A Happy Dance

The sky is blue without a single cloud to obscure its beauty. The sunlght offers itself freely, but a cool breeze keeps the world from growing too warm for comfort. It had taken some doing to extricate himself from Cor'ethil's presence without a well-placed lie, but Karasu had persevered in the end by saying he was running an errand for Wuya. Which in the end was true enough.

It had taken all of five minutes to locate the house of the Archmage Telamon, but somewhat longer to wait for the man to leave - presumably on some manner of errand - and then to make his way to the door with Wuya perched on his shoulder. The bird has been preening and ruffling his feathers incessantly since this morning in spite of grave warnings from Karasu.

Wuya settles himself at last, and Karasu knocks politely but firmly on the door.

Cor'lana is busy with several things. The first is that she's eating lunch--a simmered soup of vegetables and broth, boiled from leftover chicken bones and scraps. The second is that Pothy, who is sitting on the table rather longingly near his empty bowl of soup (he's eaten it already), is also staring at her bowl. The third is that she's listening to pixie-chatter outside of her window. Lily-of-the-Valley is talking about...

"Ooooh! Handsome boy! New boy!" Lily-of-the-Valley is peeking over the fence to peer at Karasu. "Hello, handsome new boy!"

_That_ gets Cor'lana's attention, and she sighs, getting up from the couch. "Do _not_ eat it," she tells Pothy pointedly as she puts her bowl of soup down on the table. She goes over to the door, opens it, and... She blinks. "Karasu?" she asks. It's been a long time, but she remembers the Xian man still. "And... Wuya, right?"

Karasu's eyes flicker toward the pixy for a moment but when Cor'lana opens her door he focuses his attention on her instead. "Indeed. I am honored you remember me Archmage Cor'lana. I have heard that you have distinguished yourself as a mage quite well since last we met." He offers her a polite nod of his head. "And that you remember Wuya. It is at his request that I have come; though I do not know his purpose... Are you aware that you have some garden pests?"

"PESTS!?" Lily-of-the-Valley seems heartbroken. She cries out well before Cor'lana can react, and the resulting sobbing has Cor'lana rolling her eyes.

"I have pixies in my garden," Cor'lana replies. "They are fond of men. I apologize greatly... Here, it'll be easier to ignore them once you're inside and the windows are shut." She opens her door wider for Karasu to come in.

Pothy, who is quite visible from the open door, looks up at Wuya--hastily pulling his beak out of Cor'lana's soup. He gives the other raven a bird-blink. "Hello!" he calls out in his true voice--the boyish little voice that neither Karasu nor Wuya have ever heard. "I have snacks to share."

Cor'lana grins just a little. "I'm used to my husband being called the Archmage," she says. "Most people... call me something else. Come on in."

Karasu steps into the house, unable to ignore the pleased but nervous shuffle from Wuya on his shoulder and pretends as though he is unaware of it just the same. He himself takes a brief study of Cor'lana's home before offering her the bulk of his attention. "You have earned such a title if only half what has been said can be marked as true. Your other title seems to me to have been earned from the malice of those who act in jealousy."

The man from Xian glances at his raven and Wuya shuffles. "Perhaps now you might introduce yourself properly?"

The gentle suggestion has Wuya shifting his claws a little and he ducks his head in embarrassment. "You may call me Wuya." He has the voice of a younger individual himself, a boy perhaps not terribly much older than Pothy's ever-childish voice. His dark eyes flicker over to Pothy. "Hello."

Cor'lana closes the door behind Karasu with a wave of a hand, and she's smiling a little wider for the fact Karasu seems to have dismissed her popular moniker of 'the Temptress'. "I appreciate your belief in me," she says. "And your respect."

Then she observes Wuya's awkwardness and... how Pothy seems rather curious about the other bird. (She also notices how Pothy's beak looks shiny, like he'd gotten into her soup, but that's not really important at the moment.) "I didn't know that your bird could talk as well," she says to Karasu. "I suppose it's not that unusual. Pothy mimics people when we're out of the house."

