[Open]

[mybadhabit]

Who: Speed of Sound Sonic mybadhabit, Inoshishi no Ino, and you!
What: Sonic is having something of an open house so he can show off his pet boar.
When: April 13th, starting around 11:30 am and continuing into the afternoon
Where: Hermes' temple
Warnings: If you say anything about eating Ino, you will be threatened with death.

Enough people had expressed an interest in meeting Ino in person that Sonic felt justified in making something of a party of it. He didn't really have time to prepare anything fancy, but after his morning training, he whipped up enough sandwich quarters and salads (leafy, fruit, and crunchy ramen noodle) to offer to anybody who stopped by. Around 11:30, it got set up on a table near the pool, along with an assortment of chips and some pitchers of fruit water.

Ino doesn't seem to realize all the fuss is over him. He scampers happily around Sonic's feet as he sets up, a scrap of purple fabric tied around his neck like a bandana, occasionally wandering off to sniff at something new. He never strays away more than three or four feet, though, and as soon as anybody approaches, goes scurrying back behind Sonic's legs.

[[If people want to mingle, feel free to do the thing!]]

Comments

[bighand]

["Around noon" is the time Kija was given, so "precisely noon on the dot" is the time Kija shows up at the correct temple. He's actually gotten sleep since their conversation earlier and verified the location on the map at least four times so he wouldn't get lost and make a bad impression-! And now, here he is, approaching the temple and looking around with interest.

There's food... is this for the ninja pig? Hm! When he spots Sonic he waves with his right hand, which is apparently what "you will know me by the hand" was supposed to mean. There... there it is.]

Hello! Hermes, correct? You have a very nice pig!

[nailed it.]

[mybadhabit]

[Exactly noon means Sonic's taken to throwing a bean bag for Ino to catch, the little pig racing to catch it, then leaping up to snatch it quite deftly out of the air. Ino spots Kija before Sonic does and drops the bean bag half way through returning it, instead charging headfirst into Sonic's leg with a nervous "kyuu!"]

Ack, Ino, what are you- oh.

[Oh. That does certainly explain some things, yes. How interesting.]

[He scoops up the little pig into his arm and approaches, waving one hand in greeting]

Yes, that's right, thank you. Kija, I presume? You know, I must say, when you said "you'll know by my hand," I wasn't expecting... that.

[bighand]

[Warrior pig... Kija looks at his own hand completely unabashed, like it hasn't quite occurred to him yet that not everyone in this place knows about--his hand. Because they should. First of all, it's impressive...

He nods, anyway- yes, he's Kija, and this is his hand. It needs its own introduction.]

Well, here it is! What do you think? It's evocative of strength and dignity, is it not?

[mybadhabit]

[If his arms weren't full of pig, Sonic would have his hands pressed together up against his lips. As it is, he bites his lip as he looks the hand over, eyebrows raised skeptically]

Strength and dignity... well, I can certainly say it does look very powerful. [That's close enough, right?] I take it to mean that you're something of a brawler?

[bighand]

[...Close enough indeed! Kija nods again, flexing his fingers a bit as he considers. Well, he sure doesn't carry a weapon- or use any, even if he came across one, so sure?]

Certainly! Not as uncouth as that sounds, however...

[oathkeeper]

[Sora didn't wait that long after Sonic gave him the get go to come over and see his pet pig.

As soon as he was awake enough he had relocated himself to Hermes' temple and burst through the front door looking super mega excited. And maybe a bit teary eyed.]

S-Sonic!!

[wadoichimonji]

[Zoro wanders into Sonic's temple mostly because it looked familiar, and he didn't get lost on his morning jog, he just happened to take a different route than usual and ended up here. He absolutely knows how to get back to Euterpe's temple.

But he's here now and he walks in, looking around for the god that decides in, when he hears some squealing and goes off to where the sound came from.

He sees Sonic first, and, without really thinking much, looks down at his feet, where the small boar is happily running around. He smiles softly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.]

So that's your boy?

[mybadhabit]

Oh, hardly! Fighting effectively without weapons requires a lot of strength and skill! [Sonic smiles reassuringly, nodding his head. He'd like to get all the information about Kija's fighting style he can before they start trading blows, and he knows buttering people up is the best way to do it] Especially against an armed opponent. However, I would assume that the scales on your hand can absorb quite a bit more damage than human skin, which would make it quite the defensive tool.

[mybadhabit]

[Sonic glances back when he hears a door slam inside the house, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Ekko is probably up by now, but he doesn't really have a habit of slamming doo-]

[Oh. It's Sora. Sora, please.]

[Sonic sighs and opens up the sliding glass door at the back of the house, waving at Sora. Due to the open nature of the house, Sora should be able to see him if he turns his head slightly to the left]

I'm outside, you nerd. Are you crying already?

[mybadhabit]

[Sonic believes that, and also, he has a tower in France he'd love to sell you.]

Oh, Zoro! I didn't realize you'd be coming over. I'm glad to see I didn't get lost on your way here. [He snickers to himself, automatically bending down to scoop Ino up. Usually, he goes right for Sonic's legs whenever someone new shows up, but for the first time today, Ino decides to leave Sonic's side and investigate Zoro on his own] Oh-! Well, yes. This is Ino. I guess he likes you.

[He watches as Ino sniffs at Zoro, wandering around him in a circle.]

