(no subject)

[carbungle]

♥ Who: Noctis and you!
♥ Where: Around town, wherever
♥ When: Now + catchall for April
♥ What: Chocobo acquired! And some other stuff
♥ Rating: PG presumably


[The request from Rawna's temple to visit to pick up an "uncooperative package" had been a confusing one; packages typically show up at his door, they don't require cooperation. Even the heavy ones. The reason is made quite clear when he arrives, however, and is greeted with a very familiar "kweh" noise; there's a chocobo in the temple, near the main statue, and two of the priests are trying to guide her forward but she's not budging an inch. They tug at her reins, they try pushing, but no dice. She doesn't move even the slightest bit until he draws out a little whistle he hasn't used in at least a year and a half. The moment he blows into it, she squawks and comes running right over to greet him. His chest hurts just looking at her, and his fingers brush through her feathers as she nuzzles him in playful recognition. Not just a chocobo, but his chocobo. Or at least, the riding partner he'd claimed for himself during his time in Lucis. His rental would have long expired by the time he reached Gralea, but still, she came right up. She knows him.]

...Hey, buddy… gotta be a paying customer, huh?


( one; i want to ride my chocobo all day 🎵 ) - open

[His chocobo is a sight for sore eyes, and for the whole rest of the day Noctis is wandering through town with a chocobo. Maybe he's riding it, walking at a casual pace and just enjoying the feel of it. Maybe they're racing through the street, weaving around residents with a laughing apology. Maybe he's just walking with her, passing her the occasional green leaf and just indulging in that familiar barn smell.

He probably hasn't looked this happy in months.]


( two; there's a lot of noise at the junior caelum household ) - open

[The less fun part about having a chocobo is caring for one- which means having a place for them. Part of his city wandering involved some shopping, namely for building materials and some tools to get things started. He's not a pro at construction by any means (putting it lightly), and the fine-tuning of transforming part of the garage into a stable will require paying someone else to do the rest. What he does get to do himself is knock down the back wall. And that's exactly what he's doing- blowing off some steam by taking a sledgehammer to the stonework, so there's an open path for Captain to walk in and out of the garden. Turns out, breaking down a wall is fun. Sorry for the noise, roomies. And also anyone who happens to pass by or live close.

The chocobo is with him there as well, lounging in the grass and having a staring contest with the hawk in his mews. Her expression is nothing if not challenging: come at me, fellow bird.]


( wildcard; for extra/unrelated prompts )

[ this is a catch-all for april, whatever you wanna do, hit me up <3 ]

Comments

two

[iustaegis]

[ Bang.

She nearly drops the pan she had been drying, looking up and around the kitchen abruptly when she hears the noise, startled and confused.

Bang, bang.

Nope, she's not imagining it, and she quickly sets down the pan to rush towards its origin. Suspiciously, it's coming from the garage, and it sounds as if something is being broken. Throwing open the door, she stumbles through, hand on her chest, the other at her side as if prepared to summon the blade he had gifted her. Instead, she sees none other than Noctis, and-- ] Noct? What are...

[ --a sledgehammer.

AND ALSO A GIANT BLUE BIRD. ]

[carbungle]

[BANG- oh, he almost missed her voice. He pulls back after his last swing, resting the sledgehammer on his shoulder as he turns.]

Hey, you're home! Come here, I want you to meet somebody.

[iustaegis]

[ She's about to question-- but then she sees his grin, and dammit. That's unfair. All of her questions regarding the hammer go right out the proverbial window.

Verbally, at least. That doesn't mean she isn't still gaping at him. ]

Erm... the...

[ Is it the giant bird that's also here-- wait. Wait. She knows the name of this animal. It's a chocobo. ] Chocobo?

[carbungle]

[Fingergun, right in her direction.]

Got it in one. This is Captain, my rental bird from Lucis. No idea why she's here, but this is awesome, right?

two

[scourgingstars]

[well hi-diddly-ho, neighborino, what's all this racket]

Noct? What's going-...

[Horus and a large blue chocobo staring each other down, Noctis with a sledgehammer, and a large hole in the back of the garage. Sometimes, a given day went even less like Ardyn expected it to.]

