|11| [Video]

[wing_attack]

[It's a good thing that Tobias lives in a house now, because the sight that greets the network right now is way too big for a tent. A Braviary is perched on the floor, eyes closed. A Noivern leans against him, a Noibat perched on his head. A Charizard flops next to them, tail burning low, and a Talonflame is perched next to him.]

[Five Spritzee huddle in a pile nearby, all asleep. An Empoleon is flopped over on his back next to them, beak clacking as he dreams. An Aerodactyl broods nearby, eyes closed, and a Scizor and Hawlucha rest next to him. And in the middle of it all is Tobias, curled up with a blanket, a pillow, and a Swablu, Emolga, Farfetch'd, and Pidgey all spread out on top of him.]

[And who's holding the camera? Well, if the quiet grumbling laughter wasn't enough, the big brown paw and bearish grin that suddenly appears is enough to identify Rachel the Ursaring as she shuts the video off.]

Comments

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

[Okay, that's adorable.]

The comm devices don't come with child locks, huh.

[Video]

[wing_attack]

[Excuse you, sir, who are you calling a child? When the video flicks on again, she has it on the floor, towering above it. She huffs in response, and that's enough to make some of the smaller Pokemon stir.]

[... Which sets off a chorus of yelps and squawks from the entire pile, and a faint cry of 'ow, get off me, Nacho!' before an actually human hand grabs onto the PokeGear. He's squinting and his hair is all mussed and there's a faint red mark on his cheek, but he's awake, at least.]

Sorry... did she call you by accident?

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

[Hey, okay, plenty of adults and probably adult Pokémon also find themselves stymied by child locks every day. Or locks that could be picked by a child. The right child, anyway.

Okay nah that was pretty rude of York. Sorry, Rachel.]

I think it went out to everybody, dude. Sorry to break up the nap pile, though. I didn't mean to disturb.

[An Elgyem peers over York's shoulder to see whom he's talking to this time.]

York, by the way. I'm kinda new here.

[anexcitableboy]

Hey, I hope those 'gear working thumbs are just as talented at sweeping up any fur and feather piles you all leave on my ritzy floor!

[Jimmy's laughing. He really doesn't mind at all, he's just amused at the pile of Pokemon.]

[Video]

[wing_attack]

It's okay. Rachel should know better than to be playing with the Gear anyway.

[They've had a discussion about this before.]

I'm Tobias. I've been here about a year.

[wing_attack]

[She laughs in response, waking up the pile and there's a roaring and squawking chorus from the background.]

What the - give me that, please.

[Tobias grabs the Gear and blinks slowly.]

Sorry about that...

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

Huh.

[The kid is, what, sixteen, seventeen? Young enough that a year would be a significant fraction of his life.]

That's a pretty long time. The way folks around here've been talking about disappearances, I guess I didn't figure people usually stayed that long. That staying power common?

[anexcitableboy]

Hey, don't worry about it! Your team's just having some fun.

[Video]

[wing_attack]

Sometimes. I've known people who have been here for three, four, five years. It's not super common, but there's enough people around for it to not be super unusual, either.

[wing_attack]

Yeah, I guess. ... It's kind of nice to be sleeping all in a pile.

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

[He whistles long and low.]

Long time.

[York considers the pile of Pokémon Tobias was just sleeping in and shrugs with easy grace.]

Though I guess maybe that's not so bad, yeah?

[Video]

[wing_attack]

Yeah. And I think some of us kind of need a break from our worlds. I know some people who were fighting some pretty bad stuff and... need a vacation.

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

...A year or more is a pretty big vacation.

You wanna go back?

[anexcitableboy]

Looks comfy. Omi's not exactly cuddly.

[Video]

[wing_attack]

... War's over. I don't have a real reason to go back.

[wing_attack]

You can borrow some birds if you want.

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

[There's so much packed in such a short couple sentences, York doesn't even know where to start.

Still, he knows a long fight when he hears it.]

...How old are you?

[His voice is lower, now.]

[Video]

[wing_attack]

[He blinks, and glances at the Pokegear. ... Huh.]

I guess in a few days I'll be... seventeen, I think. ... And yeah, I know that's young to be fighting, but when it's six of you against an entire alien invasion you don't get much choice.

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

Nah. War, it hits everybody, soldiers or not. There isn't really a such thing as 'young to be fighting,' much as we probably wish there was.

Still, just six of you. That had to've been hard.

[Video]

[wing_attack]

Yeah. It took us three years, but we finally won. I don't know how things are going to go there now, but... really, the only thing I'm missing here besides my friends is my wings.

[video/text]

[walkersystem]

_{[Her own Noivern is perched on one of her shoulders as she takes in this honestly super sweet sight, but she thinks better of it just as she's about to comment, since they're all sleeping. So she sends a text instead, but leaves the video link up for whenever Tobias feels like waking up.]}

i think your birds REALLY like you!!

[Video]

[wing_attack]

[It takes a little bit, especially once they all wake up. Waking up a sleeping wingpile is a dangerous business, after all. Tobias' hair is mussed as he responds.]

Hey. Uh... sorry about that. I guess Rachel thought it was funny... uh. ... I guess they do.

[Video]

[walkersystem]

That's okay. Sometimes you need a nap. Everybody at once.

_{[She's grinning in that cheeky way of hers, making it obvious she's just fondly teasing.]}

[Video]

[wing_attack]

Well, it' warm and comfy inside... so it makes sense, right?

[Video]

[walkersystem]

Mhm. It's getting really cold out. I try not to sleep when it's day though. It's so weird.