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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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 Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 2:59 pm
Neo & Air & Lux & Killian Tobias arrived at a very apt time; namely, naptime. The children had had an eventful day and were sleeping off the afternoon drowsiness, leaving the remaining adults to their own devices for a while. Neo and Air were on the couch, the Ditto in the form of an Abra so he could hold onto the color cube better as the pair tried to solve it. Lux sat on a cushion across from them, watching the process curiously. He'd been given the cube to hold at one point, and asked if he knew what to do with it, but the Lucario hadn't encountered such a thing before or after he was blinded. Apparently it belonged to Tobias, and they wanted to return it to normal before the Linoone came to pick it up, but neither had been having any luck; unfortunately, given that all the sides felt the same regardless of color, this wasn't something Lux could help with. Instead he watched their auras ripple and offered encouraging words when they seemed necessary. Killian had returned to his post by the door of course, and thus was the first to notice Tobias making his usual entrance. The Golurk still wasn't sure what to make of a non-master entering the door like this, but he hadn't been instructed that it was wrong, so he simply stared down at the odd Long One Friend who had come and gone so many times in the past two days.
"Tobias!" Neo looked over with a smile. "Please, come in." Not that the invitation was particularly necessary. When Tobias approached he would be given an apologetic smile by Neo, and Air's expression would grow a bit more troubled as the cube was taken from him. "Air and I were just trying to figure out how to fix Balerd's toy," the Meowstic informed him. "We were playing with it last night and its colors got mixed up. We haven't been able to get them right since..." The cube would be offered to Tobias in short order. "I'd never seen a toy like it before so I wasn't sure how to handle it. Clara did enjoy changing the colors around though, and I let her do it, which may have made things worse..." He looked extremely apologetic. "If it's broken, I hope I can make it up to you somehow. You have such unique toys, and apparently Balerd liked this one enough to show it to me... I'd be happy to get you another one if you know where to find them."
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 4:31 pm
Robin
Tobias
Tobias would, once more, be very much confused.
He would drop back down to the floor after taking the cube from Neo and the room would suddenly fill with a series of fairly rapid, rhythmic clacks that paused periodically. "It is not broken, it is a puzzle. You are supposed to mix up the sides and then try to return it to normal, it is meant to be very hard. There is a specific way to do it, there is a series of patterns you must achieve in a specific order. You would have to damage the turning mechanism inside in order to break it which is quite hard to do by accident. I was made to solve them as a child as... training and I do so from time to time. Balerd enjoys watching me do so, I believe it is because of the noise." It was the same noise that was probably somewhat grating to Neo's ears, but thankfully for him it wasn't as fast as expected. Both Neo and Air, as an Abra, had hands much better suited to the task than Tobias did. "I know a few who deal in such things though a few of them are the type one would prefer not to meet. I often buy things such as this from them." With a final click, the cube was back "together" perfectly and placed on the floor.
"I believe Balerd must have placed it in the bag, as I did not. I would not expect you to be able to solve it as I do. But do not worry, it is fine." It was a simple statement, as many of Tobias's were. It wasn't a comment to degrade, it simply was.
Really, they were such strange people. It still turned perfectly fine, how could they have broken it?
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:38 pm
Neo & Air & Lux & Killian Both Neo and Air relaxed visibly at the news that they had not, in fact, done any lasting damage to the toy. Neo's ears pressed down a bit further, to diminish the clacking, but both of them watched the Linoone work at the cube with interest. "Wow, that's amazing!" Neo said, eyes wide as he stared at the cube Tobias had placed gently on the ground before them. "So it's a puzzle toy, that explains a lot."
Air looked as though he'd choked on something as he stared down at the now-solved cube. He'd spent so many hours trying and Tobias had solved it in no time at all. With an expression of defeat, the Ditto-Abra sunk into the couch. At least he hadn't broken anything--he just hadn't been able to solve a puzzle. "So we were doing it right the whole time." It wasn't a particularly happy comment, but anyone who learned that they'd been in a state of panic for no reason was bound to be a little bit grumpy.
