#Irving Beaks | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

umbry-fic · 2 years

Text

Twilight Skies

Summary: Wtih Zelos' kind help, Colette takes Lloyd on a Corviknight taxi ride.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Colette Brunel, Lloyd Irving, Noishe Relationships: Colette Brunel/Lloyd Irving Rating: G Word Count: 3463 Mirror Link: AO3 Original Post Date: 13/06/2022

Notes: Written for Colloyd Week Day 5: AU/Crossover. A Pokémon AU fluff fic! Noishe is a Stoutland and this takes place in Galar.

Corviknight taxi date :)

~~~

“Tada!” Bouncing up and down on Noishe’s back, Colette gestured at the attraction they’d be riding for the evening - a Corviknight taxi, the titular bird standing beside the vehicle. Wings tucked neatly by its side, head proudly raised towards the sky, curved beak pointing towards the canopy, its metallic body catching the light of the luminescent mushrooms that lit up Ballonlea, sprouting up all around them. Ready to carry the carriage in its talons and take off into the skies, giving its passengers the best of experiences.

Comfey agreed with her enthusiasm, showing its support by lifting off her head to do a merry spin, the tufts atop its head wobbling from the motion. It settled back into its favourite position on her head with a small chirp, lazily sideways and so still that most wouldn’t even know it was alive, perfectly camouflaging as a colourful flower crown, permanently adorning her hair. Even Yamper, safely hugged in her arms and fast asleep, opened one eye to give a yip of assent and wiggle its limbs in the air, before promptly falling back into slumber.

“We’re going… in that?” Lloyd muttered, sitting in front of her with his hand resting between Noishe’s ears, eyeing the carriage warily. With a rough bark, the Stoutland began to run a circle around it, allowing them to take in every detail. The glass windshield, the headlights and license plate, the plush violet seats, the massive spotlights of the nearby Ballonlea gym illuminating it all. And the driver, wearing the usual aviator’s outfit with his goggles pushed up on his forehead, standing still as a statue alongside his Pokémon, saying not a word under Lloyd’s scrutiny. A carbon copy of every other driver she’d seen. Perhaps they were somehow all… in the same family?

“I don’t see what’s wrong. You ride Charizards in Alola, don’t you? And we rode Noishe to get here!” she replied, turning so her side was pressed against Lloyd’s back. Kicking her feet in the air, the bracelet of sea glass, blue and green and white jagged shapes, jangling against each other. He’d mentioned countless times, in the letters he’d sent to her over the years, the various shenanigans he’d gotten up to while riding a Pokémon.

“But that’s when you’re on a Pokémon’s back,” he protested, waving wildly, his Z-Ring sliding against his wrist, the white Normalium-Z set into its centre. “Not being carried around like fruit in a basket! What if it drops us?”

What was the difference, between sitting on a Pokémon’s back and riding in a carriage carried by Pokémon? She didn’t quite get it, but she supposed Lloyd had only ever done the first, having spent so many years in Alola completing the Island Challenge, where Ride Pokémon were the norm. He likely wasn’t used to the idea of the second.

“It’s perfectly safe!” she explained, hoping to assuage his fears. “I’ve ridden these for years, sometimes across the entirety of Galar, and I’ve never even heard of anyone being dropped. The drivers are all really nice, and so are the Corviknights! Have a little more faith in them, won’t you?”

The driver flashed a grin, snapping to attention and giving them a thumbs up.

“And Zelos was so kind to organise all of this for us. I don’t want his efforts to go to waste. So please, Lloyd?” she pleaded, clasping her hands together, imploring.

Zelos had sought her out after a day of fulfilling work taking care of the Pokémon in the nursery. Telling her all about what he’d organised, a mischievous grin playing on his face while Sheena had groaned in the background and hidden her face behind the counter. Apart from the spectacle of their gym battles and the Dynamax Pokémon that decimated the field, Corviknight taxis were the speciality of Galar. Everyone should experience them at least once in their life, and since Lloyd was new here, this was the perfect opportunity!

Zelos had done so much for them, and she didn’t want to disappoint him. Or Sheena. The two of them would surely corner her tomorrow when she reported for her shift, asking how things had gone. For some reason, they’d been really interested in everything she and Lloyd did, ever since he’d arrived in Galar.

She didn’t want to have to tell them that the plan had fallen through…

“Well,” Lloyd sighed, folding his hands behind his head, having lost the battle long before it had even begun, the tips of his ears flushed. “If you say it’s safe, then I trust you.”

“Thanks!” She hugged him from behind, smiling against his shoulder, happiness warming her heart. Comfey hummed, procuring a flower out of nowhere in its usual mysterious ways, tucking it behind Lloyd’s ear and making him sputter as the driver’s jovial laughter filled the air behind them.

