[Open] Shifting Your Perceptions

[skyward_eyes]

Who; Nida, Ignis, Mono, Open
What; Family is something Nida wishes he had, and maybe it's in reach. Also a chocobo chase
Where; Markets, Library Rooftop
When; Early April
Warnings;

I. Chocobo on the Loose | OTA
It's actually impressive, just how much a chocobo could grow in a year. Back when he'd first acquired her Hibiscus had been small enough to tuck under one of Nida's arms. These days the crimson feathered bird walked at Nida's side, her head up to his shoulder, happy on her training lead and with a small, weighted saddle on her back and full backs at her sides to help train her to the feel of weight on her. Soon enough she'd be more than large enough to start their riding training together, and Nida wasn't excited about that.

But with her increased age was coming to be a reasonable young bird.

Or so Nida thought. Being a guard, on duty, in uniform, sometimes wasn't the best thing. It meant that some children liked to play their little pranks. Which int his case meant running past Nida and cutting his lead line. Hibiscus, bothered by the sudden motion, jerked aside. And then realized that she was further away from Nida than she should be. Which meant freedom. For a moment her little bird brain considered. And then, seeing nearby melon, she strode confidently away.

"Hibiscus?" Nida said, shocked to see her walking away. He lunged for her cut lead without thinking, and she, seeing this as play, darted away with a warble.

"No, wait, come back!"


II. Afternoon Shopping | Closed to Ignis
Their schedules were such complicated things that often Nida and Ignis left their free time that would be shared together for, well, things far more interesting than basic errands. But things had been busy lately and there was a lot of things that needed buying, and Nida had just come off shift, so... Well, when he saw his husband moving among the vegetable stalls, he of course made his way over.

"Hello my gorgeous love. How are-"

Nida pauses in his way to kissing his husband's cheek when he saw what was in Ignis's hand. Spinach. That earned a cringe.

"You doing spinach stuffed in something for dinner? Promise the 'something' is potent. I prefer not to taste my cooked spinach."

Yeah, sometimes Nida was a picky eater too.


III. Heights Give Perspective | Closed to Mono
The talk with Ignis had taken a while, but in the end they had come to the same conclusion. Of the two of them, Nida would be the one to extend the initial offer. And what better time than tonight, while the two of them were celebrating the success of the young man. For tonight Mono had climbed all the way to the roof of the Library, at good speed, with no rope. Then he'd gone back down. And come back up again. While he was approaching the top the second time Nida had laid out the snacks he'd asked Ignis to prepare for the night. He'd had confidence that all of this result to the evening.

IT was something needing celebrating. So Nida pulled the small 'bento boxes' as Ignis had called them, from the bag at his side. A light evening meal, as a gift from his husband, to broach the subject.

"I'm quite proud of you, Mono. And this? Our celebration meal."

Comments

III. Heights Give Perspective

[monochromatically]

Mono was really quite excited about his accomplishment, more excited still to have gotten to the point where Nida thought he was ready to climb without the rope security. That meant he was improving!

The kid certainly didn’t expect that there was more to the evening than the lesson. He hadn’t even expected the celebration meal! The boy tilted his head at the ‘bento boxes’ that Nida was pulling out and uncovering for them. They kind of looked familiar, honestly, like things he had seen in advertisements and on shelves of the long abandoned stores in the Pale City.

There was a happy, healthy glow to the kid’s cheeks as he sat down. Both from the warm sense of accomplishment the praise gave him, and from the healthier diet he’d been eating thanks to Ignis and the good food in this world. “Well, you’re a really good teacher! I didn’t think I’d ever get better at climbing back down the building.” He smiled. “What kinda food is this? Did Mr. Ignis make it?”

[skyward_eyes]

"Yes, he did. He knew we were having a bit of a test today, and that I was certain you would pass. So he made us some celebration food," Nida answered with a smile. "You like his food, right?"

[monochromatically]

That sure was nice of him… But Ignis was really nice, after all. Especially with helping him make sure he had enough food and stuff. It was easy for the kid to buy bread and snacks from the market… But he was still a child, and he wasn’t particularly good at remembering to cover all the food groups or getting full meals in since he didn’t know how to cook. “How’d you know I was gonna pass? I might not have!” He responded with a surprised expression. That was the thing about tests! You never knew if you were going to pass or not…

Though, to be fair, the kid was stubborn enough (and afraid of failing) to have not given up until he did make it.