Pothy regards Wuya for a moment before he waddles over to a bowl of honey-roasted peanuts. He takes one in his beak and then puts it down on the table. "Hello! Here, this is for you." He sounds so happy. "I hope we can be friends."

Wuya wiggles a little, looking at Karasu hopefully and then flying from his shoulder when Karasu nods a short nod to the raven. Wuya lands a moment later nearby Pothy. "You are very generous to share. I would like that... a... a lot." The black-feathered raven nervously ducks his head again and Karasu sidles a bit closer to the table subtly.

"Wuya is perhaps the best at mimicking voices that I have heard from a raven. It is at times... interesting, to hear my own voice speaking to me." Karasu offers the faintest hint of a smile to Cor'lana. "The truth is that he has been capable of speech all along; even outside this space. I simply do not like others to be aware of his capacity. Most are more willing to share information if they think the only one that can hear them is... a mere animal."

Cor'lana looks at Karasu with more than a little surprise. "That's... That's interesting," she begins, after finding the words to speak. "I guess I'm struck by it because... I spent the first two years I had with Pothy rather frustrated, because he couldn't speak to me. All he could do was mimic, and he spent quite a lot of that time more interested in food and other things compared to... what I was trying to understand at the time."

She gives a small and sad smile to Pothy. "He and I were both grieving, in retrospect," she says, "even if I did not know it at the time."

Pothy seems cheerful as Wuya accepts the peanut, and he takes one for himself from the bowl, splitting it quite easily. "Lana gets me these all the time," he says. "By the pound. Does Karasu get you snacks often, Wuya?"

Karasu glances at the two ravens for a moment. "I offer my condolences in retrospect; for whom or whatever you were grieving. It must have been challenging to be unable to communicate well with him. I am grateful for Wuya's talents."

Wuya cracks open a peanut splitting the nut inside in half and pushing it toward Karasu whom deftly sweeps it up and pops it into his mouth without commentary. It's hard to tell if he eats it or not, but after a moment Wuya eats his own peanut. "No, he is very cautious about the things I eat. I usually get a portion of his meals."

Wuya shuffles a little and looks up at Karasu. "I have a gift... for Apotheosis?"

Karasu startles a little. "The rock?" When Wuya eagerly nods, Karasu pulls a rock from inside a pocket and sets it on the table near Wuya. The rock is roundish (more ovular) but quite clear and very shiny. Well sanded and lovely with a slightly pinkish hue. Wuya pushes it gently toward Pothy, looking a bit proud and pleased with himself.

"Um... this is for you... for friendship!" The dark raven bashfully ducks his head again.

Pothy watches Karasu inspect the peanut, but he seems very happy that Wuya does get to eat it. His tail wags up and down. Happy raven time! But then there's a really, _really_ pretty rock in front of him! Pothy can even see his reflection slightly in it. Pretty rock! _Shiny_ rock!

"It's so nice!" Pothy rave(n)s. "Wuya, this is such a nice rock! So pretty! So shiny!" He prods the rock with his beak, testing its solidness. "It's a really, really good rock! You're so kind to give it to me. Especially when we've only just begun being real friends!"

Cor'lana raises a brow at the exchange and then she looks at Karasu, wondering if the man's picking up what she's picking up.

If there is anything to pick up, it doesn't seem as though Karasu has picked up on any such thing, instead he motions toward the seating. "Perhaps we could have some tea while they... discuss rocks?"

Wuya meanwhile seems utterly thrilled that Pothy likes the rock, doing his own little happy raven dance and fluffing himself a little to show his black-blue feathers off to good advantage. "I am glad you like it." Wuya remarks in pleasure, tilting his head at Pothy and then nudging the side of the other raven's face just very softly with his beak. Dislodging a tiny particle of shell that is caught there. "Bit of shell."

If Wuya's voice is a bit desperately shy, that's totally not caught onto by anyone named Karasu.

