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Who: Kallie Raydan + OPEN
What: Waiting for Miles Asher to show up so he can see her baby chocobo. If you're lucky maybe you can see her chocobo too (not an innuendo).
Where: One of Locke City's park-like areas.
When: Sunday afternoon.

( A )
[ Locke City has what's often half-jokingly designated as its "park and library zone." Today, one of the cycling-through semi-attractions to said area happens to be a food truck, its advertisements boasting soft pretzels with less traditional toppings like "BBQ" and "caesar."

True, Kallie's usually not one to consume edibles of dubious quality (save for a tiny handful of vices like slushy drinks and fake-healthy nut bars), but given she's already here stuck waiting for someone else, she might as well join the line, right?

As she waits, she scans through the Network on her phone- kind of risky in public, maybe, but after over a year now with access, she's hardly concerned about being caught at it by people who shouldn't know. As always, she's simply ignoring the glances at her and her pink hair from fellow Locke residents and tourists alike... while at the same time trying to stay alert to anything odd around her. By now, it's an instinct.

Unfortunately, every once in a while, the backpack slung over her shoulders seems to emit an indignant chirp or two, prompting the young woman to try her best at trying to ignore that as casually as possible as well. Standing in line around other people while having the baby chocobo with her had already seemed risky, does she dare continue to stay around...?? ]

( B...? )
[ Post escaping that little embarrassment, Kallie can't help but look sullen as she sits away from the 'crowd' and tears chunks off her pizza-flavored pretzel, glaring out across at a fountain featuring a bronze-colored family of statues. This time, there's a little roundish bird (like this, but in pale green) settled in her lap, however. Apparently, the animal is far more sedate and less obtrusive when he's not zipped up in the dark; when sitting still, he hardly looks like anything but a stuffed chick doll or something. ]

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[Cutting through the park was always an entertaining way to bypass the side-streets when on his way home. He was always working in a different place on a daily basis--as being the assistant foreman hadn't picked up its perks, yet. Arthur held onto his backpack, trying to shove a copious amount of paperwork for his job into its before he inevitably failed at this task. His mess of papers spilled and landed on the concrete, to which he stared at it awhile before beginning to pick them up. He wasn't too far from Kallie, though he did catch sight of the little creature on her lap.

From that distance, admittedly, it looked like--]

...A green chicken?

[Surely there's nothing odd about a 17 year old boy walking at the speed of your typical elderly man as depicted through movies and TV. Despite his illness, he'd received special permission from his parents that he could walk all the way to the park by himself for one reason and one reason only: The food truck. It's the holy grail of unhealthy, but delicious delicaicies in Locke City, and he certainly wasn't going to miss it. So instead of getting his daily exercise walking around the block, he'd made it all the way to the park.

So he stands behind Kallie, an enormous grin on his face as he waits in line to be served. After a few moments however, he notices the suspicious chirping coming from her backpack.]

Miss...? [Haruka waves his hand at her side in an attempt to get her attention.]

I don't mean to be rude, but I think your phone may be going off in your bag...?

Edited 2014-04-14 00:53 (UTC)

[Miles is probably a little late. Not his fault his dog wanted to come too, but he doesn't want an annoying yappy sausage dog in a bird's face, so he had to leave Gingerbread at home.

... He's also still not used to his now-longer limbs, hence going around carefully so he doesn't trip, but he's working up to that.]

Okay, I'm here. Where's the bird?

[ What's that? Oh, there's a real show of conflict on her face as Kallie looks over at the scattered papers; she's not the type to go out of her way to assist with something like that... but on the other hand, it just seems rude to sit and stare, too.

Her compromise is to stomp down the closest one as it attempts fluttering away on the early-spring breeze, oh-so-carefully bending down to rescue it afterward. If it's a little boot-printed, he'll have to deal.

She wears a blank expression as she looks back to the paper-scatterer and notices where his attention has landed though, her gaze just short of defiantly steady. ]

[ Kallie notices the particularly frail-looking but grinning boy queuing behind her - given her schooling how could she not - but of course doesn't spend much thought past the cursory towards him.

She's getting stiffer as the cheeping continues though, making for a rather stilted motion as she swivels enough to get a look at him-

Her phone is in her hand. It's probably not that. ]

... Don't worry [ kwee! ] about it.

[He glances at her phone. What else could possibly be chirping? A computer...? An ipod?]

Ah, okay! I was just worried for you. But as long as you're not missing any calls and there's no birds stuck in your backpack, you can carry on. [A laugh because someone having a small bird in their backpack is a very funny thing to say that would never actually happen in real life, probably.]

