Wild Turkeys

Log Info

• Title: Wild Turkeys
• Emitter: Ravenstongue
• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon, Slixvah, Aavhash, Barclaiigh, Halani, Ashes
• Place: A06: Lower Alexandrian Gardens District
• Time: Saturday, April 23, 2022, 5:27 PM
• Summary: It's a day to step out of one's skin and try something new in the lower gardens! Telamon and Ravenstongue are afflicted by a Slixvah wearing human skin, a falling Hawclaiigh, and Ashes making a point to carry on (carrion?). Halani makes an attempt to kidnap the bird-form druid and Aavhash is put off by the whacky antics. Maybe it is the end of days?!

-=--=--=--=--=--<* A06: Lower Alexandrian Gardens District *>=--=--=--=--=--=-

The city is divided, unofficially, into Upper Alexandria and Lower Alexandria. The Upper resides further up on the slope of the mountain, and rests to the east of the great river. The Lower resides to the west of it, and if the Lower could be said to have a heart, this verdant park might be its center.

Amid all the bustle of the Lower City, its Gardens District provides a peaceful respite. The warmth of Althea holds sway here, and though Daeus receives the occasional nod, this is clearly Her domain. She shares it with Dana, in the verdant green of this area. Vines and trees, remain green no matter the season and numerous flowers bloom along the park's walkways. Faerie-light lanterns hang from branches and along hedgerows.

A number of shops may be found here, most notably the city hospital, for which the park was originally built. Though now open to the public, the gardens by and large, remain underneath the hospital's care. However, in the Althean tradition, much of the work is provided by volunteers.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  At a glance around  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ravenstongue 5'0"     99 Lb      Half-Elf          Female    Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair.
Telamon      5'6"     140 Lb     Half-Elf          Male      A platinum-blond half-sil man with dancing dark eyes.
Slixvah      5'8"     130 Lb     Eaglefolk         Female    A rust red and white Egalrin covered in veils, ribbons, and shawls.
Aavhash      7'4"     198 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    Sleek, slender, black-scaled, with a short frill between horns.
Barclaiigh   4'5"     202 Lb     Mountain Dwarf    Male      A thick tree-trunk of a dwarf. Wavy auburn hair, loose traveling clothes.
Halani       5'4"     120 Lb     Human/Xian        Female    Shortish, dusky skinned woman with almond shaped eyes.
Ashes        5'11"    177 Lb     Hobgoblin         Female    A somber arvec in grey clothes with a skull face.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

Lower Gardens District, Alexandria, afternoon.

The birds are out in full force in the Garden District of the Lower City of Alexandria. It is a clear and beautiful spring day that is full of birdsong, which is lovely for those that enjoy birds--and is also not-so-lovely for the birds themselves, as bird calls tend to be an indication of territory defense and odd mating rituals.

Even Pothy seems to be feeling it today, as he's hastily gathering sticks in his beak as he hops around from branch to branch in the trees overhead. A little finch tries to approach and he /hisses/ at the little creature like a cat. "Fuck off!" he says, mimicking a very unruly-sounding teenage lad whose voice hasn't fully settled into manhood yet.

This makes his mistress below, sitting on a bench next to her beau, choke as she is knocking back a drink from a flask that does not belong to her. Cor'lana sputters as she manages to swallow down her beverage. "Pothy! Language!" she calls up to him.

She shakes her head and sighs. "Jeez. Avian mating and nesting season and it makes /him/ all ornery, even if he has a perfectly good book nest at home."

Seated next to his lady love, Telamon can't help but choke back a peal of laughter. "Pothy! He doesn't mean anything by it, just let him be." He arches an eyebrow at Cor'lana. "Honestly, I'm surprised that finch got that close. Aren't ravens predatory in the wild?"

He sits back, enjoying the absolutely marvelous weather. Dressed in his usual dapper garments, he smirks slightly at Cor'lana. "It could be worse. I've heard about the trials and tribulations of wizards with cat familiars. Evidently the magic doesn't dull their... ah, instincts all that much. With the usual results."

Out of sight in the Defense:

"So.. just a lil' doo-da-doo-a-dee and a swish and flick?" a woman chirps to a small bird in her hand.

"Yes. Just ensure your mental image is sharp."

"Sounds good to meeee...!"

The lower gardens:

A figure staggers out of the hosptial. A slim, pale human woman of moderate height, covered in outlandish garb. Colorful and plentiful robes, shawls, and ribbons adorn her, the latter affixed to her arms with one tied around her head. A veritable wreathe of flowing white and red hair encircles her shoulders, and a bright, winning smile crinkles her sky blue eyes amongst her soft face.

She's walking barefoot on uneasy legs, toes tryign to find purchase in the ground, yet finding no such leverage. "Man sugar, how ya'll do thisspp," she sputters like her lips were numb.

The white plumed thrush on her shoulder squints up at the birds about, and they sigh. "I abscond." And with that, hop into a shawl to avoid the season.

The pale human looks across the way, her perking up and waving a hand towards the couple. She approaches. "Heeeya lovvp- awfiddlefuck."

She stumbles to a knee but gets herself back up on her feet.

"Ho! Dang! Caw! Caw-caw! Caaaaaaw!" A shadow wobbles overhead, black against the blue sky with wings splayed out and flapping furiously. "Y'all're..! Shoot! Plum right in the--!" The drawling bird continues on into the canopy of a tree to produce an explosion of leaves, an exodus of offended fowl, and the snapping of smaller tree branches.

