Post by Kari Muffin on Dec 1, 2008 19:26:54 GMT -5
I seem to be terribly ill and losing my voice. Enough that my dad made the comment that I sound like a man. Anyway. Commentary, I know you want some.
Theofilus isn't the most observant man when he places trust in someone. >_> Keep that in mind when you're reading. People notice things LONG before him.
Enjoy the fluff.
...So the board is doing something psychotic. *tries to repost*
Theofilus hated the cold. He despised it enough that he wore a think cloak around his neck that went down to the ground. It was difficult to fly in, but well worth it. Did not curse as much when he wore it.
He struggled to fly with the cloak on, along with a clipboard and pack that he had strapped to his back. His boss had given him another job away from t he firm. "Extend our reach. You're reliable, Theofilus, so you're perfect for the job," said the boss.
It was really just an excuse to get him out of the office.
Theofilus rolled his eyes as he glided close to the ground. Why they needed to extend their shipping firm to the boonies of the Lakes, he had no idea. He could see expansion to other realms, or the more populated geographical regions but this just seemed like a pointless exercise. What would anyone want to ship from here?
Theofilus' thoughts were interrupted when he passed over something that was too out of place to be normal. He flapped his wings furiously so he could stop, and then he walked the few feet back.
A sandy brown color was peaking out of the snow. The sparrow leaned forward, peering at whatever it was. Fabric? He raised a feathery eyebrow, slipping the piece of fabric in his mouth he gave it a good tug.
And an arm popped out of the snow.
He let out a horrified squawk before gathering his composure. He hurried to brush snow off of whoever was under the mess. It didn't take long to do with the help of the beating of his wings.
It was a young human boy, and he was still breathing.
This definitely wasn't what the sparrow expected to happen today. He looked down at the small and frail figure in the snow. He let out a long sigh. Apparently he was going to walk the rest of the way.
***
He had burst through the door with the boy on his back. The inn keeper had nearly dropped what he head been holding. When he had exclaimed that Theofilus was an idiot, he was promptly corrected by the sparrow who demanded a room and a doctor. It was a rare occasion that a human child would be anywhere near the establishment. Let alone one that looked so roughed up.
It took a while to find a doctor. But the inn keeper's wife and Theofilus did their best to keep the boy warm and breathing. Once the doctor arrived things went well. Thankfully the boy wouldn't lose any limbs from frost bite—he hadn't been out in the snow for very long.
Night fell, and Theofilus stayed by the boy's bedside. He had missed his meeting with his clients because of all the excitement. But it was worth it. The boy hadn't died, and the meeting could always take place tomorrow. His employer would understand, and hopefully the customer would as well.
Theofilus sat quietly and read in the candle light.
The boy stirred, shifting in the sheets. Theofilus only looked up when he heard the small cough.
The boy looked at him from under the safety of the covers. Black eyes peering at the white and blue bird.
The sparrow moved his glasses further up his beak. He smiled, though he figured the boy would have trouble telling. Some people didn't understand reading emotions on birds.He personally had a hell of at time understand human faces. Not like he would ever admit that aloud. After all, he got it when it mattered. Angry, happy, and sad were generally emotions that shone through no matter what you looked like.
The expression on the boy's face at the moment wasn't something he could read very well.
"Hello," Theofilus said, waving a wing in greeting.
The boy sank back into the covers.
"Uh..." Theofilus sighed as he looked at the boy. "I'm not good at this. I'm sorry. What's your name little boy?"
The boy remained under the covers, only his dark eyes were visible to the sparrow. He coughed again, and sniffed a bit before responding with a meek whisper, "Conway. What's your name pretty bird man?"
Theofilus couldn't help but grin. "Theofilus."
The boy's eyes narrowed. The sparrow couldn't really tell what that meant, he was thankfully when the boy spoke to clarify.
"That's a really long name."
"I suppose it is."
"Can I call you Mr. Birdy instead?"
Theofilus blinked. "Sure."
"Thank you, Mr. Birdy for helping me... I should get going now though. I can't stay here for long." He said, as he removed the covers from himself. He wore a rather interesting outfit for a young child. A rather odd suit with with a tail coat and a moth eaten cravat. Theofilus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he watched the boy get up and move towards the door.
Of course he couldn't walk for very long. He fell to the floor in a heap, whimpering pitifully. Theofilus shook his head before going to help the boy up. "Grab onto my neck you silly boy. You're obviously very ill so don't push yourself."