...Is this perhaps a bad time?

[carbungle]

[SUP UNCLE. Noctis sets the tool down and lifts a hand in greeting. He's absolutely filthy with dust at this point, but his eyes and smile are bright.]

Nah, it's good. You wanna come in?

[scourgingstars]

If you aren't- [what do we even call this] -particularly busy, certainly. Are you going to introduce me to your new friend?

for prompto; text

[carbungle]

[the first text is a street address, followed immediately by-]

drop w/e ur doing, b here in 10 mins u will not regret it

Text > Action

[this_loser]

[Who could refuse a summons like that? Prompto does not drop what he's doing, because he doesn't want to hurt his camera, but he does tuck it away and fire back a quick reply before heading out.]

omw

better be worth the hype

[And OMG is it. He stops dead in the street and stares at the beautiful thing before him for a solid ten seconds before his brain reestablishes connection to the rest of his body and gets his feet moving again.]

Where did she come from?!

[carbungle]

[Noctis urges the chocobo forward, trotting over to meet Prompto in the middle. She ducks her head to bump it against his hand, like greeting an old friend.]

They told me she showed up at the temple. Would've delivered her, but they couldn't get her to budge. [He gives her neck a pat.] Didn't have a single gil to pay her.

one

[astralera]

[ Era has been keeping largely to herself and those from her world in the time since she received Noctis' last message, though she has been making exceptions to visit the priests on a somewhat regular schedule. Surprisigly, the visits have helped to cheer her up. Then again she has always enjoyed learning new things and sharing what knowledge she can, so perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise at all.

With the added benefit of feeling as though she has some kind of purpose, Era is feeling markedly improved. Her tail still hangs low, but not so low that it dogs at her heels like it has these past months; more tired than lethargic. Whatever exhaustion pulls on her tail is seemingly forgotten when she turns a corner and spots a chocobo. It perks at the sight, wagging behind her as she notes its size and fluffy plumage a shade of blue she hasn't seen before on a chocobo. She wonders what breed it might be, and if it's a flier (at a glance the feathers don't look flight-capable), and then—

She notices Noctis there beside the bird she now knows is Captain. He seems happy, which gladdens her.

It also makes her hesitate, debating if it would be best for her to backtrack and alter her course. Her smile turns wane, and the wagging of her tail falters, now resembling the hesitant wag of a kicked puppy more than anything else as she decides that, yes, a tactical retreat is the most sound course of action. No matter how tempting it is to meet a new breed of chocobo. ]

[carbungle]

[Her staring lasts just long enough for Captain to notice her first; so much time traveling through the wilds of Lucis has taught her caution, and to recognize when there are eyes on her. She halts in her step and gives a quiet wark which alerts Noctis in turn. He's out of practice with her signals, but this one's the easiest to remember, and it gets him looking around for potential danger. It doesn't take long for his eyes to zero in on Era.

...Ah.

Her instincts were right in that at the sight of her, his smile does vanish, making way for a more hesitant expression, a new version of the look he'd worn the day he'd tried to greet her in Valeo. They'd spoken since then, but not in person, only through letters and briefly via text. A part of him wants to keep it that way for a while yet, to play it safe.

He glances up at Captain, who chirps and fluffs out her wings expectantly. Chocobos... are a harmless enough subject, though. And he wants this to be a good day.

After a moment he exhales a breath, finds for himself a neutral calm to wear on his face, and tugs on the chocobo's harness to start forward again- angling towards her. He won't chase, but he isn't running away, either.]

[astralera]

[ From what she understands of Eosian chocobo they are non-hostile, but will defend themselves readily when threatened. Given the similaries between their worlds, Era would also bet her life on Noctis' chocobo being equally as loyal and protective as any trained Eorzean chocobo. She makes no move forward, nor back, though steps to the side so her back is nearer to a wall. For a moment she gauges if they might just brush past her, but once determining that's unlikely she quickly reaches into her pocket, pulling out the sylkis buds she keeps on hand for her own birds along with her uneaten snack of mixed berries. Era holds them out in offering, berries in one hand and buds in the other; head bowed politely and tail hanging low behind her in the most non-threatening posture she can manage. ]

Hello, Captain. I am happy for the chance to meet an Eosian chocobo. Your feathers are very beautiful.

