viva_la_materia | ℵ 30 ℵ

Tulip-Fu sounds like a deceptively awesome style! I will have to inform Sensei and see if we can invent a new fighting technique!

--Ah, but chocobos? I know a lot since I work with them a lot on the Farm, but I know Miss Krile can actually talk to animals and stuff!

[Excuse Materia for a second while she laughs herself silly at a mental image of Night and Gai prancing around smacking people with tulips. *cough* Moving on.]

Wait, like...she can ask them stuff?

Yep! Well, I think she can, I'm not sure!

[Pentaps pentaps.]

All I know is that she talks and they respond, so maybe she can ask a chocobo stuff. Maybe I should take Feathers to her!

[Materia...isn't sure she wants to actually hear what the chocobos think of her, by now. Not in so many words.]

Actually I mostly just wanted chocobo-picking advice. You know, which ones are the good ones?

Oh. Well, I'm good for that! It's really easy!

Do you want a faster one, one that's a good companion, a gentler mount, a strong flier, a singer...? There's a lot of stuff to think about when you consider what you want out of a chocobo!

A singer?

[She ponders the possibilities for a second, then decides against it.]

I think a fast one would be good. And a calm one, y'know, in case of lightning and all that. You never know with these things.

Yup! Some can be bred into really super song birds!

Okay, so you're looking for the perfect racer! I can show you some good ones in the stables if you want, I know just the ones!

Yeah, racing would be pretty cool.

[Racing sounds awesome, actually - all kinds of good pings come with the idea of racing chocobos, and Materia finds herself grinning at the thought of it. Weird, but not really in a bad way.]

Sooo, you got time to do that today, or do you have to go invent tulip-fu first?

Tulip-Fu can wait just one more day!

I'm actually working at the stables today if you want to come have a look. I'm almost done for the day anyway!

All right! See ya in a few!

[And he closed his journal, tucking it away in a locker before he called to his boss that he was done for the day. He moved to get his time-card and punch it, tucking it back into the appropriate slot overhead. He wouldn't be on the clock for this... something about that didn't feel right. Then, he went to check on the chicks...]

[Cheerfully, Materia strode across Melee Island with a bounce in her step. She'd been dreaming about getting to ride a chocobo since, well, her birth dream, but somehow it hadn't really panned out, what with the stampedes and all.

Even with the cloudy weather glooming overhead, her mood was utterly sunshine-y by the time she got to the chocobo paddock. Looking around, she spotted the nearest farmish-looking building and headed for it, rapping on the wooden door with her knuckles.]

Ni-ight? You there?

Easy, easy! Jeez, there's plenty for all of you guys, there's no need to fight!

[What could you do to reason with six very small, very hungry chocobos? They came up halfway to his knees, all fluff and beaks as they warked and chirped and moved about like a colorful dervish trying to peck at the treats he tossed down for them to catch. He knew they were in the bitey stage... they'd sooner not realize how powerful their little beaks are and he'd lose a finger in their enthusiasm! He paused when he heard his name, and he wound up and tossed the last treat particularly farther away from him. Chirrups of excitement rained from the little birds as they raced to be the first to it.]

Yup! Be out in a second! Just spoiled the babies, and now it's time for them to settle in with their fosters!

[And he'd work to settle them down and get them to the fostering stables. It was a good five minutes or so before he finally stepped out, dusting a few down feathers from his pant legs.]

Sorry for the wait! The stables we want are right over there. The racers are pretty feisty, but it takes a feisty rider to be able to handle them! Do you have a preference for a boy bird or a girl bird?

[He gestured to the next barn over, and off he went.]

[Okay, wrong door. Materia moved towards the one from which Night's shout had come, then hesitated when she heard a cacophonic chorus of high-pitched squeaks. Riiight, not opening that door. It sounded like he was being attacked by giant chickens.

When Night came out to meet her, she was sitting on a fence by the watering troughs, kicking her heels and looking up at the sky. She jumped down and trotted over as soon as he appeared, though.]

Girl bird, definitely. Hey, were those baby chocobos or what?

Yep! A bunch of babies appeared about a week ago, and they're growing quick! At least with all the stuff disappearing in Edensphere at least we keep getting new livestock and stuff!

[He pushed open the barn door, stepped aside to let her in, and followed. The air was cool today, so he'd close the door behind him. There was the smell of fresh hay, of dirt, and herbal... the bright greens that filled the feed baskets in each stable may have been the culprit. A vast array of colorful birds stood before them, some feeding, some napping, and others generally making noise out of wanting to be noisy.]