The boy's features were unusual. The color of his hair a sandy brown that bordered on dirty blond, his clothing was also a sandy color and just odd for a young child to wear. The most disturbing thing was the bracelet that he wore. It was attached to an actual muscle that the doctor had said lead directly to his spine. When they had lifted the back of his shirt and coat off he had seen the actual exposed spine. The boy must have been from the Hisstor Wastes. There was no other explanation for such a strange mutation. But he was just a boy....
Conway listened to Theofilus' direction and grabbed on to his neck. He found himself placed onto the bed, where he flopped down. Theofilus picked up the covers with his beak and slipped them over the boy to the neck. "Why were you out in the freezing cold in nothing but that?"
Conway didn't respond, he simply grasped onto the covers.
"Don't you have any family to take care of you?"
"Mom and Father are dead." He said flatly.
Theofilus' eyes widened as he looked down at the small boy. His parents were dead? That was awful... What was he supposed to say in response to that? "D-don't you have anyone else?"
"He hates me. And he took away my sister."
Damn. It couldn't get any worse could it? Theofilus swallowed the lump in his throat and gave the boy another smile. He didn't seem to be able to tell at all. Oh well. He carefully brushed a wing by the boy's cheek. There were a few tears trailing down his cheeks, even if the boy was doing his best to hide it. Theofilus wished he had hands, but he could easily do without them.
"It's all right to cry, you know. If you're hurt you shouldn't keep it all inside." Theofilus needed to listen to his own advice.
Conway shook his head. He reached up to wipe away the few tears that were still there. There was no point in crying for his family now. Not in front of a complete stranger who didn't understand anything. It was all his fault his parents were dead. It was all his fault that he would never be able to see his sister again.
And he now had no home to go to.
Conway shivered. Sitting up he looked at the bird with his black eyes, a frown on his face.
Theofilus frowned in return, even if the child couldn't pick up on it. He had to do something—anything to make the child smile even a little bit.
He looked around the room for something warm. They didn't really have extra blankets. He chirped happily when he saw the solution hanging on the coat rack. He hoped over and pulled the scarf off the rack. It was something he had packed just in case, and he was happy it could serve a purpose. Hopping over to the bed he wrapped it around the boy's neck.
"There." Theofilus said cheerfully, adding a chirp at the end of sentence. "It's not much, but it'll at least keep your neck warm."
Conway was confused. He raised his eyebrows at the bird's actions. "Why are you giving this to me?"
"Because you're cold, and there aren't any extra blankets. Plus I don't think sitting on you would get anything accomplished."
And there it was. A smile crept its way onto the boy's face. He giggled a bit as he looked up at the bird. "You're really weird."
Theofilus fluffed his feathers for a moment before taking a bow in a very extravagant fashion. "Why thank you, good sir."
Children were adorable.
"Now, you should get to sleep," Theofilus said quietly as the boy giggled. "We can go shopping for proper clothing in the morning."
The sparrow wasn't sure what to do with the boy. He wasn't sure he could take care of a child like this. But he couldn't leave him alone. The sparrow would have never forgiven himself if he let a cute little boy like this suffer more than he had to. Patting the boy on the head with a feather he went over to the chair to finish up a bit of reading.
***
"I'm sorry about yesterday, Mr. Augustus. I ran into a bit of trouble with my little friend here." Theofilus said brightly as he motioned to the boy sitting in a chair at the other end of the room. He didn't seem to like other people and had remained silent whenever more than one person was in the room.
"It's not a problem, Mr. Theofilus. You did quite a wonderful thing saving the boy's life. That was far more important that coming to a meeting with a stuff old man like myself." The bipedal canine said with a smile. He was a high ranking rich King, who owned quite an interesting bottling company.
"Yes, but you wanted to discuss shipping your water to different regions."
"Yes, yes indeed. But...." The man leaned forward.
The sparrow wanted to pull back, but he didn't want to offend a King. He was only a nine, even if he was a red suit he still needed to respect others. He didn't want to be like his mother, after all.
Augustus' voice dropped to a whisper. "Maybe we should go shopping for the young boy. I heard he doesn't have a family to go back to... so why not?"
Theofilus blinked. "Y-you would do that sir?"
Augustus gave the sparrow a tooth grin, "I always wanted children. Never got the chance, but this seems like a perfect time. We can go shopping with him and discuss the contract. Sound all right to you?"
"I suppose...." Theofilus honestly couldn't get over the spontaneity of it all, but giving into the demands of an eccentric old man didn't seem all that bad. If shopping for clothing and making a child happy were all that it took to make a deal that would prevent the firm from going under, Theofilus would certainly accept it.
