[Freezair]

NICE: (adj)1. Pleasant or agreeable. 2 (slang) Good, up-to-date. 3...

Luckily, Fluffy had already been taught how to respond to what she was programmed to see as complements. She brought herself up to her full height, then patted the location of her internal battery with one of her broader arms.

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH I LIKE YOUR NAME TOO--" there, Fluffy's computational circuits began to hang as she found herself without a value in the variable.Name slot.

[Becca]

Fellipe looked sideways at Kakkazan. There wasn't only anger in her eyes now, there was also a hint of fear. She had never really seen anything like this before. At home, Becca didn't really let the lucain near some of the more...strange pets who were more than a bit dangerous. "Well, this has been an...interesting experence..." he said.

"A bit too interesting." said Kakkazan. Her back hairs were standing on end. Fluffy smelled wrong to her. Sharp metal smells, the smell of tin-like substances all too much like the smell of blood. Catching Fellipe's eye, she twitched her nose.

[Ghostlily]

Yuku stared, slightly dumbfounded, at Fluffy. Why...why the heck...why the heck was a piece of tin name Fluffy?! It just made no sense!
"This is too weird for me," Yuku groaned softly, so that no one could overhear him. He imagined a nice warm bed at home, waiting for him to take a nap in it. He could have nice hot meal, and then take a long, long nap...
'Oh why did I ever come out here?' thought Yuku. He was beginning to get hot and sweaty, and his throat was parched. And his was sick of looking at nothing but brown. Brown sand, and no green anything...Yuku sighed, and glanced at the Lucain, noticing that Kakkazan was beginning to grow uneasy with 'Fluffy.'

{6}

[Freezair]

Finally, Fluffy managed to find a default variable it could fall back on. It slowly unfroze. "NAME," it said. "NAME NAME NAME..."

Because it had been programmed for battle, Fluffy reognized the fearful stances of the three around it. This puzzled it--or rather, it did not computer properly. It had not shown them hostility--if anything, it had tried to be friendly, mimicking their gestures--and because they were not battle-engaged, they were not surrendering or begging for mercy. What, then, was this experience--this emotion?

It manually activated its knowledge-gathering sensors and began an information probe. "TELL ME WHY DO YOU MAKE THAT POSE WHEN I AM NOT THREATENING YOU AND WE ARE NOT ENGAGED," it asked in its robotic monotone.

[Becca]

Kakkazan jumped at the sound. Her nerves had been tightening, and they had snapped. But she controlled herself. "This is a bit....new for us..." she said cautiously. "I'm not exactly used to giant squids flying down out of the sky."

Fellipe was proud of Kakkazan's control. Normally on an occasion like this, she would be attempting to disembowl the said stranger. "Yeah it is a bit new..." he said.

[Ghostlily]

Yuku just stared. Not...engaged...? What the...?
Yuku looked uneasy now, and he felt so. What was this thing, with a mind of mechanics, going to do? Fight? The Venom Fenling figured that if it came down to a fight, he'd just have to get out of there quickly...
It didn't seem like things would get that bad, though. But still, what was it...
"Starts with a 'K'," the Fenling mumbled, the word on the tip of his tongue. Suddenly, he shouted, "Khalmar!" Yes! That's what it was! Yuku grinned to himself, feeling pleased.

{7}

[Freezair]

The word "Khalmar" activated something within Fluffy's mechanized mind.

"I AM A KHALMAR MK V, AETHERIUS VERSION, PROPERTY OF MORGANA DASHALL AND ALEXANDER DASHALL, CODENAMED FLUFFY, CURRENT MISSION: TRAIN WITHIN WILT'NO DESERT AS IT IS A 'SOMEPLACE.'"

It crained around its surroundings. "I HAVE MADE RENDEZVOUS WITH A VENOM FENLING AND TWO LUCIAN WITHIN WILT'NO. I MAY SOON COMMENCE WITH TRAINING."

[Becca]

"Wait, training?" gasped Kakkazan. The feeling had been rising gradually, but was now rocketing to the forefron of her mind. "I really hope Fluffy dosn't mean fighting." she wispered to Fellipe. All those tenticles and suckers. Kakkazan didn't need more spots...

"Khalmars aren't a violent species are they?" said Fellipe to Yuku. Fellipe was here on training business himself, but he hadn't expected fighting. Just some sparring with Kakka, and getting used to extreme conditions. Fighting was not his cup of tea...

[Freezair]

VIOLENT, n. Tending towards doing harm.

Well, now, in that case, Fluffy couldn't say she wasn't violent... she had, after all, been bought for the purpose of defending a homestead, whatever she had to do. But she was a purely defensive creature. She did not lash out. She only retaliated when struck against.

Honestly, she replied, "THAT DEPENDS ON YOUR DEFINITION OF VIOLENT."

[Ghostlily]

Yuku silently agreed with Kakkazan, although he said nothing. It wasn't worth starting a fight over something stupid like that. Sighing, Yuku glanced around. He was getting really uncomfortable here, in the hot desert. And Fluffy certainly wasn't helping. The thing was just creepy. Who would want a bunch of knuts and bolts for a pet? It didn't seem cuddly or anything...and he was sure that it didn't give a good hug.
"Why did I ever come here?" Yuku murmured to himself.

{8}

[Freezair]

"I DO NOT KNOW BUT I CAME HERE TO TRAIN," Fluffy said to the distraught Yuku. "PERHAPS YOUR REASONS WERE ALONG THE LINES OF MINE. IF THIS IS YOUR CAUSE PERHAPS YOU MAY ASSIT ME IN FINDING A SUITABLE TRAINING SPOT."

[Becca]

Fellipe growled at Kakkazan in wolf. "As long as it dosen't want to fight, we might as well help it." he said. "Besides, we need to find a good spot too." Kakkazan shuffled in agitation.

"I guess so." she eventually said. "But I'm keeping an eye on it. I've never been at home with metal contraptions." She looked back up at the two other creatures. "I guess we all might as well go together..." she said in regular language. "That is, if training is what your here for." she added, looking in Yuku's direction.

[Freezair]

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR OFFER OF ASSISTANCE I 'APPRECIATE' IT." The Khalmar approached the Lucian and offered up one of its tentacles. "MY PROTOCOL DATABANKS TELL ME THAT WHEN DEALS ARE STRUCK IT IS CUSTOMARY TO JIGGLE ONE ANOTHER'S FORLIMBS." It waved the member up and down. "LET US JIGGLE."

[Becca]

Kakkazan snorted with laughter. "I think you mean shake hands. Or paws, or whatever." she said. She gingerly held out a paw and took Fluffy's tentacle. She shook. "Well now. I guess we have a deal." she said.

Fellipe was proud of Kakkazan now. She had changed tracks very well, and was coping exceptionally well. It must be the heat. Its getting to her... But Fellipe wasn't going to complain. Kakkazan had never been this cooperative.

[Freezair]

"SHAKE HANDS? VERY WELL. RENAMING PROTOCOL PROCESS B36X 'SHAKE HANDS.'"

Fluffy put down his tentacle. "THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPECT FOR PROTOCOL PROCESSES. SHALL WE NOW SEEK A SUITABLE PLACE IN WHICH TO BUILD OUR ENDURANCE?"