Ben had wanted to avoid the kitchen for as long as possible after Valentine’s but with Keldo’s help, he’d been able to get Ari to actually eat actual food and not his hair or pillow stuffing. And unfortunately, one of the few things that she liked to was the cereal kept in the cupboards. His goal that day was to dash in and dash out, stealing the cereal box before anyone could stop him. Ari, like any creature new to the world, refused to let him leave her behind in the bedroom so he’d scooped her up and brought her with.
For a baby still, Ari was quite large. And she didn’t seem to understand the concept of flight just yet so she was constantly attaching herself to the tall parts of him. Head. Shoulders. Arms. Sometimes she even liked to hang from his hands as he lifted her up and down. The concept of ‘bird’, as well, seemed to escape her. But he tried to teach her.
When he came into the kitchen, he did see that someone else was here but it wasn’t until Ari let out a shriek from her perch on his shoulder did he realize that there was also another bird in the room. Ben stopped, curious to the stranger and his small pet. Pausing near the counter, he looked over and nodded toward the tiny parakeet. “Did yours hatch recently?”