Take Your Tradition and Shove It

[mikangirl]

Who: Nami and you
Broadcast: Yep
Action: Bloodsport / Space Bar, Iskaulit
When: Now-ish

[Nami sleeps in an hour past the start of her shift at the Space Bar because the Atroma have always had such excellent timing.  When she finally blinks awake, all icy sweat and teary-eyed, she spends a good few minutes slowly convincing herself it was just a bad dream, not actual, y'know, memories, which is a pretense that lasts all the way until she sits up and catches sight of herself in the mirror.

Welp.

There's no definites, on either side.  That's something to think about.  She checks the time and date on her comm, realises she's only lost an extra half day, and pings the bar staff on duty to let them know she's running late.  She can have her depressing existential crisis later.  Runs through the shower and skids out into the cargo bay with her hair still damp and her backpack over her shoulder and--

And--????

There's a giant thing staggering around in here with yellow feathers sticking out awkwardly from the most godawful wrapping paper she's ever seen--]

[Indignant Video]

Hey!  [This here's a redhead with a lot more hair this morning, looking pissed.]  Who the hell left the giant bird in our cargo bay?  You can't just wrap a living creature in that much--

KWAAA!?

[She breaks off, startled, to glance over her shoulder at the crackling sound and sudden rumbling of something heading this way.  It's a wildebeest herd  And then has just enough time for a shriek before the comm goes flying , which means maybe all you get after that is a blur of yellow feathers and pink flamingo wrapping paper that's on fire (who giftwrapped the electric bird seriously) and a whole lot of joyful bird sounds who just ran over his favourite navigator sort of accidentally, but that's Biri for you.  JFC, bird.

Muffled and in the distance, after a few moments--]

...never mind.  I'm gonna be later.

[She recognises him now the wrapping paper has kind of burnt to ash, that's for sure.  Ow.]

-------

[She will eventually get to the Space Bar with all due apologies, so you can catch up with her there.  Or order a drink.  She's in a better mood than when she woke up, at least.  Giant idiot birds will do that to you.  Even if they singe your hair a little at the same time.]

Comments

ac....tion

[axi]

[Kaname's walking down the main hall when she hears a weird sound followed by a shriek. She drops any plans and quickly heads down to the cargo bay to check it out.]

Nami? Are you okay?

[The doors open just in time for her to see her captain getting body slammed by a giant chicken and something on fire not too far away.

She makes her way to the scene, avoiding the bird and captain, to start stamping out the flaming paper.]

Tell me if you need help.

[mikangirl]

Help throwing this stupid bird out the airlock, maybe. [It's muttered and grudging and not at all sincere, and a little muffled as Nami's still buried by bird. But a good violent shove sends him flopping off and she sits up, rubbing her head. Sheesh. This feels familiar.]

I'm okay. Uh...I know this bird. I guess he knew me even with the paper on his head. I don't know why he's here, though.

[...is one of her hair locks on fire it's totally singed wow Biri. He gives her a joyful look and practically tries to fall on her and she shoves him with a foot this time, sending him sliding. Weird.]

...smaller, too.

[axi]

[The burning paper is put out quickly, so Kaname turns to pay attention to the bird and captain, watching the ensuing antics. A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth.]

Well, people have been receiving things from their home recently...

[She can't help but give them both an amused sympathetic look.]

That's a definite possibility if nothing else.

action

[moseyin]

[chocobo

Honestly it's probably not, like the legs were all wrong and that tail was huge and the cry wasn't quite right, also the fire, but it's close and it has been SO DAMN LONG, Cloud misses these stupid birds so much that he's more than willing to investigate and see if it's even something close. He goes on the prowl.

...he doesn't have to prowl far. The cargo bay still smells like burnt paper and there's a bird plucking brunt shreds from its plumage when Cloud freezes in the door, staring right at it. IT'S NOT A CHOCOBO. BUT IT'S CUTE. He's so transfixed that you can bet he probably hasn't noticed any other people in the room as he carefully creeps closer, making little 'kweh' noises and holding out a hand.]

action

[mikangirl]

[Nami could choose to be irritated. He comes here after she's been run over and what does he do? She's like mad at him for a full two seconds, but. Well. This face and those kweh sounds and suddenly she's far more invested in being amused. Fluffy duck butt head is a bird lover. Who knew.

Biri stops digging into his plumage when he hears the sound and turns his big dumb face to stare at Cloud, head cocked. Then kind of copies him. It's all wrong, but hey, we're totally having a conversation. Nami'll give them a minute of getting to know each other. She wonders if she should warn him that if Biri really likes him, Cloud can include being mowed over on a daily basis as part of his life.

