IC Inbox [Empatheias]

[bewrightback]

It exists now.

Comments

[spiritedafey]

Yeah, me neither.

[She flops back down to sit on the floor behind him, stretching out and leaning back on her hands, watching as the blue wyvern crawls up onto Phoenix's legs.]

He's too cute for either of those names. But do we really have to name him after someone? What about... Tofu? Or Noodle? Or Basil? Biscuit?

[Her stomach rumbles.]

... Burrito?

[bewrightback]

[Phoenix is distracted for a moment as the wyvern crawls onto his legs. His face seems to shine with brightness as he looks at the baby and feels the tiny wyvern weight on him.]

H-hey there little guy. I'm... Poppa Phoenix?

[and then, as if handling a glass vase, he carefully reaches down to hold the baby up in his arms. He never thought it could feel this wonderful!

But he then raises an eyebrow, giving a delayed reaction to Maya's latest suggestions.]

...Is thinking with your stomach really the best idea? I'm... not sure how I feel about calling a living creature Burrito...

[spiritedafey]

[She slides around Phoenix when he picks up the wyvern, ignoring the way she can literally feel his eyebrows raise at her at her suggestions. Maya pokes at the scaly baby with a finger in the stomach and he lifts his legs to curl up into a ball with a tiny snort, and she giggles.]

Are you saying I should be thinking with something else that isn't my stomach?

[She's kidding. Mostly... Her lips twitch into an innocent smile and she leans against Phoenix to get a better look at the wyvern, also relieved that he hasn't yelled at her for bringing an egg home.]

[bewrightback]

[He had been ready to yell at her when he first laid eyes on the egg. But then the panic took over, and now that the baby's hatched... he just doesn't have the hurt to get mad about it right in front of the baby.

Phoenix can't help but laugh warmly at the baby's reaction to Maya's gesture, and he jokes back.]

I know he may look cute enough to eat, but that doesn't mean that his name should reflect that!

[spiritedafey]

[For that comment, she swats him on the arm with a speed that she didn't even know she had, and maybe a little bit harder than necessary, too. The sound of her hand hitting him startles the wyvern and he squeaks, burping up another cloud of black smoke.]

Nick! [She's huffing and puffing like a blowfish.] That's not something you joke about! We're not eating the wyvern!

[bewrightback]

Yow! [He winces and then looks down at the baby.]

C-careful about the baby! I know we're not - but you're the one who started associating him with food to begin with!!

[spiritedafey]

So!? [Oh my god Phoenix have you never met a pet named after food before!?] People name their dogs things like Taco or Sherbert or Caramel and you don't think about eating them, do you?

[Who the hell names their dog Taco? Probably Maya? She falls quiet a moment when a sudden realization hits her and her eyes widen at him.]

Do you...?

[bewrightback]

No! No, of course I don't.

...But I still never got the point of those kinds of names, anyway! Like how Kristoph allegedly tried to name his dog 'Meatball'?

[That sticks out in his memory. Luckily, his darling daughter was wonderful enough to rename him.]

Yeah, I'd definitely rather follow a different theme then him.

[spiritedafey]

[She makes a noise at him and slumps her shoulders, sliding in closer to pet the dragon's belly again.]

Are you really trying to tell me you don't like the name Meatball?

[Because she thinks it's really cute.]

[bewrightback]

[It might have been a cute name, if not for...]

Well, are you trying to tell me that I should take a name out of Kristoph Gavin's handbook? [He says with a roll of his eyes before looking back down at the baby dragon with a smile.]

[spiritedafey]

Well, maybe some pages in Mr. Gavin's book aren't so bad.

[She gives up with a defeated sigh, though, and props her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.]

Well, let's hear what you have to say then! Any ideas? Before this little guy starts to think he's got twenty names and all of them are food!

[bewrightback]

It's still a book I'd rather burn than read! [He says with his own sigh.]

I... don't know... [With all his objections, he doesn't really have many ideas of his own.] ...Blue...ie...?

[spiritedafey]

[Just make sure to take all of the pages with the cute animal names out first and give it to Maya!]

.... Blueie?

[That deserves a deadpan stare and that's exactly what he gets.]

Wow, Nick. You've really lost your wit over the years. What's old age and this island done to you? You can come up with something better than that. If you don't, then I'm naming him Tortilla.

[bewrightback]

H-hey! I still have plenty of wit to spare. I... swear! [Just a little bit of name's block, that's all.]

Well, you know what else the color blue makes me think of? ... A magician! What if we... name him after Trucy?

[spiritedafey]

[She hugs her knees up to her chest again and plops her chin on them, glancing up at Phoenix with a curious expression.]

How much do you think Trucy would appreciate a boy wyvern being named after her?

[bewrightback]

[He frowns as he thinks it over.]

She... might not find it an honor...?

[spiritedafey]

Oh, it was a genuinely curious question is all.

[She didn't think he'd take it back so quickly, but oh well.]

So are we going for more human names then? Since food ones are out of the question? He's too cute to be a Steve or a Billy... but that's a goat's name.

... We should get a goat.

[Helpful as always.]

[bewrightback]

[Sweatdrop intensifies.]

One animal at a time! Is this a house or a zoo?!

Um, alright! Human names... Timmy? How does that sound?

[spiritedafey]

[What was that about a zoo? Sorry, she can't hear you past all that selective hearing, Nick.]

Isn't there a tank engine named Timmy?

[Or was it Thomas...?]

How about Benny? Or... Rex? Dino? Baron? Mmm... Milo?

[bewrightback]

[Ruuude.]

I don't think so, but I guess that name does come with being prone to getting stuck in wells...

[He pauses as he thinks those over.]

Hm... This is tough. [He looks back down at the baby wyvern.] What do you think, little guy? What do we call you?

[spiritedafey]

[There are only so many Final Fantasy wyvern names she can go through!

She shuffles forward on her legs closer to the wyvern and leans in to nuzzle her nose against his blue scales as he squawks in response to Phoenix.]

We could always call you Nick!

[bewrightback]

A-and now we're back where we started...

[spiritedafey]

I liked Tofu and Burrito but you vetoed those! And every other name I offered, you vetoed, too! They were all really good!

[Huff huff huff! She was proud of herself.]

How about this – you come up with a name and we'll go to opposite sides of the room and call him, and whoever he goes to will be what we name him!

[bewrightback]

[He paused for a moment and the nods.]

Alright, fine. Let's give this a try. That way he'll be picking his own name!

[With that, Phoenix goes over to one side of the room and thinks of a name.]

I'm ready when you are, Maya.

[spiritedafey]

[She crawls to the opposite side of the room and with the wyvern in the middle, she slams both of her palms down on the floor, mimicking Phoenix in the courtroom and jabs a finger in his direction.]

Bring it on!

[The wyvern just stares between the two of them, purring quietly and contentedly, remaining blissfully ignorant of the sudden competitive tension in the room. With a breath in and then out, she begins in the most motherly voice she can muster.]

C'mere, Tofu!