[Open] The Bird is a Monster

[topgun_textiles]

Who: Kanji, his chocobo, and all y'all.
Where: Dog Park, Section 4
When: Slight backdate to April 14th
Summary: Kanji's making good on goading Gold into a chocobo race. But first the bird needs to get in just a little more training. As he's too big to ride the bird, he's offering to lighter, smaller individuals. But a word of warning: Clive can also fly.
Warnings: Kanji just can't curb the swearing. Also Clive is a criminally ridiculous bird.



It almost seemed like yesterday that he could outrun the bird. Now, he could only keep track of him atop a pair of wheels.

Kanji didn't mind the weird looks. Sure, he looked more like he belonged on a roaring motorbike of sorts, but his regular ol' bike suited him just fine. It was a good workout, and he kinda liked how his legs burned after a full day of it. Was that weird?

"A'right, here comes the turn! Slide it! Lose yer grip on the ground and the race is over!" He called, and stood on the pedals, lowering his upper body as he put in a little more speed. It let him reach the turn first at the expense of leaving him a little bit winded - chocobos were freakin' quick - but he jerked the handlebars, shifting his weight and jumping the bike, kicking it into a turn. The tires ground against the fine dirt, churning up dust. The nearly fully-grown bird followed suit, black feathers flattening against a lithe body as he entered a short slide, allowing him to nail the sharp turn. A kick off the ground let him continue onward while sacrificing little speed.

"Cool! Keep goin'!" Kanji lost all his momentum, but that was fine. He could watch from here. Besides, he'd been trying to keep pace with and pass the chocobo all morning. He was a little tired. Lifting a sleeve to his forehead, Kanji wiped off his brow and readjusted his helmet. Safety first.

"Whoa, whoa-whoa-whoa no, damn it! Clive, don't you freakin'--!" But he did: His wings opened, and with a joyful cry the black bird took to the sky, sailing high over the makeshift track and spiraling higher. Kanji sighed. Clive liked to try flying whenever he could, but so far it was met with minimal success.

As if to prove his point, the happy chirrups he listened to overhead turned to awkward squawks. As the winds from higher altitude buffeted him, Clive quickly began to lose control, and then altitude completely.

"Shit-!" Kanji dismounted his bike, but his legs grew tangled in his haste. He went down, kicking up further dust, but his soul welled over, that blue smoke rising from his form. When the Emperor seal card came down, he snatched for it, brought it to the ground, and smashed it with a fist. His soul shed, and from his body rose the immense demon king, who leaped to intercept.

Clive was caught in massive palms several yards in the air and held close. Almost ignorant to the danger he was just in, the chocobo canted his head and already mooched for attention, which the Persona obliged with a large finger ruffling his crest feathers. He knew 'mama's Persona.

But Kanji pushed himself to his feet, frown deep, and he was ready to berate a bird he knew listened in one ear and quickly out the other. But when Clive turned his way and warked, puffing his feathers and looking content, Kanji felt his shoulders lower and his nerves ease.

Damn bird was too cute to be mad at.

Comments

[detective_shirogane]

"Kanji?!"

She'd been looking for him; she thought he'd be working at the theater today, but after treking there to surprise him and finding that it was a day off, she was left with a predicament; continue searching for him discretely, or ruin the surprise by contacting him.

She'd gotten to the fourth district, still deciding on the course of action, when she heard a familiar 'WARK', and looked up to see a black Chocobo flying-- and falling! Her eyes widening, she dashed off towards where he seemed to be falling, holding onto her hat as she did so. But fortunately, another familiar figure sprung forth, catching the young bird before it fell to the ground. Sumeragi hummed within her, relieved to see the Demon king, but Naoto was concerned about the user.

And of course, she'd find him covered in dirt.

"Are you alright? What on earth were you doing?"

[topgun_textiles]

The smile under his breath was gone, and he quickly stood straighter in surprise. He didn't even need to turn to see who it was- his stomach already somersaulted and even the Persona quickly turned his head away.

