936/Birdwatching

Birdwatching
Date of Scene:	13 June 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	A Satyr, a Cat and a Bird meet in a parking lot. ANd that isn't even the weirdest thing any of them have seen so far.
Cast of Characters:	Kian t'Kaeh, Greenjack, 283

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kian sleeps surprisingly well .. or maybe not so surprising, considering everything he's been through in the last couple days. No doubt Danny will be pleased to learn his unexpected house guest does not snore.
    The quiet, however, does not last.
    From the bedroom, there is a muffled noise of movement... then a startled squawk. A medium thump on the floor, followed by two lighter ones. The jarring *bang* of something against the window, and then an insistent rattling, punctuated by a language that is Not Of This Earth.

Greenjack has posed:
Daniel opened a bleary eye.. and then groans at the sounds that come from his bedroom. Right.

He yawns and stretches and gets off the couch- which had given him a serious crick on his back, before slipping into his boxers and shirt and rushing into the bedroom.

"Did you forget where you were?" he asks. And then remembers, and rushes over to put a hand on the panicking bird and repeating the question, this time in thought. It wasn't out of the realm of the possible... the alien had just crashed to earth last night...

WilyKat (283) has posed:
It's the bang that gets WilyKat to stop outside. As part of his explorations, he'd ventured into Salem Center via hoverboard, a much cooler way of getting around than most other forms of transportation. Pure coincidence led to him passing by the apartments when the noise against the window reached his ears.

The feline from another world almost runs into a parked car in the midst of slowing down to look up and stare, but he only nudges against it instead. Naturally, he's going to wonder what caused that.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian's thoughts are so rushed, so panicky, they're hard to understand. <The ceiling... closing in... coming *down* on me...> He tugs violently at the window, oblivious to the simple locking mechanism. <Got to get *OUT*!>

Greenjack has posed:
<Calm down. The ceiling isn't moving. I'll take you out, but I can't go out half-naked. Deep breaths and we'll go out> the green teenager says, and quickly goes to throw something on- sweatpants and a sweatshirt in blue and red, because that's the fastest thing he can put on. He makes sure Kian isn't naked or anything before grabbing him by the arm and walking -quickly- out the door, down the stairs, and out into the parking lot.

He's not wearing shoes, shoes take time to tie. But that's okay, he can barkskin his soles until Kian calms down. <Breathe.>

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat has not gone anywhere. His sharp ears can pick up on voices, one more frantic than the other, but specific words are difficult to tell and his translator is being no help right now. Still on the hoverboard, he swings it around to one side of the building, bringing him closer to those stairs, that parking lot. He's /very/ curious now.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Breathing hard in shallow gulps, Kian keeps his eyes closed tight -- and his mind locked down -- until he feels the open air on his skin. Then he tears free from his host and bolts into the air, his wings making a sharp 'snap' on the first downstroke. There's an exultant "/Kya/!" as he shoots skyward -- although he's not up for long. He touches down lightly in front of Danny, wings still spread, and puts a hand on his shoulder. <Please, forgive me, Dani /tavar'h/. I awoke and saw the ceiling so close and... and... I panicked. I thought it was falling on me. Ceilings are not so low in my home.> He adds, with a faint sourness, <Windows are easier to operate at home, too.>

Greenjack has posed:
The green teen keeps his hand on Kian's shoulder. To anyone watching them, it would seem as if they were holding a conversation without words, by how he gestures without actually saying anything.

Tactcile telepathy. What would they think of next, these aliens?

<Windows lock because thieves come in, Kian. You're not very good in a crisis, are you?> he smirks and looks around to see if they've attracted anyone's attention. <Are you ok to go back inside, or do you want to stay out here for a while yet?>

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian glances at the building, and shudders, his feathers bristling and only slowly smoothing out. <Forgive me, I need to stay outside a little longer. I was... not prepared.> His breathing is only a little more settled. <And what are 'thieves'?>

WilyKat (283) has posed:
They've attracted the attention of one, at least. As soon as he sees the feathered one, then sees the feathered one take to the air in a panic, WilyKat is openly staring. "Whoa." Another Keanu movie from the past? Oh yes, his eyes are definitely following the birdie. Snap out of it, cat...

