Purfect Catastrophe!

[timidlyblooming]

If anyone happens to be passing by the library, a very distraught Snowy—Lillie’s Alolan Vulpix—might bark at them, pleadingly, and try to point them in the way of the library, where Lillie works, most often reading to younger children.

The library might be in a state of only somewhat-controlled chaos: it seemed a wild Pokemon had found the quiet (well, it had been quiet up until now….) library a very suitable place to hide her children. Unfortunately, said children happened to be Coinpur, which dashed around, furry and fleet-footed, causing quite the commotion, before they quickly tired themselves out, and promptly went to sleep wherever they found themselves, with no regard to danger…

A - Stranded
Lillie had made a brave effort to climb to retrieve one particularly precariously napping Coinpurr who had chosen a very high shelf to sleep in, but in her attempt to reach it, she couldn’t quite manage on the stairs, which clattered away from her, leaving her hanging off a shelf! The Coinpur continued to dream, stretching languidly, before curling up tight.

B - Roar
A bunch of kindergarteners can be heard inconsolably crying or, conversely, competing in spinning increasinglyfrightening (if very creative) stories about a monster living in the book returns chure. None of them are tall enough to actually peek at what’s inside, of course, so all of the terrible stories seem equally impossible to prove right or wrong. Some particularly rambunctious children attempt to roll up thinner books or magazines to try and reach up and swat at the roaring beast, but all it is, really, is the echoing purrs of a sleeping Coinpur in the metallic, tinny-sounding chute.

C -Type: Wildcard
Where else can Coinpur be found? Could you ever hope to catch them all? There are sleeping kittens on the roof (doesn’t anyone have a Flying type?), kittens in people’s bags, kittens in flyers tangled up like hammocks…

Comments

Re: [cat yawn, but echo-y]

[bashou]

"Thank you."

Bashou cast his eye over Hiroshi, wondering if he should say or do anything more. The boy's talk of monsters was scaring some of the other children, but he was also just a child himself. In the end, Bashou decided to just leave him alone. Bashou had spent plenty of time sulking as a child because he felt that he wasn't being heard or understood; it had never done him any harm, right?

Bashou glanced at his watch, trying not to look impatient - he really was grateful for Yoneko helping out, even though sending her off had unintentionally put Bashou in the postion of 'babysitter' - but wondering whether he would try to continue working here when this situation was resolved, or whether he would prefer to go back to the inn, where he could be sure of no children and no monsters.

Just as he was pondering that, a sudden sound from the chute, and a flash of movement, almost made him flinch. He might have, had he not been so chronically under-reactive...

And there go the kids, yet again.

"Calm down, everyone. That was just...a creak. It was probably Lillie, or...someone, doing something at the other end. I think I just saw a bit of light. But, yes, stay away from the chute if it bothers you so much. That seems sensible."

That was a lie: Bashou thought he'd seen some little teeth - but he certainly wasn't going to go announcing that!

[oh, yeah, *that's* reassuring Bashou, you turned out *just fine*...]

[timidlyblooming]

The other children might've taken Bashou's word for it, but Hiroshi looked decidedly unconvinced when he shot a glare back at him. Well, he didn't seem to care anymore, or at least, not enough to argue.

Yoneko soon returned with a very frazzled Lillie, being tugged along by the younger girl, nearly stumbling as she tried to keep up.

"I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this yourself," Lillie bowed politely. "I'm Lillie, it's nice to meet you, even... given the circumstances. Thank you for watching over everyone. Ah, the um, monster in the chute... it's probably one of the hiding Coinpur!"

"Coinpur...?"
A number of the children repeated, looking confused and surprised.

"So it was only a Pokemon..."
"Do Coinpur eat kids, Lillie-nee-nee?"

Lillie shook her head. "No, I've never heard of Coinpur eating anybody! They're so young, I think they only drink milk and maybe some soft food..."

"We can't access the inside from this side, but if we go to the back, it should be easier. A heavy book or two might bring it down lower, so maybe... could I trouble you to stay and watch the chute from this side... and please carefully slot in a book if I can't reach the Coinpur from the other side, to bring it lower? I'm sorry, you've already done so much..."

[bashou]

Bashou wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. Maybe he'd assumed that Lillie would be much older, but then...she was older, compared to these kids. Still not an adult, nor even close, as Bashou had been hoping...but he didn't show his surprise. He returned her bow, albeit very briefly.

"It's nice to meet you, too. Apologies that I - we had to drag you here." Bashou nodded his thanks towards Yoneko. "But the children seemed quite distressed. It was getting too noisy to ignore."

Bashou hadn't seen a Coinpur yet, though he knew it was one of the species that seemed to be unique to Ultern. He didn't particularly need to see one: as he'd said, anything small enough to hide in the book chute couldn't have been that monstrous.

"Well, it's some kind of creature, and arguably all Pokémon are monsters of some kind, so...not entirely wrong, I suppose. Even if it's not a dangerous one." Bashou glanced at Hiroshi with that remark, before returning his attention to Lillie. He held up the book that Yoneko had given to him earlier. "Yes, I'm happy to do that. Might as well get this sorted out."