Hopefully you don't attract any birds with those tweets coming from you, though! [Childish grinning intensifies]

[A brief look of dismay crossed Arthur's face as Kallie put her foot down on the paper. Admittedly it was a loss he would tolerate, if only because it was better than being caught in the breeze. He hunched over, grabbing paper after paper, finally approaching Kallie for the last one.

A bit softly, he lowered his eyes to the chocobo and then away from her.]

I... Thanks, miss. [He reached out for the paper, albeit hesitantly.]

D'you mind me askin' why'd you dye your chicken?

[ Hey, nice to see you t...

... Alright, Kallie's not always the most observant person when it comes to people's appearances, but- Miles, there's something uh... different... about you. A flash of confusion crosses her face, and though she doesn't say it, the "what the hell" sentiment is probably pretty clear in her expression.

Is this an Echo thing? Don't stare at the poor kid's Echo misfortune, Kallie.

She frowns a bit but then lifts a hand to point at... her neck? Or rather, the hood of the thing she's wearing, which would do a much better job at looking like a proper hoodie if it had pockets or sleeves.

No afro for hiding in on Kallie, unfortunately, so this little baby's having to make do in other ways instead. ]

[As a partially-bird creature standing head and shoulders above everyone, Julien is an attention sink. People are murmuring when his face is visible some ways off. By the time the rest of him can be seen, all feathers and legs and odd grace, walking slowly so he doesn't outpace someone he's talking to, they're gawking, edging away, or trying to act cool. Pigeons move through the trees above him, sometimes squabbling.

He doesn't point his face Kallie's way or otherwise act like he saw her. But, on the other side of the fountain, the long flight feathers bend on their spidery joints to tap rapidly at the phone in what's left of his hand.]

Hi! You want me to acknowledge you?

Okaaaay...?

[Miles tilts his head this way and that, before shuffling to the side and craning his neck to get a glimpse of the bird. And when he spots it... Well, it's safe to say he's fanboying inside.

It's so cute and he reaches out to pet it.]

Hey guy, hi there. [But he stops before he can out the tiny bird because.

Because Kallie was right. He does get something new just by being around this little bird, and...] What's a gysahl green?

[ Oh, yes. Definitely not a thing here, nope! The fact that Kallie's face flushes red in reaction has to be due to... something else entirely.

She turns away again before she can burst into guilty flames, stepping up closer to the truck. Truthfully, by now she wants nothing more than to flee, but her brain promptly convinces her that leaving now would just seem even more odd. Perhaps she could feign being reminded of something important by her phone...? She ducks her head in annoyed embarrassment as she once more tries to distract herself.

Of course, the disruption in her bag has other ideas. The cheeping tapers off, but instead there's... movement, bumping along the zipper line, not quite enough for Kallie to notice..... ]

[ She hands it back - doesn't even bother to look at it since it's not her business - but the look on her face doesn't waver. As defensive as she's feeling at the moment, she doesn't really realize that it might seem stranger that way instead of just brushing the curiosity off (and maybe even smiling, if only politely). ]

Easter.

[ Hasn't he ever heard of those chicks that hatch already dyed?

... Yeah, thanks to her hair, she's way too used to lying about that kind of thing by now. ]

[Haruka ends up staring at the backpack for the rest of their tenure in line. The wriggling and bumping becoming rather transfixing to him. Of course, he did his best to ignore it but ultimately it was just too strange. There was definitely something going on here. And if Haruka's mom taught him anything, it was that allowing strangers to keep small animals locked in dark, enclosed, hot spaces is wrong. Or something along those lines. He thinks. He may have dozed off during that session of heart to heart parenting.]

Um.

[He waves for her attention, a bit more obviously shy than last time.]

Excuse me, Miss...? [He makes sure to whisper this next part:] I make it a point not to get into other people's business but...I'm maybe 99% sure there is something alive in your backpack...

[ She sees him alright, feeling the sensation of cold dropping into the pit of her stomach. Knee-jerk reaction is to hope he doesn't approach her, because boy does she feel like she doesn't need any more damn attention right now.

He's staying away though, which does make her ease up a little - enough to actually be paying attention to her phone and the Network with just the loveliest timing for catching the message that is then aimed at her. In other words, she kind of has time to get used to the idea...

She still looks a touch agitated despite her best efforts, however, and can't resist swiping a hand through her hair as she stares at the text, watching the bird-guy in the corner of her peripheral vision.

.... ]

just don't make a production of it. If you want to see the bird here's your chance.

[With his eyes, peripheral vision is almost as clear as a direct look, and he sees her unease. Julien shows her the profile of his face, smiling.]