Pothy's feathers all puff up a little in bashfulness, something mirrored in his body language. "Oh, I didn't know I had any on my feathers! I appreciate it," he exclaims. Then he looks _right_ at Cor'lana. "Lana, why didn't you tell me I had peanut shell on my feathers?!"

"You _always_ get peanut shell on your feathers," Cor'lana says with a laugh as she nods to Karasu's suggestion. She leads the man to the couch, and she pours herself a cup of tea from the teapot that's not too far from where the ravens are, with their shiny rock and their bowl of honey-roasted peanuts. "It's lavender-mint tea, if that is all right with you."

Wuya gives his wings a little flicker. "I was happy to help." He replies easily, if a little shyly. "Does your... Cor'lana provide you a nest?" It's clear that Wuya is curious about learning more about Pothy.

Karasu takes his own seat graciously, seemingly amused in part with the note about peanut shell. "That sounds perfectly acceptable to me."

While Karasu is distracted accepting tea from Cor'lana, Wuya leans toward Pothy conspiratorially. "He would drink it even if she added poison to the pot." The words are a soft whisper.

Pothy gives a bird-nod in reply to Wuya. "I have my nest in the study," he says. "Where Telamon works on stuff, like star charts. I sleep on it while he's working or while Lana and Telamon are doing gross stuff." He gives a little shudder to that. "But I have my super-cool perch over there! Leirune made it for me."

He seems utterly happy about that. The perch is a much-loved place in the Lupecyll-Atlon home for Pothy... Although it has to compete with his nest and the space next to whatever bowl of snacks is present at the time. "I sleep there sometimes. It's really comfy."

Cor'lana offers Karasu the cup of tea, and Pothy looks at Wuya with wide eyes. "She wouldn't do that!" he says. "The worst crime she's ever committed is leading on men with sad silver eyes and fur!"

"Pothy," Cor'lana says in exasperation.

Wuya seems fairly amused here, letting out a rounded corvid noise of pleasure. "I didn't mean she would. Only that Karasu is... weird."

This Karasu notices, giving Wuya a look that makes the raven shift a little. "A nest must be nice though, and a real perch!" Wuya sighs.

"Leading on men?" Karasu asks, lifting an eyebrow with interest. Perhaps the rumor about her name is not so jealous after all?

Cor'lana looks like she's about to massage her temples in exasperation. "It was... A year ago now," she says. "Telamon and I were trying to take out a werewolf cult led by a man who was going to try and hand the reins of the god Caracoroth to his fiendish patron. The man's second-in-command was a man from Stormgarde--a man who had become rather taken with me after I rather openly defied him. He started sending me courting gifts, and Telamon and I reeled him in. Our plan was to assassinate him."

She sighs deeply. "Except then... He told me his life story, and I couldn't go through with it. What followed was... destruction on so many levels. And while he was returned to life after death, and he, Telamon, and I became friends for a few brief and shining days... His life was ended again, this time by the man he once served." Cor'lana closes her eyes. "His name was Zalgiman Joaki, and he is remembered."

Pothy lets Cor'lana tell her sad story, and then he leans in to whisper a conspiratorial whisper of his own. "Wait, Karasu doesn't give you a nest? _Or_ a perch? How do you sleep?!"

Karasu listens to the story without any sort of reaction. "Such a situation sounds quite dangerous. Yet you endured." The dark-haired man nods, taking a sip of the tea and holding it in his mouth for a good long moment.

"I usually sleep on top of his bag. But his daggers are not comfortable for sleeping." Wuya whispers back in a similar manner to what Pothy is up to.

Cor'lana doesn't know whether to feel relieved that Karasu is not judging her--as so many often do--or that he might well be judging her but is simply reserving his inner thoughts for his own. She eventually just smiles. "I did," she says. "Even if I might have preferred a different ending. But... he's happy where he is now."

Pothy makes a clicking noise. "That's horrible," he whispers back. "Hold on. I'm gonna file a complaint."

Before Wuya can really react, he clears his throat and looks at Karasu. "Excuse me. Mister Karasu? I've just learned you haven't even provided Wuya a nest. All ravens must have a nest! It's way more comfortable to sleep in. We need sleep for activities and things."

