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

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

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.

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For a moment the cheerful smile drops and Arnold looks... haunted, is the best description.

"Oh yes. Very clearly. A lady. Beautiful and so very frightened. Dark, dark eyes, and a star in her hands, the light reflected in her eyes. 'Give it to me' I say. 'Never' she answers and steps backwards... and falls. And then she flies, and she is not a lady at all but a great white bird, with a star on her breast."

He shivers and shrugs. "It... was almost painful. Do you think it was a... a pulse?"

He considers and nods. "I can do that, if it makes you feel better? Do you know anything about contracts or have a lawyer? Once I actually get started we can draw up something formal.

Ah. It's always kind of sad when someone who seems so generally happy has something bad in their pulses, or actual life. ...Julien's aware he's in that category too.

Also, fantasy land is weird. He's not going to let on that he thinks that, at least not here, or that the idea that there could be someone else like him fills him with mixed emotions.

"Yeah... that sounds exactly like one. I'm sorry I kicked off something like that." He can't smile, and his expression is frozen. Julien ruffles the feathers on his head and neck in a friendly way and tries patting Arnold's arm (...and side, and leg) with one wing, slowly enough to not kick up a breeze.

More tea. "I don't have a lawyer, no, and pretty limited contract experience. I'd want to talk to some friends."

Edited 2015-02-06 05:05 (UTC)

Arnold musters up a grin and awkwardly pets the wing in return, just a quick brush of his hand.

"No, it's fine. And!" He brightens up (and maybe Julien can recognise a very similar coping mechanism) "It was the last picture I needed to complete the set! So it worked out in the end. It's probably my most popular piece - everyone is talking about it."

He smiles in thanks and cups his hand around the teacup. "Good idea - make sure whoever you get is trustworthy. Like - I would hope I am honest! But contracts are tricky things - you want to make sure they're airtight on both sides."

The feathers are simultaneously soft and sleeky-smooth and hard, layering over each other to deflect contact. They're also still damp.

Yeah, Julien's done that sort of thing too, and he lets himself be distracted along. "As long as something good comes of it! You know, I haven't actually seen this piece myself. Personally, I write poetry, by the way."

"Mhmm. It's good to know what everything means instead of just trusting, just in general. Though it's a flattering offer!" He tries to lick his beak clean, though his tongue isn't flexible enough for the whole job.

"Poetry!" Arnold smiles more genuinely at that. "Ooh, you will have to give me a recital one day. And I can easily arrange for you to come and see the gallery in New York, or I could arrange a showing here, if you like? I am quite proud of it - as sorrowful as the.. . pulse was, I think it is easily my best piece. And yes, most definitely. If we do this, make sure you are happy with it first."

He pushes the tissue box over. "Do you need a hand there?"

"Heh. Well, if you're lucky! I'm looking into publishing under a pen name. I don't want things I write getting attention just because I look like this." When Julien stamps a foot the vibration can be felt through the floor. "But I don't think I want to be out of the bounds much these days, not where people can see me."

He looks frankly horrible outside the boundaries. When he'd been more like a harpy it hadn't been bad. Human-shaped with longer downy arms, and big grasping feet, and claws. Now that his body and neck and face have changed, enough of that lingers to dismay him.

"Thanks, but water works better. It's at least not as hard as an actual bath."

Arnold looks confused for a moment before realising and nodding apologetically. "Ah, yes, of course - I bet it gets a bit uncomfortable out there where folks aren't used to it. Well, I can easily arrange an exhibition here! Or... maybe in Las Vegas? I know Liam said that area with the Mountain counts as well? That way you can stay... how big are the "bounds" anyway?"

He looks thoughtful at that and holds up a finger. "Just a mo" And he'll push back from the table and grab a large salad bowl and fill it with water. "that work?"

"It does! Thorir's out over there too." He wonders how Arnold gets along with Thorir - well, they've got kids marrying, presumably they make an effort. "I'm not actually clear on the exact size, I know it just barely covers the whole lake, though. Some spots have bigger boundaries than others."

He would've gone to the sink but hey, this works too. Julien dips his beak into it, far enough to half cover his operculum, and swishes side to side, leaving the water cloudy. "Yeah, thanks."

"Is he? He never mentioned it, but perhaps we could ask if our girls want a Vegas wedding in that case" Arnold seems positively amused by the idea.

"No worries!" he waves it off. "Say, if Liam left you a spare set of keys I'm guessing you're pretty good friends yeah? How...is he doing? Really? I trust him you know? But I know he won't tell me everything. You don't have to spill secrets or anything! Just.. is he coping ok?"

"Hah. Maybe!" It's depressing to think of meeting Birgir again after all these years when he looks like this. Better not to think about it.

Liam had not left him keys, but it would be exceedingly awkward to admit that now. He tilts his head to one side. "Well, he does have friends who'll look out for him. Some..." Pausing, he chooses his words. No father likes to hear his son is seen as an immature ditz, right? Even Julien sees him like that to an extent, he just doesn't mind. "There's a lot of people who'll underestimate him but still have his back. That makes a difference."

It's hard now for Julien to have faith that people will have his back, now more than ever, still he can believe differently for others. "I know he's had pulses that give him nightmares. It's pretty common in general."

"Well, it is not my wedding in any case." Arnold says reluctantly. "But it will give me something to bring up in my speech, if they do!"

