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 Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:17 am
The university bookstore was almost deserted, which was a good thing for the short black man with the two small children tagging after him. Granted, both were very quiet and patient but even Iamel, whose infinate (ha) adoration with his Shiniee could be stretched.
Patrick was making it quick, plucking through the science text section of the bookstore, four thick volumes already in those thin hands. Two on different types of mold, one of explosive chemicals and the last just a general, freshmen text on things. His fingers were white-knuckled from the weight, not being a heavy lifter himself, but his face wasn't strained as he continued to shift through the long row of books.
One would almost assume he was there for someone else - the boy had piercings on almost ever bit of skin on his face in different shapes, colors and sizes, with thick emo-like glasses and his hair done in a style hardly seen outside of photo shoots of Japans psycho Visual Kei. His clothing was nothing short of startling as well. Tight fitting leather pants with chains and leather attatchments, heavy black rough leather work boots and a loose silk button up shirt, decorated with a gold dragon twisted up the back and to the front. He took pride in his appearance, despite it being...varied.
He glanced up from his books to peer at the two children, who were sitting over in the chairs of the center of the bookstore. "You guys ok?"
All Patrick got in return were brief nods and murmured 'yes'es... the children were buried in their own books. Latin studies for Iamel and something about how to draw for Akuti.
A sigh and he heaved his books closer, shuffling to the checkout. If they wanted those books, he'd just come back for another purchase after Iamel begged and wheedled his way into it and Akuti just looked at him with those big eyes...
God. He was whipped.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:39 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:50 am
Iamel looked up instantly when he felt another Bird enter the room, large red eyes scanning until they landed on the owl and Lupe. Once the giant white bird had left his human and was balanced on a bookshelf, the tri-hair colored boy slid from his couch seat and, with his "Latin Language For The Young!" tucked under one arm, went to go inspect this one.
He was dressed..completely unlike Patrick. His shirt was bright red and stated "Daddy Drinks Because I Cry", wearing cut off shorts with little things drawn on them with marker and two different colored socks pulled up to his knees. There was, of course, a jacket on him to hide those brilliant black and white wings - they were small. Easily hidden.
"Hello." His voice was small, typicaly childish, staring up at the bird on the bookshelf. "Your shiniee brought you here too?"
"Iamel, who're you--" Patrick turned around while the cashier was ringing him up onto to turn face-to-chest with his sundress-clad 'daughter'. "Akuti, what--"
"He's talking to the birdie," She informed him in that shy little voice of hers, pointing out Taylor amidst the books and the birds, "The bird came with her and Iamel is talkin' to him."
The dark man sighed and pushed his debit card at the cashier, moving towards the snowy owl. "Iamel, come on. Leave that bird alone." he paused, glancing at Taylor as Iamel seemed to ignore him, "...the bird's yours? One of Shanuhs, right?" Poor Patrick - trying to keep his eyes on Iamel, Taylor, the cashier and Akuti all at the same time, finally he just shook his head and wilted a little bit. "Just wait. They get even more interesting - Iamel! C'mon!"
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:53 pm
"Neh- what?" Taylor jumped a couple inches in the air and almost dropped Emily Dickenson on her foot. "You got a bird from what's-his-face too?"
This day was getting wierder by the minute. First the man with so many percings his face might undergo gravitational collapse and become a mineature black hole decided to talk to her, and then he figured out where her bird was from in a matter of seconds?
"Uh-- well-- what kind of bird do you have?" she asked. "Mine's the owl. If you didn't guess. And what's the deal with them? They're... not normal." As she spoke, she looked around for the owl, who was still perched on his bookcase and now seemed to be engaged in conversation with the strangest boy she had ever seen. No child had multicolored hair that looked like someone had lit a bonfire on his head. And- the little girl had strange hair too. Hair the color of the ocean in a National Geographic photograph, the beautiful greenish-blue that never seemed to show up when you looked at it in real life.
Shinee? the owl asked. He spoke in a language of body movements, faint noises, and a little bit of something else that wasn't at all physical. He had no doubt the small boy would understand- he was a bird too, after all. I wouldn't call her shiny. Sort of dull, really. It was true. Taylor was dressed, as always, in baggy blue jeans, her favorite denim jacket, and a black knit hat pulled over her ears. Only her shirt was out of the orinary- it was plain gray, but she'd scrawled "Tachyon" on it in Sharpie marker. But your friend is very shiny.
