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 Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:36 am
A gentle, cool breeze teased a strand of raven black hair into Takai's face as she browsed through one of those outside clothes stands. She couldn't figure out how her new tiny companion somehow managed to convey to her that she needed to go shopping. Nor could she understand why she had -agreed- to it. Sure, she needed clothes and all, but usually her they were bought at some general, anonymous store. But no, as soon as she had opened the door the robin had been off to a very specific place that had been spotted from the air a few days before on one of her morning excursions away from the apartment. Takai, mildly interested, followed the general path the bird had taken grudgingly, assuming that she would alert the woman when she was in the general area.
So, the black-wearing 'hitwoman' found herself standing in front of a small boutique nestled in between a quaint looking bookstore and a coffee shop. She had, surprisingly, picked out a few dark colored sweaters and pants, but a chirp to her right brought her attention away from the soft sweaters and faux fur coats. Her robin was sitting happily atop one of the racks, picking gently at a lavender cashmere sweater.
A curved black eyebrow lifted, and ice blue eyes narrowed slightly. "You're joking, right? You don't seriously think I'm going to wear that, do you?" A few people stared in mild surprise at the woman and her bird shopping, but most had seen much stranger things in this world of theirs, and ignored them.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:09 am
Xaxis had been out and about, browsing the various shops and stalls in the city. The thin man was determined to find something warm to wear, but something that also was loose and would allow him to jangle. Scarves and skirts weren't cutting it, heat wise, but sweaters just seemed far too bulky to look appealing.
Chances were, though, he'd have to break down and start wearing heavier material. There were some beautiful clothes lined with faux fur (and some not so faux) that could look nice on him. The raven carried with him a few bags, proving that his trip hadn't been a complete disappointement.
Searching through a rack, he stood not far from Takai. He looked . . normal. Ish. He still was draped in scarves, though he wore leggings underneath a his knee long skirt. His top was still nothing more than various scarves tied around appropriate places, with bells adorned to his fingers, wrists, necklaces and ears.
A flash of brown and a friendly chirp had caught Xaxis' attention. A look over to witness a red-breasted robin and some . . . woman. A look longer only proved what he'd first suspected and hoped - Kin!
The robin . . the robin . . . Xaxis tried to remember his carefree days as a raven. Black feathers, black body, his obnoxious "caw". The memories were vague and seemed too surreal to do him any much good. If the Robin and he had ever perched together on the rooftop in the past, the raven had lost such memories thanks to growth and time.
But that didn't mean he couldn't reintroduce himself, now, did it?
"A little colour goes a long way, especially if all you're donned in is black," Xaxis softly responded, studying Takai, then the raven. The lavander was a good choice, and it looked soft and incredibly comfortable. It would look nice on the lady.
Besides, Xaxis DID know about colour. Being shrouded in black most of his life, with black wings, black hair and a helluvalot of black clothes - he'd only recently started to find pleasure in a sprinkling of colour.
His clothes proved that.
((Oh yeah - in case you don't know, the Bird's can communicate with Kin. It's more of a . . .psychic sort of link, so if your Robin wants to talk to Xaxis at all, he'll hear her. n_~ ))
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:26 am
Ice blue eyes rounded slowly and hesitantly on Xaxis as she eyed the... birdboy? She had to fight the smirk that desperately wanted to show itself on her face at that thought. Valiantly she held it back, turning to face both the rack and Xaxis she shrugged her shoulders lightly, still leafing through the clothes. "I imagine it does, but that sweater would never survive at.. er.. work." She frowned a bit, mentally checking to make sure that her usual white trench was buttoned and covering the myriad of pistols hanging around her hips. She eyed Xaxis out of her peripheral vision, mentally taking in his appearance, and a mental eyebrow lifted at all the bells and scarves that he wore around himself. Must be cold.
The robin, completely opposite from Takai's reaction, was delighted to see another Kin! She chirped happily and quickly flew to land on Xaxis' shoulder, careful not to scratch any bare skin with her claws. You look as bad as her apartment. Meaning Takai's apartment. After their little incident Takai had cleaned it as little as she could manage without inciting the robin's... wrath? A gentle beak leaned over to try to pick gently at Xaxis' long locks. So, she was blunt too apparently.
Another brow lofted at the robin from Takai, and the woman shook her head lightly in surprise. Guess the robin felt some kind of.. friendly connection with the birdboy. She didn't think she'd ever figure out that damn bird.
"Guess she likes you. Then again, I don't follow her around the city to see how many shoulders she sits on."
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:44 am
Xaxis didn't respond to Takai's words, at least no initially. He was absolutely delighted to recieve such a positive response from the Bird, and allowed his pale lips to curve into a smile.