There's a solid thunk against a trunk accompanied with a very un-birdlike "oof!" and then a chorus of the unfortunate hawk hitting every branch on the way down. Auburn-and-brown feathers with a tan breast, the bird gives a few more flaps to right himself before he makes a staggered, hopping landing on the ground beneath all manner of angry calls from above.

"I SAID 'lookout below!' dangit'n y'all didn't listen!" I hops and blusters with its wings.

Cor'lana blinks more than a few times as her violet eyes widen from the human woman who approaches and stumbles on her feet--and then they grow even wider as the hawk bumbles his way down through branches onto the ground. She takes a brief look at the flask in her hands before she pushes it back into Telamon's hands. "I think you might need a second one to put alcohol in, love," she murmurs, before she stands up from the bench.

"Slixvah, is that you?" she calls out. "You look... more fleshy than normal!"

Then she turns her attention back to the hawk, and she opens her mouth--presumably to ask if the poor creature is okay--but then Pothy descends from the tree, talons out. "Not in MY HOUSE," Pothy bellows, but it seems like aggression is all he has as his feathers are all puffed up and he's just next to the talking hawk.

Cor'lana just pinches the bridge of her nose. "Pothy, we're not at our house. We're in a public garden. Let go of your weird macho nesting behavior for just a minute... Are you okay?" she asks.

Telamon looks back at Cor'lana, puzzled. "Yeah, but I figured tea was better for both of us than brandy..." Then he rises as she does, looking at the oddly familiar person -- and Cor'lana addresses her, and he blinks slowly. "...Slixvah? Oh wow. Is that temporarily or did a spell go awry?" He looks fascinated -- right now Slixvah's clearly -not- an egalrin, but he can see the common traits between her usual bird-form and this one.

He actually jumps a little as the hawk comes piling down through the branches, though its angry shouts prove it to be more than just a common bird of prey. "Must be a day for testing transmutations," he remarks, taking a swig off his flask. "Maybe I SHOULD start filling this with cognac..."

The supposed Slix falls to her rear in a semi-failed attempt to dodge whatever crashes down from above. She blinks a few times at the talking bird, it not like any sort she's met before. Except. Well. "Yeah, you good, shug? That looksspp like it wassp a rough landin'."

Once more, the human rises to her feet, using a lamppost to support herself before her attention shifts to Ravenstongue.

And a bright, wide smile crests her face that makes her eyes crinkle. A not unfamiliar look about her, and one that rests easy on her visage. "But ta ansppwer your quespption, yeah, it's me! I learned a lil' trick! It'll go away soonish. Say, how do lipppps work?" she asks, lips blowing raspberries every now and then.

She pulls her hair in front of her, looking at the rusty red and white hue of it. "Oooh! Thispp feelsppp nice!" she chirps.

"Cognac and some lemon!" she adds as an afterthought.

Hawclaiigh hops back from Pothy, grunting as he flaps his wings and flounders back to the ground, too tired to gain altitude. "Ain't no reason t'get madder'n hog shorted his supper slop now!" As he drawls, one wing pops up and primary feathers extend in a very humanoid-ish gesture meant to hold someone off. The vicious, hooked beak of the raptor opens and his little tongue bobs when he clears his throat. He offers something in birdspeak along the lines of 'sorry to be falling in your nesthouse, fellow flight friend' in his rough and accented cawing. His Speak With Animals needs some more work!

Then there's some more cawing. 'I, too, enjoy worms and other delicious insects!' Followed by 'Your eggs are properly spheroid and lovely.' He has a few conversational phrases in the bag.

Pothy soothed, hopefully, the hawk lifts a wing to shield his eyes as he looks up, up, and up at Telamon, Ravenstongue, and Slixvah. "Miss Cor'lana! And mister Telamon! And... a new gal! Howdy!" One wing continues to shield his eyes and he waves the other in eager greeting. "Think I twisted m'danged ankle tryin' t'snag a branch." He hops up onto one set of talons to show the other. "Er, m'claws. Well, the doodad where m'claws all come t'gether. Not sure y'all'd call'm ankles."

He glances to Pothy for the assist.

Pothy looks between Cor'lana and Hawclaiigh for a long moment before he eventually taps forward on his talons and decides to prop up the transformed hawk. "Feetsies," he eventually says, mimicking Cor'lana.

Which makes Cor'lana look a little bashful. "I might call them that on the rare occasion I play with Pothy and call him cute," she admits. "Barclaiigh, are you... stuck in that form?"

Then she looks back to Slixvah and says, "Oh, lips? They, umm... They probably would take getting used to. Still, your trick is very impressive, Slixvah!"

"Polymorphs don't always come with a guide to managing your new form," Telamon comments. "That's probably why I've not tried to develop any." His eyebrows rise at 'Hawkclaiigh' again, though he does chuckle. "You look more imposing as a badger, Barclaiigh."

He moves over to steady Slixvah, so she can let go of the lamppost. "I... have no idea what to tell you. I mean, I guess it'd be like you trying to teach me how to use wings." He gives Slixvah a cheerful smile. "You do look quite fetching this way, though. Should I find an unattached young man so I can set you up on a date?" Teasing, of course.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Lady Nuala goes to a pond, gets very happy to see the swans, but is dismayed when they won't talk back to her."

