Dawn of the Blessing (Open RP) (Unova)

[HoneyShuckle]

(Just to let you know, I was thinking about doing something similar to Senna. Because there are so many characters in this house, and it wouldn't be right if they ALL just blended into the background.)

GTM-Upstairs

The Mewtwo just groaned again. "You really are serious, aren't you?" He turned his head and opened one bright green eye. "Apparently two years is as long as you can be a hero in one place. New record for me." He clutched the scarf with one hand, body not awake enough to actually put it on right now. "I'm never going to get a good night's sleep again...." He shifted a little bit, preparing to get up. Kinda.

Fayette- Downstairs, Foyer

Fayette returned with a bag of berries to comfort the others, and she had a Liechi berry in one paw. "I have a feeling you'll need this now. Although there's only a few left." She set the berry down for him, then secured the bag. "Water. We need water." She looked up to notice the Audino. ".... Another one of our guests?"

Taro- Downstairs

Taro's grip loosened on Remiel as he focused on hugging his sister. "D-Dad will make everything ok eventually, you'll see!" He said these mostly for his own comfort. Short of felling the forest everywhere nearby so nobody on land could get in, or going and threatening people on the bridge, he wasn't sure.. WHAT his father could do. His tails all fell to the floor as he started crying yet again. "I'm scared Yoko! Birds tried to carry off Shi Yu! We're not going to be safe out there!"

Bastet, Deep Freeze- Near the house

Bastet paused, then nodded a little. "Yeah... Let's go help..." She couldn't help but wonder what sort of things her family was packing. Her siblings were probably packing a bunch of games. Hopefully they'd remember a deck of cards or spoinkmania. "Are we going to help out your family?"

[Silvershade]

Robin
Near the house

"I dunno," Robin answered simply. The hybrid paused, their barred tail swishing from side to side as they thought, until they eventually continued "I didn't really plan ahead of getting out of the Blessing place. Guess I'll just go back to whatever I was doing before?"


Sam
Village Bridge/Blessing Campish?

Sam smirked as Harrier took the kerchief. He would have to remind her of that if he needed a favor. The Honchkrow was ready to continue walking to the camp when Harrier started flying. He blinked and paused, surprised that she could still fly if her injuries were as bad as she had implied. That could mean she was either exaggerating or a very tough bird.
Spreading his wings and jumping, pushing himself into the air, Sam flew after the Talonflame, heading in the direction of the Blessing camp.

[Falcon]

Saoirse, Ciar - In the house, upstairs

Saoirse didn't even slow down as she raced into the house, pausing only long enough to jump, sailing over Vanilla and clearing a good number of steps before the Noivario continued upstairs, taking two at a time.

"Ciar?!" She called, sliding to a halt when she heard her baby brother's voice coming from one of the rooms, before she found herself literally pounced as Ciar practically clung to her, his face buried against her long chest fur.

"Seer! I was worried that something bad had happened to you..."

"I'm okay," she replied, hugging him close to her. 'Just very pissed off at myself...'

She blinked when Ciar began to squirm, but she set him down, only for him to grab one of her paws before he gave an insistant tug, pointing frantically at one of the open rooms with his free paw.

"Allira. We can't leave her behind," the pup whimpered, tugging at her again before the Noivario finally began to follow him. When he led her into the room, she saw the Lugioptile huddled at the very back, unmoving, and the sight caused Saoirse to frown in worry for the poor reptile.

"Stay here, she may end up sparking out of fear, and I don't want you hurt."

"But--" Ciar began to protest, only to fall silent when his sister gave him a look of warning, and the Noiolu reluctantly released her paw, a soft "Okay, Seer..." leaving him. Saoirse bent down to give him a hug, both to comfort him and as an unworded apology before she approached the Electric-type.

"Allira? It's me, Saoirse. Come on," the Lucario Hybrid said softly, reaching out to gently shake her. "You need to snap out of it. I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."

[Moonlost]

((Sorry, Allira's being a pain. XD Silly reptile.))

Allira - The House

Allira stirred a little at the more vigorous movement, her tail suddenly sweeping to the side. A low, frightened hiss rumbled along her throat. She could hear... voices. Familiar, friendly? Not family. Mammal smell. Not to be trusted. The frill along her neck quivered a little, and the fins along her back and tail flicked up slightly.