"Conway," Theofilus said turning around to look at the boy. He had been twiddling his thumbs and kicking his feet silently. He was a quiet, nice and obedient boy. Why on earth would anyone hate him? He may have come from a strange realm, but that didn't mean people had to hate him. "We're going to get you some proper warm clothing."
The boy looked at him for one long moment, and then smiled. Hopping down from the chair he hurried over to Theofilus. The coat that he had borrowed from the inn keeper's family was an inch too long for the boy. The sparrow couldn't really tell his age, being that he had never met a human younger than thirty, or if he was supposed to be as skinny as he was.
They took a trip to one of the tailor shops in Augustus' carriage. It wasn't a long trip, but it was safer than walking in the freezing cold.
A fire was roaring on the inside of the tailor's shop. The man sat behind a counter mending some of his own cloths. He quickly straightened up when he saw Augustus walk in. The canine wore a lavish set of clothing and various layers. A shirt, a vest, a coat reaching the floor. He also had a top hat and cane and even wore specially made pants just for him. It was obvious that they were in one of the best tailor's shops in town.
And Theofilus felt terribly naked.
The boy reached up and squeezed Theofilus's neck as best he could. The sparrow leaned down to the boy's level. Conway seemed terribly thankful of this action, and whispered into the sparrow's ear.
"Oh, is that so?" Theofilus said looking at Conway with a smile on his beak. He looked up to Augustus. "He says he wants to have a coat like yours, only with puffy trim."
The old man chuckled. "Did you here that Taylor? You have your job cut out for you!"
"I do indeed sir," said the man as he hurried from around the counter. He raised a furry eyebrow at the human boy. This was obviously something he hadn't done before. "I need to put him on the stand so I can take measurements. The coat should probably take two days...."
"Perhaps you could go faster than that." Augustus said. "Take a preexisting coat and re tailor it for him, perhaps?"
It wasn't really a suggestion coming from the King. Even Theofilus could understand that.
"Y-yes sir! I still need measurements however."
Theofilus looked to Conway. "Go on and follow the man, we'll be right behind you.
Conway gave the man a worried look but nodded anyway. He followed the directions of the tailor and took off all his clothing except for his underclothing.
"Dear Suits," Augustus said, "He's terribly thin."
Theofilus drooped a bit. Even for a human the boy didn't look natural. But he wasn't from this region either. Everyone here in the Lakes was used to bulk, and something like Conway looked like a frail doll. "I hope to fix that." Theofilus said in reply as he watched the boy get measurements.
They spoke of all the arrangements of the contract while the tailor was modifying the coat for Conway. Everything went smoothly.Conway walked away from the shop with a brand new fur lined coat, and Theofilus walked away with a new business partner. They were escorted back to the inn a smile on both their faces.
Before they entered Augustus put his hand on Theofilus' shoulder. "Perhaps before you get going back home, you and Conway could come to dinner at my manor?"
"Of course we would! Thank you very much for the invitation!"
"Then tomorrow night I'll have a carriage pick you up."
***
"Is something wrong Conway?" the sparrow asked the young boy. He was fiddling with the fluff on his coat, looking down at his shoes—which were barely visible. He smiled at the boy, who seemed to be catching on what a smile was for a bird. He was a quick learner.
"No..." he said looking at the bird with a small smile. "I'm just a little nervous I guess."
"Mr. Augustus is rather fond of you, there's no need to be shy."
"Is that so?" Conway asked, an indescribable look on his face. The sparrow couldn't quite place the emotion beyond that of worry. Humans really were difficult to read.
"Something else is wrong then?" the sparrow asked with a furrowed brow. They had been traveling in the carriage for what seemed like a long while, and Conway had been uneasy the entire time. Theofilus understood that the boy disliked people, but it seemed like something else was bothering him.
Conway shook his head and remained silent.
This was like pulling teeth, and Theofilus didn't even have any teeth. "It's all right to tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone else."
The boy pondered the statement for a minute before speaking. "If I talk in front of more than one person, only one person can hear me."
Theofilus blinked.
"See. You don't believe me." Conway said with a humpfh as he crossed his arms.
"It's not that—well it is that. But that would explain why you don't say a word when there are other people in the room. But... that can't be true."
"Watch," Conway said as he hopped off his seat. Opening the window to the carriage he leaned out. "Mr. Cab driver! Please slow down!"
