[text/video] un: linneus

[inaurare]

Good day, everyone.

While I hate for my second of these... missives to be another message asking for help, I fear that is precisely what it is and I do beg your patience.

I recently came home to find a large egg sitting on my doorstep. With little idea what to do I brought it home, kept it swaddled and warm and eventually it hatched. The animal that emerged... I have never seen its like before. It appears to be a sort of horse, but much shorter, with a longer neck and a smaller face. And a good deal... fluffier? Than any horse I've ever seen.

She has taken well to eating grass, and has shown to particularly favour munching on my flowerbeds. It seems she is managing well enough - flourishing, even. But I had hoped someone might enlighten me as to what kind of creature she is, and whether there might be other foods I can provide for her?

Also a name - I confess I have always struggled terribly with naming things! So any suggestions would be quite welcomed.

[the text is followed up by a brief video clip - slightly wobbly, as Linneus turns the camera on himself-]

So that you have an idea of what it is you are naming...

[turning the camera around, the scene is quite cosy now that his home is settled again. A fire crackles away, and there is a small table near his armchair bearing a cup of tea, his feet resting on a small stool. The cosiness would be complete perhaps with a blanket, but his "creature", dozing with her head on his lap, is more than making up for the lack of one.

To those familiar, a llama indoors is probably a strange sight - stranger still this llama's size, as she can't be more than three feet tall. She snores, and there is the sound of Linneus chuckling softly before the video feed is cut.]


((Please feel free to flood Linn with name suggestions for the miniature llama he now has? ))

Comments

[inaurare]

This is true. But she could also have both names and be Duchess Cotton? I think I all but suggested that, actually...

[his naming sense isn't well-developed - he had pet birds, briefly, but they were named for him. But it feels like a true cat should be titled.

He isn't even a cat person, really, but he does treasure most animals.]

How strange! And I have been talking to young Master Atsushi, actually. What manner of a name is Daifuku, I wonder...

[eaudevamp]

Oh? Duchess Cotton does have a nice ring to it.

[ What was naming sense? Reign likely had it as bad as Linneus, but he would definitely agree that cats should be given special titles. Or the very least, all pets. ]

Is that so? What a pleasant surprise! If I remember correctly, Atsushi said it's a name of a food. A sweet dessert made from rice cake called mochi. Maybe your pet can be named after some kind of sweet...

[inaurare]

Well, it is not our decision to make, unfortunately.

[he is listening carefully, trying to understand the explanation, but there are too many unfamiliar words. Rice... can be made into cakes?]

I see. I shall have to learn more about this Daifuku, I think. There are many strange and new things here.

[eaudevamp]

Maybe you can call her by a few different names and see which does she respond to, and that will be her chosen name?

[ It was a good way to pick names for pets. Maybe? ]

If anything, I can assure you that Daifuku is the most harmless tiger ever.

I can't agree more! Who would have thought that dragons are real?!

[ Riiiiiiiight... Said the vampire whom most didn't think would exist in real life. ]

[inaurare]

I could. But it's also possible that that could confuse her.

[possible - though she doesn't seem that easily-outsmarted]

True enough - dragons, indeed! They only belonged in the pages of storybooks, in my world.

[eaudevamp]

No harm in giving it a try.

[ Even if it didn't, hopefully Linneus would have decided on a name for his pet. ]

It's really fascinating indeed. There are so many creatures I've yet to see before, or have only heard and read in myths.

[inaurare]

Well, I would need more names first.

[and a chuckle, because this is the same way he got Atsushi's-]

May I know yours? What else have you seen that is new to you?

[eaudevamp]

Then hopefully you get more name suggestions from other people.

[ Because Reign had been quite surprised by just how useful the network was and how helpful people could be, even to strangers. ]

Ah, I'm Reign Fear. Nice to meet you! Urm, well, there are a lot of creatures I've not seen before. Or strange plants. There isn't much plant life where I came from. What's your name?

[inaurare]

Reign - Mr Fear?

[he always needs a moment to figure out how to address people. It's hard to leave behind his manners, even if he is more of an equal here to people than he used to be]

Mine is simply Linneus. I used to tend the gardens of the house where I worked, so the plant life here is particularly interesting to me, too.

[eaudevamp]

Ah, just call me Reign.

[ Reign understood that sentiment. Atsushi had pointed out to him when he mistaken his friend's last name for his first name. But it seemed Linneus was just too polite. ]

Linneus. That's a nice name. It has a lovely ring to it. Say, if I ever need some help with plant life, for example, their characteristics and benefits, could I ask you?

[ Sure, it would be easier to find in the library, but sometimes it was faster to inquire directly with someone who had personal experiences with plant life. ]

[inaurare]

Reign.

[it's still strange. With Linneus, it's different - if his family had had a surname he never learned it before he was sold to the Teahouse, and servants never had last names, either.

The compliment makes him smile - even blush a little.]

Thank you, that's kind of you to say. I'm not... knowledgeable by any means, but I'm trying to learn and I'd be happy to help.

[eaudevamp]

[ That situation was something Reign was very familiar with. After all, the humans working in the Blood Bank of his world all had numbers for names instead, and human Arts used names from fairy tales. In a way, those humans had lost their own identity. What would Linneus think if he knew that Reign was a vampire whose kind ruled over humans?

Either way, the light blush looked good on Linneus. Gave the man a bit of colour to his pale skin. ]

Oh, you don't need to be so modest. You may not know much, but at least you know much more than I do!

[inaurare]

Well, we shall see. Perhaps we can both learn together?

[he had found Wyver of particular interest - not the domain so much as the terrain. There were forests outside of Ivore's central area, but nothing so wild as a jungle, and armed with a small, written guide and a sketchbook, had explored the plants there in fascination.]

[eaudevamp]

Perhaps we could! I look forward to when that time comes.

[ Also, was the tiny creature seeking Linneus' attention there? She might be getting hungry. ]

Oh, I shouldn't take up any more of your time. I bid you good luck in naming her, and if I've any questions about plant life, I'll contact you.

It's been a pleasure knowing you, Linneus!

[ Wyver may be too humid for Reign, but if it meant he could gather certain plants as ingredients for his perfume, then so be it. ]

[inaurare]

It was kind of you to offer your help, Reign.

[a little smile at his device]

Please do. I will be sure to let you know once I have settled on a name!