Playtime [Niko]

[Akira Faulkner]

Classes were over for the day, and Akira was making his way outside. He officially had no homework for the weekend, and it was finally nice enough to go outside without being bundled in a million layers of clothing. More importantly, it was warm enough for him to take Moxie outside. He’d checked the temperature before decided to break the news to her, and once he had, the little animal had been as excited as he was. She’d crawled eagerly out of her cage and into her master’s hands. She was currently curled against his neck as he headed for the courtyard.

“Akira? There is no more snow on the ground, right? It’s warm enough for us to play?” Her worried voice spoke up. Akira smiled, shaking his head. “It’s fine, Moxie. It’s warm enough. I promise.” He could tell the little ferret was happy. She nuzzled against his neck, her whiskers tickling his ear. They were both looking forward to this. Akira liked being outside, and he knew Moxie did too. As long as there weren’t too many people outside, they’d both be okay. Akira didn’t know what he would do if someone bigger, and stronger, than him got hold of Moxie, or tried to hurt her. He didn’t think he could defend her. Not alone. Moxie pressed closer to her master. “What are you thinking about? You’re nervous. I can tell.” Akira smiled, reaching up to brush his fingers over her back. “It’s nothing.” “Do not lie, Akira.” “I was just thinking... I don’t know what I would do if someone tried to hurt you, and Toru wasn’t here.” Moxie stretched, apparently not worried. “I would bite them. They would be sorry.” Akira smiled. Leave it to Moxie to not be worried about that.

He made it outside, and headed into the courtyard. There, he simply settled into the grass and pulled Moxie off of his neck. If animals came, he could reason with them. Tell them that Moxie was not food, nor a toy. “Go play.” He set the ferret on the ground, and she scurried off, careful to stay close, and stay alert. Akira just sighed and watched her. He was relaxed. This was a good way to end the day.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Yellow. In the world, yellow was not exactly the most common color, but it happened to be the color of three important things on this day. The first was Niko's hair, which was a lemon color. The second was Niko's pineapple sucker, which had a deep color, almost orange, to it. And the sun was the third, the brightest of them all. It was a common companion to humans, and it was, essentially, just a given until it was gone as a result of bad weather or seasons. So it may have been odd that it'd be important now- Niko had a reason. It was included as one of the the three important things because it was the reason for Niko's happiness rather than his happiness being the reason for the sun. That is to say, the sun came first in this case. It was an important thing to know, as important as knowing whether or not the chicken came before the egg. For the sanity of all, Niko is not yet old enough to worry about that question and as long as everyone promises not to mention it to him, there's a chance his brain won't implode over the unanswerable.

Niko had decided he'd have fun if he spent the day by the pond. It didn't take long to change his mind, though, after no one of any particular interest appeared in the first ten minutes. As the logical process of a child lead him to conclude, he knew if he sat still too long at this silly pond, there was a danger of falling asleep. Not one to let this happen willingly, Nikolai had gotten up and moved swiftly toward the school to find something more to entertain him. On his way he found reason to stop in the courtyard, something truly fascinating. What could possibly warrant so much attention? The answer was; Akira and that strange furry thing he was watching. Akira was somewhat familiar (as familiar as seeing him once or twice could be) yet Niko had not noticed the furry thing when he'd caught the rare glimpse of Toru and Akira. The only reason he would pay attention in the first place was because Toru was his roommate and noticing him in a crowd was a hard thing not to do. Curious as Niko was about Akira and his creature, he was still mildly uncertain in a way as he removed the the sucker from his mouth- having it in may have made him hard to understand when he spoke. He'd just approached the two, and to make himself known- not that he was particularly sneaky by any means- he decided to speak.

"You match,"Niko announced thoughtfully, having stopped a few feet to the left of Akira- the direction from which he had approached from the pond. As he stood, his eyes were trained on Moxie. Related to what he said, Niko didn't think to explain. Surely Akira would know that, to a child with a very overactive imagination, his hair made him look similar to the creature, right? And even if Akira had wanted to ask Niko for clarification, Niko wasn't giving him much of a chance. He added a second question almost immediately after the first.

"What is that?"Niko pointed with his free hand to Moxie. He had never encountered a ferret when he'd lived at home, and he was under the impression that he probably never would again. Hammel was just magical, as he had concluded from his conversation with James. Magical places called for magical creatures, didn't they? Hogwarts had magical creatures, at least.