One

[kingkingcxiii]

[It's the sound of that delighted, laughing apology that catches Regis' attention. Finding Noctis isn't hard once he turns in the right direction. As his son and his chocobo dash by, he waves and calls out.]

Hey, aren't you going to introduce your new blue buddy to your dad?

[carbungle]

[As soon as hear the voice call out Noctis is pulling on the reins to guide the chocobo back around, slowing down to a more reasonable trot as he approaches his father.]

Only if you promise to be on your best behaviour. She's a real lady.

[kingkingcxiii]

Am I not always on my best behavior?

[Regis is grinning as he bows in the chocobo's direction.]

May I have the honor of this real lady's name?

Two

[blindedbyloyalty]

[ Ignis is just coming home from Affurgatos when he hears the banging off in the distance. He's not too far from the house so he quickens his pace a bit, dagger flashing in one hand.

He finds the source of the banging and stops in his tracks, afraid that someone might have broken into their house. ]

Who's...

[ The smell of chocobo hits his nose and he pauses mid-sentence, confused now. ]

... there?

[ Another pause as his ears try to pick up on his household's footsteps, wondering if it's one of them making that noise. ]

Noct? Prom? Pyra? That one of you?

[carbungle]

[Noctis hears the voice in between swings, letting the sledgehammer drop to his side as he calls back.]

In the yard, Ignis! Watch your step.

[There's stone chunks all over where he's working. ...Also there's a chocobo.]

[blindedbyloyalty]

[ He's relieved to hear a familiar voice as he lets his dagger flash away. Ignis steps carefully around the stone chunks using his cane as a guide. ]

I do detect a smell of chocobo.

What are you doing, Noct?

One - Ardbert why are you like this

[firstbump]

Ardbert's been meaning to contact Noct, but things have been too overwhelming. He sees Noct riding Captain when he himself happens to be out jogging. Noct's ecstatic and rides the chocobo with obvious familiarity, meaning the bird is a dear companion to him.

This month had been so much at once, and Noct truly deserves to have a loyal friend by his side.

He's curious how fast she can run. Then he realizes he can find out, and finding out is the sort of dumb shite he's been missing in his life recently. Ardbert brings his fingers to his mouth to whistle to them.

When he has their attention, he grins wide and bolts.

Ardbert knows he can't outrun a chocobo, being from a farmer's village, but that doesn't mean he can't be ahead for several seconds.

gonna call it MC mayhem

[carbungle]

Captain is immediately alert to the whistle, though true to her training, she remains focused forward until Noctis guides her into a turn towards Ardbert's direction. As soon as he starts running, the chocobo is upright, feathers ruffling. Even if most of the time she's very even-tempered, she's not just a trained chocobo but a racer, with a few medals to her name, and that means she's plenty competitive. The moment Noctis nudges her to make chase, she's rocketing towards Ardbert at top speed.

Understandably it doesn't take very long to catch up to him, but before they can pass him by, Noctis coaxes her to slow down just enough so they're dogging his heels instead of leaving him in the dust, allowing Noctis to relax at her back, holding the reins almost lazily.

"You weren't trying to challenge us, were you?"

I mean, yes, that's exactly it

[firstbump]

Ardbert finds it harder to keep up the pace as he starts to laugh, but he forces it under control. He knew it! What a beautiful creature. He's delighted that Noctis let her take the bait, and a glance behind him shows how experienced a rider he is.

Good. Not enough people can ride chocobos.

"Against one like her? Nay! I only wish to see how fast she can go!"

One;

[justcawse]

[Akechi gets it. A weird place that demands hugs and all that is going to have some interesting things to see. But what the hell was that blue bird-looking thing?]

This place just keeps getting weirder...

[carbungle]

[As they pass by Akechi, the chocobo squawks in his direction, and Noctis smirks, patting her on the neck.]

I know, right? Saying it to your face... so rude.

Sorry this is late

[justcawse]

Ah, sorry. What... exactly is that?