((Placeholder in Case of Nexus Visitors))

[mage_hatchlings]

That Hatchling-grafittied Nexus door leads to here, and what looks like the outer door of one of the buildings in the Black Mage Village. Another door has been added next to this one to actually get to the inside of the building.

Comments

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

He was talking to the hatchling, but it's true for the older ones too.

For some reason this is funny to him, and he's trying not to smile now~. He watches the hatchling beside him, instead.

[mage_hatchlings]

The hatchling blinks up at him sleepily, and then snugglehugs.

Meanwhile, the situation at the window takes a turn for the worse when Blaze tries to fly in the open window while Arashi's still hanging half out of it.

Mr. 128 tries to intervene in the short squabble, but the end result is the larger Mage knocked on his rear, Arashi rubbing his tail-end and looking cross, and a small black toad with lavender forelegs in the middle of the floor.

"The room has a door. Idiots..." Mistral can be heard grumbling outside the window before the smallest Waltz starts walking around the building to make use of said door.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

He tries to stretch out without knocking the hatchling over. Now that he's a little more awake, he knows he should have taken the armor off at least before falling asleep.

And he's watching the Waltz and toad on the floor, still trying not to smile.

[mage_hatchlings]

The hatchling is not knocked over, and just resnuggles.

Arashi glares at the Toaded!Blaze, who tries to escape. Poor Mr. 128 ends up with a toad on the brim of his hat.

It's just then that the rest of the flock come in, under the watch of Mr. 44, and bringing food. There's a bowl of tomato soup and a glass of milk.

Mr. 128 gets to his feet, a bit uneasy about the toaded Waltzlet on his head. He looks over to Mr. 44. "Can you get Blaze off my hat?"

Mr. 44 stares and blinks for a second, not seeing a Waltz on Mr. 128's hat. Until he notices the frog. "Oh. Arashi got mad again?" He carefully reaches for and picks up the frog, changing Blaze back as soon as he's off the other Mage's hat.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

Just watching~. Without trying to seem like he's staring. It's so odd to be able to see this; it's not really his business, here in their village.

He's about to say something... but no. Let them forget he's here.

[mage_hatchlings]

The older mages might be momentarily distracted by the latest little Waltz squabble, but the hatchlings haven't forgotten Kuja. They gather around the couch with the bowl of soup and the glass of milk.

"We brought food."

"Are you hungry?"

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

"...Not really." he says quietly. He will take the milk though! And sip, while glancing around the room curiously.

It's not like he can leave, better get a good look now. He hasn't been on his own world in so long. :o

[mage_hatchlings]

The hatchlings leave the soup on a nearby table and then most of them try to snuggle around Kuja.

Mistral, however, is glaring at Arashi. "No more toads, Arashi. It's not nice."

"Hmph," seems to be Arashi's only response.

Meanwhile, Blaze seems to be enjoying the attention of being picked up and cuddled.

"Are you feeling better," a hatchling asks Kuja.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

"I do now." He relaxes a bit when they pile around him.

"But not enough to leave..." They weren't here when he told the older mages that.

[mage_hatchlings]

The hatchlings are happy to snuggle - as always.

"Good," one says.

"We don't want want you to leave," another one says quietly.

The larger Mages seem to be trying to ignore the Hatchlings snuggling on Kuja. The Waltzlets provide a good distraction until the squabbling is finally settled.

Then the waltzlets join the rest of the snuggling flock, leaving the larger Mages to just fidget a bit uneasily. No matter how many times they saw or heard of the hatchlings doing this, it remained a bit surreal for them.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

"Not leave like that. Return to the Nexus." They've really got to start saying die, instead of stop. It's confusing.

It feels odd to him too, especially in front of other people. Who seem to be watching him. But it's too late to push them away, and they'd only end up confused.

[mage_hatchlings]

The two adult Mages are actually edging towards the door. The hatchlings will be just fine piled around Kuja... at least they hope so. And they don't have to be in the room to be within shouting distance.

The hatchlings just look at him, snuggled contentedly.

"Not like that either," one says.

"Uh huh. You never came to visit us before."

Several nods.

"I can show you my chickens when you're feeling better," Mistral says happily. "They're nice chickens."

"An we all have gardens now. Do you like vegetables?"

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

He pretends to not notice the older mages.

"I might not do it again." Way to ruin their fun, Kuja. :(

He can't think of any good excuses to say no. "...I could do that. What kind of vegetables?"

[mage_hatchlings]

"Why not?"

"All different kinds."

"We can grow whatever we want in our own little gardens."

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

"Isn't once enough?" For everyone but the hatchlings, it probably is.

"What kinds are you growing?"

[mage_hatchlings]

Puzzled blinking. "But it's nice here."

The rest of what they say gets a bit muddled, as all of them try to answer at once with whatever they're growing in their little gardens.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

He wouldn't know. "So is the Nexus."

He nods, not really trying to make sense out of that mess.

[mage_hatchlings]

The hatchlings nod.

"We like the Nexus."

"It's fun to play there."

"But is it safe?"

One of them has dozed off, another breaks off from the pile to wobble over and look out the window. Pretty, sunny days are not made for staying indoors, even for poggles that have an instinctive feeling too much sun would be a Bad Thing if they weren't covered in shadow.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

"It's safe for you." They'd never get in a fight. Well... Arashi might. :/

"As long as you don't turn anyone you don't know into a toad."

[mage_hatchlings]

"Why not?" Arashi asks.

Mistral sighs. "Because, the bigger Mages told you it's not nice."

Arashi squirms and snickers. "Uh uh. 'Not nice' would be if I used thunder spells."

See Mistral. See Mistral facepalm. Wonder where he picked up that gesture? Probably in the Nexus somewhere.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

"Don't do that either. Annoying people in the Nexus isn't a good idea." If the AV field really does go down all the time. :/

He might have to tell the other mages that.

[mage_hatchlings]

There's a sigh and a grumble from Arashi, but - small miracle - he actually seems to be listening.

Another hatchling in the pile nods. "Uh huh. 'Specially if there's big scary monsters there."

The hatchlings are fairly certain now of the existance of big scary grampa-mangling Nexus monsters.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

That's so cute. <3

"I've never seen any monsters there. Have you?" He's not sure why they have that idea.

[mage_hatchlings]

And now the whole flock is blinking up at him, wide eyed.

"It was invisible?" one of them squeaks after a bit of uneasy silence.

[on-this-stage.livejournal.com]

"What...? It?"

"I've never come across an invisible monster either."