Theofilus heard Conway clearly. And expected the Cab driver to do the same. He raised an eyebrow when the pace stayed the same. The man had said he would listen to any of their requests. Theofilus nudged Conway away and poked his head out of the window. "Sir, could you possibly slow down the carriage."
The man called back, "Certainly!" And the pace slowed.
Theofilus looked at Conway. He was still skeptical. "He mustn't have heard you."
"I'll show you tonight then."
"Of course," Theofilus said with a raise of his brow. They came to a halt sooner than either of them expected. Before they knew it they found themselves being lead up a pristine white staircase.
The manor was huge, obviously expensive, and made the pair of them feel small. Theofilus could only hope to be as great and successful as that one day, while Conway could only hope to live a normal life.
They were greeted by a cheerful looking Augustus at the top of the stairs. He was accompanied by a woman, who looked to be around the same age as him. She gave them both guests a smile, however she leaned down in her biped form to look at the boy face to face.
Conway backed up a bit. One of his hands grasped Theofilus' wing out of reflex.
"It's all right," she said quietly. "I just haven't seen anyone with a human form in a very long time." She gave him another kind smile with her feline mouth. She carefully patted the boy on the head before turning to Theofilus. "How is Clari doing?"
Theofilus blinked. Wait. How on earth did this woman know Clari? "She's fine...but how in the name of the suits do you know her?"
"Oh! Little Clari is my niece! I know she doesn't speak of me often, but I thought she would have mentioned me at least..." the woman shrugged, "My name is Temperance. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Theofilus and Mr. Conway."
"Shall we go inside? It's rather chilly out here. We wouldn't watch to catch a cold." Augustus said as he motioned to the overly ornate door.
***
Dinner that night was strange. Theofilus had watched Conway's numerous attempts to speak up, and had watched everyone ignore him. Actually, it was proper to say not hear him. He said quite a few rude comments, that Theofilus was sure that their dinner hosts would have reacted to if they had heard.
It was the end of the dinner when they were sitting around the fireplace that Theofilus noticed something extremely odd about Conway.
He had no shadow.
It was impossible but the more Theofilus looked at the sleeping boy on the arm chair, the more he noticed how the boy cast absolutely no shadow. None.
He had to speak with Conway about that the next morning.
"It's a bit late for you to go back to the inn. Why not spend the night here?"
"That's a generous offer, Mr. Augustus, but all of our belongings are at the inn. And I have no intention of imposing on you when you so cordially invited us to dinner." He said with a smile. He was indeed refusing a King's invitation. This was something he wanted to kick himself over, but he wasn't going to spend the night in a strangers house when he had just noticed all the strange things about Conway.
He was sure someone else would notice too.
He moved over to Conway and nudged the boy to wake him up. He just wanted to get out of here quickly.
Augustus didn't look pleased. "But Mr. Theofilus, I would love it if you two would stay the night. You wouldn't want to walk in the freezing cold, would you?"
Theofilus wanted to slam his head against a coffee table. "I swear to the suits," He said suddenly. "Every high ranked person I have ever met throws around their rank like their God's greatest gift to the world. I hope you choke on a chicken bone for threatening me and a child. No man in all of the realms is as low as you." The sparrow said as his feathers puffed up with anger.
Conway was very awake at the moment, and wrapped his arms around the sparrow's puffed up neck. "You really shouldn't say stuff like that. They might get angry and do something awful to you." He didn't need to whisper. No one else could hear him. Both Augustus and his wife Temperance watched as the boy's mouth moved and no words escaped it.
The sparrow's feathers unruffled slowly as he helped the boy down from the chair.
"Good Night, sir. You can contact my employer if you have any problems with our contact." Theofilus said with his eyes narrowed. He readjusted his glasses before turning to the exit.
And so, they walked back to the inn in the dead of a winter night.
At least it didn't snow.
***
Two days later Conway disappeared. The sparrow had been ready to head home from the disaster of a business meeting with Conway by his side. But the boy had left during the night, leaving nothing but a simple note that said "I'm sorry."
Theofilus didn't know what to do.
Augustus came around as he stood outside waiting for a carriage. He had no intention of flying home with Conway, so he had gone out of his way to arrange a cab service. Theofilus eyed the canine as he stood next to him, not speaking for a while.
"I'm happy you didn't leave yet. I came to apologize to you and the boy. I was being an idiot."
"He's gone. And I'm not planing on staying for much longer."
Augustus' ears drooped for a moment. It was his fault the boy was gone, he was sure of it. He had caused so much trouble and had only now thought to apologize. "I hope, that one day, you can forgive me."
"We'll see if that day ever comes."