Naturally, Neo took the comment with a positive spin. "You're right, I guess we were!" The Meowstic chuckled. "All's well that ends well I suppose. Thanks for helping us figure it out." From the sound of it, finding a replacement would be hard, so there was more than one reason to be happy there'd been no harm done. "I could ask you about those toys all day. Your friends must be very skilled, or at least have some skilled friends of their own." There were a few other peculiarities from the bag that were worth asking about, and learning about new toys had the wonderful side effect of making one feel like a child again, however... "But there are we should talk about first. Feel free to make yourself comfortable; it shouldn't take long but you're welcome to have a seat if you like." There were already a few extra cushions laid out and, of course, there was extra space on the couch should Tobias prefer that. Neo would give him the chance to settle down before continuing. "So, I'm sure you'd like to know how Balerd handled the night?"
The Meowstic folded his paws in his lap. "He did a wonderful job for his first time away from home. He played well with Eliot and Clara and myself, even Air at one point also. He ate well and was very respectful of others at the table. Before dinner he did have a short breakdown when he realized you and Jessica would not be joining us, but he cheered up enough afterwards and there wasn't any further incident for the rest of the night." Neo frowned slightly. "There was just one thing that I think you need to be made aware of. Before he realized you wouldn't be back until tomorrow he tried to leave the room to go get you. When I turned him away from the door to explain things to him, he growled at me: not the usual sort of growl--a growl that was clearly aggressive and intended to be a threat." The feline's frown deepened, still troubled by the memory. "I'm not sure what caused it, but I thought you should know."
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 1:29 am
Robin
Tobias
"Do not worry blobby ditto friend. It is fine, such puzzles require teaching." It was true that you could eventually solve one by just blindly turning it but you weren't likely to do so. Knowing, at least, the root idea was important. Air had no reason to feel frustrated with himself as, really, it was all very much normal. He could not solve a puzzle he lacked the tools to tackle. That was all.
At the offer of a seat, Tobias would place himself on a suitably sized cushion and spin in place several times before lightly padding it down with his feet and settling in. He nodded and allowed Neo to speak from start to finish without interruption. A quiet would overtake the room as Tobias visibly and obviously mulled over what had been said. The actual answer was quite simple, though they were oblivious to it. Balerd had wanted to retrieve Tobias and Jessica. Neo had intentionally gotten in the way. Neo had "kept" Balerd from reaching Tobias, which was as much an act of aggression as anything Balerd had done. That was the case to Balerd, at least. But while Tobias could have perhaps blindly leapt to such conclusions he lacked the information necessary to do so. And Neo wasn't reaching them either. "I do not believe that Balerd would do such a thing as Balerd has never expressed such things."
"But,"
"I do not believe you would lie to me. I will keep a careful eye on Balerd in the future. I do not wish for Balerd to grow to be someone who is violent so I will be careful. I hope it did not cause any problems." It wasn't that he doubted Neo especially, nor was he being dismissive. He doubted very much that Neo would lie to him at all, especially about something like that. But he also very much doubted that Balerd would do something like that as the little bird had never gotten violent with anything at all. Some aggressive playing, sure, but vainly attempting to suplex Tobias was a far cry from a guttural threat. It was a strange paradox. Balerd was violent or if Neo was lying, in either case it meant that Tobias had made an incorrect judgment. One had to be wrong somehow which meant that one of the things that Tobias knew to be true was, in fact, not. "...Could it be that you have forgotten something or are not remembering properly? I do not understand what could have caused this."
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 7:32 am
Neo & Air & Lux & Killian As much as his partner's personality was entwined with lies, so was Neo's inextricable from his honest nature. He didn't intend to hide the truth from Tobias any more than he intended to suggest Balerd was a violent child; he had simply noticed an issue and was doing the responsible thing by informing someone who needed to know about it so such behaviors wouldn't continue. Balerd, while not his own child, was still a child he cared for deeply, and Neo only intended to do right by him. The Meowstic shook his head at Tobias's comment. "No, it died down quickly enough," he said, "It did disturb Eliot and Clara for a time, but he stopped before anything particularly troublesome came of it."
