bottlecaplogs | Adventures in being a small bird (open log!)

Entry tags:

Adventures in being a small bird (open log!)

Who: Ritsuka, anyone!
What: A newcomer getting to know the place
When: Early April/one prompt backdated to the Starfall festival
Where: Around the city!
Warnings: None to start with

I. New Recruit

If anything, finally being approached by Ribombee and recruited into the Cheri Berries seemed to invigorate Ritsuka. While she may have been at a bit of a loss as to what to do with herself before, even from her first days officially with the guild she was already tackling any assignment she was given with gusto. Even the relatively monotonous ones like gathering twigs saw her hard, almost eagerly at work.

Of course, she also spent a fair amount of her spare time getting to know her fellow guildmates. Whether they were fellow recent arrivals, or resident Pokémon, Ritsuka was always eager to approach someone to make introductions. And if you happened to share a room with her... Well, at least she's one of those extroverts who generally tries to respect those who are decidedly not?

II. Crash Course

One of the things that came with being turned into a bird Pokémon was, naturally, having wings. Which Ritsuka quickly learned were, in fact, supposed to be more than enough to allow her to fly with. The problem, of course, came with the fact that not only did she have no real idea how... But was also unfortunately prone to falling into the trap of simply overthinking every step of the process.

Still, this didn't dampen her desire to try and learn anyway, which was why at various times and places throughout the city, you might spot a certain Rufflet throwing herself off of high places and doing her best to stay airborne.

"Aaahhh look out!!"

With varying degrees of success.

III. How (Un)fortunate (backdated to Starfall!)

Ritsuka hadn't been too terribly surprised when she'd pulled a particularly bad fortune. These things happened, it was the sort of thing one laughed off and tied the fortune somewhere before moving on and largely forgetting about it. And Ritsuka had planned to do just that! Except... just as she'd been about to look for a good place to leave it, her eyes had fallen on that last sentence:

Lucky Color: Violet

And, she'd paused, instantly reminded of someone she was honestly unsure whether she'd ever see again.

Which was why, later in the festival, the Rufflet could be found still carrying that little slip of paper around. Maybe even, if she thought no one was watching, glancing at it with a decidedly conflicted expression before tucking it away again for now. Probably nothing worth bothering her about, right? Right.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Somehow, despite having been here for months at this point, Cedric still isn't used to surprises, especially in the air. So when a blur of grey and white come speeding toward him while he's carrying a bag of supplies, he is not prepared; with a shrill caw, he stops, wings spread, and allows the mass to smack right into him in an explosion of seeds and feathers.

"W-watch where you're going, you-!"

Wait, that's rude of him to say. Also their voice suggests someone lacking in experience, and-

"Oh, you're a bird."

Very astute, Cedric. How about being more polite?

"I mean... are you all right?"

"Gems - !"

Odile cuts herself off with an irritated growl. The difficulties of living here and being a Pokemon are many, and she likes to think she's largely grown accustomed at them, but getting randomly attacked by birds while walking down the street is a whole other matter! Ice glints on her claws as she ducks and backs away, though she does at least let that melt away when she realizes it's not a real attack.

"Mind where you're going, please."

"Sorry!"

Ritsuka sounded truly apologetic. It was one thing to struggle with flying, but quite another for her lack of control to inconvenience someone else.

"I'm fine, but what about you?"

She'd definitely had worse crashes already, but she wasn't going to make assumptions about anyone else.

"Yeah, I know, sorry!"

It took her a moment, but Ritsuka managed to get scramble back to her feet from where she'd crashed to the ground in a pile of feathers. Luckily, she appeared unhurt, and thus not in need of assistance; she'd feel outright terrible imposing on someone after already scaring them like that, even if it was just an accident.

"I'm really not very good at this..."

Introvert, extrovert, Aelita had never thought about what she was in that regard. Not really. She thought she'd been fine with others, it was easy talking to Jeremie and her friends or when she had to speak to a singularly guildmate.

Crowds though... She'd never seen so many living things.

It was rather overwhelming.

So the scruffy Dedenne was stood near main building. Occasionally she'd stand on her hind-legs and peering over, then shrinking back. She needed to get food, she'd learnt that much but it was so busy...

