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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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 Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2015 1:38 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Freed by Balerd's reaction to his alterations, Air pulled himself up to a sitting position, arm-wings folded in his lap. Blinking with surprise at the child's extended hand, the Ditto smiled appreciatively and rose to his feet with the help of the boy. "Th-Thanks," Air said tentatively, raising his wings to either side and running his beak through them to straighten them out again; Balerd's feathers were very well groomed, so the Ditto would keep his the same. Glancing back at Neo, Air smiled slightly. "Do you think that means he likes me?" The question was hopeful but uncertain: Neo was far better at reading children than Air imagined he'd ever be.
The Meowstic chuckled. "Only one way to find out," he returned, gesturing to the Hawlucha boy encouragingly.
Air glanced back, unsure what Neo was referring to until he saw the playful grin on Balerd's face. He'd taken on a ready stance as though anticipating a counter-attack of some sort, clearly ready for a second round of fighting if it was offered. "O-Oh..." Air blinked with surprise, having heard Clara offer Eliot's request as well. Well, there was little better way to learn about a Pokemon than to interact with it, and Balerd clearly wanted to play. Glancing over at Eliot, Air raised a taloned hand. "I promise I'll do you next," the Ditto said before turning face Balerd. "Alright," Air said, mimicking Balerd's stance and planting his feet securely on the ground so he couldn't be toppled so easily, "I'm ready for you this time!"
Eliot wagged his tail, barking cheerfully from the sidelines in support of both his friends, and Clara hovered down to watch beside Neo. Killian was still observing all of this of course, from his waiting place on the side of the room, and wondering mildly if either of the two would change shape again: it was interesting to watch unexpected things like that.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 9:02 pm
Robin
Balerd
Balerd watched as Air's feet spread slightly and his body leaned forward. There wasn't quite the exact recognition that Air's position was a mirror of Balerd's own but the purpose was obvious and well understood. This was a position for a fight and Air would receive it in a way that was best expressed instinctively. Balerd wouldn't curl up or leap, having been taught better than to do so, but would instead let out an intimidating screech. Or as intimidating as it got when you were short and undeveloped. Between the somewhat weak intimidation factor of the childish form and the bright expression across Balerd's face, it was probably clear enough that it was a cry of challenge rather than a call for violence.
Though playful violence there would be and, child or no, Air would have to brace himself as Balerd charged forward and attempted to smack into him shoulder-first in order to take a hold of him and twist him down to the ground. It wasn't like Air exactly has a strength advantage. How the conflict would go was inherently unclear. Balerd and Air would be evenly matched physically, leaving the main question as one of Air's adult technique against Balerd's instinct and lack of caution. But once either one of them was pinned, the fight would end readily enough unless the other side could put up a sizable struggle. The fight ended when one side was out and you were only out once you were down. That was just the rule.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:14 am
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Balerd was excited, well that was encouraging. The beaming look he gave when he recognized Air's posture was enough to bring a smile to the Ditto's own face, and he felt a stirring of excitement to know that he'd apparently done something right. The Hawlucha's screech was enough to cause Neo to wince slightly, which Air noticed out of the corner of his eye, so he didn't mimic the cry--instead he puffed out his chest in the way that both Fighting Types and birds were known to do when trying to display their toughness and clacked his beak together twice in readiness. Balerd would make the first move, but this time Air knew to expect the fight, and he didn't plan to let the boy win easily because that would hardly be entertaining for either of them.
When the boy charged forward Air was ready, easily seeing how Balerd locked on to the place he intended to hit before moving. It was a common mistake in children, and one that had led Eliot baffled many times before when Air managed to avoid him just about every time he moved in for a surprise tackle; given that the Ditto was especially skilled at this observational tactic based on his species, children stood little chance when he employed it--as did most adults. Thus, when Balerd charged, he would find himself colliding with thin air as his sparring partner spun on his heel and allowed the boy's force to carry him right by. Aware that the absence of a collision might cause the boy to topple over, Air was just as quick to reach a claw out and grab the arm part of Balerd's wing, pulling the boy back to steady his weight so they were on even footing again. There was no glory in outsmarting a child, and Air didn't plan to hurt the Hawlucha if he could avoid it. No--this sparring match would be a lesson in the shortcomings of relying on brashness. "Missed me!" the Ditto teased gently, a broad smile on his face.
