[PRP] A Real, Certified Hooman (Nasir & Horace)

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace figured he could find his way out if needed. As long as his glasses didn't break. It had taken some trial and error, but it seemed like his ability to see doors out was specifically linked to his glasses. Which kind of sucked, but it was better than nothing. It had also prompted him to buy a hard glasses case instead of setting them on the bed next to him at night and waking up with them on the floor.

This time though, instead of trying to shoot lightning at the trees, he'd decided to explore. Horace was kind of hoping he'd find a perfect place for him and Jordan to star watch. He hadn't, however, expected to come across anyone else. Stopping a respectable distance away, he called out.

"Hey, are you a real human?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir was still trying to figure things out. Things did, in fact, include magic and other ashdown but mostly it was just ... figuring things out. Which was why when something caught Trouble's attention enough for him to get sight-jacked by his familiar he had followed it.

... and ended up in other ashdown with Trouble on his shoulder and him looking around. It was still weird but at least it wasn't raining all the time like everyone said it had before- Well, before the world had gone a bit crazy. Nasir was in the process of cleaning his glasses with a cloth when he heard someone, blinking repeatedly to try and bring the figure into clarity.

It didn't work until he actually put his glasses back on.

"Yes," he replied, hand lifting to wave. "I'm human. I haven't even seen anything non-human since that ball ..." Then, as if realizing not saying hello back was rude, he got a sheepish smile on his face and spoke once more. "Hello!"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace jogged closer. "Hey, I'm Horace. Nice to meet you, fellow human." The guys certainly looked human, but other had told him things lurked in this version of Ashdown. He'd met a few people, here and there, but it was always best to check.

"I'm sure you know about it, but just in case... you've got a, uh, friend on you shoulder, there." Normally people didn't have squirrels riding them into battle. But maybe this guy was a Disney prince or something.

"The ball?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Nasir," fingers were raised and wiggled and waved in greeting, "it's good to meet you too!" When Horace mentioned the friend on his shoulder, his fingers came up to touch briefly at Trouble (who pushed his small nose against the tip of Nasir's finger).

"Yeah, his name is Trouble. He's, uh, my familiar." Said Trouble blinked surprisingly human looking brown eyes at Horace. Eyes that were the exact same color as Nasir's behind his glasses. "Um ... there was a ball last year? It was here or ... I guess at the Court." Complicated. "Either way, there were a lot of beings and creatures at it? I've not seen any really since then aside from, um, othercats."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"A familiar? Like a witch's familiar - can you cast spells and stuff?" Horace looked at Trouble, highly interested. Now that he was looking more closer, it seemed like the animal's eyes were a bit different, though he wasn't sure how.

The court sounded familiar, though. He snapped his fingers. "Ah, nobles, right? I don't know anything about a ball, though someone told me all y'all are aliens."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Warm brown eyes blinked and peered at Horace before the flying squirrel was darting to the other side of Nasir's shoulders and kind of hopped to be up in his hair.

... and tug on one of the hair barrettes that kept bangs out of his face. Nasir laughed a little bit before he should his head. "Think more like ... the Stark kids? From Game of Thrones? He doesn't help me cast magic but I can see through his eyes and hear through his ears when I want to."

Shifting on his feet he nodded about the nobles, blinking about aliens. "Uh ... I'm not a Noble, if that's what you're thinking? I know one but I'm not one ... What I am is called a warg."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace wiggled his fingers in a small 'hello' at the tiny creature. Nasir's head looked to be an exemplary perch, so he couldn't fault Trouble. "Oh, that makes sense. Seems pretty useful." And utterly disorienting. Just the thought of seeing the world through a bird's eyes was giving him a headache.

He blinked. Wargs, nobles aliens. "Just how many different variations do people come in...?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"It was really, really jarring for me at first, actually ... Once I got used to it, though, yeah. It's pretty useful. I kind of know what it feels like to glide through the air and run through tree limbs and-" Nasir went quiet, a ruddy red spreading across his cheeks and he pushed his glasses up a little.