Ritsuka was just on the way to get something to eat herself, walking along tree-borne paths and stairs as she still didn't trust herself flying yet, when she spotted a familiar-looking Dedenne nearby.

"Oh hey, Aelita. Going to get something to eat, too?"

'Hatenna' tends to be a more reclusive pokemon, but almost never too far when there's some kind of busy work to be done. Hard for her not to miss when new recruits come around, but she isn't one that introduces herself too easily.

Still, that might be a good time for her to be approached, when returning from some errand and using her psychic power to levitate some gathered forage items up to the counter. Where she's being greeted by the pokemon managing it, or perhaps being thanked a little overenthusiastically, but Ritsuka might come in at a time just able to catch her response.

"Tch, it's not a big deal... I just noticed the supply was just getting low, that's all."

Well, there's someone Ritsuka was pretty sure she hadn't met yet. And who apparently had the same idea she did, from the sound of it.

"Oh, are you helping gather supplies, too?"

"Hm?"

She turns to assess the other pokemon present. Not that her eyes are visible, but she seems to perceive just fine.

"It's necessary. The stocks have gone through a lot recently, after all the weathering set up and who knows what being 'borrowed' for that festival..."

Aelita was alternating between shuffling her feet and watching the crowd.

"I'm not sure. It seems...complicated."

Was there an order? Did she have to say something specific? There was so many little questions that she was sure of.

Ritsuka nodded at that explanation.

"Makes sense... Do you need any help? I was just going to ask if there was anything I could help with..."

Being new meant she was still very much getting a feel for things. She didn't know yet how everything in this world worked, and didn't want to presume.

"Oh? Which parts are complicated?"

There was no judgment in her tone, just genuine curiosity. She'd need to know just what was troubling Aelita before she could offer help or advice, after all.

"Mn, there's always going to be something that needs help here..."

She gestures with a hair tendril to the general array of the Cheri's main area and just how harried some of the pokemon are starting to look. But, there do seem to be some others approaching the counters as well to turn in their baskets.

"If you'd like to go out gathering for more supplies that's fine. Although, I was thinking of changing tracks and heading over to the board after this, if you don't mind coming along..."

Just as a change of pace, but when someone new shows up being that willing to work it either signifies someone seemingly gullible or else a kindred spirit. Or both.

As soon as she'd learned about the quest board, Ritsuka had been making a point to check on it regularly. Partly just because she wanted to help, but also maybe a bit because the whole idea of a quest board made her feel almost like a protagonist in some kind of videogame. Just a little, at least!

Once Spinarak had explained the assignment and left the pair to their task, though, Ritsuka turned to Akechi.

"Well, now I'm really glad you're here..."

It was a mix of reasons, to be sure... But a lot also boiled down to the simple fact that Ritsuka had no idea what to do with herself if given too much free time. The idea of not needing to be prepared to leap into action at any moment had become something of a foreign concept to her.

"Sure!" Which was doubtless one reason for her prompt response. "I'm still getting to know my way around here, too, so having someone to go with would be nice."

"There's a lot that can become just routine to keep busy, unless there's a larger situation going on..."

Then again, she's used to having to be proactive. Logically, they don't 'have' to do anything, it would just feel weird not doing anything.

"You seem fairly eager to jump in."

"You think so?"

The Rufflet cocked her head a bit at that remark.

"I just figured since I'm here, I might as well help out, so..."

"At flying? I suppose not." Her voice isn't gentle, exactly, but she's backing down a bit. It would be a little much to expect someone to adapt to brand-new limbs and their functions that quickly.

Still, though. "They don't have anywhere here for people to practice?"

"I don't think so? I mean, it's only those of us from other worlds who'd need to practice, you know?"

She was pretty sure people born with wings wouldn't have so much trouble. Or at least be able to learn under a parent's supervision.

"I really thought I was starting to get it that time, though..."

Akechi couldn't help but chuckle at the praise. "Well, Mightyena-san is rather adamant that I mentor those less accustomed to their flying forms." It was just in her nature, really. Always eager to help, uplift, and support others...

It was like a language Akechi couldn't fully comprehend, but knew enough of the vernacular to at least play along. "So. I suppose I should first ask how much flying experience you presently have."

