@Sera: You seem like quite the nice and sweet thing, very proper if I must say. Where did you learn your mannerisms and is there any certain reason you seem to use the word 'dear' so often, when referring to others?
Sera turned to the source of the voice, delighted to see that it belonged to that fascinating Absol-sphinx she had met a while ago. Her ears perked at the femmeâs question, a subdued smile forming on her face when the dark-type complimented her politeness and mannerisms. The rabbit tilted her head, however, when the topic of her speech habit came to light. She wasnât expecting that specific query, though she was secretly glad someone had actually paid enough attention to notice it.
âAh, well⌠Neema, wasnât it, dear? I seem to remember you mentioning that name briefly once before, at least.â She put her left hand to her chin in thought. âAh well. Itâs lovely to see you again, either way. Youâre so polite yourself, dear! You must have been taught very well by your elders. AnywayâŚâ She bunny-hopped over to Neemaâs side, then sat down on her lower stomach. âI donât have a problem explaining my pattern of speech, dear, as long as youâre willing to listen.â
âI guess you could say that I say the word âdearâ all the time out of habit, Neema, dear. You see, in my contest days, when I was younger and still learning to speak human language fluently, my memory with names was a bit spotty. I was juggling human words and names and things would get lost in my brain as I tried to remember them! It was rather awkward when I would forget a fanâs name, as you can imagine, dear.â
âI began trying different terms of endearment when I forgot a name, like âsweetieâ and 'honeyâ and such. But none of them really felt natural to say. I kept trying to think of something with one syllable, something that I could use for both male and female fans.â
âMy former trainer, Logan, eventually suggested the word 'dear.â I tried it a few times, and was shocked how smooth it sounded. He then explained that he brought up the idea because it was a greeting humans often wrote in letters to one another. It could be used for friends, family, acquaintances, often even strangers! It was perfect. I got into the habit of saying it, and I would even find myself using the word 'dearâ just in daily speech. To my surprise, most of my fans and friends found it cute, so I didnât end up feeling self-conscious when it slipped up in random conversation.â
Sera nodded at the end of that brief spiel, offering Neema a warm smile. âThere you have it, dear. My memory with names is much better now, but the habit born from that beginning struggle is one I carry to this day. I suppose it also helps me keep my memory of Logan alive, now that heâs gone, since heâs the one who helped me figure out the word I needed.â
