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
( ... )
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 sulked, his pride hurt at having frighted at the flit pouncing him. The bronze tried to assuage his hurt pride by preening and cleaning his talons.
X tilted his head in curiosity. "Stunt? You didn't do anything."
"You can if you think it'll become a problem. But she's a baby still. No one could fault her for not knowing better yet. Besides, she was just playing. Zanzibar here just hasn't had such little, and rambunctious, playmates before." He stroked a finger down the arch of Zanzibar's neck as he spoke.
"Fafnir was away most often, so I guess they didn't see the need to make as many changes or just didn't have the chance. Leviathan they rewrote pretty often ..."
"Harpuia wasn't having the memory-repression take; he's too much like X, maybe. So they kept shooting him up with some kind of inhibiting nanite colonies -- and after he named me they increased the dosage."
No, we're not bitter.
Xiao's eyes flared redly as Chryses chittered and tried to wrap around his neck.
X frowns deeper as Xiao recounts what was done to them. Though, it's hard not to twitch at the glow of red eyes. Harpuia had had red eyes before, but they'd stayed red, rather than being normal colored and then flaring up unnervingly.
X sighed and rubbed a little at his arm. "It seems an unpleasant trend that Harpuia ends up the worst damaged in mind..."
"He's the most dangerous to people like the Council. He's too smart, too discerning for them to take the risk -- so they take that advantage away any way they can."
Xiao still looked angry at the notion; but at least his eyes were back to a sensible colour again.
"At least they didn't cripple him too, he's slighter than the rest. And he flies."
X nodded slightly, looking thoughtful. "He's probably the first to realize something's not right..."
Zanzibar warbled softly and stood on his hind legs, front feet resting on X's chest as he raised his head to nose and nuzzle at the underside of X's jaw. X blinked, then looked down at the bronze, one hand coming up to stroke down the firelizard's neck. Then he turned his attention back to Xiao.
"Good thing they didn't. Taking the sky away from him can hurt him just as badly as the other things they did to him, without him being obviously visibly broken..." X had the tone of someone who knew exactly what he was talking about from experience.
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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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X tilted his head in curiosity. "Stunt? You didn't do anything."
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Glancing from X's face to Zanzibar and then back, Xiao shrugged very slightly.
"But I should be telling her not to do that. Right?"
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"I figured you'd be angry for it."
Chryses creeled softly at him and nosed at the side of his neck.
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"Harpuia wasn't having the memory-repression take; he's too much like X, maybe. So they kept shooting him up with some kind of inhibiting nanite colonies -- and after he named me they increased the dosage."
No, we're not bitter.
Xiao's eyes flared redly as Chryses chittered and tried to wrap around his neck.
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X sighed and rubbed a little at his arm. "It seems an unpleasant trend that Harpuia ends up the worst damaged in mind..."
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Xiao still looked angry at the notion; but at least his eyes were back to a sensible colour again.
"At least they didn't cripple him too, he's slighter than the rest. And he flies."
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Zanzibar warbled softly and stood on his hind legs, front feet resting on X's chest as he raised his head to nose and nuzzle at the underside of X's jaw. X blinked, then looked down at the bronze, one hand coming up to stroke down the firelizard's neck. Then he turned his attention back to Xiao.
"Good thing they didn't. Taking the sky away from him can hurt him just as badly as the other things they did to him, without him being obviously visibly broken..." X had the tone of someone who knew exactly what he was talking about from experience.
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"And Phantom will be hunting me down and and asking questions as soon as I go home, so finding him won't be any problem at all --"
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