[open + closed] we're solvunn so we

[aquaveiled]

Who: Himeka, Tifa, and YOU
When: Throughout September & October
Where: Around the Primary Settlement
What: Questing to give gifts to the goat man
Warnings: Bad musical parodies

Keep a little fluff under my pillow for the goat man
In case he come to town
Keep a little candy in my handy for the goat man
So he will put it down
Just the mask he took from the council
On the ground
And give him all this stuff

Comments

[suplexer]

[ The sudden movement behind them also causes Tifa to almost jump out of her skin until she realizes that it's just the swishing of Himeka's tail. Right, she still needs to get used to that...

The sound could be little more than a normal animal wandering through. They are in the woods, after all. There's a part of Tifa that would rather just stay here, where there's light and it's relatively safe.

Then she remembers that the light moves with them. Plus, Himeka's got her hand on her shoulder and is looking at her with an eagerness to see what made that sound. ]

... I guess we should.

[ She takes a deep breath, holds it in her chest for a few seconds, then lets it out as she pushes to her feet. ]

Just on the off chance that it's what we're looking for.

[aquaveiled]

[ To be fair to Tifa, what constitutes "normal" is really a matter of perspective. Those giant mole creatures underground were quite formidable. As was the hippo Himeka had to deal with the year prior.

Still, she waits until Tifa is ready--eager, yes, but patient in most respects. So she stands with the other woman and lowers her hand. ]

Yes, exactly. Just in case.

[ Himeka hopes it is, of course, only marginally forgetting the threat it poses. But not entirely. So she takes the first step to lead them towards the sound, the little balls of light floating merrily along with them, like they're not on a mission to track down a creature that looms in the darkness between the trees.

Another snap, and then an eerie silence. Himeka pauses, tilting her head to the side as she tries to gauge the size... No, a little too hard to tell. At least as large as they are. She keeps her voice low. ]

...This way, I think.

[ Another few steps as they move deeper into the brush and she pushes aside some reaching shrubbery--

--only to find a wayward chocobo nosing its beak into the underbrush, looking for food. ]

Kweh?

[suplexer]

[ It does help that Himeka presses forward with such confidence, not betraying even a shred of fear. Tifa knows that she's more than capable of fighting most physical threats, but it's the creatures that exist outside of that realm that send a shiver down her spine.

She doesn't quite know where the Lyhos Kesc falls, but what she's heard has been enough to give her the creeps.

Then again, she's jumping to conclusions by assuming the noises are caused by anything other than regular wildlife.

She follows close on Himeka's heels, her senses homed in on any sign of an ambush. But as it turns out, they stumble upon... ]

Wait, what?

[ Tifa blinks in utter shock, stepping up to Himeka's side to stare at the wayward bird. ]

There are chocobos here?

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka let's out a sigh of her own. Curious as she is about this mythical creature, seeing a familiar bird isn't a terrible turn of events. ]

Mhmm. They showed up a year ago, I think? When we started having all sorts of curious beasties appearing.

[ She smiles at Tifa over the line of her shoulder. ]

So...then they have chocobos where you're from?

[suplexer]

[ Tifa nods firmly. ]

That's right. I hadn't seen any sign of them here so I figured they were something specific to Gaia, but...

[ Tifa clicks her tongue at the bird, which looks at her but doesn't come any closer. She knows that it's going to take a bit more effort than that to tame a wild chocobo. Granted, all it usually took back home was sneaking up on them, but they've already given themselves away in that case.

That, and this isn't the reason they're out here, as much as the sight of something so familiar has grabbed her attention. ]

What made them appear? Do you know?

[ Even as she asks the questions, Tifa steers them around the wild bird and further down the path. It's dark and the chances that they'll be able to get any closer to the chocobo are slim, so they should probably stay focused on the task at hand, as much as the idea of running into some strange goat spirit has her unnerved. The unexpected chocobo has eased some of the tension out of her, at least. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Honestly, if Tifa did want to take a little side quest and get herself a chocobo, Himeka would only encourage it. Having a mount in a place like this when you're not able to travel on aether currents can really make a difference. And the locals are still figuring out how to breed domestic chocobo. ]

It seems like they exist a few different places.

[ Which is a little odd to her. Out of so many things, why chocobos? And moogles, for that matter?

Himeka holds a hand out to the chocobo in offering, who rightfully takes a step back. Oh well. She doesn't have any gysahl greens on her. ]

Oh, a bunch of portals opened up all over the land and dumped a lot of beasts from our home stars around. Chocobos were one of many!

[ She explains as she follows Tifa. This is probably one of the more sensical things that have happened, as far as Himeka is concerned. ]

[suplexer]

[ She will eventually take this side quest, worry not! Just... after Cloud and Yuffie arrive. ]

They do? So do they have chocobos on your world, then?

[ Maybe Himeka is just used to seeing them around here in Abraxas now, but the way she speaks about them and even tried to offer something to this one they found does make Tifa think twice.

It would be kind of interesting to have something as random as the oversized birds in common between their homes.

A bunch of portals opened up? That sounds chaotic, but Himeka recounts it like it was just another Tuesday. ]

I hope there wasn't anything too dangerous.

[ But before Himeka can potentially respond to that, Tifa hears yet another sound from deeper in the woods. Unlike earlier, where it was the sound of something stepping on a branch, this is different somehow. Like it's a wind rushing through the trees, but somehow more... pointed?

She can't say how she knows, but... ] I think there's something up ahead. [ And she's doing her very best to be brave about it. ]