Neo smiled as he recognized Air's game, rather pleased to see the Ditto employing the same tactics he'd used when play-fighting Eliot. True it was early to teach a child such things, and none of them would necessarily understand them for a while, but it had two important results that were nothing but good: encouraging the children to engage their minds in their exercise, and teaching them why adults, however they looked, were not to be underestimated. Eliot too, seemed to recognize the tactics, as the boy had begun huffing heartily in a dogish laugh from the moment Air made his first dodge. A part of him wanted to warn his friend about the Ditto's tricks, but it was kind of more fun to see how Balerd would react without knowing. Clara shared that sentiment, always intrigued by Air's clever style of fighting with Eliot and now Balerd too. She liked how he almost never got hit--the girl had made up her mind that if she ever had to learn how to fight, she'd like to never get hit too.
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Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 1:04 am
Robin
Balerd
Air's plan went off without a hitch. Balerd didn't understand things like reading ones opponent, predicting or really anything other than living in the moment. The others nearby flashed in and out of existence, in a sense, as the brief glimpses of them barely registered in the face of something much more interesting and much more important. If Balerd had been older, wiser, more experienced, more... perceptive, the knowing looks of Neo and Eliot might have said a great deal. But Balerd was none of these things and was utterly and completely incapable of recognizing such naivete or personal flaws, at least not in a way that would allow one to improve upon them. By simple virtue of being a child, Balerd couldn't really be humbled or taught in any deep way. Not that there was pride, either; for a child who knew only a handful of people and a set of experiences that would easily fit on a list, the world was too small and to simply for something as obtrusive and overbearing as "pride". There was only what was.
And what was was a child with a very different set of instincts from Eliot. Air's plan would not be interrupted as Balerd half-stumbled forward, not that the fall would hurt Balerd of them all, but there would be a certain comeuppance afterwards. Fairness was a very complicated thing for a little mind. The arm that grabbed could just as easily become an arm grabbed as Balerd's arm quickly bent at the elbow and turned as it tried to snap onto Air's own in an effort to quickly pull him in closer, or even to the ground if he stumbled. It was as basic an instinct as it got, and though perhaps surprisingly strong for the position it still wasn't that strong at all. Air's response would be dictated, largely, by how badly the act had caught him off-guard if at all. But if he stumbled, even a little, Balerd would catch him by grabbing hold of him in an uneven hug and twisting in order to drop him to his side. In a "real" fight, the pull would have been more efficient and it would have transitioned into a knee strike... but this was not "real" nor was it really a "fight", thankfully.
Of course, if Air was really caught off guard, it was just as likely that he could simply collapse and the off-balance Balerd would go with him instead of being pulled up by the force. The position wasn't exactly ideal for Balerd and if Air didn't offer enough physical resistance to the motion, Balerd would simply keep on falling.
Otherwise, it would simply be a dirty and rough grapple if Air was near enough or another blind little charge if he was too far.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 3:42 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian "...Ah." The sigh of recognition slipped out of Air's beak as Balerd's arm muscles slackened then tightened again beneath his grip as the boy quickly clenched hold of his upper arm and pulled on it with a good deal of force. The young Hawlucha was clever, in the sense that he followed his instincts and they served him well, but Air found the result of the act more interesting than terribly surprising. He'd been matched against Fighting Types of all ages in the past, and read about them besides--for all the edge their typing gave them, they fell into a series of patterns that could be recognized by anyone who cared to delve into the matter deeply enough. Air certainly cared enough to have taken note of what he'd seen and heard and read before, but not so much as a natural-born Fighting Type might, leaving him with a vague understanding of the techniques he might come across but not an intimate one by any means. As such, the Ditto knew exactly what Balerd was intending to do with his act, and was fascinated by the mind of the young Fighting Type knew exactly how to direct his body in this situation. "Not bad."
The boy's grip was surprisingly strong, but still that of a child--and one who didn't intend to have him by the arm for long. Air did stumble forwards from the tug, bowing to Balerd's ploy, but he knew better than to resist the downward motion. Instead, the Ditto deliberately toppled to the floor, shifting his weight forward and tucking his body deliberately so he could roll forward, into the leg of the off-balance Balerd: if the bird hadn't been upset by the fall before, he'd surely have trouble keeping his feet from that. Springing to his feet, the Ditto spun around and locked eyes on the child wherever he lay. If Balerd still happened to be prone, Air would be on him in an instant, a claw to either of the boy's wings and legs planted on either side of his upper body. If Balerd was getting to his feet again, Air would give the proper push or pull to catch him off his balance again to force him back to the ground. And of course, if Balerd had managed to get back up as well, Air would simply stay where he was and smile at the child, silently bidding him to make his next move.
"Daddy?"
Neo looked up to find Clara looking at him intently. "What is it dearest?"
