Second Ax [@the.boneless, video]

[ragnarsson]

[Ivar's improving on using the video function. This time, he gets it on the first try. His voice is just a little above a whisper and he's looking off to the side at something just beyond the camera. The background shows he's in the forest beyond the city.]

Does anyone know where I can find a fire-proof bridle?

[The question seems a bit of a non-sequitur until he turns the camera to the side. There's a Ponyta standing not too far off. Ivar's been trying to get it closer all afternoon. It's taken a lot of patience, but now it's only about ten feet away. Its diamond-shaped eyes narrow as it watches the Viking and the Pokemon tosses its head, too suspicious to come any closer.]

Come on. I won't hurt you. Just a little further. Come on.

[For someone who usually keeps everyone at arm's length with a combination of sarcasm and toughness, he sounds far more gentle than usual. It seems to be working, as the Ponyta takes a hesitant step forward, ears pricked forward in anticipation. Ivar's face is a combination of wonder and awe. He's about ten seconds away from completely freaking out. This creature looks like something from an old legend, a horse with a mane and tail of fire. This qualifies as the coolest thing he's seen since he came to the city.]

Comments

[pundemic]

And you're going to ride it?

[Animals on fire would understandably be more distressed about the whole thing, so she's assuming this is just par for the course with the weirdness this place attracts. Fiery ponies. Okay.]

Badass. Can I help?

[ragnarsson]

Ride it? No. I can't.

[That requires actually being able to hold onto the sides of the horse with his knees and his muscles aren't developed enough to allow him to.]

But I was thinking I could get it to pull my chariot. So as long as you don't mind getting potentially burned, I'll need all the help I can get.

[pundemic]

[Well, sure, that's just as good. Having a chariot sounds pretty cool too.]

A friend of mine's a wizard, maybe he has a spell or something to make us fireproof! I'll ask him. Where are you now?

[ragnarsson]

I know some wizards too. There seem to be an abundance here.

[Good thing for him, otherwise, how else would he get a fire-proof bridle made?]

About a mile inside the forest outside the west fence.

[pundemic]

[In the interim, she has definitely contacted Taako and is on her way to meet up with him, so those directions are a welcome thing.]

No prob! I'll see you soon. Uh... look for the short chick with brown hair and a pink hoodie, I guess.

[Since he doesn't know what she looks like and all, oop.]



[ooc; did we want to try a 3way thread, you think, or handwave? c:]

[ragnarsson]

I'll be waiting. [Then he pauses.] What is a chick? [She's doing that modern slang thing again, he can just tell. To Ivar, a chick is a baby chicken.]

[OOC: Threeway thread is a yes!]

[pundemic]

Oh, um. [oops.] Me. I'm a chick. It just means girl where I'm from.



[ooc; excellent. i think taako's player is asleep atm but soon!!]

[ragnarsson]

Ah. Like the bird. [Wouldn't the proper term be hen then? He's too literal-minded for learning word usage from the twentieth century.] See you soon, chicken.

[OOC: Very good! I'll make this my last reply till then.]

[pundemic]

No, it's not-- I didn't mean like, actually call us chickens. It's just a saying!

[jdtshj; her life though. She just groans, having brought this 100 percent upon herself, and just. Lets it go for now. Time to grab Taako and go see about a flaming horse!

They'll show up together in a rather short time. Ellie of course is the aforementioned short brunette, Taako is the willowy, dark-skinned, fair-haired dude with the ears who is so darn pretty it's like looking at the sun. Ellie gives Ivar a cheery wave when she sees him, though.]

Hey.

works for me!

[spellslots]

Hail and well met, my dude.

[Mr. Willowy and Pretty drops his bag on the ground and leans against the umbrella he has in his hands, giving Ivar a once over but making the executive decision not to comment on the chair. Sometimes he has tact.]

[ragnarsson]

[While Ivar waits for the pair of them to show up, he eventually gets the Ponyta to come right up to him. Though it is a nervous and skittish creature by the nature of being a foal that hasn't been away from its mother for too long, it seems to rather like him, for he's petting it on the nose when Ellie and Taako arrive. The creature looks over at the pair of them with a flick of the ears, seemingly trying to decide if they're friend or foe.]

Ah. The chicken and the wizard. Nobody make any sudden movements.

[He will get very pissed off if he loses the Ponyta after this much work. He works on keeping it calm, speaking to it in a low, soft tone that he never bothers using with people.]

[pundemic]

[She huffs out a (quiet) exasperated breath. Despite said exasperation, she manages to keep her voice soft and even-keeled, close kin to that universal tone that all humans seem to have on reserve for baby animals for the sake of the (totally awesome) fire horse that he's managed to get close to.]

Chick, not chicken. It doesn't mean the same thing. It's slang, don't you have that in Ye Olde Viking times?

[spellslots]

[While they're chatting about the existence of the word "chick" as slang, Taako crouches down to dig the bag of oats out of his bag. He's trying to decide whether it would be a better option to walk the bag over, or to use mage hand to send it towards Ivar.]

We brought food, thought that might help.