[Akira Faulkner]

Akira wasn’t expecting company. It was a bit of a silly expectation. Hammel was usually a hive of activity, inside the school and out. Bringing Moxie outside without Toru there to protect the both of them might have been a bad idea, in hindsight, but they were out there now. Moxie was happy just to be outside the dorm, and she loved outside. He could hear her excited twitter. “Grass! Trees! Wind! GRASS!” He had to smile. She was so cute. He was glad he could give her this kind of freedom, outside like this. As long as he could keep her safe, he would be happy.

It was Moxie that detected Niko’s presence first. She sat up, her ears perked, and looked at him. “Boy. Over there. Is he harmful?” Akira glanced at Niko, recognizing him. He was one of Toru’s roommates. The only one that didn’t send him scampering away. He wasn’t loud, and he wasn’t scary. Young, yes, but that was all right. But the comment Niko made confused him, just a bit. “I’m sorry?” He smiled, but the confusion was probably evident on his face. But it didn’t have a chance to linger for long. He liked Niko, he did. He’d seen the boy around Toru’s dorm, and in the hallways. He hadn’t said a lot to him, mostly because if he was with Toru, that was where his attention was. His best friend. But Niko was harmless enough. More so than Horus and Jesse.

But the “that” comment made him pull a tiny face. “She’s not a ‘that’, she’s a ferret. Moxie.” He never passed up a chance to show off his pet, unless he thought she would be in harm’s way. With Niko, he couldn’t see the harm in them meeting. He waved him forward. “Come here. She’s friendly.” Moxie turned in the grass, looking curiously at Niko. “He is not going to harm me? He is safe?” Her whiskered twitched. Akira shook his head. “No, Moxie. He’s safe.” At least, safer than Seta. And if Moxie had survived him, she could survive anyone. She scampered back to her master, putting her front paws on his knee, cocking her head slightly as she waited for Niko to approach.

[Nikolai Campbell]

If it were not for Akira's kind friend, Toru, Niko very well may have starved- or he would have been forced to live off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were easy and quick to make so it was the perfect meal, especially to a kid who didn't particularly mind a lack of variety. How could you go wrong with it? Or, toast with peanut butter and honey- that was yummy, even if he did manage to burn the bread once or twice before getting it right whenever he attempted to make it. At any rate, Toru kept the fridge stocked, and Niko found this to be essential to his day-to-day survival. He wisely stayed away from his other roommates food, though. Horus may not have done much to him, but Jesse? Niko stayed clear of him at all costs, which usually meant avoiding his dorm completely for most of the day. Oddly, this arrangement did not bother him at all. Even without Jesse, chances were he wouldn't have taken an interest in his dorm, anyway.

"Ohh,"Was Niko's only response to being informed that the ferret was a she, named Moxie, and, of course, a ferret. He tucked the information away, glad to know it but without questions related to the information. He then smiled, deciding to explain himself since Akira seemed confused by his initial statement. His 'I'm sorry' seemed like a good enough form of the question of what Niko had meant.

"Your hair, it's fuzzy,"Niko giggled,"Like Moxie." Niko's expression fell shortly after as he was waved forward. Akira's words weren't a question, unfortunately; Niko wasn't sure he wanted to do it just because Akira told him to. After a few seconds of consideration (and of him digging his heel into the ground beneath him), Niko's curiosity got the best of him and he moved closer to Akira. Niko was short to begin with, and he knew it. He still got to his knees near Akira, making him shorter still. For now, he made no move to touch Moxie. Instead he was watching her in a very alert way as though expecting her to suddenly pounce or something of that nature. Small or not, he wasn't sure what he thought of her yet. Snakes and spiders were small, and he had to be weary of them, so his fear was not completely irrational. She was cute, he had to admit that at least. She was still very unknown, too.

"She looks very soft."Niko pointed out."Would it be okay if I touched her? Does she bite?" He felt that he had to ask because she was a magical mythical creature as far as Niko was concerned. He really wasn't alarmed by Akira talking to the creature- it was okay even while he had no idea that they could understand one another. In general, it wasn't strange for an owner to comfort a pet. No, far too many people did it, people who weren't meta-humans. It could not be a strange thing to see. Niko knew that, without a doubt, he too would talk to Moxie if he was sure she wasn't too dangerous or particularly mean.

[Akira Faulkner]

Toru was amazing, Akira would never argue that. He was nicer to his roommates than most of them deserved. … Well, Jesse deserved, anyway. Akira knew from experience that Toru was the only real competent one in the kitchen when it came to his roommates. And he also knew that if Toru was cooking for them, he’d make extra and leave it for his roommates. Toru was too nice for his own good. Akira had known that for a long time. Then again, he was biased. Toru had been his best friend for years. Since he was in diapers, at least. That was a long time to get to know someone. Akira also knew that he liked Nikolai, at least more than Jesse and Horus. He was quieter, and… well… nicer. And those were good things in Akira’s books.

