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 Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 4:34 pm
Lex returned with a bad of cotton swabs, cotton balls, cotton circles, well a lot of soft cotton cleaning supplies, a bottle of dawn in case water was not going to get the mess off, a turkey pan, and two gallons of bottled water. He set them down at a table in the inn, filling the pan up with water. “Well, first off… a rinse to try to get the worse of that off you. Sorry about the turkey basting pan, it was the best I could find on short notice.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 4:54 pm
"That looks like a good arrangement," Rob nodded at Lex, his mud-caked dreadlocks brushing against Sid, who was perched on his shoulder. "Looks just about bird-sized." In truth, he wished for a bigger water vessel, something where he could clean the mud off of himself. He was pretty darn filthy, having taken the brunt of Lex's improvised mud missile assault on the frantic parrot. Maybe there was a shower somewhere on the inn's premises. Reaching up with his arm, he nudged at Sid's feet with his hand. "Come on, love, time to get you cleaned up."
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 7:09 pm
Perched comfortably on Rob's shoulder and looking the epitome of pirate chic, Sid took one look at the turkey pan and gave Lex such a look. Parrots had no eyebrows or lips, but she still managed to put all of her 'are you kidding me?' into her expression. Still. She was, in all honesty, horribly filthy from mud, which meant she was crap for flying right now. Which was really all she had going for her, since a bow required hands to use. If something bigger (and there was a lot of that) and meaner came along, she was an almost literal sitting duck. Shaking herself all over to end up fluffed and ridiculous, Sid took Rob's request and began to make her way down his arm in that beak-claws-beak-claws movement parrots had. "Raaatck." She commented as she stepped gingerly off his arm and onto the table, her wings opened for balance. She waddled across the flat surface and extended her head over the bath. Her head turned sideways as she considered the water, and then she bent low to taste it, coming up with her beak dripping. "Caaawrk!" She said in reproach, reaching out with one foot to grab the pan and shake it a little, cold water sloshing about inside.
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 7:16 pm
Lex gave a laugh. "Hey, we are in the middle of no where. I am not going to get a decent deep pan for you to soak in outside of well this," he replied to Sid's look. "And it not like I can really warm it all that well either." He clicked his tongue, amused. Lex turned to other supplies, opening the back of the cotton q-tip and then the cotton rounds, pulling some up. "Though I guess if you can wait we can try warming some of the water up."
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:47 am
"Yeah, Sid, it's not like we can warm the water up," Rob grinned. "At least it's not as cold as it could be, given how warm it is outside. It should probably feel kinda good on your little birdy body." He knew it would feel good on his body, if for no other reason than it would get the mud off and cool him down some. Summer in Louisiana was no joke. Reaching for some of the cotton rounds, Rob nodded at Lex. "What do you think, should we put her in there and pour water over her, or try to just wipe some of it off, or what? I don't know anything about giving a bird a bath."
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 5:01 pm
A low, mournful whistle was Sid's reply to the cold water situation and she let go of the pan to shake herself all over, her tail wagging behind her. Guess there was nothing for it. She'd rather be clean more than she'd rather not get soaked with cold water. Still, she eyed the pan askance before she fluttered up onto the rim, her motions a bit clumsy. Reaching for the side with her beak, she held onto it as she slid down into the pan, finally letting to when her feet found solid ground. She fit rather perfectly into it, if you disregarded her long tail feathers, which didn't. Sid didn't bother waiting for either of the men to set to. Her instincts knew what needed to be done and all she had to do was... let go. Bending down, she got her stomach wet and then she shook, ruffling up her feathers and arching her wings. Water flew as she did it, but she soaked her belly and a good portion of her sides before she went to dip her head and repeat the motion. It would take some doing to get it up onto her back, but she looked quite determined about it, happily splashing away despite the cold seeping into the warm cocoon of her feathers.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 5:18 pm
"My mom raises Silkie chickens... so mostly she should know what to do, the soap just in case she can't get it off herself," Lex said. "And these are to get off what she can't reach." "I rather not use soap, since it takes the oil off her feathers, and makes it harder for her to fly... I think... silkies can't fly, they don't have the right feather structure for that." Lex gave a shrug and sat down, letting Sid do her best to get clean.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 6:45 pm
Rob watched with interest as Sid-bird bathed herself in the water like… well, like a bird. He was getting spattered with water and flecks of mud, but he didn't care. It was fascinating, even if it was messy. And it was working -- she was getting herself clean. "Silkie chickens? Aren't those them chickens that look like they got long fur instead of feathers? I've seen pictures of those. They're kinda ridiculous looking," he grinned, hoping he hadn't inadvertently insulted Lex's mum. "I thought chickens couldn't fly at all anyway." What Rob knew about birds could fill a thimble. Turning his attention back to Sid, he watched her bathe. "Let me know if you want your tail washed, alright, love?" He paused for a moment, thinking about what he'd just said. "I mean, like, somehow let me know, right? Like squawk or whatever."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:01 pm
