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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[He's getting used to the looks he keeps getting. Back home Yuuya is basically the default for 'upper-class person'. He can go anywhere and no one thinks twice - clearly that isn't the case here.]

Welll. I'm not sure how I should answer that. Are you with the police? [He winks.]

[It 'startles' a laugh out of her, and her wings flutter with it, revealing the little flickers of red throughout the black.]

What, me? No, I'm-- I run an art gallery in New York. About the farthest thing you could get from a cop.

[Yuuya's tail shakes side to side in a bird laugh.] Then I suppose I should be truthful!

-honestly, no, I've only ever had a bit of this and that. Drugs cost money! They're for the idle! Life's expensive enough as it is. ['Poor student' is always a good cover.] I'm Saka- ah, wait, you're American. Yuuya Sakazaki!

[She blinks in obvious surprise.]

You're Japanese?

[As if it literally never occurred to her that a talking bird might have a nationality. First time for everything, she supposes.]

I'm-- Anna, Anna Orlova. It's... - is it weird to ask if you shake hands? Wings? - But it's nice to meet you.

That's right! [also French. He's been everywhere.]

Well, I haven't, but I suppose if I have these I should. [He turns a feathered arm so the scaly hand is palm-up, the movement uncertain. It does still look like a wing, somehow.] You could say I'm a hand-shaking virgin, though I'm not unfamiliar with the practice. [He shakes his tail again, swish swish swish! Time to tone down the enthusiasm, turn up the self-awareness.] Sorry, Anna, I'm coming off as the worst kind of sketchy, aren't I? Guess I'm a little more flustered than I'd like.

[Well, 'virgin' or not, she does take the offered appendage and gives it a very tentative shake.]

Trust me, you aren't anywhere near as sketchy as the rest of this place.

[A pause, and then,]

Not that you're-- I mean-- it's just. Oh, God, talk about flustered. I'm sorry, this whole place is just... seems like one really weird bad dream, you know?

[He's quite warm and dry. The feathers are soft, and he keeps his fingers slack like he doesn't know what to do with them.]

Well, thank you! I suppose anyone comes off well in comparison.

I know! [how much can he say?] I have actually heard about something like this - well, abduction into a fantastical land, anyway. It happened at my old school a few months ago in fact! But this doesn't fit that, exactly.

[Weirdest handshake ever, fyi.]

How many variants can you have on the kidnapped to a magical land theme? [She seems to mostly be saying that to herself, and reaches up to curl her index finger around an errant lock of hair.] Were they-- okay afterwards? There was an afterwards, right?

[At least he's lost his handshaking virginity.]

I know, right? From what I heard... well, something made an entire moon-viewing party pass into comas and experience a shared dream. I guess somebirdie managed to bore in but they couldn't wake, something was keeping them there, and it had to be dealt with? [There's no way Yuuya would have had anything to do with all that. Also, dream-entering technology is a thing with him.] I knew a couple people caught up in that and they're fine now, with very unusual stories to tell. Apparently some were pretty shaken by the whole thing though.

Which is all - haha, I was quite happy to think I lived in a rational world without spirit-kings deciding to add to their collections of souls, if that's really what that was.

[It's probably a good thing Clint isn't here, because he would start laughing at 'somebirdie' and possibly never stop. Natasha's expression, to her credit, doesn't even flicker.]

And here I thought the worst we had to deal with was aliens.

[An audible groan, and she covers her face with one hand.]

Okay, okay-- so... if it's the same thing... something has to be dealt with, right? What kind of something?

[Let's start off with amused skepticism, then pretend to realize something.] Aliens, huh? - oh, of course! You were surprised to see me. We're from different... worlds, I guess? Weird!

[Yuuya looks at one of his hands, then carefully scratches his cheek.]

-ah, well! In that case, I was told that one of the peaceable moon-viewers had in fact murdered a man who waited, amassed the souls of the dead and also killed people to add on top, and then... ah, came to take revenge. My friends and those others had to destroy the source of his power.