Greenjack has posed:
<A thief is someone who comes into your home and takes things that belong to you without your consent and, most of the time, knowledge>

Danny frowns and looks up as he hears the 'whoa' and he blinks.

<Cat> his mind says. He can't help but saying it in his mind when he observes the unusual appearance of the Keanu. It's hard to ignore. He could ignore eveything but that guy's appearance.

And he thought taking Kian out would be a good way to acclimate him to life on Earth...

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian turns his head, and looks, and gasps. "/c'Rhys'yw! Kerhys/!" A wingless green man with horns, that he can handle. A feline? That's another case entirely, and Kian instinctively slips behind Danny. Across the mental link, all he can pick up is <Demon!>, and Kian stares, eyes wide.

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat's head tilts as Kian speaks. It leads to him reaching down to fiddle with the insigna at his belt, which also serves as his translator. "Is this thing working?" he wonders more to himself than them, but he's looking right back at Kian shortly afterward, Greenjack as well when the bird tries to hide.

"Uh..hi!" he offers in his native Thunderian, and the translator /does/ convert it to English for them to understand, an automatic thing.

Greenjack has posed:
<Demon?> Danny thinks for a moment, and then he realizes it makes sense, in an absurdist sort of way. Of course, a planet where avians evolved first would see felines as the devil. <No, he's not a devil... he's just a mutant. He's different, but not too different than I am, in how I am different...> he isn't explaining this way.

He waves over to Wilykat and says, "I'm sorry, my friend is a little... tense. He's never seen a... um, feline that tall before." Yes. That's a likely story. Compeltely unlikely.

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat hops off the hoverboard, looking very closely at Kian. "Hmm. You don't /look/ like one of the birdmen from Avista, but you /could/ be. Are you from New Thundera like me?" the so-called demon is wondering, full of curiosity that's rising again.

A few steps closer follow, the hoverboard tucked in under an arm and against his body, and now the green one with the blue hair and the tiny horns - interesting! - gets his attention. "He should have seen me /before/ I was this tall! Anyway..I'm WilyKat! Who are you two?"

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
<Demon!!> Kian replies with more than a little panic in his mental voice. Except... Awe. Surprise. <He's not speaking /Akiar'shak/, but I understood him!>
Kian doesn't fully step out from behind Danny, but he does step to the side a little so he can be better seen. "/Kie. Kian'takh. Akh takh'tai? Kerhys ke'tai?/"

Greenjack has posed:
<Wait... you spea... he's from another planet...> Danny frowns and looks over at WilyKat. "WilyKat..." Now that is a name. He feels tempted to introduce himself as GreenTree. "Can you understand what my friend is saying?"

WilyKat (283) has posed:
Head tilting at the very jumpy bird-man, WilyKat comes to a rapid determination that Kian is not in fact from the floating city of Avista. Thankfully, the translator does its job. Useful thing, that.

Nodding first to Greenjack, he says, "I have this thing that lets us understand each other. It's working with you and I right now, too! And he told me he doesn't want to fight, his name is Kian, and he wants to know if I'm a demon."

Squinting at Kian now, he shakes his head solemnly. "Why would I be a demon? What kind of question is that?"

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
"/P'shon ar kerhys/," Kian says simply. "/Yr, tekh'e/." Danny can pick up the translation through their mindlink - 'You look like a demon, but not exactly'. Kian ensures his hand remains on Danny's shoulder, but he steps further out into view.

Greenjack has posed:
"I guess... because that's what demons look like where he comes from? I don't know. He just crash-landed here yesterday night, so we haven't had a chance to go through the Encyclopedia Galactica. And which planet are *you* from?"

It dawns on Danny that he's the only little (not so little) green man in the group. And yet, he's the only earthling.

WilyKat (283) has posed:
"I look like a cat, but not exactly. Why does he think I look like a.." WilyKat's beginning to wonder, leaning the hoverboard against a nearby car. He cuts off as soon as Greenjack says what he does, however, his eyes widening.