It took a while for them to actually get into the carriage, for Noishe had to be returned to his Pokeball. There was no way the bulky Stoutland would be able to fit in the carriage - at least, not without squashing the both of them and leaving his head to hang out of the window. A shame, for she knew the view from up in the sky was incredible. With many an apology from Lloyd and hugs around the neck from her, Noishe was consumed in a beam of red light that disappeared into a Pokeball, the lid snapping shut.

Once that was done, there was nothing left to do but head for the skies.

“Come on!” She grabbed his hand and ran towards the carriage, the two of them tumbling into the backseat with Lloyd nearly falling atop her, their fingers threaded together.

She stared up at him, Yamper hugged to her chest, Comfey having been dislodged to float next to her, chirping in amusement. This close, she could count each individual eyelash, his eyelids fluttering open and closed, silence growing between them. His skin tanned from the Alolan sun, having not yet faded in foggy Galar, the soft light of the mushrooms filtering in through the window of the carriage and falling upon the both of them, breaking up the gloom. Heat crept up her neck, her voice dying in her throat as her fingers tightened on Yamper’s yellow fur, a soft whine escaping it.

“Off we go!”

The upbeat voice of the driver, the shake of the carriage and the clunk of the Corviknight’s talons hooking into the bar attached to the top of the carriage snapped the two of them back into action. Quickly untangling herself, she scrambled to the far side of the taxi, heart thudding away, gaze fixed on the floor as they took off with a screech from the Corviknight.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, not knowing what else to say, depositing Yamper onto the seat next to her and nervously rubbing her knees.

The inside of the carriage smelled like Roselia petals and the ever familiar scent of Comfeys and Floettes, floating about happily in the fields of spring. The seat cushions were so soft she sunk into them.

“Come on!” The tug of Lloyd’s fingers on her sleeve drew her over to his side of the carriage, the infectious excitement in his voice washing over her and erasing all remnants of awkwardness.

She eagerly squeezed in next to him, letting her arms hang out of the window and feeling the wind’s caress, smiling at the view.

The wooden cottages of Ballonlea passed below them, the massive trunks of trees, steady and strong, sometimes so close that she was convinced she could reach out her hand and let her fingers brush the bark. She could guess what had caught Lloyd’s eye. The gym, which they now had a bird’s eye view of, erupting into sparkly pink light, bursts of fairy dust and dirt exploding into the sky in short intervals. Certainly a spectacle, and one that told her the night’s matches had begun.

“Wanna catch the midnight battles later?” she offered.

Lloyd would surely love that - he was always trying to improve as a Trainer, and observing the battle tactics of those from another region would do him wonders. That, and the excitement of the gym battles here - of becoming one with the crowd and the wave of cheers, watching attacks fly just centimetres past one’s cheek, igniting the air itself with passion - it was an incredible experience.

As predicted, Lloyd’s eyes glittered in glee at the prospect, a grin splitting his face. “That’d be great!”

She giggled, turning her head to glance at the fast-approaching exit, the light of the evening sun spilling through. “Then it’s settled.”

With a rustle of leaves, they burst through into the world beyond, their vision suddenly flooded with bright colours.

Behind them was the labyrinth that was the forest of Glimwood Tangle, stuffed to the full with critters hiding in every nook and cranny, the fluffy rainbow tails of Ponyta slinking out of sight to be lost in the dancing shadows of its surroundings.

And before them were the rolling plains of the Wild Area, stretching further beyond what one could see, Pokémon roaming free upon the land. Onix resting next to a lake, coiled up, flocks of Combee buzzing around beneath groves of trees, Lotads hiding within a pond and occasionally surfacing. And even some people, camping out with their Pokémon with pots of curry simmering, engaging in ferocious battles, or simply traversing the area in hopes of reaching their location.

She sneaked a glance at Lloyd, whose hands were tight on the windowsill, mouth having fallen open in shock, eyes wide as saucers, all the breath leaving him in one exhale. Leaning further out of the window, she laughed, the wind whipping her hair around and stealing her voice away. A wonderful, freeing feeling.

“It really is like you said,” he whispered in awe. “The view is incredible.”

This was all scenery she’d seen before, on her various trips through Galar over the years. It was nothing new, no longer capable of flooding her heart with wonder. Yet with Lloyd beside her, his hand slowly finding hers in the space between them, their fingers interlacing, every sight seemed brand new. Brighter. Bursting with colour.

Magical, even.

And her heart couldn’t help but soar, together with their ride, through the skies.

