Go figure, this place actually being useful ...Sometimes it seemed like Xiao always wound up in the Nexus looking for one thing or another
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Off to the side of the main thoroughfare, where things were a bit quieter, there was a flash of bronze wings above a group of random Nexus couches. A fully grown bronze firelizard was cavorting in the air, looping and diving as it tossed and caught a small shiny ball with streamers attached.
After a moment, Zanzibar dropped the ball down into X's lap. Then the bronze dropped to perch on the back of the couch X was sitting in and chittered excitedly, wings tensed for flight.
X set down the datapad he'd been writing in and looked up at the bronze, slightly exasperated and slightly amused at the firelizard. "Alright. Once more, but then I've really got to finish this." X picked up the ball and then tossed it away from him. Zanzibar trilled and launched himself after the shiny toy, intent on catching it.
The ball managed to bounce into Xiao's path before Zanzibar succeeded in pouncing it with a triumphant bugle. Trilling excitedly, the bronze looped around, ball clutched in his foreclaws as he spun playfully through the air. However, at hearing the approaching trilling of Chryses, Zanzibar righted himself and warbled a greeting as he swooped closer to Xiao.
Not remotely expecting to hear warbling out of nowhere -- not to mention a much bigger firelizard headed straight for him -- Xiao squeaked, but sensibly didn't flinch or shy away.
Chryses, on the other hand, was not bothered in the least. Simultaneously chittering in mild rebuke at Xiao and lifting her wings in greeting to Zanzibar, she gave up her clambering-post on Xiao's shoulder to wing closer to the older bronze. Someone new! This was a good thing!
Zanzibar chirped in surprise at Xiao's squeak, backwinging briefly to hover in front of him. However, he was soon distracted by the tiny gold darting toward him.
Zanzibar trilled a greeting and swooped closer to the little gold. Hello! Hello, little flit!
Zanzibar backwinged in place as the little gold circled around him. He warbled excitedly to her. Did she want to play? Look! He has a shiny toy to play with!
Oooh shiny toy --! Squeaking eagerly, Chryses darted at the ball and then backwinged away again. Yes, playing is a good thing!
And she wasn't the only one to react to the shiny toy, either; Xiao noted the thing clutched in Zanzibar's talons, and promptly began to pay more attention to the people nearby.
If that one has something to play with it must be with someone ...
Yes! Playing is great! Zanzibar trilled and swooped around Chryses, the toy's streamers trailing from his claws. The ball was probably fairly big for the gold flit to be carrying by herself, but they could play catch-the-streamers instead of catch-the-ball.
Not too far away, someone quite familiar-looking was sitting on a couch, writing in a datapad.
Oooh --! Chryses tore after the waving streamers like a manic kitten, swiping at them with tiny little talons and trying to pounce. There was no sense going between -- not yet, anyway -- that would ruin the fun.
Xiao spotted the familiar someone and debated. Investigate, or stay with Chryses ...?
For the time being, staying close to the baby flit won.
Zanzibar swooped and weaved around Xiao and the flit, trailing the streamers for her. However, he was careful not to go full speed. He wanted it to be a fun game, and it was no fun if he left the much smaller flit behind.
X could feel Zanzibar's delight; he was obviously having a good time chasing that ball around. He was also getting impressions that Zanzibar had found another firelizard. X was nearly done writing. When he was done, he'd track down Zanzibar.
By this time Xiao was back to watching the pair of firelizards -- and was nicely distracted from most everything else by watching their antics. For now he was happy seeing Chryses enjoying herself.
And was she ever. Size difference notwithstanding, Chryses swooped and dove after Zanzibar and the trailing ribbons with a right good will, chittering at the bronze gleefully.
Zanzibar trilled delightedly, swooping and twisting closer and closer to X as they played. He wanted X to come play with them now and stop fussing over that datapad. It'd be more fun if X played with them too!
Once they were close enough, Zanzibar twisted and swooped down at X, abruptly releasing the ball to toss it into his lap and pull up with a mischievous twitter of delight.
Zanzibar may have pulled back and away from X, but Chryses had no such intention. Squeaking with imperious glee, she dove at the ball -- and X's lap -- with little talons outstretched to snatch.
X looked up as the ball landed in his lap, just in time to yelp and then brace himself for the inevitable tiny claws in his thigh. He didn't try to block or knock the flit away. She was far too small to know better yet and he didn't want to hurt her.
He hissed at the tiny sharp pricks of pain, but he'd felt sharp tiny lizard claws before when Zanzibar had been little and became too excited.
"Here now..." He reached to try to carefully disentangle her claws and wings from streamers and his leg, trying not to wince. "You have to be more careful, little one." He attempted to broadcast gentle admonishment and the sensation of tiny claws and a, very muted, whisper of the sting of his pain. He wasn't trying to frighten her, just warn her that lizard claws at speed and tender skin don't go together well. He'd found it worked well for teaching an itty Zanzibar to be careful with his claws.
