Day 214

[fuckthemancers]

Who: Zulf, some birds and a Pokemon, and you
Open: Open (and a couple closed)
When: 214, midday
Where: By the Monument
What: In which things are written out, birds are a nuisance, and visits are made for numerous reasons
Format: Any
Note: Some time ago, Seimei asked Zulf to write down things about the world the Calamity originated in, aka Caelondia and the Tazal Terminals. Since this information is available to everyone (although written in Caelondian and Ura), you can consider this post as a reference! It's also available as a request sort of thing, if you or your characters have any inquiries about culture, technology, or lore about either place. It'd also help me out with what to write for Seimei (and the mun of Seimei) since, when asked where to start, his IC answer was basically "everything".

----------


Ever since returning from the sudden expedition a week or so ago, Zulf has been quiet. Not completely and utterly silent, like he's become on occasion- just quiet. There's been a lot of things to think about.

Today, however, at least he's out in public, seated by the Monument. There are papers by him, things written in both Caelondian and the Ura language. There's also some sketches of different outfits alongside them. He's steadily working on both.

Anyone is more than welcome to come over and investigate...

Assuming the large group of Rattle-tails doesn't try to swarm towards them first. Yes, they're here too, a mix of sizes. Yes, there's a tiny little Cubone on top of one of them, waving its bone around energetically. Don't worry, Zulf will give a sharp whistle when they start to swarm and they... should back off before anyone gets slammed into by a giant white bird.

[Locked for Zahi andor Zanya]
After a day of writing, talking, and bird wrangling, Zulf finally finishes and goes to retrieve something. It's just a basket of things gathered up from the Skyway, vineapples and such. When he gets to a certain Ura abode, he knocks on the door.

[Locked for Zia and Raile]
And with that done... Zulf does the search for two of his most important people. Don't think he hasn't noticed some awkwardness floating around here.

Comments

[individuates]

[He noticed Zulf sitting at the monument but had been keeping his distance. He recognised that steady focus and knows from experience that interruptions are rarely helpful. Tama-chan has no such qualms however and, while Kaoru isn't looking, skulks quietly towards Zulf.

Those shapes you've drawn, Zulf. Her mama draws those kinds of shapes, too. They look slightly different to the ones Mama draws, but they're kinda the same, so they must be Mama's.

And that would be why she is taking them carefully into her mouth.]

[fuckthemancers]

[Oh goodness.]

[The Rattle-tails have been steadily following the peculiar little Anklegator, more in curiosity than anything. When Tama takes the papers, however, a certain little Cubone tries to get up on top of one and Growls. The bone is waved very threateningly. Super threateningly. Fear her dammit- also those are her papa's excuse you]

[Of course, this makes Zulf looks up from his work, blinking a bit in bewilderment before he notices what's going on and sighs. He sets down what he's currently working on and kneels onto the ground with his hand held out.]

Put it down.

[individuates]

[the appropriate phrase to sum up Tama-chan's expression would be "caught with her hand in the cookie jar". She stares at Zulf for a few moments, before turning and finding Kaoru... who has been watching the proceedings and is currently cracking up rather unhelpfully by one of the buildings.

Damn it, Mama. Help!]

[notachickenhawk]

[Tobias lands, looking over Zulf carefully, and screeches at the Rattle-tails that try to get too close. No. No swarming.]

[fuckthemancers]

[Okay, listen, they've heard that, but have you considered their propsal of- but swarming.]

[A particularly kind of sharp whistle seems to make them all stumble to a stop, however, even if a few sort of crash into one another. With that sorted, Zulf looks to the hawk.]

Hello, Tobias.

[notachickenhawk]

<Hi.>

[He hops over to take a look.]

<More drawings?>

[daughterofursa]

[Despite both being members of the Z family, Zuko and Zulf haven't spoken much. A recent conversation with Rin has her thinking maybe that should change, but this is the first time she's spotted Zulf looking, well, approachable.

She doesn't think much of walking through the flock of white birds--they're large, but still smaller than ostrich horses--at least until they start pressing in on her.]

Woah- hey..!

[fuckthemancers]

[Hail to the bird swarm]

[The sound of Zuko protesting the bird swarm makes Zulf look up, and he sighs. Rattle-tails are much too excitable, sometimes, although he'd say that's part of their charm. He gives a kind of clicking-whistling noise, and the birds stop, a couple even backing up a little.]

Sorry about them.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko isn't quite sure how to take it, but at least they've backed off.]

Am I doing something they don't like?

[Or maybe they just don't realize that at their size they shouldn't be swarming people. It's fine when the turtle ducks do it.]

[findsrisks]

[So.

Zulf is going to have a shadow today.

Because Nanaki wants to approach Zulf about something but she is not entirely sure of how to do it.

Of course, her cover is blown the moment Cubone notices her and starts egging the Rattle-tails over towards her, which makes her shriek as she tries to avoid the swarm.]

[fuckthemancers]

[Rattle-tails are good at completely ruining sneaky things. They are even better when there is a tiny reptile thing shamelessly egging them on.]

[Of course, Zulf just sighs for what is likely the twentieth time today. There's a sharp whistle and a click of his tongue.]

Stop that! [The swarm slows down, despite Cubone's best urges. Having a swarm all her own has made the bitty mad with power.] I apologize about that... They're very curious and energetic.

[findsrisks]

Ah, no, it's alright! I mean, you can't fault curiosity, right?

[Oh wow so awkward. Clearly she has a reason for visiting Zulf that day.]