"Why did Air fall down?" It didn't seem like Balerd had pulled that hard, and falling was never really a good position--she'd seen that when Eliot had fallen plenty of times. Yet Air seemed almost better than before, like the fall hadn't mattered--like he'd been expecting it.
The Meowstic smiled at his daughter, pleased with the question. "Sometimes there's no way to avoid falling. When that happens it's better that you choose when to fall, otherwise your opponent gets to choose for you."
Clara considered the comment thoughtfully, not really understanding it but nodding anyway. Eliot didn't seem to get it either, from the look that he gave when she glanced over at him where he sat, ears pricked, listening to their conversation. Sometimes Daddy said things that she felt like she'd understood at one point, but didn't anymore--this was one of those times. Ah well. Maybe it would come to her later, in one of her dreams like the others sometimes did. Or maybe it'd be like Daddy always said: You'll understand when you're older.
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 11:20 pm
Robin
Balerd
Air had made a grave and terrible mistake. Well, it wasn't really grave or terrible but in hindsight it was certainly a silly mistake. Deliberately falling into the pull had caught Balerd by surprise quite easily and flattened the little Hawlucha about as much as was possible given their mutual weights. The motion hadn't been expected at all and it had taken the moment of seeming triumph from Balerd and torn it asunder. A successful grab had turned into a very unsuccessful something and Air had simply rolled off. Which, of course, was the mistake; you couldn't expect to roll away from Balerd of all folk. Air may not have turned into a proper ball when it happened but rolling was what had happened and rolling was what was going to continue to happen.
Air would find, perhaps a little too quickly for his comfort, that Balerd hadn't elected to get up at all. Balerd had simply rolled backwards, turning into a ball in the process, and continued moving at just about as fast as was possible. Which, really, wasn't all that fast at all. Balerd was still an infant, the motion wasn't trained nor was it driven by anything other than a childish joy. If Air didn't get out of the way in time he would probably get knocked over and perhaps even flattened himself. Otherwise Balerd would simply smack into the wall, bounce back and come back even faster.
Really though, Air. What were you thinking? That there wouldn't be balls, bouncing or rolling involved? You should know better than that by now.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 11:46 am
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian A grave and terrible mistake? Hardly. Perhaps if one was focused on having the upper hand in combat it could be called as such, but for a curious Ditto Balerd's actions were the best possible outcome as a response to what he'd done. There was a look of shock that registered on his face, when he spotted a ball coming towards him rather than a bird, but it was quickly overcome by a smile even broader than he'd worn before. It was a shame that he hadn't been able to see the moment the change had taken place, but it was worth it just to get another look at how this technique worked.
His senses charged from the heat of combat (low-stakes though it might have been), in the seconds before the inevitable collision of Balerd with himself, Air's mind was racing with the information that only those of his species would ever know. When copying a Pokemon, Ditto gained an inherent understanding of every ability their foe possessed--the more specialized and natural ones that were inborn and could only be passed on by birth or the peculiar items called Technical Machines. When a threat was immediately present, it was effortless to access that peculiar knowledge so that it could be used to keep oneself from harm. Now that Balerd was on a collision course with him, Air was able to see with utmost clarity what hadn't occurred to him before, and his eyes widened with delighted recognition even as he was knocked to the ground by the unexpected assault: of course--it wasn't just something usual to Hawlucha, it was influenced by his inheritance! Balerd had adopted the technique from his parents into his very lifestyle--Incredible!
Air didn't stay on his back for long, not willing to afford the child the opportunity to pin him down. Fortunately, there was still a good deal of momentum left in the boy's rolling, and he hadn't come out of his round form to hold him right away, so the Ditto-Hawlucha followed his opponent's lead and rolled into a backwards somersault that landed him back on his feet again. He wouldn't fault the boy for bringing actual moves into a fight that was meant to be purely physical, particularly since Balerd wouldn't recognize his Bounce as something distinctive from usual sparring, but if his opponent chose to take advantage of a skill then it was fair game for him to use too--those were Air's personal rules. He had landed back on his feet with his back to Balerd, but he wasn't there for more than a moment before he was off again, allowing the Bounce to strengthen his jump and take him several feet from the boy, spinning around to face him as soon as he had the momentum. He landed securely on the ground a fair bit away from where Balerd had been before, arms at the ready for whatever might come next. Whatever it might be, Air was itching to see more of it.
