02 [ text & a small handmirror ]

[seabeast]

[ There's now video of a small ferret on the network, staring intently at the mirror. If you aren't familiar with Lyall's ferret Stella, you are now. The familiarity is about to grow. After a long, long period of consideration, the presence of several other animals on the network, several lessons in basic spelling and phonetics ("just write what sounds right"? yes, this could be awful) and literal weeks of nagging... put simply, she's caved. Not happily, but if it'll get Lyall out from under her paws...

She looks balefully into the mirror, refocuses her attention on the laptop next to her, then... starts typing. Very slowly. Hey, fine motor functions isn't her forte just yet. Or phonetics. ]

i no wat yu lot ar sayin too me
so heer we ar
supriz

thats al

Comments

Voice

[icy_heavens]

[... So the ferret is texting now. Sure, why not? But since texting back would just be a little too weird, even under these circumstances, he'll go with a voice reply. He hadn't paid much attention to the ferret during the meeting, but she might recognize his voice as that of the smallest kid there.]

Well, that's another for the ranks of sentient animals, I guess.

text

[seabeast]

[ Oh you fancy pants people and your talking. She sniffs. She does remember that voice, given that she doesn't meet many people throughout her days, and vaguely approves of him, although she can't really put her paw on why. ]

shaym we dont get a medal or somthin
kepin abrest of the things we needs to no is dam neer imposibul
speshalee coz lot of us cant reed

Permavoice

[icy_heavens]

[If he knew she approves of him, he wouldn't really have the foggiest idea why, either. How do you win the approval of a sentient ferret?

[A snarky sentient ferret. Okay. He can deal with that.] I suppose we should use at least the voice function more often.

[This is reasonable, right? For a certain definition of reasonable? Maybe. Hopefully.]

video;

[hollowleg]

[just.... staring. really. REALLY]

video & text;

[seabeast]

[ Stares coolly back before typing a response. ]

wat
aint seen no ferret befor
or do yu laik havin starin contests with othabeests
teribul kind of daft ether way

video;

[hollowleg]

I've uh... I've seen a ferret before. Just not one that types... in bad British English....

Oh my god that ice kid was right.

[Video]

[italktofish]

[All of these intelligent animals? THIS IS AWESOME.]

Why, hello, there, my furry little friend! I'm Arthur! It's a pleasure to meet you!

[He's not going to criticize that spelling because ferrets get a free pass on spelling and grammar.]

[Video]

[seabeast]

[ .............. Great. Pleasant people. ]

frends a strong word for wat this is
speshalee wen i dont no yu from the corter brest of chiken i had this mornin

[Video]

[italktofish]

Well, everyone has to meet for the first time sometime!

Video

[maxwells_silver_scythe]

Wow they weren't kidding about the talking animals.

video & text;

[seabeast]

clever lad
did yu get it from the horses mouth
we have wun heer for yor convenyents

[ She's not entirely in the mood right now. ]

( video )

[argents]

[ HE KNEW IT. THANK THE SPACE LORD HE WASN'T GOING INSANE AFTER ALL. ]

Stella?

( text )

[seabeast]

[ GOOD JOB BANAGHER YOU ARE NOW MODERATELY LESS INSANE THAN YOU WERE BEFORE how is that memory recall going for you buddy ]

watsisfais
banajer
ay tis me wat can i do for yu
fech yu a flaitrap for that open gob o yors

[Video]

[shiromadoushi]

[[Since... he's not sure how well she can read and he does kinda want her to know who he is]]

Somehow I feel like I should have realized this...

So even back in the Dead District, huh?

[Video]

[seabeast]

[ aaah yes. chicken boy. ]

i dont no wy yu beests ar so free with yor food but i aint about to belee ayk abowt it if thats wat yor drivin at

audio

[struckout]

[ First ponies, then cats, now... ferrets? It's obvious they're all about to get a surprise when it turns to the keyboard, but... well. ]

How long have you been like this?

[ What do you know, she learned her lesson well enough with Cinderella when it comes to text versus audio with the sapient animals here. In addition, this time her voice is softer in tone. Turns out that maybe even with people like Kallie, you can get used to anything. ]

text

[seabeast]

[ screeches with laughter Oooh boy, wait until she gets all nautical on you poor folks.

And (un?)fortunately for Kallie, Stella is a tougher beast and doesn't mind a lot of roughness. See: a growing page of snark from yours truly. ]

twas cold owtsid

[ A pause. She doesn't move for that pause. This doesn't seem to be something she's willing to talk about, but... ]

dont no how long ago it was but
twas winter
lots of littel laits u tal folk wer startin to hang abowt
they stowd a tree in the corner too
wat was al that nonsens abowt enniway

handwritten

[wastingtime]

[that...sure is a ferret.]

Very much a surprise.

[ text & video ]

[seabeast]

now dont we have a goodbeest heer
usin littel words for the por unleterd beest
thankee kaindlee for shor

[ The offending handwriting also gets a very pointed look. ]

[Audio]

[scramasax]

...Stella, is that you?

[That - would certainly seem to explain a few things! How conscious everything that she does is, her responsiveness to people talking around her...

Just in case his voice isn't sufficiently recognizable.]

-- I'm from the school!

[text & video]

[seabeast]

[ Ah... the clever one. She inclines her head at the screen pleasantly enough. ]

shud i remember yor name

[Video]

[visionarykitten]

[There's another of those animals on the network sticking his whiskers in the screen-- or in Stella's mirror, anyway-- looking curious.]

I can't read. But aihhah. Uh, hello.

[Interestingly enough, all but that one word in the middle sounds like ferret-speak to Stella. It sounds like English to anyone who speak's English. The Speech is weird like that.]

[Video]

[seabeast]

[ Oho... She had seen his original post, but didn't answer. She still seems a little hesitant to talk, given the strange clarity in which she can understand him - how is that possible, exactly? - but at least she can stop with the damn typing. ]

I been a charity case for a season now. 'Twas choppy going until then, but sittin' down to do the work all proper-like ain't to my likin'. Better then lettin' 'alf the information go sailin' past my little head, though.

(video)

[gentlebrother]

[So this time, we got ferrets.]

Well, at least you could talk...

(video)

[seabeast]

tokkins a jenerus word for this
this is annoyin
tokkin wud be eezier