13849/A Sunny Afternoon in the Park

A Sunny Afternoon in the Park
Date of Scene:	03 October 2021
Location:	Columbus Park - Chinatown
Synopsis:	Liansong and Yaozo meet new people.
Cast of Characters:	Yaozu Lin, Liansong "Song" Qing, Pixie, Askante, Kit Killovarras

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Yaozu Lin has posed:
Autumn has come, and the colours of it touch the deciduous trees of Columbus park in lovely fashion. There are rich reds, golden yellows, burnt oranges and still the vibrant greens of warmer months to garb the various and assorted trees. Sun shines past the leaves, shadows and sun dappling the ground of the park. The park is relatively peaceful, and there's a small group of seniors to one side of it where they practice tai chi. Yaozu had spent a little while in watching them, earlier.

Yet that was earlier. Right now, there is perhaps what some would consider to be a strange sight to behold. The black feathers of the avian are fluffed up somewhat, indicating a certain amount of comfort and a relaxed nature to him. His black wings are folded lightly at his back. His black ear tufts are lifted, and his attention is focused on the kongzhu that he's playing with. It's often a children's toy, though adults play with them as equally as do children. A Chinese yo-yo, also called a diabolo. There are a couple of children -- a brother and his younger sister -- and at the moment, the three of them seem to be taking turns with passing the kongzhu from one to the other of them and catching it when it comes to them. More for the children's practice than for Yaozu's, no doubt, for he's had more years than what they have to be good at this particular thing. As is his habit, Yaozu wears a set of Chinese robes of an old style. A medium green for the robes themselves and a lighter green for the long-sleeved undershirt and the leaf embroidery that passes along the sleeves and lower edge of the robes themselves.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
By contrast, Liansong's feathers are so white they almost glow in the sunlight dappling beneath the trees. At least, where the sunlight hits them, rather than the shade. He wears, unlike his avian brethren, a pair of loose fitting pants in a pretty shade of sapphire blue, and an equally loose fitting black teeshirt with a curled up purring kitten on the front. He's sitting not far from where Yaozu is playing yoyo with the kiddies. A sketch pad is open on his lap, and he's sketching out a picture. In this case, it seems to be a landscape of the park. No people have been added yet, but they may come at some point.

"Let me know when you're hungry, mate," he says, Australian accent thick and obvious, and wholly odd coming from a beak. The beak is pink. The bare feet are pebbled and pink, and taloned like any owl's. Even his hands look like the hands of a bird, with 4 fingers tipped with talons. Despite this, he doesn't seem to have any trouble at all holding onto or manipulating the pencil held between those fingers. His feathers, too, are fluffed out a bit, a bit more than Yaozu's. It's a bit chillier than he cares for.

Pixie has posed:
It's a nice mild autumn day and Megan is rather enjoying dancing and fro licking in the leaves, enjoying the satisfying crunch under her feet as she moves. She practically dances in fact as she wanders through the park, pausing to look at everything in marvel and wonder. And of course her steps take her towards the two unusual humanoid avians, and the kids playing yo-yo. She just pauses for a moment to watch as she searches for a bench to sit on. But of course she probably sticks out like a sore thumb herself with her bright pink hair and glittering wings.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The tossing of the kongzhu between the three of them continues for a few more rounds. Then there comes the sound of a woman's voice from across the way in the park, calling out a pair of names -- names which happen to belong to the children. The boy pauses as he's about to make a toss of the kongzhu to his sister, and he looks for a moment in the direction of the voice, then to Yaozu. And Yaozu simply gives a nod, and there's a smile that parts his beak. The children quickly gather up their kongzhus, and thank him in Chinese for the play. Yaozu brings his hands together, back of his right hand against the palm of his left hand, and he extends his arms as he bows to them. He straightens, then thanks them in turn, also in Chinese. The boy and girl take each other's hand and then set off at a half run towards their mother.

For a moment, Yaozu watches them go. Once, he had been their age. He bends down to scoop up his own kongzhu, a colourful thing, and then he turns to Liansong with a smile, his hazel eyes bright. "I could eat. I could also wait, though," Yaozu says with a grin parting his beak. His wings shift a bit at his back, and he takes a moment to stretch them out to either side of him, holding them extended briefly before folding them back into place. He starts to walk towards Liansong, carrying the toy. There's a glance that he casts across the park, a watchful sort of thing, for some habits are hard to break, his attention caught on the sight of the young woman with the glittering wings and bright pink hair. Yet his attention turns back to Liansong. "It has become a lovely day," he comments, giving a small nod. It was a fair bit cooler this morning than what it is now.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
With an owl's field of vision, of course Liansong doesn't miss another person approaching. But the fact is, this is a very public space, so at first he doesn't pay the person much mind. Not until the glittering catches his attention. Liansong's hand with the pencil in it pauses and his head swivels, much like an owl's would, to look at the bright pink hair and glittering wings. "Oi. Yaozu," he calls out to the black avian. "We're not the only ones with wings anymore." He sounds excited and happy about that prospect. He hasn't met many others here who have wings.

