Scene #2821: Lute and Finna Hang Out

Owner	Pose
Lute	It's been a little bit now, since Lute won his match. He has sent his Pokemon, and Mr. Crabs, off to be healed. His own wounds? They'll be attended to later. Lute himself? He found a private little island near Papaya Island. And he has staked a claim on the beach. He lays down, wearing his labcoat, and his jeans. His shoes are off, and tosses to the side. This is technically part of the Papaya Islands, or at least close enough to be considered a neutral zone as well. But, this doesn't mean he is here completely undefended. His I-Class Destroyer, Imima, is out playing in the water. And for now, he just lays back, happily looking up at the setting sun, resting against his towel on a sloping dune on the beach that props him up vertically. He reaches over to a glass of wine he has set in the sand, lifting it to take a sip. "...This is the life."
Finna	One moment everything's fine, everything's good! With a warm tropical breeze, the sun shining off the sea, and warm sand underfoot, all is well. Then the unthinkable happens. A bird swoops down gently from the heavens. A brightly colored red and green parrot in fact, unremarkable. Unremarkable except for the fact that it suddenly lands on Lute's head softly enough that the talons don't put any painful pressure on him whatsoever. "Hello!" The bird cracks out in a parrot voice.
Lute	Lute stares at the parrot. He knows these birds. Often, they can only be trained to say a few words. Some are more intelligent than others. He also knows the Multiverse, though. This is likely not what it seems at first sight. His eyes glance up towards the parrot on his head. For a moment, he considers calling Imima over. But. Neutral zone, and Imima is mainly keeping an eye out for Fleet Daughters. This should be fairly safe. ...Right? "...Hello. Are you a normal parrot, or are you something else?"
Finna	The parrot clucks its tongue, adjusts its balance on Lute's head, and replies in that throaty parrot-voice, "Everyone always takes the fun out of that approach!" In short order the parrot gets HEAVY. Because it's GROWING. Thankfully it also hops off onto the dune slightly off to Lute's right. The bright tail-plumage is the first to really change. It sticks out, loosens, and turns a dark greyish with tufts of white. But the shape, that's what matters. Quite foxy! The rest of the body follows shortly. Talons become human legs, bare of all covering. Wings stretch out to become bare arms. The beak melts into a mouth... In short order, Finna's body finishes forming. She's belly down with her head resting on both arms, legs raised up and twitching playfully at the air along with her tail, ears perked, and the biggest grin ever showing up for Lute. Thankfully (or maybe unfortunately, in Lute's view) she IS clothed. Appropriate for the area, it's a white two-piece and rather minimalistic at that. "Nobody freaks out anymore!" She mock-complains.
Lute	The weight surprises him. It doesn't take him long to place who Finna is once she takes her true form, though. He's met her before, and he's not the type to forget a woman. Still, it's a bit of an odd situation. He assumes she knows this is a peaceful area, but... He could be wrong. Lute shrugs a little, leaning onto his side, looking at Finna. He seems pretty nonchalant about this whole appearing as a bird thing, really, really. His eyes do look over her body a bit, despite himself. He knows she's Union. Soon, he just moves to laying back, and focusing on her face as he tilts his head to look at her. "...Well. I've gotten pretty dang used to people appearing out of nowhere. There isn't a wizard in the Confederacy who doesn't know how to either teleport or appear out of the shadows, you know. Besides, I've been here a /long/ time. It takes a lot to surprise me."
Finna	"Yeah, you'd need balls of steel to enter that tournament WITHOUT being around for quite a while." Finna agrees off-handedly. She's still happily fidgeting with both legs, but her eyes gleam a little. As if pretty sure where Lute's attention had been wandering. "So, got a moment to chat? Because I've revised my opinion of you."
Lute	Lute shrugs a little at the tournament comment as well, "Ehh, lots of people enter it. Really, it's a /lot/ safer than the war, right? No killing. So not that huge of a deal." He does notice the fidgetting. He isn't sure if that is awkwardness, or wanting to show off. It can be hard to tell sometimes. "...Yeah. I can chat. What's up?" He almost wanted to say no. But, just the other day he had an interesting chat with a Fleet Daughter. It's... Still not something he is used to. Talking to his enemies outside of a combat situation, where combat isn't likely to happen at all.