"So far as I know," he answered instead of rambling, "there's just, you know, wargs, moonwalkers, and Nobles? Besides just those who are normal, aside from having magic, who can come here." Nasir thought there might have also been vampires but-

Well.

He did not know for sure.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace grinned as Nasir went on and on. Now that was kinda cute. "I imagine you could easily go all spy-like to gather intel if ever needed, too." Though, for some reason, it was kind of hard to imagine this guy performing intelligence operations. Not that he didn't seem smart, jsut that he didn't seem overly sneaky.

"What's a moonwalker - wait.... it's either an alien or like a werewolf, yeah?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets and let out a small, low whistle. "I never thought I'd be the normal guy. I just blow up plants."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Yeah, I haven't tried that yet though ..." The entire spy intel thing was a bit beyond him at the moment (not really) but he'd get the hang of it.

"Not a wolf specifically but, yeah, weres. I think there was a wolf one ..." Hadn't that been Lucas? Though he had not seen him in a long time. "Basically not just wolves and they're called moonwalkers since around the full moon they start having more animal features."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Gotta practice your spy skills," he said sagely. "Honestly, moonwalkers just makes them sound like alien-wannabes." All of this magic stuff was a little ridiculous, but he was fully willing to believe six impossible things before breakfast (but not before coffee).

"So, like, do you just spontaneously gain a lil animal dude or start turning into an animal on the random?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"It does but I like saying moonwalker more than were." Mostly because it made them sound more- fantasy? Who knew, either way, Nasir liked the way moonwalker rolled off his tongue.

"Um, it can be spontaneous? For both? Like I suddenly got whammied one night and was suddenly looking through Trouble's eyes while he was in the tree. It took some time and practice and finding another warg to talk about it with to really get the hang of it. You can train to do it to, I think, but you just have to get," he smiled a little bit, "tutoring sessions basically from another warg.

"Turning into an animal can be too, like I said. Like you wake up and realize you've got paws instead of fingers? Or you've grown a tail or you want to be up high for some reason ... It's instincts but ..." Nasir frowned a little bit at this point. "You can also get bitten by a moonwalker and you'll turn into whatever kind they are." He was rubbing at his arm a moment, at his shoulder, without really thinking about it. It did pull up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing the edges of what looked like claw marks.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"That sounds incredibly confusing to just boom, see through the eyes of an animal. The perspective shift would make me so queasy, I think." He chewed his lip for a second, a motion that made his snakebites more prominent in an odd way. "So if I ever felt kind of like bonding with an animal, you could be my teacher, eh?"

Horace was kind of sure he wanted no such thing, but it was fun to think about. "I hope I don't catching the were-ing. Hey," He frowned at the edges of the scar, combined with Nasir's subconscious movement. "That from a moonwalker?" He pointed. Maybe it was just from a vicious cat.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir froze as soon as Horace mentioned the scar and he nodded slowly. It was, very briefly, lifted up to show what was slash of claws and a spot where what was probably the thumb had punctured. It probably classified as a badass tattoo but there were too many bad feels attached to it for him to think of it that way.

"Yeah, it is," he said. "Happened last year, right after college graduation during the job fair that's at Blackfriars." Except that there had been no incident like that in this reality. "... but, um, yes? I could if you wanted. Like you have to kind of pick out what kind of familiar you want and make sure you're compatible but I can guide you through the process."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace frowned at the scar. It looked like it had hurt. "Blackfriar's? But the job fair went well, nothing - oh. Alien, right. I'm sorry." He didn't ask further about it; he knew how scars could hold memories.

"So, do you just go up to a bird and point and say 'I choose you, Pikachu'?" Horace rubbed the shaved side of his head, thinking. He didn't know that he was even interested in having a magical bond with an animal, but the whole compatibility thing seemed confusing.

azuredreams