Skin to Feathers

[anna411]

Oh. Wow. He actually paid her a compliment just now. He thinks German is cool. Go away, happy butterflies.
"Thanks... yeah, I try not to. It's mostly just mumbling to myself that comes out kn German..."
He looked like he really didn't want to argue. Maybe she had been overly defensive... she just hated being accused of mistreating animals, when her one strong belief in life was against that. He seemed like he was almost in a good mood now. Not flying-happy, but maybe I-don't-hate-you-happy?

"I wasn't trying to get you to do anything. I just haven't seen a hawk in a long time, and I thought you looked..." what? Beautiful? Can you tell a guy he looks beautiful as a bird? "...I dunno. But I was just calling you over. I would have stopped, but your mind felt so strange. Compared to other birds, I mean."
"Ostriches are interesting though. They can...run... I guess. I couldn't imagine you as a hummingbird or something. You're too... you know..." she trailed off awkwardly.

"Anyway, in this weather you're going to be turning ice cube sized dressed like that... here, at least take my coat." She realized she was wearing the one her parents had made her bring, a long coat lined with real alpaca wool. Very expensive-looking. She hoped he wouldn't notice. He didn't exactly have the air of a rich boy. She shrugged off the coat, wincing at the cold air on her arms, and handed it to him. "Come on, hawk boy. I can see you shivering."

[Admin Courtney]

Talon used to think it would be cool to know another language, but he stopped caring about that years ago. He stopped caring about a lot of things years ago.

"Well I guess that's cool, then. As long as you weren't trying to control me," he said, relaxing on the issue entirely. "My mind probably felt strange because I'm not an actual bird. What do birds think about, anyway?" he wondered. Could she actually read the minds of animals? Or did she just poke around inside of them to get them to do what she asked? It sounded like a really complicated power.

"Running is boring," he stated with a shrug. "I'd much rather fly or swim. That's why I don't mind shifting into penguins even though they can't fly. They swim and it's ridiculously fun to swim around under water as a penguin. But penguins aren't exactly local around here, so I have to be careful." He was forbidden from swimming in the Veritas pool as an animal. Something about hygiene. Plus the chlorine was not very pleasant for him when he was a penguin. The natural lake water was slightly better, but it was salt water that penguins swam in in their natural habitats. Very cold salt water, not slightly cool fresh water.
He arched an eyebrow at her. "Actually, hummingbirds are fun. They're so fast. Whenever I shift back to me from a hummingbird, I feel like I should be winded or something, but those things have energy." They were difficult for him to shift into, though, because they were so tiny and it was hard to study a live hummingbird when they moved so quickly. "I'm too what?" he asked, wondering what was going through her mind.

Ton tensed his muscles, trying to make it look as if he wasn't shivering, but it only seemed to make it worse. He did, however, hop down from the tree, flinching only slightly when he landed on the cold, pine-covered ground. He was going to have to walk to his clothes. While he was used to that, he did prefer shoes. Now his feet were going to dirty. He looked at the jacket she was offering, and reached out a hand to touch it, admiring it by touch and not just by sight. He then withdrew his hand and looked the jacket over. "This looks like it was hand-stitched and everything. Where did you get it?" he asked. It certainly looked warm, but he did not want to wear it; he would probably just get it dirty. "I have clothes in the forest along the main path," he told her.

[anna411]

Persy was glad he wasn't annoyed at her anymore. He really did seem much more calm and at ease now. "I don't know," she answered, "I can't hear thoughts. I don't know if birds even have concrete thoughts, or just instinct. I don't communicate with them using words, so I don't know. All I feel is where they are and what they're doing, really."
The thought of him as a penguin made her almost laugh aloud, but she could almost picture it somehow. Maybe there was just a hint of something quirky and funny under all that gloomy exterior. "Wow... It's just, humming birds are so... small and colorful and, I don't know, bouncy. Cute. You're not exactly cute, I mean, not in the small-colorful-animal way."