Everything I do out here is a production. On the other hand, I've met so many old friends and new ones I don't think people are bothering them. On the first hand again, your cute mystery bird might be worth curiosity.

[A bold tourist comes up and talks to him, head tilted back; Julien turns towards him, leans in, and shifts his wing; when the phone camera goes off it doesn't capture Kallie and her fluffy green companion. After a moment he texts some more.]

I want to see him though! I bet I can lose these people and get into the woods behind you. Mind coming over if I do?

[ Excuse her, she's busy being a little weirded out by the staring and then proximity of Miles' hand - not helped by the already-present weirdness at the fact that he's suddenly ... taller?

That freezing and subsequent comment, tho... ]

Huh?

[ Kallie's savvy enough to recognize Echo-getting when she witnesses it, but that doesn't make the question any more sensical to her. Gys-what green? Is that a breed or name or...??

In the meantime, she lifts both her hands up, trying to reach the bird snuggled in her hood. If she can convince him to crawl back into her hands, then at least she won't have to deal with Miles' fingers hovering near her face and all. ]

[Arthur had never heard of that and neither had his mun, so both would be and were in fact very much shocked and pleased by how cool that would be and is.]

Uh. [He had meant to go 'Oh', but the confusion that came from that answer impeded him. Rather, Arthur took the paper and smiled weakly in return.] Thanks.

So. Uh, is it your pet? [A better question than, 'Why the hell do you have a chicken in the city?']

Gysahl green. [Pronounces it as carefully as he can because... he sure as hell doesn't know what that is.] It's what he eats, apparently. Aside from milk.

Look, give him to me and you can check on the internet what it is, if it's an actual plant or fruit or... something.

[ Wince.

Kallie can't help but think, didn't she already tell him not to worry about it? Obviously she already knows something's up. She turns again, her brow drawn... except now there's a tiny green birdy face sticking out of the gap in her bag's zipper - not escaping, mind - but--

Yeah, that's a thing.

Kwee! ]

[ Kallie already knows that the FBI at least is aware of her, despite her caution and, thankfully, avoidance so far at slipping into the public eye. She kind of gets the feeling she might be being watched already, at least sometimes, even if there's no way to prove it inside the damn city... her carefulness is slipping.

After a minute of consideration, because typing eloquently escapes her at the moment: ]

Fine

[ That moment when one suddenly wonders whether or not it's legal to keep a pet chicken where you live - not that the critter in her lap is a chicken, but... ]

Looks that way.

[ Which in her mind is a better answer than a straight yes. She still doesn't know what the deal is here herself... considering what she knows of Lightning, and the rather unusual way she Echoed back the bird, she has doubts it was just a "cute companion" situation. ]

[ Milk? Kallie looks a little stricken at that - what the hell kind of bird drinks milk?!

That and Miles' fixation on first seeing and now being given the bird makes her a little more uneasy. She's still not having too much luck moving him, anyway. ]

... Pretty sure you'd have a better chance at spelling that. I don't--

Kweeeeeee!!

[ -- Says the bird, right in Kallie's ear, before going to her shoulder and then to the air right in front of her. A little alarmed, she catches him in her hands- kind of. More like she's half-holding him as he continues fluttering. ]

-- Hey.

Don't do that. [Said more to the little bird that to her. And Miles reaches out to the bird.]

Give him.

C'mon little guy, calm down. Kweh!

[He feels a little stupid saying that, but would it work? His silly echoes hardly ever have any proper meat to them, except when they're actual skills.

And he wishes he'd gotten back bird-wrangling skills, not this.]

Sweet! Be patient okay?

[He doesn't leave at once, but gradually, eating a pretzel of his own, Julien moves on. People watch and talk about him for a bit, but he's been moving through public spaces like this for weeks. Soon enough they settle back to whatever they'd been doing.

Ten, fifteen minutes later there's another text.]

I asked a bird to come get you but idk if he knows how. Come out here? I won't be hard to find.

[A Dalmatian-colored pigeon flies out of the brush, lands on the bench next to Kallie, and starts turning in circles and puffing out its neck, going wurruk-ooo.]

[ Bird, why are you making a scene? Kallie grits her teeth, expression twisted in concerned confusion, until finally (after what seems like minutes, but is actually a few moments at best), she moves her hands away to give the teenager full access instead-

And, well, he's still agitated, fluffed up like a teeny pompom, but... there's no more crying, at least. Instead Miles just has a green chickeny thing clutching his skin with little pointy toes, STARING AT HIM INTENSELY, apparently more or less unimpressed. ]

Kwee!

Is that...a baby chick!? I don't think I've ever seen a green chick though...[He takes a closer look and smiles before turning his attention back to Kallie.]

