What's a Queen to Do?

[Anonymous]

Serentia sighed as she walked past the tunnels to eastern Teinar. It was a shame the creatures she could sense moving around inside showed up now, when she couldn't reach them. "Once the tunnel is clear, perhaps I could get one." She smiled faintly before heading for the main part of Teinar. Few people were out. There was a peep and a small, centipede-like creature poked its head out of her shirt. She smiled. "Oh, so now you show up." The creature peeped again as she stroked it. She walked into a bar and sat down, letting the creature go find a place to hide until ordered. A bartender came up. "What'll you have, m'dear?" Serentia smiled. "Nothing for now. I'll order soon." The bartender chuckled. "You can stay without ordering, if y'like. I don't mind a bit." With that, he walked off.

A man came up behind her and said, "Well, a woman shouldn't be out alone." Serentia rolled her eyes and turned. "I'm not alone. My pet is around." The man chuckled and said, "Now, now. That's no way to respond." The Queen glared at the man, her eyes swirling with psionic energy. "Leave. Now." The man, perturbed, backed off. She turned back around and began to plot.

[Rhi-Rhi]

After a long, hard day at the shop, still greasy with motor oil, Terra had headed into the bar for a pick-me-up. She had a streak of grease still on her cheek and her hair had been pulled back into a messy ponytail. She really wanted to just go home and shower, spend some time grooming her tail, but this had been on the way and she needed the break.

Sitting at one of the stools, she had her reader with her and was able to (using a combination of typing the words out for the bartender to read and various gestures) order her drink, just a simple strawberry daiquiri, and it was while she was sitting there that that awkward exchange occurred. Raising an eyebrow, Terra looked at the man and scowled. What was that misogynistic bullshit? Huh. Must be a foreigner; some of them had these really weird ideas that men and women were somehow different.

As soon as he was gone, Terra frowned, typed a few keys on her reader, and nudged the woman. What a dipshit, it read.

[Anonymous]

Serentia chuckled. "Isn't that the truth with most men at this point?" She responded, her pet crawling back and winding himself around her arm. The queen stroked him gently, causing him to chitter happily. "If only perfection could be achieved. Then this wouldn't be a problem." She turned and looked Terra over. The catgirl had an aura of either someone who refused to talk, or couldn't. She guessed it was the latter. At least Terra's intentions were good. "Do you mind my asking of your name and what you are? I've never seen someone like you before." Serentia smiled and held out a hand. "I'm Serentia."

Her larval pet uncurled himself and crawled up to Terra. "And that's Heresy. Until he develops, he doesn't have a true name, but Heresy fits since he isn't... from around here." Heresy chittered again and raised his head off the counter before the bartender came by and swatted at him, causing the centipede to flee and hide on Serentia's back. "Sorry, sir." She said, handing a couple extra coins to the bartender for the trouble.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Terra took the woman's hand, giving it a firm shake before letting go so she could answer her question.

I'm Terra, she wrote, and then grinned and pressed several more keys. I'm a cat. Rawr.

Which was...partially true. Truth be told, Terra didn't really know what she was and never really gave it any thought, and her parents never had, either. Sure, her parents looked just like her, but they didn't have a name for what they were and Teinar's people were already an eccentric bunch of mutts, so no one had really asked. She just...was what she was and that was that. But if people asked, she just said she was a cat. It was easier to write.

The bartender came over and handed her her drink, and she took a long swallow of it. Best damned drink ever--if slightly ruined by the centipede thing crawling around. It wasn't that the little beast disturbed her or scared her; it would be odd for a Teinari to be bothered by creepy-crawlies, considering their diet. And that was what the problem actually was.

That thing looked like lunch. And to Terra, who was a hunter through and through, it looked like something that would be fun to play with. Her eyes kept wandering to it, following its movement, and the tip of her tail twitched with anticipation. When it crawled over to her, it took every ounce of willpower not to grab for it, and she jerked her eyes back over to Serentia, focusing on her face though her muscles had tensed in preparation.

What is that, anyway? she asked.

[Anonymous]

Serentia smiled. "He's a pet of mine... and the last hope for a dead race." She noticed Terra's reaction and was glad she resisted. If the catgirl didn't, Serentia would have to beat her and that would be rather awkward for the queen if she did. Heresy peeked over her shoulder and seemed to frown. Can we go, my queen? he asked in his telepathic language. Serentia turned to face her pet. "No, we can't go, Heresy." She faced Terra again and considered if a feline humanoid being could fit in the brood and be of use. Almost as an afterthought, she decided a spy could be of use, and if this feline's kind had psionic potential, maybe as an enforcer of her will. "Terra, would you mind if I took a single piece of fur? I'm a scientist of sorts and would like to try something. Of course, you don't have too." She presented her reasoning and heavily stressed the fact that Terra didn't need to donate, though in reality, she would donate, willingly or not.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Terra arched an eyebrow. Last hope for a dead race? Of centipedes? Huuuh. This girl seemed pretty normal at first--well, save having a bigass centipede for a pet and talking to it, that was kinda weird--but now Terra was getting the feeling that she was completely off her rocker. Last hope of a dead race? Oh, she really hoped that was some sort of joke!

And now she wanted some of her fur. Er...now this was just going to an awkward, creepy place.

It was one of those moments where it was probably a good thing that Terra couldn't just open her mouth and say the first thing that rose to her tongue. Instead, considering she had to write things down for people who didn't know sign language, she had time to think and compose her message. She typed on her datapad and then held it up.

What exactly do you want to try?

[Anonymous]

Serentia noticed Terra's apprehension. "Well, the race only stems from Heresy's breed. He's only a larva. In order to recreate the other breeds, I need DNA from other creatures to integrate into the gene pool. For example, if I got DNA from a bird that had a symbiotic parasite, I could turn that bird and parasite into a defensive flying creature. Since I can't manipulate the DNA of a LIVING sentient being, I need a sample to base the DNA off of so I can manipulate it." She smiled. "Trust me, it's easier for me than it sounds, and I realise I sound like a nutjob. But I'm rather... ticked at what killed most of the race off. So many beings near perfection... wiped out." She sighed. "And now I have to start nearly from scratch."

Heresy chittered once. "Oh. And I am a focuser of the hivemind, so to speak, due to my unique connection to insects and arachnids. That, in addition to minor telepathy, allows me to speak to and understand Heresy and other creatures that I revive." She shrugged, feeling rather foolish for going on. "I need a breed to act as a second-in-command, and the resulting creature needs to be sentient. So... that's why I asked. You don't have to donate."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Uhhhhh...what?

Terra stared at the women. She stared long and hard at her, not even blinking, eyes wide. Alright, now this had just gone way beyond what even she could handle, and she'd seen and heard some crazy things.

Finally, Terra blinked when her eyes started to sting and shook her head to clear her mind. Right. Wow. Yeah. Either she'd had too much alcohol or not enough.

Turning back to her drink, Terra downed the rest in one quick gulp and then busily typed on her datapad.

That's very interesting! (: But I have to go now.

She really had no place she needed to be, but she seemed to attract the loony ones and she figured now was a good time to skedaddle.