His brow furrowed at the follow-up question, and he nodded slightly. "I'm not sure myself, but I can tell you what happened as I remember it." Neo thought back to the night before, trying to bring up all the details as best he recalled them. "Balerd had just woken up from a nap, and he had hurried over to look in the kitchen when he smelled that dinner was almost ready. Nyx and I don't like to have the children in the kitchen, especially when meals are being made, because of the safety precautions, so I came over and told him we had to get everyone ready for dinner before we could eat." The Meowstic rubbed his arm abesntly. "Balerd seemed to understand that; he went through our entire home to let everyone know it was time to eat. The last place he went was the door, and he was attempting to open it on his own and calling out for you." All of these things were perfectly normal.
"He was struggling to get a grip on the door handle, and wouldn't listen when I tried to explain to him that he shouldn't leave because you wouldn't be joining us. It reached a point where it was clear I wasn't getting through to him, so I took him by the shoulder and spoke to him directly. That was when the growling happened--he responded very poorly to being kept from the task he'd set his mind to. I explained the situation to him again, and the growling started to die down somewhat after that. Then he finally seemed to understand what I'd been telling him the whole time, and that's what prompted the breakdown." The Meowstic sighed. "I understand why he'd be upset that I was keeping him from doing what he wanted, but he's never displayed that level of hostility because of it before."
Neo had done nothing more than parent Balerd as he would his own children. The discrepancy between his and Tobias's styles had little to do with it: his children knew they were to listen to Tobias as much as Daddy when they had playdates, and the feline simply expected Tobias and Balerd had the same sort of understanding. If he'd given a bit more thought to Balerd's clear inability to comprehend abstract concepts of any sort, it's possible Neo would have been able to put the pieces together on his own; as it was however, it didn't occur to him Balerd would be incapable of this understanding or that Tobias would have had the oversight to not instill such a lesson in his child. That left the Meowstic in a very confusing position, where a child who expected to respect him hadn't understood such instruction, so his act could only be interpreted as an uncharacteristic display of hostility brought about in response to a display of authority, which was a dangerous trait for a child to learn.
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 12:34 pm
Robin
Tobias
"Hm." It was as simple as that. It was something very strange and very hard to understand. The schism wasn't really a schism at all but rather a fundamentally identical issue that led to two somewhat different conclusions based on different understandings of the event. What Neo saw as something that was a clear opposition to authority, Tobias saw as an inexplicable rage. The dissonance between the two, if there was one, was in expectations. Balerd was younger and developmentally not as far along as the other children were and a difficulty grappling with such things wasn't unexpected. "I cannot be certain but I think that Balerd must have been very angry at you. Jessica once told me that fighting type children sometimes solve problems through force but I do not think that such things are fine in such situations." Force was, to one extent or another, a part of life. There was also a time and place to do such things and from the sounds of it that was neither.
In the end, it would likely be a one-off event that wouldn't repeat itself. Tobias would take it seriously but it was little more than a symptom of the dreaded first night from home. "I will be sure to speak to Balerd about this. It is not fine for such things to happen." And that, for the most part, was the end of that.
"Jessica sends her regards." The shift would take place a bit suddenly, provided Neo didn't have anything important to add to the previous topic. "She wishes that we could plan a proper meeting. She is quite interested in getting to know those who are my friends."
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:55 pm
Neo & Air & Lux & Killian Neo nodded, having little more to say on the subject. It had been an unfortunate event that clearly stemmed from from anger and a lack of respect. Hopefully it wouldn't happen again and there'd be no need for Neo to dwell on it in the future; at least nothing like it had happened during the rest of the visit, that was reassuring. He'd done his part by informing Tobias and that was the best he could do for now; while his methods were unconventional, there was nothing to indicate he wasn't a good parent. Neo too would keep an eye out for trouble in the future, but for now he was satisfied.
A smile spread across Neo's face at the mention of Tobias's partner, and he nodded vigorously. "I'd like that too!" he said, "I've been wanting to meet your partner, and it's always a pleasure to connect with more members of the Guild." He'd met most of them at one point or another, at least in passing, and several were among his friends, but every new chance he got to make new relationships he seized right away. Jessica was someone he'd heard things about but never had the pleasure of meeting, and Neo was just as interested in meeting the one who lived with Tobias as she was to meet the one who had become friends with him.
