I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings [Closed]

[Memoru]

What a most fruitful venture! This, amongst many other proud, beaming thoughts, were filling little Accus’ mind, swirling ideas of greatness and success before his clouded eyes. What a most fruitful venture! It was not often that he received so many offers for his little birds, or gathered such a large crowd. And a meeting with a king! How grand!

The thought jerked his feet to a stop along the shabby Corvistowne path, his remaining finches battering at the sides of their cage. Accus cast a weary look to the side and waddled off toward a decrepit looking building, sitting himself down with his legs splayed out in front him, finches nestled between his heels.

He ought to remember that he was going to be dealing with a King, and a King was an awfully hard enemy to have. He’d also be rather more smart than any of the other…customers, he’d had before. Accus certainly wasn’t going to back down and turn the man away, of course, business was business and if he couldn’t get a willing ear he might make a pretty penny out of the escapade.

But the worry he felt, squeezing at his heart and burning his eyes, was suffocating him.

Accus gave a gruff snort and frowned, but brow furrowing deeply enough to cause his little bangs to drop down over his eyes. With a snort he jerked himself down to his feet, snatched his gilded cage of birds, and started off at a march down the path toward his hovel.

This didn’t need moping! It needed thinking! A plan of action! And he wouldn’t get that dawdling in the streets of Corvistowne with finches squeaking against his maw.

But not for long. A pair of urchin children burst forth from the rubbles of the building, dashing out dust covered and dirty into the street. They nearly careened with Accus before he managed to jerk himself back, mouth snapping open in surprise. The cage burst open and the finches took off in a wildly flurry of frightened screaming. The children, unknowing or uncaring, disappeared down the other side of the street.

Accus cursed under his breath and shot them a useless glare, before snatching up his little cage and directing his eyes to the sky.

….damned finches could be anywhere!

A sigh, and he began to whistle quietly, a finger placed between his teeth. Hopefully the little squeaks were in ear-range.

A perfect ending to such a fruitful venture. Accus could have rolled his eyes at it.

[Kitty]

Tavor had been on a short return trip home to catch his 'family' up on how is travels were going. And he was also here to check up on them, he did so worry about them while he was gone. He still believed them to be far stronger then he, and they would surely be fine without him, but that didn't stop the worry from creeping into his mind. But, that was part of why he was doing this wasn't it? He didn't wish to be a burden of sorts on them any longer and he was certain that whatever it was he had set out to find in the other realms it would be the thing, the push he needed to finally feel, well, free.

He was making his way down the street, his steps light and thoughtful as he mulled over a few things whilst idly touching the mark on his chest. Obviously his travels were helping him overcome quite a bit as he'd been an eight when he left and had returned as a Ten, but something was still missing. But what was it? If only he knew maybe he could just... reach out and grab it. But no, if it were so simple he wouldn't have needed to do everything he had so far and ....

His thoughts abruptly ceased as a whistle came to his snow hued ears, pulling them forward with intrigue. Generally the streets of Corvistowne were rather quiet during the day as most were generally still asleep or underground in their labs. It was interesting and only mildly terrifying, so he moved cautiously toward where the sound had originated, the feathers on his tail fanning ever so slightly as he edged nearer to his destination.

He peered around the corner and his gaze swiftly traveled to the other vermin. He had never seen this one around but he wasn't at all surprised by that, how long had it taken him to finally run into Ophelia's own neighbors? Corvie's were such a quirky bunch, but he'd grown quite fond or a few of them and thus his fear was at a minimal level. His voice was soft and held only the faintest hint of a quaver, at least he didn't stutter this time.

Good afternoon, sir.

He may have outranked the other, something that didn't matter to him personally, but he had noted the fact that he was a red suit... a diamond, quite easily and he'd become painfully aware of how most looked down upon Clubs rather heavily. He did not wish to agitate the rat, thus he would speak to him with more respect then he might have truly deserved. Then again, he was a stranger.... so the hybrid would play it safe for as long as he needed to.

[Memoru]

Good afternoon, sir.