Yes. Moxie was a ferret. A nice ferret, for those interested. Which was a bit of a miracle, considering she’d started life with Akira’s older brother for an owner. And Seta wasn’t the kindest pet owner. He’d played rough with Moxie, neglected cage cleaning, and on occasion, forgot to feed her. If it hadn’t been for their mother getting on his butt to take care of his pet, she never would have been taken care of. And then Seta had simply lost interest, and had dumped Moxie on Akira. But Moxie was special to the fifteen year old. She was the first animal he’d ever spoken to, and they had a special bond. Quite often, she was the only one he could talk to. There were some things he couldn’t even tell Toru. … Usually because they were about Toru.

… Fuzzy hair? Self consciously, Akira ran his hands through his hair. It was always a mess. “Oh… I guess.” He smiled, though it was a little weak. He wasn’t so sure what to say to something like that. Moxie cocked her head, her whiskers twitching. “Akira? What is the matter?” He didn’t reply to her. Because there wasn’t really much to say to that, either. Moxie was clever. She’d probably figure it out. Still, he was fairly calm when Niko approached him and Moxie. Akira smiled at the younger boy. Moxie would never pounce on him. She was getting on in years, for a start. But she was, like her master, a little wary with strangers. She stayed close to Akira when Niko knelt down, though she was alert.

“She is soft. And friendly. She’d never bite, unless you were mean to her.” Was that a good explanation for a kid? He hoped so. Akira looked at Moxie. “Moxie. Go and see Nikolai. He is a friend. He will not harm you.” Though he didn’t slur his way through the English language as so many of his classmates did, when Akira spoke to animals, he spoke very properly. They understood better. Moxie didn’t think twice. Akira wasn’t so much controlling her as she was following his suggestions. It was why Chase had said he had to talk to unfamiliar animals. Moxie did everything he asked. The little ferret scuttled forward, her paws resting gently on Niko’s leg. “Friend?” Akira smiled, though he had to wait a moment before he was able to translate for her. Side effects. “She wants to know if you’re a friend.” He blushed, then. He probably sounded a little nuts. “Um, that’s… my ability. I can… talk to animals. And understand them. And you can touch her. And even if she can’t understand you perfectly, she likes it if you talk to her.”

[Nikolai Campbell]

Niko watched Akira when he spoke, though Moxie was interesting and well worth his attention, too. It just seemed rude not to meet Akira's gaze. Akira might think he wasn't listening and that never went well for Niko. So he willingly watched him, then appeared thoughtful while he took a moment to consider what Akira said. As long as he wasn't mean? He had no intention of being mean to Akira and by extension, Moxie. He would not challenge the older boy. But he also wasn't a particularly mean child to begin with, so hurting Moxie wasn't even something he considered. Before he thought of a way to convey this to Akira, he found himself watching Moxie. Niko wasn't sure what he thought would happen, but as the ferret moved, he found himself momentarily memorized. His immediate reaction was that he wanted to watch it move from another angle. It had such small paws, after all. How was Moxie capable of movement in the first place? Niko was going to find out, but maybe not now. He could wait. There were plenty of mysteries in the world he was waiting for. One more wouldn't hurt.

Nikolai knew for a fact that there were not going to be people his age at Hammel, and he accepted it. That didn't mean that he liked it. He'd made the best of the situation so far- he had met some people he liked well enough and that was enough to get him through the day. And if he really got bored he knew he could turn to his trainer, Chase. That knowledge alone was a reason not to be discouraged. But, still, friends were not something Niko was opposed to- at all. So hearing that the ferret wanted to know if he was a friend brightened Niko's mood. Not that he wasn't happy already- he just found himself taking the step up to excitement.

"I would love to be your friend. I've never seen a ferret before you."Niko answered cheerfully before looking back to Akira."That would be a very cool power to have. You talk to all kinds of animals, not just Moxie, right? Do you have a favorite to talk to? Oh! Are most animals nice?" Niko's logic in asking about if Akira had a favorite was to, ideally, hear something like 'dogs are really friendly' or, 'cats are full of themselves' or something. Something the observer would think of, whether it was true or not. He would guess that Akira would love his pet the most. He would have went on to say more, but he was quite happy to be given permission to finally touch the ferret so that took priority for him. Grinning, he drew his fingers lightly- cautiously- along the ferret's back, giggling when he felt the fur. Despite looking fuzzy- at least Niko said they were fuzzy, that was- Niko found very quickly came to realize that it wasn't what he expected. This only amused him further, encouraging him to stroke her fur again. If he thought he could get away with it, he would have ran his hand along her fur in the opposite direction to spike her fur up, but he had a feeling neither Moxie nor Akira would appreciate that.