~~~

With a bump, the Corviknight taxi landed on the craggy surface of the cliff, signalling the end of the ride and the end of the game they’d been playing, trying to correctly name as many Pokémon as they could.

“We’re gonna stop here for a bit before I send you back,” the driver called out from the front seat, having manoeuvred a steady descent, hopping out of the carriage with something bundled in his arms.

Lloyd laughed, warm and sweet, as she tripped over the step and stumbled into his arms, already raised to catch her and hold her close. The sound reverberated through her as she wondered, for just a moment, if they could stay like this for a little while longer. Behind them, Yamper scampered down the step, finally awake with its tail wagging, Comfey drifting right after. “You really do have to be more careful, you know,” he chided, pulling away and guiding her towards the edge of the cliff, where the item the driver was carrying was revealed.

Set neatly down was a checkered picnic blanket, each edge pulled to the exact distance needed to remove any wrinkles. The perfect spot to enjoy the setting sun, saying goodbye to another day.

“Enjoy the view!” The driver waved, this time flashing two thumbs-ups as he ran back to the carriage to tend to his beloved Corviknight.

Settling down on the surprisingly thick picnic blanket, through which she couldn’t feel the sharpness of the rocks, they retrieved all the Pokeballs from their bags, and with a quick, practised flick of the wrist, released all of their Pokémon into the world.

Lloyd’s entire team of Pokémon - Furfrou, Granbull, Mightyena, Arcanine, Lycanroc - were quick to start playing with each other, playfully batting paws at each other and rolling around with a cacophony of yips. Noishe, meanwhile, barrelled straight for Lloyd, pouncing and pushing him to the ground, making him disappear under a mound of blue and brown fur. She watched all the while, barely holding back laughter as Lloyd’s arm occasionally reappeared, waving desperately for assistance.

He’d never answered her, when she’d asked him why all of his Pokémon were dogs. He’d only flushed a rather deep shade of red and changed the topic immediately.

Her Eevee yawned, stretching its limbs before hopping into her lap. She gladly rubbed its long ears and petted it on the head, eliciting satisfied purrs.

“Ugh!” Lloyd emerged, his face a lot wetter with saliva, successfully wrestling Noishe to the ground. “I’ve told you before, Noishe, you’re not a Lillipup anymore!”

She couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore, erupting from within her like a geyser as she doubled over. “He just wants to show you how much he likes you!”

Lloyd scowled, wiping the saliva off with the tissues he had ready for this purpose. But he couldn’t stay angry for long, a smile soon replacing the downturned corners of his mouth.

The chaos of the situation having dissolved, she turned her attention to her surroundings. A waterfall nearby thundered down, throwing up spray that floated for just a moment before falling back to earth. Sometimes close enough for her to reach her hand out and catch, when the wind blew in their direction. Fluffy clouds resembling Swirlix swam through the sky, flicking their tails. The sun was halfway below the horizon by now, seemingly larger than it was when it was far away in the heavens, painting the canvas of the sky in dashes of orange and pink. A flock of Wingulls flew in the direction of the sun, becoming dark blots that slowly disappeared.

Noishe lay down, its body longer than the picnic blanket, the matching necklace of sea glass around its neck glinting under the sun’s dying light. Yamper snoozed on its back, having somehow made its way up with its stubby limbs. Comfey frantically dashed through the air, to and fro, collecting the vibrant wildflowers that grew on the sides of the cliff and threading them together expertly to form flower crowns that it dropped on the heads of everyone present. Finally, it gently placed one down on Lloyd’s head - a ring of pale red carnations.

Pretty. She couldn’t help but think that, staring at him, at the way he caught the last of the sun’s rays as he raised his hand towards the sun.