[ragnarsson]

It's not my fault language got stranger in two thousand years, calling people bird names. [When put like that, it does sound a little bit absurd.

He turns towards Taako, eyeing the bag of oats. Brilliant. That's just what he needed to seal the friendship he's been working on with the Ponyta. Its nostrils snuffle at the scent of the oats. It's clearly interested in them, though it sticks closer to Ivar since he's a known element.]

Can you bring those over here slowly?

[pundemic]

[Ellie takes the oats from Taako unbidden. He's got that crazy hat, after all, and horses get freaked out by the weirdest things. She learned plenty from Winston about how to approach a skittish animal - you walk towards it diagonally, with your head down, not making eye contact. As if you're just sort of meandering and not towards it specifically. It's obviously okay with Ivar so she keeps him between them, pauses every time its ears flick towards her and finally foists the oats off on him before she retreats.]

Guess we'll find out if it even eats oats.

[spellslots]

[Taako has no animal handling proficiency, so he's more than happy for Ellie to take the oats and walk them over to Ivar.

He's keeping a careful eye on things, and the ponyta is definitely going to get banished if it makes any kind of threatening move towards Ellie, but for now he's happy to watch.]

[ragnarsson]

[The Ponyta flicks his ears towards Ellie in an interested manner, though he shifts a little on his forelegs until she retreats again. Taako he ignores entirely in favor of investigating the food Ivar is holding. Ivar holds out a handful of oats. The horse seems to debate whether or not it will eat from his hand before dipping his long neck gracefully and nibbling at the oats with his lips.

Ivar glances back towards the other two with an excited grin. He's feeding a fire horse. This is officially one of his top ten coolest experiences ever. He sets the bag of oats on the ground so the Ponyta can nose through them at his leisure.]

Do either of you have a rope?

[He looks to Taako.]

If you have any fireproof spells, now would be the time to use them.

[pundemic]

[Ellie may not be a wizard or a teenage viking but she is a grade a paranoid zombie survivor. She definitely has rope, and she slides her backpack off her shoulders very slowly so she can get access to it.

But the rope itself probably needs to be fireproofed, so she hands it to Taako absently, still watching the whole procedure with fascination.

Top ten coolest moments for Ivar? Probably also top ten for her, and she's not even the one over there petting it. This is like something out of a storybook, and she looks pleased as punch just to be there.]

Where the hell are you gonna keep it after?

[spellslots]

[Not to burst the bubble, but...]

You said someone, not something, I can't do shit with rope.

[Abjuration, which is the school he was drawing from for this, is about protecting people from damage in the heat of a fight, not about protecting ropes from being burnt by fire horses.]

Best I can do is turn it to steel cable, but I doubt the horse will fucking enjoy that.

[ragnarsson]

The stables.

[A city this size was sure to have some.

He side eyes Taako when he says he can't do anything with the rope.]

Well, you're useless.

[Don't take it personally, Taako, he's this rude to everyone. Ivar looks back at the horse. Already, he's thinking of a new way to get the Ponyta back to the city. The professor had said that​ Pokemon could understand everything that was being said. Maybe he could convince it? He starts talking to the Ponyta, who looks up from eating to watch him with preternatural intelligence gleaming in its dark eyes.]

What do you think, huh? Want to come back with me? It's better than staying out here all alone.

[pundemic]

[Wow be nice!!]

He isn't useless, it's not exactly his fault none of us have ever seen a fiery horse before.

[She says it with mild exasperation rather than outright anger or annoyance. Ivar's rough around the edges, she already knew that. She shrugs at Taako apologetically. The guy can take care of himself, but Ellie's kind of a protective person at the worst of times.]

I mean... he seems pretty tame. Maybe he'd just follow you given half a chance. And Taako can fireproof us so we can pet him.

[spellslots]

[No offense taken, honestly. He waves off Ellie's apologetic shrug, not needing anyone to come to his defense. His spells aren't tailored towards this sort of endeavor; he's a lot less useful in other areas.]

You know horses are kinda outdated, right? Not sure if this place is gonna have stables.

[Aside from Garyl, this is the first mount he's seen.]

[ragnarsson]

Then I guess I'll just have to keep it on the floor and hope it doesn't burn the whole building down.

[He snaps the words out with just a bit of irritation. If this place didn't have stables, he was going to have a hell of a time keeping his new friend from running rampant. Ivar turns his wheelchair and moves forward a few feet. He turns his head and watches as the Ponyta follows. A few more feet and it follows again. Alright. Looks like this is going to work out just fine.]

[pundemic]

Or we can just build a stable. Little hard work never killed anybody, right?

[Ha, ha...

But sure, she sort of falls into step a short distance away from Ivar and busies herself with not looking at the horse, not wanting to make it nervous with either scrutiny or being behind it. She gestures for Taako to follow her.]

We'd just need the materials.

[spellslots]

[If Ellie is looking at Taako, the expression he's wearing makes his feelings on hard work quite clear; he signed up for magic shit, not vikings with attitude problems and building stables.

But he still keeps by Ellie's side.]

Remind me to put my shit in storage before then.