The greeting startled Accus, as concentrated as he was on finding his birds. Not a single one of the feather-brained creatures had heard his whistle and come back to him. The rustle of feathers at his back almost had his hopes up before he swung around to see…a much larger creature than any of his little finches were. A rat, like him…but that was where the similarities seemed to stop.

Accus narrowed his eyes a little, lifting a paw to his brow. He couldn’t quite tell where the fellow was from, but he obviously wasn’t a Corvie, with those muted markings and that soft look on his face. Bipedal, which was something, but that club on his chest had Accus flicking his ears back. He preferred not to deal with…clubs, amongst other things. Not unless he had pretty birds for enticing a willing ear into his paws. As is, though…

“Not so good at the moment, I’m afraid,” Accus offered a frown and jerked his gaze upward, fingers toying with the gilded bars of his little cage. He barked out another whistle, resisting the urge to grind his teeth as no answering flap of wings was to be heard.

Perhaps he’d just have to give up for now. Damned birds.

Accus whipped his gaze back to the stranger. He looked like a kind enough fellow, even if his current form was a little perturbing to Accus. He didn’t like dealing with Bipeds , not when he felt he was a little above them. It was sickening to have to crane your neck up to stare at a club.

But there was no sense in being impolite. Perhaps Accus could make the best of a rotten situation.

“I don’t mean to burden you with a stranger’s woes, of course,” he lifted the cage and shook it,” Just a few missing birds. Nothing special,” he squinted his eyes a little, leaning forward as if curious,” Are you here to see one of our inventors? Pardon my nosiness, but you don’t look like you’re a native."

[Kitty]

He'd startled the rat and he'd never meant to do that and, naturally, he felt a little bad about it. He was about to utter an apology when he noticed the local giving him a bit of a once over and decided to remain quiet. however, at the shift in the other man's expression his own ears drooped a bit. The rat-eagle knew exactly what he'd been looking at at the time and it was a little disheartening. The Corvie was quite obviously one of those who were not fond of clubs, then again he hadn't been exceedingly rude, threatening or, well, hadn't shooed him off so he lingered. Perhaps he could change this one's opinions of his suit? Maybe... just a little?

His ears twitched at the words of the other and again his reply was cut off by something, this time it was the whistle. He came around the corner the rest of the way and moved in a casual, yet cautious manner toward the Diamond about when he began to speak to him again. A shy little smile rested upon his muzzle as he gazed at the rat, his tail feathers slowly returning to their resting positions.

I d-do live here... w-with a .. .geneticist.

Well, damn it all he was stuttering again, but suits the rat made him a bit nervous. He was a stranger, and one whom was probably wishing he'd just mosey on and let him be but still, Tavor had to try. And he left the geneticist's name off for reasons as well, he knew that Ophelia was rather well known and he had also some to realize that most who knew of her believed him to be just another of her experiments or some sort of pet. Surely there was no way the great Ophelia would willing take in a little piece of gutter trash like him? But she had and sometimes it ended in rather... demeaning conversations.

Maybe... I c-could help you... find them?

He cocked his head to the side ever so slightly as he awaited the other man's answer, he did have wings like a bird... yes? He was certain he could help.... if he was aloud.

[Memoru]

Accus has to forcibly keep his eyes from widening at the admission. The stranger lived with a Corvistowne Geneticist? He flicked his eyes over the boy again, ears pressed back. Were those feather natural or not, then? Accus had certainly run into a few mixed-realms himself, but…if he was living with a geneticist. They had done a rather good job, hadn’t they, if it wasn’t natural? It would be…interesting to have a closer look at the boy…

And there was also the immediate loss of his birds.

Accus let out a sigh and jerked his eyes toward the nooks and crannies along the road,” You may not be able to. Normally they come when called…trained...” Not normally, always, but the hybrid didn’t need to know that.

“…I don’t think they can hear me,” he shot a grin over his shoulder, forced, but practiced, and shrugged a little,” I shouldn’t turn down help when offered,” he nabbed the cage with his teeth and eased himself toward the hybrid…slowly, cautiously. Although the boy didn’t look like he was of any danger to him, Accus wasn’t terribly keen on befriending a stranger. Especially not one of higher rank and form…even if he was just a club.