"Iamel?" Taylor called, trying out the strange name and managing against all odds to pronunce it correctly. "Don't play with the bird, okay? He's not very nice." She turned to Patrick again. "Is he yours?"
((Yeah... Taylor's a little out of the loop when it comes to these birdies.))
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 7:41 pm
Iamel ignored his Shiniee, something that didn't happen too often. He was curious about this big fluffity birdie here, someone so close to him, yet so different. "I call him Shiniee, an' he's mine. The little girl just borrows him sometimes." He nods firmly, sneaking a peek back at Taylor, giving her a glimpse of those dark red eyes.
"She looks shiny. On the inside. Maybe." A shrug of those small shoulders, little fingers daring to reach up and stroke the soft fluffy white feathers on the owls front. He wasn't afraid of being attacked. "You're a carnivore," There was respect in those tones. No one heard respect from Iamel, ever, save for Shanuh when the other was chastising him, however gently. "How big of things can you kill?"
"He's Shanuhs," Patrick said grimly, pushing those glasses up on his slim nose. Bejeweled fingers reached out, taking one of her large books, a grin cracking on those painted up lips. "Iamel is a gold fronted woodpecker. He eats bugs but I think he's taken a liking to Mexican and Italian food. Scary, huh?"
He shrugged a little bit, putting the book of Taylors he was holding down on the counter as well. "Those birds...they're weird. Fu--" A pause and a quick look down at Akuti, who was once more buried in her sketching book. His nose, pierced to hell and back, wrinkled against the odds. "They're messed up. Creepy as hell. Iamel carries around firecrackers in his pocket!"
Akuti glanced up at the two, her gaze shy on Taylor. "Iamel likes to watch flies blow up." Her voice was timid, prancing over to hide behind Patrick. Her feet hit hard against the tile check out center - hooves?! The little girl had hooves hidden under her long dress.
"He doesn't like hummingbirds."
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:23 pm
"My book!" Taylor snarled, retrieving the thick volume from the table. "Don't- wait- you said he's a woodpecker? Him?" She scrutinized Iamel curiously. "He doesn't look like a bird. What are you smoking?" She had a suspicion that the answer would be very long and involve drugs she'd never heard of.
"He likes to watch flies blow up." the little girl commented. Taylor couldn't help but smile at her- she was so cute and innocent-looking in her adorable little sundress... not that Taylor liked children or anything, but this one was sweet. And- was she wearing tap shoes? Taylor peered down to check.
Hooves?
Well, that was ******** odd. The thinking bits of Taylor's brain decided to shut down for repairs and self-psychoanalysis and she was left gibbering mindlessly for a couple of minutes. "Wh- huh- she's got- what the heck is going on here?" she finally managed to squeak out.
Yeah, I'm a carnivore, the owl said proudly. He nipped at Iamel's fingers, a gentle gesture that still came out a hair harder then strictly neccecary. He didn't really mind the little bird's curiosity. I can kill big things. I like the rabbits here. And I can kill big birds. Bigger then you, woodpecker, he added jokingly. What do you eat? Bugs? That's stupid. It wasn't that he didn't like the woodpecker- on the contrary, he was thrilled to have found another bird, and such an unusual one. It was his way of talking, with a hair of contempt and aggression that he didn't always mean.
His attention was drawn to Taylor- his "Shinee," as the little bird had called her. She seemed to be undergoing some kind of mental breakdown, the way she always did when things fell outside her realm of understanding. I better go talk to her.
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:38 pm
"Of COURSE it's your book - I put it down because you'd drop it and it was hurting my hands!" Patrick said defensively, frowning a little bit. Thiiis is why he didn't like girls. They were emotional and...emotional.
Well, so was he, really. But the first person to tell HIM that got punted through the wall.
An eyebrows arched slightly, head shaking. "Nothing. Iamel...Shanuh's birds are weird." And he LET her hyperventilate. "It goes against every law and theory out there, but the kid has wings. One day the woodopecker just died and there he was." A shrug, watching as she squeaked and tried to figure things out, "You're handling it better then I did. I screamed like a little girl."
