the-inked-quill
The Weekly Inked Quill
A Sonic Forces Customized Avatar Ask/RP blog. Written by Lecter. Be sure to read the muse and the rules section!
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It wouldn’t be the first time she’d caught him overworking himself. Once the cameras stopped rolling and the teleprompters were shut off, Krystal was usually done for the day.
...Which is why she dragged his feathery ass to Bingle Burger, home of the “world-famously greasy” Bingle Buns. With the ungodly combination of mac & cheese, bacon-wrapped wagyu patty on equally bacon-wrapped sourdough slices slapped on a tray in front of him with a side of cola, Niko had no choice but to wake up at the sight and smell of it all.
“So!” Krystal slides her tray onto the table they sat at, taking a moment to sip at her drink. “What sort of story do you have that’s got your feathers all ruffled… more than usual, anyway.”
Niko ran his hand down the back of his crest, somewhat embarrassed to be in this position for the upteenth time in their friendship.
“Well… As you know, the last story I ran made quite the stir. There’s a divide in our readership and I’m not sure if Ms. Stewart would want something to add fuel to the fire. But even still, I keep finding more and more evidence that bolsters the case against him.”
He pulls out the photographs he’d taken the other day and places them on the table, careful not to get any of the grease from the burgers on them.
“I’ve found… a garden, near the foot of the mountain just outside the city, conveniently close to the laboratory that the accused had used previously. Not to mention its inhabitants...” Several shots of two smiling hero Chao and a white Dark Chao standing together, relaxing, and flying about accompanied the other photos on the tabletop. “The people need to know.”
Krystal regards the photos with a sparkle in her eyes, and she rests her cheek on her hand as she ponders her response.
“That they do. I’d like the answers to this case myself, if I can be super honest! I’ve gotta say though… the news has been full of this sort of stuff, hasn’t it? Sales are down, and this story’s been pretty important to you. If we keep on putting out evidence, no one’s gonna want to read it.”
“Therein lies exactly the problem.” Nikola crossed his arms. “Ms. Stewart isn’t exactly a big fan of stirring the pot, but I can’t let this case rest…”
Krystal taps a finger on her cheek, looking carefully at the photos once more.
“Well… if Ms. Stewart doesn’t want more dark news… and the people don’t want dark news… why not market your find as something different? If all we say about this garden is that it strengthens the case against him, there’s no doubt that it’ll just cause problems. So instead, why not paint it as a source of hope?”
Krystal outstretches an arm to gesture in front of herself, placing her other hand on Niko’s shoulder and lowering her voice.
“Imagine! Breaking news! A chao garden is discovered near a lab used for presumably terrible deeds. But! The garden that was once empty now harbors new life. Hope! Hope for the area’s already sparse chao population! We imply the points that strengthen the case, all while making the happy chao the focus of it all.”
As she spoke, Niko picked up the photos he took of the Chao there. It cannot be denied how cute these pictures are… “Just like that ‘extras’ corner that they show at the end of a news briefing… I could get more footage of them, spending time with each other, and you could fill in the gaps with commentary!”
Krystal playfully punches Niko’s shoulder.
“Now you’re getting it! I’ve got your back, buddy. Let’s do this thing. If we play our cards right, there’s no way this’ll fail.”
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“Up an’ at ‘em, Nik-nak! It’s about time to head out.”
“Wh…!”
As he heard a familiar cheery voice, Niko shot upward, realizing his face had been buried in the sleeves of his overcoat.
Looking at his watch, he realized just how little time he had left in the day.
“Oh!! How long have I been out?” He panicked, realizing his word document had an extra 20 pages, chock full of simply the letter “b.” Time to clean that up…
With his finger on the backspace key, he looked up to regard the gold, long-haired feline leaning against one of the walls of his cubicle, her suitcase in hand.
Realizing how unprofessional he looked, he straightened his back, wiping his face. “Hello, Krys! Just… Fixing up a draft for my next article. I’ll be done soon…!”
