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 Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 10:53 pm
Robin
Balerd
The meal was a pleasure and, more importantly, a valuable reset to Balerd's mood. The mood of a child changed quickly but only when they allowed it and it was fortunate for team Essence that food had been such an option. They wouldn't be so fortunate as to be able to do so twice. Hopefully they wouldn't need to.
The process that would follow would be easy enough but ultimately pointless and, frankly, more than a little silly on Neo's part. Balerd would follow suit after Neo and Clara stuck their hands into the water without really understanding why. Birds, even the very odd Hawlucha, kept themselves clean normally. A dirty body was ill-suited to flight. Though there were limits and though Neo might have felt it wasn't enough, it was still really very silly to suggest that Balerd should "rub" the stickiness off. Balerd did not have fingers in the typical sense but rather lengthy, jointed digits with a limited range of motion that were capped with pointed talons rather than fingertips. Neo you silly cat, Balerd can't rub anything. Balerd is a bird.
Still, Balerd would take to the cleaning well enough. Well enough. It wasn't particularly nice or familiar but the experience wasn't painful or particularly unpleasant, it was moreso strange than bad, and Neo would manage the effort with little more than some passive struggling. Words were spoken and Balerd was once more unleashed to run off in the direction of wherever the heck the super-important bags were. The after-dinner time usually meant playtime with toys as opposed to exploration or pouncing. It was a regular part of things that had been suggested by Jessica and well-accepted by Tobias, who had agreed that quiet activities were likely best towards bedtime. It was all very normal and sensible.
The strange thing would be what Balerd was holding while racing back to Neo or, perhaps, another adult should the cat be lagging behind considerably.
A Rubik's cube? It didn't seem like Balerd knew what to do or was even capable of holding it properly given the smooth, hard surface not mixing well with talons. It had to be for someone else to solve.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 2:50 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Silly? Not quite. Balerd may have had limited range of motion to his hands but the request he'd made had been simple enough for Balerd to comprehend and the bird had mimicked the action associated with it. So what if Balerd couldn't "rub" in the traditional way? He could bring his talons together in the water and the motion of moving them against each other may have been more ineffectual than not, but it kept the boy involved in the process. Neo would take care of the more precise cleaning after--Balerd struggled with new concepts without being walked through them after all, so it was just as well to have him do something helpful as to have him stand idle.
Neo and the kids followed as Balerd took off, and the Meowstic noticed with pleasure that he headed for the bags that were leaned carefully against the couch. Neo had looked through them in greater depth when the children had been sleeping, finding a few unexpected peculiarities within; one such peculiarity was brought back to him as he entered the room, accompanied by an eager look from the bird holding it. The Meowstic accepted the odd cube with a curious look, heading over to the cushions and settling down so the kids could gather around him. "So, what do we do with this?" he murmured, passing it back and forth in his paws curiously. He'd realized the colored segments could be moved around during his examination, but they didn't seem to have any particular purpose beyond that. With a shrug, he began to turn some of the edges, turning it so that the sides no longer were one solid color but three rows of different colors. Glancing at Balerd for guidance, the Meowstic proferred the cube. "Is this how you do it?"
Eliot and Clara watched on from the side, both children curious for the moment. Eliot was waiting for the cube to do something, while Clara enjoyed seeing how the pattern changed when the sides were moved. "Can I try?" she asked, hands outstretched. Provided Balerd was finished with it, if he had attempted to do anything with the cube at all, Neo would pass it off to Clara, who would begin to mix the sides much more than her father had, enjoying each new pattern of color that she could make on the side facing her.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 7:47 pm
Robin
Balerd
Neo was doing it wrong and that was absolutely terrible. Balerd tried to think of a way to explain exactly what Neo was doing wrong but the concept was too complex and too difficult to manage. Balerd didn't actually know how to solve the puzzle, just that Papa was really good at it and that it was fun to watch him do it. There were no (known) words adequate to explain the concept and no physical way to show it. So, Balerd did the most rational and justified thing possible:
Get bored and do something else. Balerd had a lot of toys in the bag that Tobias had brought along and each one of them was as unique and wonderful as the last. Tobias had a preference for the rare and odd. There were a few dedicated craftsmen of such toys and objects who used their birthright to create strange, wonderful and absolutely foreign things of all sorts. It was hardly a surprise, given his personality, that he collected such things or that he would use them as toys for Balerd. Clara, Eliot and Tobias would doubtlessly have a good time with toys of all sorts, and Neo would likely have a panic attack when Balerd brought out the strange ball that seemed to bounce and ricochet disturbingly well no matter how much force you put into it.