Eliot was growing very excited by all the bouncing going on, eyes widening in amazement to see the distance Air jumped without even being a ball. Balerd could do that, but he'd never done it as a bird so the puppy had assumed it couldn't be done--apparently he was wrong. But Air also hadn't turned into a ball. He'd gotten close a few times now, but he hadn't done it yet. Knowing Air though, he was probably just waiting for the right time: somehow Air always knew the right time. Balerd was always a bit more difficult to beat once he turned into a ball though, so who knew what would happen? Eliot knew from experience that it was very difficult to stop the bird's motion once he started bouncing, but it was doable. He'd done it before, but Air was Balerd's size right now, so maybe he wouldn't be able to do it? It was so exciting to see how it would pan out. A soft groaning caught Eliot's ears, and he turned to find that Killian had leaned forward, apparently also interested in how things would turn out. The boy wagged his tail cheerfully and turned back to the fight--even Killian thought playfights were fun huh? Well that was good to know, he'd remember that for later on. The giant was always so quiet Eliot didn't really understand him or how to make him happy; maybe this was one of the ways.
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 11:18 pm
Robin
Balerd
As wonderful as Air's series of realizations were, they ultimately had no effect at all on Balerd. Not only was Balerd completely unaware of them, but even if the awareness had been there it's not like Balerd was old enough to comprehend such strange and complicated concepts. Really, Balerd was just an infant. Such complex ideas as "inheritance" or "moves" were entirely foreign. There was no conscious understanding of what was actually going on or what was happening. There was no effort behind the individual acts, no straining of will or body. When Air utilized Bounce in order to leap and turn, there was no such connection made by Balerd. The jump had been high and Balerd could do something like that too, probably. That was about it; it wasn't much.
What there was was there was the competition. The besting of an individual. The fight for, uh... something! That was very important. When Balerd smacked into Air and knocked him over, it was inevitable that momentum would be lost and a change of course would happen. Balerd slipped out of the spherical shape only a few feet away and stayed low to the floor with a hand and two feet firmly on the ground as Air bounced away. But the shift from ball to bird would just as quickly revert itself, for the ball form was the one thing that had really worked well so far. On both occasions, it had been successful and entirely so. It was good to keep doing what worked. So Balerd simply curled back up and began again but this time the movement was much swifter, much more difficult to anticipate and react to. What had been a speedy roll moments before was now a coordinated yet chaotic bounce that rose and dropped almost uncomfortably fast. A direct hit could probably seriously hurt Air, even in his relatively sturdy form, if he was clumsy enough to get himself caught that way. Balerd wasn't planning to unfurl and throw the ditto as had happened before but rather to strike at him from an angle that might toss him to the ground powerfully enough to daze him. Then, the grabbing would begin.
On the other hand, if Balerd was somehow stopped or caught there wouldn't really be much recourse. The ball form was easy enough to leave but that didn't mean it wasn't a trap in its own way; it was a fairly compromising position in terms of muscular strength. It was entirely possible that Balerd could be "pinned" in such a form, or otherwise simply dampened.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 1:00 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian He saw it! True it wasn't the most helpful of vantage points, and it was difficult to process amidst everything else that was running through his head, but when he'd turned back to Balerd he saw the way the boy's body folded in on itself and made the sphere that he became when bouncing. It was Air's first instinct to mimic the action immediately, but he knew better than to try some sort of new technique in the middle of a battle, particularly one that would limit his vision so utterly. No, he needed to see now, to gauge the bouncing as best he could and react properly. This was going to be the end of it--the intensity of Balerd's bouncing revealed that much--and Air preferred for it to end as painlessly as possible.
The Ditto-Hawlucha's allowed his vision to blur slightly, staring in the direction of Balerd's bouncing but not following it to the inevitable dizziness and whiplash that would lead to. He didn't have much time, given the speed at which Balerd bounced back and forth between the floor and the ceiling. There were a few important things that registered in Air's mind as the moments ticked by: angle determined everything about the bounce, the ball was not spinning but was moving quickly enough that any visual focus would be enough to dizzy the boy that comprised it if his eyes were open, and there was no regularity in the length of the bounces Balerd took. "...Okay..." Air breathed, eyes darting rapidly about the room to pinpoint his teammates' locations. This would require a very precise set of actions and Balerd would hurt anyone he hit with this much velocity--in other words, Air couldn't let his actions compromise anyone else. Eyes locking on a perfect target, the Ditto's eyes lit up and he took a breath: now there was nothing left to do but execute the plan.