He moved so quickly, jumping down from the branch in a single smooth leap. The rough ground must have hurt his feet, but he didn't show it. He was standing next to her now, and she could see he was a good four inches taller, if not more. Now that he was so close, she could see that he was seriously shivering, enough to worry about getting sick. He reached for the coat almost wonderingly, as if he'd never seen anything like it. Crap, why did she have to wear such an obviously expensive thing today? Oh, right, she had planned on being alone, and it was a wonderfully warm coat. At least that would be good for him. But she didn't want to look like a rich girl... she hated being known for that, and he really seemed like someone who would judge her for that.
"Um, it's not that amazing, I had a friend that worked in, uh... one of those designer resale stores, and she got me, an, um, really big discount because there was a ripped seam or... something. Like that. So it didn't... you know, cost me a lot of money..." Note to self: practice telling stories realistically. See also: stop failing at life, Persy.
"Along the path where? I haven't seen you around anywhere, so I'm guessing you're Veritas. And I have this teeny tiny feeling that you ditched your clothes and flew off as soon as you could. We're on the other side of the forest, and even even if we weren't it's still a good ten minute walk to get back to the path. Plus finding your way through solid forest growth without getting lost." She hesitantly reached over and touched his arm with her fingertips, feeling goosebumps. Oh, and muscle. Bicep muscle. Happy sigh. But that didn't matter right now.
"Oh, god, you're freezing. You can actually get really sick if you stay like this. I am not having that hang over my head. Take the coat. Right now."

[Admin Courtney]

Talon shoved his hands in the pockets of his boxers and regarded the girl with a raised eyebrow when she said he wasn't cute. "I'm assuming you aren't trying to insult me right now," he decided with a smile that came out as more of a grimace before fading back into nothing. Smiling hurt; he hardly ever smiled. "Does it make more sense that I usually choose to shift into a hawk and not a hummingbird then?" he wondered, slightly curious as to her take on it.

His eyebrow arched at her again as she stumbled through a story about where and how she got her jacket. "I don't care if you paid for it yourself. If you can afford that, that's great. I wish I could, but I make-do with what I have," he added, his voice fading out with each word as he realised he didn't really want to talk about his own bank account. "Unless that's really your story, in which case you have a pretty awesome friend."
He pointed in the general direction where his clothes were hidden. "Along the main path through the trees. You know the one down the centre that's not paved or anything?" he described. "And yeah, I'm from Veritas. And I'm glad; I know they don't expel people at Veritas, but I think they'd kill me if I went there. I'm not exactly a good student," he said, underexaggerating. He didn't flinch when she touched his arm, but a shiver passed through him; her finger tips were cold.

"Yeah, well your hands aren't exactly a emanating heat either," he told her, rubbing his arms where she had touched it. "Calm down; I'll make you a deal," he said, and stepped back as if she had literally thrust the coat at him and not just with her words. "Let's walk through the forest to my clothes and I'll put them on. That way I won't freeze, you won't feel guilty, and I can show you how easy it is to navigate these woods."

[anna411]

Okay, he was definitely a little cute when he smiled. Even if it was only the brief flicker that faded off his face almost as soon as it came. Persy smiled too, and didn't answer, instead commenting on what he said after. "I suppose it makes sense that the bird you like most reflects your personality the best. I'd guess you wouldn't like some fat lazy bird, a dodo or something, because it doesn't seem to suit you. But hawks and penguins and hummingbirds can be fast and do cool things. That seems like it goes with your personality."

He could definitely tell she had been making up that coat story. And what he said suggested his family wasn't exceptionally well off, too. She shrugged, frowning. "It doesn't matter if I can afford it or not. That's not something to be proud of, anyway. I'd rather give up all the money in the world than lose my power, or... friends, or... being me. What you own says nothing about your personality. It doesn't matter." Persy looked through the trees in the direction she pointed. When she had run after him, it had been through thick forest growth but the woods seemed thinner in that direction. If she had had any sense she could have used her power to find some deer trail while she ran, but she had been too focused on the pretty bird. She sighed inwardly at herself.
"Spiritus isn't too bad, once you get used to it. They don't really give us a choice about staying, so I don't see how you could be kicked out... unless you torched the school or something." She laughed. "But the same could probably be said for Veritas, so don't go around dropping cigarette butts."

"Oh come on, my hands aren't that cold, are they?" Persy asked. She absentmindedly touched a fingertip to her face and flinched, realizing it felt like ice. "That's what I get for for forgetting gloves."
Maybe she could have at least given him those. He could get hypothermia, but at least keep his hands warm. She narrowed her eyes when he refused the coat *again*, but gave up this time. At least with this plan on his she could watch and make sure he didn't die or something. "Okay, okay" she acquiesced. "Let's go. I haven't seen the Veritas side of this place yet."