The cat offers Niko a knowing little smile, and she stands up straight.
“Mm, well, once you’ve got it all sorted out, maybe we should fix up your eating habits, too. When’s the last time you had a proper meal? I haven’t seen you take a break from that story all day.”
“Oh, uh, you know! Just… this morning.” It was not this morning. After a night of no sleep, he’d brought an already four-page early draft with him to the office that day.
She outright laughs at that, walking closer and tugging gently on his arm.
“Nik, you know as well as I do that that’s a total lie. Come on, you need to eat. We can talk about this super-duper important story when you’ve got some food in you.”
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Nimbus...!?
“We never did see Nimbus or Quartz again...”
The robotic chime of Kuro’s voice rang once again in his head as a sickening knot twisted in his stomach.
“...The first...!” Without realizing it, he uttered those words out loud as he turned to the young Chao in horror... That bright smile, that innocent sparkle in their voice. Snuffed out, all for a sick experiment. Niko buckled, a single knee hitting the ground as he tried to stay standing. He’d asked her before about her life before... But to see the victims up close and personal, as they were during their life? It was an entirely different story.
As if on cue, a third, familiar Chao peeked out from behind the translucent veil of the cave in front of the body of water before gleefully diving in. Niko felt his hand cover his mouth as he instinctively gasped.
How could anyone do something so horrible? And how must it feel for Kuro, to have to relive that pain, haunted by not only the memories, but a fleeting taste of what it was like to live again?
“...Miss Kuro, your fortitude in the face of all this is deeply admirable. This will not... This cannot happen again. The truth shall continue to spread.” He clenched his fist. “...I promise you that.”
But what to do? People hear about incidents all over the world on the news constantly, yet only a certain few grip the public’s eye. It spread easily throughout his city, but the same goes for any local story. Determined to find something, anything to help put things into motion, Niko’s eyes looked around. The lake, the mountains, and the Chao around him... That’s it!
“...Miss Kuro, I have a favor to ask,” He declared, reaching into his belongings, and brandishing a camera...
the-inked-quill:
After dealing with the strangeness of such a childlike figure being able to write that neatly, Niko properly reads the paper nearly crumpled in his hands by Kuro.
“Oh! My mistake, then. I hope they’re doing well!” It seems she’s been busy caring for some Chao living in this area, perhaps with the other one residing in the chassis… Come to think of it, where was the other? And another thing… “Why would their name upset me…? Is it not a kind name?”
Kuro casts a glance off to the side, watching in silence as Nimbus seems to have busied themself with chasing a stray butterfly. Her gaze is… pensive, and she finds it a bit harder to write out the next note.
[ That’s Nimbus. I’m sure you’ll remember the name from what I told you a while back. I don’t know why or how they’re here or if they remember anything that happened to them. I’m not sure if I even want to know. ]
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the-dark-omochao:
What do you know? the talking thing was annoying right off the bat. Kuro wasn’t very sure if she could manage to voice that Nimbus was absolutely not her child. Not in Mobian, anyways. Still, it’s not like Niko was to blame for that. What with all the random changes she’s been through at this point, it wasn’t that stupid of an assumption to think she could talk normally.
Whatever. No matter who’s fault it is, a dumb problem needs a dumb solution. Luckily for Kuro, this sort of thing happened before, and she still had plenty of paper and crayons stored away for exactly this sort of thing. So, Kuro holds up a claw before gliding over to a nearby tree stump. Her gaze lingers on it for a short moment before she reaches underneath, retrieving the materials she needed, before returning to Niko. She writes quickly and practically shoves the paper into Niko’s hands when she’s finished. Her handwriting is… surprisingly neat?
[ My tongue’s not exactly made for talking a whole lot, so you’ll have to make due with me writing for now. I am raising a chao, but he isn’t the one you just met. I assure you, I’m not raising that one. Learning their name might make you upset. Not that I particularly care if it does. ]
After dealing with the strangeness of such a childlike figure being able to write that neatly, Niko properly reads the paper nearly crumpled in his hands by Kuro.