"Jessica?" Lux entered the conversation now that it had shifted back from its brief serious tone. "I don't believe I've heard that name before." There was only so long one could sit in on a conversation without joining it--otherwise it was more polite to excuse oneself rather than eavesdrop. Lux was more interested in taking the opportunity to chat than slipping away; it was good to learn more about Neo's friends, and Air needed to be coaxed back to comfort besides. The best way to accomplish all these things was to further the conversation past its more contentious beginnings.
"Probably not," Neo admitted. "I don't know enough about her. All I know is she's your partner," he said, turning his gaze back to Tobias. "And...a Charmander, right?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 8:04 pm
Robin
Tobias
"That is quite good. She was quite interested in finding out what kind of people you are." The reason for that stemmed from the fact that she was incredulous of the prospect that Tobias had quickly and easily made normal friends. Tobias wouldn't say that. That seemed like one of the things that you didn't say. "She is a Charmander, yes." Tobias would adjust himself slightly in order to properly face Lux as well if it were necessary. "She is most suited to this work. She is very much experienced and I believe she is a suitable leader. I am quite happy to be working with her in spite of her earlier misunderstandings." She had, at one point, mistaken her role as Captain for one that extended past work. That was simply not the case. Tobias was his own man, that much was certain.
"You will rather like her, of this I am certain. I believe even the very strange Nyx shall." That was high praise. Probably. "She has said that she would like us to meet some evening. I think it is meant to be a simple social visit, as she has said that she wishes to get to know you. I believe that she thinks it is important for our teams to be familiar with one another especially due to Balerd." It was a somewhat strange, Tobias-ey way of saying "the children". The mutual babysitting necessitated a tighter relationship than the norm. "We are available on any day so long as there is notice as Jessica does not wish to come empty handed. We will also likely bring a trial recruit if that is acceptable." Jeremiah wasn't really a part of the team, not yet. He wasn't a permanent member until Jessia agreed to such a thing. "I believe you will like him as he is very much as you are, Neo."
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:15 pm
Neo & Air & Lux & Killian "She sounds like a lovely person," Lux said approvingly. "Good workers tend to make for good companions. It sounds like your Jessica is a reliable partner; I'll be glad to make her acquaintance as well."
Neo smiled. "I'm sure we'll all get along well," he said brightly, "Please, bring anyone you like. I always say the more the merrier, and we have plenty of room." Tobias had already spoken as though it was assumed they'd get together in Essence's room, but Neo confirmed it; it was most practical after all, since his Team was significantly larger than any other in the Guild. "Anyone from your Team is welcome to visit any time Tobias--any friend of my friend is a friend of mine." Nyx was the only one who would disagree, but he rarely had to deal with it so it wasn't much of an issue."But you said some evening...?" Neo hopped down from the couch. "Hold on a second, let me check." The Meowstic made his way over to the desk in the corner, one that only he had permission to approach given Nyx's frequent use of it, and began to flip through some of the papers and files on top, searching for the calendar his partner kept.
Left alone with Tobias and Air, Lux glanced over at the Ditto. He was tapping his fingers together broodingly as he sat by himself on the couch, clearly still a bit sore about the sleep he'd lost over the cube. "Air, didn't you have a question about Balerd's physique?" The Ditto-Abra jumped when he was mentioned, eyes widening with surprise. "Perhaps Tobias would be able to help you with it. He knows Balerd best after all."
Air blushed slightly, embarrassed to be pulled into the conversation. Lux had done it on purpose, he knew, and now there was no way to back out of it. "Uh, yeah..." The Ditto slid down off the couch and his form began to shimmer, changing and shifting until it was no longer an Abra, but a very familiar, tiny Hawlucha standing before them. "Balerd and I were playing at one point, and I noticed that he has a very...odd way of using his Bounce. You'd think since he's a bird he'd use it to get off the ground and then use his wings--well, I mean, obviously he can't do that now but when he's older... Anyway, instead of bouncing in a convenient way he does that ball thing. Do you know how?" It was a very specific interlocking of body parts that Air wasn't quite sure how to replicate since Balerd did it so quickly, and it was important to his understanding of the child's physiology. He wouldn't have chosen now of all times to ask about it, and honestly he felt a little silly, but Lux had put him on the spot and that was that.