The question gets a very fast, very excited nod. “Yeah! He makes the best food, it’s always really fresh and tasty. I like what he does with all the green stuff.” He added with a serious nod. No, he wasn’t exactly sure what to call everything, but the kid sure knew how to eat it. Sometimes he might be a little uncertain of what something was if it looked strange, but since he got here? Ignis hadn’t steered him wrong when it came to trying food. Plus, getting good, unspoiled meals was kind of amazing.

[skyward_eyes]

"I have faith in you. I know how hard you've been working at this, I've seen how you've been learning. I'm your master. Have faith that I know what I'm doing," Nida answered with a shrug as he took out a bit of pickled radish and rice.

"We talked about you earlier today, you. Ignis and I."

[monochromatically]

“About me?” Mono asked curiously, digging into the food while he listened. It was pretty hard for him to not start gobbling things up between the appetite he’d built up after wearing himself out with the climbing test and the fact that he was a growing kid.

People talking about him, though, was… a little odd sounding, and part of him wondered if there was anything to worry about. “Like about the climbing lessons or about something else?” He continued a moment later, glancing up at Nida under the brim of his newsboy hat he’d pulled on after he finished climbing.

[skyward_eyes]

"Yes about you. About more than climbing. We care about you, Mono. Maybe we show it in different ways, but we do. It's not always weird when adults do that."

He lets his feet kick over the edge of the building, which he sat far closer to than Mono did because he was just that confident.

"And when we were talking, something sorta... came up."

[monochromatically]

Mono actually thought it was weird, though there were different kinds of weird… People caring for him felt very weird, but it was a nice kind of weird compared to being chased around and disliked by what was left of people in his world. So he relaxed a little as he took another bite of the food, glancing at Nida again. “I think you guys are both kinda great, too.” He responded with a smile that was less unpractised than it used to be, but still uncertain.

But the guy was talking like he noticed some adults did when they were trying to figure out how to say something they weren’t sure how to say or how to approach a subject. Which, again, always counted as weird to the boy. Since he didn’t know what had come up, the boy wasn’t sure if he was supposed to interject or not. All he could do was look up from the food again, eyes curious. “What kinda something?”

[skyward_eyes]

"What would you think about getting to eat Ignis's food more often?"

There, it's a way to start the things. But no, that's not quite right. Damn, he was unfair to the kid there.

"Mono, we both care about you, and like you around. We'd like to invite you to see our home as a home for you as well. Another bed, another space, just a chance."

[monochromatically]

“More often than already? That’d be kinda great, but you guys live farther away now and I don’t wanna bug him for more when he’s go work and stuff.” Mono responded, still kind of confused about where this was going. Sure, more of Ignis’ cooking would be great, but the kid didn’t like imposing too much.

Then Nida continued, and Mono seemed to freeze up. That made even less sense than the offer of eating Ignis’ cooking more often. He understood they cared, of course, at least to an extent. Definitely more than he was used to from people in his world… But enough that they wanted him to live with them? At their home? That it could be his home, too?

Mono had come a long way from the days when he’d arrived. He didn’t hide his face nearly as much, and he had warmed up to people quite a bit… As much as he appreciated the quiet and the safety, the apartment even got a bit lonely sometimes. Unless, of course, Illyana’s imps were visiting him for treats. But what if things changed? What he moved into Ignis and Nida’s house and they decided they’d made a mistake, or one of them finally saw what everyone in his world seemed to? “Are you guys sure…? What if you don’t like me around more than I already am, or if I break something in your nice house?”

II

[faithfulsupport]

Food needed to be purchased and Ignis had a list of course before he went out. He had to be prepared and that was precisely what he was when he made his way over to the market. He'd done a half day at the Lodge and was busy with lists for ingredients for that place and home.

Home was still a work in progress and Ignis was trying to plant more herbs along with some flowers, and keep things balanced in general. Plus he still wanted make a sort of quiet 'Zen' garden spot. This had him planning a water feature for it which in his mind was shaping up to be a small moving waterfall. He was going to have to hit Jacob up for a wooden garden swing as well, which would be placed somewhere they could enjoy the garden at night which of course was going to require a nice open space for the swing and a table for snacks. Lighting would have to be a thing too, but it would be something nice and gentle like they had for their wedding.

A tree or two was a must as well and the hunters at the Lodge were working on that.

So as Ignis procured a few things he heard his husband come in and gave him that nice kiss on the cheek. But then the other's face changed from delighted to almost sulking. And the advisor smiled as he looked down at the 'offensive' spinach.

"It's about time that I restock on food for Mono as well as us darling. I do have our grocery list in my notes here as well to make sure we have enough at home." He then had to laugh slightly. "And no the spinach is not for you."

