the-dark-omochao - Tumblr blog

[the-dark-omochao]

the-inked-quill‌:

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…

Niko’s reaction was... admittedly stronger than she had expected. Despite her earlier promise of indifference, Kuro feels a small pang of concern for the mobian as the pieces visibly fall into place for him. Even so, there’s a small, almost selfish feeling of satisfaction at seeing someone react to the truth...

Kuro’s gaze flicks over to Sol as he emerges from the cave, and she watches him swim as Niko speaks. Fortitude... was that what it was? She wasn’t so sure. She’d practically broken down when she faced Sol again, and the only reason she hadn’t done so with Nimbus was likely because she wasn’t alone in her shock...

Not fortitude. Stubbornness, maybe. But regardless of what sort of emotion was keeping her together, She could certainly agree with Niko. This would not happen again. Not if she could do anything about it. Her gaze returns to the bird at the mention of a ‘favor’, and she offers a curt nod.

Let’s see what he had in mind.

[the-dark-omochao]

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. ]

[the-dark-omochao]

the-inked-quill‌:

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?” 

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. ]

[the-dark-omochao]

the-inked-quill‌:

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.

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.”

[the-dark-omochao]

the-inked-quill‌:

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.”

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!” ]

[the-dark-omochao]

the-inked-quill‌:

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.

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-dark-omochao]

the-inked-quill‌:

“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. 

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!” ]

[the-dark-omochao]

the-inked-quill‌:

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.

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.

[the-dark-omochao]

the-inked-quill‌:

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.

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-’.

[the-dark-omochao]

"Miss Kuro...?" Nikola called as he entered the unfamiliar area... Judging by how she described Oliver's dirty work, this should be one of the spots that he stopped. A waterfall, a cliffside, a shimmering pool of pristine water... He'd never actually seen a Chao Garden before. He leaned down to touch the water's surface...

Unknown to the visitor, a pair of eyes that didn’t belong to the omochao move to peek at him just over the cliffside, obscured mostly by a thick patch of clovers. Nimbus wasn’t super sure who this mobian was, and a part of them was a bit wary to find out. Though… it wasn’t as if he looked dangerous or anything. The young chao stretches their wings, adjusting their feathers before soaring out closer to the bird as quietly as they could.

They stay in the air for a good minute or so. A new record, but ultimately nowhere near Chai’s skill in the air. Oh well. There was still time to learn some more. Nimbus angles their wings to glide down to the nearest perch…

Which just so happens to be the top of Niko’s head.

[the-dark-omochao]

celticcangel‌:

His smile faded, ears folding a bit as he listened solemnly… That is, until she talked about the chao greeting her. For a split second, he looked a bit bewildered, then as she said the word ‘souls’…

He suddenly looked rather relieved.

The truth was, he did know a bit about souls, and despite having spent the last … well, some time with cryptids, he remembered this world’s ‘usual’ soul properties. He had actually already noticed this about Kuro–he had had to track her here, after all. And the presence of another did show…

He’d just been too preoccupied to acknowledge it or understand what ‘change’ had referred to.

He was, in fact, now grinning warmly at her quite before she’d fully worded her explanation. For her to be with the chao whom she’d respected most was wonderful! Though, he thought–his smile became a bit sheepish–he did sense Kuro wasn’t the most fond of her metal prision, and to share it with another, while likely an improvement–was not ideal. If the other felt trapped, it was actually rather sad in a way… The poor things. He couldn’t bring himself to dismantle Kuro’s shell, though. Not unless she made a serious petition for it… He’d feel he was murdering her, in a way, and he would certainly miss her company…

He shook his head slightly. “No, sorry. It’s actually… I understand it. I just don’t know… if you are happy.” He looked apologetic. “I thought you might be, but then I wondered if you weren’t. Your happiness is all  that matters to me, with this ‘change’.” His expression reverted back to it’s initial warmth, and he gently poked her metal shell. “Though, I would not say this necessarily changes you, yourself… Just the… ‘appearance’ of you.”

“I love you either way, my dear.”

“Thank you.”

It had been a long while indeed since she last uttered that phrase, and even longer since she meant them. Over the long years, she had very little to be thankful for. And yet, the words pour out without effort. It’s an action that surprises herself a little bit, but her chassis can only do so much to express it. 

“My feelings are... complicated. I would have thought he’d have moved on by now. But he is not stuck like I am. He chose to stay, and that... having his company is good. So... I suppose I am happy to have him here.”

She pauses, quieting for just a moment.

“I suppose the next thing I should ask you is... would you like to meet him?”

[the-dark-omochao]

“NIMBO!!”

Sol ran over and picked up the striped Chao-- or rather, he did his best to. What resulted from the attempt was a tight embrace followed by an elevation of maybe a couple of inches. After a second of trying to raise them even higher, Sol decided it best to simply enjoy the contact.

“Oh Nimbo, it’s so good to see you again, buddy…!” 