[TK-Hikaru13]

Sin - Blessing Encampment I think?

Sin had already returned, a Sitrus berry already in hand. "Took you bird brains long enough." He grinned, eyes narrowed at the returnees. "So how'd things go? Did you kill those fuckin' freaks?" He asked.

Secretly, Sin was worried. Very worried. He swore he could hear bells ringing within that house. 'It couldn't have been Soft Serve could it? Nah, too frail. She'd crack before even stepping outta the house.' He decided, taking another munch of his berry.

[Senna-Umbreon]

((Bam, got a lot of writing done and a bunch of characters are now properly in the spreadsheet. I THINK that means I have references for all my Pokemon in the house now, either in the sign-in thread or in the spreadsheet. So this means I'll likely have some other characters around sometimes in posts. XD))

Rhythym - Inside the house, upstairs

"I really wish I wasn't..." Rhythym replied as she sat up, sighing. "I don't understand why the villagers would turn against us like this..." She said, shaking her head, ears drooping, "It's true that.. While we still lived at the Bridge, it was.. Fairly obvious that they didn't like us... But I just cannot fathom how they could dislike us so much that they would do this." She paused, before standing, "...When you're ready, we should go try to find Taro and Chiyoko, then we can start getting ready to leave."

----

Chiyoko, Remiel, Leyati - Inside the house, downstairs somewhere

"Taro.. Stop crying!" Chiyoko huffed, a slight edge to her voice, though she still trembled. "W-We're going to be fine.. So.. S-Stop being such a baby about it!" She didn't like this either, but that didn't mean she was going to cry over it. "Mum and Dad will protect us, s-so.. STOP CRYING!!"

As Chiyoko raised her voice, Remiel shrunk back, wincing. Now that Taro had let go of him, he debated fleeing, but before he could decide whether or not to do it, a small bird with blue feathers and cotton-like fluff around its head all of a sudden nearly careened into him, letting out a "Sorry!" as it lost its balance and promptly flopped out onto the floor near Chiyoko and Taro, causing Chiyoko to jump a little in surprise, before fixing the bird with a glare. "W-Watch out, dang it!"

"I said I was sorry!" The bird said as he sat up, peering around at the three other hybrids with his left eye, the other squeezed shut. "What's going on, anyway?"

While Chiyoko turned her gaze away from him, letting out a small huff, Remiel took a small step forward, "A-Apparently.. The villagers at the Bridge are going to chase us out..." He explained, the Cottonlet letting out a gasp at the news, "What?! But.. They can't do that!" He protested, causing the younger hybrid to shrink back, "Why are we letting them chase us out?! This is our home!"

----

Terrakion, Lunaire - Inside the house, foyer

"Sort of, I guess." Terrakion replied, turning his gaze from Vanilla to Fayette. He was about to give her a begrudged thanks for the berry, when Saoirse raced past him, causing the Legend to jump in surprise, accidentally putting one hoof down on the Liechi Berry Fayette had given him. "What the hell? Ugh..." He glared after the hybrid as she darted up the stairs, then seemed to notice what had happened to the berry. "...Arceusdamn it."

"You sound annoyed. But then again, you always are, aren't you." Lunaire said as he trotted into the house and past Terrakion, voice deadpan, earning himself a glare from the much larger Pokemon. He paused to glance at Fayette, ears twitching a little, "...Do you want help getting supplies ready to go?"

----

Lir - Near house

Lir blinked, pausing slightly at Bastet's question. "I.. Guess so?" He answered quietly, ears flattening, "I mean.. I think that.. my, err, mother.. Should have it under control. But.. Maybe we can help her by making sure Taro and Chiyoko are alright? I can't imagine they're happy right now..." He continued, beginning to pad in the direction of the house.

[Falcon]

(('Sokay, I know she can't help it, and Saoirse is a stubborn sort, so she's not giving up any time soon. And did I ever mention that she's a dumbass who never looks before she leaps? Sorry (again), Terrakion!))

Saoirse, Ciar - In the house, upstairs

Saoirse slicked her ears back when some movement came from the Lugioptile, but definitely not the response she'd been hoping for. She paused when she heard the Electric-type hiss, before she shook her head and once again resumed gently shaking her.

