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Martin had not understood. He looked at the cricket again.
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The cricket chirps again.
Kiaan makes a "mmmm" sound after about 2 seconds.
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"Is that what it said?" He asked, turning to Kiaane again.
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The cricket does not chirp further.
Kiaane decides not to address Martin yet, instead regarding the cricket--or rather Martin's sleeve, since it is still hiding from the mage's presumable but nonexistent wrath. They presumably are questioning what "mmmmmmm" means in this context, but the cricket is just not responding.
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((smart cricket))
"Do you want it?"
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Kiaan holds out their left hand almost tentatively.
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Martin tilted his sleeve.
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The cricket is staying in that pocket for dear life. Uh, that's a dramatic saying.
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"I think it doesn't want to come out," he sighed.
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Kiaane agrees, but you wouldn't be able to tell that by looking at them.
The cricket is gloating in Cricket, though it's not doing that "vocally".
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((I love the Cricket <3))
"Aww." Martin returned his arm to the previous position to make the cricket more comfortable. He looked at Kiaane again. "Do you have many cricket friends?"
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Trust me, the cricket's comfortable enough as it is. It probably doesn't even deserve to be so comfortable, in a sense, to be honest.
Does it look like Kiaane has any friends at all? His sole friend is basically someone in his adapted family right now. So, he shakes his head.
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"But if you can talk to crickets, then why don't you make cricket friends?" He continued.
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They can talk to humans; why don't they have human friends?
Kiaane ponders that for a bit. "I don't go outside," they finally conclude. Like that's a viable reason, pfft.
...or maybe it is. The narrator doesn't really have many human friends either. Lol.
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"Well, maybe you should talk more to crickets. They don't look like they care 'bout how much magic you have. They look like good friends! I hope they are good friends. You'll be my friend, right, Cricket?" Martin ended up checking his sleeve again.
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It's unknown how Kiaan thinks about that magic potential implication thing, but whatever they feel, they certainly don't show it on their face.
The cricket just kind of...chirps.
Kiaan just kind of nods right after that. "Cricket?" they ask.
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Martin grinned, expecting the cricket to reply or 'say' something.
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It did answer. For the sake of how they communicate, Kiaane nodded instead of saying something affirmative aloud.
Looks like Martin will have to get used to how they express stuff.
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He'll probably get used to it. He just thinks it's an interesting way of communicating.
Meanwhile, he tilted his head again.
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Kiaan stares passively, not getting social cues, as per usual.
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Well, what's going to happen now?
Martin's thoughts went to an apple. He was a bit hungry.
Did he forget about the book?
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No idea, to be honest. After a while, Kiaan's probably going to seem to forget about the conversation in the first place and then just turn back to the books. Despite what they look like, they are a nerd by definition.
Has he?
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"You think it's lunch time already?"
He hasn't forgotten, really. But he's used to sometimes not continuing a topic of conversation even if it has his interest.
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"Lunch?" Kiaane's first response is just to look for the sun to check the time. There is no sun in this place, so there goes that.
The cricket chirps, like it's laughing at the older mage.
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"Lunch!" Echoed Martin, grinning.
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Kiaan looks Martin dead in the eyes. It's actually not that dramatic. "You are hungry?" they ask slowly.
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"A little," he nodded.
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Kiaan, who ignores hunger to the point of probably forgetting it, is actually confused. They're not showing it outwardly, though.
"I think we must leave, then," they say.
The cricket chirps, wanting the apple.
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"Sure!" To the cricket, "You'll have apple!"
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The cricket chirps again.
Kiaan's kinda just looking at Beauty and the Beast, as if unsure if they should leave it here or carry it with them.