With a hearty sob, the Hero Chao nuzzled into Nimbus’ shoulder. The younger chao returns the hug with an almost apologetic expression... not that Sol could see it. Whether or not it’s in response to Sol’s tears or something else is uncertain, but in the end, it doesn’t last long. Soon enough, it’s replaced with their usual carefree smile.

“Hey hey! I didn’t know you had tears! What’re you doing with those? Are you becoming a cloud? That’s my name, silly!”

While Chai landed closeby, Sol releases his grip on the other as he wipes the tears away from his eyes. Chai takes the opportunity to ruffle the top of Nimbus’ head, unsure what to say at first.

“It’s good to see you, little buddy. Are you alright? You aren’t hurt or anything…?” 

It wasn’t as if she could outright ask if they remembered anything from before. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to know if they did. That sort of thing could wait. Nimbus tilts their head, their smile unwavering. 

“Mmm? That’s a funny question! Why would I hurt? Clovers are soft, and I didn’t trip or anything.”

Sol caught his breath and sniffled, trying to keep his tears away from Chai’s sight. 

“Haha… Yeah, I guess you’re right. There’s no reason for you to get hurt… Not here.”

The older Hero chao fidgeted, trying to figure out what the best thing to say next would be. It wasn’t as though all three of them didn’t know what happened to them or why, but… Maybe it’s okay to not talk about it for now. 

“Well, since you just woke up, you must be hungry!”

The young chao’s eyes light up at the mention of food. With that, perhaps a meal was in order. Figuring out how this happened? Perhaps that could wait for now.

[the-dark-omochao]

TAILS: I already told you, we’re doing a Q&A! SONIC: …Why?

TAILS: You don’t need to stand so close to the camera, by the way. SONIC: Oop, my bad.

[ INBOX IS OPEN! ]

[the-dark-omochao]

OH YEAH VALENTINE’S DAY

//H-hey! So we totally didn’t forget that we had stuff for Valentine’s Day or anything, haha… Here, have some cards that we did! So that we can apologize! For being too clever and not forgetting things!

By Owlmun:

By Trashmun:

Keep reading

[the-dark-omochao]

Not fun? What do you mean?

“Not... fun? I went for a run and a weird fluffy guy picked me up and took me somewhere. It’s no fun to try and become the cage.”

[the-dark-omochao]

celticcangel‌:

While Brennt had never harmed a chao, he’d killed other creatures (though he didn’t like to), and outright tormented mobians and humans to where they would die slow and agonizing deaths. He shook his head just a little, but smiled.

All that mattered was that Kuro believed in him, and she did not mind what he had been. What he had been, he wasn’t going to be anymore. He may struggle to forgive himself, but…

He was trying, and Kuro saw nothing to forgive.

He stood there for a moment in somewhat comfortable silence as he cradled her, unable to tell that she was thinking behind her hard metal exterior. His eyes shifted down to her as she finally spoke up, listening carefully to her words. His head tilted slightly, confused by her meaning. How did she mean, she’d changed? Her feelings? She should know that with a soul, she was always capable of that… so what was so impossible about it?

Unable for the moment to quite make sense of her meaning–she had not elaborated, and thus he figured she didn’t want to for now–he looked up at the garden around them.

…It was a chao garden. He’d hardly noticed in his focus to search for his friend. Well, he was relieved to remember he hadn’t gotten into any of the water nearby. Chao were such fragile creatures that their water had to be absolutely pure, and he was honestly rather…

Well, he wasn’t all that dirty, but he’d fear contaminating the water. Other chao might come here someday, even if the garden was empty now–

…His ears folded. Ah. “It’s lovely, Kuro… It seems a beautiful place to grow up in.” He smiled a little bit weakly, returning his gaze to her.

His heart hurt for her. He wasn’t sure what else to say.

Brennt’s initial confusion is made clear enough to the omochao, and she makes a note to herself to be a little more straightforward about what she’s getting at. Luckily, it was a thing she’d planned to do anyways. At his comment, Kuro lets out a small ‘hmm’.

“It is a nice place, and the memories that come with it are fond. That brings me to what I want to tell you. I returned here around a month’s time ago. It was meant to be a visit in respect for a chao I was... particularly close to.”

She pauses. How to explain what happened, exactly...?

“There is a cave behind the waterfall that we used to spend a good amount of time in. When I went inside, the chao I came here to honor was there to greet me... despite the fact that he shouldn’t be and isn’t alive. I don’t claim to know if you believe in spirits or souls or the like, but that would be the best thing to liken it to. And, as it stands, he’s found a way into where I am stuck. My apologies if all of that is confusing to you.”

[the-dark-omochao]

Hi cutie! Where'd you come from? Happy to be awake? :)

The little chao waves to you, giving you a bright little smile.

“Where? That’s a silly question! I came from right here!”

They pat the bed of clovers a couple times.

“Is that a funny way of asking where I went? Because...!”

They pause a moment or two before shrugging, their expression falling a bit.

“Mmm, I dunno! But it wasn’t very fun. Nope, nope. But I’m not there, so awake is good!”