Slixvah giggles at Hawclaiigh's antics and Pothy's usual self, understanding at least half of it. "Feetsiessppp issp the correct term! Or cankles." She snickers once more.

"Oi. Barc. It's me, Slixvah. Don't remember me? Cherry~?" the human teases as she steps off to be held up by Telamon. "Thanks honey. Guess I just gotta get used to these legs and feeling cold as sin. More robes."

A glimmer comes to her eyes, along with a sly smirk as she leans into him. "Fetching? D'aww, you're too sweet, shug. Nah, don't worry 'bout it. Zofi's my wingwoman, she's got that covered. Though if you /do/ see any pretty lads or lasses, send 'em my way."

Hawclaiigh lowers his footsie and folds his wings in, shaking his little bird head. "Nah, not stuck. Just tryin' somethin' new... 'n right now I'm 'bout as good at flyin' as I'm gettin' through miss Irshyaa's Tarrace when it's hoppin' without steppin' on summin's toes." There's a heavy birb sigh.

... and then Slixvah is jogging his memory; he's terrible with names. Faces help, usually, but today's a wild day. "Oh." Blink, blink. "OH!" He shifts in place and opens his little beak to cough awkwardly. "... new look, sorry," he finally manages.

Pivoting: "Folks at the Union got me a trip t'Am'shere so I should see summore animals'n expand my stable'a shapes." He bobs in place, glancing around. "Ain't gonna try'n turn t'a big ol' monster tiger'r a giant reptile in th'city, though. So--!" He throws out his wings to indicate his chosen form and accidentally baps Pothy in the face, unused to the wingspan.

Pothy squawks indignantly, of course, at being bapped in the face. "Fuck!" he screams again, which distracts Cor'lana a bit from Slixvah's words.

"Pothy," Cor'lana says rather seriously, "behave. Barclaiigh isn't used to being a bird like you. Remember when you were a human in my dream walk with Telamon a while back?"

Pothy looks at Cor'lana for a moment and whistles in a manner that seems like he's arguing with her, to which Cor'lana just rolls her eyes. "I don't care that you're hundreds of years old and how many times past inheritors have polymorphed you, Pothy. Be nice."

That seems to shut down the raven, who looks at the hawk and finally says, "I'm sorry," mimicking Cor'lana's voice.

Telamon just shakes his head, as he helps Slixvah over to the bench so she can hold onto that -- or sit down -- or perch, as needed. "I imagine it's not unlike whipping off a fur robe worn during a cool day. Probably more than a little disconcerting." Once Slixvah is 'propped', so to speak, Tel goes over to check on Hawclaiigh and Cor'lana.

Seeing that Pothy is now under control, Tel inquires of Slixvah, "How's that friend of yours -- Integrity, was it? How's he doing?" He can't help but chuckle at Barclaiigh's comment about spell testing. "You might try to get a reservation at the Proving Grounds. Nobody worries too much if strange things happen there."

Slixvah giggles and shakes her head. "Don't worry 'bout it, Barc. It's quite different. I do approve of your choice of beastie though! Two wings up from me!" She makes a slight movement with her shoulders. Blinks. Then pouts. "Ah, right, ain't got 'em... feels weird not havin't hose muscles."

She ambles over onto the bench on her shaky bare feet with Telamon's help and takes a seat with a light sigh. She shifts some, making a face at the weirdness of a backing on something actually on her back. The mention of Integrity makes her perk up, and a slight, if somewhat pensive, smile cross her lips. "Oh, Blue's... okay. Had a bit of a rough time recently. Bad stuff and what not. Been tryin' ta help take his mind off of things."

A pause.

"Not like that."

Another pause.

"I wouldn't turn him down though."

She's just smiling away. "... man my face musclespp hurt. How ya'll keep this up?"

"Lotsa practice!" Hawclaiigh tells Slixvah before glancing over to Pothy. "Sorry, fella. Yer welcome t'holler 'til I get th'hang of it." The hawk head dips low and rubs a wing-wrist atop it sheepishly. "No offense'r nothin'."

The animal-shaped druid turns in place one direction and then the opposite, making sure he's good and off the footpath before he settles down to relax. "Great big ol' wilderness out there fer runnin' around'n bein' a cat'r a terror-lizard. Reckon we can let folks use them places fer things best done'n the city," the bird nods along with Telamon's idea. "By the by; y'all ever been a cat? That impulse t'just push stuff offa things... ain't nothin' like it."

Cor'lana smiles a little, both at Slixvah's discussion of not having wing muscles and at Barclaiigh's inquiry regarding animal shapeshifting. "Well, I've never been a cat," she says, "but I have had wings, once. When Telamon and I went on a dream walk for the first time, we were falling--and I wished I could fly very hard. I sprouted these huge raven wings from my back and carried us to safety--and I had them for the rest of the dream."

She gives Telamon a little grin at the shared memory. "I still think of those wings from time to time, too."

Then she looks a little more thoughtful, hand going to her chin. "I imagine... Hmm. I might have to look into learning how to shape myself, too--not into a cat, per se, but a raven. Perhaps something I could speak to Grandfather about... when I get a hold of him next, that is." She sighs.

Telamon grins at Slixvah. "We get used to it. Eventually." He hmms. "Next time you try this, though, you might consider some shoes. Don't want to hurt your feet." That said, he smiles at Barclaiigh and Cor'lana, reaching out to take Cor'lana's hand reflexively when she remarks on Grandfather.