Liansong's attention is diverted back to Yaozu. He grunts and shakes his head. "Too bloody cold for my taste," he states. Firmly. "I should have brought a jacket. Next time I will be. Thank God I have feathers or I'd be freezin'." He glances once again to the pink bedecked woman, his crystal blue eyes full of curiousity.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn peers at the two avians, wondering if they are mutants and steps closer for a better look. As the kids run off and the yo-yo is retrieved, she breaks out into a smile, "Ooh a yo-yo, so cool! I haven't played with one of those in a long time." she giggles as she catches parts of their conversations, although her focus turns towards their shining feathers, "Wow, such pretty feathers..Can you fly too?"

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The pause of Liansong's pencil to the paper draws Yaozu's attention to the page that he was drawing on. He tilts his head to one side, the gesture more owlish than human. He glances briefly towards the young woman and then back to Liansong before giving a nod to him. "I did not think that we were the only ones with them before," he says, sounding a touch amused. "We simply have not crossed paths with others who have them, until now," he adds, sounding pleased.

The afternoon is sunny, with no sign of this morning's chill, and the leaves are wearing their fall colours and doing so quite prettily. Yaozu's black feathers are slightly fluffed, and he lifts a hand to push his long braid of hair back over his left shoulder. "Ah'Song," he says softly, reaching out a hand to settle the toy to the bench and thus free his hands. "You should have said, if you are chilled," he adds, giving a faint nod. He easily slips off the long silk jacket that is worn over his robes, catching the garment up in the fingers of his left hand as he offers it forth to Liansong. "You could use this more than I, ah'Song," he says in a soft and gentle sort of tone. He, with his feathers black as midnight, might well feel the warmth of sunlight more than what Liansong does. "I will pay mind to the temperature. Next time, I will check it and tell you what it is before we venture out. Fair?" he offers, his smile returning.

His gaze turns towards the young woman, and he tilts his head to one side, just a touch more owlish than human. "Of a fashion, yes. The name I know it by is a kongzhu," Yaozu says in a polite tone. He doesn't verbally answer the question about flying, though his gaze falls to the ground and his feathers slick a bit and his wings snug closer against his back.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Liansong flips the sketch pad closed before sitting it on the ground, pocketting the pencil. He rises to his feet and stretches, both wings fanning out with it. His feathers all gleam with good health. His beak gapes open in a sort of owlish smile. "I can fly. Yaozu is learning yet, hasn't quite gotten the trick of it." He sounds rather amused as he bends down to retrieve the sketch pad from where it sits.

Liansong snorts a breath out his nares. "I did just say," he points out. He doesn't hesitate in reaching for the silken jacket to the robes, and slips it on. He really must be cold!

"It isn't going to matter much what the temperature happens to be. I'm going to be cold. It's a lot warmer where I'm from." His beak gapes open in an owl grin. "Thanks, mate. Appreciate it." At Yaozu's reaction to the question about flying, Liansong reaches out a finger and makes his best attempt to flick the black avian right on his beak.

Askante has posed:
Chinatown is an odd place, for some. It is for Askante, who generally speaking doesn't get quite as much of a headache here as in the rest of the city. Recent encounters have left it smacking down its curiosity though, which probably accounts for its trash-bin to trash-bin investigations. The simple behaviour makes it seem like a hobo, a down and out seeking a meal and therefore to most, that's what it probably appears like. Or anything that would logically be looking through trash. To those with a certain kind of sight though, it's just plain strange to see something seven foot tall and black scaled, with multiple arms and a long serpentine tail, hunting through the garbage in broad daylight.... /not/ being run from by people screaming. And that's definitely the case, no major screams being had from the others enjoying the park. Its long trenchcoat has seen many better days and hangs loose from its tall, lanky frame. "No trash. Nobody throws anything good here. Always gristle and cartilage, the good stuff goes home. Should've known, Sina was always frugal and sensible with food."

It stops by the bin closest to the little gathering and observes, blinking black eyes several times at the sight of such a strange trio out in the warmth of an afternoon sun. But then again, this is chinatown. "Huh!" in a pleasantly surprised tone, no less.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles, clasping her hands behind her back as she peers at them thoughtfully, "Oh no, I know a few people gifted with wings, one with feathered wings like yours too. Isn't it wonderful, being able to fly? I've never felt so free!" she doesn't seem at all afraid of their appearances and peers again towards the yo-yo. "Ooh that's cool, may I see it?"

