lifeaftr | [open] if you're the bird, whenever we pretend it's summer

Who: Kravitz and you!
What: Ren has so graciously gifted Kravitz a new pet, and he is very, very excited about it.
When: Backdated to January 15th
Where: Starting at Elf Camp and then around Enso's shoreline
Warnings: Should be good!

i. [closed to ren, elf camp] you and i left our troubles far behind

[The thing about this plan is that Kravitz was not informed it was even a plan.

When Ren so innocently asked him about birds he liked over a month ago at the petting zoo, Kravitz had truly thought nothing of it. He's spoken about ravens before, and Ren ends up intent on the strangest things- it would be a lot to keep track of if he tried to record everything she's ever done. So the morning it Happens, he's peacefully sleeping away in the main tent of elf camp, none the wiser for what's about to go down.

Good luck, Ren. Or really, good luck Kravitz, in holding his own shit together.]

ii. [open, enso's shores] but i still have just one more question on my mind

[He had no idea this was even going to work, but now that it has, Kravitz is intent on testing the new bird out. He can be found along the shoreline of Enso, a large black bird on his shoulder that Kravitz seems to be talking to. It, on the other hand, is looking very intently at his closed fist at his chest.]

Okay, Lieutenant Pepper, we're going to go over this again. I'm going to throw this, and you're going to bring it back, and if you do-- without swallowing it-- you can have a treat. Okay? Good.

[The arm that has the bird on it produces a rock, which he tosses underhand away from him.]

Go on! Get it, bring it back--

[Yes. He's teaching a bird to play fetch. This is exactly what's happening here.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She's doing her best and he's proud of her. She curls up as the bird hops about, seeming to ignore the cats milling around her vicinity. Kravitz, meanwhile, is also ignoring the cats, because bird is here. He shifts in bed, causing her to hop backwards, and then stops very still before cautiously patting his lap.

It doesn't do exactly what he wants, but it does shake some of the seed up there, and she creeps closer. He gathers a bit up in his hand and drops it right in front of her, and when she seems content, he reaches down to smooth the feathers on the top of her head. He looks like he's in love.]

Well, I... I doubt these are mine, exactly. But she looks just like Lieutenant Pepper.

[Welcome, Ren, to the depths of how much of a dork Kravitz is. It's a hell of a discovery and it only cost one bird. Amazing.]

[The love for his bird rivals her adoration for cats. She definitely understands this kind of dorky affection and seems to content to simply watch him work with the creature. Ravens are a little different than phoenixes.]

Lieutenant Pepper.

[That sure is a long name. A little different than Egg. It's gonna take her a few hot seconds to remember that and using her tried and true method of repeat, repeat, repeat, she says the bird's name under her breath a few times.]

It might be-

[Did he always have that seed on his person??? Just waiting for birds to show up?? She should've done this sooner.]

Lieutenant Pepper's aunt? [Pause] Lieutenant Pepper Lup?

[You can call her Pepper, Ren, it's fine. And listen, Taako is sleeping nearby, and we all know his pockets are a void of everything you will ever need. For now, he uses it to his convenience.]

Hmm, more like a copy, I think. Perhaps the Storyteller took to my memories for inspiration.

[She was one of his favorites anyway. He clicks his tongue a few times, mentally commanding her to come to his hand, and while that doesn't perfectly work she does hop closer and touch his finger with her beak. He barely holds in a squeal.]

Also, please inform Lup if you see her she's mine, I don't want a repeat of the owl incident.

[Aka when Hot Boi tried to set Merle's owl ablaze when he left and Kravitz resolved to get that poor thing out of camp as soon as possible.]

[Did you hear that?? Taako?? Because she's leaning alllll the way across the tent, stretching her arms as far as she can to to tap, tap, tap the side of his face, right by his pointy ear. She knows he heard. Tell Lup, in case she's busy living her cat lady dreams.

And then she pulls herself back like a human slinky, bringing her legs back up to her chest and wiggling her fingers at the raven.]