“Oh! My mistake, then. I hope they’re doing well!” It seems she’s been busy caring for some Chao living in this area, perhaps with the other one residing in the chassis... Come to think of it, where was the other? And another thing... “Why would their name upset me...? Is it not a kind name?”
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the-dark-omochao:
The expression the chao makes makes it perfectly clear that Niko’s suspicions are correct. Kuro doesn’t address Niko right away though, first turning to Nimbus with a gentler expression.
[ “… Made a new friend, buddy?” ]
[ “Maybe, maybe! He said your name though, so he’s you’re friend too, isn’t he? You should tell him hi before he says bye!” ]
As per usual, Nimbus isn’t one for waiting for an answer, leading an only slightly annoyed Kuro by the claw over to Niko. They let go of her only when she’s in front of Niko, and then decides to back off a bit, dashing off to run excited laps nearby.
Kuro sighs quietly, looking up at Niko for a moment or two. There’s the dilemma of her tongue not especially being made for speaking mobian. That would be annoying in a bit, probably. For now, though, she knows she can at least say enough.
“What.”
Yes, that’s her alright. So this is how she was before the crime...
“How the forces of this world continue to work in strange ways never ceases to shock me...” Niko retorted to himself, somewhat at a loss. First she’s transformed into a mobian form with cybernetic attachments, and now she’s simply returned to her normal body? Temporarily, he assumed.
Getting his mind back on track, Nikola turns back to look at Kuro... Or, ‘Chai,’ as the little one referred to her as once more. “I’d simply come to look at the places you’d mentioned during your interview... Maybe even a follow up on some facts along with some photographs.” Catching a glance of the younger Chao once more, he clears his throat and adjusts himself.
“Letting readers know that there are Chao still living in this area just might get the attention your story needs... I wasn’t aware you were raising a child, however. A friendly one, aren’t they? What’s their name?”
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the-dark-omochao:
For a little while, Nimbus is content to sit still and accept the affection from this nice stranger as he continued to speak. Nimbus listens to the words bemusedly, as they still only understand bits and pieces of it all. The bird gesturing to himself and repeating the word was the first bit of understanding Nimbus had out of his whole ramble, and they’re quick to say the word back.
“Niiko!”
That was his name then? Niko. Neat! Now the stranger had a name to match his face. Nimbus would be sure to remember that. They’d offer their name to the other but… Nimbus admittedly had trouble saying his own name out loud. And, just as they begin to attempt, the bird says a name they never would have expected.
“Chai!”
They definitely knew a Chai. All this talk of ‘friend’… oh! Was this bird Chai’s friend? That would explain why he was here! Everything made sense!
In a little burst of energy, Nimbus hops to their feet, tugging on whatever part of the bird’s hand they could reach and backpedaling towards the waterfall at a surprisingly quick pace. They take care to not send Niko into the water this time, instead letting go of his hand and skipping deftly on a series of rocks leading closer to the pouring water. They tap out some sort of rhythm on the stones nearby and wait…
And soon enough, another chao’s head pops out from behind the waterfall, flapping her wings to stand next to Nimbus before turning her attention to Niko… and staring quite intently. In turn, Nimbus gestures with both arms, one towards Niko, and one towards this new chao.
[ “Found a Chai! Yes, yes!” ]
Holding in the immense joy upon hearing the young Chao speak his name so excitedly, Niko nodded along with their cute antics, expecting to simply get a simple diversion from what was going to be a follow-up investigation (a break every now and then is important, after all)... Only for the young one to hop around excitedly, repeating “Chai” in their language. Bewildered, the azure feathered Mobian found himself tugged along towards the shimmering waterfall.
The view was certainly beautiful; there was no doubt about that. Maybe the Chao just wanted to show him how nice it looked? A photo should be taken, if for nothing else but for Niko’s own memory...
Just as he reached for his camera, however, an oddly familiar face peeked through the watery veil. He squinted... The snow-white fur with robin’s egg trim... It was just like that one other mobian he encountered! Which means...