[Admin Courtney]

Talon almost felt like laughing when she mentioned the dodo bird. "I can't shift into a dodo; they've been extinct since like, forever. I need to see more than a picture in order to shift, unfortunately," he told her. Every time he tried shifting into a bird just based on a picture, nothing ever happened. That was why the birds he could shift into was limited. "But I'm glad you don't think I'm fat or lazy," he added, slouching a little less. He used to swim, so his body was pretty fit, and even though he no longer swam competitively, he still swam enough to keep up the muscle.

He nodded his head slightly to the side when she mentioned she would choose friends or her power over money. "I guess that makes sense. Glad to know you aren't some stuck up rich kid, at least." His most expensive posession was his iPod, followed by his leather jacket. His cigarettes cost a lot of money too, but one pack compared to a jacket was not a lot. Now if you added them all up...

"Not having a choice sucks, though I don't really see why someone would turn down coming here. Having out of control powers would suck. I was lucky when I discovered mine," he said almost dreamily. "I was with my..." he trailed off, his face suddenly darkening and he looked at her as if he had not just cut himself off mid-sentence. He immediately cracked a joke about her hands, but his eyes as well as his lips were unsmiling. "Dude, your hands could give Jack Frost a run for his money," he told her. When she gave in and agreed to walk with him to where his clothes were, he simply nodded and led the way, pushing his way through underbrush and listening to the crunch of the fall leaves beneath his feet.

[anna411]

Persy wondered how much he needed to know about a bird to be be able to turn into it... "What if we went to one of those museums, that have the stuffed animals? They're creepy, but if you found one with a dodo maybe you could turn into it... and then we could take DNA samples from you and clone it," she said, laughing, getting carried away by the idea. "Well, except I don't know if science can do that yet... maybe someone here has science powers. Then we could lose all dignity and hitch hike around the world showing off the traveling dodo show," she continued, letting her imagination cary her away. "And I wouldn't have to ever work for--" suddenly a tree branch snapped under Persy's foot, bringing her back to reality. "Um, McDonalds. It used to be my... summer job. It seriously sucked."

Time to change the subject. She was glad to hear he didn't really mind how much money she had. "Of course I'm not stuck up" she said in her best snooty voice, putting on a haughty expression. "Now, I'm tired, go fetch me a space heater and carry me back to my dorm, peasant!"

She noticed him trail off, not finishing his sentence. He was with his... what? Family member? Someone close to him that died? Dog? Girlfriend? Persy hoped a tiny bit that it wasn't the latter. She didn't ask what he had meant and only smiled a little at his joke, noticing how forced it had sounded and his once again gloomy expression. Quietly, she followed him as he turned into the trees, heading into the forest.

[Admin Courtney]

Talon shook his head. "Nah, I have to see a real bird in action and everything. And no one is using me as some science experiment," he added with a horrified look. He knew she had only been joking, but still the thought unnerved him. He listened as she rambled about a summer dodo show and her summer job. "I've never really had a summer job. There's really no point for me getting a job because... well there's just no point," he concluded, not wanting to get into the whole 'I'm going to die, I want to die soon' thing. It would just make her uncomfortable. There was a reason he didn't like getting close to people.

Then again, he couldn't help it as he picked her up in response to her joke about ordering him to carry her back to her dorm. "As you wish," he responded with a mild smile. "But watch your head or the branches and other forest-y stuff might scratch you," he added as he carried her through the woods. She wasn't ridiculously light or heavy, so carrying her was no burnen, nor was it a picnic. She kept him warm, that was the main thing, but he'd put her down the moment she asked. They were just playing around. Moments like these were rare for Talon.

[anna411]

"Yeah, yeah, I know, tough guy," Persy answered, laughing. "And the only reason I had that job was because I lost a bet. Something really stupid, I don't even remember anymore. It drove my parents insane though, me working there, and that was funny..." she trailed off, worried that she'd said too much. Even mentioning her parents was rare for her, and it usually made her uneasy. Back home, she had always gotten glares or huffy silences from her so-called friends, other rich kids that were constantly jealous or trying to make her look bad, though she didn't really see anything to be jealous of, for them. Hawkboy didn't seem like the jealous type though, not at all. It scared her a little how much she almost trusted him already. That really was unlike her, the paranoid competitive suspicious girl. But he was so... sweet, and... honest, and... he didn't seem to judge her at all. She was a random girl in the forest giving him her coat. Not the obscenely rich heiress that other people saw her as. That was--
Persy's thoughts broke off as he suddenly picked her up, in response to her joke. She hadn't really meant that seriously, but she didn't mind. She laughed when he told her to watch her head, seeing him smile. Persy was glad he wasn't gloomy anymore. "Don't worry hawkboy, I'll be fine," she answered, grinning. The logical part of her mind told her to be happy he was getting body heat so he wouldn't die, but mostly she just thought about how nice it felt to be held. She had missed that a little, she realized, since leaving her old school. Not letting the painful memories overwhelm her, she concentrated on the present and let herself be carried through the woods.

