melodiesoflife | Chocobo Roundup

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Chocobo Roundup

WHO: Rukia Kuchiki, OPEN!
WHAT: A group of adventurers sets out to find themselves some new feathered friends, as well as spend time together camping out and battling monsters. On the last day, the adventure is capped off with a battle against a chocobo eater.
WHEN: November 7th - 9th
WHERE: Calm Plains

OOC NOTES
There will be two threads for each day: one for mingling, and one for fighting monsters/encountering chocobos. The encounter schedule is listed below. Assume encounters A-E happen in the daytime, and F-J happen at night. We can assume that most of the encounters are handwaved, so if there's one you'd love to play out, start a thread with the encounter listed in the subject. Example: Day 2, Encounter X: Five Hamsters.

Note: We will not find five hamsters. No one is allowed to die horrifically in this fun-filled expedition.

Some chocobo captures are reserved for those who signed up, and have been marked accordingly. You can claim one of the encounters on this list, if you like. And if you're a new character, you can join too! Either assume Rukia mentioned it to them and invited them along, or PM me and I'll have Rukia meet your character in the intro log if she hasn't already.

Day 1
A: Enemy female yellow chocobo (accompanied by two Buers)
B: 3 Red Elementals
C: Friendly female aqua blue chocobo - Claimed by LEVY
D: TREASURE CHESTS! (surprise it's two Mimics)
E: ANOTHER TREASURE CHEST! (still a Mimic though)
F: Friendly female green chocobo
G: Enemy female yellow chocobo (accompanied by 2 Gargoyles) - Claimed by RAMZA
H: 1 Mandragora
I: Friendly female yellow chocobo
J: 1 Hamster (run)

Day 2
A: Friendly male yellow chocobo - Claimed by FAI
B: 2 Geezards
C: Unfriendly male yellow chocobo - Claimed by YUNA (AU)
D: Enemy female yellow chocobo (accompanied by 2 Wyverns) - Claimed by K'pandolu
E: 3 Goblins
F: 1 Gargoyle
G: Friendly female yellow chocobo
H: 8 Goblins
I: Unfriendly male yellow chocobo
J: 2 Touch Mes

Day 3
A: Unfriendly female yellow chocobo
B: Unfriendly female yellow chocobo
C: Friendly female purple chocobo - Claimed by KIJA
D: 3 TREASURE CHESTS! (Nope still Mimics who puts a treasure chest in the middle of the plains seriously)
E: Enemy female yellow chocobo (accompanied by 2 Mandragoras)
F: Unfriendly female yellow chocobo
G: 9 Buers
H: Unfriendly female white chocobo - Claimed by RUKIA
I: Unfriendly female yellow chocobo
J: CHOCOBO EATER (small)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yuna laughs and then lightly taps his shoulder with her own.]

I don't think that counts or do you want me to refer to you as an old man?

[She's happy, though it's hard to say aloud. She considers herself really lucky to have a friend like Ven, he's much stronger than her and yet she feels stronger having him nearby. Just like with her guardian's, it's a feeling she's missed.]

Thank you Ven.

[Yuna turns slightly to look over at him.]

When do you think I should make my birthday?

Hey, watch it! [It's a playful objection as he also laughs. He can't even point out that twenty-eight isn't all that old, since he's still very much fifteen at heart and that does seem kind of ancient from his point of view.

He's thoughtfully silent for a moment, staring up at the tent ceiling as he crosses an arm under his head.]

Hmm... well, which season do you like best?

[Yuna's met people who've died and yet lived on through centuries. Maybe if they were still around she'd ask them but after Sin was defeated everyone was able to rest. They didn't seem to like being alive for so long.

She pushes the thoughts away before they spiral further. Instead she looks back up at the tent's roof and begins to count the rain drops. It's warm with Ven by her side and she's thank for the blankets. She wonders if Rae's fallen asleep or if the little moogle has quietly listened to their whole conversation.]

I don't know. I grew up on an island and it felt like summer every day. I guess it'd be summer though I really like spring, fall and winter too.

[That whole sentence might not be helpful.]

[Ven can't help a good-natured laugh that's at least partly a snicker -- because yeah, that really didn't help at all.]

Okay, well...

[Hmm... oh!]

Mine's in March! [As far as he knows, anyway. It's what he was told, although there will come a time when he realizes that it's most likely not accurate.] I guess that's closer to winter, but if you wanna pick one around there, we could have 'em near each other.

[Yuna laughs softly.]

Okay but then we’d have to celebrate together.

[It’d be nice to share something like that, since there are only so many days in a year it’s a safe guess that someone has a birthday every day. Thinking about it that way is a little strange and it makes Yuna shake her head to push the thought away.]

What day? Maybe before yours?

[Though he would technically still be older.]

[Ven grins, because he definitely has no objection to that.]

Mine's the thirteenth, so... right before that, maybe?

[Yuna thinks about it and then nods.]

How about the twelfth? Or… is that too close?

[She looks over at Ven with a smile. It was strange to lay here and just talk. It wasn’t something that Yuna did often and she really enjoyed it. It reminded her of home a little but not in a sad way. She’s glad to feel that feeling once more.]