They could, and likely would, easily play until the nighttime drowsiness overtook them and the normal routines set in. Neo would be acquainted with this; check Balerd's teeth for any stray food, give Balerd the bauble and read Balerd the book. Neo, if he hadn't bothered to check it, would quickly understand why the book was a nighttime ritual. It was an astrology book with a few choice words regarding roundness edited in with surprisingly tidy handwriting.
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:05 am
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian The evening playtime went much smoother when the cube was passed over in favor of other peculiarities. Tobias's other toys, while there were several Neo had never seen before, left less to the imagination than the odd, colorful cube that Balerd had dismissed so quickly. The Meowstic made a mental note to ask Tobias about the myriad of mysteries within, including the odd cube, when he saw the Linoone next, since he didn't know the names of half of them but delighted in figuring out what they did, much like the children. At one point Air came over to join in the fun, returned to his Ditto form and terribly curious about the odd knickknacks, as much as Neo had been. The group would enjoy whatever Balerd brought out to the fullest extent, the adults as invested as the kids in seeing what each new toy held in store.
Eliot much preferred the toys that could be moved around to the motionless, colored cube. When the wonderful bouncy ball was brought out, the boy took great delight in running to fetch it whenever it evaded anyone's reach, returning it proudly to his father or Balerd when he succeeded in the capture. Clara enjoyed the other toys too--at least she always acknowledged what was done with them with a laugh or a smile--but she never let go of the odd cube after it was given to her. The girl was enchanted by the complex of patterns to be made, and how the colors never seemed to stay the same way twice. Much as she twisted the sides around, she couldn't ever get more than one side back to being all one color, and in the young Drifloon's mind that was perfectly fine. She continued to play with it until all the other toys had been returned to their bag, and only gave it up reluctantly once her father told her playtime was over, and it was time to get ready for bed.
Tasking Air with the job of returning the cube to its original state and not realizing what he'd asked of the poor Ditto, Neo took the children back to the water room, opening the door and ushering them inside. He would examine the children one by one, picking out any stray food from their mouths with careful claws, then rinsing them off before going through the process of running his paws through Eliot's fur and Balerd's feathers, picking any stray dirt out from under them. Brushing, bathing, and grooming were generally morning routines (barring particularly messy days), but Neo made a habit of doing a quick check before bed, especially because the process was little more than a relaxing one, more akin to petting than the more vigorous task of making the child look his or her best. When that was done, Neo led the trio back to the hallway and diagonally across, opening the new door and ushering them in ahead of him.
The room was ready for its additional occupant, another bed-cushion set up between Eliot and Neo's ready for Balerd to use. Tobias's bag was here too, lying on top of Neo's bed, and the Meowstic went over to it, removing its contents carefully. Eliot went over to his bed immediately, picking up a well-loved Aegislash plush in his mouth and making a soft grunt of contentment as he curled up, chewing on it gently. Neo led Balerd over to the other bed, settling the child in and wrapping the blanket around him if it was desired, then gently raised the bauble into the air using his Psychic, spinning it gently above Balerd's head so its gentle shimmer constantly shifted in the moonlight that illuminated the room. He assumed that this wasn't something to be given to the boy, since glass was a dangerous thing to give to a child, especially one with talons, so this seemed like the best way to make use of its abilities. All this done, Neo settled in between the boys, Clara wrapped around his tails, and removed the book from under his arm for the reading.
Bedtime stories were far from abnormal in this household, so Eliot and Clara new as well as Balerd what to expect, although they hadn't heard this set of words before. Daddy's voice was soothing and they were tired, and the sparkly ball was pretty to look at, though they were struggling to keep their eyes open. Both children would be asleep before the story was finished, tired out from the excitement of the day.