Er, anyway...how are you doing?

/LATE TO THE FUCKING PARTY AS ALWAYS

[bedheadstyle]

[If there's one thing that gets Haruka's attention faster than food or Takane screaming at him, it's drawing. And of course the second he sees the sketches near Zulf he's going to stick his curious teenage nose in to that business post haste.

Or at least he's going to try.

Those Rattletails and Cubone have another idea entirely - namely swarming Haruka before he can get close.]

Ahh--!

but is there starbucks

[fuckthemancers]

[sweet mother, these birds are so nosy]

[...Although maybe it has something to do with that baby Cubone gleefully commanding them that's causing so much trouble. Regardless of the reason, Zulf gives a sharp whistle and a click.]

Stop that- I'm sorry about them. They are a very excitable breed.

yeah but I drank it already

[bedheadstyle]

[Clearly Cubone has discovered a way to make her own personal army with them.

Haruka just laughs once they've backed off, crouching down and holding a hand out to see if petting any one of them would be acceptable.]

That's alright! They just surprised me.

[bastionpc]

[It's Zayna that answers the door when Zulf knocks, and for the first time ever Zulf will see her in a state that's not groomed and completely put together. A couple of hours before his arrival she had dozed off with a book in the living room area, and his knock had roused her very suddenly very a very heavy nap.

Head scarf missing, long dark hair in a tangled mess, she blinked with sleepy eyes through a crack in the door to see who it was before startling the rest of the way out of her groggy haze.]

Z-Zulf! I-- uhm. C-come in...

[All said, of course, as she was frantically trying to smooth down the mess that was her hair.]

[fuckthemancers]

Ah- [He actually takes a step back.] I didn't mean to disturb you at all. I can always come back at a later time.

[bastionpc]

No, no it's alright! I just... dozed off while reading.

[How embarrassing...

But she does step back, opening the door fully so he can enter.]

[dragonform]

[A soft tapping at regular intervals signals Ryu's arrival. He hasn't had much of a chance to speak with Zulf much. It's something he would like to change, especially if there's any chance of more light being shed on the cause of the Calamity. It's the Rattle tails that catch him off guard, though he doesn't seem to bothered by them unless they try to impede his already unstable footing.]

What's that you're working on?

[fuckthemancers]

[Well, they're nosy, but at the very least they don't trip him up. They just... are a bit in the way although they can be easily shushed away.]

Hm? Oh, it's something Seimei asked me to do. I'm writing down things about Caelondia and the Tazal Terminals. Right now, it's about the different religious sects that were prominent back in my homeland.

[dragonform]

I'd like to hear about them. Culture is probably one of the biggest things I've been interested in for the Ura and Caelondians. What little I do know is so far removed from my home, it's made me remarkably curious.

[He eventually clears a spot for himself to sit down out of Zulf's way.]

If you're okay with talking about it.

[fullofthorns]

It wasn't that she didn't have any interest in Zulf or what he was doing - far from it, in fact, as she had intended to be nosy from the start - but the roaming pack of fluffy creatures that looked like some bizarre combination of toucan, cockatoo and dodo were too good to pass up. That, and the plump little lizardy creature with the mask? How was a girl supposed to blow that off in favor of schmoozing?

The Rattle-tails weren't required to swarm the girl - she got to them first.

"BOO!" she barked, dropping out of the air on all fours with an audible thump. Her wings snapped open and flared out, feathers fluffing as she shook herself and arched her tail high overhead, the puff of pink hair at the end weaving about as she crouched and crooned in playful invitation. With so much else going on and everyone being so serious lately, she couldn't convince herself that playing with the local fauna was a bad idea. Quite the opposite in fact.

"Oooh, who are you?" she purred, arching a feathery pink brow at the Cubone, long purplish black tongue flicking between her lips and tasting the air around her. "Such charmers, the lot of you!"

[fuckthemancers]

OH SHIT IT'S A DEMON, GET IN THE CAR

It's not often that any of them have had to go on the defensive today, so having someone suddenly come to them startles the Rattle-tails quite a bit. There's flapping and squawking and even the strange sound of rattling coming from them. Well, their tails, if one had to be specific. The larger and apparently older ones calm down first, leaning in curiously. The younger ones... Well...

Give them a bit to stop flipping their shit. At least the whole ruckus seems to get Zulf's attention, and he looks up mostly to keep an eye on the whole group. Don't want anyone to accidentally get a rock to the head.

The Cubone is fortunately on one of the adults, and clambers onto its head so that she can wave her little bone with more enthuisiasm. She is a FEARSOME WARRIOR, clearly.

[littlerat]

[ A tiny little cubone.

Red doesn't get too close to the whole scene. He had actually noticed Zulf at first and figured he would say hi - it's been a while after all - but he was careful about approaching in the first place with the group of rattle-tails around.

But then he saw them, on top of one of those birds and, well, there's another reason to stop and be in awe. Observing the bird creatures themselves was one good objective (look at them, they look amazing), but to see a pokémon he hasn't in so long?

Red lifts a hand under his mouth, the other resting his elbow. Pikachu, sat on his shoulder, peers over the scene, cooing in wonder.

Just give them a second. This is a beautiful moment. ]

[fuckthemancers]

[No, no moment for you, Red. You have been spotted by General Cubone and her Rattle-tail cavalry. As soon as she picks him out standing nearby, she gives an energetic wave of her bone and directs the large group over.]

[Red. Red. Hi Red. You now have a whole bunch of birds and a baby Cubone in your face.]