Theofilus isn't the most observant man when he places trust in someone. >_> Keep that in mind when you're reading. People notice things LONG before him.
Enjoy the fluff.
...So the board is doing something psychotic. *tries to repost*
Lost Boy
+ Before the Death of a Man
+ Before the Death of a Man
Theofilus hated the cold. He despised it enough that he wore a think cloak around his neck that went down to the ground. It was difficult to fly in, but well worth it. Did not curse as much when he wore it.
He struggled to fly with the cloak on, along with a clipboard and pack that he had strapped to his back. His boss had given him another job away from t he firm. "Extend our reach. You're reliable, Theofilus, so you're perfect for the job," said the boss.
It was really just an excuse to get him out of the office.
Theofilus rolled his eyes as he glided close to the ground. Why they needed to extend their shipping firm to the boonies of the Lakes, he had no idea. He could see expansion to other realms, or the more populated geographical regions but this just seemed like a pointless exercise. What would anyone want to ship from here?
Theofilus' thoughts were interrupted when he passed over something that was too out of place to be normal. He flapped his wings furiously so he could stop, and then he walked the few feet back.
A sandy brown color was peaking out of the snow. The sparrow leaned forward, peering at whatever it was. Fabric? He raised a feathery eyebrow, slipping the piece of fabric in his mouth he gave it a good tug.
And an arm popped out of the snow.
He let out a horrified squawk before gathering his composure. He hurried to brush snow off of whoever was under the mess. It didn't take long to do with the help of the beating of his wings.
It was a young human boy, and he was still breathing.
This definitely wasn't what the sparrow expected to happen today. He looked down at the small and frail figure in the snow. He let out a long sigh. Apparently he was going to walk the rest of the way.
***
He had burst through the door with the boy on his back. The inn keeper had nearly dropped what he head been holding. When he had exclaimed that Theofilus was an idiot, he was promptly corrected by the sparrow who demanded a room and a doctor. It was a rare occasion that a human child would be anywhere near the establishment. Let alone one that looked so roughed up.
It took a while to find a doctor. But the inn keeper's wife and Theofilus did their best to keep the boy warm and breathing. Once the doctor arrived things went well. Thankfully the boy wouldn't lose any limbs from frost bite—he hadn't been out in the snow for very long.
Night fell, and Theofilus stayed by the boy's bedside. He had missed his meeting with his clients because of all the excitement. But it was worth it. The boy hadn't died, and the meeting could always take place tomorrow. His employer would understand, and hopefully the customer would as well.
Theofilus sat quietly and read in the candle light.
The boy stirred, shifting in the sheets. Theofilus only looked up when he heard the small cough.
The boy looked at him from under the safety of the covers. Black eyes peering at the white and blue bird.
The sparrow moved his glasses further up his beak. He smiled, though he figured the boy would have trouble telling. Some people didn't understand reading emotions on birds.He personally had a hell of at time understand human faces. Not like he would ever admit that aloud. After all, he got it when it mattered. Angry, happy, and sad were generally emotions that shone through no matter what you looked like.
The expression on the boy's face at the moment wasn't something he could read very well.
"Hello," Theofilus said, waving a wing in greeting.
The boy sank back into the covers.
"Uh..." Theofilus sighed as he looked at the boy. "I'm not good at this. I'm sorry. What's your name little boy?"
The boy remained under the covers, only his dark eyes were visible to the sparrow. He coughed again, and sniffed a bit before responding with a meek whisper, "Conway. What's your name pretty bird man?"
Theofilus couldn't help but grin. "Theofilus."
The boy's eyes narrowed. The sparrow couldn't really tell what that meant, he was thankfully when the boy spoke to clarify.
"That's a really long name."
"I suppose it is."
"Can I call you Mr. Birdy instead?"
Theofilus blinked. "Sure."
"Thank you, Mr. Birdy for helping me... I should get going now though. I can't stay here for long." He said, as he removed the covers from himself. He wore a rather interesting outfit for a young child. A rather odd suit with with a tail coat and a moth eaten cravat. Theofilus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he watched the boy get up and move towards the door.
Of course he couldn't walk for very long. He fell to the floor in a heap, whimpering pitifully. Theofilus shook his head before going to help the boy up. "Grab onto my neck you silly boy. You're obviously very ill so don't push yourself."