Neo would read the book through to its conclusion, regardless of whether he had a conscious audience or not, and when he finished he would continue to wait in his spot, humming until Balerd also fell asleep if such things were called for. When all of his young charges were resting, Neo rose to his paws carefully and transferred Clara's hands to her brother's tail, which they grabbed readily even in her sleep. That done, he slipped out from between the kids, plucking the ball from the air and returning both it and the book to the bag on his bed. He propped the bag against his nightstand and climbed into bed himself, looking over at the children with a fond smile on his face. They were good kids, really. The Meowstic pulled the blanket over himself and settled into his cushion; it would be some time before he fell asleep, but eventually all four occupants of the room would share in quiet slumber. If any incidents happened throughout the night, Neo would awaken quickly to tend to them--his acute hearing made certain of that.((New thing for Tobias to encounter besides Killian and Lux--Air asleep holding his Rubik's cube on the couch, still unsolved. The other bag is propped against the side of the couch as well.))
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:00 pm
Robin
Tobias & Balerd
Morning would eventually come and, with it, Tobias. The Linoone was, as expected, still the unusual sort of guy he was when he had left. He didn't knock on the door, or wait until the morning. The moment the mission was finished, and the moment dawn had passed, he had raced to the home of Team Essence and... simply let himself in. The door was unlocked and with careful, practiced movements he opened it, slipped inside and closed it. A quick glancing about at his surroundings identified those who were in the area. Lux, if he was present, would be identified quickly enough, as would Air who would go ignored unless he should seem to be in so deep a sleep that Tobias could quickly solve the cube without waking him. Killian would also be identified immediately, though stared at quietly for a moment as Tobias determined whether or not the construct could be of help.
"Hello. I am Balerd's father, I am here for pick up. Would you point me to the correct room?" Killian seemed sentient enough. Asking him was likely prudent.[Incomplete post; just getting down the part you'll actually respond to so you can do so. Tobias's part here is fully written but I'll edit in Balerd's portion at a later time.]
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:52 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Killian's eyes flashed brightly at the unexpected motion of the doorhandle. This was unprecedented. None of his masters had left the room for hours, this was the time set aside for their sleep. That meant some unknown Pokemon was attempting to enter the room, and that was something that was certainly not done. But he'd been given orders to follow for this sort of situation and he would do precisely that.
First, assess the threat.
Fortunately for Tobias, he was recognized in short order. Ah, the Long One Friend. Aside from the fact that he was doing something extremely abnormal by entering the room as though he were one of Killian's masters, he was recognized as a familiar face who posed no immediate threat. Just as before the giant found himself returning the Long One Friend's stare, but this time he was addressed with a question. A question. He was to answer the questions of Other Ones if at all possible, but he had another command that took precedence in this situation.
Second, if no hostility is detected, inform a not-small master of the situation.
This task was fortunately quite simple. Air was on the couch nearby and Lux was already on his way over. Killian gave a soft moan, eyes flashing softly as he looked down at Tobias. Raising one huge hand, the giant extended his arm in the Lucario's direction, nodding solemnly.
"Yes Killian, I'm coming," Lux closed the distance between them, which was short enough. When taking one's morning tea only to have it disrupted by a feeling of surprise coming from a typically emotionless Teammate and the sudden scent of parsley, you don't just sit idly by. The Lucario raised a paw in greeting to the white-auraed Tobias. "You seem to have caught him a bit off guard," the Lucario said, expression somewhat bemused, "Killian is quite capable, but he needs to be directed when it comes to new situations. This would be a first for him." Why it was a first was already evident. "You're Tobias, if I recall? My name is Lux, I've heard a good deal about you."
Seeing Lux address the Long One Friend so amiably eased Killian's discomfort. One objective had been met, that meant the next could be addressed. With another soft groan, the Golurk turned around and proceeded to walk to Neo and the children's room; when he reached it, the giant stood still again, turning his head to Tobias and chiming softly before turning his gaze back to the correct door, leaving no doubt which room he was indicating.