"I was a small bird," He agreed, grinning. Nipped fingers wriggled a bit, flesh a little pink from where the beak had made contact. "Bugs taste like honey and sugar - you have to try those...later. When you're like me. It's good." Grinning and pausing at the others words of his human, turning around curiously.
Eyebrows arch slightly. "...I think my Shiniee told her something truthful. He does that when it happens too. Except he screams real shrill..." He snickered softly, nodding to them. "Let's go then?"
He hopped over, little converse hopping about cheerfully, small hands grabbing at his Shiniees darker ones. "The owl is better then the hummingbird," Patrick was informed, a firm decisive nod on the kids end, "I like him. An' what'd you do to her?"
He didn't really care of Lupe hyperventilated...it was interesting to watch.
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 9:18 am
"Wings. He- he's got wings, and he used to be a bird? Or a dead bird? So was the girl a dead horse? Or a horse head shoved in your bed like... that movie thing? Gaah." She stared at Patrick, then at the horsegirl and the bright-haired woodpecker boy, trying to piece her shattered thoughts together. She scrutinized Iamel carefully. "He hasn't got wings. Does he? I don't see any. You screamed like a girl?" The last sentence had caught her attention and momentarily yanked her out of her mental fog. "You? Ha!"
Patrick was, by far, the weirdest person she had ever met. Never mind the infinite number of percings or the shirt with the flashy gold dragon. It was the way he carried himself... like he didn't care if people thought he was crazy. He was going to do whatever the hell he wanted, and damn the rest of them.
She envied him a little bit for that.
What have you got against hummingbirds? The girl said you didn't like them. And now you're comparing me to them, the owl added, soaring from his perch to land gracefully on Taylor's arm. They're not good for much, I guess. Not much to eat, and they're too fast to catch. They're shiny..... don't you like shiny things? He tugged a lock of Taylor's hair with his beak, making her wince.
What are you doing? Stop yammering like a frightened rabbit, he reprimanded her. If this is freaking you out, I can't wait to see what happens when things get really weird. Have you met Iamel? He likes bugs.
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 9:43 am
"Yes. Yes I DID scream like a little girl - there was a strange boy in my room with a dead bird in his hands! Talking to me! Mold I can handle. Black holes - no issue! A mathamatical equation proving that there isn't a god, I can do. But not a little ******** kid in my bedroom!"
Patrick defended himself, huffing, looking back down to Iamel, who was jabbering on about how much he didn't hate the bird like he ******** hated the hummingbird. The dark boy grumbled, leaning down to scoop the small boy into his arms. Slim fingers reached up, one arm holding Iamel up and close as those digits seek out Iamels jacket and pull the cloth down enough for the female to see the black and white feathers underneath.
"And no - Akuti was a horse shoe. If you sully the name of The Godfather again, I may have to eat your rooster there."
Iamel looked a little grumbly at the questions about hummingbirds, eyes on the owl instead of Taylor. As far as he was concerned, that little bird mattered more to him then Taylor - she was just a stupid little human, after all. Not even his! "Shinys are good, but he's loud and annoying and he took a shiny from MY Shiniee."
A grumble from the little redhead, arms moving around his humans neck, nose pressing against his neck with a little purr. His jacket ruffled a little b it as his wings fluttered, proving to people that it WASN'T a joke...those were wings under there. "And bugs are yummy." A pause, "...Shiniee, he's not a rooster. He's an owl."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 9:45 am
The kid had wings.
He had honest-to-god black and white wings.
She'd had kind of a handle on the situation up until now. She'd been able, somewhere back in her subconsciousness, to keep logically explaining the weirdness away. The little girl was just wearing half a Halloween costume, and Patrick was either insane, or lying. But there was no way she could explain away the wings. They couldn't be fake. They flapped. Really flapped.
Wait. How were those attached to his back, anyway? If he was going to have wings, arms, and legs, he would technically have six limbs. What the heck kind of skeleton was that? Maybe she could get him X-rayed to see how it was all put together...
"Holy ******** monkeys. I've got to get a look at those. Can he- can he take his jacket off? Maybe not here, but- how are those things stuck on? I've got to see this. Wow." She tugged at the edges of his jacket, trying to get a discrete glimpse of the wings tucked under there. Her fingers brushed soft, all-too-real feathers, and she could feel the warm, taut skin beneath them. Real wings.