"It'll be fine, love. And let me know if you do try to develop something like that. It'd be interesting to watch." He glances up at the sun. "Oh blast. Speaking of which, I need to get moving -- Stiger wants to meet me at the Chalice house. I've got a bottle of wine for him as thanks, and he wants to chat a bit." He kisses Cor'lana on the cheek. "See you later!" he says.

With a happy wave, he's off down the path, walking towards the University district.

Aavhash has been wandering the city for a few days now and every day she finds something new to observe. She looks around and wrinkles her nose at what she sees in the garden though, her tail lashes a little bit behind her back and forth. There's a vague look of mild disgust on her features but being Sith-Makar it's more body language than facial expression. A slight rustling of her frilled horns. She presses on though deeper into the garden, "Elders will want to know about this..." She hisses in a soft sibilant voice to herself.

Human Slixvah's mouth makes a little 'o' shape. "Bein' a cat? Now that soundspp fun! Get some vengeance on other kitties for messin' with my birds!" The avian v. feline rivalry transcends bounds, it seems. "Tho', that doespp sound fun, Barc. I ain't seen those terror lizards yet, but I totes wanna."

She scratches her chin and nods sagely. "Wise. I'll keep some cute slippies on me next time I wanna give the spell a spin." Another pout. "Man, I miss my second voice box. I can't make cool soundspp. Anyways, byyee!"

Attention shifting to the hawk and the half-sil, she grins and sways from side to side. "Wings are fun!"

Sky blues catch on to a figure approaching, and her brows raise high. "... oooh.. who'spp thispp?" she raspberries to herself.

"Them there sith-makar ain't too far off," Hawclaiigh offers for Slixvah, a little sagging blob if feathers. His talons poke out from under his pale breast and his head is tucking in closer as he settles. "How they look, I mean. Stretch'm a bit'n maybe add some feathers..."

There dwarf-turned-bird issues something halfway between a coo and a yawn as his morning exercises and a shaft of sunlight conspire to send him off to dreamland. Speaking of: "Y'all had a dream walk?" His beak clacks and his black-eyes blink. "Sounds nice..." His head sags forward a bit. "... what's a dream walk?"

A rustling of the leaves, a shifting of the wind, the signs are there to note Halani's arrival. Perhaps a far more noticeable one is the shadow that suddenly covers Hawclaiigh, blocking his sunbeam, as a form hurtles through the air right at him. "Got you now!" Halani cries, descending upon the shifted druid with a relatively large burlap sack.

Cor'lana blushes a little, of course, as her beau kisses her on the cheek. "See you later," she tells Telamon as he walks off.

She turns her attention to Barclaiigh--err, well, Hawclaiigh--who is now in a large sack and is being birdnapped? "Errr--that's no ordinary hawk, ma'am. That's a person! He's just transformed!"

Pothy just stares at this new development in events and the white raven has decided he's leaving his feathered friend to his fate, apparently, as he instead takes a gander at the tall sith-makar that he's seen and met before... and takes flight over to her, landing on the sith-makar's shoulder.

"Snacks?" Pothy asks Aavhash, very politely. He's taking advantage of the fact his mistress is much too occupied with a potential birdnapping to chastise him for snack-begging from people.

"CAW! I SAY CAW, Y'ALL!" There's chaotic movement inside the burlap sack as the half-asleep Hawclaiigh is startled awake. Mad flapping joins the sack being pulled this way and that as the bird tries to escape. "AIN'T NO BIRD! HAWK'S LOUSY EATIN'! HELP! CAW-CAW!"

Aavhash slowly makes her way through the garden at a leisurely pace. Until there is shouting and bags and haws sounding like not hawks and all that ruckus. She blinks. Slowly. Her tail twitches at just the tip before the black-scaled Sith-Makar suddenly bolts, at speed, towards the ruckus with one hand on the pommel of her sword. She skids to a stop, talons ripping up grass and scoring the earth as Aavhash tries to get an idea of just what in tarnation is going on.

Looking from person to person and not recognizing anyone Aavhash hisses in soft sibilant common (not draconic this time), "Is someone being assaulted?" Emerald green eyes flick from face, to hold, to face, to hold. Uncertain.

Slixvah bobs her head to Hawclaiigh. "Oh yesp. They ain't too far off." She's about to rub her face, but misses as if there was supposed to be something in front of it. "Tsh, and no beak. Laaaame."

The sudden birdnapping makes Slix's sit upright, her eyes wide. Long rust red and white hair starts to waft about on the breeze. "Yeeeeah shug, that's a people person!"

Aaand there's the other figure rushing towards them at break neck pace. The barefooted human woman makes an 'ack' sound and scrabbles to the corner of the bench like it was a safe spot. "Ayy, hiya, hey, hello, let's take a chill yeah?" she nervously chuckles, though clearly unnerved.

"Hah! I knew it!" Halani declares triumphantly as everyone seems to confirm her suspicions before sputtering as she gets a wing to the face. The next few seconds are spent fighting wiht Barclaiigh's wings, trying to fend them off, stuff them back into the sack. "Saw it funny flying back at the bridge, yeah? Thought to myself... now there's something suspicious!" She grunts again, trying, and failing, to get the mouth of the sack closed around the struggling bird druid. "Don't worry though! Got... everything... under control!"