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 1:27 am
Robin
Tobias
"I believe you will find her an acquaintance well met." He knew little about Lux up to that point beyond the fact the obvious: he was associated with Neo and Neo was a very earnest fellow. It therefore stood to reason that Lux was not much at all dissimilar. Although Neo had strange company it was certainly the case that, Nyx aside, they all seemed to be obviously good people. Nyx himself was a mystery.
"Yes, the evening. Jessica has said such a time would be preferable as it would allow time for us to complete any preparations the morning of. Other times are fine also but I believe the evening was her preference." The room choice was another preference, though not necessarily for the reason that Neo thought. Size was one factor, but there were also practical and social concerns. It was much easier to move one child than two, of course. It was also the case that the guests dictated the length of the stay, which to Jessica was preferable; she liked that kind of control, especially when facing the potential insanity of "someone that is friends with Tobias".
Tobias's gaze flitted back to Lux and then Air as took in their expressions. It was an odd exchange, he thought. Oh well. He would listen all the same to Air's comments and query carefully before getting up out of his cushion and slipping towards, past and around Air several times only to suddenly stop behind him. Tobias would smoothly press against Air's back at the same time as pulling inwards against the ditto-lucha's chest. "You are very skilled for a ditto but you are not perfect. At a glance there are only the smallest of imperfections," imperfections that only Tobias would detect, real or imagined, and only for Balerd "but I think you must have guessed as the bones are incorrect." Tobias would press inwards slightly with a not-too-sharp nail, likely causing a somewhat unpleasant sensation for Air. "It is perhaps the case that your current arrangement is more normal than it should be. Balerd is not normal, Balerd is very wonderful."
With his analysis complete, Tobias would suddenly slip past Air once again to settle down in front of him. "I can show you what I believe to be the 'correct' way to ball, but I do not know if it would be possible and you may find the force to be somewhat unpleasant." If it was as simple as explaining it, Air wouldn't have needed help. Tobias would have to get a little... physical in order to help Air into the ball.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 8:53 am
Neo & Air & Lux & Killian While Air looked uncertain at first, particularly when Tobias circled around him without clear intented, he was surprisingly calm when he was grabbed and pulled close by the Linoone. Physical contact was an important part of perfecting a transformation, so his request required it. He patiently allowed the poking, nodding rather eagerly at Tobias's observation. "Yes the bones! What is it about them?" He shifted his arms around, taking note of their weight in the body. "They're hollow obviously, but there's something else about them I can't place. Not without holding Balerd myself." Maybe they were lighter than he thought? Maybe they had a non-traditional arrangement in some part of the bird's body? He'd looked into Hawlucha anatomy after the fact, and Balerd's was not quite right. That meant he had at least one parent who wasn't the same species, and that parent was almost certainly not the Linoone before him, it just didn't fit. "Whatever you can tell me will help," he said, "Even the littlest thing sometimes makes a difference."
When Tobias stood in front of him, giving his explanation, Air shook his head. "No, please. If you think the body structure's right for it then go ahead. It takes a lot to make a Ditto uncomfortable." Their bodies were necessarily malleable, even when they settled into different forms. It was why few Ditto could be paralyzed, no matter the form they took: they were exceptionally limber even when they weren't in their base almost-liquid state. It was true that if something was wrong with the body as he'd formed it, the experience might be unpleasant for a time, but it would give him the ability to correct the form in ways that could not be discerned without assuming the child's signature ball shape. Being helped into the ball shape could only be helpful as far as Air was concerned. Should Tobias mention any specific changes before the attempt, Air would rectify them quickly, shimmering only in small visible parts that were changed--the internal ones would remain invisible from the outside, but could be felt to be altered in the proper ways if the attempt was made. Then all that remained was the exciting process of being shaped into a ball.
