[Open] One day you think we'll wake up

[espigeonage]

Who: Julien and OPEN
What: Morose giant bird lets himself be approached.
Where: Various non-crowded places in Locke, Vegas, and Neuschwainstein; in the air, in parks, in large yards. Your character may have gotten in contact with him and arranged to meet, or just encountered him.
When: Vague points in the last few days of January.


Two weeks in the mountains and Julien was coordinated and more or less used to how his body worked now. He still felt fragile and hated the way he looked, the way people looked at him, the new list of limitations. Part of him wanted to go back to the alm and the isolation that came with it. It had been grueling up there and, in its way, peaceful. It had also been hard to bear. He couldn't stay there, he'd known it even before he'd been found. He thrived on people.

...but he couldn't bear to jump back into turmoil and chatter, either. So, compromise. He hovered at the edges of the world he had known and talked to people sometimes, and wondered if he'd ever feel like himself again.

At least the flying was good.

Comments

As discussed!

[arrowpoint]

Liam was glad to hear from Julien, and ever gladder to hear he was okay. Sort of. He still wasn't sure if being a giant bird counted as being 'okay,' but hey, that was up to the bird himself. He hadn't seen him yet, though, and part of him wondered just how 'giant' a bird we were talking about. Good thing the estate had double front doors.

He waits in the foyer for a while until he sees what could only be Julien coming his way, then works on getting both doors open. When the last latch is finally free and the doors swing wide, he grins and croaks out a greeting.

"Hey, good to see you, dude!"

He stands in his PJs with arms wide open. Giant birds did hugs too, right? Still... he's eyeing Julien curiously. It was weird.

[espigeonage]

Julien lands in the expansive yard beforehand and considers welching out, but in the end he rearranges his cloak and paces up to the front, his head bobbing slightly as he walks. He watches Liam work frenetically at the doors, and is taken aback, not that it shows, by the kid throwing his arms open.

While he does pause, Julien still sends his heavy body through the door and raises it up to try and give Liam a hug, briefly sandwiching him between his feathered chest and one wing. The feathers are soft to the touch but somehow slick and hard, too, deflecting everything away from his skin. Julien pats his back awkwardly. "You were sick, huh?"

[arrowpoint]

Well, it was a strange kind of hug, but it worked. He'd been around Julien enough not to be too awkward around the feathers, but it was still really weird to see him full-on-bird. He pulls away and goes over to close the door.

"Yeah, scary sick. My dad came and everything. I'm good now, though, just coughing still."

Which would be why he smells like cough medicine. Congrats, someone finally got him to take an 'unnatural' remedy. Liam leads Julien into the living room, which also has a large doorway. This was about how far they could go into the house, though.

"So how are you? I was really worried. What happened? ...Uh, well I can see what happened, but you know..."

[espigeonage]

"Hah. I was wondering why you stank. Take it easy, all right?"

Julien could pass further in with less trouble than it seemed. Feathers padded out his already large frame by quite a bit, but wouldn't actually impede him going through a normal door. He surveys the furniture, wondering with the now-familiar sense of unreality if he can use any of it. Maybe he can climb onto the cushions of the couch? Perch on the back of something? For now he picks a warm spot and just sinks down to be loaf-shaped.

He has no facial expressions. The way the feathers on his neck ruffle, and how he turns his head away, probably mean something. "...yeah, sorry. I'm... this is really hard, you know?"

[elfstoned]

He finds Julien in a large empty lot in Locke. Finds, not meets -- Aaron hadn't arranged this. It's just that he's got a very convenient way of finding people now. It's evening but not yet night on Sunday, the first of February, and it's cold but not freezing. Julien will see and hear Aaron approach -- even if Julien didn't have good enough eyes to recognize the part of Aaron's face he can see over the scarf around his neck and lower jaw, he'd probably know that coat anywhere.

(Aaron's walking a little differently. There's more energy to it than there used to be -- you get the impression that his slow walk is a matter of deliberate choice, rather than weariness.)

It's hard to tell, because his hands are in there too, but there's something big in one of his pockets. He'll stop about ten feet away from Julien, wind whipping his hair this way and that.

"Hello, Julien."

[espigeonage]

Since the change Julien is better in the dark than before. Dark is lighter. He's not blind in situations where normal people wait for their eyes to adjust but are fine. In the mountains he'd slept too much to get to test that. He does notice Aaron approaching, but with the gloom and the changed gait there's a moment before he knows that's him and tenses, prepared to leap into the air.

He's feeling better than he was. All the same, dark evenings aren't a time when he wants to make new friends. He relaxes as he recognizes Aaron, feathers that had slicked close to his broad body puffing somewhat.

"Suil, loser." If the energy is forced, it's at least there. "Out with no hat, I see."

[elfstoned]

"I could say the same for you," he shoots right back. "What are you doing hanging around this part of town? Surely you can do better than an empty lot on the south side."

It's the kind of place you'd expect to see someone like Aaron hanging around. It might hurt your reputation, Julien.

[espigeonage]

"I don't have a hat that fits. You've got no excuse beyond ornerliness." His cloak stays on, moving and fluttering in an admittedly satisfying dramatic way in the wind, tied in place. The legwarmers Ravi knitted last year stay on, rather cute. ...Not a lot of other existing clothing works, and though Julien really doesn't want it said he's really conscious of it. No, feathers do not replace them perfectly.

And he hasn't said why he's out here. Aaron isn't the only one who can decide not to answer a question.

[radiantchicken]

On one of the occasions Julien decides to go flying in Locke, he might find himself not quite so alone in the sky. "Julien!" Torin knows what's going on. He's heard things, seen things. Word travels on the network.

