Shenanigans

[alittleblackmagic]

[Palom has volunteered to round up zoo animals!  .......This can only end in laughter and happiness and joy.]

[action, apartments]
[There is a knock on your door!  If you open it up, you will be met by a bright-eyed cheerful child.]

Hi!  I chased a skunk onto this floor, so you might want to not be here in a few minutes.  ...Or probably now.  Maybe you should just jump out the window.  ...Anyway, see you at dinner!

[action, city streets]
[That there is an ostrich making hideous screeching noises as it tears down the streets.  Luckily, it is obeying traffic laws and staying on the sidewalk.  What is the cause for this great alarm and uproar?  ...Probably the boy sitting on its back clinging desperately to its neck.]

I-I-I th-th-thought the g-gaaaaame w-was s'posed to b-be o-over w-when I c-c-caught yooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...........!!!!

[action, park]
[And of course, there is a juvenile elephant in the park calmly eating leaves off a tree.  Everything is better with elephants.  Just when you think maybe you should call animal control or the police or something, the intrepid great mage Palom will leap out of a patch of bushes, staff brandished.]

It's a behemoth!  Don't worry; I've got this under control!  FLAREAGA!

[action, for any animal or animal-esque characters and also Relm]
[You are minding your own business probably sipping tea or meditating or something terribly innocuous when a net bashes you in the head.]

Gotcha!  Don't struggle; you don't stand a chance against the great zookeeper Palom! 

...

Gosh, you look a lot different than the picture they gave me.  They should get better artists.

Comments

Action; Park

[the_ko_stands_for_tiger]

*And they say HE causes collateral damage!*

Oi! Don't do that! You might --

[alittleblackmagic]

[Too late! Palom has cast his spell! The skies darken as the mighty mage raises his staff high and -- ]

It would be so cool if Flaraga were a real spell. I should invent it someday.

[Nothing happens. The elephant continues to chew calmly as Palom bounds forward with his tiny net.]

[the_ko_stands_for_tiger]

*And so it was that Kotetsu performed a textbook example of a facevault.*

Look, do you want some help with that?

[alittleblackmagic]

No, it's OK! I just have to lead it back towards the zoo!

[the_ko_stands_for_tiger]

What, with that little net? Tell me you at least got some peanuts or something!

park!

[overwinters]

[ yes, this isn't quite anything Ilya expected to see out on a walk.. so she's just staring, pretty much. She doesn't seem afraid of the elephant in the slightest, even if she's curiously staring at it, and even when Palom jumps out she's still completely calm. ]

... What are you doing?

[alittleblackmagic]

Capturing it!

You should probably stand back; inexperienced mages will only get themselves hurt.

[overwinters]

[ oh, this again-- she puffs her cheeks. ]

I'm much more experienced than you, listen to me for once..! I've gotten a real memory back in which I was explaining something about magic to someone else, so I know a whole lot about it!

.. Besides, do you really need magic to capture it? It doesn't look like it'll hurt anyone..

[alittleblackmagic]

I don't need magic to do anything. But everything's a lot better with it!

Don't worry; it won't be hurt! Much.

[Apartment]

[trustycrowbar]

[Gordon's eyes widen and he speaks with the slow, even gravitas of transcendent panic.]

You chased a WHAT, up here?

[alittleblackmagic]

Skunk!

Those are the black and white striped animals, right? We don't have them back home.

[trustycrowbar]

[Yeah, that's what he thought the kid said. Now if you'll excuse him, Mr. heroic action scientist is going to freak out a little now.]

A SKUNK!? Are you outta your mind, Palom? Do you have any idea what those things do when they're cornered??

[He hastily extracts himself into the hallway next to Palom, ready to backpedal towards the stairs.]

[alittleblackmagic]

Um... They spray smelly stuff, right? It shouldn't be any worse than a Malboro.

[nomen_est_numen]

[Shen had been minding his own business on the roof of the Ermis when the net broadsided him and got tangled in his feathers.]

Whj-UNHAND ME! What are you babbling about?!

[alittleblackmagic]

It talks? ...You must be a really special exhibit! I bet they'll give me twice as much anemoi for catching you!

[nomen_est_numen]

I AM NOT AN EXHIBIT, I LIVE HERE!

[He struggles to free himself from the net, then gives up and pulls a knife to cut himself free.]

[alittleblackmagic]

Sheesh, it's only been a few days since you escaped. You shouldn't have gotten used to it.

[Palom tries to poke the knife out of Shen's hand with his staff. ...Wing.]

[city streets]

[snippysnipe]

[A hundred yards or so down the street, the figure of an intrepid archer appears.

He draws his bow, notches an arrow, and takes aim. How poorly could this end?]

[alittleblackmagic]

[This is an amazing idea what are you talking about. Palom and the ostrich continue to squawk and stampede down the walkway.]

I-I'll give you ice cream if you let me off!

[snippysnipe]

If you can't offer me something better than that, I'm just going to shoot the bird.

[alittleblackmagic]

Huh?

[Palom had been talking to the bird. At Shinon's voice, he peeks around the neck and gasps a little.]

W-Wait! You can't shoot it! I've gotta get it back to the zoo!!

[animals and relm]

[stinglikeabat]

[Joachim flaps against the net huffily.]

The problem isn't with the artists, kid! What's the big idea?

[alittleblackmagic]

[Palom squints a little.]

...Oh. It's just you again.

[pause]

Hey! Do you think the zoo needs extra exhibits?

[stinglikeabat]

[...]

[FLAP FLAP FLAP]

Don't even think about it!

I'm a free spirit! A man like me could never be happy in a gilded cage!

[alittleblackmagic]

What about a bat like you? Bats like living in cages, right?