Get it together, damn it!

Over the chirrups of greeting from the bird, Kanji folded his arms and shrugged, trying to play it cool. "I-I'm fine! Just gettin'- gettin' some race practice in."

Still, he had to wonder if she'd been looking for him. She'd been giving him riddles to solve and was teaching him how to tail suspects before they arrived in Saeng Seong, and there was a small note of dismay in his mind- he was crap at riddles. But he had to be ready!

"What's up?"

[detective_shirogane]

"Did Clive attempt to fly again?"

He was overeager, just like his owner; flew in head first and forgot to take care of where he was going to land. His own question left her cheeks red, and she glanced down at basket she was carrying.

"I... ah, I made some sandwiches, and I was hoping that perhaps, we could..."

Damnit all, why was she choking now?

"...Would you like to have lunch with me?"

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji quietly cleared his throat, but he nodded. What kinda man turned down lunch with h-his girl? Takeji Zaiten gently set Clive down and couldn't help himself- the red parts of his armor brightened as he hid his face in his hands, and then faded away with a burst of soft blue light.

"Yeah, sure. ...Clive! Behave yourself, y'hear me?"

But the bird was distracted, trotting over with a chirrup before leaning to nuzzle against Naoto's face.

[detective_shirogane]

Sumeragi was active, she could feel, responding to Takeji Zaiten's reaction with a happy little hum. How strange... were both Persona reacting to their emotions? ...Was it possible their Persona were attracted to one another as well?

...That was an interesting thought. Though it was pushed aside for now as the black Chocobo leaned in for a nuzzle. Naoto's and quickly went up to scratch the birds crest, smiling.

"Are you being a good boy, Clive? I hope you're not giving Kanji any trouble..."

Glancing back at Kanji, Naoto nodded.

"Would you like to eat here? I have something for Clive as well."

[topgun_textiles]

They were baby chirps, childish twitters in reply to the touch, and dark plummage fluffed. First the big thing pet him, and now 'papa' was petting him- bird was on cloud nine.

"Sure. We could use a break. Legs're burning a little bit from all the biking," he replied, but he sounded pretty proud with himself for the workout. Nothing felt better than that little burn to know the muscles got some work in.

He shrugged his jacket off his shoulders when he had an idea, seeing this kind of thing in stories. He hunkered down to lay it down, smooth it out, then after a moment's hesitation, peered up.

"H-how's that?"

[detective_shirogane]

Naoto couldn't help but chuckle at the bird. She was sure Kanji spoiled him a bit too much, but she admitted it was hard not to, considering how friendly and carefree he was. She gave him another skirtch at his crest, before turning back to Kanji.

...And couldn't help blushing at his actions. Quite chilvarious, wasn't he?

"That... works well."

Giving a brief nod, Naoto sat down on the blanket, and started to unpack the basket.

"It's all rather simple, but I hope it'll be satisfying, all the same."

Cucumber and cream cheese, BLT, avocado... and it seems like she brought a container full of the s-word, too. Just in case.

[aheroipray]

"My, an impressive display."

Light clapping came from a little down the way--a small girl applauded their efforts. Dressed in a bright yellow cyclas with bronze sleeves, she was a little over three feet tall, with a petite frame to match. She wandered over, careful, wondering what the large fiend was holding the chocobo was, but not asking until she felt the question ready for explanation.

"What is his name? Your chocobo."

[topgun_textiles]

The applause surprised him, enough that he turned quickly, a mild bristling working its way up his spine. Maybe he'd dealt with more than his fair share of sarcasm in his life, or some habits were hard to kill.

Just as quickly as he'd bristled, everything settled down. This was somebody he'd never met before, and he had to keep on with the promise he'd made to himself to not fly off the handle every which way.

"Uh- Clive." He paused, scratching his head.

"Chocobos're native to your world, too?" How many worlds had awesome horse-sized birds? How come his was unlucky?!