His body, filled with nervous energy, responded at the slightest motion when he leaped up to join Balerd in the air, leaping only after the boy had struck the floor so he wouldn't be able to adjust immediately. Thus began a rather dangerous game of cat and mouse. If Air was struck by Balerd mid-Bounce, he'd be hurt far moreso than if he'd just been on the ground, but the Ditto knew the risk was unavoidable. Fortunately, Air had something that Balerd had yet to master--the use of his wings. There were close calls to be sure, when the boy would ricochet much too close for comfort, but since Air was bouncing outside of ball form, a powerful downstroke of the wings or a quick compression into something resembling Balerd's ball form would be enough to give him the distance, up or down, he needed to avoid being knocked from the air. This wouldn't continue any longer than it had to, Air preparing for his final strike as soon as he had repositioned their pattern to put Balerd between himself and his target. Now for the right moment--he had only a matter of seconds to find it but... There!
Air was on the ground and Balerd at the peak of his arc when he saw it, and his reaction was immediate. One final bounce with an arm drawn back then thrust forward, and the Ditto-Hawlucha was sent flying backward from the counter-force of his action. He landed on the ground heavily, dropping to one knee and panting heavily as his heart pounded in his chest and he turned his gaze toward his target in question. If he'd calculated correctly and managed to hit the boy with enough force, Balerd should have ended up landing squarely inside the pile of pillows on the side of the room. The impact would doubtless have stopped the bouncing and, potentially, could have knocked the wind out of the bird or at least disoriented him--maybe even have forced him out of his spherical form. If everything had gone according to his plan, Air would finish the fight with a dramatic leap spanning the course of the room and place his foot on the child's chest, pinning him much as Balerd had done before. If, however, he had miscalculated and Balerd had maintained his momentum...well, Air was an easy target, staring around as he was for any sign of the ball. That, combined with how winded he was, would make it very difficult for him to avoid an errant ball if it came flying at him. Of course, it was also possible that he could have stopped Balerd's bouncing but not dazed him, in which case the Ditto would be on his feet and ready again if he spotted the child coming towards him in non-bouncing fashion.
Neo was very perturbed by all of this. Air knew better than to hurt Balerd, and he had enough restraint not to do so, but the strength of the Bounce attacks being exchanged by the two was enough to make the Meowstic's fur stand on end. By the time Air was preparing for his strike, Neo had slipped off the couch and was standing, watching it all with intense focus. Clara and Eliot both knew better than to disturb Daddy when he had that sort of face on--it wasn't as scary as Nyx's face, but it was the sort of face that you didn't try to talk to. The reality was that Neo didn't intend to let anything get out of hand, and he wouldn't have either of the participants in this fight injuring the other. Balerd was very light, and Air was the same, both when mimicking the boy's form and in his usual state: either one could be pulled out of harm's way very easily, and would be if worse came to worse. There was no chance Balerd's intent to daze Air with his Bounce would come to fruition because he'd find himself frozen in place inches from the Ditto's body thanks to Neo's ready Psychic. Of course, that was something that never had to happen yet, thanks to Air's agility, but Neo was ready for it nonetheless--hence the intensity of his concentration.
When Air pulled off his stunt, Neo watched the boy's fall very closely, certain that his Ditto friend could take care of himself. If Balerd didn't fall towards the pillows but was forced out of ball form, he would find himself paused mid-fall and lowered gently to the ground. If he ended up in the pillows or aimed to hit a wall as a ball Neo wouldn't interfere however--he didn't want to ruin their fun he just didn't want to see either party walking away from this with an injury that would bother them for any extended period of time. Similarly, if the ball continued to bounce with such a lack of restraint towards Air and his ploy had failed, Balerd would be halted before he could do any real damage and Neo would approach the pair to call off the fight. One way or another, the fight would reach its conclusion here unless the pair resumed sparring in a more traditional and less hazardous-to-the-room-and-others'-health manner.
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 1:40 am
Robin
Balerd
As Air moved about, Balerd would twist and spin in order to correct the course back towards him. The two smashed directly into one another just as Air had planned but the folly of that plan was obvious the moment it was complete. Even though Air struck true and even as Balerd was sent flying into the pile of pillows, Balerd was hardly fazed by the act. Balerd's strength was bouncing, both in controlled and wild fashions. As long as the two shared the same body, it was simply impossible for Air to disorient Balerd in such a plain fashion. Balerd would always be used to more disorientation through normal bouncing than Air could possibly put out with a strike of any variety. Being able to handle that kind of wild and unpredictable movement was a necessity to handle actually bouncing off of things, so so long as Balerd's bounce remained stronger than Balerd's punch there was no way that Air could do with the latter what could not be done with the former.
Though the plan had been effective in its own way. Air had disarmed a potentially dangerous situation, Balerd wasn't upset and nobody had gotten hurt. Far from it, in fact; Balerd would strike the cushions with a soft fwp and unfurl with a slightly confused squawk. That hadn't gone the way it was supposed to, at all, and Balerd wasn't quite entirely sure what had really happened there. The bird could see bits and pieces between the feathers and could "sense" some more beyond that but what had happened was all just a little sudden and not really very sensible at all. The plan had clearly been a terrible failure, a fact that was very much confusing since bouncing always worked, and Balerd was now somehow on the other side of the room on something soft.