“M-Miss K--!?”
His eyes looked back and forth between “Chai” and the younger Chao. Was there another companion that she was protecting?
“Who...?” He started, visibly bewildered.
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the-dark-omochao:
Nimbus had… no idea what Niko was attempting to do, but whatever it was, it looked pretty fun! There were more words they understood this time, but on their own, they weren’t really sure what to make of them. “Flying” and “Angry” were things that they knew, but what’s with the funny poses? Maybe the bird was trying to become… emotions? If so, that was a silly way to try.
After the little game of charades, the bird turns to them and says a word they weren’t quite certain they’d learned before. They attempt to sound it out on their tongue…
“Ahndahstahn?”
[ ”What a funny word. I wonder, wonder what it means?” ]
The blank smile on their face (and the question mark floating above their head) made one thing very clear. This is going nowhere. With a deep sigh, Nikola relaxes himself.
“Well... It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a Chao, let alone spend time with one.” Nikola thought aloud while setting himself down in the grass, along with his worn leather messenger bag.
“I haven’t introduced myself, have I?” he said, almost jokingly. “My name is Nikola. Niko,” he said, while gesturing to his chest.
“Some mobians name their Chao friends, while others seem to latch on what other Chao seem to call them. But what’s your name, little one...?” He idly spoke while brushing the Hero Chao’s chin affectionately. “Come to think of it, Miss Kuro wasn’t always called that, was she...?”
What was she called again...? Charlotte? Cherry?
“Chai... Yes, that sounds right.”
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the-dark-omochao:
Gentle is a thing that is quick to calm Nimbus down, and by the time their feet touch the grass, they’re right back to smiling. It’s now that Nimbus finally gets a good look at the visitor. A bird, obviously. Nimbus had noticed that much before. What they hadn’t payed much attention to was the bird’s only-slightly disheveled outfit. His glasses. His crest, and the nice vibrant color of his feathers. And his wings! They were huge! Easily twice the size of Chai’s, if not bigger. Maybe their wings could get that big one day. A chao can only dream.
Nimbus’ head tilts as Niko begins to talk to them. They hadn’t gotten very far with their lessons in the Mobian language. Quartz and Ajax had taught them a few key phrases… ‘Friend’, good, they knew that one. ‘I’m sorry’, too. The rest of the words… well, they sure are funny sounding! The picture… isn’t familiar, but there’s something about it that makes Nimbus a bit uneasy. The bird quiets soon enough, so they decide to respond to him.
…
[ “Aha! Weird words. Don’t know what they mean, though. Nope, nope!” ]
This child is far too precious. Niko hadn’t the slightest idea what they’d said, but that didn’t matter. Regaining his composure, the reporter pondered for a moment, to see if they’d recognize her by any of her mannerisms.
He wasn’t exactly a practiced actor or anything, but he at least tried to make clear that he was imitating somebody. He poses, almost like a flying superhero in one moment, and switches to a stern expression to the opposite side, in an attempt to show that she flies quickly and is a bit gruff, peppering his charades with words like “Flying,” and “Angry” before he finished each moved.
“Understand?” Nikola asked the little one.
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the-dark-omochao:
The young chao lets out a quiet raspberry as Niko stands, lying prone on the grass for a moment before sitting up and shaking their head vigorously. No need to become the ground today, it seems! Nimbus has little time to get their bearings though, as they’re soon lifted off of the ground.
The little chao regards Niko with an expression of what is unmistakably fear. They squeeze their eyes shut as Niko’s hand comes closer… Only for it to gently pat their head. Nimbus is stunned for a good moment, eyes blinking open to look blankly at the avian before they feel an intense and almost overwhelming sense of relief. With a small tremor, they lean into Niko’s hand.
“There we are, little friend...”
Niko gives the hero Chao a gentle smile as he gave them one more gentle pat before setting them down. They really were quite cute... All the more reason to get this story told to the best of his ability, the reporter decided.