“This reminds me of when we used to watch the sunrise in Alola,” he said, reaching an arm out to wrap around her shoulder. She obliged, snuggling close to rest her head on his shoulder, enjoying his steady presence, Eevee hopping over to Lloyd’s lap.

It did feel like they were back on the beach of Hau’oli city, having snuck out of their homes to sit in the pitch darkness on the sand, waiting for the shy sun to announce its return. A lot smaller than they were now, his hand laying atop hers, having only Comfey and Noishe, still a Lillipup, for company. Back then, there wasn’t this strange feeling in her heart, that she couldn’t identify, that scared her, a little.

But…

“I’m just glad I could see it with you again.” He stole the words from her, his head leaning on hers, warmth spreading from where he touched her, to embrace every part of her with a fuzzy feeling.

They’d been living in two separate regions, an entire ocean between them, for so long, their only reminder that they’d once spent every day exploring the beaches hand-in-hand being the memories they cherished and the letters they’d exchanged, every single one stashed in a box on her bedside table. Now that they were reunited, she wasn’t planning to ever part again. She would make a thousand new memories together, to carve into the surface of her heart.

“It’s just as beautiful,” she whispered, not wanting to break the approaching silence of the night.

“Not the…”

“Hm? Did you say something?” She could have sworn…

“Heh. Nothing.” Lloyd stared off in some far-away direction, a soft smile on his face. Comfey tugged slightly at her hair, as if to tell her something itself.

“No, you definitely said something!” she protested, pouting. “I managed to name more Pokémon correctly just now, so you have to tell me!”

“That’s not fair,” he grumbled, his previous expression completely wiped off his face. It was like she had imagined it, but somehow, she knew she hadn’t. “You’ve been living here for ten years. I just arrived last month.”

“But the rules are the rules!”

“Alright.” He poked her puffed up cheeks, making her reel back. “I’ll tell you… Someday.”

“Promise?” There was a niggling thought in the back of her mind, that told her that she already knew what it was he wanted to say. That, really, it was the same thing she wanted to say, though she couldn’t yet find the words for it.

And she was willing to wait, for as long as was needed.

“Promise.”

~~~

“How’d it go?” Zelos asked, feet propped on the counter as he leaned back in the swivel chair with a can of lemonade, freshly bought from the vending machine in the corner, droplets still condensing on the sides.

“If you don’t get your feet off the counter by the time Martel gets back, you’re going to get murdered by her Trevenant,” Sheena said dryly, not looking up from where she was crouched in the corner, checking the recently delivered goods. Their three Eevees frolicked about in the centre of the nursery, chasing each other’s tails around the carpet. “I hope you enjoy wandering the forest forever in the afterlife.”

“Cold,” Zelos grumbled, but heeded her advice, swinging his legs off the counter and leaning his elbows on it instead.

“It was incredible!” she replied, leaving her bag on the chair and picking up the clipboard, a sheet of paper attached that held all the Pokémon she had to check in on today. “So much fun. And we even got to catch the last gym match of the night.”

It’d been such a close battle, an electrifying close to the night that had made it rather difficult to fall asleep as the flashy moves had replayed in the darkness behind her eyelids.

“That’s great.”

So why was Zelos still staring at her, as if expecting her to have more to say? His gaze burning into her as she turned her back on him and headed towards the backdoor, which swang out into the pasture.

“I’ll be heading in now!” She waved goodbye to her two coworkers and friends and stepped out into the glaring sunshine, eager to make her escape.

“Everyone really is acting weird…” she muttered to herself, scurrying along.

~~~

“This is hopeless,” Zelos groaned, sliding his hands down his face.

“I told you this wasn’t going to work. But when do you ever listen to me?” Sheena shot back, pulling out a feather toy from a pile of toys and waving it about in the air, sending all three Eevees scampering after her, raring for a good chase.

“Yeah, yeah. Then what do you suggest? Watching them dance around each other any longer is going to drive me insane!”

“I think it’s just you, Zelos.” Sheena waved her hand dismissively, expertly dodging one Eevee’s pounce as another threaded between her legs. “They’ve practically been sending each other love letters for the past ten years. I don’t think things are going to change any time soon. So why not just leave them to it?”

“But -”

“Oh, what fun you two seem to be having. Perchance, is it your day off today?”

They both froze at once, stiffly turning towards the entrance, where the cold voice had originated from - one that could strike terror into even the most courageous hearts. In the doorway, her arms crossed against her chest, was Martel, wearing a very unimpressed expression, eyes shooting a glare that could kill on sight.