How could you keep this poor little thing all zipped up in your bag? That's not very nice...

[At that point, Arthur had managed to stuff all the papers back into his bag. The real problem? Now, he was pretty sure that whoever this lady she was, she was probably waiting for somebody. Hassling her about her weird pet wasn't going to make her day any easier and he distinctly remembered Kyle getting sucker-punched by a lady one time after trying to chat her up when she wasn't interested.]

I'm, uh--sorry. Didn't mean to creep you out or anythin'.

Ow-- his talons are like hypodermic needles.

[Miles wiggles his hands a little, trying to coax the bird into grabbing his left hand instead. He does not want a bird pecking at his dominant hand at all.]

Kweh, kweh... C'mon, I'm trying to help. Are you hungry or something? I'll get you milk, just don't look at me like that.

[ She doesn't answer at first, but waits as he wanders off, trying not to second-guess herself. In the mean time she mutters her grievances to the chocobo, before deciding to shoot a message to Miles in case he shows up and she's disappeared.

Even if she gets the text, she still jumps at the bird, FROWNING. ]

When did you learn to type better

[ Last time they talked he claimed to having trouble with claws?? But, despite that flash of irritability, she slings her bag back onto a shoulder proper, tucks the bird into the crook of an elbow, and heads that way, SOMEHOW resisting the urge to look back behind her. ]

Kwee.

[ Kallie just watches with a warily flummoxed sort of look to her... but visibly untenses at least somewhat when it seems like neither chocobo nor Miles is going to do something terrible to the other within the next few seconds. The bird relaxes - for some definitions of 'relax.' The beady scrutiny remains in place. ]

... He's been eating things in my apartment, so I doubt it.

[ Or so she hopes. If he is hungry that gives her definite concerns about the critter's inner volume and potential output. ]

Some of the feathers are prehensile. I got a pulse when I tried them on a keyboard and now I can type like a Hollywood hacker. It's kind of ridiculous. I can't really feel the keys, I bet if I couldn't see them I'd just type the worst gibberish.

[The pigeon doesn't follow, or lead at first. After a moment it flies heavily above her and lands on the ground carrying a chunk of someone's pretzel, trying to worry bite-sized pieces out with its beak. That might be the way she should go? Or - apparently not, there are more pigeons this way. Were. They're taking off to try to get the pretzel. The first pigeon wants to keep it - and now there's a flock of angry pigeons chasing one that's stubbornly carrying the food.

Until he speaks, Julien doesn't stand out as much as he should - there's a white thing, but unless looked at directly it might as well be a bank of stubborn snow, or a trash bag caught on a branch some ways away, not an oversized bird creature.]

I see they need to work on being Lassie. Hey, Kallie. You're looking well.

...aaah, no, he is cute.

[Miles looks up at Kallie in alarm. She's been letting him eat without supervision?]

Seriously? What if he ate something bad for him?

[Squints down at the bird.] Okay uh. [Why are you staring at him like that?] No milk yet, I guess. But seriously, what are gysahl greens?

It's fine.

[ To be honest she's used to being talked to (...and flirted with) when she doesn't want it... and at the same time is used to showing exactly no interest when it's not there. Definitely not something she feels bad about.

The bird just stands up to turn a circle, voicing a small kwee in the process. He studies the guy too but doesn't seem all that impressed, either. ]

[ Oh god why, little guy? Why??

Kallie looks alarmed, twisting to reach towards the gap in the zipper, but stops just short of like shoving the little bird back in or something. She isn't convinced that wouldn't make it worse.

The fact that the kid is making a scene obviously agitates her. Her face flushes again at people starting to look at them. ]

It's fine.

[Arthur turned to walk, nodding at Lightning--until the little creature went 'kwee'. He turned, stared at it again and wait a moment before opting to finally leave.

He was baffled, obviously, as many other people in the park might have been if they got close looks at it. The problem was, the bird looked as if it could have been an animal from that planet, so it was more eccentric than worthy of a conspiracy theory.]

Birds are meant to be free, aren't they? You should at least carry it around in somewhere that it can see and breathe...

[He bends down a bit so he and the bird can be at eye level.]

It's a cute little one though...[His eyes move to Kallie.]

See? Look how happy it is to be out in the open air! You should hold him for a bit! [He smiles as he says it, making sure not to speak accusatorially because this girl probably has a reason it was in her backpack to begin with. Maybe she has to hide things from her friends and parents like he does?]

[ She was honestly more interested in being annoyed than getting a straight answer, so the text goes unreplied to. She's too busy frowning as she glances through the trees instead anyway.

