[Jaykobell]

The Aurona, at first, did not relish the idea of being picked up and handled. She squeaked again, flailing a little, but the truth was, despite her energy, her strength was no match for a trained retired war assassin. She, too, eventually resigned herself to her fate. She still squeaked unhappily, but less so. She still wanted food, and she could still smell the food.

Meanwhile, Caprice had been busy and distracted with her own penguin, amused at the little one's movements and invitation to try and hold the little curly feather once again. "Hey, come back," she said as she giggled, twirling her finger around it again.

As she heard Rithika speak, however, she looked up for a minute, to see her friend being distracted by her own penguin. As she watched the scene, an image came to mind, and she laughed quietly. "It's funny, isn't it?" she asked Rithika, with a knowing tone to her voice.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika grimaced and held the Aurona a little ways away from her as it kicked and flailed, but tried her best to hold onto it without squishing it at all. Finally, it seemed to calm down—and it felt a bit strange to be calling it an 'it,' so...

No, there really was no way at all to tell in the slightest. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Rithika glanced over at Caprice as the other woman giggled and talked to the bird. It twinged something sweet in Rithika's chest to hear that laugh, and for a moment she threatened to soften, her posture, her sharp eyes, everything—until the little bird squirmed again, and she made a hiss of irritation. "Quit your squirming around," she muttered softly, sidestepping back towards her seat.

Rithika blinked and looked up and over at Caprice, looking truly at a loss for a moment. "W... what's funny," she asked plainly, an uncertain flatness to her voice as she slowly, carefully, lowered the penguin down onto the table, a little ways away from the basket. She kept her hands hovering there, not wanting it to suddenly sprint off the table and fall to its doom. "I mean... yeah, this is... not how I expected this to go, for sure. Funny like that?"

[Jaykobell]

Caprice blinked as Rithika tried to answer her. She hadn't expected an answer, just a prompt. But she did appreciate the effort. "I mean, yeah, but I meant more..." As her voice trailed off, she started gently petting the Aurona on her lap, occasionally giving her small scritches. "I meant how these two are little stowaways," she clarified, and she shot Rithika a knowing look. "Funny how things work sometimes."

As the two humans talked, and as the feisty Aurona was put on the table, her goal became clear. She spotted the basket, and she knew she had to get it. Rithika's threats had only fueled her desire to spread chaos, to seek the food that tormented her.

With loud squeaks, she slapped her tiny wings and tried to make a dash for the basket.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika blinked owlishly back at Caprice, wondering now if she was supposed to have provided an answer. She wasn't so good at things like that, she admitted—never was good at bouncing off of other people in conversations. Most of the other cooks at the restaurant left her alone, as a result, and that was good. But now she felt herself growing the slightest bit warm, itching with a foreign embarrassment.

Somehow that embarrassment only grew as she watched the penguin in Caprice's lap, realizing with a start that she felt... the faintest bit jealous of it. Rithika grimaced slightly, wondering if she should unpack that mentally, but her frown snapped away when Caprice finally clarified.

Stowaways... Rithika's eyes lit up with a rare, quiet delight, dark grey flickering brighter as she let a genuine smile spread over her face. "Huh... you're right. Kind of nostalgic," she mused, watching as the Aurona in Caprice's lap snuggled closer against the other woman's stomach, settling into a sleepy ball of fluff.

Rithika was about to let her metaphorical hackles lower—when suddenly there was a loud battle cry of a squeak, and she was bristling, catching sight of the scrambling other penguin out the corner of her eye. "Oh no you don't!" she barked, perhaps too loud, startling the poor penguin in Caprice's lap as Rithika's hands shot out to try to block the food thief's path. "Stay!"

[Jaykobell]

To see that smile, and those eyes softening; it made Caprice forget all about these little penguins that had interrupted their outing. She looked down at the little one that was slowly getting comfortable, snuggling up against her, and she pet the little bird gently. "Isn't it?" she agreed.

And then suddenly, the other penguin squawked passionately, and Rithika was protecting her basket. Even Caprice jumped, but her attention was brought right back to the Aurona on her lap, equally startled. "Oh, don't worry, it's okay," she said, petting the penguin to try and soothe her.

She looked up to see Rithika bravely defending their food from a headstrong little penguin, who was furiously pecking at Rithika, the one obstacle in her way. She then looked down at the Aurona on her lap, and back up again. "I wonder how long they've been in here?" she wondered aloud, not really asking Rithika the question; she didn't expect her friend to know. "They must be hungry..." Her voice trailed off. Caprice hadn't brought any food, was it really her place to offer Rithika's? Ah, but could these penguins eat their human foods?