[He shakes his head.]

Nope, the twelfth is perfect! We'll definitely remember each other's birthdays that way. And we'll do something big to celebrate. [There's no "if" in there -- no question about whether they'll still be in this world by then. Even if they aren't... well, he won't be separated from his friends so easily, he's decided.

Meanwhile, the bundle of towel that is Rae has gone still; she's finally warmed up enough to drift off to sleep.]

You'll have to plan it then. I've never had a birthday, I don't really know what you do.

[She got Fai a cake this year, except she didn't get him a present and the whole exchange was a little awkward; in short birthday's weren't really her thing. With a heavy sigh she looks back up at the ceiling. She's feeling better, light but as quickly as the warmth and happiness fills her it's replaced by uncertainty.]

Hey, Ven... how much have I told you about my home?

[She doesn't remember.]

Heh, okay! It's a deal.

[They never did anything extravagant for birthdays back home -- a small gift, bigger-than-usual meals, and the privilege of doing no chores for the day -- but it's all Ven knows and that's plenty enough of a celebration in his mind. Still, given what he's seen of parties here thus far, they could probably do a little more, especially for a double-birthday... he'll look into that later.

He glances at her curiously.]

Oh, uh... not a whole lot. You said it was a small, and mostly water. And that they have Blitzball there.

[Yuna nods and then settles a little bit more into bed. She's decided to just talk until she falls asleep.]

That's right. There was also a lot of conflict there and born from that conflict was a monster known as Sin. He could never been killed for good but you could kill him and he'd stay dead for a few years before he was reborn. His only mission was to kill...

[She's talking in past tense so that's a good sign.]

It was the job of the summoners to fight Sin, those born with the magic to gain the blessings of the Aeons. Sort of like here, except that the Aeon's where the souls of regular people, who gave up their life and their death to help in the battle against Sin. The summoners would call the final summoning and then be killed by Sin. Sin would rise again and the cycle would repeat.

It did this for 1000 years.

[He didn't think she was going to go into detail, let alone that much, so at first Ven only blinks at her in mild surprise, and then curious interest. Partway through, he rolls onto his side to face her -- a simple reflex, because she has all his attention -- and by the end he's frowning, the expression perturbed and sympathetic.]

A thousand years? But... if it came back that often, then...

[They would have lost a lot of summoners. More than he wants to try and count.]

[Yuna shakes her head.]

He did come back but.. well... it'd sometimes be centuries before another summoner was able to defeat him. If history surveys me there are twelve high summoners, not including myself.

[She pauses.]

I guess I should tell you the end of the story... well.. that story.

[Yuna takes a deep breath.]

I was very young when my talents as a summoner showed. I became an apprentice and at sixteen I was a full fledged summoner. I started my pilgrimage to give up my life and defeat Sin. I didnt really go as planned...

[Since she's alive.]

[Ven keeps listening without comment, although again his surprise shows here and there. So she's a summoner...

He doesn't want to push when she stops, since it sounds very personal -- but he's not sure why she's telling him all this, other than the guess that she must want to talk about it. So after a moment, he leans up just enough to prop his temple against his fist.]

Why? What happened?

[Yuna looks over at him before inhaling a deep breath. The tent is warm now and she can no longer taste the chill of the air or the bite just outside the thin walls.]

It was a lie.

[She doesn’t know why she’s telling him this either but it feels right.]

Yevon… they told us that if we repent for our sins we would be forgiven. That Sin would finally disappear. While traveling I learned that Yevon didn’t even practice its own rules and when I stood against them they fought back. They… [Her voice trails off thinking back on her wedding.] So many awful things happened but I chose to go on. I was never a summoner because Yevon told me so. I did it because I felt that it was right. Like my father before me, I’d give me life for the people of Spira.

When we arrived… we learned the full truth. I had to sacrifice one of my friends in order to achieve the final summoning. Lady Yunalesca would turn them into a faith and when I summon them they will have the power to defeat Sin. Then I would be killed….

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do that to my friends. I was ready to give my life but they shouldn’t have to give yours…. So many of them volunteered but it didn’t seem like the way. [She pauses again, her fingers slowly fiddling with the blanket that’s wrapped around them both.] I ended the final summoning and sent Lady Yunalesca to the farplain… only, we still had to defeat Sin.

So we fought, with my friends beside me, I was able to win but even that wasn’t so simple. The true monster was once a summoner named Yu Yevon. He attached himself to the Aeons and controlled them. I had to kill every Aeon… all of my friends in order to defeat Yu Yevon for good.

[That's... a lot to take in. Not just the length and detail of it, but... the emotional weight, too. Especially her admission at the end.]

So you-- [Ven stops himself, abruptly.] So...

[It hurts just to ask; he can't imagine how it must feel to tell it from experience, or, worse, to have gone through it.]

All of them? They really had to...?

[He doesn't ask if there was any other way -- he's positive she would have found one, if there were.]