[in which Bashou accidentally gains the admiration of many small children ^^;;;]

[timidlyblooming]

Yoneko looked quite happy with herself for the role she played! She smiled at Bashou acknowledging her.

Hiroshi blinked, surprised, that Bashou had given him any acknowledgement, and for once, he didn't look mean-spirited or disgruntled, just... amazed. He sat straighter and watched Bashou.

"Thank you so much!"

Lillie quickly went off to the other side and, soon, he would hear her voice from behind the slot. Lillie's pale fingers fit inside and the Coinpur seemed to stir, its fur rustling around and the coin atop its forehead reflecting light.

"Book, please!" Lillie said, from the other side. "Gently, on the opposite side of the Coinpur, it's started to wake up and move around..."

The children watched quietly, although some are crowding each other, trying to catch a glimpse, but they give Bashou and the chute ample room, at least.

[ definitely not something he has ever set out to do on purpose! ]

[bashou]

Bashou was all too glad that this saga might be over soon, but he'd become curious, too. Might as well take this chance to see a Coinpur!

He approached the chute, holding the heavy book that Yoneko had given him. As he caught a glimpse of Lillie's fingers, he felt tense for the first time, wondering if there was any chance of the Coinpur lashing out. Meowth were small, too, but they could deliver some nasty scratches. And this Coinpur must have felt quite trapped, in such a small space...

At the sound of Lillie's voice, Bashou sighed and shook his head. If he got scratched, that would just be a reminder that he shouldn't go interfering or offering to help with anything, ever again. He resisted the urge to just dump the book into the chute. Instead, he reached over the Coinpur's body and lowered the book as gently as he could, though it still made a small clang that might have startled the Coinpur.

"Is that enough?"

[probably more socializing than Bashou has had in a whole month, all in one day]

[timidlyblooming]

The Coinpur, fortunately, did not attack, it avoided Bashou and Lillie's hands, fearfully, judging by the way its tail tucked between its legs. The sound made it tense a little, then approach the book with its little tail erect and rounded ears pinned back, like a stalking cat... albeit one with very ungainly, disproportionate paws and ears it hadn't grown into quite yet.

With the book's weight, the false bottom lowered enough to allow Lillie to pluck out the small writhing kitten. It was rather harmless, really, and only seemed to think the book was some sort of threat.

Lillie soon returned with the Coinpur, which very much resembled a Meowth, although the coin on its head did not resemble a koban as much as a 5 Yen coin, hole and all. It seemed to have very small eyes, like a Skitty's, or perhaps it was still unable to fully open them due to its very young age.

It mewled.

The children seem to have forgotten their fear and crowded around Lillie to admire the kitten.

All's well that ends well, isn't it?

"Alright, everyone, let's try to be quiet, it is a library... shall we read a book, after I take this little one to its brothers and sisters?" Lillie asked, although some children sounded disappointed they wouldn't be able to play with it more. "It needs to sleep and wait for its parent to come back..."

Lillie turned back to face Bashou. "Thank you again, so much, mister... ah, I never caught your name!"

"Thank you, nii-nii!" many of the children chirped.
"You're not so bad," Hiroshi declared with confidence.

Well, being helpful worked out well, didn't it, Bashou? You solved the mystery of the, er, monster of the chute, saw a Pokemon unique to Ultern, and regained your peace and quiet with Lillie's promise of storytime for the children.

[ yeah! he's gonna have to go home now and be silent for at least 24 hours (sorry Buson) ]

[bashou]

Bashou's eyes widened as he realised that a Coinpur must have been a pre-evolved Meowth, or perhaps some kind of regional variant...? This one looked tiny, and even though he hadn't spoken his worry out loud, Bashou nearly blushed at the idea that he'd been afraid of that little thing attacking his fingers.

He stepped back so that the children could get closer, if they wanted to. A glance at the Coinpur was enough for him, and he could understand that they might want to fuss over it a little more. He was about to leave when Lillie asked for his name.

"Hmm..."

There was really no need to give his name. Someone else - like Buson - might have opted for a false name instead, but Bashou would often choose the path of blatant rudeness and walk away, if he could, as though he hadn't heard the question. But he liked coming to the library to work, sometimes, and he didn't see anything to be gained from being rude here. They were just kids, and they seemed genuinely grateful.

"I'm Bashou." He nodded to Lillie, and then to the other children, including Hiroshi. "Glad I could help you all."

Glad he could restore some peace and quiet, anyway!

[Buson would be worried initially, but if Bashou just looked grumpy/tired--"ah... talked too much?"]

[timidlyblooming]

This seemed to satisfy everyone. Lillie bowed gratefully. "Thank you again, Bashou-san."

The children, this time, more cohesively, thanked him again, mirroring Lillie as they bowed, "Thank you, Bashou-nii-nii!"

Lillie went back to collecting the other Coinpur and the children waved and bid him goodbye.