11025/On Top of the World, or Titans Tower

On Top of the World, or Titans Tower
Date of Scene:	09 February 2020
Location:	Roof, Titans Tower
Synopsis:	Beast Boy finds Kian atop the roof of Titans Tower, doing some kind of ritual. He then finds another chance to help Kian feel more comfortable on Earth, in a way only he can.
Cast of Characters:	Kian t'Kaeh, Beast Boy

---

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    February on Long Island has challenging weather, with the winds that knife in from the Atlantic, running into the prevailing continental weather sweeping in from the west over the Plains and Rust Belt.
    That notwithstanding, it's actually not bad tonight.  It's cold, but the winds are down and the sky is clear.
    In front of a small, smoky fire in the fire pit stands Kían.  The smoke smells faintly of cinnamon; what little wind there is blows from Kían's back, blowing the smoke away from him.  His eyes are closed, his arms are spread wide, his wings are held high, and there's a chant-like quality to his alien words, although the scale is not a Western twelve-tone.
    And he seems completely oblivious to the weather... which may be a little hard to believe, considering the only thing he's wearing is his pendant.

Beast Boy has posed:
There are times the resident jokester of the Titans comes to the roof to just let some things be. Yes, it's cold, but there are various ways of dealing with that. Sometimes it's taking on a form that will provide added warmth. Others, it's simply adding an extra layer or two over what's worn.

The costume doesn't hurt, for that matter. They tend to be on the minimal side for a lot of the people that do the things they do, and it really wouldn't work if any bit of wind or cold cut through the material as if it wasn't even there.

So, that's how Beast Boy is dressed as he exits onto the rooftop, and immediately he's aware of the fire pit in use along with the smoke emanating from it. Eyes then pass from there toward the figure on his feet, the wings out. No question who those belong to, but the way he's dressed - rather, /not/ dressed - draws a bit of staring. At first, he listens. Then, he clears his throat and coughs into a hand.

"I didn't know you did stuff like that, buddy, but aren't you a little cold?"

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían continues chanting as if he had not been addressed.  Then the singsong flow of syllables stops, and the birdman brings his hands together in front of his face.  He slowly settles to one knee, then bows forward, forehead almost touching the floor, wings spread wide until his wingtips just brush the rooftop.
    He stays that way for maybe fifteen, twenty seconds.
    Then he straightens up and shakes his head as if clearing it.  "Oh!  /Kié/, Gar.  Forgive me, I was in trance.  I haven't done my regular rites for a while."  He still seems completely oblivious to the weather -- and to his state of undress.  "I know you said something, but I didn't register it."  He busies himself with putting out the small fire in the fire pit.  "I hope no one minds that I used some of the herbs and spices from the kitchen."

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy works a finger around one of his ears as Kian continues unabated, oblivious to the fact he has an observer. Gar's hands come to meet in back of him and he rocks back and forth on his feet, examining a variety of other things around them, including the buildings off in the distance.

Only after Kian's finally realized he isn't alone, and has responded to Gar, does the green Titan look back his way with a crooked grin. "You're lucky I wasn't in a pranking mood. That's all I'm going to say about that. I just came to hang out, but I see you already..are." A roll of the shoulders leads to a shrug, after. "Did you know there are eleven herbs and spices in Kentucky Fried Chicken's original recipe? How many did you have in there?" The pit is pointed to.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    "Kentucky fried--!"  Kían has been on Earth long enough to know that a chicken is a bird, at least, and for a moment looks almost as greenish as Gar.  He swallows hard, and forces out, "Cinnamon, mint, citrus and salt.  They were as close as I could find to the traditional additives from home."  He grips the edge of the fire pit, and takes a couple deep and hopefully calming breaths.  "Please don't joke about cooking birds.  Especially in connection with my rites."  He doesn't sound angry.  He *does* sound serious.

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy handwaves at Kian. "It was worth it to see that reaction, but I'm not trying to, ahh, make light of whatever you were just doing," he explains, the same hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck for a spell. "So if it matters, sorry."

He isn't going into hiding with Kian the way he is, so that ought to say something. "I don't know anything about all that stuff, anyway. But, you could catch a cold out here like that if you aren't careful. You don't exactly have feathers everywhere."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    "It does matter," Kían says gently, "to me.  But I know you meant no harm, so I will take no offense.  And now you know better, and I think I can trust you to respect that."
    He spreads and re-folds his wings.  "Would you toss me my kilt please?" he asks, pointing to a rumpled pile of cloth on a nearby chair.  Gar's question finally seems to land; he looks down at himself, then around at the night sky.  "Oh, the cold?  I create my own infrared cocoon.  My /rhy'thar/ has its uses," he explains, smiling shyly.