"So did I." Pause. "Crash-landed, I mean, but it wasn't just yesterday. I'm from New Thundera, one of the Thundercats." Perhaps Greenjack has seen something in the news about a cat-like lair going up.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian takes a cautious step forward, studying the stranger. <> he says, and looks to Danny as if expecting some sort of confirmation that it's another world in this system or something. <<Gods, but you look like you could be a demon. Except shorter.>>

Greenjack has posed:
"Because he's clearly a bird-person, WilyKat. How do felines and avians get along in your world?" Assuming, of course, they had any on Thundera. Thundera. That sounded like a name a rollder derby girl might adopt. "Wait... are you the guys who have that giant cat castle that was in the news recently?"

WilyKat (283) has posed:
Thank Jaga for those translators. No, he probably didn't make them, but thank Jaga anyway. "Thundera," WilyKat corrects, then while his ears don't exactly lay flat - they're not shaped quite right - his expression thins out. "I'm not a kitten any more! I grew up!" he insists with a huff. Maybe not grown up completely.

"We didn't exactly get along that well at first, but it was complicated," the youthful cat admits with a shrug, palms up. "And..we might be," he adds to the question of the cat castle.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
The mental image of 'demon' that Danny gets from Kian is something on the order of seven or eight feet tall, but the birdman is deliberately not thinking clearly about them. I mean, who wants to grow up assuming demons are a fairy story only to have a real live one -- of whatever height -- turn up in front of you and be unexpectedly friendly?
He blinks at Danny. <Are they also not native to your world? I begin to think this planet is some kind of sink that draws in the lost...>

Greenjack has posed:
5r<Earth seems to be a halfway house for the galaxy all of a sudden> the green teen smirks. He ponders for a second. <Let's try for a more direct communication...> he decides to test something. He walks forward, keeping a hand on Kian, while he extends his hand towards Wilykat.

"Take my hand. You'll see why..."

WilyKat (283) has posed:
There exists a somewhat skeptical expression on WilyKat's face, the Thundercat back to looking between Kian and Greenjack with a mix of curiosity and confusion over the whole encounter so far. The latter's offered hand earns a brief sniff in the direction of it.

"See what?" he asks, beginning to reach out with his right hand, the one that doesn't have a glove on it (why has he never done something about that?).

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian trusts Danny. That doesn't mean there's not a little resistance -- not much, not enough to abort the process, but a little -- to being pulled closer to something out of the darker legends. <I... don't know if it works that way,> Kian sends dubiously. <But then, I don't know why the /ki'thar/ doesn't work without touch anyway... this planet makes no sense.>

Greenjack has posed:
<Darn, I thought it was going to work.> He was trying to be smart about it, and he clearly outsmarted biology in this case. "You two can communicate by holding hands," the nature spirit says, his words also echoing in Kian's mind. He slowly brings Kat's hand in towards Kian. "You can trust each other. Nobody is going to hurt anybody."

Because if they tried, they'd find themselves with the wrath of the vegetable kingdom up in their face. But he doesn't say that. It can be a surprise, if it needs to be.

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat remains unaware of what the two are 'saying' between the two of them. That is, until Greenjack explains the ability to mentally speak.. "..by doing what?!" he exclaims, sounding initially surprised by this, looking much the same.

But, what's so bad about that? It really doesn't mean anything. It's just a gesture. "We can understand each other anyway thanks to my translator, but..all right." He meets Kian about halfway with his hand, leaving it up to the feathered one to make the final decision.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
 Kian just stares at WilyKat's outstretched hand for a few seconds. It does have claws, but not the horrible bloody ones from legend. All Danny can pick up from Kian's mind is coming from so deep within, he can't even get a translation, but it has the tone of a prayer. Finally, there is one clear thought: <My Lady, they say You protect experimenters... please be paying attention now!>
 And he puts his hand in WilyKat's.
 Probably the first thing he senses is fear. It's tangled up in the birdman's thoughts, he can't help that. But the odd thing is, the birdman's thoughts *are* there, and they sound not unlike his speaking voice, except for being internal to the cranium. Which might be weird.
 </Kie/... peace. Can... can you hear me? Just think clearly and I can hear you. If you... if you speak, it will cause an uncomfortable echo.>

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat's brows scrunch together at the hesitation from Kian, resisting any potential urges to just reach out the rest of the way. Must be good. By then, Kian's gone ahead with it and they meet much like a handshake, which Kat doesn't really know the meaning of yet. He's watched Tygra do it a couple times, but it was very mechanical.