[aheroipray]

She raised thin eyebrows when he seemed to bristle, but smiled when he calmed. Allumette was abrasive at heart, but she meant no harm most of the time. She turned her eyes to the young chocobo, and beamed before looking back at Kanji.

"They are, indeed," she replied with a nod. "Are they not in your world? Strange. Do you teleport everywhere, then?" That must be a strain on the body, to collect all that aether. Not to mention the gil fees!

[topgun_textiles]

"Teleport?" The mental picture of himself springing all over the place in Inaba flowed to mind. Man, would he scare the shit outta some of his enemies if he could just poof right in front of 'em!

"Uhh... Do I look like a teleporting kinda guy?" Takeji Zaiten shrugged helplessly, then lowered to the ground. The large bird was set on his feet before the white creature disappeared as if a mirage.

"Nah, we just got stuff like horses, or bulls or whatever. I mean, we got ostriches, but they're nothin' like chocobos!" Kanji didn't bat an eyelash when the chocobo made his way over and canted his head this way and that.

He was almost sizing Allumette up for something.

[aheroipray]

"I don't see a reason as to why you would need to look the part," she said slowly, raising a brow at Kanji. "It is a rudimentary spell after all. Everyone learns it."

As the chocobo sauntered over, Allumette simply opened her palm on his direction, palm up for him. Her hands were calloused and scarred heavily through practice, a long, jagged few scars welting the middle of her hand. After her battle with Ultima, not everything had cleanly healed. Some places were burned and scarred and would stay that way a while--she didn't mind. Scars were badges of honor, in her opinion.

"He reminds me of Cloudline, when I had first gotten to ride him," she remarks. "Of course, he's much smaller."

[topgun_textiles]

"H-he's a late bloomer, that's all! He'll get bigger!"

Clive was distracted by the palm for a moment, staring hard at the marks. Or was he? Food was on his mind as it always was, and he expected something tasty whenever a hand was held out to him.

Without the promise of treats, he warked to the boy and stomped his feet, trotting in place.

Kanji stepped forward. "Clive, don't you-"

But the bird had his own plans. Lowering his head, he tried to slip it between Allumette's legs and move his way through. If nobody was going to climb on his back and ride, he'll take matters into his own capable feathers!

[heretic_hamlet]

The sight of a familiar Black Chocobo taking wing was striking enough and would have drawn him near on its own; but seeing the hints of a stall brought haste to his footsteps and its faltering dive brought him to a sprint, preparing himself for a bit of emergency mending on the poor, overeager bird...!

...but he was less prepared to see it fall to the arms an enormous, ethereal guardian who almost looked a cross between a demon and a golem. Even less so to see Kanji of all people as the source of its calling! He might have mistaken it for a summoner's esper were it not for the strange means of evocation.

By the time Ramza had arrived on-scene, he had slowed to a walk, and shot his glance back and forth between Kanji, Clive, and the newer, stranger addition.

"...Kanji?"

[topgun_textiles]

He was busy dusting himself off when he heard his name, looking up. With the tip of his chin in greeting, he grinned and folded his arms rather proudly, even with the streaks of dirt across his forehead and one cheek.

"Yo! Training's comin' along pretty good. I got this shit on lock down!" When the 'golem' drifted to the ground, he set the bird down with almost uncharacteristic care, even smoothing down the dark feathers fondly.

"Got a race against Gold n' Chobo comin' up, but we'll be ready for it."

[heretic_hamlet]

Kanji spoke rather... nonchalantly for the feat he'd just performed. Ramza could only gawk in a mix of astonishment and confusion, giving a glance to the Chocobo's summoned savior and then back to its caller.

"...And that spirit of yours?" he finally blurted out, a certain expectation in his tone.

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji made a face. What? "Spirit?"

But when he turned, he realized that he hadn't exactly called the big guy enough to eliminate the weird looks it got. He'd been called a summoner, a shaman, when really he didn't know what any of them could call themselves.

"Oh... y'mean my Persona. Uhhh- how do I explain it?" He rubbed the back of his head.