The last Bird he'd had perched upon his shoulder had been Savius - and that had been such a very long time ago~! Some of the Birds weren't nearly as excited to see grown Kin as others - some were jealous, some were impatient, and some of them just plum didn't care.
But today was different! Xaxis reached a hand up, carefully extending two of his fingers in an attempt to softly stroke the robin's crimson belly. He'd forgotten how small they all had once been, how soft and covered in feathers.
At the Bird's words, though, Xaxis gave a shy smile. "I suppose that's one way of putting it, though I've never been witness to her apartment. And if it looks as disheveled as me, then perhaps it's best I keep away."
Xaxis always looked a wreck, no matter how hard he tried to "pretty himself" up. His skin always held a yellow, sickly look and the rings under his eyes never completely dissappeared. His feathers were in a constant state of molting, and disease was always present in his system.
Colds, fevers, flues - it was an endless cycle, but a cycle the raven was slowly learning to deal with.
At Takai's comment, Xaxis allowed himself to spare the companion a mild look. So, she had no idea, no clue? It figured. Shanuh didn't seem to like giving away their secrets. So should he. . . ?
Eh, only if she asked.
His look said it all, left him without need to comment. Of course the Robin would like him. They WERE Kin, afterall.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:54 am
The robin practically cooed lightly at the petting, and she shifted a bit to get comfortable on Xaxis' shoulder, intending to stay there for at least a little while. She watched him out of one eye, a happy look present within those depths to finally find someone that she could talk to. Sure, she could talk all she wanted at Takai, but the woman couldn't understand her, yet.
I'm teaching her to clean it, but she's stubborn. So now we're working on clothes. The robin took on a motherly, almost authoritative mental voice, before she huddled closer into herself when a stiff breeze blew by. Any small amount of cold wasn't going to keep her from enjoying this encounter, however. What's it like? Being so big? It looks clusmy. The robin was excited about growing, but incredibly apprehensive about it as well.
Takai's hands stopped mid-browse when she watched Xaxis talk to her bird. And it wasn't the same kind of talking Takai did. It was almost like...they were having a real conversation. She frowned and sighed, shaking her head gently. "Let me guess, you're some kind of... bird whisperer? Can talk to birds and all that?" The woman found the idea both amusing and absurd, granted her little... friend? was incredibly intelligent. She had already proved that to Takai. But... talking? That was stretching the imagination a tiny bit far, wasn't it?
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:59 pm
Xaxis smiled softly at the robin, amused by her ideas of being big. "Well, you won't be getting this big right away, remember. You'll start out much smaller first, like I used to be, much closer to the ground. But you grow to like having feet, and even though bodies are a bit clumsy, they are much more practical."
In a way, Xaxis had forgotten what it was like being a Bird. Oh, sure, he missed feeling the wind through his feathers, soaring high above the world at his own leisure. But, then again, he liked having opposable thumbs, and janglies, and the ability to eat more than insects and road kill. To move on in life, they would have to sacrifice one form for the next.
Xaxis didn't reply to Takai right away, his attention focused only on the robin. When he finally did process what Takai had to say, his violet eyes turned to study her curiously. She really didn't have a clue! Patient, the guardian of disease gave a small sigh and a little shake of his head.
"Actually we're Kin."
It was the most obvious thing in the world as far as Xaxis was concerned. So why Takai was having trouble putting two and two together, the raven wasn't so sure. Yes, he understood that she couldn't "feel" the link between Guardian and Guardian. Yes, he understood she couldn't communicate with the Robin but . . . it still was incredibly difficult for Xaxis to see how she just wasn't putting two-and-two together.
Silly companions.
Strange how they were needed in the first stages of life.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:15 pm
A happy chirp left the robin's beak as she listened to Xaxis talk. It was a good day, it was bright out, there wasn't any rain, and the cold wasn't so bad it was hard for her to bear. People milled around them at the shops, talking to each other and going about their usual business. It was Xaxis' words about having feet and it being more practical that caused her to pause and study the humans around her, then to stare intently at Takai for a moment. That makes sense I suppose. Will I be as... odd as they are? When I start looking like them? And can we still fly when we change? Who are you, anyway? She hadn't asked his name, and for that she was a little embaressed. Not that she thought she'd ever forget all the pretty scarves and bells that he wore all over himself, or the sickly look, but he had to have a name, right?
She paused for a moment and fluttered her feathers a little, her neck turning so her beak could reach her back as she attacked a particularly itchy spot that the wind had irritated.
