"Take It or Leave It"- skekTek, skekEkt
“Again, again!” the Ornamentalist shrieks, raising their baton threateningly.
Huddled together in fear, the group of podlings again begin to sing, the music discordant and mournful. SkekTek simply observes- he has no ear for music, and even less appreciation for it. He watches mainly for skekEkt’s reaction- they nod along through the beginning, looking satisfied enough, but a few moments after the song splits into parts, they’re throwing their baton down in the anticipated dramatic fit.
“No, no, no! Scientist, this simply will not do! I told you, we must have the low D, and they still cannot reach it!”
SkekTek resists the urge to roll his eyes. “As I have repeatedly explained,” he begins, attempting to use small words, “there is simply no way for the vocal folds of a podling to reach such a frequency, even with my modifications. This will have to do, unless you would like to employ a larger creature. A Gruenak, perhaps…?”
The Ornamentalist shudders. “Oh, no, those clods would butcher my beautiful work!” They lean closer, voice saccharine. “Surely our genius Scientist can create a baritone? I only require one!”
….Damn his widely-known weakness to flattery. He spots a burlier podling on the end, shuddering a bit at what he’ll have to do to it, but curiosity already blooming to see if he can. “...Alright. I will try.”