Something soft... Balerd looked back for a moment and chirped happily before hopping up, leaning down and taking hold of one of the cushions with both hands only to turn back to face Air and charge at him with the cushion raised up in the air. The cushion in Balerd's hands looked an awful lot like the ones at home and when they used them was the only time that Balerd could ever "get" Papa, which clearly made it an extra effective weapon. And a very fun one!
Fighting type children are strange, aren't they?
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:49 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Air sprang to his feet with a huff, grateful for the moment of respite granted by his opponent’s fall. The Ditto-Hawlucha’s eyes widened as he caught sight of his young adversary charging him with his new, downy weapon, and a giggle rose to his throat. “Oh so that’s how you want to play it, huh?” Air was, inconveniently, empty-handed against an armed and intent Hawlucha, but that wasn’t enough to deter him from playing along. Eyes fixed on Balerd, and his attention focused on avoiding the boy’s attacks, Air found himself completely vulnerable for the one sort of attack he wasn’t expecting: friendly fire.
Clara loved pillow fights. They were one of the only fighting games where she didn’t have to be afraid of getting hurt or hurting anyone, which was the sort of game she liked best. The moment the Drifloon saw Balerd pick up a pillow, she’d whisked herself over to the mound as quickly as she could manage, locking eyes with her brother as she clasped her hands around a suitable cushion with careful hands. Eliot caught her gaze and his tail began to wag furiously as he batted his paws against the floor, ready to help with his sister’s plan. A moment later, the pillow Clara had held was caught in his mouth, and the Drifloon was already scooping up another as Eliot began to carry out his surprise attack.
Before he could reach Air, Balerd would find himself struck in the back by his Growlithe friend with enough force that he would likely topple if he wasn’t prepared. Eliot wasn’t ready to claim his victory from that though; instead, he would eye his friend mischievously and bow to invite him to strike the next blow.
Of course, Air was completely startled by removal of the pillow threat, blinking with surprise to see Eliot insert himself in. It seemed he’d gotten a little caught up in the tunnel vision of the fight as well. A moment later, he was made to pay for it as he was struck squarely in the face by yet another fluffy missile, squawking as he lost his balance and was forced to stumble back in order to catch it. Across the room Clara giggled to herself and plucked up one last pillow before hovering over to the others to join the fun.
On the sidelines Neo let out a faint sigh of relief, leaning back against the couch again. This was better. Much better.
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Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 12:26 am
Robin
Balerd
Much as Air had, Balerd's vision had tightened to a narrow cone. Eliot hadn't been a challenger at all up to that point and had naturally been excluded from Balerd's attention, as was reasonable. One didn't simply interfere with a fight. Except Eliot was apparently willing to, leaving Balerd to lurch forwards at the smack of the pillow and teeter awkwardly in a desperate attempt to stay balanced, though it would be for naught. Balerd would quickly come crashing forward only to smack into the floor with a loud thunk as the hard keratin of Balerd's beak pierced the carpet and went straight into the floor.
How awkward.
But a little fighting type was a hard thing to stop or even slow and, regardless of concern, Balerd would struggle only briefly before pushing hard against the floor and popping right out with a similarly loud noise and some small scraps of torn flooring and carpet. Not that Balerd paid the damage any heed. No, there was striking to do. There was pillowing to be done. Oh, so much pillowing. Eliot, of course, proved to be the greater draw as he was obviously the second strongest ever so the challenge was all the more enticing. With a pillow and both hands overhead, Balerd would swing downwards in an attempt to pay Eliot back for his previous assault with interest.
The other, less-good Bird thing simply wasn't as interesting. It was interesting, but Eliot was the bird's Goliath. That was a challenge that simply could not be ignored.((If I'm off about the composition of their floor, just go with it as-is reasonable.))
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:39 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Eliot waited impatiently for his friend to remove himself from the floor, waggling his hindquarters with excitement when the bird righted himself again. The Growlithe puppy was happy to take a pillow to the face, and growled with delight at the fierceness of the blow: although he was small, Balerd always seemed to know how to put the most force into his attacks. His face would have been smooshed into the carpet without a doubt--and it probably would have hurt--if it weren't for the pillow he clenched between his jaws. Instead, the feather-filled weapon absorbed a good deal of the blow, allowing Eliot to keep his footing and retaliate with a swift uppercut (or the dog equivalent of one, which involved jerking his head up suddenly with the intent of hitting Balerd yet again, though this time he'd be sent up rather than down.
