[Video]

[nomen_est_numen]

Shen has been poking and prodding at the screen of this phone for a while, now, and is just about getting the hang of it when he curiously pokes the communicate app. Whups.

Your screen shows you the typical ceiling of an apartment. They do all look alike, after all, it could be anyone's ceiling. However, then the view is tilted and well, shit, the place is being overrun with avians, it seems, because here's YET ANOTHER TALKING BIRD.

... Admittedly, a very pretty talking bird. This fellow resembles nothing more than a white peacock with red and black added as an afterthought and sounds like his CV might include at least eight years at RADA. If... talking birds have CVs. Or attend RADA. You never know. He's wearing white and grey silk robes.

"Well, now at least I know what this one does..." he muses. There's a pause, and then he resumes talking. "Oh, yes." He picks up a sheet of paper with one wing and blinks at it. "'Don't forget to introduce yourself to the community.' Don't forget, indeed. I suppose that's their idea of humour." He drops the paper. "Well, then. My name is Shen and..." Blinkblink. "That's all, I'm afraid." His eyes move rather a lot, one might notice. "At least I know I'm not alone in this detestable condition," he finishes in a rueful mutter.

((Whups, forgot this bit...))
He shifts uncomfortably, reaches into a sleeve, and produces a shiny, feather-shaped throwing knife, which he eyes dubiously before tossing it aside where it hits something offscreen with a clattery metallic sound, as though it's simply landed in a pile of similar items. "Another one... why in the world would I have these in my feathers?"

...

Say hello to the pretty birdie?

Comments

[washurhair]

There's something strangely familiar about seeing a bird holding a knife in its wing but the memory passes as quickly as it came. After all, ducks don't need to wear glasses.

"At least you came with weapons. Shampoo didn't get hers back until yesterday!" The girl shakes her head before shooting Shen a confused look. "You know, I not surprised that you can talk. I'm more surprised that you wear clothes."

[nomen_est_numen]

"The only reason I 'came with them' seems to be because they were laced into my feathers. I've found fifty-three of them so far!" Squirm. Rummage. Toss. "Fifty-four." He reaches offscreen and pulls a guan dao polearm into view. "Not to mention this in my tail!"

At her second statement, he looks puzzled. "Why... wouldn't I wear clothes?" He looks down at his robes, then back at the screen. "I'd feel rather naked without them...."

[washurhair]

Her eyes widen at the sight of the pole arm. "Aiya! You know how to use that?" Perhaps he is a fellow marital artist? It's been long since she could hone her skills against another, even if the other is more avian than human. "It been a while since I've used one like that, I more proficient with chui [Melon Hammers]."

"Well, birds don't normally wear clothes? Maybe dogs if owner is weird like that but..." She trails off and shrugs.

[nomen_est_numen]

You're just trying to get Shen to strip, aren't you, you minx?

He regards the guan dao for a moment, then puts it aside. "I must have done... I can't think of any other reason why it would be stored in my feathers unless someone else decided to use me as a walking armoury."

"I'm ... not a normal bird, mow, am I? ... Am I? Perhaps I come from somewhere where it's normal for birds to wear clothing because it ... feels normal."

[washurhair]

Shampoo hums to herself. That's true, different worlds have different rules. Though it is a bit sad, she thought he might have come from her world. "Oh well, it just seems silly... but useful too."

She tilts her head side to side as she thinks out loud. "You could surprise enemies looking like that... they underestimate you and then you hit them in their moment of weakness. Ah." She stares at the camera as if she just realized something. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Shampoo from Village of Women Warriors in China. Nice to meet you."

video;

[gandere]

Okay, where's the person that's really talking for you? I'm not falling for this. No way.

Re: video;

[nomen_est_numen]

"What on earth are you talking about?" Wow, whoever it is has got those beak movements down solid. "This is my voice.... unless I used to sound like someone else."

video;

[gandere]

[ After dealing with prinnies, she ought to be used to it. Still, she's a bit wary about it. ]

It's just... birds normally don't speak.

