thehometree | Glimmer, glitter, shine...

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Glimmer, glitter, shine...

One by one, new adventurers now arrive in the Tree. As one gain wings and rises to the second floor, another light brings in the next person. Soon, a steady stream of people from all kinds of worlds, times and realities come to join the others. Whether confused, angry, excited or scared, your arrival is welcomed with nothing but joy as the fireflies and glow worms descend to greet their new friends.

The Tree offers no explanation and no reason, but the truth is undeniable.

As you will soon realize, it isn't easy to be tiny.

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Yuuya is good at that. He puffs out the feathers of his head and neck in what, to birds, is a friendly expression. It makes him look fluffier and more rounded.

"Really, they're cute! And thank you. I do try! The issue with white feathers is how easily they stain. Food, dirt, blood, oil, they all have to be so painstakingly cleaned. I guess clothing's a little easier, huh?"

There's that look of recognition again-- having been around Loftwings all his life, he knows that friendly bird look when he sees it! He can't help smiling a little wider in response.

...and he lets the 'cute' comment go, because he never knows how to respond to that, instead just nodding in agreement at the tail end of Yuuya's comment.

"It'd depend on the clothes, probably..." he says, thinking aloud. "But at least you don't have to worry about getting dressed in the morning?"

Well, someone knows his body language. It's good to see. In some birds it means "if you wanted to touch me I would be pleased".

"No, I preen. A lot! Things get so uneven otherwise. Imagine if whenever your hair got out of order you couldn't run around so well - you'd comb it a lot, right?"

Perhaps another time-- they've only just met, after all! He wondered a little at what opinion his own crimson Loftwing would have of Yuuya, if they'd get along, that sort of thing...

Another nod, and Link chuckles quietly. "Ah, that's a really good way of putting it, actually! I haven't heard that one before..."

"Clothing seems like a lot of effort to use every day, but I suppose it balances out." He tilts his head. "You know a bit about birds, huh?"

A slight shrug-- one got used to it, and at least having a uniform made things a little easier to manage.

"Where I'm from, humans live alongside birds." No, it went deeper than that. He takes a breath, tries to elaborate. "Like... partners, but... more than that." Soulmates, almost. Two halves of a whole, human and Loftwing, but it's difficult to put into words...?

Yuuya is quiet for a moment. Human-bird conflict is a mainstay of the world. It has been for more than a hundred years, since before birds became people. Birds, who run the world, are split between those who want to wipe out the remaining humans, and those who want to preserve them and integrate them into society.

He's in the latter group, sympathetic to humans for all their faults. It's wistful to think of a place where his party's dream is realized - of course, he doesn't know that Loftwings can't exactly speak. "That sounds very nice! Idyllic, even."

To their credit, it was as though they didn't have to speak-- at least between Link and his partner Loftwing, who never seemed to have trouble communicating from the moment they'd met. Perhaps it was the work of the divine, but Link never thought to question it-- he merely accepts the fact as is.

If he notices Yuuya's silence, he doesn't comment on it.

"...It is, really. We're very lucky." Centuries worth of understatement, there.

"Yes, indeed. I'm glad to hear of it, though! The way to a peaceful future is hand-in-feather... or so I'd like to think." He trembles his tail back-and-forth in a polite bird laugh. "It does seem I'm very much in the minority here, though."

"Do you suppose more birds like you will arrive here?" He's almost too excited when he asks, eyes brightening like he's a little kid again-- but can anyone blame him? First Loftwings, then tiny birds, now talking, friendly birds? It's a Skyloftian's dream, really!

"I don't know. It seems like people have stopped appearing, for now. Things around here could end up crowded, if it starts again and we're still unable to leave." Hasn't he heard that the little houses are just large enough to take them all? Quite as if this was planned.

"Anyway, what do you mean 'like you'? -I suppose the alternative is ferals? Ah, those are smaller, and not so intelligent, they can't really speak."

Truth be told, Link hadn't put much thought towards the little homes inside the tree-- sure, they were convenient... maybe too convenient, now that Yuuya brings up their current situation. Oh. Oh dear...