She takes a step back as Song spreads out those wings, smile widening, "Oh wow, they really are beautiful..So e day I'd love to join you in flight, maybe we can even race!" she giggles but is interrupted by her phone which rigs madly at her. "Meep! Looks like I gotta meet a friend and I'm late! But maybe we'll cross paths again..Later!" and she's already dashing off, this time taking o the skies as she oreads those glittery wings, clearly not much for hiding.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Everything about the park, from the atmosphere to the people here is pretty standard, calm and nice and all around a good place to find yourself wandering through and that? That is exactly what the young, slender figure that probably looks remarkably out of place here is doing! Right up until he accidentally bumps into someone, which leads to whats looks like it's about to be a moment of shared apologies. Then a sudden scream escapes the person he bumped into and they take off running.

Maybe because the figure is nearly six feet tall and obscuring literally every part of his body? An over sized black hoodie, baggy black jeans, hands in his pockets pretty much non stop. The only thing that might stand out as weird in his attire other than the shady look of him, is the fact that he's not visibly wearing shoes... The hem of his pants have been tailored to the point where he's likely not tripping on them, but he's probably bare-foot too.

The scavenging Askante gets a glance from the hooded figure and he just sort of shakes his head a little bit. "Looking for something to snack on?" he asks, his voice able to carry just enough to be heard clearly.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The black avian gives a small nod to Liansong's words that come as the jacket is accepted, and he seems pleased. "Yes, you did," he affirms. Once the jacket has been accepted and donned, his left hand returns to his side and his right hand slips to rest at the small of his back, vanished away and out of sight. "You are welcome, ah'Song. Always," he says, giving a small nod. "You will weather it, ah'Song. We will find you a good winter coat that will keep you warm," he promises.

As it would happen, there's more to flying than just flapping wings. Who knew? Yaozu wasn't born with the wings he has, and so he's a bit behind the learning curve, as it might be said. Given that he was looking down in the moment, and the fact that he never seems to expect it to happen, he blinks twice in quick succession at the flick to his beak, his ear tufts laying back. And he seems at a loss for words, at least momentarily. His beak snicks a little bit and he gives Liansong a bit of a sheepish look. In the hindsight of it, he usually knows what caused it to happen, at least.

Yaozu is possessed of no special sight beyond that which an owl would have, and so the hobo that's hunting out a meal amongst the trash earns a curious look when he passes his gaze next across the park. Yet his attention is distracted by the young woman near who asks about the kongzhu, the question earning a small nod from him. He tilts his head a bit to one side as she continues to speak, mentioning being late before dashing off. He blinks as he watches her, and then he gives a small shake of his head.

There's a scream then, which causes his attention to turn in the direction of it, and his left hand slips amongst the folds of silk of his robes. He says nothing, though he looks over what can be seen of the clothing obscured figure. He shifts his position slightly, to put himself a bit more between Liansong and might potentially be a threat. His attention returns to Liansong, watching him. The moment of fun and play is gone and lost, it would seem.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Given that Liansong is a man sized humanoid owl, the sight of Askante isn't really all that strange. There's a glance, and then distraction away from the creature and back to the fairy. "It is wonderful," he agrees, about flying. "Nothing in the world quite like it." He grins again and nods enthusiastically. "I would love to join you in flight. I wouldn't even mind a race!" He waves a hand as she makes her way away. "Good day!" His accent is still very much Aussie.

"Oh, no worries there. I've already gone one ordered." A good winter coat, that is. As far as flying goes... Liansong shakes his head at the black avian when that sheepish look appears. "No bird is born knowing how to fly, mate. We all have to learn the hard way too."

The scream brings him to looking as well. As Yaozu shifts in front of him, Liansong makes a tsking sound and steps around him to get a better look. And now he looks more closely at the odd figures there, and more closely at the first figure he'd been distracted from taking a closer look at! "Interesting," he comments.

Askante has posed:
"Yes. Food is expensive here, which does not make sense, except that even farmers must earn good money. But they should if food is cheap, but crops are large. This does not make much sense. Why is a meal often nearly ten or even twenty of the dollars? Reading is hard and it is harder when you are making math in your head," Askante looks up, straightens to its full height which is way up there, gesturing with all four arms in the corners of a star for a moment, in exaggerated exasperation. "I cannot live on raw vegetables and hot dogs. The beggars bowl is not enough in this age. I must find a job." Which...you know... could be problematic. Yeaaaaaaaaaah.