Nah.]

He was a science experiment. Duck and peacock hybrid, I think. [Way too big to be either. She wonders vaguely if ducks and peacocks exist in Cloud's world.] You got birds like this?

action

[moseyin]

[Oh man there's NOTHING going on upstairs, is there little buddy. Cloud loves him instantly.

Nami talking all of a sudden makes him jump, but by now Cloud's gotten close enough to ruffle his feathers up and he's very preoccupied with that.] Geez. [A science experiment, huh? Cloud's feather-ruffling gets a little more contemplative.] Not exactly like him, but yeah. Use 'em for transportation, racing, stuff like that.

Video;

[alwayscomeback]

That....that sure is a giant electric chicken.

Did you do something with your hair? Did you get it cut?

[If she hits him, it is absolutely deserved. ]

1/2

[mikangirl]

[Absolutely. She's just. Staring at you, Sokka. This face.]

[mikangirl]

Something like that. Clearly my hair took offence and grew twice as long in the night out of spite.

[alwayscomeback]

[He just continues to grin at her. YUP.]

That's what you get for offending your poor hair- what did it even do to you?

[Video]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash was here to say he got her message about running late, but then there was chicken. He watches it all unfold and as it seems that Nami isn't in mortal peril after all the screaming he calmly adds.]

Nice hair.

[Because that is clearly the most noticeable and important thing to take from this.]

[Video]

[mikangirl]

[This sort of response from Vash? She's shocked.]

Thanks. [More snappish than strictly necessary, but it's not really aimed at Vash. She's pushing a giant bird off, it's a fun job.]

I grew it myself. [And then sweetly:] How's our chicken supplies at the bar?

[Video]

[goldenglasses]

It could be better, we're shockingly low.

video

[tempredmental]

Uh... you okay?

video

[mikangirl]

I've had better wake up calls--

[Never mind she'd been awake for an hour at this point, it's the principal of the thing, god. Also she's only on screen for a hot second before this big yellow face shoves its way into the video feed:



SUP SMALL TALKING PICTURE]

--Biri, get off!

Re: video

[tempredmental]

[Keith yelped and almost dropped his communicator.]

What is that?!

action;

[noprophecies]

[. . . well, it isn't as though she doesn't spend most of her time in the bar anyway, drinking her life away. Here she comes]

Did you survive your bird attack?

[it's . . . it's asked seriously]

action;

[mikangirl]

[Snrk. Nami grins, wiping down the countertop.]

This time. Not to worry; I'm sure he'll try again real soon. [Not that it's a common occurrence or anything. Dumb excitable bird.]

[noprophecies]

So that is . . . normal?

[dear god, she would have set it on fire]

action (space bar)

[spacebro]

[Mon-El is wiping down the bar when he hears her walk in.] Welcome. Oh, it's... [Pausing because it is Nami, but there is more of her.]

How fast does hair grow where you're from? [She must be cutting it constantly.]

[mikangirl]

[On another day she'd probably take this shining chance to mess with him. But she's already running late for her shift by far, so she gives him a grin that's halfway apologetic and amused as she stows her backpack behind the bar.]

About the usual amount, I'd think. Special dispensation if you happen to have a few weeks' memories shoved into your head overnight. Sorry I'm so late.

[I was comatose. You know how it goes.]

[spacebro]

Oh, wow. [Not the first time he's been around someone who experienced it. He imagines it would be weird at best.] Are you okay?

[Silly boss apologizing for being late.]

action.

[collegedropout]

[Sam is at least entirely prepared for her when she arrives at the space bar - both with the likelihood that she went home (he sees that long hair, Nami), and also with the whole... electric bird thing. Oh, good, he thinks. Because he also has a new bird. Or, uh. Sort of bird. A much more well-mannered one, albeit a bit hot-tempered when baited. Like Nami.

Gracie the fairy is floating around happily in the bar, content to be reunited with Sam straight out of Adstringendum. He looks up from his work the moment Nami stops in, smiling sympathetically.]

.... You've had a hell of a day, huh?

action.

[mikangirl]

[Hard to pretend you didn't go home when the evidence is right there in front of people. She grins wryly back, shifting to surprise as she notes a familiar flittering guest.]

...I'm gonna assume your gift did not try to set you on fire when she arrived.

action.

[collegedropout]

[Gracie is gonna zip right over to greet Nami, because obviously, out of most of the people in Adstringendum she was by far the most tolerable...!! Hello, hello, welcome to your own bar. Sam just winces at the reminder of Nami's not-so-great method of gaining her present.]

... No, but she did check my teeth, just to make sure I was keeping up.