[galactically]

[Although Sheryl can't stay in Sonic's temple for too long — there's a thing called having a busy schedule with teaching fitness class and work — she arrives at noon as promised. Being familiar with the location helps immensely after visiting his temple once for dinner and watching two men fight. What an interesting day, at the time.

At any rate, there sure is a lot of food. And there sure is a cute pig scurrying behind Sonic.

She approaches with a friendly wave of her hand, beaming.]

So this is the cutie you've told me about, Hermes! Hi there.

[mybadhabit]

Sheryl Nome! It's always good to see you! [When Sheryl first approached, Ino had darted behind Sonic's legs, but the mention of her name, he lifts his head, taking a few cautious steps towards her, his snout raised up. Sonic gives him a nudge with his foot, and after letting out a little "kyuu!" of surprise, the little boar scoots closer, sniffing her curiously] Yes, Ino, she's the one I was telling you about. You don't have to be afraid.

[bighand]

I suppose so! [He hasn't really tried! He's only sparred with a spear and broken a broomstick in half, honestly, until now... But anyway, that's not the point.

The point is his hand is getting bigger.]

Let's find out!

[mybadhabit]

Is that really necessary? [He stares at the hand, taking half a step back and placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. He's not nervous, but the hand was big enough already, did it really need to get bigger?]

[bighand]

[Yyyyeees...? Yes?]

Why wouldn't it be? What else would it do this for, if not sparring...?

[galactically]

Just Sheryl is fine!

[There's some quiet laughter out of her before she notices the tiny boar's nuzzle touching her feet. If anything catches her interest aside from music, it's cute critters. She's quick to let out a coo, cupping her own face with both hands as she looks captivated by Ino.]

Aww, he's even more precious in person! Can I pet him? Can I?

[mybadhabit]

I don't know? I've never encountered a hand like that before. Not on someone who was fully human, anyway, and the ones who aren't human aren't typically so, ah... polite.

[bighand]

Oh. Thank you. [Well, he is polite...! There's a pause, while he tries to think of how to say this and goes with his instinct of just saying whatever comes to mind first, a flawless plan-] There is a fairly good chance that I'm a dragon!

[He's preeetty sure. Like he's seen lizards at the zoo and compared hands and everything.]

[oathkeeper]

Okay but you have a pet pig!

[Maybe sort of he was a little jelly. He sees Sonic and follows after with a bounce in his step.]

He really just popped up outta no where?

[chronobreak]

Around noon is about the time that Ekko's willing to emerge from his room. He's been up since much earlier, and the noises coming out of it say he's been working on something or other. When it comes to working he's happy to hole himself in his room.

Sonic wasn't the only one who got something today, though Ekko's is considerably less... alive. The machine Sonic saw him die to is on his back, and trailing behind him is a turquoise hologram of himself three or so seconds ago.

"When'd you get a pig?"

[mybadhabit]

When Sonic sees the Z-drive, he does a double take. The hologram trail is weird, but not all that surprising, considering what he knows of Ekko, and what he saw when he died. It's the fact that he's got the thing that killed strapped to his back that sets him slightly on edge. It's the burning fact that he wants to say something about it, but he knows that he can't that makes him uneasy.

But it's important, he suspects, and he can't say anything anyway, so he shakes it off and plucks Ino from the ground as he scoots by, tucking him under one arm so that Ino and Ekko can get a good look at each other.

"This morning, technically. Ekko, this is Inoshishi no Ino, a friend from home. Ino, this Ekko, my work partner who lives with us, so he'll help look after you if I'm not around."

While Ino sniffs curiously at Ekko, Sonic adds, "I don't expect you to do much, just let him out occassionally and give him food. I've been told he gets huffy when I'm not around."

[mybadhabit]

He's not a pet, he's my friend, and he's a boar, not a pig. [He shakes his head and rolls his eyes] You're friends with Bambi, I deserve to have a cute animal friend too.

He woke me up this morning by shoving his cold nose into my armpit. [He shrugs]

[Two seconds later, Ino comes bounding over, squealing excitedly and plowing headfirst into the back of Sonic's leg] Ino, please! One of these times, you're going to knock me over!

[chronobreak]

He's not entirely sure what it does, other than jump him back to where ever the hologram is. He doesn't have the memories that go along with the thing, but if he did he'd insist that the Z-Drive is completely harmless if people didn't go around shooting a beautiful piece of machinery.

He looks at the pig, and then at Sonic. "A ninja with a pet pig. Man, this place really is weird."

[mybadhabit]

He's sure it's fine, it's just a little disconcerting to see his shinki carrying around the thing that killed him like it's no big deal.

"He's not a pet, he's a wild animal," Sonic sighs, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Everyone keeps calling him a pet, but I think it's disingenuous to call a wild animal a pet, no matter how intensely he's imprinted upon me."

He sets Ino down, letting the pig circle and sniff at Ekko at his own leisure. "Say what you will about my boar, you have a clone following you around. You're not so normal yourself."

[chronobreak]

It is no big deal. As long as nobody shoots at him, he'll be fine. Though that can be said for a lot of people.

"Alright, your wild animal companion who's imprinted on you and you let into your temple. There's no way that's a pet."

Ekko doesn't move, just leaning against the wall, watching the pig sniff. "It's not a real clone." And to demonstrate, he'll put his hand through the hologram and wave it. "It's just a marker for what I jump back to. It it was a real clone it would be solid."