The boy's features were unusual. The color of his hair a sandy brown that bordered on dirty blond, his clothing was also a sandy color and just odd for a young child to wear. The most disturbing thing was the bracelet that he wore. It was attached to an actual muscle that the doctor had said lead directly to his spine. When they had lifted the back of his shirt and coat off he had seen the actual exposed spine. The boy must have been from the Hisstor Wastes. There was no other explanation for such a strange mutation. But he was just a boy....
Conway listened to Theofilus' direction and grabbed on to his neck. He found himself placed onto the bed, where he flopped down. Theofilus picked up the covers with his beak and slipped them over the boy to the neck. "Why were you out in the freezing cold in nothing but that?"
Conway didn't respond, he simply grasped onto the covers.
"Don't you have any family to take care of you?"
"Mom and Father are dead." He said flatly.
Theofilus' eyes widened as he looked down at the small boy. His parents were dead? That was awful... What was he supposed to say in response to that? "D-don't you have anyone else?"
"He hates me. And he took away my sister."
Damn. It couldn't get any worse could it? Theofilus swallowed the lump in his throat and gave the boy another smile. He didn't seem to be able to tell at all. Oh well. He carefully brushed a wing by the boy's cheek. There were a few tears trailing down his cheeks, even if the boy was doing his best to hide it. Theofilus wished he had hands, but he could easily do without them.
"It's all right to cry, you know. If you're hurt you shouldn't keep it all inside." Theofilus needed to listen to his own advice.
Conway shook his head. He reached up to wipe away the few tears that were still there. There was no point in crying for his family now. Not in front of a complete stranger who didn't understand anything. It was all his fault his parents were dead. It was all his fault that he would never be able to see his sister again.
And he now had no home to go to.
Conway shivered. Sitting up he looked at the bird with his black eyes, a frown on his face.
Theofilus frowned in return, even if the child couldn't pick up on it. He had to do something—anything to make the child smile even a little bit.
He looked around the room for something warm. They didn't really have extra blankets. He chirped happily when he saw the solution hanging on the coat rack. He hoped over and pulled the scarf off the rack. It was something he had packed just in case, and he was happy it could serve a purpose. Hopping over to the bed he wrapped it around the boy's neck.
"There." Theofilus said cheerfully, adding a chirp at the end of sentence. "It's not much, but it'll at least keep your neck warm."
Conway was confused. He raised his eyebrows at the bird's actions. "Why are you giving this to me?"
"Because you're cold, and there aren't any extra blankets. Plus I don't think sitting on you would get anything accomplished."
And there it was. A smile crept its way onto the boy's face. He giggled a bit as he looked up at the bird. "You're really weird."
Theofilus fluffed his feathers for a moment before taking a bow in a very extravagant fashion. "Why thank you, good sir."
Children were adorable.
"Now, you should get to sleep," Theofilus said quietly as the boy giggled. "We can go shopping for proper clothing in the morning."
The sparrow wasn't sure what to do with the boy. He wasn't sure he could take care of a child like this. But he couldn't leave him alone. The sparrow would have never forgiven himself if he let a cute little boy like this suffer more than he had to. Patting the boy on the head with a feather he went over to the chair to finish up a bit of reading.
***
"I'm sorry about yesterday, Mr. Augustus. I ran into a bit of trouble with my little friend here." Theofilus said brightly as he motioned to the boy sitting in a chair at the other end of the room. He didn't seem to like other people and had remained silent whenever more than one person was in the room.
"It's not a problem, Mr. Theofilus. You did quite a wonderful thing saving the boy's life. That was far more important that coming to a meeting with a stuff old man like myself." The bipedal canine said with a smile. He was a high ranking rich King, who owned quite an interesting bottling company.
"Yes, but you wanted to discuss shipping your water to different regions."
"Yes, yes indeed. But...." The man leaned forward.
The sparrow wanted to pull back, but he didn't want to offend a King. He was only a nine, even if he was a red suit he still needed to respect others. He didn't want to be like his mother, after all.
Augustus' voice dropped to a whisper. "Maybe we should go shopping for the young boy. I heard he doesn't have a family to go back to... so why not?"
Theofilus blinked. "Y-you would do that sir?"
Augustus gave the sparrow a tooth grin, "I always wanted children. Never got the chance, but this seems like a perfect time. We can go shopping with him and discuss the contract. Sound all right to you?"
"I suppose...." Theofilus honestly couldn't get over the spontaneity of it all, but giving into the demands of an eccentric old man didn't seem all that bad. If shopping for clothing and making a child happy were all that it took to make a deal that would prevent the firm from going under, Theofilus would certainly accept it.
