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 Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 11:01 am
 .name. - Calytae a.k.a. "Bumblebee".guardian. - .accidents..companion. - .graycrow..personality. - .playful..likes. - ???.dislikes. - ???.do not post in this thread unless given explicit permission by GrayCrow.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 3:58 pm
 .an introduction.[avatar: .graycrow.][password: .**********.]
[search for: .the bird cage.]
[searching...][searching...]
[...found]
[Name: [unknown.?.]
Gender: [presumed] Male
D.O.B.: 10.25.05
Specie: Costa's Hummingbird
Guardian of: Accidents
Companion: Cadence
Stage: Child
Personality: Playful, hyperactive, sweet but obnoxiously persistent. As put by Xaxis, "as sharp as a rug," but very loving and as fun as a barrel of monkeys. About as crazy, too.]
[Name: Cadence [last and middle names: .unrevealed.]
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 152 lbs.
Physical Condition: Healthy, slight heart murmer [.?.]
Appearance: Although very tall for a woman, has a natural tendency to look smaller than she truly is. Pale skin, looking to be of general European descent; freckles hint at possible Irish or Scottish roots, but has some of the muscular stockiness of the Germans. Long hair, past shoulders, mouse-like brown. Eye color pending. Usually dressed in jeans, over-sized sweaters, drab or dark colors, purple converse sneakers.
Personality: Painfully shy, quiet, withdrawn, but tractible and easily manipulated. The ghost of what might have been a kind girl. Easily embarrassed or shamed, prone to deep depressions and mental breakdowns. Does not feel of this world.
Likes: Peace, solitude, quiet, the familiar. Senses of security: consistent job, steady routine. Little to no sensory overload: drab colors, bland food, repetitive [quiet] music.
Dislikes: All things loud, unordered or chaotic. People. New situations, the loss of tradition, the remembrance of failures past and the fear of failures to come.]
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 4:26 pm
 .about costa's hummingbirds and deaths-by-accident.
.Calypte costae.
[The Costa's Hummingbird is one of the smaller North American species of hummingbird, with males of this specie having a distinctly metallic purple crown and throat. They can be distinguished from the Anna's Hummingbird by their white "eyebrow", short tail, and thick neck. The back and flanks are tinged an iridescent green, traits that are also shared by the females of this specie. Even when you cannot see a Costa's, you may be able to identify them by their light, dry tink call, as well as a high, sharp twitter (stirrr, stirrr), or a rapid series of tink notes followed by a lower, scratchy squeal. Their song is a high, thin buzz, rising then falling (SZEEEeee-eeeeeeeeeew...)]
[They are commonly found in the Southwestern United States and the Baja California Peninsula of Mexico. They prefer an arid, dry climate, and can often be found hovering near flowers, their main source of food (hummingbirds will also eat small insects found inside flowers, but require the high-energy nectar).]
[It is in their mating displays that Costa's Hummingbirds find a purpose for their beautiful feathers. The male will dive and swoop within inches of the female, angling themselves so that the sun will reflect off of their purple feathers; the male will also emit a continuous, high-pitched shriek. Sexy, no?]
[.information obtained from The Sibley Guide to Birds and Wikipedia.]
.fatalities by accident.
[Worldwide, car accidents kill upward of one million people a year.]
[On the whole, fatalities by car accident have declined since 1980, although in the United States the figure has raised slightly since 1994. Safety features, such as seatbelts and improved airbags, have had a significant impact on the number of lives saved. Other suggest that more cars means more congestion, keeping would-be reckless drivers from going fast enough to kill. Still others suggest that the safer a car is made, the more recklessly a driver will be, thus negating any safety new technology may have granted.]
[Car accidents fall into a number of categories, including: rear-end, head-on, and side collisions: rollovers: pile-ups, level-crossing accidents: single-car accidents: and suicide. In a vehicle crash, the driver of the vehicle with the lower mass will likely take the greatest damage. Different models of cars may be more dangerous than others; for instance, the highly popular SUVs.]
[One of the stranger causes of accidents are known as "phantom accidents"; when a minor accident has occured, other drivers will often slow down to attempt to see what has happened. This distraction can then cause much worse accidents to occur.]
.fatalities by accident.
[information pending]
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:09 pm
 .the past.[insufficient data. more data to be released in future encounters]
[Little is known about what could have turned a bright and charming young girl into the ghost of a person she is presently, as Cadence seems loathe to reveal much of her history to anyone. However, a few notes of interest have surfaced as of late.]
[Named for an obsession with music that ran within the family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even her own father were all musicians of one sort or another. Even at an early age, and throughout her child and teenhood, she was coaxed to take up the same interest, but the same natural ability and love of music in her family never seemed to catch on with the young Cadence. Even now, music and instruments make her uncomfortable, and can even drive her to tears if the memories are strong enough.]
[It is suspected that Cadence grew up without a mother, although if her death was late enough that she may retain some vague memories of her is unknown. Her father was an outgoing, gentle man, if prone to the same stubborn and demanding attitude common of men who have only female children. She grew up attempting to live up to her father's expectations, somehow falling short every time. It is unknown whose guilt was greater: her father's, or her own.]
[Records exist of Cadence attending institutes for the insane and mentally challenged numerous times; usually short visits [the shortest being two days, the longest a year and 7 months], but information on patients is heavily guarded and withheld from the public. A list of dates may be forthcoming and would give us much insight into the nature of her psychological abnormalities.]
[It is possible that something happened within her family to make her an outcast among them, or perhaps the death of her only parent, or even simply discovering a new sense of independence that led her to escape from her hometown [location pending]. Tracing phone calls made to prospective employers and infrequent purchases by way of credit card have led us to believe she moved from city to city over a period of three years, staying sometimes for only long enough to find something to eat and a place to spend the night. Locations seemingly chosen at random.]
[Failed her latest job interview. Later that day became the companion of a Costa's Hummingbird, 'purchased' from The Birdcage. Knows nothing of the true nature of said bird or petshop. The hummingbird has since taken the form of a small, excitable and friendly boy, to Cadence's dismay. However, she is coping remarkably well, and the two are on the verge of bonding. Information pending.]
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:38 pm
 .friends and acquaintances.
[Shanuh: [image pending]Cadence: The man who runs The Birdcage. He's frighteningly colorful, and not at all sensitive to her sensitivity; she seems to be very nervous about what he might do next. Still, has a certain air of old, old age to him, and his chastising is gentle, so he isn't all frightening.
"Why... is he wearing... a skirt..?" Calytae: "His shop is so much fun! I love his squishy fishies. Very colorful, maybe he'll play with me someday!"]
[Patrick: [image pending]Cadence: Makes her blush, big-time. Even though she suspects most of his complimenting is just gentle teasing, she feels flustered and uncertain around him. Likes the fact that he doesn't mind being poked and prodded at by her new hummingbird friend.
"Everyone here is so colorful... especially this guy, he reminds me of Shanuh."Little Bumblebee: "He gave me a ring! I'll bet he would play with me, maybe he can give me more things!"][Iamel: [image pending]Cadence: For some reason, Cadence feels a little more at ease around this child than she seems to around most adults. She has at least spoken more words to him in one sitting than she normally does to any one number of people within a month.
"Cute kid... he and Patrick compliment each other well. If only Calytae were this... calm..."Stupid Hummer-Boy: "Hehe, his Shiniee gave me a shiny! How come he doesn't want to play, huh?"][Xaxis: [image pending]Cadence: Hasn't met.Calytae: "We met at the shop, he likes Shanuh too and there were fishes and we played and he's cool! And he has pretty hair!"][information pending]
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:35 pm
 .gifts. [First documented illustration of Cadence and her newly found hummingbird friend. Note the apparent blush and tendency to hunch the shoulders, typical signs of discomfort/embarassment. ((Look! He's pecking her ear! XD Love this. Just watch, I'll have her singing karaoke by Christmas...))By nozomi_ga_kanau] A lovely gift from Disinclined. Let us hope it isn't as traumatizing as Calytae was.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:10 pm
 .possessions.
~1 small bed with comforter and sleeping bag
~1 loveseat, circa 1910, appears to be a cushioned deathtrap
~1 folding card table
~1 folding metal chair
~1 aging microwave
~$30.00 in cash, no credit card or bank account
~roughly 3 sets of clothes
~1 week's worth of food, only dry Ramen and canned microwavable products
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:40 pm
 .the apartment.
[Strangely, although showing a distinct phobia of heights, her apartment is on the fifth floor, with a verandah overlooking the street, anther apartment complex, and a suspicious-looking Chinese restaurant and takeout. Birds gather on the many verandahs regularly, especially during the colder months, when they can expect a few handouts. Starlings are most common, as are sparrows, crows, wrens, and the occasional jay or cardinal.]
[The landlord is an immensely obese woman, somewhere between the ages of 50 and 80. Cadence fears that she will lose the apartment if word of her owning an exotic bird gets out, as pets are strictly prohibited, but it seems unlikely that her mountain of a landlord could climb that many flights of stairs to find out. The family that owns the apartment above her own seems to consist of a large family, and the sound of babies crying is nigh constant. Cadence has no idea what goes on in the floor below, but the yelling and screaming is sometimes loud enough to wake the babies two stories up. Most nights are punctuated by the howls of car alarms. Most mornings begin with the sound of angry car horns blaring in the street.]
[It is shelter, but only in the meanest sense of the word.]
