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[goblinemperor]

[ Maia is unfamiliar with advanced technology, so he checks and double-checks and triple-checks to make sure the message he is posting will not bear his name, before he asks: ]

What would you do with your freedom, if you had it for the first time in your life and never learned how to use it?

[ The question is awkwardly phrased, true, but he really is pretty desperate for advice. One way and another, he's been pent up and under supervision since he was born, and now he doesn't really know how else to be. ]

Comments

[shoplifter]

That is another nice thing about freedom. You can finally see animals.

Horses are... very beautiful. I like how they look when they run.

[goblinemperor]

Are there a great many animals here that can be befriended?

[ That, he thinks, he would really enjoy. ]

I like feeding them bits of apple, and how soft their noses are.

[shoplifter]

There is a zoo here for animals that do not thrive in the wild.

There are even horse-like animals at their petting zoo, if you would like to feed them there.

[goblinemperor]

[ Finally! Some actionable advice, as opposed to people telling him he ought to just be comfortable already and stop worrying so much. Laura is now officially the most helpful person in this whole discussion. ]

I was not aware that there was such a thing as a petting zoo. I will go there, without doubt.

Thank you very much for your help.

[shoplifter]

[Laura just gets you, man. She understands the feeling.]

It is no problem. If you you like me to take you, I can show you the best places there.

[goblinemperor]

[ Maia debates it for a little while, because it will mean revealing who he is to this one person, and one person can mean gossip and that everyone knows. But... it would be nice. To make a friend. ]

I would like that.

[shoplifter]

Muy bueno. I will be at the gates. When would you like me to go?

[private] @serenity

[goblinemperor]

[ It's really happening!! He is going to try to be brave. He'd gotten through two attempted coups - surely, he can get through this? ]

Whichever hour is most suitable. And... my name is Maia.

[ And maybe he's just blown his anonymity and she's going to tell everybody that, but he has to trust someone, sooner or later, or he won't survive here. ]

[private]

[shoplifter]

Hello, Maia. Me llamo Laura.

I am off school on weekdays at three, and I have nothing important to do after.

[goblinemperor]

Perhaps... Monday at 3:30? Is that acceptable?

[ Also, added bonus, he can ask her about the whole school thing and maybe figure out if it would be possible to take some classes, himself. Fill in a few of the (many, many) gaps in his education. ]

[shoplifter]

That sounds very acceptable. I will see you then.

[And you better not be late, mister.]

--> action

[goblinemperor]

[ Maia is, in fact, early - and without Csevet around making sure he sticks to his schedule! He waits for Laura at the gates of the zoo, assuming that she will know who he is, simply by virtue of the fact that he is the only one waiting there. He does stand out - tall and grey-skinned with his dark hair in many small braids that have been twisted into a bun.

He doesn't have any problem waiting; he'd trained himself out of boredom many years ago, and sits perched on a concrete planter, with unusually good posture, watching as the people go by. He is glad he had made that post, yesterday. On the whole it left him feeling like he can make a start. He can try thing, and learn to be free, even if it takes time. He's not the only one here, who is still learning.

When a girl with dark hair walks towards him, Maia looks, asks cautiously: ]

Laura?

[ If he pronounces it lah-oo-rah, well, she can't blame him, he's never heard it aloud before. ]

[shoplifter]

Laura.

[She corrects him blankly, bless her soul.

She tries his was well, quirking her head to the side.]

Ma-ee-ah?

[goblinemperor]

Ah, my apologies. It is not a name I have heard before.

[ The informal first is a lot easier, when the person he's speaking to is a child. And while he isn't lying about never having heard the name before, he's a quick learner in this respect, and mimics her perfectly. ]

Laura.

[ When she pronounces his own name every bit as carefully (and a little off) as he did hers, Maia smiles, and gives her a quick bow. A moment later he remembers he should have probably grabbed her hand to move it up and down, the way people do here, but... it's too late, so he just lets it go. ]

I'm Maia, yes. Thank you for meeting me. I... have never been to a petting zoo before, and do not quite know what to expect.

[shoplifter]

[It's all good, she wasn't too sure how handshakes worked until just a few months ago. It's all good. Instead she moves towards the front gates and expects him to keep up; she's not really one for pleasantries and typical social gracefulness.]

It's okay — the animals don't mind whether you're new or not, as long as you feed them and pet them.

They're much easier company than most.

[goblinemperor]

Yes. It has seemed to us- to me, rather, that animals are much less inclined to judge than people.

[ But, of course, one of the reasons he had made that post on the network in the first place was that he wants to stop worrying so much about what other people will think of him. It has been a hard adjustment, coming here to a place where his every movement is not watched, his every word written down and archived. Habits are hard to kick, and as the two of them walk into the petting zoo, Maia looks around idly, to see if anyone has taken note of their presence. They have not; the few people around are minding their own business, totally unconcerned. ]

What is your favorite of the animals?

[ It seems a good question to start with - he is curious about Laura, wants to make conversation, but it's never really been his strong suit. Still, he should try. ]

[shoplifter]

I like the goats and sheep.

But they also let you feed the giraffes here — those are one of the best animals in the zoo, for me.

[She could seriously feed them all day, they're the best. But more importantly...! She hands over her tap card with what meager allowance she's given (fairly so, she'd spend her every penny without Linda's budgeting).]

Some are from other worlds. I only know by reading the information, though; I didn't see very many animals when I was on earth.