ORIGIN - A shark and a dinosaur walk into a bar

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A bizzare sight came along the beaches of Leo. Or, well, it wouldve if last legs hadnt run off. With her on top. After a long detour in another place, in another thread, Galleon was forced to drag herself to Leo. A flopping Galleon forced her way to Leo, wheezing and cursing all the while. At last Galleon came to a stop on a patch of sand. She rolled on to her side, her breath rattling as she stared at the shores of Leo. The right side of her hammerhead dug uncomfortably into the sand, but Galleon was too tired to flop over once again.

"That...damn...wagon." She said, coughing and wheezing between each breath. She hadn't ben here since her first few cycles. She had wanted a trip of nostalgia, but had not expected it to have been so arduous. She couldnt shake her wonder, no matter how tired she was, though. Back then, in her earlier cycles the beaches seemed much wider. The water much more expansive. She clacked her teeth in thought. She doubted her diet of rats and decorator crabs back then would sit well with her now.

"When I speak"
When I think

The gentle thuds of feet on packed beach sand approached only slowly. Rex had spotted the giant, flopping fish while hunting in the treeline of the jungle, and he could tell at once that this was no Lesser--but why was she doing-... that?

He plodded over, amiable and unhurried, head tilting in a friendly manner. "You okay over there?" he called out as he came, so as not to startle her or something. She was pretty big, but he was used to others jumping a little when he first appeared.

He walked right past her, at first, dipping down a massive square head to scoop up mouthfuls of water. These were tipped back, gulped down, and then he tilted a golden eye to peer down at her. Reddish, brownish--colors kinda like his, but that's where any similarity ended. She was-... funky, a mix of fins and scales and a hammerhead, and--Oh! "Do you need help getting back in the water?! You're a fish, right?" he blurted. "Oh--and I'm Rex!"

art by Gortys, edited by me!

@Galleon

Galleon didnt recognize the voice, carding through her memories of gembound she'd met. A little mystery. "'M fine!" She called to the newcomer. As she heard the thump thump of his approaching footsteps, she couldnt help the pang of hot jealousy that rang through her. She'd kill to have walked here with legs. She used her two lower fins to spin herself until she could see him partways. Her eyes met a mass of brown scales and teeth. Something as big as her then? That was rare. "Help...? No, no, I'm not built for the water. Not quite like a fish neither. Give me a second."

Galleon gathered her strength, and then with one last rattling intake, she swung herself onto her belly. Her guess was right--he was big. Around her size. She guessed he could take a tussle or two and come out alright. Her eyes drifted to his tiny arms, accidentally staying there for longer than was polite. Why would any creature have arms that tiny...? Galleon caught herself, coughing through her tubes. "Huh, sorry. You're just a bit of a new sight to me. M'names Galleon. I'm right where I want to be. Well. Not quite, but its close enough." Galleon clacked her teeth, unable to give more of a smile than her neverending rictus. She dug herself partways into the sand, sighing as the cool sand buried her. "I grew up here, y'know? In these sands. Havent seen too many things my size since. Friendly things, at least."

"When I speak"
When I think

@Rex

Rex listened, then--when the not-fish had finished--gave an easygoing laugh. "I hear there's plenty enough unfriendly things!" he answered, then paused for a long moment as he went back over what he'd said. Was that right? Had he said that right? Grammar and all?

After a moment he gave up.

Instead he lifted his big head, slowly scanning Leo with a new perspective in mind. "You grew up here?" he asked, curious. It was a big place, mostly steep jungle and cliffs, then broad beach and water. "On the sand, or in the trees-?" Since, after all, she'd said she wasn't made for water. She looked like she was, but he wasn't about to second-guess someone on that sort of thing! It was just--odd, that's all. Being a land-fish.

"I grew up in Fornax! You ever heard of Lacerta?" And, to be polite, he slowly edged up alongside her. A few polite feet away, sure, but he squatted down into a heavy-bodied crouch, chest in the sand, keeping comfortable company.

art by Gortys, edited by me!

@Galleon

Galleon joined him in an easy guffaw. "Sure is." Given that Galleon would most likely think a grammar was some type of rock or lesser. "Th' sand." A mental image of herself gripping a tree with her teeth and claws popped into her mind, and she chuckled. "I dont have the hands t'be climbing trees. No, I was stuck with the sand here. Its not all bad, though. Fun to dig through. Gets kind of wet when you get too deep, though." She clacked her teeth in an approximation of a grimace.

"Hate wet sand. Its rough, coarse, and irritating." She hummed in thought. "Fornax? Lacerta? Can't say either of em ring a bell. I don't get around too much. For, ah, obvious reasons." The sand hummed with her chuckle. She settled, too. Keeping her head visible, but tucking her most of her body under the sand. "Last time I really left Tunnel H would've had 't have been around the deathmatch. Whats this Fornax place like, though? Havent heard of it. Nor this Lacerta thing. Is it a gembound?"
"When I speak"
When I think

@Rex

Rex listened, his gaze taking in the white caps of the breakers, the sea stacks in the distance--this place really was pretty. "It's a nice home," he offered. "Fornax is kind of like it--lots of water, but a lot less land--and Lacerta's the island that's out in it! The Lessers there are very large, but otherwise..." and here he glanced back, thoughtful, at the jungle cliffs. "Well, it's sort of like here?" He gave a little laugh. "Not a Gembound, for sure."