Maybe later she could look at them closer, see how they were attached, how the bones worked, and if the kid could even fly. That would be interesting to see. And then there was the matter of dead birds and horseshoes. That would take a lot of investigation.
She was going to have to accept that this was really going on, so now the only thing to do was to figure out how it worked and make sense of the whole mess.
Are you calling me a rooster? I'll eat you before you can even get a bite out of me, shinee. The owl fluffed his feathers and glared menacingly at Patrick. He felt like flying over and pulling a couple of those "shinees" out of his face, but Taylor would probably not like that very much. Not like he cared what she thought, but...
He wanted to stay on good terms with her. She was going to take a lot of looking after if she would act like this every time something went a little odd.
Leave his wings alone, girl. You can look at mine whenever you want. And besides, mine are prettier.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 1:38 pm
"He didn't mean it," Iamel tried to amend his Shiniees faltering to the owl, eyes going wide as those prying fingers touched his wings and the all-too sensitive skin connected to them.
The boy squirmed slightly, a look of discomfort on his face. It didn't hurt but..not even his SHINIEE touched his wings! It was like going up to a girl and squeezing her boobs or something. It was an intimate act, to the poor little child Death, and this strange girl with the cool Gaurdian was just...just touching him.
"I'm right HERE, you know," He snapped out, venting out his discomfort through childish anger and grumbliness. "I'm not gonna take it off in public - they're my wings your fondling! Would ya like me to shove my hand up your shirt, you nosy human?"
Really, he didn't mind it. But there was a dark flush to his face - he didn't like it. He didn't like someone he didn't know feeling up his back and his wings. It wasn't right.
"And SHE didn't mean anything b it, Iamel. Let it be." Patricks voice was soothing, trying to get the boy to calm down some, get that angry blush to his face.
Dark eyes glance up, to catch Lupes eyes, "Attatched to the shoulder blades. Some muscles are wired to his arms - all Iamel has to do is twitch those muscles like anyone would twitch an eyebrow and they move."
There was something akin to awe in his voice and that was what made the little birdie calm down, roosting against Patricks chest like a normal child would deflate into their parent after an emotionally draining face. His poked out, pouting lower lip could be seen from Patricks throat and the science geek just smiled at her blithly.
"We could go to my apartment? He runs around in just his pants there - he's a little weird, and I think they're both a little grumpy."
Like normal children, really.
Akuti finally reappeared, a new book in her hands, looking curiously up at the white bird. After a moment of contemplation, her gaze turned back to her father, a smile on those shy lips. "I'm not grumpy," A pause, and she hopped lightly, her hand sliding into Patricks pocket. "But I'm tired. Can we go home, Daddy?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2005 9:08 am
Taylor blushed fiercely and pulled her hands back, tucking them deep into the pockets of her jacket. "Sorry, Iamel," she muttered quietly. "I didn't mean- I just wanted to- well, I've never seen a kid with wings before. You know."
Somehow she hadn't been thinking of him as an actual child. Part of her had reduced him to nothing but a lab specimen, a trapped bug or a monkey. But, as he had so suddenly reminded her, he wasn't. He was- well, probably not human, but something very close.
She shot a glance at her own bird, who was still looking very angry about Patrick's comment. Was he as smart and 'human' as Iamel? And was he going to turn into a bratty little kid too? Oh, dear god.
"Uh. Yeah. We could go to your apartment... if that's all right with you... this probably isn't the place to be discussing winged children," Taylor added. It was true- the clerk at the counter had been shooting them strange looks throughout the entire conversation, though he (luckily) hadn't asked them what an owl was doing in a bookstore. "He seems to be getting a little suspicious."
Leave her alone, Iamel. She's stupid. We just have to put up with her, the owl informed the young Guardian. She likes to think she knows everything, but she doesn't know anything at all. He ruffled his wings irritably and turned to look at Akuti. What are you looking at, horsegirl?
She puzzled him. She didn't seem to be like him- she obviously wasn't a bird- but she obviously wasn't human either. Odd.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2005 9:18 am
"I just don't like people touching my wings," The child amended - that's as close as he was going to get to verbally forgiving the girl. But he peeked away from Patrick to peer at her, nose wrinkling slightly as they continued to talk about him.
While Iamel wasn't too thrilled with being a lab rat, something to be poked and prodded and used to further these stupid humans egos, he wasn't going to protest his Shiniee. Patrick wouldn't let this girl hurt him, or anyone. That's why he was his Companion.