It is not a little finch, a combat swan, nor a Void Goose that becomes the latest avian to move into view. Instead, a greasy looking turkey vulture appearing, walking through a nearby flower bed and finding a spot to dig. It may have been present for some time, it didn't obviously fly up. It remains focused on scraping at the dirt, and plunging its ugly looking beak into the earth and pulling on things.

Someone may have buried a squirrel, or a cat.

It looks up and glances Halani's way, not suspicious at all.

Cor'lana's hand goes up. She murmurs an incantation and her words suddenly become all that more alluring to Halani. "Please drop that bag. That's someone we know to be a friend," she says, even smiling in her own demure manner.

Pothy, who is still on Aavash's shoulder, murmurs, "Uh-oh." He flaps off the sith-makar's shoulder and back onto Cor'lana's shoulder, whistling frantically into her ear.

But Cor'lana seems to ignore what Pothy's telling her. "Please, we're all friends here," she says.

Aavhash didn't even notice the raven as she was immediately distracted by all the ruckus. People are slipping away and talking in ways that are hard for her to understand judging by the way her head cocks to the side. She looks over at the bag with voice coming out of it, and all of this... She stops and says:

"This is madness."

The black-scaled Sith-Makar shakes her head, eying the bird, Pothy, as it is now no longer on her shoulder and then the person with the bag, and then a... turkey vulture? "They don't let their wild places grow wild. They have talking birds, they cower from those who rush to their aid... Madness." Aavhash shakes her head and snorts just a little. "Enjoy... your... day..." Aavhash says slowly giving a little bow of her head before slowly stepping away from all of this.

Slixvah looks back and forth between Ravenstongue, her mouth ajar some. Whatever words she had dies on her lips, there's a bit too much going on at present. "Yeah... I don't wanna have ta do anything like this..."

She snaps her fingers and a gale breezes by her, ruffling up her robes, shawls, and ribbons. Tossing them about her person to the point where it covers her completely. It settles down, and a poofy, white and rust red feathered Egalrin woman is sitting right there where the human once was. "Aww, my feathers got staticky," she chitters in a pout.

With proper taloned feet, she rises to a stand and fixes her robe, taking a step away from the towering sith-makar. For her own safety, of course. "... well uh, when you're that big honey, it's hard not ta cower, ya know?" the talking bird person points out, rubbing her arm.

Aaaand they're walking away. "... peace on your nest?" she chirps out in a rougher sounding tongue. <Draconic>

"Oh? Well, any friend of my best friend is a friend to me!" Halani says as she settles back, completely releasing the sack and even offering an arm to help the avian formed Barclaiigh out. Never mind that she's risking getting clawed. This is also the first time, really, she has a chance to get a better look at everyone around her. Noticing all of the birds. Pothy. Slixvah. The Turkey Vulture. Even Aavhash.. wasn't there some theory about lizards and birds being related? "So very sorry, yeah?" she says to Ravenstongue. "Just trying to keep everyone safe." By being a menace, apparently.

The Turkey Vulture is undisturbed by the commotion, focusing on ripping pieces out of what it has uncovered in the garden. It's still unclear what tiny corpse it has found, although a rather large centipede is running around in the disturbed earth, also apparently partaking in the meal.

Blink, blink, blink. Hawclaiigh looks around as he's helped out of the sack, his tan breast rising and falling as his tiny birb heart beats furiously. "Y'all... this-- phew-- this... reckon this don't come as no kind'a surprise but bein' dropped int'a sack when yer two winks from sleepyville is... RIGHT alarmin'!"

The hawk's beak doesn't close and his head jerks this way and that. "... anyone know that fella?" He wonders, looking past the group and at the turkey vulture. He's all puffed up and panting. "Did I die? Am I seein' bird-Vardama? Someone check'n make sure my pulse is still goin'..."

There's a slight sheepish look on Cor'lana's face as Halani calls her a 'best friend'--well, it's a sheepish smile but there's a slight look of guilt in the eyes. "Yeah, I'm trying to keep everyone safe, too," she says. At least hawk-shaped Barclaiigh isn't about to get kidnapped.

She looks over to Aavhash over her shoulder and smiles. "It's fine now! I've got it all under control," she calls. There's an implicit invitation to come stay and talk in her voice.

But then Hawclaiigh points out the turkey vulture and Cor'lana squints her violet eyes in the direction of yet another bird. "Umm... No, I don't think so?" she says. "Pothy, how about you?"

Pothy swings about on Cor'lana's shoulder and gives his mistress a look like, 'Just because I'm a bird doesn't mean I know every bird.' But he calls out anyway, imitating a deep man's voice: "HEY! YOU! Do I KNOW you?"

"Peace be upon your nest." Aavhash responds with slowly but she still looks uncertain at all of this. There's a lot of head tilting in very birdlike fashion (Maybe they /are/ related!) as she looks quickly back and forth but she is still sloooowly backing away.

Especially when Pothy starts shouting at a turkey vulture.

"Madness." <draconic>

Slixvah is in a similar position. Her backing away from the group. "The most simple explanation, to be honest, is magic. A lot of magic going around," she offers as a reason for everything going on in the same tongue as before. <Draconic>

Which, it switches back for all to understand. "Though uh, my magic mojo left me a lil' sleepy. I'm gonna let you all sort that out. Don't kill each other."

On more stable footing, she gives a wave of her wing (oh how she missed those!), and slips out the back garden path.

"WhooOooOooOoo?" A screech owl warbles, the timing such that it must be a reply to Pothy. It's in a nearby tree, and the trigger for a sparrow's territorial birdsong. A sparrow it's currently ignoring.

