Tools of Conquest [Goblin]

[Juno]

"Well, not exactly," she shrugged, unsure how to explain it to him without being offensive. She'd learned through the years that humans were very touchy about the subject of eating their young. "I'm not opposed to 'animal' meat at all. I find it quite tasty and a regular part of my diet, but I meant... Human children," she finished gently.

"And no, we are very much patriarchal. My mother and I just...strayed from that, I suppose. Became more independent. Though the women have always been respected as equals. It is just the males that generally make decisions for the family. Nothing extreme, I suppose. Just engrained to have some respect for them, I guess," she chuckled. "Though it isn't difficult to listen to my father, generally. He is very likable. Just...we don't have the same goals anymore....." Remina trailed off as she listened in on his thoughts.

Puzzled as to why he was wondering such a thing after she'd already explained her age to him, she turned to look back at him with a wondering look. "I already told you I am three hundred and thirty years old. That has not changed. Though next year I suppose it will be three hundred thirty-one years. And yes...I'm fairly young for my kind. My parents are both about double my age and they probably look not more than twenty or twenty-five years older than I," she explained, not being shy about listening in on him this time.

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin blinked repeatedly as his brain slowly came to an understanding. "Human. Children. Okay. Wait!" His eyes darted towards the pot of stew she was stirring. With a voice crackling like an adolescent he continued, "I'm not eating human am I? I'm not a cannibal you know! And what's all this going on about your age business? I never asked it. I know you told me before. I'm not stupid you know!"

It never occurred to Benjamin that she had read his mind and proved her physic capabilities to him all in one go. "What I want to know is about your gift and those of your family. You said you were a physic. What does that even mean? Do you read fortune cards or something?"

[Juno]

Remina stared at him in stern silence for a moment, trying to judge the seriousness of his question, but when she realized he was being quite serious she just smiled and shook her head. "No, I would never try to make someone a cannibal. It's just deer," she explained gently, surprised she hadn't scared him with her admission.

"And I never called you stupid, but I'm surprised you really didn't notice... I read thoughts," she tried to tell him, uncertain if he would believe her. "I was simply commenting on your seeming inability to remember what I'd told you before, though you say now that you did.

"Can I ask why you're so...curious about my family members, though?"

[GoblinFae]

The nobleman sighed in relief, slumping in his chair slightly while he took a sip of his tea. He was not about to become a cannibal; all was right with the world. Briefly the thought that he could be her next meal flitted to the front of his mind before he dismissed it, judging that he was far too old for her to desire as food.

"You read thoughts?" he repeated slowly. Benjamin's mind became a windstorm of thoughts as hundreds of questions came and went before it went completely silent. The nobleman had never learned how to shield his mind however, the very idea that his hostess could read his thoughts had sent him into a mental overload.

"If you really are a mind reader then don't you already know the answer to your question? Why do I have to bother to voice it aloud if you're going to invade the privacy of my innermost thoughts?"

[Juno]

"Yes," she told him slowly, shaking her head and chuckling at the way his thoughts raced momentarily. The demon was a bit offended, though, by his seeming lack of understanding still.

"Just because I can read thoughts does not mean I can search through your mind independently. I can't pick and choose, I can't know anything but what you focus on. Does that make sense? When thoughts race...it's like I can't hear anything at all because there is nothing really to focus on, it gets overwhelming. Understand?

"I don't mean to invade privacy really. I actually prefer not to hear most of what people think," she shuddered slightly at the remembrance. "Not always pleasant. But... no. I can't go digging through your head to find what I'm looking for," she tried to explain, wondering if he would actually understand her or if he would ignore it again.

[GoblinFae]

"Well how am I supposed to know that?" he grumbled defensively. "Not like I have such a talent or know people who do. Is there no way you can turn it off? No way you can just stop listening or ignore it? And how exactly do you read? Do you see words? Or emotions? Or hear things in different voices for different people? Do all of your people possess this?"