Lux smiled. "It seems Killian has your question taken care of," he remarked. "Neo's probably woken up already, and I'm sure he's expecting you. Balerd, Eliot, and Clara are with him." If the Meowstic wasn't awake before Killian moved, he certainly was now. Air had propped himself groggily up on the couch and he sensed a flare of black aura from Nyx's room as well. No one except the kids managed to sleep through the giant's footsteps, no matter how gently he tried to take them.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:15 pm
Robin
Tobias & Balerd
Tobias watched the series of slow and cumbersome movements. He had encountered such automatons only a few times in the past. They were strange creatures, he had always thought; they were so purposeful in their actions yet so awkward in doing so. They were machine as much as man, with the mind of the latter and the rigidity of the former. They were very strange.
But no less strange than the presented Lucario. Lux's greeting was held in stasis in the back of Tobias's mind to be comprehended and responded to after the more pressing concern. He would sway gently and pay close attention to Lux as he did so. The Lucario's eyes would track him, sure enough, but they were off-center. It was a very slight difference, but Lux's gaze wasn't perfectly following Tobias's own. The pupils were fully dilated in spite of the dawn sun. The faint glow was another pertinent tip-off, though in the absence of the other details it could have simply indicated psychic energy. "You are blind. That is most interesting. I am Tobias, yes, it is good to meet you Lux. I will be sure to speak to you more at a later time. I am afraid I must make an effort to be quick at this time. Thank you for your help."
It was certainly the strangest and most interesting thing he had seen all night, which was quite something indeed given that his night had consisted of floating rocks, air that burned and an obeyed leader who was both weak and insufferable. Lux still took the cake of strange and interesting things, at least in recent memory. Really, the whole team was rather odd from the blind Lucario to the autonomous Golurk to the Vulpix who lied through his teeth for no reason. They were all quite strange, he thought. Air was just being ignored for now because he wasn't important or properly awake.
The reason for the speed would be a bit less obvious at the time but it was no less pressing. He had gone off on his own to do this but he needed to hurry back to his team leader. More importantly, Balerd surely missed him. Tobias silently bounded towards Neo's door, pausing only to acknowledge Killian with a nod before opening it up and peering inwards. If there was little chance of making a stealthy entrance and exit, he would stick his head the rest of the way through the crack and speak. "Hello. I am here for Balerd."
He could come back for the toys and so on at a later time. For now he simply wished to retrieve Balerd.
Balerd, on the other hand, would be slowly slipping into consciousness, having not yet uncurled, and would likely react ecstatically when Tobias spoke. Goodness, that bird could not be contained.
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:12 am
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Thud. Neo's eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright in bed, immediately looking over at the children. One, two, three: all accounted for. That meant Killian wasn't trying to stop an errant Balerd from escaping again, which eased the feline to a certain extent. Still, that left the question what had caused the giant to move, and his footsteps to be coming closer. Setting his blanket aside and hopping out of bed, Neo glanced out the window to find the sun only now peering over the horizon line. It was still very early then, earlier than he normally woke though he'd gotten enough sleep not to be too ruffled by the rude awakening. Running a paw across his tousled fur, Neo went to the door and opened it. "Killian, what's...?"
Tobias. It seemed the Linoone had been about to open the door himself, but Neo had beat him to it. Blinking a few times in surprise, Neo managed to compose himself by the time Tobias had delivered his introduction. "Hello! The mission went well I hope?" The words were hushed, so as not to wake the children, but it seemed that Balerd had already heard his father's voice. "Balerd's just inside." Though, doubtless, the excitable bird would probably join them in moments, scurrying or rolling out from the bed he'd curled up in and over to the long-absent Tobias. Neo would step to the side when he heard any movement, not wanting to keep the boy from his father, but when the pair were reunited, he would step forward and gently close the door behind him in hopes that Eliot and Clara might continue to sleep provided Balerd hadn't made enough noise to rouse them already. "See Balerd, what did I tell you?" The Meowstic smiled. "Papa came back with the sun."