"Conway," Theofilus said turning around to look at the boy. He had been twiddling his thumbs and kicking his feet silently. He was a quiet, nice and obedient boy. Why on earth would anyone hate him? He may have come from a strange realm, but that didn't mean people had to hate him. "We're going to get you some proper warm clothing."
The boy looked at him for one long moment, and then smiled. Hopping down from the chair he hurried over to Theofilus. The coat that he had borrowed from the inn keeper's family was an inch too long for the boy. The sparrow couldn't really tell his age, being that he had never met a human younger than thirty, or if he was supposed to be as skinny as he was.
They took a trip to one of the tailor shops in Augustus' carriage. It wasn't a long trip, but it was safer than walking in the freezing cold.
A fire was roaring on the inside of the tailor's shop. The man sat behind a counter mending some of his own cloths. He quickly straightened up when he saw Augustus walk in. The canine wore a lavish set of clothing and various layers. A shirt, a vest, a coat reaching the floor. He also had a top hat and cane and even wore specially made pants just for him. It was obvious that they were in one of the best tailor's shops in town.
And Theofilus felt terribly naked.
The boy reached up and squeezed Theofilus's neck as best he could. The sparrow leaned down to the boy's level. Conway seemed terribly thankful of this action, and whispered into the sparrow's ear.
"Oh, is that so?" Theofilus said looking at Conway with a smile on his beak. He looked up to Augustus. "He says he wants to have a coat like yours, only with puffy trim."
The old man chuckled. "Did you here that Taylor? You have your job cut out for you!"
"I do indeed sir," said the man as he hurried from around the counter. He raised a furry eyebrow at the human boy. This was obviously something he hadn't done before. "I need to put him on the stand so I can take measurements. The coat should probably take two days...."
"Perhaps you could go faster than that." Augustus said. "Take a preexisting coat and re tailor it for him, perhaps?"
It wasn't really a suggestion coming from the King. Even Theofilus could understand that.
"Y-yes sir! I still need measurements however."
Theofilus looked to Conway. "Go on and follow the man, we'll be right behind you.
Conway gave the man a worried look but nodded anyway. He followed the directions of the tailor and took off all his clothing except for his underclothing.
"Dear Suits," Augustus said, "He's terribly thin."
Theofilus drooped a bit. Even for a human the boy didn't look natural. But he wasn't from this region either. Everyone here in the Lakes was used to bulk, and something like Conway looked like a frail doll. "I hope to fix that." Theofilus said in reply as he watched the boy get measurements.
They spoke of all the arrangements of the contract while the tailor was modifying the coat for Conway. Everything went smoothly.Conway walked away from the shop with a brand new fur lined coat, and Theofilus walked away with a new business partner. They were escorted back to the inn a smile on both their faces.
Before they entered Augustus put his hand on Theofilus' shoulder. "Perhaps before you get going back home, you and Conway could come to dinner at my manor?"
"Of course we would! Thank you very much for the invitation!"
"Then tomorrow night I'll have a carriage pick you up."
***
"Is something wrong Conway?" the sparrow asked the young boy. He was fiddling with the fluff on his coat, looking down at his shoes—which were barely visible. He smiled at the boy, who seemed to be catching on what a smile was for a bird. He was a quick learner.
"No..." he said looking at the bird with a small smile. "I'm just a little nervous I guess."
"Mr. Augustus is rather fond of you, there's no need to be shy."
"Is that so?" Conway asked, an indescribable look on his face. The sparrow couldn't quite place the emotion beyond that of worry. Humans really were difficult to read.
"Something else is wrong then?" the sparrow asked with a furrowed brow. They had been traveling in the carriage for what seemed like a long while, and Conway had been uneasy the entire time. Theofilus understood that the boy disliked people, but it seemed like something else was bothering him.
Conway shook his head and remained silent.
This was like pulling teeth, and Theofilus didn't even have any teeth. "It's all right to tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone else."
The boy pondered the statement for a minute before speaking. "If I talk in front of more than one person, only one person can hear me."
Theofilus blinked.
"See. You don't believe me." Conway said with a humpfh as he crossed his arms.
"It's not that—well it is that. But that would explain why you don't say a word when there are other people in the room. But... that can't be true."
"Watch," Conway said as he hopped off his seat. Opening the window to the carriage he leaned out. "Mr. Cab driver! Please slow down!"
Theofilus heard Conway clearly. And expected the Cab driver to do the same. He raised an eyebrow when the pace stayed the same. The man had said he would listen to any of their requests. Theofilus nudged Conway away and poked his head out of the window. "Sir, could you possibly slow down the carriage."