The fear comes through, which is no surprise considering what he's already seen and smelled in Kian himself. On his side, there's a low level nervousness, but also interest, wonder, and...a whole lot of things running through his head. Some of them are calculated thoughts, collected thoughts, but many of them are very random and lacking in direction.

Finally, he thinks. It's a bit sharper, but it's kept very simple to begin with.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian's eyes widen, mostly at what he *doesn't* sense. <You're... not a demon.> There's a statement. Much of the fear melts away. Not all of it. But quite a bit of it. <I... please forgive me. You resemble in broad outline some of our mythical... figures.> Danny and Wily can see flickering shadows of them in Kian's mind -- eight feet tall, only really vaguely feline but close enough for Kian's purposes.
<Except quite a bit smaller.>

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat's eyes shift briefly from Kian to Greenjack and back again, his eyes narrowing while Kian's grow larger. In his case, it's because he's trying to actually focus. he thinks back strongly, a lingering feeling of offense sticking around for a number of seconds before it begins to fade as the hints of the actual 'demons' are only minimally understood by him.

Conversely, there's a flash of thought from WilyKat that shows images of Avista, the floating bird city he'd mentioned, and a vulture-like 'person' that seemed in charge. It's a hazy thought as he adds, <I'm not /that/ small..>

Greenjack has posed:
Danny maintains silence, content to watch instead of interfering. This was better than using him as a mediator, a more intimate manner communication being establishing.

His experience with the Wilde Clan and all of their strange encounters with unusual beings have finally paid off.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
<Compared to our mythological demons,> Kian answers matter-of-factly, <you are small. Yes, I understand now, you're not supernatural, you're another life form, like Dani, like me. There are more like you, a whole world of dem... er, sorry. Of beings like you?>
Kian catches 'sight' of the vulture beings in Kat's mind. <Eurgh. No. We are not them... any more than you are like our /kherys'yw/.>

WilyKat (283) has posed:
Throughout, WilyKat's facial expressions shift to match what's going through his head: disbelief or confusion, curiosity or mild affront, surprise or amusement. It's all there except the moving mouth and words that aren't in their heads (which is still strange to him!).

Finally, he lets go of Kian's hand after the realization hits the birdman that they all are, in fact, unique in their own ways. "No, you aren't, and we aren't, and..I'm not used to trying to talk to someone like that, at all." It leaves him rubbing at a temple, near one of his ears and the tuft of hair that extends up and out.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian nods. <> he says, perfectly willing to switch back to speaking aloud.. <<It's natural to me. I'm used to it -- and conversations among my kind freely flow between mental and verbal contact. It... it didn't hurt, I hope.>>

Greenjack has posed:
"Well, that's cleared up, then. So now we know about each other..." and he still had two aliens standing in the parking lot to his apartment. "Ands things aren't any less weird." He keeps contact with Kian so he knows what he's saying. "Maybe it would do good for Kian to meet your people. If they're amenable to a visit." Exposure to more cats might get him less jumpy around the...

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat shakes his head slowly. "It didn't hurt," he says, the translator still doing its job, "But it's still..odd." His bushy tail, mostly at rest during the mental gymnastics, twitches a few times.

