The Chibi Problem Part 10
The fall months were pretty quiet. I didn't have to kill anyone at work, BabyDoll settled into his roll as Queen of the house, the gundam was, as always, noisy, hectic and in my house.
Cooler weather causes the local predators to look toward yards and garbage cans for an easy meal, but the gundam were on constant alert. Several times they ran off coyotes and I lost count of the number of possums and raccoons who lumbered away, dinnerless and smarting from a scythe poke or a beam cannon shot across their bows. The neighborhood cats were turned away a bit more gently, but not by much. My cats seemed to take great delight at hooting and howling at their retreating brethren. Why not laugh; the gundam had taken over the job of guarding the territory.
The four of us made a pre-holiday trip to Disneyland. Again, the car ride was not to the alphas' liking, but they chose to snuggle up to BabyDoll, so there was no repeat of the trip to the vet. Angel and BabyDoll rode shotgun on my shoulders in the park, while Killer perched on my daypack to watch our rear. Their weapons were tucked safely in the pack, but I was well aware that if any of them felt threatened they could be armed in an instant.
We were almost as big an attraction as the characters. Even Snow White produced a camera from somewhere for a quick photo. We rode every ride I could stand and the alphas loved most of them. Killer began to twitch by the second chorus in the "It's a Small World" ride, but I had control of the pack, so no harm came. Unless you count his snorting, which pretty much drowned out the rest of that obnoxiously repetitive ditty. Angel and BabyDoll giggled together, which only made him more disgusted until BabyDoll patted his arm and kissed him when he looked up. He promptly melted into a lump of chibi-goo for almost twenty minutes.
They loved the Matterhorn ride. Angel and BabyDoll hung onto me like barnacles and opened their wings for the down-swoops. Killer squalled during the downs and "kisama!"-ed for every climb. People in front of me were trying to see what was making all the noise behind them, but the people behind me were strangely quiet.
After we got off the ride, a little girl scurried up to me to ask what kind of birds I had.
They're not birds, I explained. They're chibis.
Her eyes got huge. Real live chibis? she breathed. I've never seen a real chibi before.
Before I could offer, BabyDoll slithered down to cling to the front of my shirt, almost at eye level with the child. "Oooooiii?" he trilled, giving her a big smile.
Oh, he's so pretty! she cried. Can I touch him?
If you're careful.
She stroked his cinnamon hair gently and BabyDoll went into full thrum mode. "Shiiiii," he sighed contentedly. Killer and Angel edged down my arms, keeping a wary eye on the girl and their beloved.
How come that one doesn't have wings? She asked and went to touch Killer.
Oops! No, honey; he's not quite to the petting stage yet, I warned, catching her. Killer puffed himself up indignantly and glared at me. He sat on my arm and smiled [I'm pretty sure that's what it was meant to be; it looked more like a grimace to me] and crooned, "onna, onna, onna."
I guess he is ready to be petted, I laughed. He's a wufei; they don't come with wings. There are five varieties of chibi, duos, heeros, wufeis, quatres and trowas. Only the duos and heeros have wings.
Barbara, what are you doing? called a woman from the nearby gift shop.
I'm petting a chibi! Mommie, can I have one?
Oops, I murmured and Angel raised an eyebrow and smirked while BabyDoll giggled. Killer was silent. I looked down at him and was surprised by the look complete bliss on his face. Barbara was still petting him and scratching under his chin and down his back.
She skritched away at Killer with one hand while petting BabyDoll with the other and trying to get in the occasional caress of Angel, who had no objections to being touched as long as BabyDoll was safe.
Barbara's mother popped out of the crowd behind her. Oh, my.
Did I mention the crowd? I should have. We had collected about thirty people to stare and comment. Some were trying to touch my guys over my shoulders and around Barbara. Someone bumped me and I felt something near my pack.
Angel swarmed to my shoulder immediately to administer a sharp chop to the hand that was attempting to ease into my pack. There was a yelp, and the offending hand, as well as the body it was attached to, withdrew with speed. That broke the spell for Killer and BabyDoll. They joined Angel on my shoulder and backpack, again wary and on alert.
What happened? asked Barbara.
Somebody shoved me and tried to get into my bag, I explained. Heeros and wufeis are natural guardians. BabyDoll snorted in my ear. And the duos are pretty protective too, I laughed.
The crowd had drifted away under Killer's vicious glare. Mommie hugged Barbara and tried to ease her away, but she wasn't having any yet.
Mommie, I want a chibi. Please?
I don't think so, dear. They're a lot of work, aren't they? She gave me the parental Save me! look, so I took pity on her.
That's very true, I agreed in my best instructional voice. It's not like having a cat or a dog. To begin with, they can be extremely expensive to buy and you have to do a lot of reading to learn how to properly care for them. Sorry, honey, but I think your mom's right. I love my guys, but they do take a lot of time. I knelt down to be closer to her level. You could start reading up on them now, and saving your money and by the time you can afford one, you'll know all about them and be fully equipped to take one on.
That's a wonderful idea, Barbara! You don't want to have a pet you can't take care of, do you? Her relief made me smile.
No... But I am going to learn about chibis! She grinned at me. I want one of those! She pointed to Killer.
Do your research and save your money. They're terrific companions.
We all said goodbye and BabyDoll waved until Barbara was out of sight.
You guys make great goodwill ambassadors. I'll bet she gets her chibi within a couple of years. And she wants a wufei. I shook my head. She's a great kid. But her poor parents...
BabyDoll giggled, Angel laughed and Killer snorted. I noticed that he began preening.
TBC...
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