... So. Somehow the word had gotten around that she was something of a decent trainer, and she ended up with a training job... Man, it had been forever since she had to work with someone else's pet! The last time, she hadn't done so well, but she was determined to get the job done here. After all, she had to save up for that injection for Avander that she wanted so bad, so if she had to take a few jobs here and there to get it, well, she was willing enough to work. Besides, the fact that she'd been trusted with someone else's critter meant that she was considered at least a competent individual when it came to this sort of thing, right? ... Right?

The problem was, she'd never worked with a Gem Dragon before. And this one didn't seem to like her too much. Not that it would, she thought with a sigh; she'd just come to know it now... But at least it was an intelligent enough critter, and knew some basic commands. That's what she was here to further. Looking at the green stone-dragon, she was beginning to wonder how she would get it to sit... It was made of stone, for goodness sake! She tried not to think about it, being too well acquainted with working with creatures of the flesh, but it must be trainable. She eyed it (no, him) for a moment, then pressed down on his rump experimentally.

Perhaps he was taken by surprise, or perhaps Gem Familiars were more pliable than she'd previously thought; his hindquarters caved easily enough under her touch, though he looked at her with annoyance afterwards, as if he hadn't quite done it of his own free will. "Sit," she said, and fed him a gem.

(Sit: 1)

Oh, he liked the gem well enough. It was the stuff the Labs gave out to feed your Tats, so that people didn't have to mine through the day just to keep the poor buggers fed, and this... Fellow took to it, right as rain. That was good to see. She had something to give him incentive now; he certainly wasn't going to be doing this for her, if the way he was looking at her was any indication. She sighed; she really ought to be used to working with creatures like that, but it was still a little disheartening to see when they didn't like her at all... She'd had enough of Duchess's evil glares to know exactly what that felt like. At least Fellow wasn't Duchess.

"Sit," she said again, moving to push his hindquarters down, but he sidled away, glaring at her. She made a face, stared at him for a few moments and then... Lunged. He made a squeak of surprise, and tried to scramble out of the way, but she was too fast for him to dodge. She held him, wriggling in her hands, and said quite sternly, "I know you don't like me, but if you listen to me and don't try any funny business, we will both be happier for it. I guarantee this." He held her gaze with his own, testing for weaknesses in her conviction, but she was certain that he would find none. She needed those credits, and besides, the girl who faced down a Thundergug could surely handle one Gem Familiar.

(Sit: 2)

Fellow seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion, because he stopped struggling and staring, looking pointedly at the ground and then at her. She knew well enough what he wanted, but she still fixed her gaze on him. "I hope you understand me," she said. True enough, he hadn't done too much to warrant such a stern reprimand, but she was nipping the issue in the bud, because it didn't seem like something she wanted to deal with later. Biting back a sigh (she was so prone to those these days), she moved her hand to his rump again. He looked up at her, sinking his body lower as if readying a sidle, but she gave him a look and made a warning noise in her throat; he subsided somewhat sulkily.

"That's a good boy, Fellow. Knew you'd come around. Sit," she said, pressing down on his rump. There was more resistance this time, but she found that if she applied continued pressure, she could push him down. She thought that he had an inkling of what she wanted (Gem Dragons being notorious for being quick learners), but was only being frustrating so as to irk her whenever possible. Well, she wouldn't let him get to her. When she did force him into the sitting position, she gave him a treat. "See how nice I'm being, Fellow? That's positive reinforcement. If you work with me, I wouldn't have to glare at you at all," she informed him.

He wasn't listening, busy as he was eating the gem, but she supposed that was to be expected. He didn't understand, and it wasn't as if he particularly liked the sound of her voice either, so why be bothered about it?

(Sit: 3)

"Sit," she said again, pushing down on Fellow's rump. He considered arguing with her, but she did feed him gems, so that was well enough... Yes, maybe he would cooperate this time. Her gems were tasty, and she certainly didn't deserve them, so he could do a deed and eat as many of her gems as he could. So this time, Fellow sat obediently, and ate with more satisfaction than usual when she fed him one of her gems. She wondered at that, at whether he was trying some sort of trickery, but when nothing obvious sprang to mind, she decided not to dwell on it. Probably not important enough to matter, anyways.

Repetition was key. She had to make sure he had the trick, so she immediately moved to repeat the command when it looked as if Fellow was finished with his treat. "Sit," she said, and this time when she put her hand to his rump, he sat of his own volition. Fellow had not liked the pushing motion at all, nor her hand on his hide, so he tried to anticipate what she wanted and see if he could get rid of her if he sat as she moved towards him. Surprised that he was making a move on his own but glad for any help she could get towards completing the trick, she fed him another gem. "Good boy," she said.