But, he says to Greenjack, "I don't know anything about you yet, though. And I'm not sure he's ready to do that this fast, if he's just understanding we're not..what he thought we were." There. He's given Kian an excuse not to go, to stay safe.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
<<Perhaps I should,>> Kian says. <<If only to remind myself not to make assumptions.>>
Kian sighs, and spreads and re-folds his wings. <<It's almost too much,>> he says quietly, closing his eyes. <<Too many changes in too short a time. Lady Kiare is over those who study the new and different, but there must be a limit somewhere.>> He chuckles softly. <<Well, I think I'm still sane, so whatever that limit is, I think I haven't reached it yet.>>

Greenjack has posed:
<<You're suffering from culture shock. It's only normal. Maybe you might want to lay down...>> On the low ceiling. No. That wouldn't do. <>

He looks up at WilyKat. "There's not much to know about me. I'm just your regular demi-god going to school. And picking up aliens that fall from the sky."

WilyKat (283) has posed:
"That sounds like there /is/ much to know about you," WilyKat says rather pointedly to Greenjack, squinting as much at him now as he was Kian before. "Can you do anything..special?" he wonders before taking a few moments to think again. See the gears turning?

"I think both of us have had to deal with a lot really fast," he murmurs to Kian, though there's a moment where he sure looks captivated by those wings in motion. Ooh.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian's wings are the faithful monitors of his emotional state -- and so it probably says something that they're hanging more relaxedly than they had before, barely flexing and folding, flexing and folding. <> Kian agrees. <>

Greenjack has posed:
"Nothing terribly important. I can move plants here and there, nothing too major." Danny waves a hand, "This isn't abot me, and I am trying to put that part of my life behind." There's a certain feeling of guardedness to his words, as if he's not exactly eager to discuss his particular uniqueness.

"What do you think, Kian? Want to visit the cats? I hear they have quite a building. I've got to take care of registering for my summer labs, but afterwards I can join you. In case, you know, you get nervous."

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat has his tail. Kian has his wings. Greenjack has..well, a bit of a difference to his scent that stands out to him, causing him to sniff a couple extra times in curiosity. "Why?" comes the predictable question to the talk of letting go of the past. He doesn't know how good or bad it is, and the attempt to evade it only leaves him more interested.

"But I'm sure if you really wanted to see where we're living, we could do that. I should talk to the others first, so there aren't any surprises," Kat explains. Right now it's hard to tell which of the two is the bigger curiosity.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
<<I... might,>> Kian says hesitantly. <<Depending on the building, I might not be able to go inside. If it's too small.>>
He turns suddenly to Danny. <> he says, having mulled it over in his mind. <<If your kinsman does not object. But I will need to find some place to call my own eventually. I don't know how. I know my clan has no holdings on this world.>>

Greenjack has posed:
"Don't worry, I have the run of the place," He says to Kian, reassuring him. He looks at WilyKat's question and he raises an eyebrow. "The why and wherefore is for me to know and for everybody else not to." He wonders if he'll need to get a spritz bottle, this one looks like curiosity is his primary drive. "Stay here with WilyKat, I'll go inside and grab a few things and then we'll take you to the other apartment. No need for you to go back into a confining space."

The green teen turns around and heads for the apartment. He needs to put on proper clothes, first, and then ack anythiing that Kian might need in the other apartment.

And he needs to learn English. Somehow.

WilyKat (283) has posed:
It's true WilyKat is a very curious cat, but that may not be surprising given his circumstances. He simply wants to know as much as he can about this world and the people who inhabit it. "Fine.." he mumbles as he's rebuffed, only for it to turn into more of a pouting expression after Greenjack's started back for his apartment.

Then, he takes to pacing. Back and forth. Near a car. Back and forth. Near his hoverboard. Back and forth.

"There's so much that's still new here."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian can not help but laugh. <<You're telling *me*?>> He spreads his wings and shakes them out, then re-folds them neatly, the tips just crossing. <<A world where no one has either the /ki'thar/ or /kan'thar/ but everyone I meet has a /rha'thar/... yes. *Unbelievably* new. If I ever get home and write this all up, no one will ever believe me. It's too weird to be fiction.>>

Greenjack has posed:
Daniel moves through the apartment quickly, using one of his old backpacks as a stash. Kian didn't really bring anything with him except what he was wearing, but he would need some things. Canned goods, some other things, personal hygiene- how did they take care of their wings? Oh welll. Maybe Irish Spring will do...

