ukan | 001.

[The first thing Lark does is follow his nose. He gets himself some food, enough to clear his mind, and then finds a quiet corner up on the deck where he can watch the universe drift by. He watches the network first, making cursory judgments of the people there. And then he turns the camera on himself.

He's not sure any of this is real, but it's always safest to pretend it is. If it's real to these people, it needs to be real to him.]

Monarchism depth doubtfully entrancing.

[He closes his eyes, no. Not right. Slow breath in: who am I?]

Sorry. My name is Lark. I've already introduced myself to the cafeteria, [he holds up his clean spoon] You eat pretty well here. Better than I've had in other cages. I can tell what most of the things on my plate were originally. In a place like this, in times like these, that's a blessing.

[Now the question. Time to find out the important things. He should have waited, but he doesn't have time to spare.

Who am I? Lark. Where am I? That, as Shakespeare said, is the question.]

I'm still monkey lid drudging cloud?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ah. So that's who she's smelling. She switches immediately to private, because some things are for canine ears only. The babble doesn't seem to bother her -- she cuts right through it.]

Good day, Mr. Lark. My name is Captain von Uberwald. I expect you and I have something in common. [And she pauses significantly here, waiting to hear if he's noticed the same thing she has.]

[He has been around the ship enough to catch the scent of another dog. Since he's currently a fugitive from his own pack and trying to avoid causing a fight with anyone else, he'd turned and gone the other way, but...]

It's good to know I'm not alone. Is the ship yours? [If it is her territory, there's not much he can do about leaving. He'll figure it out.]

Not exactly. I'm a warden here. [Not that she doesn't know what he's asking, and the von Uberwald temptation to say yes is there in the back of her mind, but she shoves it away.]

I tend to handle the... well, us bits. There's one other werewolf on board and two shapeshifters, plus some vampires, so don't get too alarmed by all the changing.

Makes me feel at home. [There's no sarcasm in his tone, but there is a teasing smile, there and gone.] Are they mostly lone dogs, or do they come together under you?

There's no... pack here, if that's what you mean.

...None? [Even in a prison that's odd. Unless all the dogs they've gathered are loners...]

So there's no risk of territorial battles?

Not when there's no territory to speak of. Not to mention an entirely different hierarchy. I'm the seniormost warden, but I'm not your warden, so...

I have no warden. Where does that put me in the rankings? Do I report to you?

Technically, you don't have to report to anyone yet. I've got an inmate of my own, but if you have an issue that you need... someone like us... for, then yes, you can ask me.

[He smiles with a small nod.] Thank you. I do have something to ask--someone mentioned there was a room I could go to when I need to run. But I need a Warden's permission to get there...

Yes. That's the CES. [But after her mistake with Red, she's taking no chances.] Do you have a full moon issue? Apparently it works a little differently between worlds.

No, no. I change at will. And right now I'm taking a break from my four-legged counterpart. I just need to be away from walls, even if it's just an illusion.

Still -- there's no full moon on the deck, but there is one on rotation in the CES. It's coming up tomorrow, actually, so if caution needs to be exercised... [She lets the implication hang: he needs to do it, or she'll do it for him. She may not be the pack leader here, but she's as close as it gets, and she's not afraid of a big bad wolf.]

I appreciate the concern for myself and those on board. But I can promise you, the moon has no effect on me.

Good. [And she'll be keeping an eye on the CES for the next few days anyway, because that was a huge mistake with Red, and she doesn't intend to repeat it.]

Then, yes, I can let you in. Anything else?

I think that's it. Thank you.

Right. Well, I'm in 1-3, if anything comes up. [She flashes a faint, wry smirk.] Paw-friendly doors and everything.

We're on the same floor so if something goes awry should be easy to find you. Don't worry too much if you can help it; I've never had a problem with Changing.

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