It looks over its shoulder toward the owl people, the one that ignores, the other that does not and witnesses the pixie taking off for wherever she was heading. "Sinatown is strange. This is regular?" it asks, but then just shrugs, taking up a hunched stance, looking sidelong at Kit, then over at Song with a raise of quills and settling of the same, in a kind of display gesture. "Must ask... I have read about human rights. What happens if you are not human? Are there non-human rights?" this apparently asked of Kit.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
"Some people consider meta-humans and mutants to be beneath humanity, so they would argue we don't," Kit says with a little chuckle, taking what looks like a simple protein bar out of his pocket and offers it to Askante. "Give this a try, see what you think. They're actually deceptively filling."

It's when he offers the bar that his nature would be revealed to at least some degree, since he has paws rather than hands. Another good moment to reveal that he is about as human as a dog would be when he glances over to look at Song: His muzzle and facial structure would be in full view to those eyes at the right angle.

"As for spirits, gods and others that would fall into similar categories.. I don't know. Most humans can't recognize creatures like you for what they are though, since few of them have enough of a connection to magic."

Yaozu Lin has posed:
Black wings shift slightly at his back as Yaozu listens to what Liansong says. "Mm," he affirms, giving a small nod. "Yes, that is true. There are times when it is easy to have patience over it and there are times when it is more challenging to do so," he says softly. He doesn't point out the obvious -- that other birds or avians learn to fly at an age that is much younger than what he's at currently. Yet he is determined to learn, and that will likely help in the long run.

He gives a nod to Liansong, a smile parting his beak. "That is good, ah'Song. Hopefully it will arrive soon and before the snow comes," Yaozu says. He takes a moment to look across the park, keeping an eye on those others who are present in the park, paying a small amount of attention to the conversation that reaches his ears. There's a glance towards Liansong at that tsking sound that he makes, and he inclines his head slightly towards him. "Gomen," he says softly. A casual version of 'sorry' in Japanese. It's not unusual for him to revert to Japanese.

There is a soft chirp that comes from amongst the silk folds of his robes, and it takes Yaozu only a moment to retrieve the device that made the sound. He unlocks the device and checks the message before sending a reply, and then he tucks the device away before looking to Liansong. "I must go back. I will see you later, ah'Song," he says softly, half bowing to him. He tarries only a few moments beyond that before he picks up the kongzhu and then starts to make his way to leave the park.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Despite the distance, not that it's far, Liansong can clearly hear the conversation being had. "Non-humans have rights. Of a sort," he says. "Protected species and all that." He does indeed catch full view of the muzzle and facial structure of the behooded person. But, given the fact that he's a humanoid owl... neither appearance of either seem to upset him overly much. Perhaps he's been there and seen that.

He nods somewhat absently to Yaozu. "I'm sure it will," he murmurs. "Er. The coat, I mean." He blinks and looks from the two to the black avian beside him. He nods and reaches out a hand to pat Yaozu on the shoulder. "No worries, mate." He goes quiet at that chirp of sound, and then nods again at the words which follow. "I'll be back later. Maybe I'll bring something tasty." He winks one big blue eye. Liansong watches the black avian walk away and turns to look to the other two. He remains for a moment before he starts to walk in their direction.

Askante has posed:
"Protected species?" This from ASkante as it looks around and down at itself and then to Song. "Never has worked. Never will work." It says that with all kinds of genuine sorrow about the tone, but it nods to Kit. "Can't see me, don't know me. How can you protect what you don't know?" Then something seems to sting it like a bee and it yelps lightly. "Bigfearbigfear... Bomb threat. Must go!"

ANd just like that, the creature is gone. Poof! Teleportation has benefits, donchaknow. But now there might be all kinds of questions!

Kit Killovarras has posed:
"Wait.." the Aardwolf says, "Bomb thre-" he doesn't even get half way through the thought - or rather, through the threat - before he's left there holding a protein bar with an owl walking towards him and he just sort of has that moment of deer in the headlights.

"Haven't seen it do that before..." he says in response to Askante's sudden moment of poof! After a moment, he gives a shrug and slips the bar back into his pocket, then uses the same hand to give a little wave at the approaching bird.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Liansong nods and seems to share the sorrow. "Doesn't really work. People still poach them. Deforestation and human expansion still kill them off." His beak makes a clacking sound as he grinds it together. The sound might be a little frustrated! He blinks at the bigfearbigfear and bomb threat. "What? Where??" And then the creature is gone. His feathers all slick back and he digs into his pocket for his cellphone. He gets it out and on and starts flipping through it. "Well, nothin' on the news..." Perhaps it wasn't too big of a bomb threat?