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:53 pm
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:56 pm
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:59 pm
Cadence "Oh god, I'm late. This... this definitely isn't happening..." Cadence closed her eyes, simultaneously pulling a sweater over her head, struggling to find the right sleeves for the right appendages. She didn't remember it being so cold last night. When had it gotten cold? And the bedsheets had been so warm and inviting and the alarm clock had just been too quiet, too muffled and of all the days to sleep in, and, and... Light glimmered through her eyelids, turning the blankness of her vision into something warm and pink and soft. Reflexively, she hugged the sweatshirt a bit tighter to her stomache. Skinny little arms around a lump of fabric, more fabric than girl, more outer heat and chaos than flesh. She breathed, real deep, winced when the cold of her apartment hit her nose and lungs like frozen needles, but it made her feel better. Just... one step at a time. It only took her about four steps to reach the door, bounding like a frightened gazelle from bedroom to living room to the front entrance, although she hovered for just the briefest of moments at the balcony window. She hated that. She'd asked, begged them for an apartment on the ground floor, but she still found herself four stories above the city street world. She'd tossed some old toast out there a few times, a little treat for whatever it was that ate it--she figured birds or possums, raccoons or squirrels, mangy things she didn't quite want to encourage to come any closer than necessary but hadn't the heartlessness to see them hungry in the winter--but she had never braved the height. It looked sturdy, and strong. She didn't. Cadence pulled herself away, mentally then physically, snatching up her shoulderbag before creeping out the front door, all but flying down the four flights of stairs. Late, late, late. She almost felt like she should be peering at a golden pocketwatch from time to time, or falling down the rabbithole, or whatever it was that Alice--was it Alice? Alex? Alicia?--had done wrong. But she'd never much liked fairytales. ... She dragged her feet along the pavement; no longer the tip-tap-tip-tap of sprinting headlong between alleys, over sidewalks, down asphalt that glistened with bubbles of tar oil. Just a sluggish scrrp-scrrp-stumble-scrrp as her shoes caught at the cement, slowly wearing down the rubber near her toes. She hadn't meant to be late. It... it wasn't even her fault, really... Cadence tried to bite back a sigh, only half-succeeding. It made sense, really. You didn't hire people that didn't show up on time. She certainly wouldn't. She wouldn't hire anybody, but certainly not anybody that was late. But to fail your first job interview before you'd even gotten there, well, that was a new low. She had hoped coming here would fix that. Except it had been weeks and still no job, and she'd been riding so much on that one, she knew it would get her somewhere, just knew it. A metallic tinkle nearby snapped her back away from reality; she flinched at the sound, mind getting the better of her, but only for a moment. It was just a bell. Not the sound of a knife being pulled behind her, or the rush of an oncoming car, or... or anything crazy like that. Just a bell. Brown eyes flicked towards the door that had accompanied it, watching it slowly swing shut, and on an impulse, Cadence jolted forward a step and caught it before it could slip shut. She coughed, nervously, a smell of fur and feather setting the hair on the back of her neck to bristling, but there was another sound too, wasn't there? A singing or a whistling or a warbling, bubbling through the crack in the door like liquid. "Oh god," she muttered as she stepped inside, those brown eyes flickering over the cages, the signs, the... the people... oh god. Already she wanted to leave. But the bird song. Instinctively, Cadence scrunched herself up a little closer to the farthest wall, trying to look nonchalant and unassuming as she shuffled farther into the pet store. It must have been a strange sight, seeing this young woman with her dark eyes and her tousled, mouse-y hair, slinking round a dusty room as if she were a child too shy to meet the eyes of adults. Sulking in purple converse sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt two sizes too large, all gray and black against pale skin. Given that she all but towered over most women her age--5'9"? 6'0"? it didn't matter, she was short at heart--it might actually have been a sight worthy of amusement. Cadence It was a smile wasted on Cadence, who had begun to make herself look very interested in a small colony of leopard geckos. She wasn't, really--they looked a smidge cuter than the snakes, which she was ignoring almost as much as she was the other people in the room, because snakes gave her a creepy crawly feeling way down in her gut, but they were still scaly, cold little things. Never mind their fat little tails and pink tongues, she knew touching one would be like stroking a reptillian icecube. She couldn't quite feign the same disinterest in some of the other cages, though. Before too long she was gravitating a little closer to Jennifer--purely out of coincidence, mind you, she probably hadn't even noticed her there--craning her head to get a better look at a dove perched placidly beside the parakeets. She didn't really know why, but there was something calming about a bird like that, sitting all quiet and serene, making a noise like water burbling up from a spring. Cadence didn't know what water bubbling up from streams sounded like, you couldn't expect a city girl to know things like that, but she thought that maybe that's what it would sound like. That was when she realized that there were other animals present. Animals with fur. Cadence sneezed, startling several of the animals, but not quite so much as she startled herself. Sneezing again, she retreated back the way she had come, or she thought she was, but... which way was out? Oh, she saw the door, but... where would she go once she got through that? Back to the apartment, back to a job interview that didn't exist, didn't exist for people who sleep in too late. It wouldn't even be warm. Cadence sneezed for a third time, gaze sweeping over the few people assembled around the shop, the animals, the unusual... person... at the counter. Maybe it was the fact that he was dressed so strangely, or the dust in the air, or just the world humming too loudly in her inner ears--not like the liquid coo of a dove, but harsh, like hawks or carrion birds in the dumpsters--but she could have cried. Maybe she did, just a little, hiding it carefully with a careless swipe of a thumb across her eyes. But she sidled back towards the caged dove, loathe to leave, loathe to stay. Shanuh His violet and electric yellow gaze then drifted over to a tall woman. Tall physically, but she seemed to be hugging the walls. There was something . . . diferent about this one. Something askew. More than a little intriguing, he watched as she seemed to press against the walls, avoid the crowds. Did she hear their song? Could she pick out the lyrics, and what they were calling? Could she feel their presence? The store manager was delighted. Pure entertainment, this one. A delightful subject. Excusing himself from the only other male in the room, Shanuh's heals clicked against the cement floor. Purposefully, he made his way back behind the counter. "Can I help any of you," he started, his voice raised, but clear to each persons ear, regardless their position in the store. "Find something in particular? Welcome to the Birdcage," he greeted, the faintest of smiles etched upon his face. His eyes landed upon each patron, and the animals, the noises, seemed to grow quiet at his words. "I'm Shanuh, the Store Manager. Please, feel free to look around, but if you have any questions or specific concerns, let me know. "I apologize for the lack of assistance, a few of my team have resigned." Resigned indeed. Their time had been up, and he and his Assistant had been hungry. Mere mortals made excellent workers. Good laborers, they could easily be herded and manipulated. That, and they made excellent treats for both himself AND the pets in his stores. Nothing like a little human meat to add flavor and weight upon the bones. "But, with a little patience, I'm sure we'll all be able to manage." His smile was akin to the sap and honeysuckle which attracted mindless insects. They could drink, but soon they'd find themselves in a much, much darker predicament. He was very much so like a razor - -beautiful to look at, small, and harmlessin appearance but oh-so-dangerous to touch. His bright colours were a natural sign, similar to some reptiles and amphibians: Beautiful to look at, but an obvious warning to all. GrayCrow We'll be able to manage. Cadence would have laughed, if she were the sort of person comfortable with laughing, and even the inner echo of her own private, mental chuckle set her cheeks to flushing. It was a stupid reaction. She wasn't even sure why she found it such an amusing thing to say. To manage. Of course they'd manage. It wasn't so very hard to sell a puppy, or a fish or whatever else lurked in the dim dusty shadows a-away in the back. It wasn't exactly a life or death decision, you know? But still... another furtive glance at the caged dove, an uncertain, wavering look. It had been kind of lonely at the apartment. Kind of quiet, except it wasn't really, because there were forever people stomping on the ceiling above or screaming in the room below. Maybe a little noise, peaceful noise, wouldn't hurt. "...Sir?" It was like listening to a mouse's squeak. Above the cawing and the yipping and the soft blub-blub of the fish tanks, the tiny whisper of one human voice was lost. But he didn't look busy right then, and maybe he would notice, and... and oh god she'd messed up, she realized right then, she knew she must have. He would think she was questioning him about being a sir at all, because he really was so feminine, maybe even more than she herself was, that's what it must have sounded like, and... It was like watching a building collapse in slow motion. You could count the seconds until the first blast, the second, the third, then the slow melting slump of concrete, too liquid to be solid, a waterfall of stone, sinking like mud to dust. It was like watching her melt. Cadence just sort of slumped back against the wall, running a hand over her face, long fingers tangling in her bangs. "...Whatisthatbirdoverthere?" she breathed out, all in one long sigh, not sounding relieved or scared, just... tired. She really was a strange one. But she did seem interested, and just to be sure he knew what she was talking about, she gestured with a slight flick of the head towards the dove's cage. She was beginning to think it was a pigeon. But pigeons didn't sing like that, now did they? Not that she had given any thought as to which bird was singing. She had just assumed it was this one, never mind the fact that it was, in reality, just a normal bird. Shanuh Shanuh looked over at the girl, obviously staring. His expression he wore was loose complacency. This was his job, and he would assist. It wasn't a matter of want or need, it just plainly was. This was the way of things, this was something he'd been given since the very beginning of things. His pink and yellow eyes studied here carefully. She was quiet, she was, and very very fragile. One look at her soul was all he needed. The way she'd cringed against the walls, the way she'd huddled her body defensively despite her height. A broken thing, she was. Similar to that of a puzzle. Where did the pieces fit and would she ever be put back together? Was there colour on her broken soul? Or was it nothing but a jaded picture, full of mist and decay. Thie girl looked as if she needed to be put in a cage herself. To be fed, to be admired, to be taken care with. The irony of it, really. Shanuh couldn't help but smile. It was the appearance of gentleness -- but his smile wasn't meant for her. "That, m'dear, is a Ringed Turtle-Dove, unique only to man and his cages. You won't find this one out in the wild," he explained patiently, nodding towards the gentle bird, "but it is similar to some more native species." Shanuh looked over at the bird, listening to its gentle coos. "A sweet pet, really. Are you thinking, perhaps, of making a purchess?" Cadence Shanuh's benign stare alone was all it took to break the puzzle a little farther apart. She just felt so small and cornered in this place, and there was so much stimuli, so many movements and sounds. Just watching her try to anchor herself to something unmoving and solid, her free hand pressing into the wood of the wall behind her, finding its grain with her fingertips, gave away so much of the confusion reigning inside that mouse-y little head. "Oh... like... in that song," she murmured, not