Chocobo Races

[thalassino]

[It's a lovely climate-controlled day in the bubble on Sunday, the perfect day for a chocobo race! Participants and spectators alike, it's time to gather in the stadium that's been set up in the amusement park quadrant!

Before the races the janitor is looking for help in setting things up properly and cleaning up any bird poo on the tracks so the area is nice and pretty once the event begins. Feel free to join in or just to laugh at questers scooping poop.

During the races, the stadium will be packed with the locals! Racers are encouraged to arrive early and calm their bird, the chocobos aren't used to quite so much noise. Spectators can just kick back and enjoy themselves. Poor unfortunate questers who have been wrangled into helping the janitor again will have to hand out food and clean up spills.

After the races, people looking to gather points are encouraged to help the poor janitor clean up the pigsty the locals have left behind. Hopefully everyone had enough fun to make it worth it!]

Comments

[stayb100ponyboy]

Oh no, Darkleer. Bad bird. Stop at once. How dare you misbehave like this.

[That sure is delivered in a flat monotone and said very quietly, loud enough for Eridan to hear but not the birds, not over the ruckus they're making. Equius, for his part, is watching like an overindulgent lusus before turning to Eridan and shrugging.]

Sorry, he's not listening. Feel free to get in there and split them up, though.

[unconchonable]

You are not ewen tryin'!

[Eridan looks utterly exasperated right now.]

Figures you'd not know a thing about carin' for your bird! They are about to race, if they strain themselwes before it, not only will you an' I be facin' ultimate defeat, but they could injure themselwes as well. Ewen idiots who'we only ewer had pet stones can figure that much out! The damn flapbeast ain't one a your robots you can just fix up with replaceable parts!

[stayb100ponyboy]

Oh, stop being ludicrous. They're not hurting each other, they're having fun.

[And they are. There is some seriously happy, playful chocobo wrestling going on right now.]

If you're so bothered by it, get your bird to stop.

[unconchonable]

I know they ain't fightin', but this ain't good to hawe them doin' this type a roughhiwin' around just before a race, idiot!

[He glares at him for a few seconds, before looking at the two birds locked in bird-to-bird friendly wrestling. He grinds his fangs a bit, frustrated and ruing ever deciding to approach Equius, when he knows his stupid bird infects his own perfect one with stupid!]

Dualscar!

[He basically spits the name out, and just as quickly as it is said, his bird stops, head jerking to look at Eridan's unamused face. But then he looks to Darkleer, and then Eridan, and then Darkleer and then... He's trying to worm his way over to Eridan, for all he really loves his friend, he knows better than to make his owner unhappy :( sorry Darkleer.]

[Eridan sneers over to Equius a moment later.]

It pays to make your featherbeast obedient, perhaps you could take notes.

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Eyeroll.]

Darkleer, come.

[Equius doesn't say it any louder than his usual tone of voice, but his bird's head snaps up. Darkleer gets up, shakes the dust off his feathers, and trots to Equius' side, standing beside him in a picture of perfect chocobo behavior. Yeah, it pays to be friendly with Summoner while training your chocobo.]

[Smirk smirk smirk, from both troll and bird.]

You were saying?

[unconchonable]

[Sad that he would need the help of the Summoner, when Eridan was able to get absolute obedience on his own. But that little bit does nothing to prove anything to Eridan, because that's a very basic bit of obedience, and Darkleer's first reaction was enough to prove that this bird is hardly as well mannered as Equius is trying to pretend.]

I was sayin' you don't know a thing about trainin' beasts. Sure he can fake lookin' like a well mannered flapbeast, but his actions prowe otherwise. Notice how Dualscar didn't budge a muscle till your bird nearly assaulted me? An' ewen then it was more so to protect me than anythin' else.

[Or so Eridan is going to pretend that was the reason. Though it ain't untrue, his chocobo also just wanted to play and that was the perfect chance.]

So you should work on his owerall disposition, an' not just some laughable little tricks if you want anyone to take you seriously.

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Ah, but note the difference between the two birds: Dualscar is terrified and cowed by Eridan, while Darkleer does things for Equius because he wants to, and because there's some mutual respect going on. And part of mutual respect involves letting the bird be a giant feathery jerk headstrong sometimes.]

Your bird didn't move because he's afraid of you. You don't let him be a chocobo or do anything enjoyable, which is why he broke training to play with Darkleer. He wasn't protecting you at all; he wanted to play.

[Equius pats Darkleer's neck, and the chocobo qwehs softly and rubs the side of his head on Equius' shoulder. Say what you want about them, but even you can't deny the deep affection there, Eridan.]

I'd rather have a bird that does what I want because he wants to, not because he's afraid I might hit him.

[unconchonable]

[But that's where you're wrong, there is nothing but respect between Eridan and his bird. And Dualscar doesn't fear Eridan either, he only fears not doing his best when Eridan has done his own best to raise him into the fine bird that he is! Eridan may appear stern in front of others with his bird, but behind the scenes, Eridan is quite warm to his steed and allows for play time, when it is appropriate.]

Way to not know a damn thing about my bird. Or our relationship. He doesn't fear me, not ewen close, he just has respect for me. Enough to not make a fool outta himself all the time, like your joke of a chocobo.

[he rolls his eyes.]

I'we newer fuckin' hit my bird, now you're really throwin' out any baseless accusation you can, aren't you? You're just mad that my bird respects me more than yours does you, and since he's more obedient and willin' to be mindful, you think I got to be doin' somethin' completely needless to obtain it. How sad.