The Gi'ira - Lucca

Marle spread her wings and braced against the ground as if to try to fly again, but suddenly she burst into icy flame and shape-shifted back to normal, catching herself on hands and knees.

"Whoa! Whoops..."

I knelt beside her and checked to see if she was okay. "What happened?"

Marle sat back and laughed sheepishly. "Oops, I didn't mean to do that! It's kind of hard to stay like that, you know? But it was fun!" Bright, eager eyes lighted on me. "Lucca, you need to try next!"

"Absolutely. Step right up," Mishu said in accord.

"Uh..." I hesitated. I wasn't comfortable letting Mishu do any more witchcraft on me--I was surprised Marle even talked Crono into it (then again, Marle talks Crono into all kinds of crazy things, like jumping into random, unknown portals through time.) Besides, I almost agreed with Magus; it all seemed rather... impractical? What was I going to turn into, a dog or something? "I think I'll take a rain check..."

Marle playfully shoved me. "Don't be silly! It's really great, like Ayla said. It's such a rush--you'll feel so energized! And you can just change back if you don't like it."

"Okay, okay..." I caved in, stepped up to Mishu and held my breath.

"Heh. Ready? Listen carefully..." Her hands felt cold to the touch--and then blistering hot, in a matter of a few words.

"Tae'lo espirie encantu bae'ra sec l'on. Gi'ira r'pon."

The whole world warped. Sound, light, gravity--everything safe and sure around me was flipped upside down and distorted. I could have compared it to gate jumping, but it was more like getting dunked head-first in warm water and having all your senses washed out. I would have been convinced I blacked out, if only I didn't see so much red--red deeper than fire, like the bloodlust red of Magus's cloak.

When the shock passed and the room's normal ambiance filled my ears, everything was completely new. I felt light, and... short. My legs and feet looked like twigs, and my arms felt heavy and cumbersome. When I tried to stand up, it was like remotely operating a machine, blindfolded. Movement was awkward and disjointed, with parts I didn't know I had bending in directions I didn't know they could. I wasn't scared, though--it wasn't like being possessed by Seth, where I had no control at all. It was just... weird.

I attempted to look at my own hand, only to be met with a mitt full of primary feathers. They looked kind of neat--crimson-hued with gold bars across the middle. Wait, feathers?? I was a...

"Another bird!" I heard Ayla crow, high over my head. "This one... not look strong. Bigger than Crono, though."

"Good grief..." Frog sounded... surprised? Disturbed? Exasperated? I wonder why?

"Ohhh, it's a pretty crane!" Marle said. I'm a crane? That's... great, I guess. What was up with all the birds, really? Marle sat on the ground and patted her lap, calling me over. "Com'ere, you look so soft! I wanna pet you."

Hey, I'm not a housecat or something! I watched Crono drop out of the rafters and hit the floor in a tumbling heap--I guess if Marle needed to work on take-offs, Crono needed to practice his landings. He righted himself in a flurry and then transformed back, sitting on his hands and wearing a dopey grin. Marle and Ayla laughed all the more while Crono scratched his head, giving up on recovering his dignity and laughing right with them.

I joined the gigglefest, though the laugh that bubbled out of my throat wasn't anything I expected. It was a warbling trill that threw Marle into stitches. "Oh my gosh, she sounds just like a pigeon! Ehehehe!"

"Hah, pigeons funny too! Ayla like."

"We're going to call you Pigeon from now on," Marle declared with a devious wink. Wonderful, I'd just subscribed to the Marle Name Simplification Scheme. Crono flashed a thumbs-up and I knew it was doomed to stick. I started to object, but all that came out was more of that damned noise.

---

Man, you have no idea how long it took to make this not look like complete crap. Now it's only 50% crap.

Anyway. Lucca's gi'ira'set is based on the cattle egrets that are common to my area. They're my favorite birds, and I always consider it a good sign to see one.
I drew her traditional getup rather than what she wears in LEA's diary to show off a bit of the blight, since she normally wears long pants to conceal it.

Ayla
Marle
Crono
Magus
Glenn

Chrono Trigger (c) Square