"Allira! Allira, please! I am not leaving you behind... Friends don't abandon each other..."

She trailed off, thinking hard, before she moved to place both paws upon her friend's shoulder. The Lucario-Noivern mix closed her eyes and concentrated, hoping that a bit of healing energy would help to calm her down and help her remember.

Saoirse used Heal Pulse!

Ciar waited near the doorway, his ears drooping when Allira remained unresponsive. What had those Blessing 'mon done to her to make her act like this? He shivered, glad that the scary firebird from earlier that night had been unsuccessful in carrying Shi Yu away. They were the only friends he had, and he didn't want anything horrible to happen to them. The pup felt tears beginning to sting at the corners of his eyes, but he gave his head a hard shake in order to chase them away. No! He was not going to cry anymore! He needed to be strong!

[Azunara]

Rin
Near House

Rin nodded at Robin's statement. "I'm sorry the Blessing had gotten you. If I had known you were there, I would have helped. Bastards didn't let me poke around half the camp, said it was for those higher ranked. I suppose they were just suspicious I wasn't really working for them. They were right on that, but still would have been nice. Never got a chance to sneak in either." She added off-handedly, then winced as Bellflower started shouting in her direction.

She paused slightly at his words, frowning. "I don't know. Beyond the fact I don't know almost any of them, they're loud and aggressive and not exactly the kind of people I'd want to be around. I suppose maybe if I remained cloaked and just sort of stayed low, but still. I was doing a fine job spying on the Blessing. It was right up my alley. Holing myself up in a madhouse, albeit a migratory madhouse now, isn't. You should try infiltrating the Blessing with me. Between that battle and word of mouth, they're up to something and I think we can find out what."

[Senna-Umbreon]

Bellflower - Near the house

"But.. Not ALL of them are mean. Some of the people at the house are really nice!" Bellflower protested, ears pinned back and his tail twitching nervously. He paused as Rin continued, staring at her, "I can't do that! Even.. If it's just to spy on the Blessing, what if it means I have to hurt people I know? They'll hate me if they think I changed sides!" There were still Pokemon at the house that didn't trust him, anyway. He was pretty sure most of them didn't, actually. They would surely hate him if they thought he had betrayed them, right? And if that happened.. Who was to say they would hesitate to kill him before he could explain?

[Moonlost]

Allira - The House, Upstairs

The Lugioptile hissed again as the shaking resumed, her body tensing at the unwanted touch. Why couldn't they just leave her alone?
THen, there was a sudden burst of energy in her system, kicking her fight or flight instinct into overdrive. With a low, beastial growl, the saurian-like reptile rose to her feet and spun about swiftly, snapping her jaws at Saoirse, the frill around her neck fully unfurled.

[Falcon]

Saoirse, Ciar -- The house, upstairs

"Allira!" Both jackal Hybrids cried, and when he saw her act so aggressively towards his sister, well, it was too much for Ciar. Whimpering, the little Riolu-Noibat Hybrid turned and bolted out of the room before he fell to his knees, pushing himself against the wall as far as he could go as he clamped his paws over his slicked back ears, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

---

"Allira, I am not giving up on you!" Saoirse cried, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. It hurt to see her friend like this. "I don't want to hurt you. I won't hurt you--" She winced, gritting her teeth when Allira snapped at her, not caring if she ended up getting bitten or shocked. It was going to be a very, very stupid move on her part, but Saoirse didn't care anymore.

"I'm sorry for whatever it was they did to you, but I promised myself that I wouldn't let them get you again, and I'm going to keep that promise," She said, keeping her voice as gentle as she could as she moved to throw her wings around the larger Hybrid in a tight hug. "Even if you're the one who ends up killing me. I-I've never had a friend before I met you, and I still want to hear everything about your Tribe, Allira. A-and there's so much about Ciar and myself that I still need to share with you. Please, please snap out of it... I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again..."

((Your post had me tearing up, Moon.))