But she does lift her free hand in a silent greeting once she stops staring at pigeon-drama and spots the guy. For all of her irritation, it's useless to stubbornly keep it going; unpleasantness is not a state she actively endeavors towards. ]

Yeah...

[ Much the same as her comment before regarding the chocobo's adorableness. For what it's worth, the little bird throws in a kwee for good measure. ]

[ Kallie raises an incredulous brow. Seriously Miles, you have not known futility until you've tried to keep a tiny, hungry bird with flying skills and a pecky beak from eating whatever isn't really locked away. She just got the lil guy, so her precautions are hardly stellar.

In any case, she has no idea what this thing he's talking about is, either. With the context, she's reminded of collard greens, but... ]

Never heard of it.

[As always Julien seems undampened. The squeal gets him to go and crouch down to get closer to the chocobo's level, though with his legs the way they are he's still fairly high off the ground.]

Awww! Gi suilon, mellon nin! [basically 'Hello, my friend'. Animals understand Elvish, in broad strokes at least.] I hope you're not causing too much trouble.

[And looking back up at Kallie.]

How long's it been since you got him? And how's his diet going?

Milk it is. [Miles takes a chance and tries to run a finger down the tiny bird's chest. Hopefully it doesn't peck him?]

I mean, my mom is on a health kick and is into growing her own vegetables, and I know enough about birds, so I would have probably heard of it by now.

[But then again...] Buuuut he's not from around here and drinks milk so obviously he doesn't follow the rules.

[ He's a moody little guy. For what it's worth he lets Miles pet him, but it's the sort of thing where he acts like it's only right. (Of course you are supposed to pet baby chocobos. That is why they are fluffy.) ]

What kind of milk, though? [ Kallie's watching the chocobo, but she glances back up for this before looking a touch frustrated again and making a short gesture in the air. ] I've got all kinds of... weird animals in my head from Lightning, but I don't remember any cows.

[ Not to mention this gysahl thing she doesn't recognize but keeps getting mentio...

... Oh goddammit. Cue one more useless memory being shoved into her consciousness, then. The woman blanks out for a second, then just sighs, using her previously-gesturing hand to momentarily press to one eye instead. ]

[ Obviously still thoroughly flustered, Kallie just-- she finally resorts to zipping the bag again and turns away, stepping up to the food truck - at last it's her turn. Her tone is clipped as she orders, practically shoving money at the attendant in return for whatever choice gets her something the quickest. No custom requests for her.

All the while she tries tries tries to ignore the kid behind her, praying the bird doesn't act up again. Needless to say, she's hoping to ditch this whole scene ASAP. ]

...Excuse me, Miss. [Gently tapping her shoulder. He can't believe he's doing this, but someone needs to stand up for birdkind. May as well be him.]

There are lots of ways your bird could get hurt by being kept in there. I...don't think I can leave you be until I know that that little bird has reached a safe place. My conscience can't let me.

Cows aren't the only things that make milk, you know. [Barely manages to get that "you idiot" tone out of his voice.] Do you have goats in that weird animal databa-- hey?

[Miles stops in whatever condescending ramble he's about to begin-- and by extension petting the tiny bird-- when he sees Kallie's expression. He knows that look, that reaction.]

... New thing?

[ The bird puffs, eyeballing this strange new person with a critical eye. Moody lil guy for sure, though if nothing else, he seems pretty attached to the one he's with-- not that that necessarily means any promises of "good" behavior.

Kallie acts more or less indifferent, though naturally she can't help but put in a bit of staring of her own. It's not every day you meet a half-bird person... ]

Well, I'd only had him a few hours before we talked last. And- [ A breath. ] I figured out what he is, at least: a "chocobo," according to someone who... remembers the same sort of things.

[ ... Yeah, she still doesn't have a very good technique for referring to her past-life buddies here. ]

[ Miles, she knows milk comes from things other than cows; that's why she mentioned not knowing what kind he's talking about!

Pushing that aside for now though... yeah. She pretty much does the exact same derping out reaction every single time she gets an Echo, so. It's not hard to figure out.

She lets her hand drop, after a moment putting her palm to the back of her hip instead. She keeps her eyes down, brows knitted in concentration. ]

... There was a woman, showing me how to plant seeds. I guess this gysahl thing... is a vegetable?

[ Not that a freaking memory of a hippy-girl really helps her much in the "feed my magical baby bird" situation. The damn seeds themselves would be all sorts of more helpful here. ]

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B

A

NONE OF THE ABOVE I DO WHAT I WANT

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watch out we got a badass over here

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walking in 15 minutes late with starbucks

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