The robin's companion finally gave up all pretense of actually looking through the clothes and she stared at Xaxis, suspicion written across her face. "You're telling her she's going to... look like you?" Once more another shake of her head and sighed. That's it, the boy was crazy. "That's enough for me for one day, I'm going to go wander into that bookstore. You two have fun." For some reason, her mind wouldn't let her believe that her robin was going to turn into some humoniod. She wasn't at all ready for something like that. Quietly she payed for her purchases and moved away from Xaxis and the bird. Already her denying mind had pushed the thought of the tiny avian turning into something human-like away.
Well. She'll be getting a big surprise sometime, won't she?
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:29 pm
Xaxis ignored Takai, not caring one way or another if the ignorant Companion stayed or left. It was neither here nor there, he was enjoying his conversation with the robin and didn't need her silly "chosen" to be present. Shopping forgotten, he decided to take Takai's advice and move some place where they weren't in the way of other customers.
Moving off to a quiet corner, careful not to disturb the Robin's perch, Xaxis found an abandoned seat. There, that would do for the time being - and it would allow him to set down his few packages.
"You will be as you are," Xaxis finally responded to the robin, stealing a mild look at the varying customers. Those who shopped came in all sizes, shapes, colours and backgrounds. Strange that those that they were meant to destroy were also the ones that they became.
Oh well. Maybe Xaxis just didn't care about humanity like some of his friends. To each their own, he supposed. Humans were useful, certainly, but Xaxis instictively knew he was different - and did the raven EVER indulge in those differences!
"As a child, you won't be able to fly, your wings will be much too small. But, they grow as you grow. I don't think we're ever really going to be able to fly again - but who knows? I can't fly," he added, a note of wistfulness entering his voice. Shuffling his wings, he allowed the tangled feathers to flare. It was a sad sight - for as large as they naturally were, their lack of feathers proved them far too flimsy to do Xaxis much good.
Oh well. There were other ways to "fly" without necessarily doing it himself. "My name is Xaxis," he introduced himself cordially to the robin. "I'd ask if you had a name but . . . I don't ever recall having one before we grew. Do you have a name?" It was blunt of him, but the raven was suddenly curious. Maybe he'd been the only one??
Just how he'd discovered his name, the raven suddenly hadn't been sure. Lucien didn't name him, and as a raven Xaxis hadn't ever known himself as anyone other than himself. But as a child - as a child he'd just known that Xaxis was his. It was his and no one else's . . .
Would it be the same with the Robin? He wanted to find out.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:43 pm
The robin watched as Takai wandered over to the bookstore, before she turned her attention back to her new found friend. Mentally she just couldn't get over how -big- he was! She wondered, briefly, if the other Kin were just as big as him? She fluttered her wings to steady her balance as he claimed a seat nearby, and then settled down happily. That's good, I wouldn't want to be anyone other then me. She bobbed her head down, almost sagely. She liked Takai, but the woman sure did need her help! It seemed like she couldn't do anything except kill people, apparently. The Bird had followed Takai one evening, unseen, to see where exactly it was she went every night.
Being the guardian of death by obesity, the violence wasn't exactly up to her taste. She'd returned to the apartment before Takai, and made it look like to her companion that she'd been hanging out on the balcony, making a little soft place to sleep on the fence that kept people from falling off. After all, to the robin the apartment was too disgusting to sleep in, and she'd only go in when it was too cold to sleep outside, or too wet.
She seems forever afraid. Keeps these.. weird shiney things underneath her trenchcoat that hurt people. She didn't know what guns were, but she had witnessed them in action first hand, even if from far away. They're noisy.
She seemed to shrug her shoulders, before turning the conversation back to getting bigger. She wouldn't be able to fly anymore? Well, that's certainly daunting, but all the others got by she imagined, so she would be able to as well.
Too bad about your wings. I'd offer to try to help, but not sure what I could do. Another little bird-like shrug, which mostly consisted of her head dipping down further then normal. Are all the others as big as you?
She seemed to frown internally at his next question, her little head twitching slightly as she contemplated. Name? She didn't have a name, nor did she think she needed one, she was, after all, just herself. I don't think I have a name. Takai hasn't given me one.
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:51 pm
The raven listened intently to what the Robin had to say, though his eyes studied the oblivious shoppers. Humans were a funny thing to watch, really, though Xaxis much preferred to look on from a distance than interract with them much himself.
As the Robin spoke about her Companion, Xaxis couldn't help but wonder about a human's mindset. They were interesting to watch, curious to investigate, and overall did the damndest things. Like Takai - apparantly the woman allowed her life to be driven by fear. Whyever would she do that. . . ? What could she possibly be afraid of? Pain? Getting hurt? Pain was only temporary, it never lasted forever. Death? Was she afraid of the eternal rest? That was sillly too - death claimed everything and none could escape it. It wasn't evil, it didn't hurt, it just . . .was. The sooner one accepted their fate, the sooner they needn't worry about it. Besides, with the Robin as her Guardian, there was no need to fear about dying. Companions couldn't die, as far as Xaxis was certain.