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:04 pm
Robin
Tobias & Balerd
Well. Could he describe it as having gone well? Surely enough they had completed their mission as it was requested so he supposed that "well" was likely a good enough word for it in spite of the adventures they had undertaken. "Yes, it was quite tiring," a fact that hardly showed in Tobias's demeanor, "but I would say that it went 'well'. We completed the request successfully and we have returned uninjured." There was, of course, the usual wear and tear of traipsing about a cave for all hours of the night but the little cuts and bumps had long since closed up. They would heal in time.
Balerd's response would take shape just as Tobias finished replying and not at all in an unexpected manner. The ball wouldn't even uncurl before rolling off of the cushion and out of the door only to suddenly shoot upwards and smack the standing Tobias directly in the chest, knocking him over. The resulting mess would involve a great amount of wiggling, many whispers and a number of very basic squawks and chirps that would make Neo quite happy to have closed the door; although Tobias always landed softly, the possibility of Balerd's noisy reunion waking up the other children was distinct. Neo would go completely and totally ignored for the most obvious of reasons: he just wasn't important right now.
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 1:10 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian "Glad to hear it," Neo said cheerily, though the words were scarce out of his mouth before Balerd shot past his shoulder and straight into Tobias, knocking him backwards. The Meowstic stared in quiet shock for a moment before cracking open the door slightly and pulling the bag by his bed to him quickly, with a burst of Psychic energy. From what he saw before closing the door, Eliot and Clara were stirring, but not yet awake. Pulling the door shut again, one bag now in hand, Neo quietly hoped that they'd stay dreaming for just a while longer.
In the living room, Air had roused himself entirely and was staring at the Rubik's cube in consternation: he'd worked and worked at the cube and yet he still hadn't been able to get all the sides to match. As it was currently, the sides were mostly one color, but the bottom layer had cubes of all different colors. With a sigh, Air put the cube into the bag and picked it up. Somehow he'd managed to break the color cube--he'd have to apologize to Tobias for it anyway so it was better to fess up right away. Forlornly, the Ditto headed over to where Neo, Killian, and the tangled mess of Tobias and Balerd were waiting, unable to meet his captain's eyes.
It wouldn't be long after the Ditto joined the group that the door across the hallway was opened and an irate Nyx appeared. "Killian what have I said--!" The reprimand would be cut short at the sight of the Hawlucha and Linoone on the ground, and Nyx's expression changed in an instant to one of comprehension and then apathy. "Ah, you were seeing our guest to his child."
The Golurk turned so that he stood facing out of the hallway, able to keep all of the Pokemon present in his sights, the stomping of his feet causing the floor to quake once more. Looking down at Nyx, the Golurk's eyes flashed once and he nodded.
"I see." The Vulpix's expression was unreadable. "It's good to see father reunited with son." It meant that soon the Linoone would take his child away and things would no longer be disrupted by their chaotic influence for a time. With a nod to Tobias, Nyx glanced over at Neo and Air, then back up at Killian. "Killian, if you can avoid moving in this household during early morning, you should do so. It would be a shame to make a habit of disrupting the Guild's sleep schedule with your footsteps." The Golurk's eyes flashed again, registering the instruction he'd been given.
Satisfied, Nyx turned his gaze back toward the larger group at Killian's feet. "Forgive me for interrupting." With that, the fox swept back into his room, door closing behind him.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:30 pm
Robin
Tobias & Balerd
Tobias would glance away from his precious bird (though his hands wouldn't stop moving) to look at Nyx. "It is no problem." Though, as soon as he passed back through the door and into his room; "He is such a strange fellow." When both Neo and Air came along with the bags at the ready, Tobias would frown slightly. He didn't want to leave with the bags without doing a proper inventory but he simply didn't have the time to do so. His captain would be waiting for him and there simply wasn't time to spend on such simple tasks. It's not that he didn't trust Essence. Far from it, in fact. But Balerd would be quite upset should something in the bags happen to disappear indefinitely and that would not do. Mistakes did happen.
