One | Video | Birds and Fish

[amos_moses]

[The video opens up to Amos sitting on a rooftop, the trees of the park off in the distance behind him. He's got a jabberjay perched on either shoulder, and he gives the camera a sunny grin.]

Hi! So. Ya'll've probably noticed the birds. I know they can be annoying an' rude, but I'm gonna ask that you please not kill 'em. They're actually really useful.

They like trouble an' excitement an' people, an' when I asked a few of 'em agreed to watch around the arena an' the streets for me. So them making a fuss is a pretty useful alarm system. I've been leavin' out bread an' fruit for 'em, 'cause they told me they like that best. It'd be pretty helpful, though, if ya'll could do the same.

Oh, an' they recognize faces an' voices, so if you've bothered them before, uh, they'll remember that an' they won't like you. Bribing them with food works pretty well, though, as you can see with my buddies here.

[Amos nods to the birds on his shoulders. One of them is eyeing Amos's shiny multiple earrings in a very concentrated 'I want to steal that' way: the other is cheerfully unraveling a thread from Amos's shirt-collar. Truthfully, only three of the jabberjays are absolutely willing to aid Amos; the rest are passingly indifferent to his requests but Amos can still 'hear' them when they start a fuss, if they're within a half mile of him. But no need to let everyone in on those details.]

Oh, and for some reason, they're all male, in case anyone was curious.

So thanks, please be nice to the birds! An' the fish in the river like handouts too, just passin' it on.

Comments

[wormintheglass]

[Astonishingly, this gets Bianca's first real smile since she arrived here. It's true that underneath the smile, her mind is ticking on possible uses for voice-recording bird minions, but still, something about the picture of boy and birds has touched a spark of remembered joy in her.]

That's utterly adorable. May I come and be introduced?

[amos_moses]

Sure, if you'd like, ma'am.

But really they're pretty friendly on their own. All it takes is a little patience an' some food.

[Animals like Amos, and are more inclined to be friendly to him: but this does not generally extend to other people. It's hard work to convince any animal not already friendly to be that way to another person. Animals make their own judgement, after all, and on a level far more discerning than people.]

[wormintheglass]

[She arrives only a few minutes later, accompanied by her two pet hyenas. Bianca isn't one of those people who gush over animals, but she's better with them than she is with people: she approaches Amos and the birds with care. She and her pets are both ambiguously predatory by nature, but their body language is very deliberately proclaiming them Not A Threat.]

I am Bianca: these are Bud and Lou. I brought some bread.

How long have you been here?

[amos_moses]

[The birds briefly desert Amos for the better vantage point of a rooftop. Amos gets to his feet hastily to properly greet the newcomers... His eyebrows rise as the hyenas round the corner, and he offers them both courteous mental greeting before he turns his attention to the lady.]

[She's very pretty and the pink tint that touches Amos's cheeks is genuine; he's always been a bit nervous around pretty women. He offers her his best and sunniest smile and a very polite bow.]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bianca.

And your friends.