The water was fast clouding up with dirt and floating bits of feathers. Sid herself was darkening in color and her feathers began to clump together, making her look a bit... scraggly. There was a bit less of her than the feathers made it seem and it got pretty obvious when they were wetted down. The wetter she got, the more she seemed to be enjoying it, though, and soon there was a lot of water being tossed about as she shook and flipped her wings about. The water directed at the boys might not have been entirely accidental, but Sid's white bird face was entirely innocent when she finally settled down, wet feathers sticking out haphazardly. Whistling the melody of one of the tracks she had been playing with before this adventure started, Sid climbed her way up onto the side of the pan and shook herself all over. The new position gave her a chance to dip her tail in the water and she craned her head around to get a good look at it as she swished it back and forth. It still didn't quite fit, but it was better than nothing.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 3:16 pm
"Chickens can fly, just not like what you traditional think of flying, like with songbird. They are very, very bad at it, and usually it not very high and just for a short distance, but they can get over a 6 foot fence with a bit of a push." Lex said. "Mmh, they don't have barbs in their feathers... least I think it was barbs, so they are soft and fur like. Most animals with feathers have barbs that allow them to zip." Lex snorted slightly and looked at the water. "Should I change the water out for you? Rob can use some of the cotton rounds to help clean your face and back while I'm out." He offered.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 7:10 pm
Well, it definitely seemed that Sid had the whole bathing thing under control. She was merrily splashing about in the turkey pan, getting water all over both Rob and Lex as she whistled a song. ( You could turn the DJ into a bird, but you couldn't take the DJ out of the bird, or something, Rob thought.) Sid even managed to position herself so she could wash her long tail feathers. The parrot looked a sight with her wet feathers sticking out everywhere, but she was clean. Clever girl! "Huh, I didn't know chickens could actually fly." He thought about feathers and reached out to finger one of Sid's, not even thinking of the possibility that she might take umbrage at the contact while she was wet and bite him with her powerful beak. "Yeah, the water's looking pretty manky. Maybe you should switch it out. Sid, want me to scrub your back for you?" Then he grinned somewhat wickedly, thinking of that question in another context. At least she wasn't human, and therefore couldn't smack him in the face.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 7:23 pm
Hopping down from the pan, Sid sidled across the table out of the way and shook herself again, broad wings fanning to create a stir of air. Another rinse probably wouldn't be remiss, but the water definitely needed changing first. An itch made her squirm and then she attacked her side, preening feathers straight with determination. They just felt weird if they weren't laying right, and with her bath, they definitely weren't. After a few frantic moments, her head popped up from under her wing and she considered the suggestion of a face cleaning before she turned to eye Rob... who was fiddling with some of her feathers. "Rrhaaack!" She made like she was going to bite him, but her touch was gentle when she made contact and nibbled his fingers. Smarmy a**. The feeling was fond though. Scooting closer, she waved a small leg up to try and grab his hand, hauling herself up with a flap of wet wings. She presented her face with every confidence that he would take Lex's suggestion, looking expectant.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:07 am
"Okay, okay," Lex chuckled at Sid, watching her haul her wet body up Rob's arm for a moment. Sid was adorable. He collected the pan of water, careful not to spill any on his feet. "I'll get this changed out." He left to go went to dump it outside. He returned, having rinsed the pan and started to fill it up from the other gallon jug. "Least you are looking cleaner, Sid."
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Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2016 12:16 pm
As Sid settled herself on his hand, Rob picked up one of the cotton rounds. "Now hold still," he said as he tried to figure the best way to do this. He'd never cleaned a bird's face before. "That's a good Sid." Examining her parrot face, he saw that the large white bit was skin, the crimson feathers of her head starting at the edges of the area. Pretty cool. He gently and carefully dabbed at some of the mud on her face with the cotton, afraid of irritating the skin. It helped a little, but not enough, so he started lightly wiping the dirt off. "There we go. You'll let me know if this hurts or anything, alright?" Then Lex returned with the cleaned turkey pan and poured water into it. "She is definitely looking cleaner," Rob grinned, digging out another cotton round and dipping it into the fresh water to clean the feathers on her back. "I am going to have to take a serious shower meself when we're done here. I feel completely filthy." And he was, with mud everywhere -- on his shirt, his pants, stuck in his dreadlocks and on his face.. Lex had been nothing but thorough with his improvised projectiles, even if the Hermes Chosen's aim was crap.
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Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2016 3:31 pm
A bright eye watched with interest as Lex left with the water before turning back to Rob and his cotton rounds. Sid did her best to angle her face for him, but she couldn't stop herself from giving his fingers a n** for the that's a good sid comment. Not like she was somebody's pet bird, for christ sake. But he didn't seem able to help it, so she couldn't be too terribly upset. It had to be weird, dealing with a friend who was a bird for the moment. Or the forseeable future. Ugh. She really needed to get a handle on this speaking thing. "Goordk." She chirped reassuringly. It wasn't hurting. He was being pretty gentle and her face wasn't that sensitive. Plus, it just felt better having the mud off, so a bit of discomfort could be endured. When Rob shifted to her back, she hunched over and spread her wings, trying again to give him the best access. "Waark. Hellro. Hellro. Rrobin. Lexx. Lex." She struggled with the words while Rob worked, testing the ways to make her tongue work how she wanted it to. There was a good deal of frustration to it, but she had to remind herself how often she had sat practicing at a piano before something decent had come out. Good things took time, she just wished this particular one... didn't.
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