He listens quietly and nods slowly. "That... would not surprise me. Liam is a good boy but... he tries too hard, I think sometimes. He's still looking for himself, I think. But he's a good boy. I told him not to be afraid to do what he thinks is right. Well. I am sure he will get there." He looks pensive. "Nightmares huh? Perhaps he will feel comfortable enough to speak to me one day. In the meantime... thanks. For looking after him."

"I'm smiling," Julien says, since he can't smile. "Liam doesn't like feeling looked after. He wants to be able to take care of himself, and he wants people to see him as able. I can get that. I want to help him anyway. He's a good kid."

Arnold beams back bright enough for two. "Well, I think everyone's like that yeah? Wanting to be able to look after themselves. But I'm glad he's got folk to keep an eye on him. Thanks for saying so."

"No problem." He tries the arm-pat again. "It's nice to be taken care of sometimes, too! I like it here and there. But I can see why he'd start to chafe."

"Oh, I am sure he will be royally sick of me soon." Arnold agrees cheerfully. "But his mother was not pleased to be told of his eating habits, and so he will just have to deal with my presence, until she is confident he is not about to keep over."

Julien can feel a little sorry for Liam, but the kid's a big boy, he should be able to find ways to get away when he needs to.

"I'm glad to hear from his parents, actually. A lot of people on the Network are young. Really young." Of course he's only a few years older himself, and had had the kind of face people tended to assume belonged to a teenager. "Things can get pretty upsetting here, and not just because of the pulses." He tries to catch Arnold's gaze with huge, round blue eyes.

"Really?" Arnold frowns a little. "That... is rather disturbing. I would have expected a skew more towards older folk, you know? But perhaps that's the father in me speaking..."

He looks at Julien in worry. "Upsetting... and... if I am remembering the news reports right... violent too huh. Are you... is Liam... have either of you been hurt?"

Hello yes adopting giant bird.

"You'd think so. I think mostly people are twentysomethings, but there are a lot of teenagers around, and there's been kids, too. People out of their thirties are a little noteworthy.

"I think your boy's avoided the worst of it somehow." Liam has killed someone, but it's not Julien's place to share that. Mentioning the nightmares is enough. "I've... I've had some close calls and, well, I went and turned into this." He opens his wings enough to make a point of folding them again, and he's got no facial expression to fall but he lets his head droop. "Which, it's been hard, but I'm not hurt."

Not now anyway.

Arnold tsks a little, worriedly. "So young? That's really odd, and worrying too. Well... I suppose odd goes without saying, considering, but definitely troubling either way!"

He relaxes a little to hear that "That's... well that's not great since he's obviously been involved at least a little bit, but I'm glad he's been spared anything too terrible. Hopefully."

The head droop pulls a sympathetic wince from Arnold. "Yeah... I ... sorry, man, I didn't think earlier, I was so caught up in how beautiful you were. I can be pretty insensitive, I've been told - feel free to hit me the next time I make you uncomfortable. There's no way to reverse it?"

"Yeah. He's been lucky, even if he's had a hard time sometimes too. I think the flu scare's been the worst he's got." Though really, if Liam hadn't let on for so long that he'd been attacked and defended himself, Julien can imagine he's kept other things quiet too.

"I'm not hitting you." For one he's far, far too strong. Most of the bulk of his body is muscle to move his wings. Even swans can break bones with theirs, and he's so much bigger and more powerful. "It's fine." That is a lie.

Julien's feathers, spiky with damp, ruffle out a bit and smooth back. He raises his head and continues, businesslike, though his voice falters some ways in. "If you leave the boundaries you're more normal than not. Lots of memories get dreamlike, cloudy. Sometimes when all this gets too much people just walk out of the situation. I... it's not a good option for me though." He's too inhuman now to keep ten percent of the changes and ever pass for normal. "Or I could lose my numbers. It seems pretty arbitrary, it's happened to lots of people. Just suddenly reverting to normal. I'd just... wake up naked and confused somewhere."

A grin. "Well, a thwap then, or some sort of scold. Lisa always says I need 'physical reminders of mental stupidity' and..." more seriously "I don't want to cause you upset."

Arnold listens and nods. "If it isn't, then it isn't. If you lose your numbers, do you get to keep anything? I could... put my number on a card for you or something. You looked after Liam - it's only fair I help you in turn."

He play-hits his friends sometimes, and Arnold is clearly angling to get into that category. Julien's been in too down a state to let him in as easily as he might have, usually. "Well... I'll think about it. Thanks."

"Well, we lose any items and memories that've come as pulses, and we forget anything we saw on the network, but we remember some other things. I think. It's never happened to me! But that's appreciated." Julien pitches his head to one side and says, "I'm smiling."

Arnold grins back.

"Like I said, fair is fair. You've actually been real tolerant and put up with my questions, AND you've helped me with my next art piece, and you've been looking after Liam. You've done a lot of good for me, and I'd like to pay if back, if I can."

"Aww. Well, thanks." He considers for a moment, then snorts - it sounds weird coming from his beak - and stretches out one of his wings, immediately making the room seem a lot smaller. "All right, I've seen you looking. You can come over here and hug me."

He's still kind of damp and that sweet-wet-dog smell pervades. Will that dissuade Arnold?

Arnold lights up, and bounces to his feet before hesitating.

"You're sure? I don't want you to feel that you have to, or anything!"

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