quite knowing what to say. But the man seemed to be smiling, and she took that as a good sign, or at least not as a bad one. But to purchase such a thing? The sudden temptation of it flared briefly in her head, but was promptly crushed beneatht the weight of reason. "I don't... can't... know how to take care of it..." She seemed to have enough trouble even managing herself all by her lonesome. A pet required food, and attention, and a million other things. And she knew that pets were against the rules, the landlord would have a fit if she found out, Cadence knew that. But... it really was so quiet and calm, another anchor, maybe, a good luck charm even... "...Would it get lonely?" she breathed, gaze flicking towards the man's strange eyes, then promptly traveling back to the floor, focusing instead on her shoelaces. There was the vaguest flush of embarassment to her cheeks, but even that was too normal a thing for Cadence. She hardly felt as if she were enough a part of the world to feel such things as humiliation. But Shanuh's smile was disarming, and he had a soft voice, and if she didn't look at him, she could almost pretend she was having a normal conversation with a normal person. Broken she might be, but even broken puzzles still have pieces. If nothing else, she could pretend. Shanuh Shanuh looked down at the girl, studying her carefully. She was something else, that was for sure, and the man was highly tempted to take her under his wing. To break her further. To see what made her tick, deep down inside, and then slowly, slowly. . . ever so cautiously . . . snap her in two. See how far she could bend, and how much she could handle. It would be a delightful experiment, if a bit messy, to say the least. But. . . that wasn't part of the game, now was it? Not yet. He had a job to do, and he couldn't allow himself to stray off the path for long. The Birds needed homes, and he had to do his best to find them some. Anyone of these people would do. Even this girl. . . this. . . broken eyed, shadowed, wisp of a soul. Or so Shanuh could wonder. "Birds are a quite difficult to take care of," he started, voice quiet. "But -- I do have a few. . . . specialties upstairs. A few darlings who just might be what you're looking for. They're rare birds, but if you're lucky, perhaps you'll find something that will catch your interest? These investments are wild and raised in nature. They can fend for themselves, and are tained, almost like a messenger pigeon. They'll return, if they do fly off, but only for affection and attention. Very easy to handle, to take care of. If you'd like to take a peek?" Lies, lies, and more lies. Almost. But it wasn't as if anyone could tell. Not "perfect" Shanuh. Oh no -- he was too good to be caught. Cadence One could only wonder if even the most cautious of probings would not shatter Cadence in an instant. Even at the mention of an upstairs, there was the flicker of restless fears in her eyes, a premature warning against she knew not what. Funny to think that you could further break something already broken. "I... I guess just a look... wouldn't hurt." Even so, her eyes strayed to the nearby parakeets, taking in their hyper fluttering and bright colors. They seemed very exotic to her, and exactly the last thing that she would ever want to introduce to her little apartment. Perhaps by "rare" he simply meant a very large... whatever they were. Parrots or something. Little noisy parrots. But then, nothing that hyperactive seemed likely of returning if it happened to escape and fly away. It made her think of that saying, about letting something go, and if it came back, you could keep it. If it didn't come back... that probably meant you had screwed up. Even before she had seen these special birds of his, she couldn't help but think that if she ever let anything go, it would be the last she saw of it. It would never have been her's to begin with. "...Just a look," she repeated, struggling to keep her voice from dropping back into a whisper. She was being particularly bold, perhaps to save same semblance of sanity in the face of so much... abnormality. Shanuh Shanuh's grin broadened, his ivory teeth gleaming in the figmant of a wicked smile. His eyes seemed to light with inner fascination. This was what he wanted to hear. His darlings would have something to investigate, something to peer at. Someone was coming to visit, and with any luck, they'd be entertained. "Come then," he assured, clapping his hands together in a sudden jerk of movement. This girl was a sensetive thing, but she'd have to get over *that* sooner or later, wouldn't she? Shanuh was merely offering her a public service. "Please, follow me, this way," he encouraged, his voice eager as a childs. There was something strange about the voice -- something familiar? In fact, if Cadence truly listened, she could swear she heard the warble of birdsong in his own voice. But that would be silly, wouldn't it? Heels clicking across the cold, linolium, the tall man crossed the petstore. Past the reptiles, amphibians, rodents, and fishes; the kittens, stray puppies, and chinchillas. Opening a door, Shanuh's entire disposition changed to a man of dedication. "These are really quite the treat," he assured, opening a door to the stairwell which lead to the roof. "Please --- up we go!" Cadence Already, Cadence was having misgivings. That smile. Like a cat that'd just found a slow bird lingering in the birdbath. Or maybe a bird that had just found its worm. She didn't know, never having had experience with either cats or birds, but his sudden animation was setting her on an even finer edge. At his excited clap, the young woman actually jumped, but only a little. It had been only a harmless gesture... She berated herself mentally for being so tense, and began to follow Shanuh, too close behind at one moment and too far behind at another. She seemed torn between the desire to stay as far away from him as possible, and the fear of becoming lost between the cacophonic cages. Not to mention a healthy fear of some of the other residents; she actually groaned, quietly, as they passed the snakes, slinking along the far wall as if she were afraid they might lunge from their terrariums to her throat at a moment's notice. But it was so hard not to follow. It always had been. There had always been someone telling her what to do, what not to do. Being alone in a big, cold city with every appearance of freedom at her fingertips had been the most liberating and terrifying thing in the world. Take a bird that has been caged all its life and set it free, and it will beat itself to death on the closed bars. Cadence peered up into the stairwell uncertainly, huddling a little farther into her sweater, shoulders bent against the weight of some vague fear. He must have expected her to go first. She wanted some assurance, encouragement, anything. Even an order would suffice. But the woman swallowed her fear, moving forward and slowly ascending the stairs, although she was forever hesitating and glancing back over her shoulder at Shanuh, now keeping a good distance between them. "Are you sure..? I would think... you know, wild birds... they'd be scared..." Shanuh Shanuh's voice mimicked a cats purr. It was a lingering sound, one that seemed to echo around the damp stairwell. "Up up," he softly assured, taking the steps two at a time in her wake. It didn't take them long to reach the roof, and sure enough, it was. . . . empty. A few wisps of clouds passed high above the city scape, the sunshine their only real witness. It was a roof. Plain and simple as that. And yet, for a moment, they seemed very much so alone. In fact, they seemed to feel almost free. As if the cages had truly been stripped away from their souls. For a brief second, as a gentle gust tangled playfully in their air, whispering its cool breath against their ears, everything seemed. . . . okay. But it was a fleeting instant, like every moment in the world. Intangible, and never meant to last. "These birds could be considered rare," he explained patiently, his eyes leaving Cadence to look around the gentle city scape. The town didn't look so cold from the roof. Of course, the higher up, the more peaceful *everything* looked. As King Arthur had learned from Merlin, there was no such thing as boundries and territories. Not from a birds eye view. Animals didn't need territory so viciously marked with fences and streets; from high above, natures natural beauty could be seen -- not the ugly blemishes caused by man. Shanuh loved the sense of freedom. It was a beautiful thing, really. And yet, even he couldn't ever truly be free. Not yet. Now wasn't the time. Looking over at the girl, he offered her a smile. And this one was the most disconcerting of all his stares. There was something strange about it, something unreal. The truth of the matter be told, it was a smile that was (for once) actually sincere. "Here," he explained patiently, reaching over to scoop up a small, plain, plastic, lidded bucket from the ground. "Birds have an excellent sense of hearing, you know. Perhaps you should try you luck? Wild animals only run if they sense fear or uncertainty. Danger or harm. See if you can call a few birds of your own?" Cadence For the first time since the morning had begun on such a sour note, Cadence felt... she wasn't sure what that was. Peace, maybe, or grace. Whatever it was normal people felt when the wind blew in their hair. She was so tempted to just spread her arms to the breeze, as if she too were a bird, but even without Shanuh's presence, she would hardly have allowed herself even that little indulgence. Still, subconsciously, she smiled. Somehow it was an expression that seemed even more hopeless and lost than her usual shock or numbness. It was too small, too guarded; as if she knew that smiles were fleeting things, and was too busy worrying of the future to enjoy the present, tainting joy with wary pessimism. But it didn't entirely fade as she looked over the city from above... only a little, as she carefully moved to the center of the rooftop, keeping as far away from any of the brinks as she could. She thought it was sort of nice, in its strange way, with the sun warm on her back and the city a distant hum far away. Nothing but the sky up here. Cadence looked uncertainly at the plastic bucket, taking it in her hands a moment later to peer inside. It looked like grains or seeds, obviously something to offer to these rare birds of his. Her gaze flickered up at him, not entirely sure what he meant, and even less sure of his expression. Another smile, but... she couldn't read this one. Instinctively, her gaze dropped back to her feet. "C-call them? How..?" He didn't expect her to sing, did he? She couldn't sing, not in front of him, or anyone, she probably couldn't even sing to just herself... but what was it he had said about fear? Looked like she wouldn't be passing that test anytime soon. But she tried to calm herself again, looking back out over the horizon. Deep breaths, feeling the wind in her eyes and ears. She could be calm. She hoped. Shanuh Shanuh had looked away from the girl, gazing steadily up at the sky. How he yearned for his own chains and tethers to be removed. It had been so long since. . . . He remembered the old days, the old times. If only he had but a moment to relive them, if only things hadn't progressed the way they did.. With the sun staring them down, and the refreshing, tickling breeze enticing them to dance within its glory, it was easy to forget. Here, he could be taken back to a better place; one unmarred and unhampered by humanity. But the girls question interrupted his daydreams, and he slowly snapped out of his reverie. The smile that twisted his features was almost amused. The question always caught people off guard. "You needn't sing out loud, but do know that your soul has a timbre all its own. Your soul sings its own song, whether you know it or not. Here," reaching forward, he took a small handful of seed, and threw it out before them. It crackled and pit-pattered against the hard cement. It almost sounded like a gentle rain, the falling of water; it was a pleasant sound. The seeds scattered in a small pile, and Shanuh looked over at the girl. "If you're so lucky, they'll be attracted to the soun. For truly, what animal gives up a free meal?" It was the impression of a simple bird feeding. But there was much, MUCH more to it then that. All Shanuh could do was watch. This part was up to Cadence; her reactions, her thoughts, the overall power of her spirit would compell them to come, if they even came at all. Cadence]Her confusion showed plainly on her face, along with a hint of apprehension when she truly began to take his words seriously. A bird that listened to your soul? She knew there were supposed to be perceptive animals, ones that could tell when an earthquake was coming or where a cancer had spread within the human body. But the idea that there were those out there that would read the hum of a soul, of her soul...