“N - no, ma’am!” they both squeaked, dropping everything and scrambling out the backdoor after Colette.

Martel shook her head, sighing as she and Trevenant filed into the nursery. Did the two of them truly think all of their meddling and shenanigans were going undetected beneath her nose? At this rate, they were going to be far more obvious than Lloyd and Colette, and that was an achievement in its own right.

“Honestly. Kids these days. Don’t they know that love takes its own course…?”

#fanfiction #one shot #colloydweek2022 #day 5: au/crossover #tales of symphonia #colette brunel #lloyd irving #noishe #colloyd

8 notes · View notes

gothicbookslover · 1 year

Text

“The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow” Washington Irving

This week's gothic story “The Legend Of the Sleepy Hollow”. It is thought to be one of the greatest gothic short stories, written by Washington Irving. At first the story seems to be a normal fairy tale, but later it turns into a real horror.

What was the story about? Once upon a time there lived a teacher Ichabod, in a town called the Sleepy Hollow. He was an important figure, the only teacher in town and a choirmaster. Ichabod is told to be tall and lanky, with a high-beaked nose and large green eyes. He is a rather comic figure, with spindly arms dangling from too-short sleeves, feet like shovels, large ears, and a tiny flat head. He falls in love with a girl named Katrina, who is the daughter of the richest farmer in town. But wait, there is this one problem, a guy named Brom and he wants to kill Ichabod for taking his lady. Brom is like the villain of the story, he likes to pull ranks and bully people. After some time hiding away from Bron, he is invited to a party at Katrinas. Ichibod lends a horse from one of the people in town, the horse is old and not stable. The party turns out to be marvellous, with lots of food and drinks. After dancing, people gather around to tell stories and tales. Soon the conversation turns to horror stories and a story about the headless horseman, who haunts their town. It is told that he gallops around, trying to find his missing head and the people who get in their way go missing. After the party, Ichabod confesses his love to Katrina, but she leaves him. Going home crying on a horse, he hears someone following him. He remembers the story about the Headless horse and picks up his speed. The Horseman continues to follow Ichabod and the night turns into a crazy chase. Later the Horseman hits Ichabod and knocks him off his horse. In the morning Ichibon is gone.

Who was the narrator? The story is written in third person and the narrative is provided by Diedrich Knickerbocker, a made-up Dutch historian of Irving's imagination. He lived in Tary town near the Tappan Zee river. The narrator seems to know all about what is happening and is reliable. He suggests that The sleepy hollow town has a mysterious and strange quantity and has been haunted since unto the ages of ages.

There are many theories, what really happened to Ichabod. One of them is told by the narrator: After the terrifying night, Ichabod ran away to New York and became a politician.

There is also a theory that the whole night was supposed to be a harmless prank on Ichabod from Brom. He dressed up as the headless horseman and scared Ichabod for taking Katrina away from him. The joke went a bit too far and Ichabod died.

Or maybe the Headless Horseman was just the good old supernatural character. He was looking for a head and revenge, which he both took from Ichabod.

The headless horse is also used in other tales. He was a Hessian trooper who was killed during the Battle of White Plains on 28th October 1776. He was decapitated and the shattered remains of his head were left on the battlefield while his comrades hastily carried his body away. He rides along with a huge horse, carrying a sword and a pumpkin. The pumpkin represents the area's brutishness and the foolish behaviour of Ichabod. His black horse could symbolise death, mystery and evil. I think that the Headless horseman's character symbolises the tension between reality and imagination, between the natural and the supernatural, a past that never dies, which always haunts the living. Ichabon came from America and because the Headless horseman fought against America in that war, I think, maybe he was trying to remind him of the past and what his country did. Trying to get revenge.

At first the story seems like a normal folktale, a teacher lived in a small town. He fell in love with a girl and they got happily married. But the happy end didn't come, they didn't live happily ever after. Instead, a terrifying change of event happened. The folktale changed into a gothic story. With the supernatural and uncanny character. The eerie and creepy forest, with an old church. A character going missing and the suspension.

Overall the story was quite interesting and took surprising turns. The moral of the story is that things can change and they don't always go your way and how you planned and not always does the good win. Also that the past matters and always catches up to the present, you can't escape who you are. Thank You for reading, see you next week!

0 notes