He tucks the phone away and looks to the canid looking creature. He stares at the hooded figure for a long moment, then clacks his beak again. "Aardwolf?" He glances to where the creature had disappeared, and then back to the hooded figure as he comes to a stop not too distant but not too close either. The white whings at his back are quite hidden beneath the long silken jacket that one would wear over Asian style robes. It is a medium green with leaf embroider along the sleeves and lower edge of it. It's quite lovely, all things told. It doesn't do much to hide the shape of the wings along his back, however. They still stick up a bit like if he were a hunchback. "What was that creature, anyway?"

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit studies the bird momentarily, then nods when he guesses his species right, the comment getting a little smile and a chuckle as he muses, "Right. Well, at least someone got it right today. Most people mistake me for a werewolf." Then he looks at the phone for a moment, then to where Askante was and gives a little shrug, "A spirit.. A very old spirit who embodies fear." Then he tilts his head a little before he adds, "As for the bomb threat... It probably wont be an issue. If the spirit went to deal with it, chances are it likely wont even make the news. Or if it does, it'll be under a headline like 'incompetant criminal botches bombing attempt' or something like that."

Now he finally takes a moment to fully study the feathery individual, their attire and how their wings cause that attire to look. He doesn't stare though, more the opposite in fact, he gives the mans attire a little once over with his eyes, then extends a hand and gives a simple, "Name's Kit."

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Liansong blinks large crystal blue eyes. "But you don't look anything like wolf, mate!" He sounds truly dumbfounded! He shakes his head and mutters half under his breath. "People are idiots." He nods about the very old spirit of fear. "Makes sense, I guess. But I'm glad it will be dealt with, either way."

He extends his hand and wraps four fingers around Kit's hand. Four fingers in zygodactyl fashion, with two fingers facing forward, and two facing backward, like thumbs, almost. "Qing Liansong. You can call me Liansong or Song." The shake shows that he's quite capable of cripping very tightly with those fingers, tightly enough to support his own body weight, but he doesn't squeeze that hard. His fingers remain mostly loose with just a hint of firmness to them. And he's careful not to scratch the other with his talons.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Everything about the way Kit shakes someones hand is telling something about him. A remarkably delicate grip and yet, an amusingly firm hand shake being the easiest to figure out: He's strong. Maybe not super-human, but enough that he's afraid of hurting people with a simple gesture. "Nice to meet you, Liansong." he says with a smile, adding, "And yeah, but then again most people don't seem to know what a hyena looks like, let alone an Aardwolf." with a little laugh.

When his hand is eventually retracted, it immediately winds up getting put into the pocket of his hoodie.

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
"Pft. Hyena's have rounder ears and a slightly rounder face," he counters. When Liansong's hand retracts, he tucks it with the other one, holding his sketch pad against his front. And he was careful with that retracting. He seems always aware of where his talons are. The tips look quite sharp. Just as one might expect of a creature who looks like an owl. He even has the feathered ear tufts atop his head.

Chances are, he doesn't have super-human strength either. Just that which one would expect from a bird. "And, nice to meet ya too," he says. "Where you from?"

Kit Killovarras has posed:
"Originally? Egypt." Kit says with a little grin. "Born in Cairo, raised in a secluded little compound a few hours travel north of the Sudanese border." Then he gives a little shrug and adds, "Now days though? I sleep where I can. You?"

The mention of rounder ears gets a little tilt of the head, just hard enough to emphasize the fact that he's wearing a hood, but the rounder face? He just sort of laughs and nods. "Yeah, but as I said. People don't see the details, they just see an animal they think is a predator on two legs with big teeth and assume."

Liansong "Song" Qing has posed:
Liansong listens quite attentively, staring with all the focus that a raptor can give. He blinks at the end, breaking the stare and nods. "Australia," he says. Of course, Liansong can't see Kit's ears, but a hyena's are still more rounded than an aardwolf's. "Too right," he says. "Too right. Too many people react like a herd of herbivores when they see the teeth." He shakes his head.

It's at this point that the tucked away cellphone rings. He digs it back out and answers it. "Yo," he says. "Right. I'll be there within the hour. Bye." He hangs the phone up and nods toward Kit as he tucks the phone back away. "I gotta fly. Later, mate. Nice ta meet'cha." He reaches back with one hand and pulls the robe coat from his back. He steps away from kit, spreads huge snowy white wings, and springs into the air. His wings beat strongly as he takes to the air. Soon, the trees have quite blocked any remaining view of him as he flies away.