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 Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:54 pm
Tousled was a bit too absorbed in her feelings of gratitude toward Craneberry, for thinking about her, and annoyance at Tuft, for running his beak. to notice the momentary flash of emotion in the Bard's demeanour.
However, she felt some kind of change in the air... and didn't his voice sound strangely tight? She wasn't sure what was going on, but before she could think twice about it, she took a small step towards him.
"But... already? You just got here and..." she stopped herself. Wouldn't it be better if he left? Then he would have no way to figure out her... condition, and she wouldn't have to explain. About Craneberry. About the storm. And the pain. If he left now, then he might never learn about how foolish she had been. That would be a good thing.
But, at the same time... she looked up into his eyes and a shiver of worry shot up her throat. Something told her that if he left now... something bad might happen. Something she really didn't want. And besides, he looked so tired, he must have been flying an awful long way just to get to her out-of-the-way territory. And dragging a plump hare with him, too.
She settled back down and shyly looked down at the fresh food.
"It-It's a long way back. You should rest a while," she suggested. "Um... and eat something. Have a bit of hare, would you? It's the least I can offer... as thanks for flying it all the way out here."
She glanced up, more worried and hopeful than she reasonably ought to be.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:30 pm
Birch desperately wanted to make up an excuse and get away from here, but he didn't. Something about Tousled made him unable to just turn down her request and leave. He didn't feel hungry, but he moved over to the hare and reached down to tear off a piece of meat to swallow.
"Thank you," he said as casually as he could, "Soo... How did you meet this... Craneberry."
His throat felt oddly dry and he assaulted the hare once again just to get something to put in his beak. Already he regretted asking, for some reason dreading what the answer might be.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:59 pm
Oh... Parus droppings. Of course he had to ask about that. It was perfectly logical. She was sincerely relieved that he had decided to stay, but the strange atmoshpere prevailed. And now this. How in all of Noctua could she hope to hide the whole story from him now?
She preened for a moment, stalling for time as she thought about how to answer him best. Then she carefully bent down, trying to disguise her stiffness by appearing to be taking her time in deciding where to best dig into the hare, herself.
"Umm..." She started, hesitantly. "We... Actually, we took shelter in the same hollow during the storm." She knew she didn't need to mention what storm, but now it would be a good idea to shift the conversation, wouldn't it? She cleared her throat and glanced over at him, watching him eat almost as if he wanted to hurt the dead carcass. "Um... how did you make it through... that thing?"
She nipped into the hare and almost swooned as the delicious, fresh meat slid down her throat. It took some real effort not to sigh with delight, and an even greater one not to start scarfing down the hare like a starving animal. She did rip off a pretty big strip, though, and swallowed it perhaps just a little bit too fast. She hadn't realised just how much she had missed a good, fresh meal lately.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:55 pm
Birch went cold and nearly choked on the piece of hare he was swallowing. Tousled and that thing, together? Riding out the storm in a cosy hollow? All kinds of unpleasant images danced in front of his eyes, and a lot of feelings that he didn't really want to acknowledge welled up inside him. Unproductive anger and nothing that he could justify being angry at, he had lost his appetite and simply stared blankly at the hare forcing his beak shut to prevent harsh, nasty words from spilling out. He wasn't relaly angry at Tousled, was he?
"Hmm... What?" he said when he realised Tousled had asked him something. "I guess I'm a bit... tired."
If she could only dismiss him and direct him to a suitable tree nearby so he could try to sleep and just forget this night. But deep inside Birch knew that there he wouldn't sleep much even if he got away from here. Tousled and... him?
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:40 am
She hadn't really thought that anything could have distracted her so much from enjoying her scrumptious meal, but the Bard's sudden, cold deflation somehow really robbed the experience of its glow. She studied him in silence for a few moments, each heartbeat only making her feel more worried about his condition.
He didn't look well at all. Just tired? Perhaps. But if so, then shouldn't he have more appetite than this? He had barely touched the hare.
In fact, he looked almost... angry?
Tousled found that the piece of hare seemed to swell a bit as she tried to swallow it, and her voice had shrunk accordingly - she almost peeped, fledgling-like, when she dared to interrupt the uncomfortable silence:
"Birch... what's the matter? Is something wrong?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:39 am
Birch was too self absorbed to take much note of Tousled's distress. He noted her question, but he didn't think much about why her voice had changed.
"NO," he blurted and then desperately tried to plaster on a normal smile, "Ahem... No. Nothing's wrong with me. Nothing at all, no. Perfectly fine! A bit tired after flying around so much maybe. Is he courting you?"
He was babbling, and the question slipped out before he could stop himself. Birch was mortified and his ear tufts showed it even if he still managed to keep the brave (and by now slightly desperate) grin going. Yes, he was curious, of course he was, but at the same time he didn't really want to know the answer.
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 6:39 am
Tousled fluffed up and let out a tiny peep of surprise at Birch's sudden outburst, but it was his unexpected question that locked her in place. She just blinked slowly at his stiffly grinning face for a moment or two. He looked... miserable. That painted-on smile only made the droop of his ear tufts and the almost feverish glow in his eyes look that much more bizarre.
She opened her mouth, and closed it again. She couldn't for the life of her make heads or tails of this development, and had no idea what she should say to make Birch stop smiling like a carved woodblock, and... and why even try?
The giggle gurgled up from her belly and made her chest shake painfully, but it was utterly unstoppable. She opened her beak and the laughter welled forth like a spring tide, and she shook her head as emphatically as she could to try to signal him that she didn't MEAN to laugh right into his face like this.
"What are you talking about, Birch?" she hooted, half suffocated with laughter and pain. "I don't understand a thing... who would be courting ME? Ehehehehee, Dear Notcus, Birch, don't look like that, I can't take it... Ahahahaha... Ow, ow, ow, hee hee hee hee... Oh dear, owww... Ahahahaha... I'm so sorry, I don't mean to... laugh at you... Ehe hee hee Owww..."
Unable to stand upright any longer, she limped a few steps to the side and leaned heavily against a thick tree branch as the air escaped her in intermittent grunts of pain and near-hysteric giggle fits.
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