The turkey vulture raises its ugly head, a bit of sinew dangling from its mouth. It stares at the white raven. Bird-Vardama, Vardavian, Birdama, it has an unsettling aura, one very appropriate for the Grey Lady, as if it brought a chunk of a cemetery along with it.

Halani just has a beaming smile for Ravenstongue as she leans over to pat the jerking hawk-head, then straightens up out of her squat. "Don't worry little hawkman. You're not dead. Wasn't gonna eatcha, yeah?" She even waves, all friendly like to Slixvah as the latter makes her retreat. "Don't worry, there, mister turkey. If you're another person in disguise, I won't bag ya." Probably not helping Aavhash's apprehension about this particular gathering.

The hawk settles on the ground and takes a few shuffling steps to one side, giving Halani some space. In spite of her kind words he remains a little sack-shy. "Understand this is a bit of a pot-kettle situation but it seems like a strange thing t'see 'round these parts." Blink-blink, he goes again, hopping and craning (hawking?) his neck to try and see the area around the vulture. "He ain't got no person, right? Like a wizard'r some stripe'a wildman like my type..?"

A shiver goes down Hawclaiigh as he puffs up and shakes himself off, taking a few running steps before he jumps into the air and does his best to fly over towards the vulture; it's surprisingly graceful consider his past performance. "Caw! Caw-c'caw? Screech, caw caw caw." (Early-hello! What having you-formal away? Me, too bird and friend.)

What happens next doesn't help in the surreal nature of this whole gathering at all: Cor'lana's eyes widen as she hears the little screech owl and she puts her hands on her hips as she looks back at the turkey vulture. "Ashlee, is that you? How in the world did you turn into a vulture? Your poor little friend there must be so confused..."

She stops to think for a moment. "Then again, he /was/ one of Grandfather's owls. He's probably seen all sorts of weird things. Nevermind."

The half-elf sorceress is far too comfortable with this avian arrangement now that she seems to know who everyone is. Maybe it's the fact she has an avian name herself. "Well! I believe we're all accounted for. Let's all introduce ourselves," she says to Halani, before gesturing to the hawk, "meet Barclaiigh. He's usually a dwarf. Right now, he's a hawk. And the vulture is Mourner Ashlee, who is usually an arvek, but she's just a vulture, I guess? If that's her. The screech owl over there is her bird friend, who I gave her as a gift for helping me reunite with Grandfather. The white raven here on my shoulder is also my bird friend--his name is Apotheosis, or Pothy for short. You may call me Cor'lana, or Ravenstongue--they mean the same thing."

And finally, Cor'lana gestures to Aavhash. "And this is Aavhash, who is new in town and is not accustomed to any of this. I promise we don't usually have bird gatherings on Ceridays in the gardens? It just is... One of those days?"

Aavhash folds her arms across her chest, claws tap-tap-tapping on her breastplate with little ringing sounds. She sniffs. Audibly. "If the Elders did not need to know of this behavior I would leave you all to your madness." She apparently likes the word 'madness' when associating with people in this city.

At least today.

"I am Aavhash." She confirms. "Peace be upon your nests. Now more than ever." Peace /could/ be useful perhaps. "I was told this was a place of greenery and wild, but, it is not the 'wild' I was expecting."

The turkey vulture's meal is interrupted when Hawklaiigh hops over and starts cawing. It looks up, turning to stare at him, a strand of meat still dangling from its beak. Cor'lana's introduction catches its attention, making her the subject of second round of staring.

The vulture ruffles its black feathers. It tucks in its wings and stands up, and up, and up. The bird form shifts and grows until an Arvek Nar stands there, hands on her shoulders and holding the edges of a feathered cape that is fashioned from the vulture's feathers.

It is Ashlee Ciaradh, her skull marking is unmistakable, and while her expressions are unreadable because of it, she is glancing around, taking in her surroundings. Finally, she pulls the dangling bit of carrion from her mouth and drops it.

"I was trying out a new magic item." She releases the edges of her cloak, "I got lost in the moment."

"Huh.." Halani says, reacting to the vulture's transformation into a person. She eyes Ashes for a moment. "Creepy." Still, if Ashes is a friend of Cor'lana, then she must be okay! She does side-eye Pothy for a moment, expecting the white raven to turn into something humanoid now... but at least she has a name for her good friend, now! "Cor'lana, happy to finally meet my best friend! Oh, I'm Halani, best fighter in Alexandria, just so you know." In her opinion, anyways.

"Er... well, y'have a bit'a..." Hawclaiigh turns his head and rubs his wing-wrist against the bottom-right of his beak. Trying to help Ashlee get the smeared bit of goo left behind. He hops and turns, looking up at Ravenstongue as she introduces him. "... alright, then, reckon I've had my fill fer now."

The hawk gives a shudder and blossoms out and up-- more out than up, really, Barclaiigh is not a thin Khazad-aul even among the Khazadi. His frizzy mop of auburn hair has been wrangled into a single fat plait that hangs down his back. His own breastplate looks to be an amalgam of darkwood and fiery embers supporting a great bushy beard and a dangling fetish of boar's tusks and wooden pendant.