But something else had caught his attention, now, and he swung his head back around to peer at Galleon.

"Deathmatch..?" he echoed back. That sounded ominous. "I take it that's not a Gembound, either-?" he added, a question and humor in his words.

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@Galleon

"Huh, If I ever get my wagon back I s'pose I should visit. Those lessers sound fun to tussle with. How'd you feel about hunting one?" Galleon said, unbothered by the idea of hunting witha complete stranger. In fact, the idea had her excited. And Rex's question about the deathmatch had her raring to go.The glow in her eyes intensified, and she gnashed her teeth in excitement.

"Sure's hell wasnt a gembound! It was an event back in Orion. I had to crawl there too. But caves was it worth it though--a ton of fun! I ended up back in chrysdalis after, sure, but it was worth it. Got t'fight and watch fights. It was gorey. I fought a little... cat I think, One. Wasn't quite a fair fight, but he held his own better 'n I thought. Fought someone after that, somethin called Draconua--that one was a doozy. Disemboweled me. Not much for conversation, but she could sure's hell hold her own too. A bit too well."

Galleon worried about something like that being out in the caves. Who knows what she'd been getting up to. But for all Galleon knew, all had been quiet. Well, aside from the magic storms, but Galleon doubted one gembound could've caused those. Galleon shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to her new friend, "That aside, you ever been in a fight? You sure look like you could take one." Galleon's fins dug into the sand in barely hidden excitement.

"When I speak"
When I think

@Rex

Hunt? Rex laughed, good-natured and light. "I'm not sure there's anything we can hunt here that'd feed us both--but I don't mind trying! The good thing about Lacerta--and the dangerous thing--is that lots of stuff you can hunt there's as big as us. Or bigger!" He thought briefly, distantly, about those horrid Squallfangs--like faster, aquatic versions of him ready to snag prey down to the depths.

No, thank you.

As for Galleon's description of the Deathmatch, he listened with avid interest, which went to minor horror partway through. "Disemboweled?!" He stared. And that was okay? Accepted-?

Suddenly, he was a little nervous. Galleon was huge--short aside from that giant fin, yes, but huge. If she'd fought in public spectacles and been disemboweled, couldn't she just sort of turn on him and rip him up with those big ol' stony teeth?

He sure hoped not.

"Eh--no, not a real fight. Just hunting those Lessers I mentioned. I bet you could teach me a thing or two, if you've fought for an audience before!" and his tone was nothing but admiring.

art by Gortys, edited by me!

@Galleon

"Of course. I was figuring we'd do that up in Lacerta, it sounds like a challenge! Haven't seen any lessers my size. I'd wanted to hunt a sandworm before--havent seen one yet. Hopefully I will soon though. Thats neither here nor there, though. And yeah, disemboweled." Galleon echoed.

"Theres a first for everything, huh? Not a first I'd be too happy t'relive though." She gave a tense chuckle. Phantom pain sparked along her long healed wound, and she reflexively dug deeper into the sand. "You wanna learn a thing or two huh? I figure experience is the best teacher. Its time y'fought something with more wits than a lesser." It was an an excuse for Galleon to get into a fight--and she was joyously aware of it. Galleon laughed. "Well it's been a while since I've been in a real spar! Get ready, Rex!" She dove.

"When I speak"
When I think

ROUND 1/?

100%

ATTEMPT: hide in the sand?
DEFENSE: sand cloak
INJURIES: none

@Rex

There was a brief moment's panic. Well--maybe not quite panic, but alarm, adrenaline spiking as Rex realized aw shit this is happening! Like, right now!

He stumbled back, massive feet thudding in the sand. The whole 'what's a sandworm?' question died on his tongue before he could voice it, and he was left worriedly thinking shit, probably something like this!

He had no idea what to do. He'd never really had a fight before--and at least by observing Lacerta's lessers as he'd grown, he'd learned of their strengths and weaknesses before ever trying to engage one in combat. Galleon, though? Galleon was a total unknown. And what were the rules-? Would she disembowel him, as the Draconua or whatever it was had done to her?

He gathered himself, taking a breath, and lifted his feet more quietly--stepping back slowly, bracing himself for impact. She would, if she could so easily burrow through sand despite her size, be well able to just... throw herself at him or something. Scary thought, but if he were ready for it-? He turned his body this way and that, tensed low, hoping to throw a shoulder or flank at her instead of simply being toppled, if and when she finally attacked.

art by Gortys, edited by me!

Round: 1/?
Attempt: Brace for impact!
Defense: -
Injuries: -

@Galleon

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