"I will have to return at a later time for my possessions. I ask that you hold onto them for the time being and I shall return in the afternoon for them if that is alright. My captain is waiting for me and I do not believe it would be well received if I were to be slow." It was an honest and simple explanation that was pointed at Neo. Spending time here was not particularly in the best interests of his team. He had only come for Balerd; he would return for his possessions at a later time. "Besides, I think perhaps it would be best if quiet were to return as soon as possible." Neo's careful handling of the door had hardly gone unnoticed.
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:56 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Neo was, admittedly, more than a little mortified by Nyx's behavior. It was odd, the Vulpix was normally a rather reasonable morning person, but being awoke by Killian's footsteps had been more than a little jarring he supposed. At least Tobias took it well. "Yes, Nyx has his quirks," the Meowstic said with an apologetic smile.
Tobias's frown would be noted, and Air's expression grew somewhat more unnerved when the Linoone's gaze fell on his bag. The Ditto opened his mouth to confess to his actions, but Tobias spoke first. Neo, on the other hand, nodded understandingly. Considering it was so early, it wasn't hard to figure that Tobias may have come for his child before he and his partner had had the chance to fill out their mission report. "Of course," he said, nodding. "We won't keep you if your partner's expecting you. Your things will be waiting for you whenever you have the time to pick them up. We can talk more then." They were, after all, coworkers as much as friends, and business took precedence in situations like these.
The pair would be allowed to go without further question's though Air's expression grew a little paler as he realized he'd have to explain to Neo and Tobias separately what he had done. At least maybe Neo could help him fix it before Tobias got back? The feline himself was currently crouched down and in the process of talking to Balerd (whose father hopefully humored the cat's intentions). "Bye Balerd," Neo said with a smile. A wave accompanied the gesture, and a hug would be reciprocated if Balerd chose to give it. "Thanks for a fun time! We'll see you again soon!"
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:02 pm
Robin
Tobias & Balerd
Tobias nodded, a motion that was somewhat awkward to observe given that he was still prone, belly-up and vigorously pet-scratching his bird child. "I will return in the afternoon after a short nap." Which itself, of course, would be preceded by all the official work they had to do, lunch, etc. But it gave Neo a time frame, which is what mattered. "Now Balerd, what shall we say when we depart?"
There was a brief moment of uncertainty but the word quickly came to mind and Balerd turned over to face Neo. "Goodbye!" A hug plausibly enough could have happened, but as much of a good thing as blue furry person was he was a distant second at the time. You tended not to have a lot of appreciation for services rendered when you were still grappling with the concept of time. Maybe later.
"Yes yes, that is very good~ Now Balerd, ball." After an affectionate pat, Tobias would issue the instructions that would have Balerd turning into a ball. It was the easiest way to manage the otherwise intrepid Hawlucha, and manage he did. He flopped over, took Balerd, and... rolled his own child. Specifically, he rolled Balerd in the direction of Air with the accurate intent of having Balerd slowly roll by him. Tobias slipped forward past Balerd, only to stop at Air and gently pat the ditto on the top of his "head". "Strange little ditto I do not know why you are so distressed but as it is much too early for a true problem I am sure you will be fine. I have heard that one is to turn their frown upside down and I believe you will find yourself quite skilled in such an endeavor should you choose to attempt it."
Regardless of what Air would think or say, Tobias wouldn't miss a beat. He would slip past Air, reach Balerd (who by then had rolled past them), pick Balerd up and then lurch up onto his back legs in a series of smooth motions. And then he simply had to leave.
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:12 pm
Neo & Nyx & Air & Eliot & Clara & Lux & Killian Air balked at the sight of Balerd rolling towards him, eyes shifting from Tobias to his spherical son and wondering if he was supposed to do something. The bird was set to roll just past him as it was, he'd have to lunge over to stop it... Fortunately Tobias solved that issue by lunging forward himself, an action which caused the Ditto to visibly melt, Balerd forgotten. The Linoone's pat and reassurance brought about a further expression of confusion and guilt, accompanied by some feeble motions of Air's mouth as he attempted to give a response of some kind. In another moment, Tobias was gone and Balerd with him, leaving Air and Neo and Killian alone with one another.