Cadence bit back the urge to insist that she had no soul to read. It was one thing to feign modesty and think that you hadn't anything worthwhile or special in your soul, but to believe that you had none at all... she would expect a scolding for that thought.
She watched the seed scatter on the rooftop, pattering rythmically. She couldn't help but think of those foreign instruments she had been shown as a child, hollow sticks filled with river pebbles or dried seeds that flowed from one end to the other every time you turned it upside down or rightside up. A soothing sound, if one that jarred your memories a little farther back than they had any right to go.
"...Prey. Doesn't prey give up a free meal..?" she murmered, but strangely, her eyes were closed. She stood up a little taller, giving her lungs room to breathe, mimicing the straight-backed pose They had taught her, so many years ago. To meditate, to focus the inner soul, to find balance. Even back then, she had needed balance.
She had a soul, somewhere beneath the emotional baggage of a pathetic lifetime and the glass walls erected between herself and the world. That outer world had never been a hurtful place; there had never been physical pain, or back-breaking labor, or abuse that left bones shattered and blood flowing. But it had never been her world at all, never one she had been herself in.
She couldn't place the ache of the ache of her father's rejection to a tune, the number of times she had failed to be the daughter he wanted. She couldn't whistle aloud the sounds of the white-washed asylum walls, frequently and briefly as she had been enclosed by them, where They had been the first to discover there was no place she truly belonged. She had always been unready for the world, but unworthy of a cage. There was no beat to the feeling that she had been born in the wrong skin; a mouse trapped in a lion's body, yearning for the invisibility that smallness and grace would have granted. The hours, days, weeks spent trying to be a mirror to everyone else, seeking acceptance from would-be friends, too afraid to make even the kindest ones more than acquaintances. The fear and foreknowledge of failure.
Cadence slumped a little, shoulders again tensing into a protective wall between herself and the world. The inability to cope, no matter how tightly she clung to the few moments of warmth and kindness. There was a song in that soul, but it was something quieted and faded and torn by the weight of every failure and every time she had given up hope. To an ear, maybe it would have sounded like a lone flute playing on a mountaintop, untouched and untouchable by human hands, while the wind tore and scattered the long, sad notes. Or maybe just the sound of a little girl humming in her room behind locked doors, falling silent every time a person walked beneath her window, only starting up again when all was clear and safe.
And every bit of this was clear to Cadence. They were old thoughts, but worn ones, gone over and over within her head until the echoes of them were as strong as the thoughts themselves. Bowing her head to the wind, it was not the outside world that she hated, but her own broken soul.[/quote]
[quote="Shanuh and the Raven There was silence. The sort of silence where a person felt like the tiniest, most insignificant of being. They weren't high up from the street, a mere two stories, but it was enough to silence the world. To push aside the truth that you were standing upon the top of a petshop, full of cages and tanks. There were much taller skyscrapers towering high above them, staring down at the pitiful man and girl. But, at the same time, they were alone. Truly. TRULY alone. The streets could be heard; car engines, the occassional squeal of squeaky-breaks. People could be heard chit-chatting back and forth, as they walked obliviously past the little shop near the corner. They had no idea of the insignificance of their life. They had no idea that their entire purpose was wrapped around one thing: death. Everyone was meant to die. The world wouldn't be truly living it wasn't truly killing. The end was the only thing all creatures had in common. Births were different. Some creatures split in two, while others needed a bit of extra pollinating. Some were asexual, while others needed at *least* two. Some babies grew from eggs, others grew inside their parent, and others were nothing more than seeds beneath the soil of the earth. Life started differently for everything. But eventually, at the very end, death would be found. Death came in many different shapes, but death was death. No matter what. That would never change. There was a fluttering of wings. A large, ebony bird settled calmly upon the edge of the building. It peered curiously at Cadence, before flopping onto the roof. Bobbing its head, the bird cautiously approached, before studying the seed indifferently. It would eat anyting, but it much preferred carrion. For a minute, it did nothing but stare, it's expression bland, almost as uncaring as Shanuh. Taking a step foward, the raven paused, tilting its head to study Shanuh, before looking cautiously back at Cadence. Cadence In that kind of loneliness, maybe Cadence had a place. Maybe there was something outside of the world to cling to--maybe you could cling to nothingness and emptiness as readily as warmth and love and steel. But she was no different than the others. Just a self-absorbed fleck of life that would flicker and die no differently than any other. Cadence opened her eyes, realizing a little belatedly that she was looking down into the beady black gaze of a bird. A crow? A mighty big crow, if it was. A raven, then. A species she recognized, even being so much a part of the city and so little acquainted with nature. Still, she stared, as if surprised to see it hopping about so calmly so nearby. Had it really listened to her soul? Every bit as cautious as the bird appeared to be, she turned her gaze to Shanuh, a slight awe tinging the broken eyes. "...W-what does it want?" she asked, whispered, rooted to the spot. The hair on the back of her neck was prickling, but she didn't think it was from fear. Excitement, maybe--just a healthy sense of trepidation. Shanuh, the Raven, and the Hummingbird Shanuh watched the raven, his eyes recognizing the Bird instantly. He knew every Bird which perched upon his roof, every animal in his shop. Oh yes, he knew them all by name and face, by their feel, and their songs. The look the raven gave Shanuh said it all -- they knew each other, and it was a relationship which sprung far past the beginning of time. It was something deeper than that, something that lasted from the start of the eternal spring. "Why not ask him?" Shanuh calmly suggested, dropping his gaze from the black birds, to look cooly at the girl. Hmm. Perhaps there was hope for her. Perhaps this would be the day Death found its match. The ebony bird hopped foward, stiff on his feet. Ducking its head, it clucked softly at Cadence, studying her curiously. Her song. Her song. It was. . . . . . it was . . . ...it was ... .mine. There was a buzz, a gentle thrum, the softest beating of wings. A zip here, a zip there. The little bird jerked past the raven, startling the large black bird enough to cause its feathers to ruffle in annoyance. It didn't matter. The little bird was hardly larger than a few inches. It had startled even Shanuh in its need to approach. Flitting this way and that, it circled Cadence once, twice, three times before buzzing around Shanuh. It seemed pleased. The man gave a gentle smile, and whispered in an almost affectionate voice, "So be it." The little violet faced bird flitted curiously back to Cadence. Hovering, it seemed impatient. . . . In fact, it seemed more than a little impatient. It looked as if it wanted to play. Cadence and Hummingbird It was one thing to be staring face to face with the stately black bird. It was quite another to have a purple-gray bullet whizzing past your ears without the slightest of warnings. Cadence jerked instinctively the first time the hyper bird flitted past her eyes, even with her feet rooted to the spot, trying to catch the frantic movements of the little bird with her peripheral vision. Fat chance, that. She hadn't even known there were birds that could move so fast; even when it was hovering in place, she couldn't see its wings as anything more than a blur. But by the third time it had circled her, she had relaxed again, or had relaxed as much as she had ever shown any inclination of being able to. Even the shielding slump of her shoulders had lifted a bit, replaced by some new curiosity or wonder. "S-So be it?.. You mean it..." She was cut off abruptly as the tiny thing flickered back in front of her eyes. She found her vision doubling to try and track its movements, but gave up before she could give herself a headache. Hesitantly, she extended a finger, held parallel to her face... a perch to land on, if the hyper thing would even consent to sitting still for that long. The idea that it looked very much like a puppy wanting to be played with kept creeping into her mind, but she shoved it aside each time, thinking it too ridiculous to be plausible. How could you possibly play with something so fragile, and yet so happy? Because it was happy. Vividly, amazingly, explosively happy. Seeing something so full of such joie de vivre beside the drab ghost of a girl... "...Do you have a name?" she asked aloud, or as aloud as ever, her voice a small whisper in the wind. She had thought to ask Shanuh, but he had already told her, in all seriousness, to ask the big black bird what it had wanted. She didn't much feel like having him correct her again--he might not even let her see this little bird of his if she did. Maybe it was a test. She didn't know what to think anymore. Reality kept ebbing in and out of her mind, here one minute gone the next. She hadn't even begun to consider the fact that she had no idea how to care for a bird, nor the funds to do so, nor the likelihood of losing her apartment over such a tiny, colorful thing. She would, soon, but right then, her mind had only enough room for awe. Shanuh Shanuh was oh-so-very pleased. The little Humingbird was happy to have found its perfect host and mate, that much he was sure even Cadence could feel. It was an unusual pairing, that was for certain, but the Birds knew what they wanted. Oh yes, the Birds always knew. The question was whether Cadence had an inkling of what she'd just gotten herself into? Part of Shanuh wanted to laugh and giggle at the idea, of what the future would bring the girl. Was she ready? Was she prepared? Oh, the Birds didn't care one way or another. They always knew best, and so long as they were happy, Shanuh was too. "Every animal knows its own name," Shanuh quietly told the girl, a smug look on his features. This girls soul had been tried, and she'd been found pure. Pure enough, not in the stereotypical sense of the word, but pure enough in substance. There was a REAL girl beneath her skin -- not just a fragment of dust. She wasn't a living corpse, she wasn't devoid of life and spark. There was someone down there, someone who was just right for the little Bird. "Perhaps, one of these days, he'll let you in on his secret, or you'll figure it out. For now though, feel free to call him your own. He's yours, and there will be no parting from him." Cadence had just fallen into a death trap. It was too late for her to turn back now.
