PTS :: Bulletin Board - A Sensu's Sway

It wasn’t a particularly exciting day. The sun was hesitant as it peeked from the passing clouds, piercing rays to shine down on the town of Ivywood. It wasn’t too hot or too cold with a light breeze from time to time, reminding citizens that it wasn’t quite summer or winter any longer. It teased the upcoming season, but time wasn’t going to go any faster no matter what the weather wanted people to think. On days like these, it only made people wander out to various corners of the town, soaking up Mother Nature’s embrace. Anyone and everyone could find something to do thanks to the beckoning welcome of the great outdoors.

Elliott Tiergan was also one of those people, not leaving much room for an excuse to escape this nice weather. In fact, he thought to make the most of the day by taking some of his team with him. It had been a while since they had a nice day off and out of the studio where lately Eli spent most of his time. He had to work, but a day off was just as welcoming as the weather. Instead of drilling song after song, he could just take this time to find inspiration. Since coming to Ivywood, he had been inspired just about every single day. It was rare that he didn’t break out into song. Anything could get him to. Grocery shopping, grooming, and eating - everyday activities that could be made into a song. It just wouldn’t stop.

Until today.

This was the reason for the day off - not just because of the nice weather. Elliott needed a reprieve from the studio. Things just weren’t clicking like they used to and it was probably due to the routine of going to the studio, singing the same songs over and over, and going home late in the evening. If there was one thing Eli absolutely hated, it was a routine. He hated mundane activities being repeated over and over again. It only made things stale. Where was the creativity in the expected?

“Where has the music gone today….?” Eli sighed as he flopped back onto the grass, smushing a few wildflowers underneath him.

A soft whine came from his left as his loyal Lycanroc, Roxanne, was laying by his side. Her golden brown fur appeared to be glossy under the peeking rays from above. Eli reached over to scratch behind her ear, moving his fingers down into the white of her mane and tangling in her fur. Out of the mons he’d brought today, she was enjoying the midday sun the most.

“Makes me sad too, Roxie….” He sighed again, looking up at the clouds that passed by. “You know….if Jules was here, he’d probably already have an idea in mind to add to the album. Always was sharper with those things….”

Elliott decided to sit back up, giving Roxanne another stroke through her fur before picking up his guitar again and settling it in his lap. Another light breeze swept over the meadow then, tickling the back of his neck as he’d shed his jacket and left it a few feet away. It was being safely guarded by a few of his flock. Looking over at them, he could see how tired they were. His nest had grown tremendously in the last few weeks, and he was working them hard on these upcoming tracks. He needed all the voices he could get.

As he looked over at the birds that had followed him to the meadow, he had to count them. There was his Murkrow, Maestro, and Swablu, Serena, huddled together like the contrasting darkness and light companionship that they shared. Cadence, his special Lilac Chatot, was also cuddled close to Calypso - Eli’s oldest companion and Chatot. The younger, purple bird thought of Cal as her older brother for sure, even if the male didn’t want to acknowledge the platonic relationship. But as Eli counted the birds that were there, one was definitely missing.

“Roxie, where’s Ocarina….?” Elliott asked his canine guard where one of his newest feathered friends had wandered off to.

Ocarina was an Oricorio with flaming red feathers and whose strut was distinct, able to be spotted even amongst all the other Oricorios that were flocked all around the meadow. As he scanned the open field, Eli’s eyes were drawn to a complementary pairing of plum and scarlet just a small distance away. The musician blinked as his gut told him the loudly colored Oricorio was his while the other was definitely wild. Intrigued, he couldn’t help himself as he gave a harsh strum of his instrument - a hard, marcato G chord.

Just as he thought, the birds immediately acknowledged him and turned to look in his direction. With another few distinct strums, switching between G and D chords, Eli managed to bring the scarlet Baile Oricorio over to him. Giving the bird a gentle smile, he was happy to see Ocarina come back to him. Being a Flying Type trainer made him a bit uneasy at times, worried that they would wander too far and wouldn’t come back.

“There you are.” He gently stroked the top of her head and down her back with his index finger. “Who’s your friend over there?” Gesturing over towards what appeared to be a Sensu Styled Oricorio, Eli was intrigued by the sparked friendship. “Can I meet them?”

Ocarina chirped a bit stubbornly before taking off back over towards the Sensu. Eli blinked a bit, unsure to follow. After a moment, he told Roxanne to guard the flock and put his guitar down. Going over to the two birds, he was ready to meet the eerily present Sensu. Despite being the same breed as Ocarina - an Oricorio - there were four different versions, all with different personalities. This was his first time encountering a Sensu up close.

Unlike Ocarina, the Sensu’s wings were fanned out with slightly dramatic plumage atop of its head like a headdress. It moved in a very fluid strut - legato compared to a Baile’s staccato. It almost appeared as if it was flowing in the light breeze that passed by. Very mesmerizing.

“How did you do that….?” Eli asked the lavender bird after watching it for a moment. Its movements were like water flowing downstream or like leaves in the wind. Eye-catching, unique, and settling. It was different from what he was used to. Something that broke the routine of moving about. “Like this?”

Elliott took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He wasn’t a dancer. Not in the slightest. Despite being a musician, he had no rhythm, but that never stopped him from trying something new. Especially dancing. Ocarina was prepared for her trainer’s utter failure, waiting for him to make a mistake. Letting the internal music of the wind and light shuffling of grass and flowers move him, Eli gently swayed back and forth - sweeping his hand up and down in half the time his body was moving. The motions looked a bit off for a human to do, so the Sensu jumped in. Looking at the bird, he made sure to mimic its moves.

It still wasn’t easy, but Eli managed to adjust to the Sensu’s rhythm. It was much simpler than when he tried to mimic Ocarina’s movements. Heck, it was easier than any of his other mons’ movements. It was as if the Sensu knew Eli wasn’t the best dancer, allowing him to adjust and set the pace rather than vice versa. He grinned as he finally caught onto the swaying. This was actually fun.

“Wow….now that’s a workout.” Elliott laughed slightly, stopping after a few moments. He could never keep up with an Oricorio, no matter the style, but it was still enjoyable nevertheless. “And….different. Never seen a dance like that before….It makes me think of,” he interrupted himself mid-sentence as he clapped his hands together. “Oh! I know!” Looking back at the bird he grinned. “Thanks for the inspiration, Sensu.”