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy apparently doesn't have anything to say by way of adding to the thought of no harm meant or respecting things like that. Instead, he asks, "So what was that all about, anyway? Were you praying?"

He fetches the kilt, suddenly taking on the appearance of what would normally be a golden retriever, still trying to speak even now with his mouth full. "Mmmnff mff nfrr!" He spits it out, adding, "No kidding? That's convenient. I've never really been a kilt kind of guy."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían laughs gently, and retrieves his kilt from the green-golden retriever.  "Thank you.  Yes, it was a prayer.  Just a standard ritual for this time of year.  I still don't have a feel for the seasons, and I don't know if it's appropriate to do them relative to the seasons on Earth, or the seasons back home on Kyshán.  If I'm wrong either way, I don't think the Gods will mind.  It's the thought that counts.  They know my heart, and my intent."  He wraps the kilt about his waist with a practiced move, and ties off the belt, then -- seemingly as much on instinct or impulse more than anything else -- he bends down and pats Gar-dog on top of the head, and a scritch behind the ear.  It just seemed the right thing to do.  "I haven't done any of the rites in a while.  I feel a lot better now."

Beast Boy has posed:
"I think you're safe to go by whatever season it is here," Gar-dog explains, his head tilted toward one side in obvious thought. "It wouldn't make a lot of sense to do some sort of summer prayer in the middle of a snowstorm.

As he glances around again, he sniffs in the direction of the fire pit and asks, "What were the rites for, and.." He's interrupted by the sensation of the hand around his head and ear, and he reacts by letting his tongue loll out of his mouth, tail thumping.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían checks his belt, and then kneels down to continue petting the top of Gar-dog's head.  Physical contact; he can sense that it's being enjoyed.
    "It wasn't anything special, just one of the personal rituals one may do without a priest in attendance.  Part worship, part thank you to Them."  He shrugs.  "I gather there are many gods worshiped on Earth, but none of them are the same as mine, I suppose."

Beast Boy has posed:
As human or animal, there are some things that are just difficult /not/ to enjoy, and this is one of those moments. And, there's a sense of warmth right around Kian, something he can actually feel near the head, less so around the tail.

"Yeah, that's nice," Gar answers, the very image of distraction right now. Bad time to tell him anything of significance.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Balanced on his toes, Kían sits back a little.  "So, were you up here looking for me?  Is there something going on inside I need to be aware of?"  The area of warm air expands, to take in all of Gar as well.

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy rolls over onto his side, a couple paws up, the top of his head against the ground to expose more of the chin and throat. "Yeah, sure," he mumbles, the distraction growing as he scoots the rest of himself within the range of warmth whether he was already there or not. "You've done this before. I can tell."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Tilting his head inquisitively, Kían asks, "Done what before?  My prayers?  Of course I have."  He can, of course, sense where Gar wishes to be petted -- telepathy is awfully handy -- and does so without even thinking about it. "And you didn't answer my question," he adds with a smirk.

Beast Boy has posed:
"No, this." Gar reaches up with a paw to 'pet' at Kian's face, which doesn't work nearly as well as the other way around, but it may get the point across. Whatever benefits the telepathy provide no doubt help, but it may also pick up on something else. As Beast Boy asks, "What was the question, again?" there's reason to suspect he's already forgotten it given the moment.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían giggles.  "I asked if you came up here for a reason, if I was needed inside or something," he says, rubbing a fluffy Gar-dog cheek.  "There really aren't any animals like this on my world.  I was friendly with some of the tree-climbers around my home, but they were a lot smaller than... than whatever you are right now."

Beast Boy has posed:
A moment later, Kian is left rubbing not a dog cheek, but Beast Boy's own. He's still on his back, so his perspective while looking up is skewed considerably, but even now, he wriggles his way a few inches closer. "You /are/ warm like this. And what kind of tree-climbers? Monkeys? Little ones? Pygmy marmosets like this?"

Another moment later, a /tiny/ little monkey, sized to fit in Kian's hand, is scaling him to climb up toward the shoulder. "Or is it something different?"