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 12:00 am
Cadence and the Hummingbird At the same moment Patrick was standing uncertainly before the door of the pet shop, a rather dazed girl was making her way down from the rooftop--back down the staircase Shanuh had led her up, although this time, she seemed to be having more trouble with her feet. She was too tall for the cramped space, and she kept tripping, or stubbing her elbows on the walls, but... she didn't really seem to notice. Light at the end of the tunnel. Cadence stepped into the back of the shop, peering owlishly at the tanks of... questionable... reptiles that surrounded her. It seemed so strangely normal now. Like she had forgotten to be scared this time. The fear would come back, of course, it always did, but her mind was simply too preoccupied with something three inches long and covered in feathers. The young woman eyed her shoulder, watching the tiny hummingbird that had perched there, its thin beak swiveling about as it looked at everythingallatonce. Before she could stop it, the bird was zipping back and forth across the room, peering into everything, buzzing the scalp of at least one guinea pig, and... The tiny, flickering bird came to a halt right in front of Patrick's nose; as if coming in off the bright street into sudden darkness wasn't disconcerting enough, he now had a bird in his face. Cadence, slower than her newfound friend, tried to skirt around the largest of the tanks, making a zig-zaggedy way back to the front of the shop. "Oh... oh, don't, silly thing... don't mind him, he's just, er, excited, I guess..." she mumbled to the colorful man, trying to both coax the hummingbird back to her side and simultaneously not look at Patrick at the same time. She didn't manage to do either particularly well. Patrick Patrick didn't seem too put off at this little...buzzing...thing. Those dual-colored eyes widen into something of surprise, pointed noise crinkling like an acordian. The little thing looked like a giant blob of color and darkness, all at once, buzzing about like a bee to the poor boys whose contact smothered eyes were slowly, slowly adjusting to the darkness of the pet shop. "I-uh. What is that?" There was squinting - he seriouslly needed to wear his glasses more often. "A bird?" Oh, how articulate of you, Patrick. If the dark man could blush, he probably would be - as it was, his face just went warm. That's all it took for him to snap back into his own little mode of living, back into that little self-assured, colorful coat he adored and constantly wrapped himself up in, face clearing of surprise to become one of amusement. And it -was- funny. He grinned, lip pulling at the piercing on his mouth, the eyebrow piercings rising with the muscles in his face. "A hummingbird? How pretty." Still so very articulate, not that he really cared. Brown shoes shifting a little squeakily against the floor, teeth catching at his lower lip one more time. "Yours?" Cadence and the Hummingbird Luckily for Cadence, the colorful man--this shop seemed to attract the colorful ones like moths to flame; she supposed it had just been a fluke that she had ended up there at all--didn't seem to mind being examined by the fiesty little bird. She had been afraid for a moment that he might try to slap it away, or crush it even, it was so tiny and fragile-looking. Never mind the fact that there wasn't a chance in hell any normal person could ever catch something that fast. Fear wasn't logical like that, anyhow. "Mine..? Oh... well..." What had the store manager said? He's yours... and there will be no parting from him. That was a little creepy sounding, now that she thought of it. "I... I suppose he is..." she finally mumbled, eyeing her shoes, backing up a few paces so that he might have room to come in. Not that she had been in the way in the first place. The squeak of his shoes was enough to make her cringe, but only a little. Meanwhile, the miniscule bird was still zipping 'round Patrick's head, actually getting close enough to tug on a few strands of hair and to n** his ear--not hard, just a little poke, but it was still sort of... weird. After a few moments, he flitted back towards Cadence, circled her several times (she recieved the same ear-n** treatment, just because he felt like being silly), and then went back to zipping from one corner of the room to the other. Cadence laughed, quietly, nervously. "I don't know very much... about birds, or anything. But... he seems friendly, I guess. Is that why you're here? For a bird..?" Patrick He somehow managed to not flinch at the bird tugging at his perfectly pasted up hair. It was straight and had been since birth but he made it something of his (and not that b***h, Natures) by styling it how he wanted, when he wanted to. And now that pretty little bird decided to tug at it...but he didn't mind? It was kind of cute, in a weird, slightly twisted way. Lips purse (oh, gods, he needed more lip gloss, oh yes he did) a bit at the bird giving his owner simalier treatment, trying to keep himself from just laughing aloud. Amusement was shining in his eyes, masked by the contact lenses. "He's very pret--" Cutting himself off at that cringe, noticing it as a person who was often cringed at would, and Patrick glanced down at his shoes. "...work made me wear them." Now his voice was muttered, as if a little ashamed, "I'd prefer my boots." Worker boots! Big thick, steel toed worker boots. In fact, he was so caught in his own little world of his bootlessness that the dark skinned boy almost missed her question, aimed to him. About him. "A bird? For me?" Here is where Patrick laughed - it was a low, silken sound, a one-eighty from his rough personality. "I don't think I'm interesting enough to have a bird. I just...Wanted to look, I guess?" The last portion was a question and he shrugged, glancing away sheepishly. Cadence and the Hummingbird Poor Cadence, she was already blushing a bit, absentmindedly rubbing her ear where the little bird had prodded it. If he wasn't careful, she might just end up with an ear piercing she didn't really want. Maybe Patrick would appreciate it more; he already seemed pierced in enough places to not really notice one more. She couldn't even tell what his feelings were about being harrassed by her feathery acquaintance; anger, amusement, it all looked the same with a painted face. "Oh, it's not that--" Cadence looked alarmed, shaking her head and glancing at his shoes, trying to imagine boots instead. But she wasn't very good at imagining things, not even clothes. "They, um, look nice," she finished, somewhat lamely. The hummingbird, bored of pestering the iguanas, flittered back to her shoulder, perching there as if he had not moved the entire time. It was funny to think something so small could manage to look both cute and innocent when it wanted to, but if he had been a puppy, he would have had those trademark glistening puppy eyes. The purple head flickered this way and that, and those irridescent wings shifted and spread and preened--it was almost as if he were showing off just how bright and pretty he could be. "Oh! I think you look interesting enough... I mean, no, that's... that's not what I meant..." Poor Cadence. She took another small step backward, cheeks flushed and sneakers shuffling on the floor. She hadn't meant it like that, really. It was just, he did look interesting, and looking interesting on the outside probably meant you were interesting on the inside, and... "I-I think they just choose... whoever fits them best," she murmured, lowering her head, scrunching her shoulders a little. Strange, how such a tall woman could make herself look twice as small, just by not having the presence to fill her stature. "Maybe... you should talk to the man with the eyes... like yours. With two colors. He... seems to know what to do." Patrick Odd, how a woman so tall could shrink herself down, yet such a short boy could make himself appear larger then life with just a few words. Patrick didn't bother to disagree with her on the ugly brown shoes he was wearing, little toes inside of the leather flexing just enough to make his shoes move. Those multi-colored eyes just take in the girl as she blushed and fidgeted before him, thin, almost anorexic frame not budging from his own designated spot. "Well..." The dark boy paused slightly, eyes trailing over to the buzzing, happy little animal and then back to this shy, nervous girl and he let himself grin. Lips pulled taunt, bright white teeth flashing slightly. "If you have one, that must mean you're very interesting too, then, right?" Blinking up at her, a single, slender hand being extended. It was bejeweled with several kinds of rings and bracelets, all sparkly, fitted for him, bright and colorful. "I'm Patrick." Another faint smile, "And I'll be sure to take you advice on the man with two different eyes. Who might you be?" Cadence and the Hummer If he thought that comment was going to get her to relax... he was dead wrong. The blush turned into very noticable tinges of bright red on her cheeks, and as he extended his hand, she couldn't do much more than shake her head and mumble. "I'm not... I'm just... me." A shrug, causing the little bird to squeak indignantly--or perhaps it was joyfully?--and nibble at a strand of her mouse-y hair. Maybe it was just hungry. She didn't even know what you fed a hummingbird. Judging by the way he acted, probably coffee. It did seem strange that such a contrasting personality had picked her, but then, hadn't people always been saying that opposites attracted? And they did match, in an awkward sort of way. When Cadence hesitated to shake Patrick's hand, even for a moment, the bird gave a soft tink, tink chirp, buzzing over to land, surprisingly, on the topmost of his fingers. Cadence couldn't help but laugh, very quietly, only touching his hand briefly for fear of knocking the little bird off. He seemed to be very interested in the man's shiny rings; perhaps out of innocent curiosity, or perhaps to see if he might pry one loose and carry it off. Never mind the fact that just one probably weighed more than he did. "I'm Cadence. I... I don't know his name, yet," she admitted, glancing at the queer little bird. If Shanuh was right, and she would never be rid of him... she was going to have to find a better-tempered landlord, for one. Not a happy thought. "The man with the two-color eyes, he owns this place... he must still be upstairs, he'll probably come down eventually..." Patrick He actually made the comment to see what she would do. The blush was a given, practically, and Patrick didn't do anything but grin more. "What could be more interesting then you?" His voice was not teasing, although it was light and cheerful as he could manage. The girl was cute. Period. She might've been a bit plain to look at but something so charming and adorable could only be labeled as cute (despite Patrick being staunchly anti-woman and a full out homosexual himself). He liked her, and that little buzzing thing that liked his rings so much. Speaking of which. Those pierced brows rose up and amusement lit the darker mans face. "Do you like those, you little bumblebee?" A faint quirk of eyebrows once more, a single one rising up to nearly touch the edge of that styled hair. "You can have one when you're big enough to carry it without falling, promise." A grin - of course he never expected what he called the 'little bumblebee' to grow that size; a joke, a joke! "Cadence? Like music type of cadence Cadence?" Had he been a dog, ears would have perked up. "That's a lovely name and I'm sure the little bumblebee has just a pretty a name as you do. Almost positive, in fact." Patrick smiled at himself a bit, for being silly but..eh. He'd probably never see this Cadence or her little friend ever again - why not enjoy the rendevous? "He owns it...?" A faint hesitation and then another, slower smile. "You'll introduce me then, won't you? I get nervous when meeting people of authority." Cadence Oh boy. The blush only became more pronounced--Cadence was going to have a hard time ignoring that sort of blatant compliment. And the side of her that would rather turn invisible was clashing with the side of her that was very obviously a girl, and didn't quite mind being complimented every now and then. Needless to say, the former was winning. She was having a difficult time just finding something appropriate to answer with. Thank goodness for the diversion that was her purple-headed friend. The "little bumblebee"--an apt name, perhaps one that would stick, she thought--squeaked in delight, wings buzzing excitedly as he pulled at the ring. He was much too small to even make it budge, and soon settled for just picking at the bright stones, but Patrick was bound to keep that promise, whether either he or Cadence knew it right then or not. "You'll only encourage him," the girl mused, quietly, a small smile quirking her lips. Smiles weren't exactly something she had much experience with... but she did try, honestly. "My relatives... wanted me to be a musician, I guess." Oh, how true and pathetic that had been. The grandmother who had forced a violin into her hands. The grandfather who swore big girls required big instruments--and promptly found her the largest euphonium he thought her lungs could fill. The aunts with their guitar and castanets--a failed attempt at flamenco. The uncles with their oboes and baritone voices, coaxing her into a choir. The father with those damn drums. C'mon, Cadence, you don't even have to learn notes. Just go crazy with them. Or just beat out a beat. A rythm, a cadence. You can do that. You could see the old pain in her eyes, just for a second, too many failures remembered there. "Oh, he's probably around... I don't think I could really..." Too late. There was Shanuh, in all his bright-eyed glory. Cadence fell quiet, watching the gaze shared between the two colorful men. Even the hummingbird glanced up, tink tinking a greeting to the shop owner. Funny, how little she fit into this world. "--introduce him," she finished, in the quietest of mumbles. Patrick Of course - Patrick knew how to manipulate girls, a little bit (despite not being too fond of many of them) and he knew that everyone, always, enjoyed a compliment when it was given from the truth. It may not be the truth in their eyes but when it was the truth to the person saying it? Always a good thing. He didn't know he'd be giving this little fluttering thing a ring or some sort of jewelry in the future; he wasn't a prophet! But a promise was a promise...always good to abide by one. A grin tugged at his lips when the little bumblebee continued to pet, those colorful pieces of rocks not even shuddering in a protest. "Nothing wrong with encouraging playfulness," He protested lightly, laughing as he wriggles those thin, almost girlish fingers over at the bumblebee. "As long as he's not going to think my eyes are jewelry and go after those..." Patrick trailed off there, for affect, a smile still dancing on his mouth. "Ugh. What do relatives know anyway?" A dramatic handwave (from the one the birdie wasn't toying with) and a wide smile - that was his attempt to wipe that pain from her face. "My father wanted me to become a lawyer and get married and have children." A little snicker, glancing back up from Cadence, away from the bird, a genuine smile coming over those features. "...relatives can suck, sometimes, Cadence. As soon as you realize they aren't the only voices in the world...everything becomes a little easier." Pulling himself away from that gaze with the shopkeeper something almost..embaressed covered his face. Patrick had a weakness for pretty things, colorful things. The owner of the pet store was one of t hose. A diminutive little smile overcame his lips, glancing back at Cadence once more. "...eh. I guess he has his own way of doing things, non?" Patrick Rather intriuged by the man still staring at him and Cadence, Patrick glanced up and over once more, eyebrows arching a little bit. There was a kitten now.. he liked kittens. Cute and fluffity but... Eh. "Excuse me," He said lightly to Cadence, giving the little hummingbird a little pat on the head before moving over to Shanuh, the strange looking owner with that pretty little kitten. "Hello." It was a pretty shitty way to conversation but what else could the dark skinned boy do? He didn't see any birds around (maybe his eyes were still really bad...he didn't have his glasses on yet) but.. "Are hummingbirds legal to sell around here?" Another bad thing to say, but he wasn't accusing. The genius lad was curious~ That's all. And intrigued by Cadence's newest bumblebee.