[Admin Courtney]

"You made a bet where you'd have to work somewhere if you lost?" Talon asked, incredulous. "Why?" He thought the bet was ridiculous, but he could think of worse outcomes. He wondered what the bet was, but didn't ask. He did not appreciate it when people pried into his life, so he would not pry into anyone else's.

"Hawkboy?" Talon repeated as he trudged through the woods, twigs snapped and leaves crunching beneath his bare feet. "What is that, my super hero name?" he joked, but without a laugh. It had been a while since Talon laughed, unless humourlessly.
They were nearing the path and the spot where he had hid his clothes, so he stopped and put Persy down so he could keep a better eye out for the exact bush in which his clothes were stashed.

[anna411]

"I was sure I would win..." Persy answered. "I think I was drunk. That's really why I try to avoid drinking... it makes my power go crazy and it's just... ugh." She shuddered at the memory. "I remember it now. The bet was something to do with my power, that I could get a bird to come or something. Simple. But I couldn't control my power or do anything. And I guess It sounded like a funny idea at the time. So I lost and got stuck with a crappy job that I got manipulated into keeping. This is why I'm so glad to leave my old school. It was all... people who do things like that. This place isn't like that, thank god." Why was she telling him this? That whole giant rant about her life... and anyway, she probably sounded so naïve. If you looked at him from first glance, he looked exactly like that type of person, who would smoke and drink and manipulate you for their amusement. But he wasn't really like that, right? He definitely didn't seem like it, and she thought she was good at reading people. But his personality was still so confusing, dark and light, switching between desolation and humor.
Persy smiled at his comment. "Yes, of course. You already have superpowers, just get a mask and cape and you're set. Or if you don't feel like it, you're already Captain Underpants."
Persy saw light ahead and they emerged onto the path cutting through the forest. She knew that to the right it led to Veritas, and they were already farther along it than she had gone yet, since she had gone straight off the Spiritus side path into the forest when she had gone out that day. He put her down and she stepped onto the path, looking in both directions. Persy thought she could see the path end not far ahead where Veritas school must be. She wondered what it was like.
Suddenly she got a weird vibe from her animal sense. She realized that there were a few squirrels converging at a bush down the path and they seemed to be sniffing at objects lying there... under the bush... oh crap. "No, darling, don't do that," she mumbled aloud, speaking to them in her mind. "Come on sweetie, that's not interesting, no, PUT IT DOWN and come over here." She realized she had only been communicating with one, and tried to call the other one over too. Suddenly that squirrel bounded out from under the bush and scampered over, a sock in its mouth. It put it down at Persy's feet and sat down, somehow looking smug. Persy sighed, frustrated with herself for not being able to properly manage her power. Would she ever be able to get it right?

[Admin Courtney]

"Drinking is not the best idea," Talon said wisely after Persy told her story. Talon never drank. He did not entirely blame people who assumed he did. He smoked, so why not drink, too? He tried it once. For a week he was on his way to becoming an alcoholic as well as a chain smoker, but drinking did not drown his pain or make him forget. It just seemed to make everything worse. So now he stayed away from alcohol, and didn't even do any drugs apart from the regular tobacco cigarettes he smoked. And man, did he want a cigarette just then.

But there were some damned squirrels trying to steal his things! Filthy thieves! Actually, not filthy. More like tasty. Talon stopped walking and stared at the skittering creatures as Persy tried to get them to listen to her and to stop. He knew it was not working as she planned when one squirrel got away with a sock and Persy sighed.

"It's okay, I have other socks," Talon said, glad that none of the bushy-tailed rats had gotten into his cigarettes. He looked piercingly down at the squirrel at Persy's feet and it shook under his gaze. Even though he was not a bird at the moment, they must sense his predatorial gaze. The rest of the squirrels were still scampering around, and when he caught the eye of one nosing around his cigarette pack, Talon lost it.