Up comes a thick-fingered hand in a wave as he offers a wide, guileless smile half-hidden by a caterpillar mustache. "Howdy! Barclaiigh Stoutbrew. Of th' Redridge Stoutbrews." He squints his smile wider as he turns between Aavhash, Ashlee, and Halani. "'Round these parts I've got a spot in the Ygg-dizzy-drazzle Union'n do odd jobs for the big twigs when they need me." Runic tattoos in glistening ink march up his fingers and down his arms past his wrists. "If yer from over'n Mictlan--" he's looking back at Aavhash now-- "I've been spendin' a bit'a time that way... 'n through the portal int' Am'shere, too."

Cor'lana nods firmly as she witnesses all the people who ought to be people turn back into people, and all the birds who ought to be birds... Are still birds. "There we go. No shame in losing yourself to the moment, Ashlee--I imagine scavenger instincts are a strong thing, just like how Barc said that the urge to knock things off high places is strong if you're in cat form."

"Snacks," Pothy says from Cor'lana's shoulder. Not only has he had enough of just standing around and talking, it's also /his/ instinct to ask for snacks.

The half-elf just draws out a handful of shelled cashews from a pocket on her dress in a very familiar manner for anyone who's spent time around the pair. But she also looks to Aavhash and smiles brightly. "Well, yes. That was odd. But I promise there's real madness afoot elsewhere--I've stared it in the face before myself."

She looks to Halani and claps her hands together. "It is very wonderful to meet you, Halani. I hope when we meet again, we will... continue to be amicable?" There's that sheepish smile and look of guilt in her eyes again.

"I am from Am'Shere." Aavhash says to Barclaiigh in response, "Not Mictlan. Word has reached my tribe of the Silver Queen's," Why they don't call her Empress is probably a cultural thing for her tribe, "Paper treaty with the peoples here. My Elders debated and I was chosen to learn the ways of..." She gestures with one hand slowly to indicate everything around. "It is very different."

Aavhash shrugs a little, "Very different from the ways of Am'Shere and the Aavh." She smiles at Halani, just enough to be noticed but not baring her teeth. "It is good to know one so skilled in capturing birds." She tries diplomatically. Her attention shifts to Ashes, the skull on the face and she smiles wider, "Are you also a devotee of the Deathdancer Vardama? She is whom I have chosen to follow. A better dragon than the thrashing one or the bellowing one. It is better to end enemies so that they are no longer enemies than just to fight for fightings sake."

Ravenstongue gets an odd look, "I see."

Halani's go wide again when the second bird turns into a person. Well, a dwarf. Person. She'd been told, of course, but to see such a thing -twice-.. she finds herself grinning. "When we..." she starts, looking a little confused when she responds to Ravenstongue.. then a light comes on. "Oh, yeah! I forgot. I'm supposed to meet another friend of mine.. little guy, about yay high.." Halani holds her hand down to just above her knee. "Help him get in shape. So... haveta run, yeah? And of course we'll be amicable! Friends to the end!" She offers a small wave to everyone. She does stop by Aavhash on her way past though. "Pretty good with the birds.. but you shoulda saw the day I stole an eye from a dragon while it was trying to eat me! Ah.. that was a good day! Hope to see you again, Aavhash!" Yes, Halani is flexible to literally put her foot in her mouth. And then she's off!

"Yess...." The Mourner concurs, speaking in monotone and dragging her words out. She spends a moment picking at her teeth, and rubbing her thumb against her tongue. She glances up, at the position of the Sun. Back down, at Aavhash, and nods once. "I do."

The house centipede runs out of the clod of dirt over her shoe, her ankle, then up her pants. Ashlee doesn't react at all. This prompts the little screech owl to fly down out of the tree and land on her shoulder. She leans her head, nuzzling the little ball of fluff, letting her ropey hair hang and surround him like a canopy.

She glances up at the sun again, "What time is it?"

"It's afternoon, miss," Barclaiigh answers, lifting to point a sausage finger through the trees and towards the sun on its descent. He'd taken a step back from her after transitioning back into his native shape; it was part politeness and part that Ashlee is... an interesting character.

"Ooh," hands clap together loudly and Bar pivots; he's excitable. "Y'all talk to the folk at Mictlan afore y'mosied this way? Miss Cryosanthia's up there and she's a right-nice lady." He smiles fondly thinking of the white sith-makar. "I know a few other scaled folk here. There's a bluescale goes by the name'a Zeke... but I haven't seen him around'n ages. Then there's Vaera'n Skillstreaker; they're, ah..." he raises his hand and crosses his fingers, blushing mildly. "Good folks; done lost'a good works with them."

Cor'lana watches her charmed target walk off, and she sighs with relief. "I /really/ hope I don't get punched out for that later," she says. "I just wanted to make sure Barclaiigh wasn't about to get kidnapped..."

She shakes her head, deciding apparently to leave that line of conversation for later. That's a Future Cor'lana problem, not a Now Cor'lana problem. "Madame Cryo /is/ a nice lady," Cor'lana concurs with Barclaiigh. "She finally had her hatchlings hatch--I was there, and it was special to witness. I read a poem I wrote out loud for them." She seems a little bashful as she talks about it, smiling with a little bit of rosiness on her cheeks.

Pothy croaks politely at the screech owl on Ashlee's shoulder. It's just some sort of avian greeting, but it draws Cor'lana's attention. "How's the owl been doing?" she asks. "Did you ever come up with a name?"