The man called back, "Certainly!" And the pace slowed.
Theofilus looked at Conway. He was still skeptical. "He mustn't have heard you."
"I'll show you tonight then."
"Of course," Theofilus said with a raise of his brow. They came to a halt sooner than either of them expected. Before they knew it they found themselves being lead up a pristine white staircase.
The manor was huge, obviously expensive, and made the pair of them feel small. Theofilus could only hope to be as great and successful as that one day, while Conway could only hope to live a normal life.
They were greeted by a cheerful looking Augustus at the top of the stairs. He was accompanied by a woman, who looked to be around the same age as him. She gave them both guests a smile, however she leaned down in her biped form to look at the boy face to face.
Conway backed up a bit. One of his hands grasped Theofilus' wing out of reflex.
"It's all right," she said quietly. "I just haven't seen anyone with a human form in a very long time." She gave him another kind smile with her feline mouth. She carefully patted the boy on the head before turning to Theofilus. "How is Clari doing?"
Theofilus blinked. Wait. How on earth did this woman know Clari? "She's fine...but how in the name of the suits do you know her?"
"Oh! Little Clari is my niece! I know she doesn't speak of me often, but I thought she would have mentioned me at least..." the woman shrugged, "My name is Temperance. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Theofilus and Mr. Conway."
"Shall we go inside? It's rather chilly out here. We wouldn't watch to catch a cold." Augustus said as he motioned to the overly ornate door.
***
Dinner that night was strange. Theofilus had watched Conway's numerous attempts to speak up, and had watched everyone ignore him. Actually, it was proper to say not hear him. He said quite a few rude comments, that Theofilus was sure that their dinner hosts would have reacted to if they had heard.
It was the end of the dinner when they were sitting around the fireplace that Theofilus noticed something extremely odd about Conway.
He had no shadow.
It was impossible but the more Theofilus looked at the sleeping boy on the arm chair, the more he noticed how the boy cast absolutely no shadow. None.
He had to speak with Conway about that the next morning.
"It's a bit late for you to go back to the inn. Why not spend the night here?"
"That's a generous offer, Mr. Augustus, but all of our belongings are at the inn. And I have no intention of imposing on you when you so cordially invited us to dinner." He said with a smile. He was indeed refusing a King's invitation. This was something he wanted to kick himself over, but he wasn't going to spend the night in a strangers house when he had just noticed all the strange things about Conway.
He was sure someone else would notice too.
He moved over to Conway and nudged the boy to wake him up. He just wanted to get out of here quickly.
Augustus didn't look pleased. "But Mr. Theofilus, I would love it if you two would stay the night. You wouldn't want to walk in the freezing cold, would you?"
Theofilus wanted to slam his head against a coffee table. "I swear to the suits," He said suddenly. "Every high ranked person I have ever met throws around their rank like their God's greatest gift to the world. I hope you choke on a chicken bone for threatening me and a child. No man in all of the realms is as low as you." The sparrow said as his feathers puffed up with anger.
Conway was very awake at the moment, and wrapped his arms around the sparrow's puffed up neck. "You really shouldn't say stuff like that. They might get angry and do something awful to you." He didn't need to whisper. No one else could hear him. Both Augustus and his wife Temperance watched as the boy's mouth moved and no words escaped it.
The sparrow's feathers unruffled slowly as he helped the boy down from the chair.
"Good Night, sir. You can contact my employer if you have any problems with our contact." Theofilus said with his eyes narrowed. He readjusted his glasses before turning to the exit.
And so, they walked back to the inn in the dead of a winter night.
At least it didn't snow.
***
Two days later Conway disappeared. The sparrow had been ready to head home from the disaster of a business meeting with Conway by his side. But the boy had left during the night, leaving nothing but a simple note that said "I'm sorry."
Theofilus didn't know what to do.
Augustus came around as he stood outside waiting for a carriage. He had no intention of flying home with Conway, so he had gone out of his way to arrange a cab service. Theofilus eyed the canine as he stood next to him, not speaking for a while.
"I'm happy you didn't leave yet. I came to apologize to you and the boy. I was being an idiot."
"He's gone. And I'm not planing on staying for much longer."
Augustus' ears drooped for a moment. It was his fault the boy was gone, he was sure of it. He had caused so much trouble and had only now thought to apologize. "I hope, that one day, you can forgive me."
"We'll see if that day ever comes."
Total shock value. And thanks so much for his trouble reading human expressions. It's a small detail, but a big one for much of society. <3