[Juno]

"Because I just explained it to you? I...can't, unfortunately," she said, shaking her head and choosing not to go into how he could prevent her from hearing him. "Can't turn it off, can't stop it, ignoring it does nothing. It's like someone whispering in your ear. You're aware of it even if you aren't paying attention.

"I don't....see anything. I just hear the words exactly as you think them. Like I'm listening with you, I suppose. With whatever emotion you may be thinking about them with. I suppose it's a sort of voice, yes. And...no. Or rather, I'm not entirely sure about others outside of my immediate kin, but neither my brother nor my parents possess the same...talent."

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin nodded his head as he listened, mentally making a list and categorizing everything into certain columns. Questions that had been answered were checked off while questions to be asked were moved up the list.

"Does every one of your kin have a gift then? Or it something that passes through some generations but not others? I know among my kin some of us have magic while others do not. It's really a tossup who will and how strong that person will be. Our gifts however tend to be the same and depend on the amount of training a person has. Also you said you cannot turn off listening but is there away an individual can stop you from listening?"

[Juno]

Though his questions were intrusive, she didn't really mind answering him. She didn't think an eccentric young foreigner could do much more to harm her than the trouble he'd already caused, though unknowingly. She couldn't discern anything threatening from his current thoughts anyway, which was reassuring.

"Yes, we all have some sort of gift, though some are more spectacular than others. Like mine. I think mine is the best," she shrugged. "It's at least one of the most developed, so I can relate to the "training" thing. My brother never really took the time to. My father is like me...but just with emotions. It's kind of weak, if you ask me," she shrugged. "My mother is only half Neqa'el, so she's....a bit strange. And....yes, to the stopping.

"From my understanding it takes quite a bit of training, though, to recognize the ability to block that sort of thing. You'd probably need to be aware it's happening in the first place. But yes...I have my weaknesses, same as any other."

"I must ask, though," she added, distractedly thumbing the grain of the table. "Why are you so curious about my family?"

[GoblinFae]

"It is not so much your family as your species. As you and your family are the only ones I know of, I am choosing to tailor my questions to what you may know. Now then, moving on might I ask what you mean by your mother is strange or is that too personal a topic?"

Benjamin paused to drink more tea, draining his cup as he thought. 'Note to self: look into mind shielding. Ask about strengths and weaknesses. Remind her that the pot needs stirring. Not in that order.'

[Juno]

Hearing the tail end of his thoughts, she quietly excused herself and got up to stir the stew as his thought had reminded her. "Well, last I saw her abilities were not really defined at all. I don't know if they could have been with training, but it always seemed so...fleeting? Whether she was able to do something or not and if so, what that was exactly. Every day was different, but I'm unsure how that may be now. It's been...a long time since I last saw her."

Remina set down the ladle, now satisfied with the stew, and took it down from the fire to dish up. Carefully setting a steaming bowl in front of her guest, she prayed he was not clumsy enough to spill anything on the pages of her books. "I hope that's to your liking, I don't have very diverse practice as a cook," she admitted, sitting down with a bowl of her own though she was waiting for it to cool a bit.

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin paused in his musing to thank her for the stew, ever fixed in his gentlemanly ways despite the circumstances. He daintily picked up his spoon, blew on the steaming liquid before finally partaking of it as if it was the finest meal he had ever had the honor to enjoy. The food was swallowed slowly as if he were savoring it when in fact he was judging it.

"Rustic," he commented aloud. "But nonetheless enjoyable," he hastened to add, lest he offend his hostess. Dabbing at his upper lip with his hand, he continued, "are there any categorical strengths of your species or is it something that is more on an individual basis or is it simply comparable to that of a human?"

[Juno]

She watched him tasting the food, judging it. Honestly she was surprised he did not outright insult her cooking with her knowledge of his demeanor thus far. He seemed like a very particular man-child to her. "Thank you," she acknowledged with a nod before partaking in the stew herself.

His scientific manner of speaking was not all that familiar to her but she guessed she understood what he was asking, or at least the general concept of it. "Categorical...well... As a species we have excellent hearing and sight. I suppose it might be considered 'elevated' compared to a human's own senses. They seem...you seem to have a much lower capacity for such things at least.