[Yuna closes her eyes feeling tears gather. She hasn't forgotten the feeling that day. She knows that it's what they wanted but it still hurt knowing that she had to fight her friends. They had traveled together and fought together and the best she could do is to let them rest.]

Yes.

[Her voice almost cracks but she manages to keep it composed.]

It the end we won but... I lost so much.

[The story doesn't end there but Yuna isn't sure how much more she can say in one night. It's the most she's said in a long time.]

[It seems like a lot of victories are bitter, Ven's coming to realize. It seems like some price always has to be paid -- some bigger than others, but it's always a sacrifice. He learned that firsthand, and he hasn't seen much to contradict that thought since then.

At the pause, he reaches over with his free hand to cover one of hers, his expression concerned and sincere. He doesn't know if there's more to tell, but either way, his voice is quiet and gentle.]

It's okay. You don't have to talk anymore.

[Yuna keeps her eyes closed but there is a light smile that pulls just at the corner of her lips. It's nice of Ven to comfort her, this is one of those things that's hard to talk about no matter how much time passes.]

Thank you, Ven.

[She opens her eyes then and feels the tears retreat.]

I was 16 then. It's been... 5 years since? Things seem to have only become more complicated.

[All because she lived.]

[He gives her a half-smile at the gratitude, and then bobs his head slightly in sympathy.]

"Complicated" is about right. For a lot of things. [That's life, he's coming to discover.] But you're alive now. That's what matters, isn't it?

I shouldn't be alive Ven...

[She states it like a fact though her tone whines slightly at the end as if he might understand what she meant when she said that. If she had died then Tidus and the others would still be alive. The summoners were suppose to die and yet, Yuna was the high summoner who didn't. Seeing her other self here only brought up those wounds again.

How can you live if your life came at the cost of someone else's?

Yuna sighs softly and then rolls over. Ven is shorter than her but her frame is smaller than his so he'd easily be able to peek over her shoulder and see the sad expression that's covered her face.]

[His smile fades, and when she turns away from him he doesn't try to keep his hold on her hand. Withholding a sigh of his own, he stares at her back for a few long seconds.

Given the way he was raised, Ven has no issue with this kind of casual intimacy -- of sharing close spaces, even sleeping spaces, or affectionate gestures. He slept beside Terra and Aqua plenty of times, has done so with some of his housemates here more than once when he was upset; in his mind, there aren't any social restrictions on that kind of thing.

So, after a moment, he figures the best response he can give is to move closer. He touches his forehead lightly to the back of Yuna's head; when he speaks, he can see his breath moving some strands of her dark hair.]

I said before that I was supposed to die that time, you know? But... that wasn't the first time. I almost died a few years before that, too. [It's enough of a fact in his mind now that it no longer hurts to think about it; if he tries to recall too much, it does, but a glancing mention like this is safe.] If I had... that might've stopped some bad things from happening later. I know that now.

[His voice is serious and solemn -- but not upset. He's made his peace with his mistakes, or as much as he can, at least. There will always be things that bother him, missteps he could have prevented so easily, and chances are good he'll make more of them in his life. But each cycle of depression and acceptance has made one thing clear: at the end of the day, he'll still have people who love him. As long as he does everything he can to protect them, as long as he makes a difference in their lives, then his survival thus far hasn't been pointless.]

I'm not sure who or what says we should or shouldn't be alive. I think... that's something we have to decide for ourselves. But it's not just how we feel about it that matters -- it's what we do with the second chances we've been given. It might not seem fair, when we're okay and others aren't, but... that just makes us responsible for them. For carrying on their memories. Sometimes... we're the only ones who can.

[Yuna can feel his breath tickle her neck and the pressure of his forehead as he gently rests it against the back of her head. She doesn't know what to say but before the end of his sentence tears begin to roll from her eyes. Her fingers cover her mouth and try to wipe away the tears but they only continue to grow more fierce while her body shakes with stifled sobs.

She doesn't want to cry. She's suppose to be strong and yet his words dig deep into her heart where a deep wound had been ignored and forgotten.]

I'm sorry.

[Yuna tries to wipe up the tears again. She shouldn't be crying and yet she can't stop the silent flood staining her cheeks.]

[...Well, that wasn't supposed to happen.

As soon as she starts shaking, Ven draws back some and leans up on his elbow, slightly alarmed as he realizes that he's gone and made her cry.]

Yunie?

[ugh fantastic, he didn't mean... for that...]

I'm -- I'm sorry, I didn't...

[Yuna shakes her head slowly as she shifts to turn back towards him. She doesn't want him to see her cry but she isn't sure what else to do. She feels so weak, so lost and she doesn't have a clue as to how to handle that. Realizing that her tears won't stop she lightly presses her forehead against Ven's chest. She has to move down to do it but the whole turning back over to face him was awkward so this was just an addition to that.

And she cries.

She stops holding back and she let's the wound fill with her tears and bit by bit the edges begin to heal.]

Don't be sorry... sometimes... you need to cry... will all your heart.

[Yuna spoke in between her tears, her fingers trying to wipe away the floods of liquid. At least it's raining outside too.]

Chocobo Roundup

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Day One - evening campfire

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