"What does Moxie like to talk about?"Niko asked Akira curiously. He was asking because if he didn't, he wasn't sure what he'd say to her. Normally it wouldn't matter to him, he'd say whatever was on his mind or whatever felt right without giving it much consideration, and that would be fine with him. But where Akira could hear both sides of this 'conversation' he'd be having, well, it changed things for him. It gave him a reason to think about it.

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[Akira Faulkner]

Honestly, Akira was used to not being listened to. He was the youngest of three siblings, and a quiet boy in general. The only person he unfailingly held the attention of was Toru. He never got the vibe that Toru wasn’t listening to him. Probably because he’s the most important person in the world to that boy. But that was beside the point. Akira didn’t mind if Niko’s mind wandered. He did it himself, at that age. Then again, he mostly talked to Seta and Midori at that age, and while he could listen to his sister, listening to Seta was just... well... a pain, if he was honest. And the fact that Niko had no intentions of being mean to either Akira or Moxie was good. Moxie was protective of her master, and anyone that chose to mess with him got themselves bitten. It was the same if anyone messed with her. They would be bitten. She was sweet, until you crossed a line. So far, only Seta had found himself victim to her teeth. But he’d deserved it.

Moxie liked making friends. If Akira had her in the library, with the promise she’d behave, she often wandered down to the next table, trying to find friends. She was loyal to her master, but she was friendly animal, and she liked people. Akira just had to be careful that no one hurt her. Especially his uncle’s barn owl, Bertha. He’d had to convince her many times that Moxie was not prey. It wasn’t just humans he had to worry about, but animals, too. Thankfully, there weren’t many around here that would prey on Moxie. Mostly hamsters, small pets.

Moxie tilted her head, blinking when Niko spoke to her. She didn’t fully understand his words, not like she understood her master. But it was nice to hear his voice. Akira smiled and translated for the little animal, quietly. “Yes, Moxie. He’ll be your friend. And you’re his first ferret friend.” When the conversation turned to his powers, Akira blushed a little. He didn’t think it was so neat. Not compared to some of the other things the other students could do. “Y-yeah. I can talk to all of them. Dogs, cats, owls, anything. Moxie’s probably my favourite animal, but I like talking to dogs. They’re always really happy that someone can talk to them. Cats like it too, but most of them aren’t very nice. They won’t do what I ask them to. My trainer, Chase, he brought his cat for me to try talking to. Milo was nice, he just didn’t want to do what I asked him to.” That was sort of an explanation. So he just quieted, watching Moxie’s reactions as Niko petted her. She was happy, that much was for sure. So much so, that she stepped up and sat in Niko’s lap, leaning into his touches. “She likes that.” Moxie probably wouldn’t mind her fur being spiked up. She’d just groom it back down again. Very simple.

What did Moxie talk about? That made Akira blush. “Uh... lots of things.” Don’t lie, ‘Kira. “She likes to hear about other pets. But when she talks to me... she talks about my best friend, Toru. A lot.” A lot more than she should. Why was it that everyone thought they should be dating? They were best friends, and that was that. Moxie looked at her master. “Toru loves you.” Akira pursed his lips, looking sulky. “Shh, Mox.” He didn’t want to talk about that right now.

[Nikolai Campbell]

The mention of Chase made Niko smile unintentionally. He thought Chase was a great, and if Akira had him for a trainer, surely Akira had to be one of the best animal communicators on campus. He also noticed that Akira said it was Chase's cat- he'd have to ask Chase about it later. Namely, of course, why it wouldn't listen and whether or not he listened when Chase told him to do something. Why Chase would be able to answer such a question didn't cross Niko's mind. Besides, couldn't Chase use his power on the cat? Niko shook his head, a move done to help him focus on the matter at hand.

"Chase is really nice."Niko stated, before adding in a hushed tone, as though the information was very secret, as though it was something Chase wouldn't tell just anyone,"And he has a tattoo of a shark." Niko was fascinated by the tattoo in general, as he was fascinated by the idea that James was an expert. He didn't think having a tattoo was a bad thing, or something Chase shouldn't have, but a shark was a very cool one to have, as far as Niko was concerned. The actual creature was scary, while the tattoo was just awesome. After he spoke, he dropped his gaze to rest on Moxie as she moved into his lap- which earned a giggle from him- but now he was looking back at Akira, smiling when he said Moxie liked that. His idea of a good response, rather than speaking, was to keep his gaze on Moxie and continue to pet her.