Finna	"Make love, not war. that's the saying, right? War sucks." Finna sighs a bit, shoulders bunching up for a kinda shrug. "Like I said. Opinion's changed! used to think you were the Multiverse's dumbest loudmouth. You've improved big time on that one. Didn't know you had it in you! But it makes me wonder.." Somehow her whole body participats in an effort to sort of roll over and spring around, leaving her sitting NEXT to Lute, close enough to poke his shoulder with a finger. "You're pretty easy on the eyes, skilled, and a few other things we have in common. Like enjoying the hell out of doing things everyone else says are taboo!~" The dreadful word's delivered in a mockingly sing-song tone... does she sympathize with him, maybe? "How is it we ended up so differently? It's a naggy question!"
Lute	At this, Lute is actually surprised. Not at the part about people viewing him different. So many have been changing their opinions on him. The rolling over and getting closer? This is a /lot/ more of a surprise. His first immediate instinct is to simply push for something more. But, he can't ignore his 'smarter' side at this moment. Too many times have cross-factional crushes gotten him in trouble. Mostly with him falling into traps. And yet he subconciously shifts a bit closer to her. "...Well. My life is complicated. So a lot of things might have sent us on different paths. At the basics of it, though? You seem to like toying with people more playfully, but not in ways that harm others. ...I don't care if others get hurt, unless I'm closed to them. I'm also a bit self centered, and care only about what'll lead to me having more fun." His eyes hfit from Finna for a bit, looking up. "...Buuut. Well. When I was young, both of my parents died in an accident. I was really young, and had no other relatives. I inherited a lot. I almost broke when that happened, but my first Pokemon, which at the time was a Tentacool? He helped me through the trouble. Made sure I kept everything myself, instead of becoming a ward of the state. I've been independent since I was a kid. And I learned the world is a cruel place. Fuck, have you /been/ to Orre? I love it, but it's a shithole of a town. Next town over from my home? Filled with criminals. Had to learn to survive for myself, especially when I decided to devote myself to Pokemon Research." "...And then I unified. False memories happened. I ended up in Team Rocket thinking I was a member. Ended up in the Confederacy. Fuck, if that /didn't/ happen, if I had just unified properly? I would of likely been unaffiliated. /Might/ have been a chance of the Union befriending me, though the 'Feds would've had just as much a chance. ...But, doesn't matter much. I am where I am, and I have so many friends in the Confederacy." A pause. "...And love so many love interests within it."
Finna	Finna blinks once, but her lips curve up slightly. With senses sharp as hers, figuring out Lute's tiniest budge is pretty easy. But the expression shifts to plain stupefied fast enough. "Blunt honesty and self-awareness. Point in your favor, Lute." She is in fact speechless for several very long seconds to think over this. She's left thinking pretty hard over the matter! "... more things in common than I thought. I too was born in a life of hardship... but I saw my father die before me from a foolish duel gone sour. What family I enjoyed was split then... the man who was now beholden to care for the woman he'd widowed and children he'd left fatherless, I could not stand. My sister left to learn medicine... no doubt wishing she'd known it then. I left to go vent my rage in border conflicts! Got a little... wild through most of it. Ohhhh, you haven't hal a clue about the things I did then!" The finger poking his shoulder migrates to his nose, but only for a moment... then it's withdrawn. "Haven't been to Orre, but I know how bad towns with THAT sort of rep are... not fun..."
Lute	Lute listens quietly. The nose touching isn't something he minds. Again, he is a fairly hardened man, used to a lot of strangeness. The only thing odd about this is how unphased Finna herself is by some of his own actions. "...Yeah. Pretty common story. Everyone has to find their own way out. But. Not everyone comes out of that sort of situation well. We lucked out. Hell, I've seen people come out way worse." The touching, though. Finna's nature. How she reacted to him uring their first battle. He thinks back to that. And he smiles. He scoots just a bit closer to her, to where their bodies are definitely touching eachother. He rolls onto his side, moving an arm to wrap around her. "...Well. Good to know there are at least some in the Union who /don't/ absolutely despite me, at least."