She wondered whether she could get him to react to only the word command. Given he didn't seem to want her to touch him, it seemed the next logical step... "Sit," she said, and did not move towards him, but he sat anyways before he realized that she hadn't. At that point, she was already holding a gem to him, and he snatched this with very ill grace.

(Sit: 4)

She practiced the sit command with him a few more times to make sure he had it, but true to his species' reputation, Fellow proved to be a quick learner. He knew what she wanted well enough by now to look at her expectantly when he'd performed, and treat the gem as if it were his right, her being only a go-between and a formality. She didn't like that, but he wasn't misbehaving outright, so she supposed she would leave him be. She was going to stop with the treats soon anyways. "Sit," she told him, and he sat for her, looking up for a gem, but none came. "Good boy," she told him so that he would know he still did what she asked for, but she didn't think that was what would matter to him.

Kitzu was right. Fellow was not pleased. He was usually nice enough when he was with his human, so he was only being nasty because he didn't care for Kitzu herself, but they had a deal. This wasn't how it was supposed to work! He refused to do as he was told the next time, but she threatened with her hand over his rump again, so he finally relented. This time he was rewarded. Kitzu was stepping him off treats gradually, withholding them some of the time and giving at others, and gradually decreasing the amount he got. At first, he tried to see if he could play this pattern to his advantage, but Kitzu thwarted him at every turn.

Eventually, he just gave up and did as he was told. He got enough of an incentive whenever she held her hand over his rump anyways. It wasn't so much to ask for, so he gave in, not wanting to continue the confrontations any longer, as they were tiring and he didn't care to be picked up again if he pushed her too far...

(Sit: 5)

The next thing on their list was 'stay'. While 'sit' was something she usually didn't bother with, thinking that it was either not necessary or that going straight to 'lay down' was more convenient, 'stay' was something that she was well-used to teaching. She looked at Fellow, who looked warily back at her, waiting to see whether she was going to put him through any new miseries, or whether she was going to leave him alone and take him home now. The latter would have been nice. Unfortunately, the job was nowhere near done, so she shifted her position and said, "Sit." When he obeyed, still eyeing her, she said sternly, "Stay."

She moved away from him then. Unlike some of her pets, he was not even the slightest bit inclined to try and follow her, nor was he distressed that she was leaving. Quite the opposite, in fact; maybe she was finally leaving now. That meant he'd won, didn't it? He hadn't liked getting bossed around by a little girl, and he was glad to be rid of her. Fellow began walking the other way.

Kitzu, however, knew better than to turn her back on Fellow when first teaching this command. Heck, even if she trusted the creature, she watched them in the early stages... So when she saw him moving, she uttered a sharp, "Hey!" Fellow looked up guiltily... No, guilt wasn't quite right. Like he knew he was doing something she didn't like, at least, and he knew somewhere in himself that there might be consequences. She was already walking back to him. So much for leaving...

(Stay: 1)

"Stay," Kitzu said firmly, holding Fellow's gaze with her own. He would have avoided her eyes, except that was too much like admitting defeat, and he had to glare at her, didn't he? It really wasn't fair that he was being bossed around by this short humanoid. He was the obvious choice to be in charge. He didn't see how she could miss anything so obvious. But in the meantime, she was walking away again, only this time she made sure to hold his gaze with her own, a stern warning communicated through her eyes alone. He was mildly surprised at the seriousness of it, though he shouldn't have been; it was just so odd to see such intensity coming from a child.

It was because of this that Fellow didn't move this time. If one asked him, he would have said that he did so because she was strange, and one could not help but stare. The reality was that he was perhaps a little afraid of that intensity. The time when he'd been picked up was also fresh in his mind, and he had absolutely no wish for a repeat of that. Being so powerless rankled him, so he supposed it was best to rebel in smaller ways, lest he push her too far.

Whatever the reasons, at least he'd done as she asked, so Kitzu walked back to him and fed him a treat. He looked at it warily before snatching it away from her, as if he thought she was baiting him, as if she might take it away if he wasn't quick. She sighed to think that he might think her so cruel, but she'd given him little enough cause to trust her, she supposed.

(Stay: 2)

Things went quite a bit better after that. There was now a principle set up, a rule to follow, and after the second or third repetition, it seemed to occur to Fellow that this was much the same idea as the one before- perform a certain action (or, in this case, a certain lack thereof) when she called the word, and then wait for her to give a reward. To her credit, the girl did at least prove fair when it came to rewards. He was afraid she would skimp out like she did near the end last time, but so far, she gave him gems whenever he performed, and he was happy enough with that not to make too much of a fuss.

She looked at him and said, "Stay," once more. This time he tried to move around some, to test exactly what she wanted him to do, no longer out of malice because now at least he had the gem incentive to work towards. When he made to move, Kitzu said loudly, "Hey!" and glared at him until he stopped and returned to a still position. With that in mind, he confirmed that what she wanted was for him to stay where he was. Well, that was a silly command to have. He was doing practically nothing! He arrived at the conclusion that the girl was some sort of fool, but hey, if he was being rewarded... He wasn't particularly inclined to move about just then anyways.