Lux simply observed the process from the side, smiling to himself. Everything had gone as well as could be hoped for. Air loved learning about uniqueness and even in the short time he'd seen them together it was clear to the Lucario that Tobias prized his son more than perhaps anything else in the world. The simplest way to bring them together was to have them resolve Air's questions about the boy. The Ditto easily forgot to be upset when he was pursuing something of interest, and the Linoone, while he'd never appeared to be particularly upset as of yet, certainly seemed to have a positive response when he had the chance to praise his child. The way his aura brightened at the mention of his son being "very wonderful," was more than enough evidence of that. Sometimes Pokemon just needed a little prod in the right direction, and Air was one of that type. The Ditto was inclined to get along with everyone, he just needed the occasional reminder that this was reasonable, and that others were often happy to entertain the peculiar whims of a Pokemon like him; some sour experiences in the past had dampened his willingness to even try, so Lux was slowly trying to rekindle the Ditto's courage. In this case, it was working quite nicely.
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 1:56 pm
Robin
Tobias
"I believe that may have many small bones but I am not sure, it is not something I have considered." Really it wasn't the sort of thing that anyone would ever really consider other than Air. Even for Tobias, it wasn't something that was thought of. Balerd was Balerd, after all. Nothing else really mattered.
"Then I will begin. Do not be afraid to react should it become too much." Tobias was going to be just a touch forceful, as he operated under the justified understanding that Air could just turn into a puddle of goo if it became too much. It could be unpleasant to be sure, but the burden was very much in Air's hands. Whenever he decided it was too much, that was it; he didn't need to tap out or say anything, he could just slip right out of Tobias's grip.
So, suffice it to say, it was probably going to hurt a bit. But then again, being a Ditto was probably generally a pretty painful experience. Transforming and forming up an entire nervous system on the fly was bound to make mistakes happen from time to time. To put it simply, being a Ditto was Pretty ******** Up.
Which of course had no real bearing on anything so away Tobias went. His first step was to shift in beside Air and then begin a number of very, very manual adjustments. First Air would get tipped onto his butt, then his legs would be brought up, his head pressed down and his arms pulled around. Each talon would be carefully manipulated into place so that the wings were correctly positioned. Air's spine would compress and bend an almost alarming amount as the process went until Tobias finally stopped and picked Air up. "Now breathe in as if you were about to swim or be struck."
And once Air had done so, he would be dropped. If he had done it all right, he would bounce. It would likely be a sad bounce, but it would be a bounce.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 4:38 pm
Neo & Air & Lux & Killian Tobias's comment was about as helpful as could be expected from a Linoone attempting to describe the insides of a creature significantly different from himself. Still, Air didn't mind. Maybe there were other parts of the body where the bones were smaller than normal: he'd keep it in mind for the balling process, but since there wasn't any particular indication of where the small bones might have been it seemed silly to just guess at it. Air had a feeling things would fall into place when he took on the ball shape; they'd have to, otherwise the body wouldn't be able to handle being repositioned as it should be.
Admittedly, the process was a considerably less-than-pleasant one, but Air didn't protest to anything that was done. Tobias was a bit more forceful than he would've liked, but it didn't do any lasting harm. Air found himself readjusted much as a doll would be, face tucked into his chest as his arms and legs were pulled and placed into the proper positions. There were some particularly difficult moments where he was forced to bite his tongue, but they were dealt with promptly and without any fuss. All of the adjustments were internal. Some of the muscles were too taught and needed to be adjusted to suit the boy's extreme flexibility. Several of the bones, rather than being straight and normal-sized, had to be divided into small segments that allowed for the body to contort this way naturally: after all, no child would slip into and out of such a position unless it caused no discomfort to them, and Balerd even seemed to prefer the ball position at times. So the insides of the Ditto-Hawlucha were constantly shifting themselves in response to anything painful as Tobias worked, and by the time he had finished Air found himself feeling perfectly fine, if a bit unsettled by his inability to see anything. This was the one problem: Balerd could steer but there was nothing he could see but feathers here. It didn't seem possible he'd gotten the position wrong, since Tobias had very deliberately placed his head, which meant that there was something else about Balerd that allowed for the guidance. Interesting.