Neo turned to look at Air curiously. "Tobias has a point," the Meowstic replied, frowning. "What's wrong Air?"
"I...I...I..." The Ditto's body quivered. "I think I broke his toy..." The admission was whispered and full of shame. With shaky hands, Air dropped the bag of toys to the ground and procured the cube, offering it to Neo. "I tried Neo, I really did, but I can't make it go back to being the same on all sides."
The Ditto looked so distraught, Neo couldn't help but feel sorry for him as he took the cube. "Oh I don't think you broke it Air," the cat said gently, rotating the sides around. "You see? The cubes still move around."
"But it won't go back to being all the same colors!" Air insisted. "Maybe we weren't supposed to move it so much, because now I can't make it right again! I didn't mean to do it wrong Neo!" Air had worked himself into a tizzy, gooey sides wavering with the anxiety that raced through his thoughts.
"Shhh..." Setting the cube down Neo pulled his Ditto friend into a hug, patting him gently much as Tobias had before. "It's not your fault Air. If anything it's mine, since I let Clara move it around for so long. We still have until Tobias comes back to try and get it right, and if we can't I'll just tell him the truth: we didn't know how to play with it and we're sorry for breaking it. I don't know where you'd get something like that, but I'm sure there's somewhere we can get him another one if we did break it." And if the Linoone didn't mind he'd hold onto the broken one--Clara rarely showed such interest in a toy. Letting go of the Ditto, Neo smiled. "So don't let it worry you, alright? Tobias is a parent too, he knows that toys can get broken during playtime."
Air sniffed, nodding miserably as he tried not to cry. Sure, toys could get broken by kids during playtime, but adults weren't supposed to break them. Still, he felt a little better, knowing that Neo wasn't upset with him for his failure.
"Good!" Neo said cheerfully. "Now, would you mind looking after the kids for me? They'll be up soon if they're not already, and I won't have time to make breakfast before they're out and about." After the feast Nyx had cooked up last night, he deserved a break.
"S-Sure," Air said, some of the sadness fading from his voice. At least he knew he could handle that job. With an attempt at a smile, the Ditto opened the door to Neo's room and let himself inside.
Killian, no longer needed in the hall, made his way around Neo and back to his post by the front door, and Neo followed with Tobias's bags shortly after, placing them and the problematic cube on the couch on his way to the kitchen.
"So that is your friend Tobias."
The Meowstic's eyes shifted to Lux, who was sitting at the table sipping his morning tea. "Yep," he said, "What did you think?"
The Lucario gave a low chuckle. "I can honestly say I've never met anyone like him in my life."
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 1:57 pm
Robin
Tobias
Tobias would return much later on in the day and a bit later than he had intended. Jeremiah had arrived early enough to join the team in the afternoon, a fact that was hardly surprising given the relatively short distance between the city and the cave. He had insisted he would be careful going back and Jessica had allowed it to pass easily enough, figuring that it wasn't her place to stop him and even if it was it was the safest time for him to go back. He had made the trip back in and back out safely enough thanks to an early meeting with Joshua and the thorough exhaustion of the search parties. His acceptance had been unanimous and he seemed like a good fellow. Balerd seemed to like him, probably because he was shiny, and Jessica had promised to watch over them until Tobias returned.
As a result it would be well into the afternoon, though not yet near the touches of the evening, when Tobias arrived. And he would arrive empty-handed, as it was much easier to carry two bags than it was two carry two bags and a child. He didn't expect the conversation that was sure to come, though he was prepared enough to spend some time talking as Neo was a good friend and it was simply nice to talk to him now and then. There was also his curiousity regarding Lux as well, though he expected that that would warrant a longer conversation in a different environment. But perhaps there would be a nice chat and that would be fine as well, as though he knew little of Lux it was certainly the case that he did not seem to be a bad person.
Either way, none of that would really matter until he actually met up with them once more, so in true Tobias fashion he would knock on the door and then open it slightly immediately after to look in. "Hello~" He never quite understood the idea of waiting at the door after knocking. It's not as is someone would be doing something secretive in their entrance way. Perhaps if he were a stranger, but he was not.
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