(no subject)

[electro_kinetic]

There's a Noriko in the bar today, having commandeered a table to work on a project. If anyone saw her the last time she was making a fountain, this one's similar--only larger, and quite a bit more complicated. The bamboo rockers (yes, plural) are arranged in a line, thankfully already cut and drilled though they haven't been assembled. They're harmonic, and meant to sound the Japanese pentatonic scale as they rock back against their stones. This is the hard part of building; arranging everything in a smallish container so that it still works and looks full, but not overcrowded. Given there's also a small tree going in, Noriko doesn't have a lot of room for messing around with placements.

But even as she works on it--and she's not fooling herself into thinking she's making this for someone random, it's for Hannibal and she's accepting that--she's conflicted. She believes he lied to her, which is upsetting, but she's not exactly happy with anyone else she knows in here, either. But those parts are distinctly more complicated than the mechanics of a fountain.


[Definitely interruptable, even if it doesn't seem like it.]

Comments

[hecu_marine]

There's a takka takka tak of claws on the floor, and one of Shephard's houndeyes trots up to the vicinity of the table and hops up on its hind leg to get a better look.

(Shephard's in the vicinity, but he wanted to get a drink before chasing the dog down.)

[electro_kinetic]

She glances down, fully prepared to be pissed off at one of the rats--until she sees one of the Marine's dogs. And she has no idea which one it is, because she can barely recognize them as dogs, to be honest. (She had a goldfish as a childhood pet, don't blame her.)

"Oh. One of you guys got loose," she murmurs, reaching down to it to pet it's...well. What she's gently patting ought to be the thing's head. Ish.

[hecu_marine]

It wriggles happily and blinks once before trying to put one paw-hoof on her leg. For balance, y'know.

"Don't you go doin' that, Bull," says Shephard, who's caught up to his beast. "What've I taught you 'bout mindin' your manners 'round people? ... hey there, Nori."

[electro_kinetic]

"Well now I know which one it is," she says absently, making no move to dislodge the animal as she looks up at Shephard. "He's fine, just curious."

And hey, he probably ought to be, depending on what specific kind of colorblind he might be--assuming he's anything like earth dogs.

[hecu_marine]

"I just don't want him fuckin' up somebody's day who might git all freaked out from a visit from Satan's own Christmas ham," says Shephard, "but if you're all right with him that's fine with me. Had to git him away from the rest of the fleet for a while. Can't git much more away from there than here."

The bamboo thing gets an interested look.

[electro_kinetic]

"Nah. I've seen them around, he's alright. Looks weird, but what the hell," she says, giving the dog a last scratch on the head before going back to the fountain.

"It's a gift," she says, by way of explanation. "It's a shishi odoshi fountain. They're called deer-chasers in the US."

[hecu_marine]

"Yeah, they're all right if you git 'em young," says Shephard. "Only other dogs I know're alive back home're all up on Svalbard. I ain't about to bring a wild husky back to Rowlesburg'n try'n git it tame any time soon. Those fuckers don't put up with shit."

He nods a little at the explanation. "Noise makers?" he guesses; he's had way too many whitetails catch the sound of his bowstring before the arrow was fully in flight.

[electro_kinetic]

"Yeah," she says. "The rocker, these bamboo pieces, are hollowed out so they hold water, and when it fills up it moves the center of gravity past the axle you put it on. When it falls back it hits a rock, and makes a noise that's supposed to scare them off without being jarring to humans."

She demonstrates it as she explains, holding the pieces up in an approximation of where they'll go and how it sounds.

[hecu_marine]

"Huh," says Shephard, considering this. "Wonder if somethin' like that'd work on the Xen critters. We ain't got enough deer these days to need to run those off, but..."

It looks like it wouldn't look too bad in somebody's yard back home, if they had the room for it.

[electro_kinetic]

"Well, you can make them bigger or smaller, whichever tone you want," she says. "I mean, you're more than welcome to sit and learn how to make them. You guys still have bamboo growing, right?"

[hecu_marine]

"Couple places, yeah," says Shephard. "We lost a lot of plant species but that ain't one of 'em. Show me how you do it?"

[electro_kinetic]

"Sure," she says, welcoming the distraction. "You're building a cup with a hinge, essentially. Each of these growth rings is a solid plate, but if you drill them out you'll have a hollow tube. You want your pivot point to be a little higher than center, but not so high that the water can't overcome it."

[hecu_marine]

Shephard nods. "I'm used to workin' with growth rings from the outside in," he admits. "Got to take that shit into account when you're workin' a stave down to bow size. This here's on the new side for me."

Translation: he's pretty sure this is going to take a while to stick in his brain, fair warning.

[cutting_edgex23]

"Nori," X says, approaching from the left.

She is careful to make noise when she walks. It's polite.

"You are -- not working?"

Her experience with objets d'art is severely limited. Which is why she is uncertain about the fountain that is taking shape.

[electro_kinetic]

"I'm...thinking," she sighs. It helps if she has something to work with.

[cutting_edgex23]

X absorbs that for a moment or two, silently.

Then --

"I am allowed to ask?"

Some things are private. (A lot of things, really.)

[electro_kinetic]

"It's complicated, X. A friend of mine from here is accused of being a murderer, and though I've never seen him harm anyone, I don't know who to believe."

[cutting_edgex23]

"You are not terrible at distinguishing lies," X offers. Carefully. "There is evidence you have seen? Beyond accusations."

Beat.

"Or a name. I can tell you if there are things I know."

[electro_kinetic]

"Nothing beyond the accusations from other people," she says. "I have no hard evidence. And the man in question I've known for months, and he's never given me cause to doubt him." And X knows exactly how easy it is to get Noriko doubting your actions.

"But murder isn't an accusation people usually make lightly."

[cutting_edgex23]

X frowns, just a little.

"They say he is an assassin? Or he does it because he likes it."

There are two kinds of (killing) people.

[electro_kinetic]

"Not an assassin. They said murderer, so I have to assume they meant he did it because he liked it."

She knows the difference. "If it was a job, or his situation mandated it, I wouldn't be so worried. But he's mentioned neither of those things."

[cutting_edgex23]

"Most people do not."

X's response is matter-of-fact.

"Unless they want to have a reputation."

Sometimes it's necessary. Or useful.

[electro_kinetic]

"To my knowledge, he has none. He's a psychiatrist."

[cutting_edgex23]

The penny drops.

"Oh."

X is silent after that, just for a second.

"You are talking about Hannibal. Lecter."

[electro_kinetic]

"I am," she answers, voice no louder or softer than before, but as is not uncommon with Noriko, firm. She will stand her ground here.

"What do you know?"