The aviary groundskeeper had no idea Flits was even there in the office with him. She didn't even hear the door opening when Flits wandered in as she idly stared at the ancient dinosaur of a fax machine struggled to send off a new order of seed and various bird related items.
The ornithologist, the veterinarian, and all the assistants and volunteers didn't even seem to notice him either, as brightly colored as he was for all the work they had to do that day. With the cold weather coming in, they were all rushing to get things settled, heated, watered, fed, and medicated as quickly as possible.
Flits cleared his throat as he stood up on hind legs and leaned on the groundskeeper's office desk. She didn't hear it amongst the noisy fax machine. So he finally attempted a loud cough. It seemed like hours waiting for the lady to give him one small, sidelong glance before looking back at her papers being mauled by an agitated machine and then she finally looked back at Flits.
"Mmyes? Are you lost?" she said somewhat haughtily.
"I've come to volunteer!" he said enthusiastically. "I read your classifieds on your website and-"
"Mmyes, but we were looking for someone..." she gave him a laborious looking up and down once-over. She must have been a sloth in a past life. "...Uh-with more years on them."
"Gee, lady," Flits looked at her with honest eyes. "How many years does it take to know how to keep the boxes clean and the water filtered and flowing?"
"Mmyes," she said, which seemed to be her response to everything. The snooty thin rimmed glasses on the string of faux pearls made it worse. "You see, uh, you are probably attending public school, are you not?"
"Nope! I'm on break aaaaaall season, I've graduated! I want a job here, taking care of birds for a bit! I like birds and birds like me! I've read up on finches, lorikeets, parakeets, budgies, parrots, parrotlets... Even tits and boo-"
"That's quite enough," said a voice from behind Flits. An older male with a sack full of nesting material and tools stood in the doorway. "You said you can clean boxes?"
"Yes, sir!" Flits nodded.
"Gooood~" the stallion grinned. "Take this pressure hose attachment and come with me."
The groundskeeper was apparently a husband and wife unit and his old lady simply shook her head at the both of them as they went off and Flits began his adventures of the bird variety.