The actual question still hasn't been answered.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    "I am *never* going to get used to that," Kían says, although he holds still while the tiny green monkey scrambles up onto his shoulder.  Then he clears his mind.  {/Here, let me show you/,) he 'sends, {/that'll be easiest.  I don't think you have anything quite like it on Earth... but I don't know your wildlife that well, so maybe there is/.}
    What appears from Kían's mind's eye is something the size of a flying squirrel, but with markings and head and forepaws not unlike a raccoon.  {/There were a couple /rut'yw/ that had kind of adopted me.  Or at least knew I was good for a handout/.}

Beast Boy has posed:
The monkey's eyes close, just after making it to the top of Kian's head to hold on with a few small handfuls of hair. With the psychic connection in place, this time around Gar says nothing so far, but the mental image comes in as clearly as if he'd seen them himself. The only thing he doesn't really know is what such a creature could do.

But, with a little more focus, Kian might then feel something else atop his head. One of those creatures. "What kiiiind of handouts?"

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían scoops the green /rut/ down off the top of his head, holding it in both hands and laughing happily.  "Nothing I would have here on Earth, silly!  You don't have /dotí/ snacks here.  And I've seen you raid the kitchen for yourself, you don't need handouts!"
    Without warning, Kían drops himself onto a deck chair, and installs Gar-/rut/ on his chest.
    Most natural thing in the world.
    "There was a /rut/ that liked to curl up on me like this," the birdman explains, with a little hitch in his voice.  "She wasn't a pet, she was one of the local wildlife.  I guess she just liked me."  He grins and laughs.  "Or the handouts."

Beast Boy has posed:
"Hey!" The rut, or whatever it is, flails for a moment before more solid ground is found, or if nothing else, Kian's chest. "Whatever your doti snacks are, I'm sure we have something close to them. And sometimes I feel like I'm going to starve because I can't decide on what to eat. It's hard when there are so many options!"

Gar-/rut's/ head tilts side to side as he observes the way this all seems to leave Kian feeling. Did he find another happy memory purely by chance? "Like this? And is that what I am? A rut?" He, at least, curls up in a way that feels proper as some of the creature's innate abilities are realized.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    "/Rut takh/," Kían says, slipping into his own language.  Since there's physical contact, the translation comes through the mental link: /A /rut/, yes/.  He switches back to English.  "I haven't seen anything really very similar.  There are those gray tree-climbers, but they have a different shape and no gliding membrane."
    Without warning, a mental wave of happiness and a throaty trill escape him.  "You are determined to make me feel at home here, aren't you?  If it wasn't for the skyline, and the stars being all wrong, this would almost be completely normal...."

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy tries a repeat of it. "/Rut takh/, huh?" Just seeing one of those animals actually speaking has to be different, but it's what he does. "Like a sugar glider?" he asks for a comparison, though they do have extra skin with which to glide.

Then he feels another sense of warmth that's different from the physical. This version is more emotional. "Feel at home? Ohhh, I don't know. Think of it as a sort of happy accident or.." There's a moment of introspection, and the animal 'shrugs' again. "Or, yeah. Trying to help you feel more comfortable here. That works too."

He rises from the curled-up position to stand on the larger Kian's torso, placing a small hand to his own furred chest dramatically, the other arm extended outward. "You can thank me any time."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Of course, Kían doesn't know what a sugar glider is -- but he can pick up the image from Gar's mind.  "Maybe?  A /rut/ is quite a bit larger.  Well, you know, you are one right now."
    He can't help but bust out laughing as the green /rut/ on his chest strikes a dramatic pose, but he has enough control to not actually shake Gar off him.  "You are *deeply* silly.  And I do thank you, Gar.  It means a lot to me."

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy makes the visual a little more clear if it takes him focusing further, but he looks down at himself as he is, visibly puffing out his chest. "And super handsome, too. I've never seen a /rut/ that looked as good as I do."

He'd never seen a /rut/ until just a couple minutes ago.

Then he hops off to land beside Kian as himself again, giving the bird-man a light nudge of a shoulder, then a ruffling of the feathers along the nearest wing. "If someone can laugh or smile because of me, mission accomplished."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían sits up, spreading his wings -- and smiling, so mission accomplished.  "I think you'd fit in well on my world.  Once everyone got used to you being green all over.  And that wouldn't take long, once they had the feel of your mind.  You have a good heart."
    He laughs again, leaving space to sit next to him.  "If I ever do find my homeworld, some of you are going to have to come back with me anyway just to prove I'm not having an incredibly detailed hallucination...."