"I will look forwards to meeting them." Aavhash tries again to be diplomatic about all the names she is likely not going to remember at all. She eyes Ravenstongue though when she mentions being at a hatching. "She must trust you a great deal." She looks thoughtful. Green eyes blink blink before her attention turns to Ashes again but nods in response to the very simple response.

With things starting to settle down Aavhash walks over towards a bit of shade and crouches down on the balls of her feet, hunching forwards a bit as her elbows rest on her knees. Her tail wraps around her feet, the tip twitching slowly.

"The white lizard. Brae's friend. Oh, she had hatchlings." Ashlee says, still speaking in monotone and staring at the sun. She catches up with the conversation, faces Cor'lana and nods slowly. "'Dunny', for 'Whodunnit?'"

She adjusts her clothes and brushes her boots against each other. They seem to have picked up some dirt. "I'm working on a mystery." She has been for some time. She tugs at her cloak, with one hand.

"Writin'r solvin'?" Barclaiigh wonders of Ashlee. He's hooked a thumb into his belt and drums his fingers on a battered travel mug that hangs there. "No shortage'a mysteries. World's a mess right now. Ends times'n so on." The Khazadi wildman offers it all in a rather blase manner but the heavy sigh he issues reveals his exhaustion at all the cosmic shenanigans.

"Danged hands look like a scroll so I can tear through Crackerpot's werewolf minions," he adds, holding up his other hand and wiggling the marked-up digits.

Cor'lana can't help but smile so widely, almost ear-to-ear, as Ashlee reveals the screech owl's name. "Dunny? Aww, that's a great name, Ashlee. I'll have to tell Grandfather... when I find him, that is. As Barc just said, no shortage of mysteries--I haven't been able to talk to him the past few days."

"Ends times," Pothy echoes, mimicking Barclaiigh almost perfectly. He begins to preen his feathers. A raven does have to look good for the apocalypse, after all--they and the vultures are probably the ones that stand to benefit the most if they somehow manage to survive. The birds shall inherit the earth.

"I highly doubt it's the end times," Cor'lana says, folding her arms now that she's not holding a hand up to Pothy for him to feed from. "I think we, as adventurers, just happen to get involved with the weird of the world so the regular people don't have to. My cousin Addy runs a coffee shop over in the University District and she boggles at all of the stories I tell her when I stop by. Make sure to get a hazelnut-chocolate cookie if you go there, by the way--it's called the Cheerful Corvid. Pothy's sort of the mascot."

"Werewolf?" Aavhash perks up, "What does it take to make weapon work against werewolves? Is there any special weapons for Fey?" She looks intently at Barclaiigh now, but Ashes 'mystery' caught her attention to. Thankfully the dwarf already asked her question.

She thinks.

"There is Gods. Walking with mortals. Supposedly not even taking dragon form." Aavhash says with a bewildered shake of her head, "If that is not end times. I do not know what is. For Gods to be so shamed and dishonored."

"Pothy is correct." The ashen Arvec says, still speaking in flat tones. She gazes at Aavash, her dark eyes staring out of darker eye sockets in the skull she has for a face. "And Aavash. It's silver for werewolves. Cold Iron for Fey. Magic."

She tugs at a sleeve, adjusting it. "Delilah Valethor was framed by Veren, an assassin apprentice of an octopoid mage."

A mystery where it seems all the facts are known. "We need proof, for the appeal of her death sentence."

Cheerful Corvid. Okay." She nods once.

"Silver, yup," Bar nods and tosses a thumb at Ashlee. "Union put a bit of moondust in me so the wicked vermin can feel th'moon's kiss when I turn critter." He scratches at his forearms remembering the ritual.

"Speakin' of... auntie needed a hand t'night," he grins and nods at Cor'lana, her talk of family having jogged his memory. "Easy roads, y'all."

"Cold iron for fey, yes, but keep it away from me," Cor'lana says with a little shiver. "It doesn't hurt me any worse than the regular stuff does, but I've touched it before and it just... Phew. Uncomfortable is the nicest way to describe how I feel about it."

Pothy looks at Cor'lana for a moment before he leans into her ear and just stage whispers, "Cold iron, cold iron, cold iron, cold--"

"Okay, you little butt, see if I give you any snacks when we get home," Cor'lana complains with an eye-roll as she just snaps Pothy's beak shut between two fingers. "I should probably get going, too. Have a nice day, Barclaiigh--you as well, Ashlee and Dunny. And peace upon your nests, Aavhash."

She lets go of Pothy and just has to endure Pothy now squawking, "Cold iron, cold iron!" as she walks off.

Aavhash hmmms, "Must find weaponsmith who has these things..." She stretches up to her full height again, gracefully turning, "Peace be upon your nests." And starts away.

Ashlee remains standing there as the others depart. She looks down at the unearthed remains. She crouches and touches her breastplate, and the symbol of scales. "Feiu of the Tears, speed this corpse on."

There's a dark glow as she reaches out, the stylized bones on her hand making it seem very skeletal. She touches the small body, and it rapidly disintegrates until there are only bones. Carefully, she sweeps a small pile of dirt over it.

Her hands raise to grip the hem of her cloak. The feathers ruffle, and she stares off into space. The house centipede emerges from her shirt, having climbed the full length of her, and coils around her neck like a choker. Antennae wave.

"You're right." She says to no one in particular, perhaps the centipede. She releases the cloak, turns towards the mountains on the other side of the city, and starts to walk.

OOC

Thicc Lizards
https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/uadjyz/thicc_dracthyrs_by_hattiezazu/