"You little--" But his words were cut off as a beak began to form on his face and his bare skin sprouted feather. In a minute the squirrels would know who was boss. And maybe he would grab himself a furry little snack while he was at it.

[anna411]

To be honest, Persy was a little surprised when he said he didn't like drinking. She knew it was judgmental and she should never assume things, but he just seemed like... that type. And he had to smoke, no non-smoker smelled of cigarettes that much. It was an unfair thing to assume, though, since she knew of lots of people that only did one or the other.
He was staring kind of creepily at the squirrel before them. Persy could feel fear starting to course through its mind and knew it wanted to run away any minute now. Keeping the squirrel calm was starting to use some of her strength, not enough to make her tired yet, but she still felt a noticeable decrease in energy. She reached out for his arm, wanting to tell him to stop. "Hey--" she began, but froze in surprise when she saw feathers sprout from his bare skin, the fingers shrinking and disappearing into what became a brown mottled wing. Suddenly all that was left was that same hawk on the ground, now tense and stalking carefully toward the squirrel. She stared for a second, still shocked. It was obvious what his intentions were, and now she could feel his presence, and the huge predatory vibe it was giving off.
"HEY!" She finally managed, stepping closer to him. "No. You are so not even considering that. No f***ing way." She bent down and scooped up the terrified squirrel, placing it on her shoulder and out of his reach, and stomped between him and the rest of them furiously. "Really? What are you THINKING? Oh, look, a girl that feels animals with her mind, why don't I kill some, hmm? Wonderful idea. Wonderful.” She didn’t know what would happen if he killed one of the squirrels. The only time she had felt death before was just a mouse, and that was one of the most horrifying things she had ever experienced. It was like a part of her mind just... died, blanked out, disappeared. She had walked around shell-shocked for days. It might not be as shocking the second time but squirrels were a lot bigger than mice, and so much more *alive.* The thought of feeling one die was terrifying.
“And why, even?” She continued. “What, are you hungry? So what? Do you really have to KILL a living creature for food? You’re not a bird, hawkboy. I don’t care if you can transform into penguins or ostriches or bloody vultures. Your mind is yours. You are a person. You can think. Or you can at least try to think around people who could be affected by your actions. Now can you *please* turn back into yourself and put on your clothes and just... I don’t know. Just don’t scare me like that.”

[Admin Courtney]

Talon spread his wings, ready to take off from the ground and fly low after the offending squirrels, but Persy got in his way. He screamed in surprise, and then in warning at her to get out of his way, his yellow eyes never once leaving the squirrel even as she scooped it up onto her shoulder.
kee-eee-arrr he squacked up at her in response to her scolding. There was something behind her eyes that he couldn't quite place. He glared up at her, his eyes darting back from her to the terrified rodent shivering on her shoulder.

Was she serious? How else was he supposed to get food? He couldn't eat an animal without killing it. What was he supposed to eat? Bird seed? That was like a human eating lettuce. Bo-ring.
When she mentioned he was scaring her, he dropped his wings and slowly changed back, the feathers melting back into his skin as he grew several feet until he stood before her, his eyes still fixed in a glare. "Kind of hard to put my clothes on when your little animal friends tried stealing them all!" he argued as he snatched up his jeans and cigarettes and pulled the pants on leg by leg. His stomach growled hungrily. He had so been looking forward to having a squirrel snack, but Persy was clearly not having it. He would have to eat later.

[anna411]

He seemed to be really angry at Persy for interrupting his hunt. The angry glare directed at her felt like it should tangibl burn. She sighed in relief when he turned back but involuntarily took a step back when her eyes met his angry expression. Putting the still terrified squirrel back on the ground, she told it and the rest to leave and they obliged happily, scampering into the forest.

"You wanted to EAT them," she retorted to his comment. "How is that in any way better?" She waited for him to finish putting on his clothes and then continued. "Anyway, why do you have to hunt? Can't you just eat... people food? At school? Like the rest of us mere mortals?" She tried to smile, in an attempt to diffuse the tension still heavy in the air. He was still angry, and she still had memories of death in her head. The mood needed lightening. Or at least a subject change. "Come on, you might as well show me Veritas grounds since we're so close." She smiled again, more successfully this time.