Tobias's prompt was heard, muffled-sounding but still clear enough. Inhaling deeply, Air felt his lungs expand and his body tingle with anticipation. Then he felt the sensation of falling. He closed his eyes, anticipating the collision and it came...and then it left. A sound of delight could be heard from inside the bird-ball as he bounced a few inches off the ground, then a few more times until he no longer rebounded but began to roll off to the side. Experimenting, Air shifted his weight a bit and found his course redirected back the way he'd come. Pleased with the results, he began to play a bit more, blindly rolling around, likely into Tobias sooner or later.
It was at this point Neo returned, a small book in one paw and a bottle of ink in the other. He glanced down at Air's rolling for just a moment before carrying on as usual, though he couldn't keep the grin off his face at the sight of his friend rolling around like a child. "Right, I found it!" he said, waving the book. "Things often get scheduled the day of or before with us, but anything we put on the calendar ahead of time we can have everyone clear their schedule for." The Meowstic looked over the page thoughtfully. "Would four or five days from now work for you?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 5:44 pm
Robin
Tobias
Tobias wouldn't get rolled into at all. To propose such a thing would be silly, he was much faster than Air. He would, however, watch Air roll around and think to himself that Air really wasn't as good as it as Balerd was. The ditto still had some room to improve. He was slow, clumsy and he didn't bounce right. But, then again, a copy was never as good as the original and meeting that standard would be difficult for anyone. So it was understandable. "You will get better, I am sure."
He would watch the rolling until Neo would come into the room, at which point his attention would shift to the more pressing matter. "Four or five will most likely be fine. If it is not I will be sure to leave a letter with you, though it may perhaps be the case that if such a thing is to happen that we will first depart on a mission and need to leave Balerd with you for an evening. Jessica is quite eager to get to work, she believes it is important that we do so now that it is possible." They had had a significant period of "not doing really any work at all" due to Balerd, a fact that Jessica had rather disliked for a great number of reasons. She disliked feeling like a leech. Now that they could work, they would work. They would work as much as they could while still balancing rest, relaxation and other personal needs. That was how it was supposed to work.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 8:35 pm
Neo & Air & Lux & Killian "I'll mark both days," Neo said after a moment, setting the ink on a side table and uncapping it. A claw would be extended and dipped into the bottle, and a quick note would be written neatly into two evening dates. "There we are. If you let me know which one is best sometime soon that would be great. We'll want to use the morning to get things started--we'll be making dinner of course." An evening get-together called for such things. It was nice to get together and chat over a meal, and Balerd would get the chance to eat with everyone this time.
"It's fine if we have to look after him again before then," Neo said understandingly. The fortunate thing about having a large Team was that they could always send some out to work and still have others to remain home for the day. While Neo often was one of the ones made to stay, even he got the chance to get out from time to time. Of course, if Balerd was to stay with them, that would be another day he'd be off mission duty, but it wasn't the worst thing. He could afford to miss an extra day so Tobias and Jessica could get out for a while; he understood the feeling of stir-craziness all too well to deny them that. It was hard to be a Team Leader and have to look after children, he could certainly relate to Jessica on that. "Just not tomorrow. I have some fieldwork to take care of that might run a little late." Not to mention the paperwork that always had to be done, and the training, and the five hundred other things.
As Neo and Tobias worked on technicalities, Air continued to roll around. He realized that the process grew easier the more he did it. There was some sense of space that existed, and though the rolling didn't help with the orientation, a quick adjustment of the fluid in the ears helped with that. Then he found he could sense objects ahead of him, though the faster he went the harder it was to react to them in time. Running into things wasn't so bad though, since it gave him extra momentum and allowed him to work on the Bounce. He never got too far off the ground, but he did finally manage to Bounce in place, expanding and contracting his lungs properly so that the momentum was maintained for a prolonged period. It was all very delightful.
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