Okay! For racers, color doesn't matter too much except for the golds. They're the cream of the crop, the best of the best, but they're also super expensive and super rare. I've seen maybe five since I started working here, you know, and each one was bought almost immediately!

[He nodded, then looked around a bit. Dang... no golds in the stables at the moment, but he knew they were absolutely spoiled and well taken care of, wherever they were stabled now. He stopped before one of the stables.]

We check up on the babies when they reach maturity to see what qualities they have: Will they be hard workers, are they competitive, or are they very tame and well-natured? This one grew up with all the characteristics of a good racer, but she's not too competitive! She's got too big of a heart, I think. There's nothing wrong with that! If you want to race once in a while but also want a pet who doesn't mind walking now and then, this one's good.

[He paused to reach up and stroke the chin just under the beak of the blue chocobo they stood before, and she liiiifted her head and closed her eyes in bliss.]

How serious are you about racing, Materia?

[Following him in, Materia held her breath at first, but it actually didn't smell too bad, for a stable. Somebody took pretty good care of the place. Casting a sidelong look at Night, she grinned as he went off on an eager, surprisingly knowledgeable monologue.

Gee, who could that careful caretaker possibly be?]

Oh...

[Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the blue chocobo. It - she - was so pretty. She wasn't used to thinking of chocobos as pretty, so much as fast and kinda cool. Feeling suddenly shy, she stuck her hands in her pockets like a boy - what if this chocobo didn't like her?]

I...I dunno. It sounds fun, but...it takes a lot of work, right?

[Not that the idea of cash prizes or something wasn't tempting, but there had to be easier ways to make money than pouring long hours into riding practice. She could name ten ways that were already attached to her arms, for starters.]

[She could probably wager a guess at who took care of them, but he was one of a dozen people who kept everything working smoothly.]

Tons of work! The more competitive, "professional" racing circles are pretty picky about exactly what chocobo they want, and the rules and regulations are awful tight as well! If you want to go pro, you'll need a lot of money to pour into the perfect chocobo, and the upkeep of the bird is far different than normal: Very specific greens, extra care taken of the legs and talons, and the training of the bird to help build and overcharge its competitiveness!

...I personally don't like the super-duper racers. They're so focused on winning they get downright mean to whoever isn't the jockey! One sent a guy here to the Clinic for a week for severe injuries...

[He sighed, then shook his head, waving a hand dismissively.]

Er- he's fine now! He just doesn't work with them anymore. Moving on! There's the blue I mentioned here, she's a good girl, and then...

[He moved to the next row of stables, stopping before neighboring stables. One held a red chocobo, and the other a green. They both chirruped upon seeing them, the red going so far as to immediately begin preening Night's hair. He pushed the bird head away and continued. By word four, the chocobo was back to preening.]

...You have these two! They're strong racers, very competitive, but one trait makes one different from the other!

[He pointed upward at the bird preening him.]

She likes hair. A lot. She likes to preen and make chirpy noises and is a bit of a cuddler. Once she thinks you've been loved on enough she's ready to race! The green is kind of a brat! She only likes certain greens and is very picky when it comes to people, and will fluff her feathers and turn away from whatever she doesn't find suitable. ...She doesn't like me, of course, but she's pretty affectionate and loyal to those she likes.

[The green finally pulled her beak away from the greens she was eating and fluffed her feathers while staring at Night, as if to say "Oh. It's you again." ...Then to Materia, clicking her beak and canting her head quizzically, trying to decide...]

[As fidgety as she usually was, Materia surprised even herself by listening intently to what Night was saying. She made a face at the red chocobo - if she wanted her hair fussed over by a friendly ginger, there was a much cuter one at Smoke's who was a lot less likely to get bird slobber all over it.

The green one, though... Torn, Matera glanced back at the pretty blue chocobo, and hesitantly held out a hand to her. The bird gave her a benign, puzzled look, as if she wasn't quite sure what was going on - and at that moment, the green chocobo fluffed her feathers up again and warked, loudly.]

Ah! Geez!

[Startled, she whirled around and gave the bird a Look, clambering through a row of stalls to prop her hands on her hips, feet planted solidly apart, and frown up at her.]

Don't startle me like that! You - ah! Ahahaheehee, quit it!

[The green chocobo had arched her neck around and was thoughtfully nibbling the short hair at the nape of Materia's neck, dropping bits of greens down the back of her shirt in the process.]

