bottlecaplogs | Impromptu Oran Sleepover

Entry tags:

guilty gear: a.b.a

Impromptu Oran Sleepover

Who: Oran newbies
What: Having fun with communal dens
When: Sometime after Mightyena gathered them up
Where: The Spire, low tier dens
Warnings: Will add if anything comes up, but not anticipating anything

[As everyone knows by now, the Oran Berries depend heavily on communal living, sharing a bed is simply to be expected. For some, this experience was temporary. Mightyena was kind enough to lend the mysterious misplaced Pokémon a place to rest, but now some of them have moved on.

For others, this is now a part of life, and it's time to get used to it. The Oran Berries value treating everyone like friends and family, after all, so you're expected to do the same! Why not have some fun with it?

Whether you've noticed your fellow newcomers are all gathering in one den, or you suddenly find yourself dragged into the the party against your will, everyone is invited! Everyone's going through the same thing, belong to the same guild, you gotta stick together.....right?]

[[ooc: Feel free to use this as a mingle log! We have nine Oran Berries (I think???) and although the dens are said to hold up to eight, I think some members are small enough that we should be able to include everyone!]]

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[Oh, that's A.B.A's voice! Well, that explains everything. Shoka's still going to ineffectually squirm and wiggle her noodle arms around on principle, though.]

Well, I'm not, so—! Ugh, put me down, birdbrain...!

[It might be obvious that she isn't trying very hard to escape. That could just be because she's too tired to fight back—and that is part of it—but the truth of the matter is that she doesn't want to fire off an attack and actually hurt A.B.A (not that she cares about her wellbeing or anything). The worst she manages is lightly slapping her hand down onto the top of A.B.A's beak with an indignant huff.]

Shouldn't you be sleeping in the correct quarters?

[A.B.A seems to be taking Shoka's bap in stride, the only evidence she's even registering getting smacked is the way her eye twitches upon contact. Other than that, she happily ignores Shoka's protests.]

You weren't in a bed at all, were unable to find someone to share with? I wish you would've told me sooner, you're more than welcome to share with me~

[Please oh please say she couldn't find someone to share with. If A.B.A can't make the communal cuddle a regular thing, she can at least rest well with Shoka by her side.]

We'll be in the correct quarters soon enough, do try to remember it so you don't get lost next time.

Uh, hell no? [If she could blush, she would be now.] I was looking for a spot that wasn't taken so I wouldn't have to share with any of you losers!

[That, and even weeks in, she's still not completely used to needing sleep at all. By the time she noticed her body was shutting down and started making her way toward the beds, it was already too late.]

And I know where the quarters are, dummy! I meant you should already be asleep yourself. [Unless A.B.A couldn't sleep? It seems like they've all been having trouble with that recently.] Don't tell me you're so desperate for attention that you're just kidnapping sleeping 'mons now so they're forced to hang out with you.

...

[Oh...it would appear she heard that one. A.B.A stops in her tracks, the tunnel suddenly filled with silence.

A silence that's broken by a small whimper....then her soft voice.]

Why...why would you say something so cruel...?

[Silence again.]

...

[And then she just...keeps going! Shoka still held affectionately in her mouth.]

Well, I'm right, aren't I?

[She sounds almost smug about it, too, as if she'd be wearing an equally cruel smile if she could (though that whimper makes even her feel a little bad)... But it's still apparently not enough to convince A.B.A to release her.

As she's carried along, Shoka has no choice but to mull it over. She's in an especially foul mood, brought on by a combination of sleep deprivation, general unease, and the indignity of being in another Pokémon's mouth, but A.B.A's almost definitely been going through it, too. Your sweet face brings me a sense of comfort, she said before...]

... You just don't quit, do you? [Shoka goes limp then with a defeated sigh, letting her ghostly arms dangle as they move.] Look, I'm just—not exactly cuddly...

[A.B.A doesn't answer Shoka's question, although it's hard to say if she's outright avoiding it or back to simply not hearing her again. She certainly isn't wrong, though. Both in her deduction, and also in A.B.A's inability to give up. She is...tenacious, to say the least.

Sometimes inhumanly so.

There's a small sense of triumph when Shoka does finally quit struggling, though. It's always nice when she gets some sense of control, when people see things her way. Because she's obviously right, and how could anyone have a problem with this ever-]

I'm not looking to judge your performance, if that's what you're worried about. All I require is your presence.

[What a silly thing to be worked up over, her cuddliness. As if A.B.A could ever fault her for something so subjective.

Well, the wild ride needs to end eventually, and Shoka will find herself plopped into bed like the few before her. A.B.A is especially thrilled this time around, trilling to herself as she inspects Shoka for unknown reasons.]

I'm so...so glad we've been invited to the same guild... [She gives a small sigh of relief as she begins trying to get in the same bed. Her size obviously makes things difficult, her steps awkward as she tries to donut herself around Shoka's tiny form.] I was worried... It'll be much easier if we can work together... Don't you think?

Don't say I didn't warn you...

[Soon, she finds herself being dropped into bed like prey into a bird's nest. Her skirt of shadows flares out beneath her as she straightens herself out with a scoff, then gives a shiver. It's a poor excuse for a bed, really, but she has to admit it's better than the cavern floor she was using before (which helps to soothe her mood, just a bit). As if it wasn't already obvious that her prickliness would barely be an issue, despite the nasty things she just said, A.B.A's still babbling about how glad she is that they're together in the same guild.]