“I’m sorry if I startled you,” he began, speaking slowly. “I’m looking for a friend of mine. Miss Kuro...” He paused to look at his notes, and pulls out a photograph of the robotic chassis.
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the-dark-omochao:
Well that wasn’t what Nimbus wanted to do at all. To be truthful, they hadn’t really wanted to come in contact with the mobian in the first place. Even so… There was a little pull in their gut that wouldn’t let them run away and leave the cockatiel in the water.
And so, with a little fluttering hop, Nimbus jumps back to hold onto the avian’s shoulders. The little chao isn’t very strong, but they use their balance and wings to their advantage, pulling Niko backwards onto the grass… albeit a little clumsily. As the bird falls back, Nimbus is still behind him, and they don’t have much of an opportunity to dash away before they end up pinned under him with a quiet ‘mmph-’.
Drenched, and now with a light cushioning on his back, Nikola shook himself in an attempt to dry down and stood up... Whoever caused his tumble pulled him right back out.
“T-thank you...!” He spoke up, somewhat still disoriented. But there was no response. Where was his savior...?
He gasped, upon realizing just what the soft cushion he landed on was.
“Are you alright...!?” A young Hero Chao? It’s at least good to see that despite Oliver’s best efforts, there were still plenty more roaming around. Nikola picked up the small creature and petted them on their head.
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Continued from here [x]:
@the-dark-omochao
At the sudden impact against his head, Niko’s balance was compromised and after haplessly following his instinct to flap his wings to escape, the only direction he was headed was the body of water before him...
“Who’s there--BWAAH!!”
And so, the sheepless cockatiel found his face plunged into the water’s surface.
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About this Blog!
//Maybe I should have a soft reset. I have far too many loose ends right now, and it’s the guilt of not writing for them that’s really been keeping me from coming back. I’m also thinking of maybe changing the type of blog this is. I’m pretty inconsistent when it comes to roleplaying, and that’s unfair to the partners I’ve had before. But I still have a lot of affection for this character, so maybe I should just turn this into a story blog, focusing on mostly asks. If you’d like to work off of previous interactions we have had before, please let me know! We can discuss.
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B I r b
//Niko as a Chao? He’s cute~! Thanks, Starzy!
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halloween-ish starter prompts
send me a word for a starter
send me AFRAID! for a starter based around a phobia my character has.
send me BOO! for a starter where my character trying to scare yours.
send me BLACK CAT! for a starter where my character comes home with a stray cat.
send me BLOOD! for a starter where my character is extremely injured.
send me CANDY! for a starter where my character has a stomach ache from eating too much candy.
send me CEMETERY! for a starter where my character is visiting someone who’s passed away with your character.
send me COSTUME! for a starter where my character is showing yours their halloween costume.
send me DARKNESS! for a starter where all the electricity goes out in the middle of the night.
send me GHOST! for a starter where my character is trying to convince yours that ghosts are/aren’t real.
send me GRIM REAPER! for a starter where my character is dying.
send me HAUNT! for a starter where my character thinks the house is haunted.
send me JACK O’LANTERN! for a starter where our characters are carving pumpkins.
send me NIGHTMARE! for a starter where my character suddenly wakes up from a bad dream.
send me SPIDER! for a starter where my character spots a spider while in the shower.
send me TRICK OR TREAT! for any halloween based starter.
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Niko please write a report on your crimes. It was due to your recklessness that the frappacino died last year. Shes dead!! How could you put her in such danger, bringing her to Infinite??!!
//”I’m sorry!! Coffee is supposed to be the ultimate force for peace! I thought that if anyone could ease the pain of someone hurting that much, SHE could do it...!” The camera pans out, revealing a messy apartment room... It seems that the guilt of leading the hapless frappuccino to her doom had been weighing on him for quite some time now.
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{ Heyo! Do me a favor and like/reblog if you’d be interested with interacting with a little cube who maybe cares a bit too much! Crossover friendly and humanoid verse available if desired! }
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