[skyward_eyes]

Ignis was always the man with a plan, and Nida was gleeful to know his love's mind raced to make things so perfect for them. And, of course, perfect for Ignis as well.

"How could you inflict spinach on my beloved student like that?" Nida asked, offering a sad look. "I would hate for him to abandon training because my love makes him eat his greens."

I have no idea how the f- I lost this, I'm so sorry

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis let out a small chuckle, because Nida was reminding him of Noct in a way. "I'm quite sure not everyone has the precise tastes that you do in regards to vegetables."

He looked at his husband. "Is there anything else that I should remember to never buy you besides strawberries?"

i blame dw notifications

[skyward_eyes]

Hey, Nida loved many vegetables. Just not this one. He definitely isn't pleased by the idea of more of this stuff in his home.

"I mean, don't get a dog?"

[faithfulsupport]

That comment had Ignis shaking his head. "Darling we shouldn't obtain any more animals. We've two cats and two chocobos. A dog would only disrupt things and I fear to ponder precisely how Julia would interpret things should one suddenly appear."

[skyward_eyes]

"Oh, Julia would hate it," Nida agreed. "So would my nose."

[faithfulsupport]

"Right, your allergies." Ignis replied with a nod. "Then I suppose it's agreed we don't take in any dogs at the very least." He had no idea if Nida would come home one day with some other stray animal and he didn't put it past his wonderfully soft hearted husband.

[skyward_eyes]

Wow, who said he was soft hearted. He had Julia because he'd inherited her, not because he had chosen her. They were family, and he wouldn't let her down.

"At the very least? I'm worried you're going to adopt something."

1

[areasontohope]

Yuki's blue chocobo was growing too and today as he was headed into work a little early, he decided to get Haru back to the stables to go socialize and do 'chocobo things'. He then paid for another week of being able to bring his chocobo back as well as providing funds for greens and meals while he was there.

It was certainly teaching him responsibility, not that he minded of course.

So he turned to head towards work. There were a lot of things that needed filing and he thought an early jump on the day would be great. He always liked getting there before anyone else did because that meant he could make some tea and relax at his desk for a little bit.

And that's when he realized he overheard Llewellyn state that he had recently found a home with his husband.

Damn it, what should he get him?

Pondering stopping at a shop first to look at gifts, he then heard a warble and saw Hibiscus running away. And then he heard Nida calling after her.

Thoughts of getting to the office early and maybe shopping fled his mind as he decided to start working on running after sensei's runaway chocobo.

[skyward_eyes]

"Hibiscus Stop!" Nida was shouting as he rushed after the bird. He did catch sight of Yuki moving through the crowds though. Was there a chance...?

Hibiscus also saw Yuki. He was a good person. A friend. Look at him, joining in tag! She sped up, intending to beat them both at tag.

[areasontohope]

Somehow he managed to avoid tripping and running into anyone so far. But Hibiscus was definitely making him run faster than he'd had to when beating Kyo with that stupid race marathon thing that school had them do.

He'd been sick then and pushed himself because of the stupid cat turning the most mundane thing into a competition. Of course it ended up with Hatsuharu transforming into his Ox form and carrying him home on his back.

But he wasn't sick now.

"Hibiscus! Wait!" Yuki called, trying to keep pace with the bird who was beating his ass.

[skyward_eyes]

The bird warbled in delight at her friend calling for her.

"Yuki, go left," Nida shouted, even as he moved to throw himself at the sturdier stalls to his right that had full roofs. He would avoid people by running right over the top to catch up. Parkour was like that.

[areasontohope]

He looked over at Nida who was obviously still chasing his precious chocobo, and Yuki went running with a nod at the instruction. He managed to catch sensei doing some really cool things such as leaping around on rooftops and making it look so easy even if he was sure it really wasn't.

But he had to jump over some kids and kept the chocobo in his sights even if he was sure Yuki was going to lose sight of her.

[skyward_eyes]

Hibiscus came near a wall, and she warked in annoyance, turning she found herself facing Yuki. Friend! He is going to catch her. She shifts from foot to foot, like she's not sure if she should run or not.

[areasontohope]

Yuki was thrilled to see that Hibiscus had herself up against a wall. But he knew all about cornering someone or something. So he just tried to wait to see if sensei could come to him. But if he had to lunge at her, he would.

[skyward_eyes]

The chocobo decided run was right, and started to dart past Yuki. Only to have Nida drop down in front of her and grab the chocobo by the bridle.

"No," he said, and he was looking not the littlest bit winded. "You silly bird."