Right away, Niko crossed 'other pets' off his own personal mental list of topics to discuss with Moxie. He didn't have any, and he wasn't looking forward to one, either. There was too much going on around him to worry about something he presumed he couldn't have anyway. But Toru. Niko looked up from Moxie again, watching Akira curiously. He didn't jump to the idea that they loved each other, he just took it to mean that they were friends. And there was nothing wrong with that. But Akira telling Moxie to hush was a bit strange to him. And the expression. . .Niko wanted nothing more than to cheer him up. The best way he could think of was to remove the still wrapped lime sucker from his pocket. he'd been saving it, but there seemed no reason not to share now. Of course, this was a bit hard to do when he was reluctant to move. If he moved, Moxie might, and he'd lose his chance to play with her.

"Here, you can have a sucker if you want,"Niko offered, extending the hand with the sucker in Akira's direction. Then, he got another idea; what if he shared with Moxie, too? He had his yellow one, and he could always get more. Maybe it'd make Moxie happy- not that he thought she was sad. It couldn't hurt in his mind.

"Can Moxie have candy, too?"Niko questioned. He had been told not to feed human food to dogs, but ferrets were new ground. And if anyone would know, it seemed Akira would. That got him thinking about all the questions he had about animals in general. Did Akira have the answers? Like, why did dogs bite people? Surely they'd explain themselves if they could. Or why was it that caged animals always wanted out- was it so bad in the cage? Niko didn't want to be in a cage, so he could understand that, but not why they wanted to run away. Cats, too, and dogs. Why did they run away? Were they just looking to have some fun? Niko tried to focus again, this time without physically shaking his head. He wasn't going to bombard Akira with questions, it might annoy him.

[Akira Faulkner]

Chase was a good trainer. Akira could attest to that. He couldn’t say for sure if he was one of the best animal controllers in Hammel, but he felt that under his trainer’s influence, he would get better and better. Cats, he’d always had trouble with. They were more than happy to speak with someone, but when it came time for him to instruct them into doing something, they all developed a real “make me” attitude. Milo, while sweet, had been no exception. (For the record, Chase’s mind control only went as far as humans and meta-humans.)

Akira nodded in agreement. Chase was a nice person, for an adult. He was patient, and laid back, and Akira liked going to his training sessions. Even when he made him do hard things, like make Milo walk from one side of the room to the other. (He’d wanted to start simple with an unfamiliar animal.) The cat had gone a few steps, then sat down and groomed, because he hadn’t seen much point in what Akira wanted him to do. A dog, in Milo’s place, would have likely complied. Dogs were just easier. But Niko’s hushed tones made Akira smile. He knew his teacher had music notes – he’d seen that before. But he didn’t know about the shark. “Chase is really nice, yeah. But I didn’t know he had a shark. Just music notes on his arm.” Then again, he didn’t know a hell of a lot about his trainer. Just that he was really nice, and kind of laid back for an adult.

The only reason Akira looked marginally sulky was the fact that Moxie knew better than to blurt that out, regardless if anyone else could tell what she was saying. Uncle Zach ragged on him for being with Toru, Epsi did it, and now Moxie was rubbing it in. Toru was not his boyfriend. He was his best friend. There was a difference. But Niko’s offer made him smile. He was still young, and candy was still a good thing. “Um. Thanks.” He gently took the sucker and pulled the plastic off, sticking it in his mouth. Moxie’s whiskers twitched as she watched the two boys. Whatever the y had, it smelled good. Gently, she sat up and placed her paws on Niko’s arm, cocking her head.

“Uh, no. Candy’s not good for ferrets. Here.” Akira turned and rummaged in his bag for a moment, before pulling out a box of special ferret treats, and offered them to Niko. “You can feed her these. If you put them in your hand, she’ll take them. She’s got really nice manners.” That much, Moxie could claim to be all her own. Considering she’d been first raised by his older brother, she could have turned out very, very nasty. But she was as sweet as ever. “Look, Moxie. Nikolai has treats for you.” The ferret turned, her eyes on the box. Gently, she put a paw on Niko’s hand. “May I have one?” Akira had to smile. Even though Niko wouldn’t understand her, she still had manners. “She’s asking for one. Go ahead.” As long as Niko only fed her the treats meant for her, everything would be fine. And if he had animal questions, Akira would try to answer, as best he could.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Hearing that Akira didn't already know about the shark made Niko's smile brighter. He knew about the music notes, too, but he didn't bother to point that out to Akira, nor did he mention the name Chase had said was tattooed on him. Just the shark, because no matter how nice Akira was, Niko was notorious for having secrets. If he told Akira everything he knew, it would take away from what made him feel special, wouldn't it? So as he would do with any subject, he stopped offering up information completely. He did want to see Chase, though, now that his mind was on him. Chase was the only person Niko had gotten to see more than once at Hammel, with the exception of his roommates, who really didn't seem to count. And he did spend more time with Chase than he spent with the roommates anyway. Niko had even resolved not to miss any training sessions, a resolution that would have seemed entirely impossible to agree to before he realized just how cool Chase was.