I will, I will. [And then, the most important q of all-] Can I pet her? Can I do that?

[Ren that's not how that works, let him sleep. Kravitz will take the time to find Lup anyway, just to make sure his new charge is safe. He's not sure what she's even thought she'll accomplish with that, but at least he gets her assurance and can answer her next question. The raven, now out of food on the ground, seems to be interested in Ren's wiggling fingers.]

You may, but-- I assume she isn't trained, so please be careful. She may bite you. You should give her something to eat first, and then you can gently touch her while she eats-- but only the direction her feathers grow, so top to bottom. Going the other way can hurt them. Do you understand?

[Unfortunately, she needs the judgmental pocket food man to turn his head away so she can scramble something together from under her pillow. She makes direct, silent eye contact with Kravitz, reaches up to gently push his face away and slips her hand under her pillow. Like. Just don't look. Stare at Taako instead. That's what he wants to do anyway, right??]

I won't hurt her. I'll learn her caw caw language and then we'll be friends too.

[And with that, she crumbles the bit of whatever in the palm of her hand, waiting for the bird to hobble over before just oh so lightly touching her feathers, petting as instructed. She's surprisingly soft??? Birds are weird.]

[Oh my god Ren. Number one, he can move his eyes, and number two, what are you feeding his new child. Actually, third, don't call him out for his gay feelings like this he's just trying to live.

Meanwhile, Pepper is still interested in any and all movement and Keeps Getting Fed Here so she's not going anywhere. Instead, she watches Ren and instantly flaps over as soon as there are crumbs around, pecking at whatever it is she dropped. As soon as Ren touches, the bird snaps her head up to look at Ren, but will quickly start ignoring her in favor of grabbing more food off the ground. See, they match.

Kravitz just sighs. This is too much for his heart this early in the morning. He swings his feet out from bed, leaving a pillow for Taako to grab as he detangles himself.]

Okay, well. I suppose we have a lot to do today, then.

[That's a hard disagree from Ren, who actually has nothing to do. In fact, this is her big plan for the day. Right here, in the tent, with Kravitz's new pet, even though he should be the one to play around with Pepper. It's his raven, afterall.

She pets the top of her head with a little pat, pat, smoothing out her feathers and poking at her little feet until the food's gone. That's fine. There's nothing else under her pillow and Taako's asleep, which means her job is now to be an alarm clock until further notice.]

Okay, you can go do stuff with her. I'll play with Taako.

[He slides out of bed, carefully maneuvering around Pepper as she looks expectantly at them for something. But he's not quite going out and summoning her yet- instead, he's gonna take a knee and wrap an arm around Ren, gently hold her to his chest and kiss the top of her head.]

Thank you, Ren. I'll remember this.

[It's the most powerful words he could have said, even if Ren doesn't quite know that. But as a near-immortal being, keeping a memory is strong. Some cultures say you never die if you're never forgotten-- so he'll remember.]

[The seconds he takes out of his day to dole out these kind gestures-unremarkable, in the grand scheme of his life, but it burns a special memory into her own heart. The warmth that comes from held against someone, to feel the love from that small kiss and hear thank you, as if she's worth thanking. It wasn't her-she wasn't able to conjure up a magic animal companion, like they were able to. It was the Storyteller who did the work and Kravitz who created the bond with the raven to begin with, but-

It's hard to not smile and let the comfortable feeling of being, maybe, loved, wash over her. A couple seconds was all it took to make her day.

So she might as well end it by pulling herself against Taako's sleepy side. Maybe she'll go back to bed now that she's rounded up wildlife-she's confident her cats will join her once the raven's done playing and she needs to be awake to look at the stars later.

And maybe Kravitz might want to join her tonight. They can look for constellations that look like Pepper.

But for now, it's nighty night peanut time and she's so covered up she might as well be a pair of disembodied feet. Have fun being productive.]

[open] if you're the bird, whenever we pretend it's summer

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