She got lost in thought a little, mindlessly, gently twisting and curling the Aurona's head feather.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika was trying her damnedest to keep their food safe—which was already less than they were going to have before, and that would have been fine, if not for the little bird now trying to steal even that from them.

"Don't know," she griped, though it really wasn't supposed to come out as growly as it did. That was just her natural voice, when she was focused, and a bit irritated with the current situation. Her hands stung slightly from the myriad of pecks. "Don't c—"

Rithika paused, then suddenly scooped the baby penguin up before it could reach their basket. It was... mean to say she didn't care if they were hungry. She understood that much—even if she herself didn't care very much, Caprice clearly did by the way she had vocalized it. She hummed softly in thought, readjusting her grip on the tiny Aurona. The one in Caprice's lap squeaked slightly, placated by Caprice's gentle hands, settled down but flicking its feather towards the penguin in Rithika's hands.

Rithika blinked slowly, then made a decision, carefully stepping around the table. With both penguins in her sight, it wasn't as though she needed to watch their basket. She stepped over to Caprice, and crouched down slightly, so that she was lower than the other woman, and carefully held her captured penguin out to the other. "There is a stop on the way to the forest area I picked out. We could probably get them something to eat there, or at least show them the shops. There's nothing wrong with begging. I don't think something this tiny can have money," she mused, furrowing her brow in thought. The Aurona in Caprice's lap flicked its feather out to tangle with the other penguin's, making a friendly trilling sound.

And behind Rithika, there was a near-silent movement, easily lost under the train car's noise. A floorboard creaking, and being shifted aside, as a brown head and long pink feather began to slowly peek out...

[Jaykobell]

Caprice had a feeling on what Rithika had been about to say. Of course she cared that they were hungry, even if she acted like she didn't.

And Rithika proved it when she came closer and reunited the two little penguins, at which point she also mentioned how they could stop before their destination, for the sake of these little guys.

Maybe it was Rithika having come closer, but in that moment, Caprice struggled to put her affection for her friend into words. She couldn't get over the tenderness that lay in her friend's heart, right under that tough exterior. Those contrasting traits, they were so...

Her brain fizzled for a moment, but she eventually came back to the present. "Oh, well... Yes, yes, that's a great idea," she agreed, giving Rithika a smile. "I'd really love that. I don't know how they got here, or if they're anyone's pets or anything..." She let that thought hang in the air so that she could pet both little penguins, one at a time. "But I'd just feel bad leaving them like this, you know?"

As the two women discussed, something behind them was brewing.

Next to the dark, older penguin, there appeared a bright one. He eyed the surroundings, his eyes going from the little penguins to the basket on the table.

It was working. He made a soft, almost inaudible cooing sound to the Aura. He was ready to go, if she were ready too.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika hadn't quite realized just how close she was, now, until she'd settled down on her heels near Caprice's lap where the other penguin sat. Granted, this sort of proximity was something she was instinctively hyperaware of from her old days as an assassin—of course she knew when another person was close. But while her mind had been acutely aware of it, her heart was only just now catching up.

She barely tensed, realizing the silence between them, and wondered if she should place the penguin down and step away. But then she recalled how Caprice had hugged her, and she couldn't help the warm feeling in her chest at the memory. It distracted her long enough to keep her in her position while Caprice spoke up. She looked up at the other woman's smile, and her heart fluttered in a way that put a somewhat odd, wobbly smile on Rithika's face.

She corrected it into a more easy smirk as the topic of conversation drifted back to the penguins. "Mm. I hope not. Forgetting a pet seems like a difficult thing to do, for someone that cares about their pets." She lifted the Aurona in her hands slightly, peering under it for any sign of some kind of leg band. Sometimes livestock, such as chickens, had them, in the safetowns she stayed in while the war was ending. This little one had no such thing.

"No... you're right. At the very least we could find someone in town. Or a... barn, or something." Rithika was no good with this sort of thing, really. She'd seen stray dogs, but usually paid them no mind, because they were large enough to scrounge food for themselves and, frankly, she saw a bit of herself in them. She had never been extended a gentle hand in her life.

Except...

Rithika blinked and flicked slate grey eyes back up to Caprice's gentle expression. She lingered there for a moment, then cleared her throat, effectively and accidentally covering up whatever sound was happening behind her.

The Aura in the floorboards seemed agitated as the Pengi rose up beside her in the tight space. She flicked her head feather over his beak in a silent attempt to shush him, then flicked it towards the table, nodding her head. She squinted at Rithika, then nodded again, and slowly began to shuffle out of her hiding place, careful to hold the board up with a wing. If it fell, it would cause a racket... It would need to be lowered slowly, and then raised again.