[Moonlost]

((My post? I think you're confusing that for your post. All the feels for poor Seer and Ciar D: ))

Allira - the House, Upstairs

Allira's first instinct was to electrocute the creature that was now attempting to grapple her, and a few small sparks surged from her back as she prepared to do just that-
But there was a sound that came from the other pokemon that seemed to echo in her brain. A familiar sound, one that was comforting and sorta new to her. She stopped her hissing, and allowed her frill to slowly drop back down to her neck.
"Friend?" She croaked, less voice and more reptilian hiss.
Allira's senses came to her, aware suddenly of her surroundings and of the bat-like wings that were currently wrapped around her. She had a headache too, but that wasn't important right now. She was all too aware that, had she not regained herself when she did, she might well be electrocuting the pokemon that was now hugging her. Her... her friend.

She lowered her snout, nuzzling the fur along Seer's shoulder briefly, a slight tremble running along the large lizard.
"I'm sorry, I just-" She started, all too worried about what might have happened. "I was scared. I didn't hurt you did I?"

((Attempting not to ship))

[Falcon]

((Saoirse is stupidly persistent, I swear. Heck, i won't be surprised if she ends up getting her fluffy bum handed to her multiple times during the RP. She wouldn't have cared if it had ended up with her shocked nearly to death. >_> And for Allira, too, gosh, my emotions are all over the place right now.))

Saoirse -- The house, upstairs

"N-no, I'm okay," the Lucario-Noivern Hybrid replied, slowly opening her eyes. She drew a slow, shaky breath before she turned her head to look into her friend's eyes, her tears flowing free as a soft smile crossed her muzzle when the larger Hybrid nuzzled her shoulder. Nobody outside her family had ever shown such kindness to her. "But that's not important. Are you okay?"

She pulled back, releasing the Lugioptile for a second, before she moved to firmly grasp Allira by the shoulders, her large ears slowly relaxing before they swiveled forward, pointing towards the Electric-type.

"Whatever those fucking bastards did to you and the others, I swear to Arceus above that I'll make them pay in spades. You are the kindest Pokemon I have ever met in my life -- my only friend -- and I don't want anything to happen to you. No, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Never again."

She gave her friend's left shoulder a gentle squeeze before she released her and stepped back, before she turned her attention to Ciar -- only to notice that he wasn't there.

"Ciar? Ciar, it's okay now. We're both fine."

Giving a glance back towards Allira, Saoirse moved towards the doorway, frowning when she saw her baby brother huddled up in a tight ball against the adjacent wall. "It's okay now, kid."

---

Back in the hall, Ciar slowly opened his eyes, barely able to hear his sister's voice when she called for him, but when the Noivario appeared in the doorway, he was instantly on his feet before, for the second time that night, he tackled her and buried his face against her fur.

"Seer..." He whimpered, practically clinging to her. "Is Allira...?"

"She's okay now, don't worry. We're not leaving you."

((*giggle-snort!* Oh, gosh, same here. It's just too tempting.))

[Azunara]

Rin
Near House/House

The linoone wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, giving a defeated sigh. "We'd tell them fir--nevermind." This wasn't time to feel bad for herself. She said she'd help these strangers and she'd follow through on that. "We'll figure it out. You'll have to point out these nice people. Personally, I'm steering clear of the angry cat-thing and her shouting goat-bull friend. I'll help you all get somewhere safe, I said I'd do that." Rin snorted to herself. She was really growing soft if she was sticking around.

She still really couldn't help with the healing, so she instead continued her march towards the house. She frowned at the sight of Terrakion and Fayette, fur bristling a tiny bit. "Is there any other help you need?" She asked, keeping her voice even. Maybe if she was decent to them they wouldn't start screaming at her again. Arceus, she hated people yelling at her.

[HoneyShuckle]

GTM- Upstairs

"Can't.. you do that and give me a little more rest time? Just a little?" He paused, then gave a little sigh, "Nevermind..." He forced his limbs to move, standing beside his mate wearily. "If I have to go 24 hours with next to no sleep, so be it... Let's get it over with..."

Fayette, Deep Freeze- Foyer

Fayette winced as Terrakion crushed the rare fruit. She prevented herself from swearing as her act of kindness was ruined. "I'll gather those seeds and scatter them in the front yard before we leave. With any luck, they may sprout for when we return one day." She looked at Lunaire. "I could use some help finding water bottles and canteens, as well as filling them. We may not have time to stop to find water, so we need to have plenty on hand." She trotted back off to the kitchen, almost getting slammed into by Deep freeze. "Excuse us!" They cried. "Did Seer come by here?" Fayette flattened her ears. "Yes, she went upstairs." "Thanks!" The Vanilluxe rushed upstairs, leaving a trail of faintly cooler air in her wake.