He stopped a foot in front of the stranger and set his cage down once more. The bars were a little bent, but that didn’t matter. Once his finches were in range they wouldn’t fly off again. Cage or no cage.

“Perhaps if we got closer, I could try to call them or scare them…and you could catch them? Your wings…” He smiled again, slashing his hands for emphasis,” I shouldn’t turn down useful help.”

And he should introduce himself.

This fellow could help him get his birds. And even if he didn’t, he looked like an easy enough target to entice with petty bird tricks.

“My name is Accus,” he held up a paw,” Accus the bird merchant.”

[Kitty]

He noted the second look over and knew exactly what he was thinking and, really, it was safer that way. He was no experiment and his feathers were very much his naturally, but if the rat wished to think of him as a rather grand experiment well, he wouldn't correct him unless asked directly. Unless it was potentially a life threatening situation Tavor just couldn't lie. He'd been a good boy as a child and he kept many of those traits as a younger adult.

The movements of the other rat confused him just a touch. Why was he moving cautiously toward well, him? He knew for a fact he was quite possibly one of the least daunting figures to approach, much less in Corvistowne... so why? It didn't matter in the end, really, in a guilty sort of manner the other man's caution helped to ease his own fears. He did jump ever so slightly when the others hands made that slashing movement, it caught him off guard a bit but her understood, he'd just been thinking something along those lines moments before.

The extended paw was also something he wasn't quite used to, most cards didn't offer to touch him quite so easily, stupid superstitions about a Lowlander's rot being contagious and all, so it took him a moment to take the offered paw. When he bent slightly and took it however, he would give that paw a surprisingly firm shake, he didn't want to dampen the other's first impression of him any further.

I-it's good to... meet you. I-I am... Tavor.... of n-no proper title's...

Because, really, 'gutter spawn' just didn't qualify and the less people that called him that the better. He was called a myriad of other equally unpleasant things but that was the one that stuck out in his mind the most and seemed to be quite 'popular' as well. He did, however, offer the Diamond a soft, shy smile afterward. It was, perhaps, a small attempt at humor but Tavor was never all that good with humor. Poetry, yes, roses, yes, being interesting? No.

Once he let go of the rat's paw he moved back a few steps to shift down into his own animal form, it'd be far more useful for helping then his bipedal would be. In this form his markings were a bit more lovely as the blue and white were now far more noticeable then the brown, and the size of his wings compared to his body would also become much more apparent. His wings were so very close to being the size of his body, even if he was rather small for a rat. Eagle wings attached to a rat body just seemed... larger then what one would believe could be natural.

E-easier to... fly.

He muttered, for some reason believing he owed the Corvie an explanation for the shift, he wasn't trying to taunt him or anything... it was just so much easier to stay aloft in this form. He could also use his cloak as a net of sorts as well.

[Memoru]

The stutter peeked Accus’ interest, causing his ears to perk and his smile to take on a genuine edge. The poor fellow seemed to be a little out of sorts...which was good. Frightened individuals were much easier to wrangle time and money out of that confidence ones. (Although Accus has properly managed both before.) The shift wiped the look of his face though, and he scurried backward once more, mouth agape.

Oh..oh…smaller. His size. That was fine then. Accus shook the surprise off and eyed the little fellow’s new shape. The wings did appear larger in comparison to his body…but Accus wasn’t too sure about the reasons behind the shift. Such a…jittery young fellow should have taken comfort in the larger form. Why put one’s self at risk?

He’d keep that at the back of his mind.

“Well, good evening and thank-you, Tavor.”

Accus gathered himself and squinted at the alleys. They would not have gone too far. They weren’t used to long-distance flying. They shouldn’t have to go far to find them. As frightened birds, the first familiar, cozy place would make for a good hiding place.

Some ratty, dark building, perhaps.

“Come along then, Tavor of no proper title,” he shot the boy a smirk,” We’ll start down between the buildings. Listen carefully.” He snapped the cage up in his jaw and turned off the street between the crooked paths between the building.