Zanzibar hovered closer and twittered at them, admonishing X for not playing earlier as much as the flit for clawing X.
X muttered absently to the bronze as he tried to get a better look at the tiny gold. "Oh, hush, you. She didn't mean it."
Chryses was certainly in need of the unentangling; startled by X's hiss of pain, she'd promptly fluttered and snarled herself.
Initially she didn't take well to his admonishment either, cocking her little head at him and squeaking with irritation, eyes whirling -- but the impressions he send seemed to sink home, and she quieted with a single soft chirp.
Ponytail now in the process of being twisted into a veritable corkscrew, Xiao trotted over. Quickly.
X stroked a fingertip over her tiny head as she quieted, his other hand carefully pulling away the last of the streamers from her wings. "There now, it's alright."
Zanzibar twittered as Xiao rushed over. The bronze flitted around the three of them, chittering.
X looked up from trying to coax the gold onto his hand as Xiao arrived and spoke. He blinked up at him. "She's yours?"
"It's alright. She didn't know any better. And I've been scratched up before."
After a moment, Zanzibar dropped the ball down into X's lap. Then the bronze dropped to perch on the back of the couch X was sitting in and chittered excitedly, wings tensed for flight.
X set down the datapad he'd been writing in and looked up at the bronze, slightly exasperated and slightly amused at the firelizard. "Alright. Once more, but then I've really got to finish this." X picked up the ball and then tossed it away from him. Zanzibar trilled and launched himself after the shiny toy, intent on catching it.
The ball managed to bounce into Xiao's path before Zanzibar succeeded in pouncing it with a triumphant bugle. Trilling excitedly, the bronze looped around, ball clutched in his foreclaws as he spun playfully through the air. However, at hearing the approaching trilling of Chryses, Zanzibar righted himself and warbled a greeting as he swooped closer to Xiao.
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Chryses, on the other hand, was not bothered in the least. Simultaneously chittering in mild rebuke at Xiao and lifting her wings in greeting to Zanzibar, she gave up her clambering-post on Xiao's shoulder to wing closer to the older bronze. Someone new! This was a good thing!
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Zanzibar trilled a greeting and swooped closer to the little gold. Hello! Hello, little flit!
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For his own part, Xiao was quite busy trying to track the gyrations of the gleeful lizards.
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And she wasn't the only one to react to the shiny toy, either; Xiao noted the thing clutched in Zanzibar's talons, and promptly began to pay more attention to the people nearby.
If that one has something to play with it must be with someone ...
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Not too far away, someone quite familiar-looking was sitting on a couch, writing in a datapad.
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Xiao spotted the familiar someone and debated. Investigate, or stay with Chryses ...?
For the time being, staying close to the baby flit won.
Reply
X could feel Zanzibar's delight; he was obviously having a good time chasing that ball around. He was also getting impressions that Zanzibar had found another firelizard. X was nearly done writing. When he was done, he'd track down Zanzibar.
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And was she ever. Size difference notwithstanding, Chryses swooped and dove after Zanzibar and the trailing ribbons with a right good will, chittering at the bronze gleefully.
Reply
Once they were close enough, Zanzibar twisted and swooped down at X, abruptly releasing the ball to toss it into his lap and pull up with a mischievous twitter of delight.
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Xiao winced.
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He hissed at the tiny sharp pricks of pain, but he'd felt sharp tiny lizard claws before when Zanzibar had been little and became too excited.
"Here now..." He reached to try to carefully disentangle her claws and wings from streamers and his leg, trying not to wince. "You have to be more careful, little one." He attempted to broadcast gentle admonishment and the sensation of tiny claws and a, very muted, whisper of the sting of his pain. He wasn't trying to frighten her, just warn her that lizard claws at speed and tender skin don't go together well. He'd found it worked well for teaching an itty Zanzibar to be careful with his claws.
Zanzibar hovered closer and twittered at them, admonishing X for not playing earlier as much as the flit for clawing X.
X muttered absently to the bronze as he tried to get a better look at the tiny gold. "Oh, hush, you. She didn't mean it."
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Initially she didn't take well to his admonishment either, cocking her little head at him and squeaking with irritation, eyes whirling -- but the impressions he send seemed to sink home, and she quieted with a single soft chirp.
Ponytail now in the process of being twisted into a veritable corkscrew, Xiao trotted over. Quickly.
"I'm sorry about that --!"
"Chryses, be more careful --"
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Zanzibar twittered as Xiao rushed over. The bronze flitted around the three of them, chittering.
X looked up from trying to coax the gold onto his hand as Xiao arrived and spoke. He blinked up at him. "She's yours?"
"It's alright. She didn't know any better. And I've been scratched up before."
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Before Xiao even got the words out of his mouth, Chryses was squeaking at him and flittering up to cling to his ponytail.
"I didn't expect to see you here --"
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