The Deck | Sunday Afternoon

[pursuedthestars]

There was a ferret following Jim around. At first, he'd just thought the island was giving out pets again and he'd rolled his eyes. Then, the ferret had started talking. At that point, Jim thought maybe he'd gone on a bender he didn't remember and was still drunk.

But, the ferret hadn't gone away and he hadn't sobered up (because he hadn't ever been drunk) and Jim had eventually just chalked the talking ferret (who'd introduced himself as Aesina) to the island.

Wasn't that what Sparkle had told him the reason for most things was? Whatever, Jim and the stupid ferret were now out on the deck because it apparently hurt like a bitch if Jim tried to get away.

"Are we here to get a tan?" Aesina asked. He was stretched out on a lounger, looking pretty comfortable.

"You've got fur, you can't get sun."

Aesina sniffed haughtily. "Says you. I'll do whatever I want."

Jim rolled his eyes and shook his head. Stupid familiar sounding ferret.

[Deck is open]

Comments

[hasadestiny]

A small red vixen bounded up onto the deck, followed closely by Lex. "Are you absolutely sure my dad didn't pick your name? Because it seems like the kind of thing he'd..." Lex trailed off when he saw Jim. "Hey."

[pursuedthestars]

"Hey," Jim greeted, nodding at Lex before his eyes fell on the fox. "Well, glad to see it's not just me with some weird...animal friend."

"You're gonna give me a complex if you keep calling me weird," Aesina said. "It's not nice."

Jim shook his head again. Stupid ferret.

[hasadestiny]

"According to the radio, most of us got them," Lex said, finding a chair to sit in. If he seemed unfazed by all this, he'd gotten used to the island by this, plus it turned out his daemon was just as interested in trying to figure out the science behind all this as he was. "I'm Lex, the fox is Roshanak."

[pursuedthestars]

"Jim. And this is a ferret."

If Aesina could have rolled his eyes, he would have. "I have a name. And it's Aesina."

"Whatever," he said. "Good to meet you, Lex. And Roshanak. That's a mouthful."

[hasadestiny]

"Likewise," Lex said, directing his answer to both man and ferret. "Persian. I think it suits her, it's queenly." Yeah, Lex kind of liked the idea of having a chunk of his soul around to talk to, weirdo.

For her part, Roshanak rolled her eyes before settling at Lex's feet. "Flatterer."

[pursuedthestars]

Jim might have been a little more okay with this whole thing if his daemon hadn't been a frigging ferret. He couldn't have had a cooler daemon? Sheesh.

"I've been hearing that strange crap like this happens a lot," said Jim, glancing over at Aesina. "A weaker person might be driven insane by living on this island. Surprised there isn't a psychologist on call."

[hasadestiny]

It wasn't that bad, sure a fox was cooler, but that didn't mean ferrets were uncool. He could have had some kind of beetle or something.

"There's guidance counsellor," Lex said. "Though I don't know how useful she'd be."

[taseredagod.livejournal.com]

Darcy had been so happy to finally have something weird happen to her - she wasn't counting the locker - that she had spent way more time than healthy talking to the ferret that had magically appeared.

Now, she was wandering around the school, with a ferret that was sticking his nose everywhere he could.

"Hey, you have a ferret too!" She might have been a smidgen disappointed.

[pursuedthestars]

"Unfortunately."

If Aesina could have rolled his eyes, he would have. "Yeah, I'm real happy with you too."

"Maybe your ferret's a little more tolerable than mine," Jim said. Aesina wasn't bad, not really, but still, it was a talking freaking ferret that kept talking about his soul.

[taseredagod.livejournal.com]

"Aw, yeah, I like my ferret. He's entertaining!" Darcy said.

Adrastos perked up at this and trotted over to poke at something else he had spotted.

"And apparently not big on talking to other people? I don't know. Did everyone get ferrets?" She wondered.

[pursuedthestars]

"Don't think so," Jim said, watching Aesina watch Adrastos. His ferret had been lazy (pretty much on par with what Jim did on weekends) but now he was a little curious.

"Guy I was talking to earlier had a fox," he shared. "I still can't figure out the whole ferret thing for me though. Couldn't I have an eagle or something?"

"No, you couldn't," Aesina said, sounding bored. "And you'll figure me out soon. I have faith in your brain."

[taseredagod.livejournal.com]

"Ferrets are curious and adorable?" Darcy tried. Adrastos preened at the compliment.

"Mine is nicer than yours." She decided.

[pursuedthestars]

"Hey, mine's nice!" Jim protested, glancing at Aesina. "You're judging a ferret by its cover. If this thing is really a part of me, it's not gonna jump for joy when someone comes along. It's too cool for that."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"You aren't allowed to spend all weekend holed up in your room or one of your warehouse hideaways moping about your Cara," a rumbling voice boomed, and Surreal appeared at the edge of the deck, being shoved along by a very large puma. "Get some sun. You'll feel better."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"I do, I really do."

[pursuedthestars]

"Wow, that is a big cat," Jim said, eyes widening briefly. Even Aesina stood up and paid attention after being half asleep most of the time they'd been on the deck.

"Pretty too," the ferret added.

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I am," he preened, giving Surreal a final shove with his nose so she sat down on a chair and glared. "Aurelio, at your service. The surly biped is Surreal."

[pursuedthestars]

"Jim," he said, pointing at himself. "And ferret."

Aesina sounded like he was sighing when he said, "Aesina. Jim doesn't seem to be able to remember my name. I'm beginning to think he needs to have his head checked."

"Shut up," Jim said, shaking his head. "You're a talking ferret."

"And I'm smarter than you are, Jim."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"Oh look, another bit of walking-dinner that shares Aurelio's high opinion of himself," Surreal sighed, rubbing at her forehead. "Can we make them go away yet?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Have you tried walking away from your big cat yet?" Jim wondered. "I made the mistake of trying to leave the ferret at the pet store and nearly died when I got a few feet away. Hurt like a bitch."

Which was just unfair.

[wasthecuteone]

Petra came out onto the deck fully prepared for an afternoon of lounging, with a hat, a book, and...a peacock.

At least it wasn't a frog?

"Hey," she said to Jim. "What's up? Besides, you know, random talking animals."

"I am not random," the peacock said, sounding put out.

"You're a peacock."

The peacock fanned his tail out rather showily in response.

[pursuedthestars]

"I think random talking animals are about it," said Jim, raising an eyebrow at the peacock. "At least you've got something interesting, though. Something not a ferret."

"Like I wanted you," Aesina told him.

[wasthecuteone]

The peacock looked pleased, inasmuch as a peacock could look pleased--it was more like 'smug'--at being found interesting.

"Ferrets are cool," Petra said. "Well. Furry trouble, but cool. This is Casimir," she added, hiking a thumb toward the peacock. "Apparently."

[pursuedthestars]

"Aesina," Jim said, finally introducing his daemon by something other than 'ferret'. It was progress. "Furry trouble?"

Well, that was one point in the column of familiarity for Jim. He was pretty troublesome but he wasn't furry.

"You and your peacock not getting along?"

[wasthecuteone]

"Nah, he's okay," Petra said after a glance at Casimir. "Hard to fit through doorways, but okay. Why, are you having problems with Aesina?" She hoped she'd pronounced that right. Living with Daenerys had given her some practice on impossible names.

[pursuedthestars]

"He's just a jerk."

"The resemblance must be brutal for you," Aesina answered. He crawled down towards the end of the chair and stretched out.

"And he's a ferret," he added. "I couldn't have something cooler if I had to have some animal? Freaking ferret."

"You're breaking my heart," Aesina said and didn't sound like he meant it.