[Closed] Catch-all

[silentnarration]

WHO: Squall, misc
WHAT: Catch-all for the month
WHERE: Here and there
WHEN: January
WARNING: Mentions of mind control, child soldiers, other warnings pending.

[Closed starters within. Hit me up if you'd like to plan something. I'm available on Discord: Shirochu#4072 and shirobiro]

Comments

♥

[bravers]

[Boko's certainly bigger now. The chicobo doesn't really have any right to be called a chicobo any more, as he's about waist height when standing. ...Or, in this case, a height enough that even a low canter (not like the space provided in here can afford anything else. The two beds at either side of the room have been turned around and even shoved together to provide more space, but it's still claustrophobic) is sufficient enough to knock Squall right on his ass.

Boko squeaks and squeals, raising his short wings up and down in excitement at today's disaster, before promptly sitting his feathered rear up and on Squall's chest as he gives him a frantic series of headbumps. Cloud, sitting in the centre of the two beds, gives a curious glance over.]

Hey, Boko. Quit it. You've made your point.

[Ignored of course, in a particularly happy 'kweh'. So, he gets off the bed and walks over- pulling at Boko's head and neck.]

Come on...

[And off. Boko fluffs himself up, still straining to get to Squall. And, mid-wrangle...]

Thanks for coming.

[silentnarration]

[The sudden freedom from the fluffy weight (how could a bird be that heavy?) has Squall sitting up with a relieved breath. He gives Boko a disgruntled look as he rubs at the back of his neck and picks himself back up... to reluctantly go over to affectionately pet and stroke Boko's head and neck. It earns him another excited kweh and series of happy wiggles, no longer bothered with fighting Cloud now that Squall is close.

Squall nods at Cloud in turn.]

Thanks for watching him.

[He looks back down at Boko, who's chirping as Squall rubs under his beak.]

He's gotten bigger...

[bravers]

Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm gettin' kind of worried about him.

[It's... too cramped, the both of them standing, and Boko sort of hopping from one foot to the other between the both of them. So he lets go of him, moving back to the beds, and sitting. He brings his legs up to cross them underneath his body, pausing before he continues.]

I don't know that much about 'em. Everything I know, I picked up at this place near Midgar, on my world. It's a chocobo farm on the plains. [But anyway...] One of the guys working there said that the farm's there 'cause they need open space. They need to stretch their legs on fields and plains, or they'll wind up lame. A city's not gonna do him any favours, let alone a place like this.

[He looks to Boko, who gives him a clueless wark.
...And then steps on Squall's foot.]

He's happy enough like this. [...Really happy, actually.] But like you said, he's getting bigger- and he's only gonna get bigger. I don't wanna turn him loose- nothing out there's good for him. But I think he's going to need to develop his legs before he stops growing, or he's going to wind up miserable.

[silentnarration]

[Squall picks a far corner to sit and draw Boko over for continued pettings. He (Squall)'s been well trained.

... Or not enough because ow? His foot? He makes a face and shoots another stern look at the happily chirping chocobo.

What Cloud is saying is concerning though. He hasn't really given it that much thought. He assumed keeping Boko fed and happy would be enough? Apparently not.]

They live in forests where I'm from. [He rubs his chin thoughtfully.] There's one north of the city. Or we give him the run of the park. [Everyone else will just have to learn to get out of the way.] He can follow us to the forge too.

[bravers]

[Forests? That's weird. But it's much less weird than keeping one in a city. He nods, more or less wordlessly, his head inclining shortly afterward and the shock of his eyes moving to the side- as if he's considering something.]

You think he'll be happy away from people?

[The forest north of the city. That's probably a bust. And it's their fault, more than likely. Boko's spoiled. He doesn't even sleep in the stable on the roof, let alone somewhere miles away.]

The park... might be alright. For now. But an adult chocobo can run 90km and upward. Fastest I've seen is around 120, but I've heard they can get even faster. [More (previously thought useless!) information from his brief stint as a jockey.] M'worried that when he's grown, that's not gonna be enough for him. If he gets that fast, anyway. Doubt it.

[Growing up here, confined, enclosed, will probably mean Boko would never get as fast as a wild one. But that's done. There's no going back from that. More importantly, he's concerned about Boko being comfortable. He's an animal. He'll want to stretch his legs, so to speak.

He moves his gaze to the thing...
Which still hasn't got off Squall's foot.]

I was thinking about building something, on the grounds outside the forge. It's wide open enough, anyway.

[silentnarration]

[Trust him, Squall's been trying to shift his foot out from under Boko with not much success since Boko keeps following his movement. He looks surprised by the information about how fast they can go. They were great for traveling while he ran around the world but he hasn't pushed them that hard.]

He doesn't need to go that fast. He can already outrun both of us. [Which is enough for him, except for when he actually needs to catch the bird.]

We can show him the forest later. See how he likes it. [Would Boko even have memories of being born in chocobo forest? They'll have to find out.]

Build what? [It's already wide open space, isn't it?]