Ah, ahahahelp!

Ohh no! She'll bite off all my fingers and keep preening you while I deal with the stumps if I so much as got any closer! You're on your own, Materia!

[He spoke at a laugh, clutching his aching stomach.]

C-come on, you heard her! You stop that right now!

[Yeah, that green wasn't gonna stop until she FELT like stopping, it seemed.]

Hey, at least she seems to like you!

[Well, great. She was on her own. Materia squeaked as a gobbet of wet greens rolled down her back and made a face. Right, that was enough.]

Okay, hold it!

[Reaching up, she clamped both hands around the bird's beak and stepped back to where she could give her a stubborn look in one big, amused eye. If this big turkey wanted to be a brat, well, Materia could be just as bratty. She felt a twist of nerves in her stomach - the chocobo's neck probably had more muscles in it than her whole body, and that beak was big - but the bird stayed calm, curiously meeting her gaze.]

Now, look. If we're gonna do this, you need to not mess with my hair all the time, and you definitely need to wait 'till your beak is clean, got it? I am a ninja and I'm not gonna let some big old bird boss me around.

[She jerked her chin at the blue chocobo, still standing docilely in her stall.]

I could still go for her, you know. At least she's got manners.

[The laughter died immediately with her shout, and he took a step forward when Materia grabbed the beak, an icy jolt of adrenaline beginning to kick in. He watched the feathers at the green chocobo's neck, chest, and back carefully... any fluffing indicated stress, and the moment Night spotted any of that, it was time to grab the ninja and pull her the heck away before she lost a limb.

...But no fluffing came, and the bird and ninja looked each other in the eyes as she offered an ultimatum. Then Materia struck the green chocobo's weak spot - her pride. Choosing the blue one over her, the prettiest and very best chocobo in this entire stable? Hmph!]

...I don't believe it...

[Night's arms fell to his sides incredulously. Why hadn't he thought of fighting a stubborn chocobo with a stubborn girl?]

This one was bought three times, and returned three times. People find her too stubborn, too wild. My boss was thinking of chopping her sell price down... if you're looking to buy, of course!

[Materia's eyes widened in horror at the word "chopping", and she gave a little sigh of relief a second later when she realized he just meant the bird's price...

Oh. Price. Materia's heart sank.]

I...don't think I can afford her.

[She mumbled the words, ducking her head against the bird's fluffy cheek. The chocobo made a puzzled noise, nudging at her as she let go of its beak.]

My apartment...um. I was just...hoping I could come by and ride one sometimes. And you and Feathers, well...

[She gulped, feeling like a dumbass. She could barely make rent, and here she was, getting caught up in a silly fantasy about having a chocobo of her own. Like she could possibly pay for a large animal's upkeep on top of her own. Stupid, stupid...]

[And his stomach dropped into his shoes. Right... he was so used to showing customers around to buy that he hadn't considered someone unable to afford one. He brought a hand to his chin, stroking a little. After a moment, he pat Materia's shoulder.]

I'll be right back, okay? Stay here!

[And he scooped up an empty bucket sitting nearby, dashing off and around the corner in the barn. He returned a good ten minutes later with that bucket filled with leafy greens ending in fat orange carrots and a scroll of paper in one hand. The scroll was handed to her before he went and got his keys from a pocket. He undid the lock at the stable door and pulled it open.]

Okay, now hang on to that rental ticket! It says she's yours for the next three days and you promise to hand her back by noon three days from now! She just ate, so this bucket will be good to feed her dinner this evening.

[He scratched his head, then. He wouldn't mention the deal he'd made with his boss.]

I-i've got too much money burning a hole in my pocket from my two jobs anyway...!

[Materia's mouth fell open, and her fingers curled around the paper. Part of her wanted to toss it back at him, to tell him that she didn't need charity, but...most of her really, really wanted a chance to ride, even if it was just a temporary thing. Glancing back at the chocobo, she lifted her free hand and was startled when the bird nudged her head up against her palm, looking rather pleased with herself. Darn it...

Well, it was Night's job to get people to buy the birds, right? So this was just kind of a...test drive. Anyway, he totally owed her for scaring the daylights out of her by disappearing like that, and...well...

Darn it, why did he have to be so nice lately? Materia shoved the ticket in her pocket and shut her mouth, giving Night a sheepish smile.]

Thanks. I, um...thanks. Does she...does she have a name?

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