2nd - Video

[circumsutus]

[The camera focuses on five little patchwork mice in a cage. It remains focused on them as Stein tries to pick up a little extra cash.]

Pet mice for sale to a good home. Friendly, healthy, and neutered. Five dollars each.

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[circumsutus]

Not really. Just a clean cage, and enough food and water. She'll be fine eating rice and vegetables.

[Yes money. This is good. He'll pull the mouse out of his pocket and hand her over. Hopefully you have somewhere to keep her right now, because Stein didn't bring a cage.]

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[Ah, so it's a girl. He wonders briefly if Vincent would have a problem with that, but even if he did, he'd probably never tell Gil.

He takes the mouse carefully (wow do mouse and mouse-creator look so similar up close like this...), glances towards the break room in the back.]

I've got a clean one at home. Thank you, Doctor.

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Not a problem. If you want another, just call me.

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Oh. N-no, that probably won't be necessary...

[He holds the little mouse close to his body to keep it from squirming and bows his head respectfully.]

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I don't know if you've kept mice before, but they don't do well on their own.

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Well, I guess technically he'll have a friend...

[In the form of a man with an enormous sleepy Dormouse living inside his soul.]

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She'll need a mouse friend, not a human one.

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It's sort of--

[No, wait. He backtracks, shakes his head.]

No, I understand. What about other animals? Ah...besides cats of course...

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[Oh, that is interesting.]

Oh, other animals should be fine. What do you have?

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...Er.

[Oddly enough:]

He's sort of a small lizard with...wings. [Like a dragon! But not. It's complicated, okay.]

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A dragon?

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Sort of. Someone in the Port was selling them a year and a half ago.

But he can't ah...breathe fire, or even fly very well.

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Really? I could take a look at him and see if there's anything wrong.

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You...know how to take care of dragons?

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I have some experience, though I can't say that dragons where I'm from are the same as this one.

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But they still exist?

[He frowns, looks back down at the mouse.]

You didn't 'practice' like this on them too, did you?

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Of course I did. How else would I have been able to learn about them?

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There aren't any books where you come from....?

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Books are never as good as first-hand experience.

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Um...what exactly did you do for work in your world, again?

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I'm a doctor, and a teacher. [And one of the best hand-to-hand and armed combat fighters on the planet.]

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[Not entirely what he was expecting!]

What do you teach?

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Basic science and soul theory.

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--Soul theory?

[Why is this starting to sound alarmingly familiar...]

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That's right. My students are mostly concerned with practical applications, such as viewing and understanding an opponents soul.

[He hasn't activated his own soul perception yet, but he eyes Gilbert with a fairly predatory air.]