Feeling Moxie's paws on his arm made Niko immediately attentive to the animal. That was so cute! He was tempted to hand over the sucker right then, but he was glad he didn't because Akira's answer was no, she couldn't have it. Momentarily Niko was disappointed by that verdict. He wanted to share, and it looked like Moxie wanted him to. Niko's good mood would have been shot completely had it not been for Akira producing the treats from his bag. Niko took the treats with yet another smile before dropping a few into the palm of his free hand. Then, something else occurred to him. Would trying one hurt him? As a boy who insists on eating dog food, Niko was curious. He'd have to ask. First, Niko smiled when Akira mentioned she asked for one. Not even Niko could say he had great manners- or, that he had them all the time. As it was, he kept his palm extended to Moxie, a bit anxious about what she was going to do. Would she bite him by mistake? He was seriously considering that possibility and not looking forward to it. But he at least knew that she would never bite him intentionally, if Akira was telling the truth. To keep him from having to watch, he spoke with the idea that asking his previous question, and watching Akira as he did so, would stop him from having to watch Moxie. If she was going to hurt him, he didn't want to watch her as she did it.

"Why does she like the treats? I mean, what do they taste like? Have you tasted it?"Niko's question may have been harder to answer than he thought it'd be. But as dogs liked the taste of bacon, Niko assumed that ferret treats would have an identifiable taste, too. Like cats food tasted like fish, he thought that was always true, too. But Niko wasn't exposed to pets, other than his hamster, who's food tasted kind of plain. He ate sunflower seeds, too, which Niko was rather fond of. Thoughts of his own experience was his sole motivation for asking about Akira. But it left another question; would Akira admit to it? Niko figured he'd find out.

[Akira Faulkner]

Knowing about the “secret” shark was actually pretty cool. Akira didn’t have any burning desires to get a tattoo himself. He was squeamish, and he knew how they were done. His older brother had several now, and he’d once managed to drag Akira along, just to see the process. He’d spent the entire time with his eyes squeezed shut, and his back to his brother. Thankfully, having tattoos didn’t automatically make you a bad person. That was just Seta. Chase was nice, and Akira was glad he was his trainer. Already he felt like he’d made progress. His was a difficult power to develop. All he really had to do was practice. Well, that, and learn how to be a little more dominant. That was one of his downfalls. It was hard to exert dominance and order an animal into doing something (great potential for spying behind enemy lines, that) when you were as meek as Akira was. He didn’t like the idea of bullying animals around. And until that changed, he would remain at Hammel.

Candy wasn’t good for ferrets. Really, it wasn’t all that good for any animals. Not that Akira didn’t give Moxie treats that weren’t pre-packages, with a picture of a ferret on the box. He’d given her fruit, and bits of chicken on occasion, but that was a special treat. As it was, Akira kept treats in his backpack for just this reason. When Moxie wasn’t in his hoodie pocket, or cuddled against his neck, she drew attention. She wasn’t magical, or even rare. But she drew a bit of attention from his fellow classmates. If he had something they could feed her, it seemed to make others happy. They weren’t anything special. He had a number of treats for her. Some of them were meat flavoured (ferrets did like meat), and some of them were fruit flavoured. He carried the fruit ones, most of the time, because for Moxie, they were like candy. As Niko offered the treats, Moxie extended her paws and gently lifted one, nibbling it. She knew her manners, and she wasn’t about to nip out of sheer excitement.

Niko’s questions were, well, logical, for someone younger than ten. Akira smiled, watching fondly as his pet gently took another treat from Niko’s palm. “They’re sweet. A bit like candy for her. It’s just dried fruit, more or less. They’re safe for humans to eat, but... I’m not sure why you’d want to.” Ferrets were funny with food. Moxie rarely turned her nose up at anything. “She eats some human food too. Mostly fresh fruit, or meat. She loves chicken.” Ferrets had funny tastes. He’d been surprised to learn that they could eat meat. She didn’t like beef much, but she loved chicken and turkey, on the holidays.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Candy wasn't good for animals, true, but it also wasn't good for humans. It tasted good and that was all Niko cared about. After all, almost all of the enjoyable things were against the rules. And most of the fun was often had while knowing he was breaking those rules and while he was figuring out a way to do it without getting caught. When you were surrounded by others, you had to prove that you were going to make them notice you, one way or another. But that mentality was supposed to be useless now. There weren't people constantly fighting for attention here. Well, not fighting for attention from and in the way that Niko was interested in.