It's odd, seeing the other flying like that. Torin feels sort of like they're two ships traveling in opposite directions. He'd grown from a bird into something like a man. And Julien had grown from a man into a bird. Odd how that worked out. It's weighing heavily on Torin's mind as he tries to check on his friend.

[espigeonage]

Flight is the best thing about this body. Before he was able to glide well and could, barely, manage to get a few feet airborne from the ground. Now his wingbeats are powerful and his body streamlined, and things have changed.

It's always an unpleasant feeling to be reminded that there are plenty of Numbered who can fly well without being forced to become animals. Julien slows, tail fanning out, when Torin flaps towards him. "Torin," he calls back.

[radiantchicken]

"How are you doing?" Torin's well aware that this is likely a different sort of awkward for Julien. Perhaps the mirror of what he's feeling, what with his arms and thumbs that have grown in addition to his wings, rather than being replaced by them. "You seem to be adjusting well enough to the flying."

[espigeonage]

He's just going to avoid questions he doesn't want to answer. "The flying's good," he calls, throat belling. "I'm sure it's better when things are warm!"

[charcoalfeather]

Rakka wondered every now and then what happened to Julien after he'd stopped replying to her that one day. Had he died? Had something worse happened? She hoped not, but every time she saw a flock of birds around the park now, her mind strayed in that direction. Would he ever come back? She hoped so.

Something drew her attention straight up to the sky above. It sounded like... giant wings?

"What the...?"

[espigeonage]

That is a very large pigeon. Its tail fans out huge and it backwings as it approaches a solid tree branch and slows enough to catch at it with its feet. Holding still it's easier to see the blue on its head and neck, the blue of its eyes.

Julien furls his wings and looks down at Rakka. "Hey," he says.

[charcoalfeather]

...That is a big bird. Wow.

And then it speaks, and Rakka freaks out.

"W-whoa!" She gasps, getting to her feet on reflex. "Y... you're a talking bird!"

[espigeonage]

Julien reflexively wipes his beak against a branch. "Yep," he says, sighing. "I noticed."

[moreweaponsthanyou]

Fil had taken a book (or two or three, and no that doesn't mean he's a nerd) and gone out to find a quiet place to read. Not that there weren't plenty of quiet places inside (the mountain was huge) and underground but he felt it was just stifling sometimes, even though there was plenty of fresh air circulating around. It's been a stressful month and he wants to destress in a way that doesn't involve alcohol, as fun alcohol was.

Thankfully, there was still a nearby park or two near the mountain, and not a lot of people. He settled himself on a handy patch of grass underneath a tree and started to relax.

[espigeonage]

Vegas was warmer and clearer than Locke or Neuschwanstein right now. The sun felt kind on Julien's wings as he circled the mountain, went over the lake, powered hard to avoid a flock of normal pigeons flying like they meant to join him...

It was arid here, but nice to see people using the lake. He didn't think that park had been as green before all this. And there was - hey, was that Fil?

Julien started to spiral down from on high until he could land in the tree above him.

[moreweaponsthanyou]

Fil was congratulating himself on finding an excellent spot to do some reading. It was warm, but not too warm, especially in the shade as he was and there weren't anyone else around at this time of the day. He supposed it was one of the perks of being jobless.

He had just settled down with the first few pages when he felt the tree shake above him and looked up reflexively before staring at Julien with his mouth open.

"Holy shit....that's big."

the shower idea was too good to pass up a second time I am sorry XD

[bythewaves]

"Liam I'm home!" Arnold calls down the hall as he drops the groceries (how odd, to have mostly generic things rather than the fancy brands he thought would exist.) "Gonna duck upstairs and grab a shower!"

He trots up to the main bathroom and opens the door only to be confronted with Julien. He blinks, stares, and slowly shuts the door, and Julien will hear him say

"I... haven't had anything to drink today, have I?"

A pause then.

"LIAM WHY IS THERE A GIANT BIRD IN THE MAIN BATHROOM'S JACUZZI?"

[espigeonage]

Julien can bathe just fine in cold water but why do it if he can get hot? He's just so big now that it takes a very large hot tub or walk-in shower to hold him. Conveniently Liam has such a thing. Sure Julien had to sort of break in to get to it since no one was home, but Liam's given him permission in the past. He'll forgive him.

He's filled the Jacuzzi and is ducking and splashing, trying not to soak the entire room (Difficult. He's as big as a small horse or one of those little electric cars), his ear-holes filled with water, when someone opens the door. Feathers all spiked and bedraggled he raises his head, blinking huge round eyes.

-oh god damn it. "I'm a guest!" He can shout louder than normal people. It's just how he's built. "Rude!"

[bythewaves]

"A talking giant bird." Arnold's voice says dryly, "I stand corrected."

There is a thoughtful pause and then the door flies open and there is an excited gleam in Arnold's eyes.

"You talk!" Glee "I mean. Hello. Yes. Liam did not mention he had a friend who was a giant talking bird."

Probably, Arnold, because he knew you were going to react like this.

[espigeonage]

Julien landed in a flurry of wings on Isabela's driveway, driving fine snow out and away. He had a shirt on and 'leggings' on his feet, and he rearranged the cloak along his back before pacing towards the door, round and fluffy against the chill.

She was probably here. If not he could... let himself in, and wait for her? Maybe. Trying not to be nervous he peered through the windows.

[mistakesmakeuswhoweare]

Oh, she noticed, sure enough.

"Blue, you're going to freeze. Get your feathery ass in here," she said, opening the door.

[espigeonage]

Oh. He didn't have a facial expression to change, but he ducked his blue-and-white head and his pupils adjusted. "Oh. Hi. Guess I should've knocked."

Even though he looks wider than the door, that's raised and fluffy feathers. He fits through and gets it closed, big and awkward and bread-smelling. "Hey, Red. Uh..."