Taro, Iris- Downstairs

Taro winced as his sister called him a baby, and tried to pull himself together. "I-I don't know why they're trying to drive us out.... But they are..." He took a shaky breath. "But Yoko's right, all of our parents will pull us through this, right Remiel?"

"Agree, that we can do this." Said a familiar feminine-ish voice coming in from another room. "But you will provide just as much support as your parents." "Iris?" Taro asked. It wasn't particularly often that the Florges spoke to the kids as... with his flirtatiousness, some of the adults were getting the wrong idea. It wasn't that he was particularly mean to them, he just made sure to keep his distance. "You are the world's future after all, what better time to start proving it than right now?" "I... Suppose?" Taro asked with a wince. Perhaps it was better that Iris didn't talk with them much. He always got confused by what the fairy said.

Deep Freeze- A different area upstairs

Deep freeze shot upstairs and looked around for the brother and sister, eventually spotting them near a hybrid which.. she MAY have seen earlier? maybe? They floated over to them. "Is everything alright?" "Yeah?"

Bastet- Near the house

Bastet gave a little nod. "Let's keep an eye out for any of the other kids too. We all need to stick together and keep an eye out to help." She swished her tail, fur settling a bit despite the circumstances.

Spinnaker- Blessing camp

Spinnaker was exhausted, but the women of this camp needed him! As he had picked his way back to camp, he had plucked as many healing giving berries as he could find, and carry, which was hard with no fingers. Somehow he had managed. "Ladies!" He called. "I have some berries to help you keep up your strength! Legends know when we will need it!" He knew the camp HAD a supply of berries, but extras couldn't hurt. Especially when ladies kept leaping into combat and getting hurt. Although that Linoone, that traitor prayed on his mind. She did not deserve the term "lady". He would have to bring that up shortly.

[Silvershade]

Robin
Near the house

"Nothing anyone could've done about it, I guess," Robin said, though their relatively content expression faltered for a moment, before Bellflower speaking up distracted them. Frowning, Robin huffed "I reckon it isn't worth knowing any of 'em if you gotta pick through hundreds of dicks to find someone halfway decent."


Sam
Blessing Encampment

Sam barely had time to land before Sin spoke up. "Killed them?" Sam asked, a smirk crossing his face "Oh no, far less barbaric, but rest assured that we have dealt with them very efficiently."

[Moonlost]

Allira - the House, Upstairs

"I am now." Allira answered, shocked at the other hybrid's reaction. They'd only just met that day, and yet she was willing to risk herself for her. Allira didn't get it at all, but somehow it made her chest feel tight - even if her earlier actions made her gut bubble up in shame. She could see now that Seer was pretty roughed up. While she was fighting to keep everyone safe, here she had been cowering in the corner all the while. She didn't know what she'd done to earn the friendship of the Noivario, or if she even deserved it.
The reptile stood in place as Seer went to check on her brother, taking a moment to make sure she had her balance about her. Arceus, she must have scared Ciar too, one look at the trembling little guy made that clear. Carefully, she stepped forward, head hung low and a shamed look on her snout.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She said softly, keeping her distance for the moment. She could hear voices around her now, muffled by the walls and floors of the house. What was happening anyway?

___

((Oops, ugh, sorry I completely missed Sin's comment TK. My bad D: ))

Harrier - Blessing Encampment

The flight back was laboured for Harrier. Although she could keep the wind under her, her pained chest and ruffled feathers meant that it was slow going. She glided as much as she could, even going so far as to let out a small burst of flames beneath her to cause small updrafts.
The raptor was relieved to see the camp up ahead, hoping that there were healers still about. She found a low branch upon which to perch and rest for a little, only to be disturbed by one of the other blessing members.
She swivelled her head to glare at Sin as only birds of prey could, hearing out Sam as he retorted.
"They still need to be dealt with in a more permanent manner," She added. "But they are without allies or shelter. We need only harry them and they will soon fall. Where are the healers stationed in this camp?"