He nods in confirmation, though. "Right. Birds who can hold conversations." He chuckles softly, awkwardly brushing a bit of his hair behind one of his pointed ears. "Even back home, I don't think I've had many actual talks. At least, not with words..."

This kid is sweet, and kind of dim, and Yuuya is nothing like crass enough to say that out loud. "It's kind of a prison, in a way."

"Ah." So, evidently not the utopia Yuuya'd half-imagined. Some of his feathers pull a little closer to his body. "Your birds aren't quite people, are they?"

"They are!" Even when he raises his voice, outside of battle Link's tone remains soft. But here, he sounds insistent. "They're just as important as humans. We just... I mean, he and I-- well, all of us, really, we never... needed words."

He gestures a little uselessly with his hands, at a loss for a proper explanation. How can he explain how his Loftwing always knew what he needed? They just... did.

What he wouldn't give to have Zelda or Fi here-- he never was great at carrying a conversation...

"Sure, they're important to you. But do they want things outside of pleasing you, and food and shelter and mates and so on? Do they build stuff and tell stories? Ask questions you don't like?"

Birds like Yuuya are not far removed from feral ancestors, especially with throwbacks hatching every now and then. Distinguishing themselves from those not-so-distant ancestors is important. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just want to know."

Link gulps and nods-- he hadn't even realized he was panicking until it was pointed out to him, really. At least nodding is worlds easier than speaking. "I understand."

It takes him a second to collect himself outside of affirming Yuuya's questions-- though he can't really think of too many occasions he and his Loftwing had disagreed over something, and he's trying desperately to remember one of the words he'd heard in class.

"But we--" It's difficult to refer to the birds as separate, he finds. "They do. And humans try to do as much as we can for them, too. It's... mutu... mutualistic?"

He winces visibly, hoping that's the right word. Instructor Horwell would be so embarrassed ...

Yuuya is not at all sure here, but the topic is upsetting Link. He raises his feathers a bit and smooths them back down, a show of minor discomfort and attempting to ease tension.

"What do you guys do together?"

If only because he's never really needed to explain it before...

"Ah... well, every pair's different, but... Flying, mostly? Although he's a lot better at it than I am, obviously." A lame attempt at a joke, here?

"Training drills, exploring the islands... ah, and the Surface, too, recently. And, um, what else do we... Sleeping, I guess."

Because sleep happens often enough between the two of them for it to be considered an activity. Yep.

Yuuya tilts his head, but decides Link is probably using the more innocent definition of sleeping. "Busy days. A shame they don't seem to be here, your... pairmate."

Or not. Yuuya can deal with non-speaking birds, but it's always a little unnerving. "What's this surface, then?"

The way Link blinks in response probably solidifies Yuuya's suspicions there. ~~He's had thoughts like that for, what, one person? And died of embarrassment following~~

His face does fall a little bit-- having the Loftwing here, while bite-size would have been a comfort, but there's not much time to dwell on it for now. "Er... the ground, simply put. The place I'm from..." Link points upwards, indicating the sky. "It floats over the clouds. No one's been back down to the surface until very recently, so we're still mapping it out..."

Reflexively Yuuya moves his head so one eye points up, one down, just for a moment. "I have to say, that's outside my experience. Being up there doesn't bother you?" Maybe pointy-eared humans are better at breathing higher air and handling different pressures than most of them. "Sounds fun, though."

"It's always been like that," comes the simple response. "...Flying is fun. It's different from here..."

It does make him wonder, though. Could his Loftwing partner somehow find him here? Would he even be able to tell...?

"Yes, well!" He rattles the white moth wings lying neatly across his back. Yuuya's aware of how to make them go away, but he's a bird. He's very used to having wings. "These are a shade unusual. At least mine seem to be large enough to glide with."

Those do pique his interest quite a bit, widened eyes and straightened posture making for an obvious tell. He hesitates a moment, mulling something over in his head. Then, he raises a hand, gesturing to Yuuya's moth wings gently.

"Er, would it be alright if I... if I took a closer look?"

Link is so open. It's pretty cute. "Depends! First, what are you looking for?"

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Glimmer, glitter, shine...

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