missions." "As if that was my choice!"

    Finally, Kutsuuko swings the God Arc vaguely in the direction of the pig, the machinery bursting open like a metallic flower, exposing the roiling, inky blackness that fills the gaps, rather than any semblance of wires and gears. The moment next, the dark heart of the machine explodes outwards, letting loose an audible, artificially bestial roar; a flash of impossible teeth and the shadow of an abyssal maw. The motion is too fast to follow, little more than a gut-dropping blur of black and red. One instant there is a pig, the next instant someone has just dropped a jumbo sized water balloon filled with red paint off a building. There isn't so much as a crunch of bone to be heard. It's the strike of a cobra and and an almost comically excessive splatter of red.

    A blink of an eye later and the blackness recedes back into the weapon, snapping back together around it, control cores glowing a soft, satisfied gold ahead of the hilt. Kutsuuko looks . . . surprisingly more awake. Like she'd just downed a couple of energy drinks and waited fifteen minutes in that heartbeat. Shiro is curled up against her neck, sighing softly. "Ahhhh~ That was /really/ good~ Not like bacon at all. It's so much sweeter when it's still alive~" "I'm not getting you another one."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"Ah, not at all. The war's... Yeah, that's understandable." Sanary nods again and crosses her arms behind her head, stretching a bit and not looking too put off by that response. Why would she? Kutsuuko's world did look like it was in pretty shitty condition the last two times she's been there, after all. She raises an eyebrow at the not-shinki curiously, looking from her to her master with an amused snicker at their banter.

     It's when that God Arc is lifted once again that the healer steps back, watching it with morbid curiousity. "Whoa. Planning on cutting it up he... Re..?" Sanary's seen this before. Not with a farm animal, of course, but with the Aragami. There's a light twinge of pain as that darkened mouth appears in the God Eater's weapon, and then some flat out gawking at the mass of blood where the pig had been just moments earlier. Sanary opens her mouth slowly as she looks from the mess of blood to Kutsuuko and Shiro, taking several moments to try and figure out what just happened before finally...

     "... Huh. So that's why you didn't want it butchered."

Kutsuuko Shiratori (953) has posed:
    It seems to take Kutsuuko a couple of seconds to register Sanary's surprise, upon which she laughs out loud briefly. "Oh yeah I forgot. A bit of a shock the first couple of times seeing it, right? The title 'God Eater' isn't for nothing y'know. We're technically military, but our job really is eating gods, not parade drills and role call." Shiro picks up. "Butchering it isn't the same anyways. It's not the taste of the meat or anything, but the complexity of the organism. A slab of pork has a lot of neat little protein chains that are fun for a little while, but this is /so/ much better~ It's like ah . . ." "Reading a four panel gag comic and reading a novel." "Yes! Like that!"

    Since there's no need to blow anyone up, Kutsuuko slings her weapon back over, a tendril of black biomass temporarily visible connecting the hilt of the God Arc to some sort of port in the red bracelet, retracting as she stows it. "Felt like it would have been a waste of your time. You're a Confederate officer, right? I'm sure you're pretty busy. We'll have plenty of time to talk about it later if things keep going the way they do, so, from a former Confederate, good luck, and keep your head on straight."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"A bit." That's quite the understatement. Still, Sanary does regain enough of her composure to laugh in response, albeit still somewhat nervously considering how easily the God Arc could've clamped around her instead of that pig just moments ago. "I getcha... After seeing how those Aragami fight, I'd be surprised if something like that just now /wasn't/ an easy thing for you to do." The healer does seem to understand Shiro's and Kutsuuko's explanation of the differences in eating a full pig versus cuts. That, in itself, also seems to be getting some of the gears turning in her head again...

     Maybe something to discuss another time, though. "Heh... Yeah, officer. Actually just got promoted a few months back, so I'm... Still kinda learning this stuff as I go." She chuckles somewhat bashfully at that, nodding at Kutsuuko while peering at that bracelet of hers for a moment. "Interesting.. Ah, yeah, definitely keep in touch with us. There's a lot of work to do fixing up your world and dealing with the Aragami, and... Well, can't really expect the Union to look at the long-term. Might as well sub-contract it to us or the Syndicate if you need help with that." She brings up her hand in a firm salute afterwards. "Thanks, Kutsuuko. You be safe, too."