...Right?
She was touching my wings, Iamel huffed inside his head, unconciously speaking to the bird that way. Since gaining vocal cords, he'd become more reliant on those and not so much on speaking to others without verbal communication. It was easier, somehow. It was...I just didn't like it. Too close.
"Buy your books and follow me then. Patrick grinned just vaguely, giving AKutis hand a soft squeeze, leading them both away from teh cashier. "Iamel, I have to put you down to get the books."
Surprisingly, the kid let go and allowed himself to be put down without complaint, face still moving to bury in Patricks thigh when he was on the ground. Red eyes peer back at the female human every so often but he mainly kept himself against his Companion.
"This is Akuti, by the way. She lives with us too." His voice was distant as he took the bag of books and his debit card back, pocketing one and putting the larger bundle under one arm. Taylor got a crooked smile, slender dark body sliding back to allow Taylor to pay for her own.
Akuti squeaked! Blue eyes widening as she owl spoke to her, little hooves shifting uncomfortably on the ground. "A rude little owl, it seems," She replied to him firmly, small girlish voice not even the least bit scared or put out.
"I can have ice cream at home, Daddy?" Ignoring the bird once more, head tilting up to peek at Patrick. He nodded.
Patrick was vegetarian - not vegan.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2005 9:43 am
That's understandable, the owl reassured Iamel. If I were you, I would have bitten her fingers off by now. But.... eh, I don't reccomend it. I don't think she'll hurt you, she'll just take notes and stare for a while.
Taylor scratched the back of her head sheepishly, grinning in an embarrased way. "Eh... I think I scared the little guy. Listen, I'm sorry. Okay?" She payed for her books quickly, doing her best to ignoring the cashier's odd glances at the owl perched on her shoulder. "I didn't mean anything. It's just- Oh, hello, Akuti. Nice to meet you," she greeted the young girl.
Akuti, she realized, was absolutely adorable. She seemed to have all the cuteness young children were supposed to have, and none of the brattiness.
"Hi. What are you reading?" she asked, peering down at the girl over the armful of books she held tightly to her chest. She probably should try to get on good terms with this girl. It wouldn't do to have two little children mad at her. Maybe Akuti could convince her "brother" that things weren't all that bad. Taylor couldn't stand people being angry at her. It made her feel sick and confused, which was partially why she didn't talk to people that often. Couldn't risk it.
"Was my bird rude? Sorry. He's not very... friendly," she explained, shrugging her shoulder nonchalantly so that the owl was momentairly unbalanced and had to shift his feet. She knew he wouldn't do anything drastic, just get a little annoyed. They did that a lot, irritating the other without meaning anything by it. She wouldn't have dared to piss off any other raptor, but he was different. She trusted him.
By all definitions, she shouldn't. But she did.
Ice cream? First bugs, and now frozen milk. You people are wierd, the owl said, refusing to aknowlege Akuti's (rather apt) description of him. Are we going to stand here all day? Let's go, I'm hungry. For real food. He tug his talons into Taylor's shoulder to keep himself steady and played with her hair a bit more.
"I think he wants to leave. Where do you live?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2005 10:20 am
"I don't eat ice cream. She does." This time, Iamel responded verbally to the bird, peering around Patricks thigh as the darker man plucked Akutis book away and paid for it seperately.
"If I didn't eat bugs, I would die," He informed the owl, still ignoring Akuti (whom he hates more then Calytae) and Taylor (who simply made him umcomfortable). "It'd be like if someone made you eat honey or somethin'."
Nod nod, Iamel reaching up to take the bag of books in his scrawny arms, nose pressed against the crinkling plastic. One step. One hop. All of it back towards the door, silently beckoning them to follow him and leave.
"Great Illustrated Classic," The child promptly said, small teeth gnawing gently on her own lower lip. "An' sok... Iamel isn't friendly either. I think all birds are like that."
She nods quickly, her little hoofed feet shuffling as she finally was tugged out by her 'Daddy'. Blue eyes peek back, making sure that the woman was following with them. "Daddy lives in a house! On top of other houses! And we go up a metal cage and go bing! Bing~"
Ohyes. She was a cute child. An adorable child.
Completely the opposite of Iamel.
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