[He ruffles the feathers on his neck self-consciously.] It all sounded pretty far-fetched. Maybe it being a shared dream just made thing very exaggerated? But if you see anyone calling themselves the king, be wary, I guess.

[She wrinkles up her nose.]

I'm not sure I'd say different worlds. More like alternate universes. I swear, I saw an episode of Star Trek like this once...

[She shakes her head in something almost like dismay, and then clears her throat politely.]

Okay, you lost me. What's a 'moon-viewer'?

That could work! I guess Trek went into other universes at some point, then? I'm not that big on science fiction, alas.

[in the distant future some things are rebooted or retooled, some are not, and Yuuya is usually too busy to catch up on much of it.]

There was a lunar eclipse that night, so a class decided to have a gathering on the roof to observe it. So, 'moon-viewers'.

[She laughs.]

That's... innocuous. I was expecting it to be some hip pigeon lingo for killer robots or something.

Ah, sorry! [they do have those.] I do tend to do that, call people by what they're doing. Part of my style, I guess! I promise I'm not using sinister code words.

['Sinister code words'. Right. She smiles and tucks her hair behind her ears. Her body language is becoming slightly more at ease the longer she speaks with him, as if 'Anna' is warming up to the idea of a sentient, talking bird.]

Does that mean you'll call me 'Director' if I ask really nicely?

Director Orlova? I think this is the point where I say that I keep trying to get my friends to say I'm 'sexy and luxurious', but they'll have none of it.

[hmm. There's a feel to that that is other than what he expected. He likes to say that phrase in a language other than what he's speaking. He has no facial expressions to change, and his irises are very dark, but she may be able to see his pupils contract. (he has some expressive icons but his actual face isn't really)]

Say, Anna, I don't suppose you know any other languages? I'm pretty good with English if I do say so myself, but it's not my first language. That would be Japanese! Unsurprisingly.

[...oh, yes. His pupils tighten.]

[Mock-offended,]

Hey. I am a director. I mentioned that art gallery, right?

[Don't squash her dreams, pls. Anna's always wanted to make it big. But she does assume a thoughtful look.]

I know a little Russian? And about ten words in Spanish. Mostly um, no hablo español. [Ha, ha.] Wait, do you-- think we're speaking Japanese right now?

[The feathers on his head and neck puff out in a friendly 'expression' as he mock-recoils.] Ouch! All right, all right, Director. Can I at least call you Director Anna?

[His nod has a bit of a head-bob to it.]

I started in English, since it's what you were using! It doesn't seem to make a difference, though. That's... convenient. And unsettling!

[All languages sound like one here, apparently.]

I wonder if it has something to do with the wings? I mean...

[She makes a face at her own assessment, as if realizing that makes little to no sense at all.]

I have no idea how it would work. But I sure didn't have wings before I came here.

I did! They were rather more dramatic than these. [He makes a vague gesture with a semi-winged hand.]

The moth wings you can use and - hah, dismiss, I suppose, at will. Still, point taken. I suppose if you can do the "invertebrate wings come and go at will" trick and give a guy human hands and the ability to actually use them [he's touching each finger to his thumb in turn. They're scaly, have claws, and there is no pinky, but they do resemble slender, graceful human hands] a bit more rewiring isn't too far out of the picture.

Wait-- they can come and go?

[NEWS TO ANNA. Less Natasha. But, you know. Coverstory gotta cover.]

They can! Did you make a necklace out of yours? Mine's on my leg.

[it's not very obviously visible, he maneuvered the wire so his feathers lapped over them, the same as his harness with its pockets. Still there, still reasonably innocuous.]

[She shakes her head.]

I wouldn't know the first thing about making jewelry. Mine's in my sock. Yours looks nice like that, though.

Edited 2015-03-17 02:48 (UTC)

Thank you! I didn't want it around my neck. [Just a little dark blue gem near his ankle, where feathers give way to scales.] If it's not touching you, these things don't work. I just like to be able to fly, in general, and since I don't stand the way you guys do these aren't in my way.

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dissemblance - 2015-03-22 00:06 (UTC) - Expand

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espigeonage - 2015-03-22 02:47 (UTC) - Expand

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