Air had recovered his balance just in time to be startled by the thunk of Balerd colliding with the floor, and the splintering that came when he pulled himself out again. The Ditto gaped at the hole in the ground for a long moment before looking up to where Eliot and Balerd had begun to duel--Fighting Types really weren't deterred by anything, were they? Of course, since Balerd was apparently fine, there was the matter of the floor...
Poff. The Ditto's thoughts were disrupted by a gentle pillow to the side, and he teetered ever so slightly as he turned to face the culprit. Clara beamed down at him from just out of his reach, hands wrapped around her own pillow. "Ohhh I've been hit!" Air moaned, spinning around on one foot and toppling to the ground dramatically, his own pillow still in-hand. Clara giggled and came down lower, hitting the Ditto-Hawlucha on the beak again with minimal force. "Oh please, take pity on me! It's too much!" the Ditto carried on, inducing more laughter from the child. While the boys liked a real fight, Clara just wanted to have some fun--it was easy to please the little Drifloon. But it wouldn't be fun if he just lay there indefinitely, so when she happened to come down a bit too close... Poff. "Gotcha."
Neo was rather concerned about the newly-created hole in his floor. Naturally he'd been worried for Balerd first (and his fur still had yet to lower back down to its normal position from the shock it'd caused him) but since the Hawlucha once again proved himself to be made of stronger stuff than Neo was comfortable with, the Meowstic had turned his worries to the hazard that the child had created. Holes could be fixed, but twisted paws or legs were harder to manage; aside from Clara, any one of them could step in the rut and incite an abrupt and tragic end to the fun. That had to be dealt with. Considering his options for a long moment, the Meowstic's face lit up when he came up with a solution. Killian? He contacted the Golurk mentally, since getting the giant's attention through all this ruckus would be difficult otherwise. Would you fetch me the clear cutting board?"
With a great groaning of metal, the giant stood up and ambled over to the kitchen, returning moments later with Neo's request and approaching the Meowstic to hand it to him. While Killian was growing quite good at keeping his steps from having too much impact, there was no way of preventing the minor tremors that shook the room when he moved, and for one unused to them this might prove to be a somewhat startling surprise. Regardless of how Killian's movements had effected the fighting however, Neo would hover the cutting board over to rest atop the hole in the ground: it was made of a thick, translucent material that the children would have a difficult time moving and would be the least intrusive to their fighting area. It would suffice until they could actually patch it up, though the sooner that happened the better. Neo smiled in thanks to the Golurk and Killian's eyes flashed as he lowered himself to the ground again, sitting with his knees drawn to his chest beside the Green-Eyed One Friend. Of course, for all Neo's efforts, a whole lot of interesting changes had taken place in the surrounding area, so it was possible that the fight would be forgotten in place of something else that caught their young guest's fancy. Oh well, at least no one was in danger of stepping in the hole. However small it may have been.
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 3:29 am
Robin
Balerd
Luckily enough for Neo, the fight would not change much at all. Balerd had, and enjoyed, a great many things. The big bag of toys was still around and accessible. But all of that paled in comparison to a battle of any variety, even if it was a very silly one that involved pillows. Balerd had a clear advantage in physiology, as arms were much more convenient for the task than teeth, but that was the funny thing about a pillow fight: there was never really a winner. They were too soft to cause feelings any worse than "mildly unpleasant" no matter how hard they smacked one another and they were so awkwardly wide, soft and flimsy that you could never really get a good strike off. Most efforts to do so would generally be avoided or parried as the two pillows inevitably smashed against one another. They simply swung too slowly and were too easy to counter.
Not that that made it any less fun. It wasn't about hurting the other person and while the idea of a challenge was an excellent reason to start, it very rarely stayed at the front of one's mind after the first few blows. Fighting was a pleasurable thing in its own right. It was fun! It was fun here, too, even though Eliot was much slower and much more direct than Papa was. If Eliot didn't start it himself, it wouldn't be all that long before Balerd would be laughing quite a bit in the very typical gleeful, childish way that you would expect.