Another plan of action was rather quickly forming in his head. The finches would eventually make their way to back to his home (closer, and sure to have food), and even if he didn’t find them, he still might manage to get the little boy to come along with him. Such a helpful, jittery young fellow surely wouldn’t mind offering a willing ear or two to compensate for a short count of finches.

He veered to the right, a little closer to the direction of home.

A squeak sounded.

Accus gave a ‘ahah’ of triumph and set his cage down, ears perked and eyes wide. He jerked a hand in front of Tavor, signaling silence.

There was a single little finch, shaking on the ledge of one of the buildings. It’s squeaks were quiet, a little desperate. Calling out for its fellow birds.

Accus cast Tavor a smirk from over his shoulder, shoving his palm in the direction of the bird, his other hand pressing a finger over his lips for silence.

Not that the bird needed silence, but he certainly didn’t want it off and flying out of range before Accus could get it.

[Kitty]

[[ Hehe... forgot the image last post so... X3]]


Well, he felt bad all over again, and just a touch confused as well. By the suits why would his shifting down surprise the other vermin so? He was most certainly far less intimidating then he had been before and, well, this form now put Accus as the larger of the two. Perhaps the other rat was only a hair more confident then he was, maybe? That thought was, again, rather comforting and the corners of the soft smile twitched up a bit more. He had felt more comfortable in his bipedal form but this one just far more ... useful at present.

When Accus used his own attempt at a joke back at him he couldn't help but blush just a bit, white markings make it impossible for him to hide it as well. Was he... mocking him or had he actually gotten his pathetic little jab at humor? He wouldn't ask, that would be rude and, to be perfectly honest, he had no real interest in finding the answer. Ignorance really was bliss sometimes.

He flicked the tip of his tail up, keeping it from sweeping the ground, and trotted off after Accus. He almost bumped into the darker colored rodent when he stopped, having heard something that had simply slipped by Tavor. Then again, how often did the hybrid have to deal with birds?

Tavor understood the signals for silence, but beyond that he wasn't entirely sure what Accus wanted. Words he could understand, but gestures were a whole other can of worms. He twitched one ear forward and tilted his head to the side ever so slightly in a silent inquiry.

[Memoru]

Accus resisted a sigh and shrank back, pointing more profusely at the little finch. She was continuing her chirps, hopping back and forth against the ledge. She was high above their heads, hiding in the shadow of the building, where the light didn’t quite reach it. Accus didn’t want to risk a whistle so far off. Might scare her away, rather than bring it back.

Shifting his gaze back to Tavor, Accus hooked his hands together by the thumb and flapped his fingers in a semblance of ‘wings’.

Of course, it hadn’t occurred to him that Tavor might not be as well versed in the methods of catching birds as Accus was. And he hadn’t brought any treats with him…This might prove a little more difficult than Accus had hoped. Accus pressed a hand to Tavor’s arm before waddling passed him, right up against the side of the building.

‘From behind,’ he mouthed, jerking his thumb back up at the finch.

If he could just herd him into range, then Accus could take over.

[Kitty]

After a bit more explaining he thought he knew what the Corvie wanted him to do but without actual words he'd never be entirely certain. He cocked his head to the side a bit further and eyed the finch, and then the building, rounded ears twitching a bit in thought before he slunk off a bit in the opposite direction of the little finch. Wings were not entirely silent, especially not when yours were as big as you were.

He moved to where he figured the finch wouldn't be able to see him and backed up a bit, making a leap at the building and unfurling his wings, which caught him easily and soon enough he was making as graceful a landing as a rat possibly could on the roof. Now.... if he could just work his way down to the ledge without slipping everything would be just fine.

He kept himself low, and his wings partially open and waiting, and crept down the roof to where the tiny creature was. He knew enough about birds to know they were flighty so this should prove to be... interesting. Accus had made a gesture about his wings though.. .hadn't he? Well... maybe if he spread them out to where they were looming over her... she might ... fly down? It was possible... if not... he could fly to.

Thus the closer he got the more he spread out one of his large wings, edging toward her slow and sideways.