Karasu seems about to say something about the situation with this man whom is now deceased but he is immediately distracted by Pothy's voice cutting in and turns his cold dark eyes on the two ravens.

Silence reigns.

Wuya flickers his wings uneasily. "It-it is fine Karasu..."

"I will take it under advisement." Karasu says simply, his tone holding a note of finality that has Wuya gulping uncomfortably. He turns his gaze then back to Cor'lana. "I have little familiarity with natural ravens beyond Wuya."

"Pothy's... not really a natural bird either?" Cor'lana replies. "He's my familiar, given to one of my ancestors and then passed all the way down. He's supposed to be a repository of knowledge."

Pothy's feathers all puff out. "I am Apotheosis, the repository of knowledge for the inheritor, Cor'lana Lupecyll-Atlon, daughter of Nadina Branfeax and Glorenacil Lupecyll. It is a very important position that I hold. It's also why I am very familiar with what makes me happy and able to perform my very best every single day for the inheritor."

Pothy then gestures to his peanuts. "Snacks," he says, and then another gesture to his perch. "Rest."

"He's a simple boy," Cor'lana mutters.

Karasu smiles a small smile. "So it seems. I do provide rest and food for Wuya; I assure you. I even test his meals to ensure that they are safe for his consumption. I think sometimes however that he is envious of other ravens who have... more."

Here he glances at Wuya and the raven nervously lets out a little noise. "Not envious!" His protest sounds extra childish with how his voice sounds. "You could afford to settle a little Karasu, enough for a nest at least!"

Here Karasu sighs and his smile vanishes into a similarly small frown. "If this is the reason we are here Wuya, I think that our time here will be at an end."

Cor'lana frowns as well. "Perhaps we ought to... Find a different conversation topic?" she asks of the two ravens. "It seems you two are getting along very well, and I'd hate to drive apart this meeting and not be invited back for future meetings on account of this one."

She smiles just a little. "It's worth remembering, Pothy... The relationship that you and I have is probably different from Wuya and Karasu's relationship. That doesn't mean it's better or worse. It's just different."

Pothy shuffles his feet together before he looks at Wuya. "Sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

Wuya offers a raven shrug to Pothy. "It is okay." He's a bit more subdued now though.

The dark haired witch nods to Cor'lana's words. "Indeed. Wuya and I have a unique pact, one that is quite private between us. In fact... I have extended a great deal of trust that neither you Apotheosis, nor you Cor'lana will reveal that he can speak so freely. I appreciate your keeping that information to yourselves greatly."

"I should let you know that my husband and I are bonded by telepathic bond," Cor'lana replies with a small smile, "but neither of us are in the business of divulging people's secrets. Nor is Pothy, who has plenty of secrets of his own."

Pothy decides that he needs to give an apology. So... He walks back over to the bowl and picks up a peanut in his beak, before he splits it open on the table and offers it to Wuya, holding one half in his beak. "Here! As an apology gift." His tail's wagging up and down again.

"Telamon is... trusted by those whom I trust, so this is not an issue." Karasu says easily. "Though through you I ask for his discretion on the matter; as a matter of course."

Wuya perks up at the offering of the peanut and gently reaches out with his beak to pluck the snack from his fellow raven. His tail does a happy up-and-down wiggle that matches Pothy's as their beaks touch and he collects his prize.

Cor'lana agrees readily with a nod. "All will be well," she says. "Oh, are you hungry? I think I have more soup if you're interested--"

"SOUP!" Pothy says happily, pulling away from Wuya to flap onto Cor'lana's shoulder. But before Wuya can believe he's fully abandoned, Pothy says, "Pour a bowl for me and Wuya to share!"

While it seems like the ravens are happy, the odd conversation continues for a while longer, and the birds can at least count each other as friends. That shiny stone finds its way into Pothy's book-nest later, where the leucistic raven will presumably prize it as his corvid-treasure for some time to come.

-End