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 12:01 am
Cadence and the Hummingbird Dark. Why did it have to be dark? It made Cadence feel nervous all the way down to her bones, having to wander through the twilight city haze so cautiously, sticking to shadows but at the same drawn towards the glow of the street lamps. Nobody could see you in the dark... but the light was always inviting. Still, at least she wasn't alone. Not that a three inch-long bird was going to be much help if she got mugged, or anything, but the little warmth that flittered its wings against her ear was a welcome feel. Every so often the little bird would zip off of her shoulder, darting down alleyways and casting little insect-sized shadows on the pavement, but he always came back, even when she worried that he had finally run away for good. Birds needed cages, after all. Why would they keep coming back if they weren't caged... Cadence edged into the park as if she thought there might be wolves lurking there, or lions or tigers or bears, however it was the stupid song went. But it seemed all right. Nervously, the young woman twirled a few orchids between her fingers, the hummingbird occasionally stopping to dip its beak into the exotic lavender flowers. She had had to purchase them from a florist's shopfront after her companion had tactfully flown right up to the florist himself and had his way with the man's merchandise. "Why here..." she muttered, eyes peering into the dying light uncertainly, trying to follow the flickering metallic flashes of the hummingbird's crest as it zipped among the playground equipment and flowering dogwood trees. It was almost as if he were looking for something, or someone. Cadence was rather beginning to hope that he didn't find it. Patrick and Woodie "Yes, yes, but the internet said you eat ants and beetles too and they just don't sell those, you cheeky little s**t." Patricks drawl rang out through the park, a soft chirrup and a flap of wings being the only answer. The boy appeared, wearing leather and cloth and still looking as shiny and colorful as before, his nine-inch-long woodpecker nesting quite comfortably on the boys head, puffed up and as proud as a peacock. A 'churr' noise answered his remarks, beak stretching out primly. The bird - 'Woodie', as Patrick liked to call him - spotted the humming bird, a fellow Gaurdian and his companion. ...how plain she was. How glad he was that he was able to get his oddly colored fellow. The feathers smoothed themselves out, Woodie hopping up to both feet, wings flapping easily, quickly in response to seeing the two. Lookit here, shiniee boy! Lookit here... You have some friends. Indeed, he did. Patrick glanced up - today he was wearing thick, black glasses instead of his contacts. It let him see better. His face lit up when he saw the shy girl, jogging over quietly (ignoring the birds trill of indignance that he would DARE run with him on his head!). "Hey, Cadence. Hello, bumblebee." A pause, eyebrows arching at them both as he allowed his bird to fluff up once more, settling down ontop of him again and eye the two of them rather...intensely. Studying them. Taking each more. "What are you two doing here?" How do you know my shiniee boy? Cadence and Bumblebee]The hummingbird twittered madly with glee, zipping around Patrick's head a few times--of course, making sure that he showed off his brilliant purple head and throat, he didn't want Patrick to forget how pretty he was, even without a ring yet--before focusing in on the boy's new friend. Zipzipzip, all around he flitted, looking at the larger bird from every angle, darting in every now and then as if to pretend to poke him with his slender beak, but he was only playing.
He promised me shinies! The shiny one with the shiny bits! Play with me, he added, landing long enough on Patrick's arm to try and pull at Woodie's tailfeathers with his beak.
Cadence, on the other hand, looked as though she might be rooted to the spot. She was staring at the woodpecker with wide eyes, somehow knowing that this was another one of Shanuh's birds. It had that... look about it. That weird look. She also wasn't sure where else you could go to purchase a kind of bird like that; it didn't look much like a parakeet or pigeon. Not with a gaze like that.
"Um, hi... we were just, wandering, I guess," she mumbled, shrugging, actually trying to hide a bit behind the bouquet of orchids. If anything, the bright and exotic flowers only made her stand out more against the drab city backdrop.
"So... the man with the two-color eyes, he gave you that one..?"[/quote]
[quote="Patrick and Woodie Patrick knew how pretty he still was, of course, white teeth flashing into a grin. Jeweled fingers rise up, tickling against the bumblebees throat and stomach softly, laughing quietly. "Hello, little bumblebee. You're being nice to Cadence, aren't you?" Voice soft, as it usually is when he's talking to the birdie. The woodpecker continued to eye the new comer, trilling softly, low in his throat. He did? But he's my shiniee boy... You have your...not shiny girl.. A pause, nipping almost playfully at the others smaller frame before eyeing Cadence. She could use some shinies...She's not shiny at all. A wriggle of that nearly-foot long frame, 'Woodie' hopping up and zebra printed wingspread beating lightly in the air. Play what? "Shanuh?" He asked lightly, grinning at her trying to hide. His hand reaches out again, slowly pushing the orchids away from her face. "Yeah, he showed me where Woodie and his friends hung out... i think he liked my rings. Where'd you get the flowers, Cadence? A boyfriend?" Cadence and Bumblebee Oh, he liked that, very much indeed. The little hummingbird whistled shrilly, happily, at Patrick, as if in answer to his question. Of course, Cadence looked a little worse for wear, but it was only from fatigue, too much in one day. He could take care of her all by himself, she would be much happier from now on, or at least he thought so. Nice, promise! He promised me a shiney anyway, the little bird boasted, but he did take a very quick moment to look at Cadence. No, she wasn't very shiny, was she. She's shiny on the inside! he decided, twittering as the woodpecker nipped at him, sounding very much like a child giggling. But oh dear, what to play? He didn't know any games, not really, just ones he made up, but that must make them even better, because he was so very good at making games. Catch me! Or pester the humans, he added, zipping once more around Patrick, trying to ruffle the boy's hair with the wind from his flapping wings. Cadence backed away a pace as he tried to push the flowers away, sheepishly lowering them. She hadn't meant to look so nervous, but that was too close for her. But that was nothing compared to the look of horror at the mention of a boyfriend. "N-no, of course not! T-they were for... for him," she gestured at her hummingbird companion. There was that blush again. Change the subject, now, quick! "I... I can see why he liked them, the birds seem to like... color, mostly. S-Sort of like Shanuh. Maybe they like him... because he's colorful." Patrick and Woodie Shiny on the inside? The male woodpecker paused, twittering lightly as he eyed the little girl suspiciously. He stared at her like an investigation but ended up just...poofing himself once more, face sinking into the pillow of his feathers. ...iff you say so. I only see HIS shinyness. That's why he's my shiniee-boy. Good luck ruffling his hair...that thick african boy hair wasn't about to budge - it's why the bird like nesting next or on top of it. A chortle of a snicker and a few hops - Woodie was then standing on the edge of Patricks shoulder as he spoke to Cadence. I can't catch you - you're a hummingbird! Only thing faster is a raptor... A pause, his little mental voice dry and slightly flat (think Heero Yui here) still. Mmph... Maybe I could annoy your non-shiny? Curiousness littered him as the woodpecker lifted himself from his Companion, fluttering himself over to Cadence. Atop her head, to be more precise. Much pleased by the softness and pliability of her hair, that long beak plucked and nibbled at the strands, well intent on forming a nest right there on the girls head. He almost puuuuurred. she has a nice head... Another grin from Patrick, blinking and laughing. "So you don't like boys, Cadence? That's okay, I won't take offense. I'll just wear a skirt next time, ok?" Another faint smile, glancing at the hummingbird so close to his face. He let his eyes trail back to her, nose wrinkling. "He's colorful, and he's pretty," He agrees, his own face warming up. One again, he was glad he was so dark. "Are you hungry, cadence? 