When the Sun of compassion arises...

[amberdrake]

...darkness evaporates and the singing birds come from nowhere.
― Amit Ray, Nonviolence: The Transforming Power

Characters: Amberdrake and OPEN!
Date: Mid April
Location: The Courtyard of Public Opinion, Central
Situation: Drake finds BIRBS!
Warnings/Rating: IDK, cute balls of feathery floof who can swear really loud.

Drake had found this place before. The stone benches reminded him a little of home, even if it was much too horizontal to be part of White Gryphon.

Still, it was a decent place to come to, and so he did, sitting down on a bench and shutting his eyes for a moment. The Hotel was a peaceful enough place, but so many people piled into one spot... he had to leave, once in a while. Even if only to clear his head.

Not that there weren't disadvantages to being out here, of course. He kept an Empathic 'ear' out for any trouble coming his way, and otherwise just sat there for a moment with his head tipped back. A bit of wind played with his hair, catching on feathers and chiming the bells. It was peaceful. He smiled.

"Fuck!"

Drake jerked in place, eyes flying open. Where had that--

There was a squabbling before him on the grass; a small flock of birds had found a bit of fruit, and were fighting over it. Wings fluttered and little squawks and squeaks came from the small tornado of feathery madness. And a laugh.

A gryphonic, trilling laugh.

Amberdrake blinked, and leaned forward to examine the birds closer. They were a chaotic blend of colors, just as bright as his own clothing. Were they...?

One of the birds came tumbling out of the mess, feathers all poofed out. He was a dark red and bright green little fellow, with speckles of gold. "Fuck!" the tiny and adorable bird repeated.

...Oh. "M...essenger birds?" Drake continued to stare, dumbfounded.

Something about his voice; his accent, perhaps, had half of the birds popping their heads up to look at him. The other half continued to squabble for a few moments before also pausing to look. Kaled'a'in? Kaled'a'in meant sunseeds. And more fruit!

The first one hopped toward him, head cocked to one side. Amberdrake leaned down and extended his hand, and soon had the entire small flock inspecting it. A few hopped up the length of his arm to immediately start preening his hair. His lovely, lovely Kaled'a'in hair. They'd found a Kaled'a'in; they were totally going to get all the sunseeds they could eat!

Comments

[whitelotustile]

"Well!" Iroh was also out for a walk. "It seems you've made some friends there." Birds that can mimic speech don't seem too unusual from Iroh's point of view -- birds are very good with sound. But... "Do you need some help with them? Perhaps some pastry crumbs?"

[amberdrake]

"Pastry crumbs!" The vulgar, red bird repeated with enthusiasm, and the rest agreed, chiming in with the same. Amberdrake, their human perch, smiled at the stranger and spread his hands.

"They're gluttons," he cautioned, sounding a little apologetic.

[whitelotustile]

Iroh did have the remains of his breakfast, which he could break up into bird-sized pieces. "That is perfectly all right. I don't mind sharing. They're from your home, then?"

Birds were sometimes kept on Keelai, but these were new to Iroh's eyes.

[amberdrake]

One by one, the birds launched off Drake and flittered over to Iroh, attempting to land on him. Amberdrake watched with some faint amusement. The birds were each very tiny, only zebra finch sized, so it wouldn't take much to give them all a share.

"Thank you, then. Since I suppose they're my charges, now," the Healer chuckled, and nodded, the little bells in his hair chiming. "I have no idea how they came to be here, but yes. They're Kaled'a'in messenger birds."

[whitelotustile]

"This world attracts far more than people. My nephew found a dragon's egg from our world, once. These Kaled'a'in messenger birds wouldn't be the first creatures to be drawn here."

Iroh seems quite comfortable with the birds. "They seem very small to be carrying messages though."

[amberdrake]

"They do it with their voices," Amberdrake folded his hands together, "and their minds. A dragon egg, really?"

Though he'd been named as one, Drake had never seen a dragon! They were mere stories, on his world full of otherwise fantastical races of people.

[whitelotustile]

"Really. Quite surprising, as dragons were believed to be extinct on my world." It's not a lie; they were. Iroh just happened to be one of the few outsiders who knew that was a lie. But if his nephew had adopted a dragon.

[amberdrake]

A few of the birds perched on Iroh started a scuffle, as birds were prone to do. Squawking and flapping, and then a single "Fuck!" because of course, Red was involved.

Amberdrake couldn't help a little laugh at their antics, though he inclined his head, "I see. I'm named for one -- Amberdrake," he gestured to himself. The literal translation was, after all, gold dragon. "But so far as I know, they're not real on my world."

[whitelotustile]

"it seems curious that so many worlds have legends of dragons. Only some of which are based on fact." Iroh had recognized dragons from other worlds. And beings that called themselves dragons, but did not look like the ones from his world. But he'd learned that for others, they existed only in legends. It was strange that dragons should, but not lion-turtles, or badgermoles or sky bison.