Niko smiled, telling himself to focus on the present. Much to his relief, the little creature in front of him did not bite him, something Niko was very appreciative of. Moxie definitely earned herself points with that one, putting her in Niko's 'top favorite pet or animal spot'. Of course, that was a spot made specifically when he met Moxie, so it probably wasn't saying much.

Niko giggled at Akira's question. not sure why he'd want to? Because he could? Because he liked the fact that he didn't get told no all the time? Or, maybe because he wasn't satisfied by his sucker. Whatever the reason, Niko only knew the resulting reaction.

"I want to,"Niko argued before he took one of the remaining treats from his own palm, placing it on his tongue with a smile. When the taste set in, he was less amused, judging by his squinting and the way he was puckering his lips. He swallowed it rather than spitting it out.

"Ew, that was scrushy!"Niko stated, his tone close to a displeased whimper. He didn't particularly like fruits when they were fresh, much less when they were dried."You didn't tell me it'd taste icky," Of course, Akira had made it sound like it was silly to try it in the first place, so telling Niko it wouldn't taste good might not have seemed logical at the time. But Niko didn't seem to take this into consideration.

"If that's what she gets to eat when she's good, she's getting gypped,"Niko informed Akira, though he kept his hand out so that she could continue to eat the few treats still in his hand if she wanted. He wasn't going to take them away, he just wasn't impressed by them.

{. . .I say 'gypped' all the time, though I'd spell it jipped. Anyway, uh, I hope no one's specifically defensive of the gypsies? I didn't know it had that meaning until today. -_-}

[Akira Faulkner]

No, candy wasn’t all that good for people, either, but it didn’t stop even adults (who should really know better) from eating it. In fact, Akira saw evidence of that, even in his teachers here at Hammel, as well as his own parents. Maybe having a sweet tooth just ran in the family. Sometimes, he would swear it was all his older brother would eat. At least he could give Moxie her version of candy. The little animal loved sweet things too, and though she had manners, if ‘Kira had strawberries, she would be on his shoulder, inching closer and closer to them.

Speaking of Moxie, she’d finished her first treat, and gently picked up a second from Niko’s palm, still being her gentle self. She would never bite unless someone was threatening her, or threatening her master. So far, she’d only had to defend herself, and her master, against one person. Her old master, and her new master’s older brother. He wasn’t nice, not to either of them. And he’d been bitten several times to prove it. The thought alone made her a little smug as she reached for the third treat, nuzzling Niko’s hand as she did so, in a little show of gratitude.

The giggle made Akira wonder what was going on inside Niko’s head. It didn’t take long to find out. He arched an eyebrow at his younger classmate’s desire to try the treats. “Uh… okay?” It wasn’t so unusual. His older brother had once eaten a peanut butter dog biscuit, just because he’d been told it was safe for humans. (And he’d been dared to.) He could have predicted the outcome, and he had to smile.

“I’ve never tried one. My brother would be the expert in that. He eats all kinds of strange things.” He was still somewhat convinced Seta had been dropped. Several times. On the head, most likely. Not that his mother wasn’t a good mother, he was just sure that something was amiss in his brother’s head. And considering himself and his sister were fairly normal, well… it couldn’t be genetics.

“I don’t think she thinks so. Moxie? You like those, don’t you?” The ferret turned to look at her master, her head cocked. “These are my favorites. Except for chicken. Chicken is the best treat. May I have some chicken with dinner?” Akira smiled fondly. “She said that those are her favorites, apart from chicken. Which she might get a little later, if she’s good.” The little ferret finished the last of the treats on Niko’s palm, and decided to pull herself up onto Niko’s arm, trying to be careful with her nails. She scurried up his arm, and ended up on his shoulder, gently sniffing his ear. Akira frowned slightly. “If she bothers you, just pick her up and put her down in the grass, all right?” She was a curious animal, and friendly, but sometimes she forgot boundaries.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Niko giggled as Moxie nuzzled his hand. It reminded him a bit of a kiss. But the happiness from the nuzzling hadn't lasted because he'd tried the treat. He couldn't really help it. Though he would have liked to stay happy, to enjoy the moment, he wanted nothing more than to spit out the treat and to wash the taste out of his mouth. For the moment, he wasn't sure how he'd do that, so he swallowed the treat and remained calm, telling himself that the taste wouldn't kill him even if it wasn't pleasant.