WilyKat (283) has posed:
"I wonder why he doesn't want to talk about things, though," WilyKat says of the temporarily departed Greenjack. "He smells sort of like plants and I just wanted to know why." The thought of someone feeling the need to be secretive about it isn't really clicking with him, so it's another source of confusion.

He adds, "And almost nothing here is like it was where I grew up. I'm just trying to learn." He isn't laughing, however.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
<<Does he?>> Kian sniffs the air, but all he smells is city, and that brings on a coughing fit.
<<It's nothing likre Kyshan either,>> Kian agrees. <<All this... stone. And what ever this-->> He scuffs his sandal on the asphalted street. <<--is. It's an imposition on the land.>>

WilyKat (283) has posed:
WilyKat fetches his hoverboard, activating it again as he stands on it, the thing floating about half a foot off the ground. "Yes, like trees and..food, I think." Well, vegetables /are/ food, and that sort of covers what he'd picked up on. "We have stone where I'm from, but there are more of these things than I ever saw before." He gestures toward the buildings around them, then he uses the hoverboard to circle a few cars, and Kian, and nothing in particular.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
<<There are a lot of trees on my land,>> Kian remarks, watching the de... watching WilyKat hover around with bemusement. <<My home is in them. Much of the rest of it is given over to farming, of course. Nnnh. I suppose it's a good thing that I gave the robots long-term orders since I knew I was going to be away for a while.>>

Greenjack has posed:
Eventually Danny comes back, backpack slung over his shoulder, along with a laptop bag. "I've got some news," he says, reaching out to touch Kian in order to communicate with him. "I called one of my mentors at the university. He is a linguist and is interested in testing out some of his courses aimed at alien visitors. He's interested in an exchange of languages- she teaches you ours, you teach her yours. Then she'll get to publish her findings and satisfy part of her requirements for tenure. If you're interested, we can go there tomorrow..."

He looks at WilyKat. "You should consider it, too. That translator of yours could break, and then what would become of you?"

WilyKat (283) has posed:
"Papa was a farmer," WilyKat says, and this leaves him looking more saddened for a few seconds, enough that there's a delay in him asking, "Robots? You have those?"

Before any more questions follow, the plant-smelling person is returning. The offer extended to Kian goes mostly unanswered by him, but when it's sent his way as well he makes a face. "I don't know. You tell me if this sounds like someone could learn it." He really doesn't know what his language is like to human ears, or any other ears for that matter, but when he switches off the translator and says a few more things, it sounds distinctly...feline.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian nods once. "/H'takh... ai, c'Rhys'yw./"
In the absence of the translator, Kian takes Danny's hand. <Yes, I think that would be a good idea for me to learn your Earth language,> he sends -- and yes, he thinks there's just one. <I'll be glad to teack /Akiar'shak/ to someone else. Just so I can have someone to speak it with. I think that is an excellent idea.>

Greenjack has posed:
"Not my call to make," Danny says with a grin. He thrusts something towards Wilykat. It's a small printout of a google map, starting at the approximate directions of where the Cat's lair is said to be and ending at the University. He's avoided printing the written instructions because it wouldn't do any good- that translator seems to be exclusively verbal. "If you're interested, meet us here tomorrow under the statue of the woman swinging from a rope, before noon. Then you can hiss at the professor and see what he says." He looks over at Kian and nods, "Are you ready? I'm going to take the convertible." Of course he has more than one car. The van is, technically, his uncle's. "That way you won't freak out over the ceiling."

WilyKat (283) has posed:
"I'll..think about it," WilyKat says. By the time the humanspeak is being heard again, the translator's been turned back on. Fortunately, he at least shows some idea of understanding what a map is, but he's yet to really commit to the suggestion. Tomorrow may just be too soon for him to do it. But, the map is folded up and put away in one of his pouches. "I'll just, ah, leave you to that." A hand waves toward the vehicles. For some reason, he just got really quiet. Maybe it's a mood swing, but he's easing the hoverboard back toward the street.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
Kian picks up what a convertible is from Danny's mind. <Yes, I think I will not mind that. I can only hope that this trip to a university will be less eventful than the one that brought me here!>

936/Birdwatching

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