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy takes this as an invitation to 'attack' the wings further, moving behind to give a good kneading around the shoulders and where the wings attach. "You really think they'd be interested?" he asks, quick to add, "Not that it doesn't sound cool. I already have experience acting on a show set in space."

The spot to sit down is not taken..yet. He's looking to see whether similar reactions follow as when he took the form of an Akiar himself.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    If Gar is expecting Kían to melt again... yeah, that's pretty much what happens.  He slumps forward; his wings spread and swing forward as well.
    Either Kían has a lot of tension, or he's just a solid block of muscle -- either way, it's like trying to massage linoleum.  He seems to be trying to force himself to relax, which is probably the surest way to not relax.

Beast Boy has posed:
"I might have to grow some wings again if it feels the way it's making you look right now," Gar lightly points out, shifting around enough that Kian might see him grin if he's looking. "But you're wound up tighter than a ten-day clock."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían doesn't see -- his eyes are closed -- but he can sense it through the mental link.  What he /wanted/ to say was something along the lines of, 'well, what do you expect, it's been years since anyone has done this for me'.  What came out instead was something that might have been spelled "Mmmmnnnnhrrrrrr...," trailing off into that throaty trill again.  Fortunately, what he meant to say comes through the mental link.  Handy, that.

Beast Boy has posed:
"If that's the case, maybe someone will have to do this a little more often," Gar suggests. Yes, at least the link picked up what the ears could not. Hands pause at the base of the wings, and he chuckles. "This is what you're making me think of right now."

Popping up in his head is the picture of a cockatiel fanning its feathers out and quite enjoying a little spray bottle bath.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían laughs -- he can do that, it doesn't involve actually forming words -- at the mental image.  {/Imperial white feathers/,} drifts through his mind, the first connection he makes with the cockatiel.  That's followed by, {/You're not going to spray me, are you/?}
    "Mnnnhrrrr."
    {/That didn't come out quite right.  I meant to say you have a natural touch for this.  But I think you probably guessed that already./}

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy pauses to rub his chin before going back to the wings. "Why, have you been spritzed before? I should find some videos of how much they seem to enjoy that." A kneading continues and he wonders, "How do you keep them clean, anyway? Showers? Because that isn't much different." He's just grinning at the compliment about his aptitude for this. "I've had a little practice."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    {/Showers, yeah/,} Kían confirms, with a mental image of the large, almost airy shower stall from his home.  Either its ceiling is some sort of frosted glass, or the lighting duplicates natural sunlight.  {/And where did you get practice massaging wings/?} he asks with a mental grin.

Beast Boy has posed:
"See, practically the same thing already. I just need a spray bottle big enough..." Beast Boy says, trailing off from there before getting an image of the shower in question. "I never said I massaged wings before, but as far as I can tell it's not that hard. Am I wrong?" He punctuates it with a little extra rubbing in a spot or two, before shifting in place at something. "Now I'm thinking about wings again."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    {/I suppose not/,} Kían replies.  {/If you know how to give a massage, you know how to give a massage, regardless of the presence of wings.  Or anything else, I guess/.}  By this point, Kían is slumped so far forward, he looks practically folded in half.  He's stopped trying to make himself relax, and just let it happen.
    The surrounding area is a little warmer than it had been.  Not uncomfortably so, just a little warmer.

Beast Boy has posed:
It's enough that thinking about going back inside hasn't crossed Gar's mind very much, not once ending up within the area of warmth. "You're about thiiiis close from just turning into a feathery lump right here. We should go back inside before you doze off and both of us freeze." As if he'd allow that to happen, but these are the things that cross his mind. "Need some help up?" He knows he wasn't playing fair.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Somehow Kían collects himself enough to say, "I might."  He seems disinclined -- or unable -- to unfold himself.  Pretty well shot clean past 'relaxed' into 'puddle'.  "I have gotten unused to simple physical contact, I think..."

Beast Boy has posed:
Beast Boy offers a hand up, rather than doing something like shifting into a gorilla and simply carrying Kian over a shoulder. Wouldn't that be something? "You don't seem to mind it that much. So are there any other interesting creatures from your..you know, forget that for now. Next time."