hadriel | One | Video | Birds and Fish

[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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

You're tellin' us to cozy up to the birds and the fish? Why exactly should we listen to a guy who thinks birds talk to him?

[Because the birds talk to him. Duh, Firo.]

[Maketh looks vaguely intrigued by the idea, though she's not a fan of the birds. At all.] Clever. I appreciate that.

[a pause]

Can you - ask them to stop mimicking voices?

... you can communicate with them?

They're Capitol mutts.

[ that's it's. that's her point. ]

Your choice to believe me or not.

I don't think they talk to me, I know they do. It's a talent of mine.

[Amos's grin is cheerful and broad. Think what you like, he knows his own abilities.]

[cliff doesn't even actually bother to say anything at first in response to amos' post, just gives him a very obvious look of "you must be fucking kidding me" in light of his request.

there's honestly no need for words, his face is more than enough.]

Sorry, no. It's what they do. Instead of making their own songs, they imitate what they hear.

[Amos shrugs, then winces as the bird on his shoulder pecks his earrngs. At least it's not after his Monroe piercing!]

Ow!

I can talk to animals, so, yeah.

You know about them?

Can you tell me about them?

[Amos sends back a cheery wave and grin. Hi sullen teenager! Cheer up!]

[Maketh looks a touch strained at the information.] Oh.

Then...where did they hear these voices?

[ugh, gross.]

.............. I'm not gonna fucking be nice to those things.

Why not?

[Amos genuinely wants to know. He winces as the bird on his shoulder pecks at his earrings: there are three for it to choose from in that ear, but he's just glad the bird isn't trying to get after his Monroe piercing. That one's a bit more tender.]

Ow, hey, careful!

That's not a talent, that's called bein' delusional.

[But having not gotten the rise he wanted, Firo gives up with a 'hmph.' He moves to the next line of questioning.]

But let's pretend you're right... what's the point in feedin' the fish, too? They're fish.

[does cliff even have to answer that because he feels like the birds just answered for him right now.

he doesn't have any earrings, but when he opens his mouth to answer amos regardless (because at this point he's already doubting amos' ability to understand the obvious) he might just catch a glimpse of metal in cliff's mouth from a tongue ring.]

Because they're assholes.

Well, for one, it's nice to help out the world around you.

For another, if they're used to being fed, you can catch 'em easier.

[Amos, despite his ability to speak with animals, is not remotely vegeterian. He doesn't like hunting himself (with his talent it feels like cheating) but in his opinion there's a food chain for a reason, and humans are just another predator in it. How the world works, from an animal point of view.]

[Amos recognizes the gleam of metal for what it is: he has his own tongue-piercing. He still doesn't lose his grin, because he's used to grumpy glares and scathing retorts from his friend back home. Affection disguised as disdain has made Amos practically immune to the kind of look Cliff is giving him.]

They can be pretty obnoxious, yeah, but they're mostly just curious an' loud.

Could be worse, they could be racoons.

[Who are more obnoxious because they have hands and get into everything, as far as Amos is concerned. He reaches up and offers a berry to the bird on his shoulder, distracting it from his earrings.]

They're from my world and I don't like them.

[ but in the interest of not being a sour bitch: ]

what do you want to know?

...Wow. That doesn't strike you as a bit cruel?

Raccoons don't scream like humans.

[and they were much easier for cliff to chase as a wolf. seriously, having wings was cheating.]

[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?

Is that magic or ... something else?

Well, some call it magic? It's not...totally normal where I come from, but it's not unheard of, either.

But I was born with it, so it's not a spell or enchantment. It's just something I can do.

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.]

[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?

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