Pfft. Miss me much?

[The Oran Berries rely on each other, Mightyena told her, and help each other through tough times. It doesn't sound like a bad deal. And maybe it's a little nice for her, too—seeing a familiar face, and having someone so happy to see her.

That familiar face is getting extremely close right now, though.]

Uh, hey, can you not— [She tenses, preparing to weave her way between A.B.A's falling talons, but then A.B.A's settling down onto the bed, too, curling around her like a dog with its favorite chew toy. Shoka remains statue-stiff, limbs tucked close under her disguise rag—not cuddly. She is apparently as unused to physical affection as she is to the verbal kind.] Okay, never mind, then! Feel free to get all up in my space...

[It's fortunate that A.B.A is some sort of mythical-looking animal right now; if she were person-shaped, this would be even more awkward. But it is suddenly warmer in the bed with her there, shielding Shoka on all sides from the cold air.

Her question goes ignored for now. Instead, Shoka asks,] Worried, huh... About what exactly?

[A.B.A will take stiffening over running away. The fact that Shoka doesn't take off as soon as she rests her massive body means more to her than she'll ever know, nothing is scarier than the sight of someone walking away. But no, most of them have been so good about staying put... She doesn't need leashes, she doesn't need chains...

She told Paracelsus she would try... No more confinement... Perhaps practicing with her new friends will help her ease into that idea. They listen so, so well.]

I was worried... Worried I wouldn't find anyone who'd want to work alongside me...

[She lies her head next to Shoka, looking up at her from an angle. Perhaps to get more on her level, but also because she's exhausted.]

I know you admire me for my superiority... [Uh...huh.] ...but the truth is I'm...scared. Terrified. I've always had my husband by my side...for years now, I can't stand the thought of being alone again. I did miss you...dearly. I enjoy your company... And now...I can experience it more...

[Shoka has to stifle a snort at the thought of admiring A.B.A for her superiority—but that answer is otherwise so earnest and sad that she has to give it consideration. A.B.A's just scared, clinging to Shoka out of terror of being alone. It reminds Shoka of someone else, makes her think of how much she'd wished they'd talked more, had more time, before...]

Wait. A.B.A, you're married?

Mhm, that's right...

[She looks up at Shoka with the tiniest smile on her beak, her tail flapping stupidly against the bed as it wags. Doesn't matter how scared or tired she is, she will always be thrilled to talk about her husband.]

My dear, sweet Paracelsus... How I miss him so...

... Huh.

[Well, that doesn't fit into her mental image of A.B.A as a sad Victorian orphan science project who never left the lab! Was she out there dating? Having romantic dinners? Buying furniture or whatever else married couples do? Unless Paracelsus was just one of her dolls or something...

Either way, this revelation is so baffling to Shoka that it actually lessens the awkward tension around their current sleeping arrangement.]

Yeah, that's... gotta be rough. How'd you meet? Honestly, I kinda thought... [You literally never left the lab?] ... Never mind. Just curious.

[Sometimes you just take a really long time to leave and that's okay-]

It was so romantic~~

[A.B.A's mood lifts...considerably. She rolls completely onto her back as she cradles her head in her claws. Oh...oh, she loves telling her love story. Funny enough, Paracelsus not being here makes it even better, she doesn't have to assume Shoka's curiosity is due to being a dirty, rotten homewrecker. She grits her...beak? just thinking about it, but the feeling passes. ...It's never passed this easily before. Shoka really has no idea the beating she just avoided, and maybe that's for the best.]

I had just stepped out into the outside world... There were ruins...old relics of a time long passed, and I was exploring... That's when I saw him... He was resting, how I loved his sweet, sleeping face... O-Oh, it was love at first sight~~

[This time, Shoka doesn't bother stifling her amused snort.]

Wow. All that, and the guy wasn't even conscious? Guess that tracks...

[Considering how quickly A.B.A gained an attachment to her, that is, despite receiving little of the same energy in return.]

And when he woke up? Did you just hit it off right away, or...?

He woke up, I held his slender form tenderly, and we were wed instantly... It was just like a dream...

[Well, if Shoka thought her attachment was quick before-

A.B.A, of course, sees nothing strange about her instant wedding, still smiling fondly as she reminisces.

...but eventually her bubbly mood fades and she frowns.]

I worry...what he may think of me now...

[She doesn't know what she was expecting.]

Sounds like it. [Just like a dream? More like a delusion.] And they say romance is dead...

[But then A.B.A's face suddenly falls. The head of Shoka's disguise tilts toward one side.]

What do you mean?

[What does she mean what does she mean? To A.B.A, it's as plain as the beak on her face.]

I've been transformed into an animal now... It's not something many would ever say they'd dream of being married to...

[Said woman married to giant key.]

It's likely he may not even recognize me... You don't worry about that...? That someone you know could look right past you?

Not really.

[In fact, she hasn't thought about it at all and will continue not to. She's used to people looking right past her anyway.]

If your love is real or whatever, shouldn't he still be into you no matter what you look like? Even if what you look like is some kinda bird-dog-fish, or a worm, or anything else... You're still your weirdo self inside, right?

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Impromptu Oran Sleepover

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