"And then there are the physical aspects," she continued, setting her spoon down after more stew and finding herself full. "Our fangs, our claws. The way that we age seems the same as well from what I have seen, and it is different from a human of course. Our bodies take advantage of prime physical conditions to prolong our lives. No use in living for so long if we cannot sustain ourselves." She smiled briefly, glancing to the books upon the table. "I would venture to say I am much stronger than a human. I am built to survive. I am not...weak. Of mind or body."

[GoblinFae]

"I see," he murmured softly, musing on her words while continuing to eat. "I don't doubt your strength Miss. You are indeed a force to be reckoned with as you have already proven. Pardon me for asking, I do not wish to be rude but do you have any bread? This stew would be heavenly with a good hearty crust to dip in it," the nobleman commented while gesturing towards his half-filled bowl.

[Juno]

The offhanded compliment was startling to her given his previous choice of language about her. She would take it, though. He at least seemed to be showing some base level of respect. "I do, but it was not made today I'm afraid," she admitted, rising from her seat to fetch it for him. She paused for a moment, unable to discern how much he'd wanted from his spoken words or thoughts. With a shrug she set the remaining half of the thing beside his bowl before taking her seat.

"Hope that's enough...? I didn't want to...judge your appetite by your size. Eat as much as you like. It does go well with stew." She stared at him for a moment, watching blankly as she thought back on his lack of reaction to the information she'd shared. "Are you quite used to the non-human, then?" the demon wondered curiously. "You didn't seem very surprised by anything I told you."

[GoblinFae]

Benjamin's brow crinkled at the comment regarding his size but was soon distracted by the bread she offered him. He smiled with genuine warmth as he accepted the food like it was water in the desert. "Thank you, I'm sure it is more than acceptable."

As he tore into the food, he contemplated her query before answering  thoughtfully. "Well no, I cannot say I have met many nonhuman humanoids. I know they exist though and have certainly studied a great deal of them from my books. This will have to be my first field experience though. I have to say it's pretty miraculous from a rather inexperienced individual to come across a very likely unidentified species or subspecies though depending how others would class you. I'd say I'm doing pretty well for a first time though, what do you think?"

[Juno]

Remina nodded thoughtfully, though it seemed a little odd that such a self-proclaimed scholar might not know much about her kind. "For a face-to-face conversation, I believe so," she answered, smiling slightly with her amusement. "I'm not sure others would take it so well, but I'm curious; what other "species" do you know of?" she wondered aloud. "Have you never seen any of them before? Ever? You must not get out very much." She pitied him a little. To her, it was quite obvious for the amount of time she'd lived and had opportunities to learn about their world. She didn't quite realize that not everyone was afforded her life experience.

[GoblinFae]

"Oh many species actually, nearly all the known humanoids at least as well as a few of the other types. Granted you're the first of the humanoid types that I've knowingly met, which is quite fascinating actually. But no you're correct I don't leave home very often. I much prefer to conduct my studies and experiments from the comfort of my own home. I'm quite lucky in that respect I believe. Not many people have the opportunity to spend their days doing as they please and right in their own home," he stated proudly, with a pleased smile.

[Juno]

"Quite true," she purred, though it had always amused her how so many sought professions and monetary gain. She was content to live off the land, as it were, her small, hidden home a perfectly comfortable place. What few human comforts she desired were easily obtainable from the naive and gullible.

"And where is home?" she asked, still fully intending on escorting him there come morning.

[GoblinFae]

"My home?" he repeated, swallowing his bite of food slowly. "It's in Fallial," Benjamin stated matter-of-factly before pausing in thought. He leaned in and looked at her over the rim of his glasses. "That's in Serendipity. You do know where Serendipity is, correct? You're not completely isolated here are you? Do you are kind even care about country borders for that matter? Do you have your own set up perhaps? Or territories, is that a better word, do you have territories then between your kind or even other species?"