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

[amos_moses]

Either they'll live a long happy fat life bein' fed, or they get eaten, or get sick, or die from somethin' else.

We've changed the environment already by bein' here. Moderate predation on our part won't alter things, long as we supply an additional food source too. Keeps thing balanced, see.

[No, it's not cruel. It's just life. Amos shrugs a little.]

[foundafamily]

[One corner of his mouth rises.]

And here I almost had you pegged as some kinda bleedin' heart.

So what do the fish have to say to you on that outlook, huh?

[He keeps his tone dismissive--or would like to think he does--but he's actually curious. The thought of being eaten himself doesn't appeal to him, balance be damned.]

[amos_moses]

They're fish, not philosophers. They don't really think about the meaning of life.

Just food, mating, and territory. They're not great conversationalists but it's better'n nothing.

[Amos chuckles a little, because the curiosity is familiar to him.]

Not a lot of animals think like we do, about why we're here and whatnot. They mostly just live in the moment. It's a pretty refreshing mentality. Nice and simple.

[foundafamily]

I was jokin', pal.

[Sort of. But he has to save face.]

I'd hafta agree with the fish there. Anybody who wastes time thinkin' about the point of things is an idiot.

[amos_moses]

Haha, well, there's points to be argued for both sides.

But I admit, I'm more often with the animals on that one. Living in the moment is a good way to live.

[foundafamily]

More likely to keep you alive, too. People don't last long if they've always got their heads in the clouds.

[amos_moses]

That's true. Being practical keeps you alive.

Sounds like you know a thing or two 'bout staying alive.

[It's a leading statement: Amos wants to see what information this person will divulge.]

[foundafamily]

[And Firo falls for it easily; he’s too much of the type to run his mouth to think about doing otherwise.]

You could say that. I’m still here, aren’t I? And it's no picnic out there.

[amos_moses]

That's true, it's pretty rough here. Is it anything close to home, or is your home different?

[foundafamily]

Same stuff, different face. Here it's monsters tryin' to kill you, back home it's people. When the creepy things in the caves start walkin' around with tommy guns, it'll be just like home.

[He grins wryly. Of course, he's sure there are people who'd kill them here, too, but they're not the main threat from what he's seen so far.]

What about you?

[amos_moses]

My, your life sounds like it's never boring. Tommy guns? Like the mob?

[Ah but tit for tat: he's not just going to babble about his own life, apparently. That's alright, but it's not the norm. Amos makes a note of it.]

Oh, it's about the same. Different flavor of gods an' monsters, but 'bout the same.

[foundafamily]

[He beams.]

Exactly like the mob. I'm in the Camorra.

[Normally he'd just say his Family's name there, but even Firo has to accept that he can't expect name recognition for a tiny, obscure crime Family in a whole different world.]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised there're gods and monsters in a place where people can talk to fish. Do they do crazy stuff like these ones?

[amos_moses]

[Amos's eyebrows jump. Well, that would technically make them enemies, given his the factions stand in his world, but who knows, maybe not where this kid comes from. He lets out a low whistle: see how impressed he is? And he won't mention here, on a public network, that he belongs to the yakuza. That's a secret.]

An honest-to-goodness mobster. Hot damn.

[And still he grins, because hey, he doesn't mind a fellow criminal.

Yup. Lots of crazy stuff. There's still more humans than monsters, but I travel a lot with my job, so I've seen more than most.

[foundafamily]

[Someone who actually knows what the Camorra is? Well, maybe he just got it from context, but Firo decides to stay positive and assume the guy just knew it. The thought makes him grin more like a child than a gangster.]

At your service.

[He likes this reaction. It's a lot better than the ones he usually gets.]

How many more? What do you do, anyway?

[Being from one of the New York Families, Firo's never needed to travel yet. Except to prison, but that didn't really count. And the legitimate people he grew up around? Forget it--most of them hardly left their little neighborhood. It's hard to think of a job with travel.]

[amos_moses]

I'm the personal assistant to the boss of a large company in Japan. We have a few overseas branches and we work with other companies, so I often get sent as her representative in business deals.

[Some of those deals are more legitimate than others: Amos is also Kameko's enforcer, and when people don;t follow the boss' rules, Amos gets to go extract payment...in money or blood.]

Some say if it's mentioned in myth, it probably exists. I dunno 'bout that, but I've met a lots of funny creatures and even a few gods in my time. And demons, but those ain't fun to meet.

[foundafamily]

Sounds like you're pretty important.

[A tad unusual, too--Firo can't think of any women who run large businesses and have assistants in the '30s, though there are certainly some entrepreneurs in the criminal underworld.

Still, he doesn't yet suspect that this guy's job might be just a bit similar to his own in that way. Even a mafioso, required to be discrete, doesn't give so much detail about the job he pretends to have.]

What do demons do that makes 'em such bad company, huh? Back home people say they'll drag you to hell, but they also blame 'em for jazz music and bobs.

[amos_moses]

[Jazz...music...and bobs? Amos blinks a bit at that. Bob haircuts, maybe? Interesting. Having grown up in New Orleans, Amos is rather fond of jazz, as it pervades its birth city and culture.]

Well, depends on the type, but the bad ones mostly try to trade you for your soul or life or possess you.

Being possessed ain't fun, had it happen to me once.

Fortunately we had a good priest along an' he fixed me right quick.

[foundafamily]

[That's another thing Firo had always thought was fake. And he's still not totally convinced, though there's something compelling about the ease with which this guy talks about such things.]

Seriously? What's that like?

[amos_moses]

Hurts like fuckin' hell, pardon my French.

It was a little like a a crazy fever dream, a bad hallucination, but it was all real sharp an' clear, an' everything hurt, from my toes to the top of my head.

Then our priest hit me in the face with the Good Book and knocked me out.

[This last with a chuckle, because it's not exactly the prescribed way, but whatever works in a pinch. Amos had certainly been grateful and in no way inclined to nitpick the details.]

[foundafamily]

[There's a brief pause, and then Firo laughs as well. Who doesn't love a direct approach?]

Wow. You know, he sounds pretty tough for a priest.

[Though maybe demon-fighting is routine for that guy and so he's built up the requisite muscle.]

[amos_moses]

He was military, before I knew him, so that'd make anyone tough.

Well, and that weren't his first demon, neither.

[It wasn't the first Judeo-Christian demon Amos had encountered, either, and probably won't be the last, but the only one that had tried to possess him. He's more careful about where he leaves his rosary now.]

[foundafamily]

What, does he make a career outta hittin' people with Bibles? Or does he just get 'lucky'?

[amos_moses]

He works with a mercenary company, so he sees a lot of dirty work.

Where I come from, sometimes dirty work means evil spirits an' demons are involved. Most times it's just bad people.

[foundafamily]

If that's the case, your world doesn't seem all that weird.

[He can't even really deny the 'bad people' part despite being one of them.]

[amos_moses]

I don't think it's too weird at all. But then, I live there, so...

[Maaaaybe he's biased. Just a little bit. Plus, he's always been more intrigued than frightened by the supernatural in the world, drawn to the mystery and beauty of myth and legends.]