[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

[espigeonage]

"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."

[bythewaves]

"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."

[espigeonage]

"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."

[bythewaves]

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."

[espigeonage]

"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."

[bythewaves]

"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."

[espigeonage]

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.

[bythewaves]

"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.

[espigeonage]

"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.

[bythewaves]

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?"

[espigeonage]

"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."

[bythewaves]

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."

[espigeonage]

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."

[bythewaves]

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."

[espigeonage]

"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?

[bythewaves]

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!"

[espigeonage]

A little, unarticulated bit of unease loosens. Julien gestures with the wing, slowly enough that it doesn't kick up a breeze. "Sure. Mind the damp."

[bythewaves]

Arnold does not squee. Not quite. But he certainly gives the impression as he bounces over, and then surprisingly gently for his exuberance, wraps his arms around Julien and squeezes.

"What's a little water between friends?"

[espigeonage]

Hands could easily be covered to the wrist in his feathers. Beneath them Julien's big and solid, Arnold would have to try pretty hard to hurt him. His chest expands and contrasts with each very deep, slow breath, and he is very warm as he delicately folds a wing around Arnold.

His tail quivers, and the vibration of his voice comes from his chest, not his throat. "Well, I guess you did say you were gonna take a shower."

[bythewaves]

"Hmmm, you're warm" Arnold tells Julien in all sincerity. "This is my new favourite Not-Lisa hug. You will have to apologise to Liam for supplanting him later."

He giggles. "Yes well. You aren't that wet!"

[espigeonage]

"That quickly? Wow." Someone's easy to please. "Look, can you uh... get my neck?" He puffs the feathers there, breaking up the smooth interlocked surface. Under that there is down and rather more moisture, trapped in place.

He likes touch, which is a problem since the scales and feathers tend to get in the way.

[bythewaves]

"Well you do have a significant advantage of being much fluffier than Liam" Arnold points out cheerfully and pulls back a little. "Also, he's 'too old' for hugs these days, or so he says."

Obligingly he accepts the tacit invitation to gently tuck his hand into the neck feathers and scratch, ruffling to remove the water.

[espigeonage]

"So he says." Liam had hugged him when Julien met him here a few days ago. "He'll come 'round, I bet."

He leans in. Wet down is thin and clingy, but the less wet parts are very soft and fine, some too much so to really be appreciated by fingers. "Thanks, man. It gets itchy if I don't dry it right... I think I'll go sit in the sun by the window."

[bythewaves]

"Yes" Arnold heaves a theatrical sigh, cheerfully scratching away. "Children! Well, maybe one day he will be old enough for hugs when he isn't afraid he is dying."

"No worries - should I get a fresh towel?"

[espigeonage]

"Hope so!" He doesn't say anything about never appreciating hugs enough until you can't properly feel them, judging that that's a little too self-pitying.

"I... yeah, sure." He's not very good at towelling himself off anymore. Maybe he can roll on it? Or employ Arnold here as a middle-aged cabana boy with pointy ears. He'd smile at the image if he still could. "Thanks."