[nomen_est_numen]

Shen opens his beak to counter and then stops. Blinks. Lowers the feather he'd raised like a finger.

"...Then how... Why is...." He gathers his scattered thoughts. It isn't every day you have such a fundamental aspect of your self questioned, and even more rare to be lacking the experience to back up an answer.

"The people who examined me earlier didn't seem to find me all that anomalous...." he finally says.

[gandere]

Really...

[ She tries to not sound surprised. ]

I'm just not used to it myself. I think .. I don't remember too much about home really. That's the strange thing, you know? Talking birds might be common back from where I come from.

[trustycrowbar]

Damned if I know, fluffball. Maybe to weigh yourself down? How many do you have! From the sounds of it you've been molting them constantly.

[nomen_est_numen]

"'Fluffball?'" Shen echoes as though it's a word in a foreign language, dragging his pronunciation over every letter. One long black eyebrow is quirked. "I am not fluffy." LIES. BRAZEN LIES. He's more feathers than bird. He plucks yet another knife out of his plumage. "And so far, I have... fifty-eight of these things. I've been ...molting them for the last three hours, ever since I left that laboratory."

[trustycrowbar]

Fifty-eight?! Christ almighty, where didya hide them all? No, wait, on second thought, don't answer that. I'm better off not knowing I think. I wanna say they're weapons, though why you'd need THAT many I have no idea.

[Except maybe around Thanksgiving...]

[nomen_est_numen]

Pluck. "Fifty-nine. They were somehow woven into the feathers of my wings and tail, along with this polearm and two rope darts." Because fuck your sensibilities. "They look as though they might be... throwing knives, I think. Hm. To be honest, though, I don't know why I'd need that many, either."

[trustycrowbar]

Me neither. What would you be so afraid of to have that many weapons in the first place?

[stinglikeabat]

Joachim strides into the apartment with a mailbox over his shoulder.

"I heard voices... Is someone in here?"

Whether Shen's in the same room or not, he's not exactly looking around at peacock height. Nor is he all that observant.

[nomen_est_numen]

He'd have to be looking at just about his own eye-level, as Shen is larger than your average peacock. Indeed, in his foot armour, he stands just about five feet tall....

Which is probably still really tiny compared to the behemoth who just walked in the door. At any rate, the next voice Joachim hears is, indeed, Shen's, but all it says is "GYAH!" There's a loud fluttering sound and now there's a bird crouched on the table, crest bristling and tail fanned out, brandishing a... phone.

Aheh.

[stinglikeabat]

Dear lord, it's some sort of palette-swapped chocobo! Joachim shifts into fighting stance on reflex, mailbox held at the ready.

"I don't know what you're doing in here, but if it's a fight you want, you'll get it!"

*cackles* I'mma have to remember that chocobo line! XD

[nomen_est_numen]

"I live here!" Shen squawks. "What are y--" he notices all he's brandishing is a phone and quickly picks up the guan dao instead. It slips right into his wings and fits comfortably there. "What are you doing in here? Why are we waving weapons at each other? And why does this thing fit in my wings so well?!"

Although with the "hands" he's more of a Chocobo-Prinny hybrid

[stinglikeabat]

"Those are all very good questions!"

Joachim shifts one hand off the mailbox in order to stroke his chin and look thoughtful. Talking peacocks in classy oriental outfits are... not something he's run into before, but he's seen weirder.

"In order! It looks like you're my new roommate, it must be reflexes, and try not to think about it!"

[rainbowbrush]

Another talking bird?! Jeez.

[nomen_est_numen]

Shen quirks one eyebrow. "Do forgive me for boring you with my very existence." Criminy, the sarcasm is pooling on the floor.

[rainbowbrush]

I'll forgive you when you're not boring.

[Sarcasm ignored.]

[nomen_est_numen]

".... Shall I dance for your amusement?"

You can't ignore that much sarcasm.

[rainbowbrush]

[She grins. Oh yes she can.]

Okay!