[TK-Hikaru13]

Sin - Blessing Encampment

Sin frowned slightly, hearing that the freaks were still alive but without aid. "Bah, it'll only be a matter of time before they're all dead." He huffed. The talonflame had requested a healer. "Ah, I'm not sure at the moment, but I do have berries for the time being." He commented, tossing her one of his sitrus berries. "You owe me for it though."

[Senna-Umbreon]

((fwi Moon and Falcon, I'm totally on board with the Allira/Seer ship too heeeeee))

Rhythym - Inside the house, upstairs

Rhythym gave her mate a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry, Dear.. I know you need rest. But I think that the sooner we can get ready to leave, the better." She sighed, pausing for a moment, "...Do you think any of the others have any clue where we're going to go now?" She asked, before shaking her head, beginning to pad out of the room, "I suppose we'll just have to find out..."

----

Bellflower, Terrakion, Lunaire - Inside the house, foyer

Bellflower grinned, keeping pace with Rin, "Great!" He chirped, ears perking back up, "Thanks Rin! And hehehe, I don't blame you for trying to avoid them. They're real jerkfaces, and---" He stopped himself as they approached the house, realizing that Terrakion was still near the door. "Err.. Eheheh.. Never mind!" He said as he casually flew past the much larger Legendary, Terrakion giving him a weird look as he passed before glancing at Rin. "I think we're fine for now, but.. If you want, you could see if anyone needs help getting ready to leave." He suggested.

Lunaire nodded, then trotted after Fayette, ribbons swishing.

----

Chiyoko, Remiel, Leyati - Inside the house, downstairs somewhere

"Hey, yeah, that's a good point!" Leyati said, giving a nod, "It's not like we're gonna be completely useless!" He continued, fluffing up his feathers proudly.

This seemed to cause Chiyoko to perk up as well, her ears flicking back up. "Well yeah, duh! We'll prove that we're not just useless kids!" She said, beginning to grin a little.

On the other hand, Remiel wasn't so sure he agreed with the other two kids, tail swishing nervously. They were just kids, though. What could they do to help? It wasn't like they could actually fight if they were attacked...

----

Lir - Near house

Lir nodded, "Yeah.. Maybe that's what we should do, actually..? Just focus on finding all of the kids?" He suggested. He had begun to relax a little as well, though he still kept his ribbon tails wrapped loosely around Bastet.

----

Brigid - Blessing encampment

"What exactly did you do?" Brigid asked as she padded over to Sin, Sam and Harrier, ears flicking forward as she heard the end of what Harrier was saying. "You need healing? I can help." She added, peering up at the firebird.

[HoneyShuckle]

GTM, Decitpurr- upstairs

GTM rested a hand on Rhythym's back. "The only thing they probably thought of was "away from here"." He grumbled. He winced a little bit at the bright lights in the hallway. "Hello sleepyhead." Said a familiar purple cat. "Back off Decitpurr. I don't want to deal with you right now." GTM said with a tail lash. The liepard just grinned, a can of spray paint wrapped in his tail, although it slowly started to turn to a frown. "Have either of you seen Bastet? We can't find her anywhere. If what what everyone's saying is true, we should be worried." GTM lashed his tail again and glanced at the purple menace. "I think I saw her fighting earlier, but I was, and still am, very tired." Decitpurr's face became even more concerned.

Taro, Iris, Chloe- downstairs

Taro winced "but.. What.. Are we supposed to do?" "You have arms, and tails and talons, don't you? You can carry. You have eyes and ears, let people know if there is danger. You have emotions, you can be joyous. All of these things will be helpful." Iris said with a smile, fiddling with a few of his flowery tassels. "We can't make it through this if we don't all work together with brilliant magnificence."

"But Chiyoko doesn't want to work with ANYONE." A voice jeered, the Roseralia stepping into the room. "We must be doomed!" Taro flinched away and hid behind his sister. "Chloe...."

Bastet-near the house

"We are the oldest kids here anyway. Well... Oldest... That live here... I don't know how old our visitors are." Bastet paused. "I'd actually say we're teens. I'm a teen!"

Spinnaker- Blessing camp

When no ladies immediately came to him for help, he floated up to a gathering conversation. He wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about, but the beautiful Delcatty who had supported elegantly behind him was there. So that was good. "Would any of you be interested in Sitrus? Figy?" Without caution, These berries were going to fall out of his thin arms, so thin that it was hard to call them that with a straight face.