Niko made his 'that's disgusting' face again in response to Akira saying Moxie liked them. Moxie agreeing with him didn't change his expression, but hearing that she liked chicken did. The disgust faded and was replaced by a thoughtful look. She could have chicken?

"Oh. Well, if she likes chicken, she has good taste, but those treats are still icky. I like my sucker."At this, Niko pulled out his sucker, smiling. Since he'd given Akira one, it didn't seem rude to eat his own. When he'd lived at the home, he had to be very polite, he had to extend all curtesies that the situation called for, or he'd be corrected by an adult. Since this didn't break any of those rules, Niko, quite cheerfully, placed the pineapple sucker against his tongue. It had such a nice taste. Sugar or not. Pineapples were actualy one of his favorite fruit, along with most berries. The fruit he didn't particularly like was the bannana. It just tasted so boring. And red apples and grapes were too sweet, while their respective green counterparts were just right.

"What fruits does Moxie like? Other then those icky kind. Does she have other favorites?"Niko questioned. Surely if she could have chicken, she'd tried fruit. Because chicken had to be bad for her, while fruit and vegetables were always good, which may have explained why most tasted so bad. Not that this logic would have seened out of place, he was only nine. Chosing candy over fruits and vegetables was an obvious choice.

Niko's body did grow tense when the animal climbed up his arm. It was such a new feeling, but not terribly painful, so he tolerated it. When Moxie reached his shoulder, he grinned, partially because the walking had stopped and partially because it made him think that she would be a good companion, sitting up there on someone's shoulder.

"No, she's not bothering me. I don't want her to move. She's really cute,"Niko answered. He decided that he had to be still, to avoid making her fall, but he was smiling. Still or not, this was definitely cool, and he would have said just that if asked. Now all he had to worry about was whether Moxie might bite his ear or not. But at this point, he wasn't seriously considering it- surely she wouldn't. If she wanted to bite him, she would have, this Niko was sure of. Moxie was close, though, and he knew she could if she felt like it.

[Akira Faulkner]

Moxie could kiss, too. She’d lick, especially if her master had just been holding something good, like chicken. If she wasn’t too sure how a person might react, she tended to replace the licking with nuzzling. It was a close second, and just as friendly. It was her way of communicating that she liked the person she was with. Some people were more special than others, though. She’d happily lick Akira’s older sister, but his older brother was always, always going to get bitten. So far, she liked this Niko boy. At the very least, he was friendly.

Ferrets were strange creatures when it came to food. They would eat anything, but they loved meat, and they loved fruit. Akira smiled and leaned over, just to stroke his pet. “Yes, she’ll do just about anything for chicken. And I’d probably like the sucker better, too. Animal treats are just... never a good idea to try. Not that it stopped you.” He smiled at the younger boy. “Or my older brother. He’ll eat anything. Including dog treats.” Granted, most of those items were usually results of high school and college dares. But the point was, Seta still did it. (Sometimes, it wasn’t even because of a dare. It was sheer teenage boredom.) If Niko hadn’t had a sucker with him, Akira would have offered a mint or something. He usually had hard candies in his backpack, or gum. Anything, to get the taste of the ferret treat out of his mouth, poor kid.

More questions. Not that Akira minded. “She’s not very picky. She loves apples and strawberries. She’s cute when she has a strawberry. They make her chin go pink, because of the juice.” Vegetables, Moxie had never been so keen on. It was fruit or chicken, and the little animal was happy. And Akira liked to keep her happy. She was getting up there in years, and he wanted to do everything he could to keep her happy and healthy. So far, he seemed to be doing a good job.

Moxie didn’t ever bite unless she was provoked. The only person she didn’t need to be provoked from was Akira’s older brother. Her former owner. If he came near her, he was bitten. But he’d never been nice to her, and he was even meaner to his little brother. Was it so bad the ferret wanted to defend her master? She didn’t think so. She just snuffled at Niko’s ear, and his hair, nuzzling against him. She was comfortable here. She liked cuddling. Humans were warm, and they smelled nice. Akira smiled at Niko. “She might not move for a while. I think she’s comfortable up there. She might even fall asleep.” She had a habit of doing that. It wasn’t unusual for Akira to go to class with her looped around his neck, or curled up in his hood, napping the day away. “So... you said you’d never met a ferret before Moxie. What do you think of them now?” If she was in the grass, Niko would see a whole new element of her. The rolling, digging, playful side. But her sweet, cuddly side was just as good.