'Cause after woodie here was done, I was going to go get something to eat. Want to come with?" Cadence and Bumblebee She can be shiny someday, then she'll be my shiny boy! He didn't give a second thought to how exactly that would work, but he didn't want this fluffy woodpecker to think he was better for having a shiney-boy, that was no fun at all. I win! he twittered happily, never minding the fact that there hadn't even been a chase at all. Where Woodie had a dry, level voice, the little bumblebee was like a bubbling fountain, always rising and falling and pitch and perhaps just a bit too loud for something so small. He gave up his vain attempt to ruffle Patrick's hair--he would have to investigate further, he did not quite understand why he could play with Cadence's hair so but Patrick's would hardly flutter about at all-- and with another twitter he joined the larger bird by his companion, flittering around her face and giggling to himself. Ooh, this was a good game! She was ever so easy to annoy. Poor Cadence stood as still as she could, brow wrinkling in an attempt to see just what the woodpecker was doing up there without accidentally dislodging it. It didn't hurt, even though this gripping feet felt a little strange, but she would really rather he didn't cut her hair off, or choke himself with it... but then, Patrick didn't seem to mind, and she certainly wasn't about to tell his bird off. Besides, there were more presssing matters at hand. "...t-that's not what I meant..." she mumbled, fumbling awkwardly with the orchids, wishing she could something better to hide behind. A wall, maybe. Or a hole in the ground to sink into. That damn blush. She could feel the warmth creeping behind her eyes, maybe there was even a little fear, or hurt, mixed in with that embarassment, but she would fight it, she really would. "I guess he is... a little pretty." She jumped on the change in subject as quickly as she could, failing to notice how flustered Patrick was looking. Maybe she hadn't even noticed it in the shop that morning, either. "I'm not really..." Yes you are! twittered the hummingbird, zipping right into her face. "I mean, I couldn't..." Yes you could! Poor Cadence just gave in. "If... if you don't mind..." Patrick and Woodie Patrick was eyeing his little bird friend suspiciously, moving closer, closer to Cadence. His hands rose up, cupping Woodie between his hands and tugging him gently out of Cadenses strands. "Sorry about him, Cadence... He likes roosting on heads. He's like a hen." Fingers rise up, straightening up her hair as his woodpecker trilled his annoyance at being compared to a hen. Lips quirking into a faint smile, peeking up at her, eyebrows arching. "So the foods good? I'll pay and be gentlemanly and all that s**t." Head tilting, shifting b ack and moving away, tugging her lightl. "What do you want to eat?" I am not a hen! Huffhuff pout of the little grumbly woodpecker, wriggling itself free of Patricks shiny, dark hands. Trill, chirrup, wings flapping to move after them, twisting and twirling around the two in a flash of orange, black, white and red. Chuuuuurrr. My shiniee is weird... and your non-shiny is bright red i the face... Cadence and Bumblebee You could see the conflict written across Cadence's face, clear as ink on paper. She didn't want to move and upset the woodpecker, but then, she didn't particularly want to convince Patrick to come any closer. Too late to stop that, though. Still, she managed a strained smile, shaking out her hair a little to undue the "damage" wrought by his fiesty bird. "Oh, he's much too... pretty... to be a hen, I think." She couldn't quite hide the slightest amusement at the bird's fussing, thinking that perhaps he was just a little like a hen, if what she know of hens--very little--was true. He did seem to at least have a sort of motherly pride for Patrick, but then, perhaps that was a trait the woodpecker and hummingbird shared. Why not be proud of your human, after all, even if they were such silly things? "Oh, just... just food, really..." She followed his light tug, not quite reluctantly, but not with the same enthusiasm her companion seemed to. He paused to sip at one of the orchids, just enough to get a little energy boost, he burned energy away so quickly just by flittering about, and he certainly didn't want to be sleepy and tired when he had people to play with. Teeheehee, hen!~ he teased, zipping along beside the grumbly woodpecker, but he did stop long enough to see if what he had said about Cadence's face was true. Oh dear, she was very bright in the face, wasn't she? Like a pretty shiny cardinal! See, I told you her colors were on the inside! But then, maybe he wasn't so very sure of that. Patrick and Woodie Patrick was flamingly, bouncingly and horribly homosexual. There was no way in the world he would even think of doing remotely sexual to Cadence, if that's what she was worried about. He smiles at her strained smile, fingers still on her sleeve as he moves along. "Something sit-down ok? I work in fast food and I hate going there when I'm off duty." Cadence gets another smile, in hopes of lighting up her face a little bit more. "Have you been back to the pet shop since you got the bumblebee? Did you name him yet?" Those pierced eyebrows arch as they pad along, him trying to keep up the pace and the conversation. Woodie grumbled, chirruping lightly. He took the time to dive bomb a particularily large beetle, throat flexing as he swallowed the damn thing whole with just some snaps and a bite. Mmph. Her shininess only shows up when she's embaressed? His mental voice was amused, flapping after them with a trill - every so often the woodpecker would grab at Cadences hair, tugging and chirruping, feet catching some as well. For the most part, the woodpecker ignored the jabberings of the hummingbird ... After all, the other was so hyper it made his figurative teeth ache. Not a hen..they're jabbering, disgraceful things.. More huffing, more pouting,...but he relaxed. Silly bird. Cadence and Bumblebee Although it might, just might have crossed Cadence's mind that Patrick was about as straight as a rainbow, it really wouldn't have mattered much. The fact that he was a person was enough to set her on edge. Never mind that he was, as far as people went, one of the kinder ones she had met, even if he teased. He was still a person. That was all it took. "Yeah, sit-down is good..." Hell, it was better than good. After a few weeks of nothing but freeze-dried ramen and barely-heated ravioli, a sit-down restaurant, any one, was practically gourmet. But then, that reminded her that she would have to do something about her current employment... or lack thereof. But no time to worry about that now. At his encouraging smile, she managed to at least look a little more comfortable, doing her best to just look... casual. To just look like a normal person going out to eat with someone and their wild pet bird. "No, but... I think I might have to go back, soon... I can't keep buying him these..." She shrugged and peered at the orchids. They were very pretty, and they did smell sort of nice, but they were not cheap. "Maybe there's something else you can feed hummingbirds... like... bugs," she couldn't help but say, cringing a little as the woodpecker swallowed a hapless beetle whole. Ew. A name, though. She hadn't even begun to think of a name. "I guess I'm just... waiting for him to tell me," she confessed, managing another vague smile, realizing how crazy that must sound. She wasn't having any trouble keeping up, even being a little slower than he was--the added height advantage gave her a longer stride, if nothing else. And she didn't even flinch as Woodie dove for her hair, although she was beginning to wonder if she wouldn't have to start cutting it short if she were going to keep seeing him. That was a scary thought. Seeing a person more than once or twice. A friendship, even. She shuddered, just a little, as the hummingbird darted up against her face, nibbling at her ear and landing just long enough to tickle her cheek with his wingtips. She's just playing a game, he twittered, pecking at her ear again as if to prove it true. ...What's wrong with jabbering? And then, a moment later... What's a hen? Patrick and Woodie I hope it had. He has no lisp or anything, and his hands dont wave, nor does his butt wriggle when he walks, but Patrick had that little 'queer vibe' radiating off of him and, frankly, he enjoyed it. Lipsticked lips curl into a slow grin, giving her shoulder a little pat. "Don't be so akward around me, Cadence. I promise I don't bite." He paused, nose wrinkling (which made his piercing glitter in the dim lightly) and let his eyes slide over to the side. "...mmph. What about...there?"
The resteraunt was a sit-down place, a small, homey thing with odds and ends decorating the wall in all manners of ways. Patrick liked to eat there and they liked him. He tipped well, he was pleasent to the people working there and ...well, he was cute. So when the two tromped in there, the ever grinning Patrick and this new girl, this shy blushing thing, they got all the waiteresses eyes and the hostess as well.
"Hey, Sheila," His voice is cheerful, watching their eyes widen as two birds fluttered inwards. The woodpecker landed primly on Patricks head, giving the gawking females a glare that his little birdie body could muster. A puff of feathers was his little signature move. "This is my friend, Cadence. Could we have a booth?"
"...Patrick..You know we can't allow birds in here. Health reasons." The hostess stuttered, blinking at the birds in something of shock. Patrick grinned again, reaching up to pet at the birdie, soothing those puffed feathers.
"Please, Sheila? I promise they won't leave our booth - nothing will get touched. For me?" He pulled his face into a classic PuppyDogLook(tm) and batted those thick,made-up lashed.
She hesitated and then blushed, skirting off and showing them to a booth in the corner of the resteraunt. Patrick sat down somewhat smugly.
...a hen is a big fat stupid bird that can't fly, let alone think. AND it's ugly... Nothing like your jay-girl or my shiniee-boy. Surprisingly, the woodpecker kept to his humans promise, fluttering off his head and hopping to the table, hiding behind the list of desserts.