At the very least, she held it open for her accomplice to climb out as well. Those two little penguins were serving their purpose as bait just fine. Humans really were so easy to lower the guard of.

[Jaykobell]

Caprice had had pets in her childhood, many, many years ago. But ever since she had been determined to join the war, and ever since she had come back to civilian life, she just hadn't had any time for pets. They required so much time and attention and care, and with her crazy busy schedule, it just wasn't feasible...

But she would be lying if she said she didn't miss the company of a pet. Maybe that was why she enjoyed the company of these tiny penguins, even if they proved to be a little feisty.

As Rithika observed her own penguin — much to the little animal's dismay, chirping with irritation — Caprice giggled. "A farm?" she echoed, and she looked down at the little one on her lap. "Well, I was going to say that penguins would need cold temperatures, but it's not like I know exactly what these little ones are." For all she knew, they were a breed that could survive in hotter climates. "If anything, someone with more animal knowledge than us could probably find them a good home," she agreed.

The Pengi rolled his eyes when the Aura slapped her feather against his beak. Of course they had to be quiet; he knew that! That's why he had kept his call so quiet.

But no time for all that. He stared at the basket as the Aura pointed. He glanced at the humans; what a genius idea they had had. The little ones were doing their job perfectly.

He nodded to the Aura and then, slowly, quietly, but with a level of dexterity perhaps unexpected from a penguin, the Pengi slipped out from under the floorboard. He turned to his partner in crime and invited her to follow him out.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika had to admit, at least silently to herself, that she didn't know a thing about penguins. She vaguely knew what they were, of course, in concept, but it wasn't as though she'd grown up learning about them. From an incredibly young age she'd grown up with the rest of her assassin commune, training. She'd never seen any children's movies or documentaries, but she had traveled. Even to cold climates. Still, she'd never really taken the time to... look. To look around at the native flora and fauna. She'd always been far too focused on the grip of knife or gun in her hands.

The thing she held in her hands now was... so small and soft. It felt a bit wrong, really, but Rithika was glad the little penguin had somewhat accepted her hold, though not without complaint. She smiled slightly at it, almost affectionate. "Mm. That's who we'll look for, then. I'm sure there's someone like that... or someone who knows someone like that, at the next stop."

If this was how their catching-up went... Rithika was realizing she didn't really mind. She'd come here with a picnic in mind, but if their... meeting, turned into finding a safe place for these birds, then Rithika wasn't about to deny Caprice that. It was unthinkable, quite suddenly, to refuse. Not because of the birds' wellbeing, but rather...

The Aura watched as the Pengi carefully crawled out of the slat of wood she was holding up; if nothing else, she was always impressed with how stealthily he could move. As long as he kept his call down, he was the perfect accomplice. She nodded once in response to his gesture, and carefully peered towards the humans one last time before nudging herself carefully out from under the board.

Surely by now, her Pengi partner would have placed the flat popsicle stick they'd brought for the occasion in the corner of the board so that it would stay open while they enacted their thievery. By her memory, it was his turn to carry it. Taking turns was a genius way of remembering it, a way in which nothing could possibly go wrong at all, just like this time.

She stepped out, and the board snapped closed with a wooden thwack. Right onto the Aura's webbed toes. She jolted, then let out a terrible shriek, squawking and flapping her flipper wings wildly until she flung herself away from the board, which snapped fully closed, effectively trapping them in, and... oh. She'd just made a terrible amount of noise. And now the taller human was staring right at her with the most terrifying eyes she'd ever seen.

Somehow she broke through her paralyzing panic. "Wark wark wark!" the Aura barked to her Pengi partner—'Get the basket! I'll attack her legs!' Already, she was getting up, scrambling towards Rithika's ankles with a rather comical limp.

[Jaykobell]

Caprice had been about to agree when things turned sour.

The Pengi looked horrified as he remembered it had been his turn to place the prop. Ack! That's right, the Aura had been the one to hold it last time. What a disaster! The plan had been working so well...!

He squawked aggressively towards the humans before making his way towards the basket.

Caprice, momentarily surprised, failed to process what was happening right away. "Where did those two come from?" she gasped, but her momentary distraction ended up costing her a lot. With Rithika distracted by the Aura, the small Aurona took the opportunity to wiggle free. With a loud squawk, she threw herself at Caprice and pecked her eyes.

Taken completely by surprise, Caprice screamed from the pain. It hadn't been enough to permanently damage her eyes, but it would definitely be enough to keep her incapacitated for a good while as the penguins continued to create chaos.

The Aurona turned to her little friend who had been enjoying her pets. "We gotta help them get the food!" she squawked urgently.