Kitzu began going longer distances when she gave the command, but Fellow didn't care. It was all the same to him. However, one time, instead of returning to give him his treat, she said, "Come!" This was a command he knew, and he obeyed instinctively, though he realized with some dismay that now she would have him move too. Ugh, that meant he would have to start paying more attention to her, instead of doing nothing because it was always what she asked...

(Stay: 3)

Kitzu found that alternating between 'stay' and 'come' was a good technique, for it forced Fellow to watch and listen more carefully. He learned that way to follow the vocal cue a lot better, now that he was using it as an indicator for his behavior. He worked surprisingly willingly for a treat, she found, and though he was nowhere near the gluttonous level ov her Thundergug, he seemed enthusiastic about his snacks. That was good, as far as she was concerned, for she was only teaching him some simple things, and she obviously couldn't motivate him with affection. He didn't seem to care for her much.

Now that he wss using the vocal cue, she figured she could move on. "Stay," she said, and walked away, this time turning her back to do so with ears turned to him so that she could hear if he moved any. This was admittedly somewhat easier with a gem-constructed creature than one of flesh and blood, for they made more noise when their bodies shifted, for the most part sounding like glass. To his credit, Fellow (who was, after all, a smart guy, and knew exactly what kept him fed here) didn't act up despite her not staring at him anymore.

"Good boy," she said as she fed him his gem. She didn't try to pat him, as it was pretty obvious that he found her touch fairly abhorrent, but he accepted her words with neutuality at least, so that made her feel a little better. He wasn't a bad guy, she concluded, just not fond of her specifically. It would be interesting to see how he acted around his proper owner.

(Stay: 4)

Kitzu drilled Fellow in the tricks for a while, happy to no longer be walking backwards anymore. Her legs were starting to develop muscles exactly because she'd been doing so for so long, teaching other pets to stay too... Muscles were good, she supposed, and it was getting easier, but it seemed a kind of pointless thing to develop. At any rate, Fellow was progressing quite nicely. They weren't kidding about that quick learner stuff. She was becoming rather fond of the prickly emerald dragon, in a grudging sort of way. She knew he would never really like her much, but he was starting to show a little respect, and she was grateful for that.

However, they reached the point where she was going to begin weaning him off treats again. She sighed in anticipation, and reminded herself the next two things Fellow had to learn wouldn't be reliant on treats, so that would be a nice relief. At first, when she said, "Stay" and he performed the trick but failed to get his snack, Fellow threw his obligatory fit. But she used the same method as she did last time, and after a time, he became resigned to it. This came about faster than it did previously, as he realized the same thing was happening, and gave up at that point. The girl was going to be stubborn, so why waste his effort?

She regarded him, her eyes soft and appraising for once instead of bearing down on him with her steeled will, and he lashed his tail gently, sensing the shift in her mood. "Very good, Fellow. We're half-way through, didja know that?" The grin she had on was cheery, and looked, to the Mining Familiar, somewhat out of place.

(Stay: 5)

Kitzu was sure that Fellow would find the next bit of training highly unpleasant, and she couldn't say she was pleased at having to put him through it, but it was what his owner had requested, so she supposed she hadn't a choice about it. Hmm, what to do... Well, she'd used an otherwise useless, mostly broken machine to help Daimon overcome her apprehension of loud noises, so this was what Kitzu hauled from home, taking the unhappy Fellow with her, albeit with commands. He didn't appreciate being carried, and she wasn't about to punish him when he hadn't done anything.

Besides, she had these next bits of training for that. Setting the machine in the middle of the clearing, she made sure she had a leash on Fellow before gave it a sound kick to turn it on (there was a switch, but this method was actually more generally reliable). She was surprised not to get an immediate reaction, but then again, the only reason she'd known Daimon had reacted right away was their ribbon. Daimon hadn't tried to make a break for it, but her cussing was sign enough. She imagined Fellow wasn't having too pleasant a time of it, but he was a prideful thing, she suspected, and letting her of all people see fear from him would not do, not at all.

But Kitzu was better at reading him than he might have thought, for she'd been working with a myriad of creatures before she met him, and her keen eyes could spot his faint trembling if she concentrated. She was, for the first time, uncertain whether to allow him to work it out himself or to set down next to him and offer him comfort...

(Accept Noise: 1)

It was difficult to say. She hadn't the trust bond she usually would with a creature by the point where she taught them things like this... But in the end, she gave in, squatting down next to the unhappy Emerald Dragon, murmuring soothing words. "Hey there, Fellow, I know you don't like me much and this'll probably make you like me less, but it's okay. Nothing's gonna hurt you, I promise..." She went on and on like this, an endless tirade, not always words of comfort but the tone of voice was consistent. And that was what was most important, for Fellow couldn't tell if she was talking about fish and tacos or the weather, but he could hear how she spoke, and understand how she felt...