"Well, I'm still glad."

She didn't want to think about how things would've gone if she'd needed to play air support to someone on the ground. It was a relief to be teamed up with not only another flyer, but a fellow former human who'd understand the struggle.

"Not much, really? I mean, I've been practicing as much as I can, but I haven't even been here very long, so..."

"When do you know when you can ask? I.. I feel like I'm bothering them."

It seemed so simple, she felt silly asking. Aelita had slowly been learning everything, eating, sleeping. Some of it had felt oddly familiar, maybe she'd spoken to Jeremie about them? But social situations? Well, none of her friends were exactly experts there.

"Oh, as long as someone's there to hand out food, it's fine. That's what they're there for, so you're not going to be bothering them."

It wasn't quite the same as a cafeteria or such, but similar enough as far as Ritsuka was concerned.

"They must teach their young ones somewhere, mustn't they...?"

Though...has she actually seen any young Pokemon around here? Native ones, younger even than the pack of teens that seems to make up half the guilds? Odile...can't be certain if she has. Granted, she's never been terribly interested in children...

Well. It's a question for later.

"I don't have much advice, I'm afraid. Perhaps you could ask another former human." Akechi comes to mind!

The Hatenna gives the impression of a shrug with her hair, though seems amused, as if she isn't doing the same thing, really, clearly being part of the same club. Mostly, she's just assessing the Rufflet in her own way.

"Well, there's always something to do for the sake of doing, at least, if keeping busy is your priority. Gathering things, finding things for others, the occasional battle that comes up."

"Maybe they have something like schools for that...?"

She honestly had no idea.

"Yeah, if I can't figure it out myself, I'll have to ask, though I don't want to be a bother, either."

Ritsuka nodded.

"Well, it also doesn't feel right to just be here without doing my fair share to help out, you know? Even if it's not my fault I ended up in this world, the people here don't actually have to share their food and houses and everything."

It was just the right thing to do, in her mind! That, and she didn't know what to do with herself if she had too much downtime...

"I suppose the better question is how long you can stay in the air without tiring." After a moment, he beats his wings to stir up a Tailwind. "The added air currents should make it easier to sustain flight in addition to the added speed."

"That's just more of the way the 'guilds' have been operating even before people were brought here from outside, for the most part. Growing their numbers little by little to be more coordinated."

Even if it seemed like they had been largely going in circles for a while before new arrivals came into play.

"But if you don't mind, it's no problem, right?"

"Oh, I'm not sure... I keep, uh, crashing before very long..."

Which perhaps might give a bit of a clue as to where her trouble was. No matter how good her start, Ritsuka was definitely struggling simply with staying in control.

"But usually I don't start getting tired until I've been practicing a while, I think?"

"Yeah, exactly."

She really was happy to help out, whatever her personal reasons for may be.

"Was there anything you were thinking of doing, or just seeing what's there?"

Ah, yes. Crashing. That would be an issue, particularly given the importance of this task.

"In that case, I would prioritize direction and control. It may help to learn how to utilize existing air currents to minimize the physical exertion in flight."

Ritsuka nodded, considering that.

"How do you know how to stay in control? Usually everything seems fine at first, but then whatever I do just seems to make everything worse."

She was absolutely both overthinking and overcorrecting.

"I tried earlier and someone nearly stood on me..."

She'd heard some stories of the Kadic cafeteria. Normally it was the horrors of Odd eating but was nearly being squished that common?

"It'd hardly be the stupidest message put to the network." Her tone is dry, but of course that's not about Ritsuka herself. Odile's thinking about all the annoying loud weirdos that like to shout into peoples' heads at random around here. "I'm not sure how any of our flying-types learned it. My companions from home and I all stayed terrestrial."

"Would be nice if I could figure it out myself, though."

She felt like she ought to, somehow. It was frustrating!

"Was it still hard for you to adjust, though?"

"Oh.... did they not see you there?"

Ritsuka was small herself, but not that small. Still, she'd had past experience being turned into something around Aelita's current size before, too.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Adventures in being a small bird (open log!)

II of course!

II

no subject

no subject

I - NEW

no subject

i

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Closed to Akechi

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject