If you could only see the beast you've made of me

[why_me]

» WHO? Garion and you
» WHEN? just after he wakes up near the gym
» WHERE? Around (basically anywhere public is fair game)
» WHAT? There's a wolf walking around the station
» WARNINGS? None so far. Happy to use [ ] for any replies.


There is a wolf wandering around the station. A large wolf. A large white wolf with blue eyes.

Because he woke up in a chamber near the gym, that's where he's likely to be found, but he's wandering now, trying to sniff out something, anything, to tell him what's going on. Now, of course, he's not just a wolf. He's also a man by the name of Garion (or Belgarion, technically) but given that a wolf can cover distances much faster than a human can, that he'll have the advantage of a nose that can sniff out nearly anything on his muzzle, and the fact that between his teeth and his claws, he'll have more a weapon in that form should he encounter anything dangerous...

He's always scouted as a wolf. Really, this is no change. Or he tries to remind himself it's very little change, even though he can't sense his Aunt Pol or his Grandfather or even Durnik anywhere. Even though his wife is nowhere to be found and he can't smell her, not even on his own skin, not on the clothing he woke up in. Neither his wife nor his children and it's upsetting on two legs, but on four, it just gives him a sense of urgency.

So if you happen to see a rather large white wolf near the mess or the bar area or one of the crew quarters or just in the hallways, well...

He's as new to this as you are.

Comments

[neuralnet]

[ Haruto just stares. Then, he does that thing he's had to do so frequently here, where he just decides to pretend that what he's just heard makes complete and total sense. ]

Oh. I thought you might be a yokai. But you're really just... a quarter yokai.

[why_me]

What, exactly, is a yokai. If you don't mind me asking.

[ IT doesn't sound like something bad. But you never know. It sounds sort of... Melcene?]

[neuralnet]

Oh, well... It's a creature in Japanese folklore. Legend says that if an animal lives long enough, it can turn into a human.

[why_me]

[ That actually has him pausing for a moment. ]

That is actually what happened with my grandmother, from what I've heard, so maybe you have a point. I didn't know it happened often enough for someone to have a word for it.

[neuralnet]

I didn't know it happened at all. It's only a legend.

[why_me]

Well, I know it's happened at least once. Maybe the legend came from that.

[neuralnet]

[ Haruto wonders whether he's from the same universe as this wolf-man. His rational mind doubts it, but really, how could he know whether yokai were real or not? They're certainly real in at least one universe. ]

So you're... one quarter wolf. [ He moves to the fabricator and tries, for the seventy-fourth time, to ask for rice. And, for the seventy-fourth time, he receives some kind of grey slop. ] I assume the rest of you is human?

[why_me]

It's probably a bit less than that. She's more of my great great great great great great-

[ He pauses there ]

Suffice to say there's a lot of 'greats'. It's been some centuries. But most of my family lives a very long time.

But I'd assume so. I've always figured I was human.

[ ...he's not, really. ]

[neuralnet]

Your ancestor, then.

[ Interesting. If most of his family lives "a very long time," maybe he isn't human after all?

Still, that's far too personal a topic to broach. ]

My name is Hideki, by the way. Hideki Matsukawa.

[ That isn't his name, but he has to at least try to stick to the same story he's set up for himself. ]

[why_me]

[ Garion offers a bow of his head to the name.]

I'm generally known as Garion.

[ There were other names and titles, but he usually preferred Garion.]

[neuralnet]

[ Haruto gives a small bow as well, confused little smile coming across his face. ]

"Generally?" You have other names as well as other appearances?

[why_me]

There's a wince there because yes, yes he does.

"Well, if you want to be technical about it," he begins, a faint grimace on his face, "the full mouthful is 'King Belgarion of Riva, Lord of the Western Sea, Overlord of the West, Beloved of the god Aldur, Child of Light, Godslayer' but we're not in Riva, the fish have never needed much management, the West is more trouble than it's worth, Aldur isn't here, I passed that title on some time ago, and I don't really like talking about kiling anyone so..."

Shrug.

"Garion covers the important parts."

[neuralnet]

Haruto nods along dumbly as the names go on and on. "Yes, well, I would prefer if you didn't slay anyone or talk about slaying anyone, anyway. I'll just stick to Garion."

[why_me]

"Much appreciated," because he doesn't particularly like talking about any of it either. Some folks would bandy about that 'godslayer' title but he's always had very strong feelings that a man does not kill a god lightly. It's nothing he's ever relished.

"So Haruto, what is it that you do back where you're from, if you don't mind me asking."