It would all come to an end, seemingly very suddenly, as the laughter trailed off and Balerd leaned back to take one big swing, only to fall backwards out of nowhere and curl into a ball asleep. Eliot likely wouldn't be all that far behind when the exhaustion caught up to him, though through a combination of habit, physiology and age it wouldn't at all be surprising if he was still energetic enough. Fighting types tended to do a whole lot all at once before burning out as opposed to the more enduring bodies of many quadrupeds.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 10:32 am
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Naturally Eliot enjoyed himself as much as Balerd, just as pleased with the sport as his friend, but the puppy was not quite so quick to realize the fight was over when Balerd dozed off. At first he thought it was some sort of ploy, and that the ball would bounce at him at any moment. When that failed to happen, Eliot whined slightly and allowed the pillow to drop from his jaws, raising a paw to bat at his friend to no avail. Laying down and putting his head on his paws, the Growlithe puppy let out a huff. Balerd wasn't playing anymore, and while he was a little tired he hadn't engaged in nearly the amount of physical activity Balerd had since he'd arrived, so sleep didn't take him, just the lethargy of playtime ending.
Air and Clara, meanwhile, had finished their game as well. Clara had ended up dropping her pillow on the Ditto-Hawlucha's head, and Air was sitting on both cushions proudly as he claimed his victory at the fight's conclusion. The young Drifloon was perfectly satisfied with this conclusion, having "bested" Air enough times to feel successful--that, and Air looked so pleased that she didn't really feel like plucking him from his perch. "Air?"
"Yeah?" The Ditto returned.
"Can we play this again sometime?"
The Ditto felt a rush of compassion seeing the hopeful look on Clara's face. "Sure thing." Standing up, Air shifted back to his basic form, allowing the Hawlucha to fade away now that it was no longer needed. He'd get back to figuring the ball trick out later. "You want to help me put these pillows back?" The girl obediently followed, picking up one of the many, and Air gathered the rest, patting Eliot on the head as he passed by. The Growlithe licked the Ditto's hand and got up to follow, but not before a long stretch to shake the tiredness from his body.
Neo, seeing his children were being tended to, plucked a blanket off the top of the couch and brought it over to Balerd, wrapping it around the boy's sleeping form. Tobias had said the sleeping spells could be short, but short by a child's standards could range from a matter of minutes to a few hours; Balerd had exerted himself plenty, so it was natural that he'd need a bit of time to recover. That being said, it was well into the afternoon so he probably wouldn't be sleeping too long, otherwise Neo would have taken him to rest in someplace more suited to the task. When he was satisfied that the bird was comfortably nestled, Neo tiptoed away, leaving him to sleep for a time. Eliot and Clara had been occupied by Air, who was sitting with them on the pillows and gesticulating excitedly, though his voice stayed quiet: likely he was telling the pair one of his stories. Both of them were starting to look a bit drowsy--kids had a funny way of mimicking each other's habits after all.
All was in order for the moment, so--with a quick word to Killian about watching Balerd in his absence--Neo made his way into the side hall and gave a gentle knock on the door to the left. He heard a faint rustling from inside and the pawsteps that followed were quick and light. Another moment and it swung open, his partner looking at him expectantly. "Yes Neo?"
The Meowstic smiled in greeting. "Hey, sorry to bother you while you're working, but I was wondering if you would mind making something special for dinner tonight?"
"Special?" The Vulpix tilted his head curiously. "If you're requesting it then certainly, but may I ask what the occasion might be?"
"We have a guest visiting!" Neo said brightly. "You remember Balerd, Tobias's boy?"
Nyx's expression darkened imperceptibly. "Yes, I recall our meeting."
"Tobias asked us to look after him for the night, since he's such good friends with Eliot and Clara. I thought it would be fun if we had something nice for dinner."
"Mmm..." Nyx's gaze was distant. "Very well then, I'll get started on it as soon as I finish dealing with my current project."
Neo beamed. "Thanks Nyx!" He smiled apologetically. "I know you've been busy. I'd do it myself if I didn't have to keep an eye on the kids."
"Think nothing of it," his partner replied, turning to disappear back into his room. "So long as you keep them out of the kitchen it won't be a problem."
"Will do!" Neo replied, as the door was gently closed on Nyx's retreat. He hadn't been planning on getting Nyx involved any more than he had to: he respected his partner too much to disregard the Vulpix's distaste for children when it wasn't unreasonable. So long as Nyx had dinner with them that would be enough; he was beginning to accept that this was something about his partner that couldn't be changed. Satisfied, Neo returned to the main room and settled on the couch to wait. Air joined him eventually, once Eliot and Clara had nodded off, and the two engaged in idle conversation as they kept watch over their young charges. By the time the kids awoke, the delightful smell of warm, savory berries would be drifting in from the kitchen.((Just fyi, Neo never left the room last post--he sent Killian instead. My little Meow wouldn't take his eyes off your bird for a moment. Not while he's awake anyway. Also, skipping this a bit further forward. I figure an hour, but it can be more if you like.))
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