[zapdragon555]

Rithika was about to answer, or at least do something, when suddenly the little bird in her grasp wriggled free and launched herself at Caprice. Rithika cursed in surprise and swiped at the empty air, but it was too late to prevent the collision and frankly merciless assault, which was somehow less than comical even when coming from such a tiny creature. Eyes were delicate, and the Aurona was playing dirty by going for them.

Rithika was on her way to the larger penguins—the little penguin was probably small enough for Caprice to fend off herself, and Rithika was far from underestimating her friend. Though... she would probably be too merciful, not wanting to even begin to risk hurting them. "Hold that one down!" she snapped in Caprice's direction, a small worried edge to her voice. She'd make sure Caprice wasn't injured soon. For now... whatever this situation was.

The Aurona in Caprice's lap snapped to attention; she'd been put under something of a spell, being scritched and pet, but now she was quickly getting ready for action. She fluffed up sharply and nodded, peeping loud in affirmation, and bunched up her legs to spring from Caprice's lap to the table. With Rithika trying to kick the Aura off of her leg (and she was holding on quite well, it seemed), the Aurona spied the basket, and rammed into it with all of her force. It moved a few inches, and she stopped to pant, giving it another hard shove towards the edge of the table. Slowly... slowly, a little bit more...

[Jaykobell]

With her eyes assaulted, Caprice needed a bit of time to recover. She heard Rithika barking an order, and although she did want to help, this was a kind of pain she hadn't experienced in a long time. She tried nonetheless, flailing her arms to try and grab a penguin — any penguin — to try and control this chaos.

With her friend out of it and in the game, the small Aurona failed to pay attention to Caprice. She figured those peaks would keep her down long enough, but it didn't. She squeaked with surprise, sounding like a dog toy, as Caprice somehow got ahold of her. Still, the hold was weak and awkward, and at this point, they weren't playing games anymore. She used her back paws to kick and scratch all the while flapping her wings to struggle free. Already barely holding on to the penguin, it was enough for Caprice to let go.

The Aurona quickly joined her partner, and she helped push the basket over the edge, where the Pengi was waiting. Once the basket was close enough, he reached out too, grabbing onto it with his beak and fins. "Go for the trap!" he squawked at the little ones. "Hold it up! I'll run down it with the food!"

[zapdragon555]

Rithika knew there was more she could do, but the penguin at her leg was currently having a go at her knee, which had gotten injured at some point during the war. How this penguin knew that, she'd never know. Or maybe it was just very lucky at guessing weak points. She snarled and braced herself at the wall to try to shove the penguin off, placing both hands on the bird's face and pushing, to little avail.

The sound of a squeak did draw her attention, and she was relieved to see Caprice had managed to grab the little bird. At least... for a moment. "Damn it," she muttered, finally managing to kick free of the Aura, not without colliding her boot rather heavily with the penguin's soft body. Luckily the bird seemed agile, and landed quite gracefully, even with a hurt foot from the floorboard.

That's when the basket hit the floor. Rithika looked up with a start, grey eyes blazing with fury. What kind of luck was this, that their date was getting interrupted by bird thieves?!

Wait—date?

The Aura turned tail and ran towards the floorboard taking Rithika's momentary distraction to make a break for it. She sped ahead of her Pengi partner and waved for the little ones to jump down from the table to follow. One of the Auronas patted the other's wing and gestured for the cushiony seats, then dashed for it, hopping down and using it as a soft midway point before hitting the floor.

The Aura, meanwhile... stared with a dawning horror at the floorboard. Or rather, the floor. Without that stick they were supposed to insert... all of the floorboards looked the same, and as she tried sticking the tips of her wings and beak into various slots in the floor, she couldn't seem to find which one was loose.

Rithika stared in disbelief as the Aura stamped around and cursed in penguin language, most likely, and slowly looked towards Caprice with eyes wide with disbelief.

[Jaykobell]

The Pengi held onto the basket, ready to make a dash for it, the little Auronas hot on his tiny penguin tail. But when they reached the Aura, something was clearly wrong. "What's the hold up?" he squawked roughly, wondering why the female was wasting so much time. They had to escape fast! Why couldn't she—

Oh... Oh no.

His own face changed. He, too, started to sweat — figuratively and literally. Which tile was the right one? And he was holding onto the basket, which he didn't dare to leave unattended. "Help her!" he asked of the little Auronas.

Caprice's eyes still suffered from the Aurona's attack. She couldn't force her eyes open; they throbbed and stung, and keeping them closed shut helped soothe that pain. "Are they..." she breathed shakily, "are they still in the cabin?" She could still hear the shuffling and the noises. What were those damned penguins doing now?