So what was there to be afraid of?
Oh dear, silly, silly people and their silly, silly lives.
"No need to fret or concern yourself over these," he gave a little nod to his tangled feathers. "I have a good friend who helps me out when I need it, though I appreciate the offer." Perhaps he could let her help him preen her wings when she grew if she still offered. Another problem with human skin - it was far too stiff to be able to reach certain areas, such as their wings.
As the robin continued to question, Xaxis gave a little laugh. "Some of them are. The children are still much shorter and closer to the ground, like you'll be when you grow. And then, after some time, you'll grow again and be tall like me.
"Height is just a sign of being human, I guess, to become tall, big, and awkward."
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:39 pm
The robin tilted her head to one side as she listened to Xaxis, following his line of sight for a bit before she finally settled to watch Takai in the window of the bookshop, browsing the isles and picking up a few books here and there to read. Good that someone helps you. She nodded her head, satisfied. And as though she could feel her own wings itching just by looking at his, she preened herself for a moment before turning back to once more stare at Takai.
What does growing feel like, anyway? And, well, at least I'll be able to keep her apartment clean when I grow, right? She chirped gently, her eyes catching site of a spider crawling nearby. She hopped away from Xaxis for a moment to scoop it up in her beak, swallowing quickly.
Height was a sign of being human? That.. made some kind of weird sense. Humans were tall, so the taller they became the more human they became? She shrugged to herself, it was too much to think about and worry about right now. She'd worry when she got there right?
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Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:10 am
The bird gave a gentle smile, eyes light with good humor at the Robin's words. Had he been so curious about the world before his growth? The black-feathered bird reminisced, but for a moment. As a raven he hadn't the oppurtunity to speak with others, those odler and mature.
He could speak with Shanuh, and his other kin, but at the point in time . . . there had been no one to chat with. They had been the first, they had been the pioneers of the living.
Xaxis couldn't help but be pleased. Did that make them more important than the others? No, not really, but did make their lives a smidge different. At least the robin would know what was happening to her, and why. At least she had others to learn from which in turn would make her greater. . . . in a twisted sort of sense.
Whatever the case, the raven quickly broke off his train of thought. "Growing feels like a lot of different things. I don't really remember going from a bird to a child - I don't remember that at all. It just . .. happened.
"But when I got taller, like I am now, it hurt. I got really sick, much more ill than I usually am, and I felt as if I were being stretched out, twisted." In a sense, he really had been. Going from three feet six in a matter of moments hurt. It wasn't a natural thing, and it was an experience Xaxis didn't look forward to. Thankfully it was over and long passed. "It was quite unpleasant."
Xaxis watched the people fidget around them, intent only on their own lives and the materials they wished to posess. Strange people, really. Xaxis had no interest to be a part of them or their society. The raven was much more partial and biased towards kin.
A few moments passed, before Xaxis decided he'd best get back to his window shopping. Careful, ever so gently, the winged boy rose from his chair. Much better. He'd felt cramped, his large, gangly wings not having anywhere to go within the confines of the furniture. Standing, he could at least stretch them out.
"Well, robin - not to cut our conversation short but I'm feeling a bit congested and think it's about time I finish my browsing." It was the truth. Besides desiring to finish shopping for scarves, the boy could tell his health was slowly starting to deteriorate. He'd been sick for so long, he just knew that the little scratch in his throat and the pain in his head would only progress and get worse and worse.
The boy much preferred to be home to deal with his disease.
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Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:15 pm
With a flick of her head, the little Robin quietly listened to everything that Xaxis had to tell her, her body shivering a little at the thought of growing being painful. But she had time before that happened, right? After all, she had to go from a bird to a small human-like thing before it got painful. At least she hoped so, that was the impression she got from Xaxis anyway. Sounds like lots of fun. Was muttered into Xaxis' head, each word practically oozing sarcasm. Still, she fluttered happily, unwilling to worry about things that didn't need worrying about just yet.
Idly she noticed Takai head out of the bookstore, glance their way once, before shrugging her shoulders and making her way back towards the apartment, a few bags in hand from the various places she and the robin had visited. Not too long after Xaxis stood and made clear his desire to continue on and the little bird chirped cheerfully at her kin. Maybe the next time we meet I'll be able to do human things, like walk and talk! And hopefully you'll start feeling better soon. If she could smile at him, she would. But for the moment all she could do utter a few warm sounds towards him and offer a slight bow of her head. Guess I better head after Takai and see if I can get her to clean some more. Until next time!
With a flap of her wings, she lifted into the air, circling Xaxis once before she turned and took off after her companion, determined to get the woman to listen to her somehow and start taking better care of herself and her surroundings.
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