"That's me, or I guess a part of me I can call out."

[heretic_hamlet]

Ramza strode around the 'Persona' to move beside Kanji, carefully minding its motions all the while.

"A part of you?" The explanation sadly left him with a few more questions than it had answered. Kanji did not seem possessed, and Ramza hoped he had not offered himself up as a vessel. "Surely you do not mean you play host to it!"

"...Or is it some sort of... guardian spirit?"

[topgun_textiles]

"Uhh... yeah n' no?" Now he looked confused.

"More guardian spirit, though? Sure. I used it to protect my hometown, look out for my friends, y'know? Big guy was a part of my soul the whole time and I was bottling him up, thinkin' I was some kinda freak. Now he comes out when there's somethin' I gotta do, somebody I gotta protect." He nodded. Yeah, that sounded right. Sounded cool, too.

"Clive needed help, so there he is."

[fons_et_origo]

There's nothing quite like taking a run through the city, using the urban landscape as an obstacle course in an attempt to keep up a level of fitness you just can't anywhere else.

It's another matter entirely when suddenly there's large birds flying (flying? falling?) through the air, making distressed noises. It's another thing entirely when suddenly there's HUGE ROBOTS WITH SWORDS where there was nothing.

Needless to say, routine broken, all Xehanort can do is stare and blink and wonder what is going on. Actually, voicing that concern seems like a thing.

"What in the worlds--"

[topgun_textiles]

It's okay if you're jealous, Xehanort. Not everyone has demon robot swordmen swimming around in their souls. But then again, it made things hard to explain to people, so with the blessing comes way too many curses to count.

Namely, times like these. He'd been called a summoner and a shaman, neither of which he knew to be true or false, and one guy'd even wondered if he was possessed.

"Persona," he explained, as if it explained everything.

"Long story, don't worry about it. We in your way?" It was a weekday, and he'd figured there wouldn't be an issue, but it was stupid to think he was the only one who went out and about on a Monday.

[fons_et_origo]

Jealous or not, it's probably better to not think about what could be swimming around in his soul. At least for the moment, there's something to focus on that isn't colossal robot swordman with a handful of bird. Xehanort turns to Kanji with a puzzled expression.

"Persona? You mean to tell me that thing is a representation of you?" At least, going by what he knew the word meant.

Of course, now he wanted to know more. It wasn't everyday that this sort of thing happened, and his curiosity was piqued.

"Not particularly. Nothing is really in the way, it's just a challenge. So this is yours? How do you make it happen?"

[topgun_textiles]

His mouth, ready to try and sum things up, quickly snapped shut as surprise lit his features. "Uhh, yeah. Wait, are you a--"

Ah, so he wasn't a persona-user like he'd thought. Wouldn't ask those questions if he was. Looking back at the big guy a moment, he put his thoughts together the best he could.

"I'unno... I just get real pumped up, my body feels real hot, and I make the card appear. It feels weird every time I call it out. It's temporary, but they get the job done, whether it's busting shadows or knockin' some skulls together." Just like that, the spirit lowered to the ground and set the chocobo down with a surprising gentleness.

"Heh. He's handy for catchin' reckless birds, too."

[fons_et_origo]

"So it's a power that is prevalent on the world you came from," he said simply. "A... combat ability, it sounds like, though with other applications, as we see here. You must have some finesse over it, to have it perform something so delicate." Because really, having a giant robot catch the little bird without crushing it is a big feat.

"How interesting. Is it a common thing, to do this?"

[topgun_textiles]

"Common? Hell no- my friends n' I went through hell! It ain't somethin' I'd subject other people to. S'way too embarrassing."

Ah, crap, steer back on topic- "Anyways, we're the only ones who can do it. Nobody'd really believe us back home even if we told 'em."

Kanji sighed, closing his eyes a moment. The massive figure faded and he felt like his soul was whole again when he relaxed.

"I thought just about everybody here had some kinda power. Mine ain't that special."