Pouf! of the feathers, multi-colored head peeking out.Cadence and Woodie "I'm not awkward..." she mumbled, but even in saying it she was proving herself wrong, gaze naturally traveling down to rest somewhere by her toes. But only until he drew her attention to the restaurant, forcing her to look up at least long enough to see (and smell; even from across the street, she swore her stomache lurched at the scent of food). "Yeah, it looks... fine." She followed him into the place, eyes darting nervously across the walls of the room, trying to take in all the little details. Why'd they have to add so much... stuff? And there were definitely other people here. She hadn't been sure what she was expecting, it had been a long time since she'd been in a restaurant, but that old nervousness was creeping up again. She sidled a little closer to Patrick. The hummingbird, meanwhile, was positively thrilled. He almost darted forward to peer at these many strange, admiring women up close, but Cadence managed to shoot him a quick, warning glance, and that was enough. Maybe the pretty ladies could play later. Cadence didn't know whether to be amazed or dumbfounded as the hostess led them to a back corner, probably hoping that no one would see their unusual pets from their. "...She listened to you," she managed to say, sounding a little shocked herself. "I mean, she just... listened to you because you're..." Oh, what was the word? Pretty, maybe. Or charming, something like that. The hummingbird, although it pained him to do so, kept his flitting confined to the inside of their booth--although he did pop up above the back of the seats, every now and then, just to take a look around. Before long he was snuggling back into the crook of Cadence's elbow, making sure she didn't jostle him too much with the occasional poke or chirp. But birds are for flying! Maybe someone should carry it! Like big geese-birds carry little me-birds on their backs across the ocean, just like that. He was back to jabbering, apparently. "It's... nice," Cadence managed to say, slowly relaxing in the room's warm atmosphere. At least it wasn't cold. And it wasn't too bright, either; what did they call that? Ambiance? Patrick and Woodie "I come here a lot." A faint grin and a helpless shrug as he makes himself comfortable at the bench, dark eyes blinking over at his chirruping companion, a little grin on his lips. The entire place was just comfortable for him and he tried to make it completely so for his birdie friend by reaching over, stroking at the birds floofled feathers to calm his slightly startled Gaurdian. "They know me here.. " Another look up at the hummingbird and Patrick grins, twisting off a small ring from his pinkie finger. It was made of white gold from the looks of it, inlaid rocks of of varying colors from the entire rainbow and was really, really expensive. One could tell just by glancing at it. That grin widens, cooing softly from slightly pursed lips, "Catch this, bumblebee." The ring gets tossed up into the air - the ring was small, light enough so the bird wouldn't be weighed down so very much by the metal and the diminutive rocks. "Let this keep you interested for a little, ok?" The woodpecker actually looked a little put off, A shiniee? A huff! His person was giving the hummingbird a shiniee? A shiny was one thing - that was from anyone! But from his boy it was a shiniee. Something special. The feathers that were so easily smoothed popped right back up into that fluffy, mildly put-off way, eyeing the hummingbird almost jealously. Patrick paid his own jealous birdie no mind - slim fingers grabbed a menu, sliding it towards Cadence. "Get whatever you want, Cadence. This place has really good food, either way." A slow grin, winking at her and skimming through his own. Cadence and Bumblebee "I guess you must..." She couldn't help but smile a little at the affection he showed his feathered friend. There was something rather cute about the dark, jeweled boy growing so attached to... a bird, of all things. Something wild and uncaged, not even a peacock, which would have seemed fitting. Speaking of peacocks... the hummingbird roused himself immediately, zipping out to catch the ring before it could fall to the tabletop. Even such a small thing was enough to keep him from moving too far with the shiny bit of jewelry, and before long he had dropped down to the wooden surface, hopping around the ring and inspecting it from every angle. Cadence leaned in to see what exactly it was that Patrick had tossed him, her eyes going wide a second later. "N-no, we can't... you can't let him take that... I-I mean, that's more..." More than she made in a month, she couldn't help but think. More than a few good meals. Certainly more than a second happen-chance meeting deserved. Even if the little bird did like it, and did he ever. He had ceased his prancing, instead sitting upon the thing as if it were an egg, picking at the multi-colored stones one by one. Prettypretty! he squee-ed, not even noticing Woodie's jealousy over the shiniee. It was hishishis, Patrick had kept his promise! This was a good game, maybe he could make him promise more! Cadence took the menu numbly, not even realizing what it was at first, trying to formulate something sensible, concrete, structured, before she just... gave in, or broke down, whatever happened next. "You'll... take it back, right..?" she mumbled, pianist's fingers shaking just a little as she flipped through the menu, looking but not really reading. Typical fair, but it did smell good, but she couldn't ask for that sort of... hospitality. Friendliness, even. But they had chicken. Honest-to-goodness real cooked chicken. She stole a glance at Woodie, and then her own little ball of feathers and fluff. Maybe she would be better off just sticking with spaghetti. Patrick and Woodie Woodie continued to eye that ring and the hummingbird jealously, still all fluffed up, trilling softly with a little grumble towards the end of the noise. His Shiniee-boy OBVIOUSLY liked this silly little humming thing more then he did his woodpecker! All he'd given the woodpecker was pets and some crickets. Those dark eyes bored into Patricks laughing face - if he could, he'd be green with envy. HE wanted a shiny! He wanted something round and sparkly and pretty - lookit the hummingbirds shiniee! She was all upset and scared and not happy with it. Take it BACK. Patrick, unaware of his fluffed birdies anger, merely glanced up from his menu at the stunned girl. "Mm? Take what back?" A few blinks before his eyes were drawn back to the discarded ring and that small nose crinkled a bit, fingers moving to pet that pretty purple head of the hummingbird. "No, of course not. It's the bumblebee's now. Why would I take it away from him when I gave it to him? It's his." His voice is light, eyes moving back down to the menu. "...mm. Chicken wings.." Lips curling into a slow grin, glancing back at the fluffy thing that was now living with him. "Chicken wings sound good, Woodie?" Touch me and I'll bite your fingers. Woodie huffed. He was ready to peck at him too, until he felt those fingers scratch gently t his back and smooth those feathers. He couldn't help himself from churring softly, head sinking down like a mother hen. Mmmm...scratches. Patrick was plainly ignoring Cadences' disbelief. The girl needed a friend and he -did- make a promise to the bumblebee. He had money, a good place to live, everything he could ever have possibly wanted... And he could tell, just by looking, that she did not. If she decided to keep the ring, as it was a gift for her birdie, then so be it. He wouldn't mind. As the waiteress came over to get their drinks, he looked up once more, grinning at her. "Hello! My name is maggie," This was said to Cadence in a kind tone, a wide smile on the womans face, "What can I get for you two to drink today?" "Hey, Maggie. I'll have a Sprite and....Cadence? What do you want to drink?" Another look at Cadence, pierced eyebrows arching as he waited for her to speak. Cadence and Bumblebee "But he's a bird," she all but whined, although she didn't manage to sound so convinced herself. Oh, sure, he was just a bird, but that was like saying she was just Cadence. Maybe being just a bird wasn't such a simple thing after all. He didn't seem like a very simple bird, at least. "Oh, you wouldn't..." She smiled, just a bit, eyes sliding towards Woodie. Of course he wouldn't make chicken wings out of something so very... nonono, he wasn't like a hen at all, she reminded herself. Even those dark little eyes made her feel a little nervous; too intense for her, too scrutinizing for a wee beastie. Still, though. She looked at the ring, at how happy her little bumblebee friend was eyeing himself in the shiny stones; she would have to carry it for him, in any case. If it really was meant to be kept, she could hardly do something as uncouth as sell it. She had a feeling the hummingbird wouldn't let her do such a thing in any case. "J-just water, please." Cadence looked up at the woman with her broad smile and warm features, suddenly feeling very self-conscious under the gaze of both of them. She wasn't even sure that she was dressed properly for a restaurant, in old faded jeans and a too-large sweatshirt and sneakers with the toe worn as thin as rice paper. But they did seem nice. She managed a faint smile at Patrick, the corners of her lips just barely turning upward, but it was a start. Shinyprettyshiny! Wanna play with the shiniee? C'mon! pipped the hummingbird, once more hopping around his treasure, peering at Woodie and then at the shiniee, amazed to see the gold and white of his feathers reflected in the stones. Patrick and Woodie He's just a bird and that's just a ring," Patrick pointed out, lips quirking into a faint grin. "A ring that I'm not so very fond of. Besides, he likes it! See?" His dark face jerked over to the rather content looking little bird, laughing softly at the little hopping feathered thing. Patrick enjoyed making things happy, especially cute little thingies like Bumblebee over there. The purple and gray avian was adorable as he admired the bird. Cadences disbelief caught him a little by surprise, grinning a little bit. "I wouldn't make WOODIE into chicken wings, Cadence... What kind of monster do you think I am?" Thick lashes bat a bit in pretend innocence, still rubbing at Woodies back feathers, making the little thing almost purr in pleasure. "But chicken wings are my passion.. I don't eat a lot of meat, but I loooove me some chickenwings." Maggie had puttered off, returning a scant few seconds later with their drinks - Cadences' had a little lemon in it while Patricks was as bubbly as it ever was. "Do you two need time to talk about what you'd like? Or are you ready to order now?" Primly, Woodie simply fluffed up a bit, now a little perturbed that Patrick had stopped petting him but..eyed the little hummingbird and his enthusiasm over the ring. I don't want to play.. His own voice was a little whine, head craning over to peer closer. Besides, we can't play too much or our people will get kicked out. Cadence and Bumblebee "...well..." It couldn't hurt, could it? But she did feel better knowing that it was a ring he hadn't wanted so much himself. Although she couldn't quite wrap her mind around the idea of buying something you hadn't wanted much to begin with... really, all one needed was some shelter and clothing and food. If she ever had enough money left over after that, she would have to find something else to put it towards. Other than orchids, now. "I guess he does like it..." Understatement of the day. He was as pleased with himself as he could be, fluffed and twittering and himself as bright and shiny as the ring. "The kind of monster that lures in innocent birds with shiny things before eating them," she couldn't help but tease, some hint of life glimmering in her eyes for too brief a second. Almost immediately she regretted having said it, eyes dropping back down toward the tabletop, long fingers fidgetting nervously in her lap. She knew she shouldn't have said that. It invited too many... too many bad things. Maybe he would even believe what she said. He might be angry, or upset, even hurt. A diversion: Maggie. "T-thank you," she mumbled, sliding the glass a little closer, trying to keep the condensation from dripping too close to either of the birds. "Um, I think I'm ready to order... if you are..." Awwww they wouldn't do that! he warbled, hophophop, shoving the ring across the table with his beak--it was hard work, even with it being such a small ring. How come they'd be angry at pretty pretty things, huh? Too prettypretty to kick out! Still, he didn't insist on playing, thank goodness for Cadence. Besides, he could play this game all by himself... rolling the ring in circles round the table, smearing the water from their glasses into pretty patterns with it. Everything was a game, after all, even if it was more fun with others. "So... if you come here so often... does that mean you work around here..?" Cadence looked up from her glass, absentmindedly setting the lemon aside, not noticing her silly hummingbird's shocked face as he pecked at it, expecting something sugary and sweet.
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