Not that it seemed to help, really. He continued his shaking, turning just slightly to look at her, trying to glare but... not really managing, at all. She found herself feeling worse and worse for the poor bugger, but she had to be strong, for him at least... So she hummed a happy tune to herself, then decided better of it, because he would hardly be able to hear her over the noise the broken contraption was making. Come to think of it, what had been its purpose, even? She couldn't remember... Ah, well, nevermind. At least she didn't feel sorry for him anymore, so the emotion she herself was giving off was positive. Hopefully Fellow would take a cue from that in that there was nothing to worry about.

Fellow did actually look a bit more reassured; the shaking had stopped, but he hadn't moved in a while, simply frozen on the spot. She had to get him moving... If he was to work under such conditions, he couldn't seize up like he was doing now, right?

(Accept Noise: 2)

Kitzu dug out a gem for the purpose of distraction. She wasn't going to let him eat it, but she'd seen the technique before, and done it with Faber, albeit using a more appropriate treat for a Rakai... She hoped Fellow's sense of smell was good. Maybe he would have an extra gem-sense, or something... At any rate, she held the treat enclosed in her fist and waved it in front of Fellow's nose. He didn't respond right away, except maybe to give her a questioning, dubious glance, but then he must have realized what she was holding, because his muzzle followed it slowly. She grinned. "That's a good boy, Fellow... Don't mind the dumb machine, now. Just follow the shiny."

The method worked, to a certain extent. Fellow was willing to follow the gem if he didn't have to move more than his neck. However, he refused to budge his body, and that was fast becoming an issue... How was anyone to mine with him if he did this when they smashed their tools into the rock? Well, actually, he'd obviously been on mining excursions before, so maybe he was more at ease underground, but one still had to wonder how he functioned in other situations. She supposed that if he wouldn't follow the treat, she might as well try something else.

"Fellow," she said to get his attention, "come!" She'd walked a little ways out and was now looking at him expectantly. Fellow, instead of complying to the command right away, looked with guarded anxiety at the spazzing, loud machine, which had to its credit at least remained stationary. Mostly. Kitzu sighed before repeating the command, wishing that she could just put the idea into his head that there was nothing to fear...

(Accept Noise: 3)

After dawdling and looking back at the machine several times, Fellow finally took a few steps forward, and then a few more. Kitzu had to repeat the command many times before he made his way to her, for he seemed more interested in looking up and flinching or seizing up every few steps. Yes, it was highly exasperating, but for once no, he wasn't doing it on purpose, so she had to be patient with him, more than she was before. When he did complete the trick, she tried to speak to him in a soothing voice, but wondered if the effect was somewhat ruined by the spastic noise of the broken machine.

Out of other options (she really did not want him using food as a crutch to help him overcome his nervousness), she leaned down to pet him, despite knowing that he didn't really care for physical contact. However, it did have something of the desired effect, in that Fellow looked up at her, startled, and then glared. It wasn't a pleasant reaction, but at least he was no longer paying attention to the machine. Even a temporary break from his nervousness was a good sign, and she chose that moment to say, "Stay."

Of course he stayed. Staying was easy. In fact, it was the easiest of the commands he knew to perform under stress, unless he was trying to run away... But it was catching his attention again that was the difficulty. She only went out a short distance before commanding, "Come!"

(Accept Noise: 4)

To his credit, he only needed two repeats of the command to get his attention this time, and then another one to encourage him to actually make it all the way to his destination. Much better than last time. She wasn't sure if it was because the training stuck really well or that the risk of getting picked up again was really that much worse than the noise from the machine, but she wasn't going to argue if it worked in her favor. She pet him again once he was there, and laughed at the expression on his face. Fellow looked exasperated, which was for once a good sign, because it meant he was recovering his cheerful self, slowly but surely.

She decided to work with some commands that required less travelling from Fellow now, as 'come' was a bit difficult because she wasn't there to snap him out of his frozen moments when he had them, unless her voice was sufficient. "Sit," she said, and poked him gently when he stared at the machine, not doing anything. "Sit," she said again, now that she had his attention, and he sat, looking at her warily. She nodded her approval, then said, "Back!" He stood and moved a few steps back, now looking more confused than anything. What would that do? But she told him to do it, so he did, even if he didn't think there was a point.

This trick proved a very good distraction indeed, for it kept her close to him as she walked forward as he backed up. It became like something of a game of her pushing him back. Because it involved constant attention (she wasn't about to let him stop just yet), he couldn't spare much attention for the source of the loud noises, and was forced to work through the distraction.

(Accept Noise: 5)