Addy is feeling a little (wornandtorn) wrote in thecaldera, @ 2018-04-21 13:33:00 |
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The weather was too nice for this, Bob grumbled to himself as he hopped from overhead line to overhead line, preferring a spot of exercise to flying. (Besides, there was a stiff breeze, and there were too many blasted windows; a handsome crow such as himself needed to be careful of being battered into something that looked like he could go through it.) Finally, he reached his location and glided down, his talons scratching against the stone pathway as he made his way to the door. This time, he decided, he’d knock. (She was home, right? She had to be; he wasn’t coming back.) Tap tap tap against the door. And then he settled back to wait. The day was already not going as planned for Addy. In general she tried to ask very little of her days off in order to avoid disappointment, and even so just that had happened. Her morning run route she had planned brought her to the boiling springs that so many locals had told her about. It was closed however, though it looked safe enough to her. But what did she know, she was from a desert after all. So the Addy that climbed out of her truck was one that was grumpier than she usually was after a run. Cal would have chastised her for letting her thoughts wander as she climbed the stairs to her apartment, serves you right , he would have added when she pulled up short at the landing. The sight of a crow tapping at her door made her blink twice before she continued on, prepared to shoo it off… Gently. Probably. Bob’s feathers rustled at the indignity. Who did this human think she— He blinked. Oh. This was the one he was supposed to talk to. His feather settled into a black slick over his body as he eyed her. Maybe this one was smarter, he hoped. Maybe this would be the one to finally appreciate his genius! Excited, he began patiently tapping again — this time against the doorframe. -.-. --- -. --. .-. .- - ..- .-.. .- - .. --- -. ... # / -.-- --- ..- / -. --- .-- / .... .- ...- . / .--. --- .-- . .-. ... --..-- / .... ..- -- .- -. # / -... . .... --- .-.. -.. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -- .- --. -. .. ..-. .. -.-. . -. -.-. . # / -.. --- / -.-- --- ..- / -. --- - / ..-. . . .-.. / -... .-.. . ... ... . -.. / .- -. -.. / .... ..- -- -... .-.. . -.. ..--.. / -.-- --- ..- / ... .... --- ..- .-.. -.. / # / .. - / .. ... / .- -. / .... --- -. --- .-. # / -. --- .-- --..-- / -.. --- / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / .- -. -.-- / --.- ..- . ... - .. --- -. ... / - .... .- - / .. --..-- / - .... . / --. .-. . .- - / -... --- -... --..-- / -.-. .- -. / .- -. ... .-- . .-. / ..-. --- .-. / -.-- --- ..- ..--.. What. What. For the second time in as many months, Addy found herself hoping that she was having some sort of strange walking dream. Anything she could credit with what she was seeing instead of facing that she was actually facing something so absurd. Either the crow was going insane and thinking he was a woodpecker, or he was tapping out morse code on her doorway. Unfortunately, the only morse code she still had memorized was, sos, friend and trap. What that said about her, she wasn’t sure. In the back of her head the pulse of a headache was starting, “Nope. Not doing this. I’ve had enough weird shit. First an attacking worm and now a bird who knows morse code. Uh uh.” Addy stepped around the bird carefully with her keys in hand to get into her apartment. “Well,” Bob huffed, “at least you know what it is, so I suppose I can be gracious. But honestly. Does no one in this city care about learning new skills?” He shook his little bird head and launched himself into the air, hovering at her shoulder. “Greetings, human. I am Bob. You have been granted magical powers, and you are fortunate enough to have me here to answer any of your questions!” Against her will, the perception and image of the worm from the convenience store shifted in her mind as she digested the words magical powers. That and the crow Bob who spoke far more eloquently than she had ever heard from a corvid. Her eyes narrowed at the bird before she sighed, finished unlocking her door and pushed it open, “Nice to meet you Bob.” What was her life. “I’m not talking to a bird in public, come inside.” Lord knows her neighbors probably thought she was crazy already. Addy stepped into the apartment and gestured for the bird to follow with a sarcastic welcoming wave. “Thank you!” he chirped, following her into the apartment. “You are very calm. That’s good. I hate when they yell and try to bat me away. It’s very rude!” Bob settled on the back of the couch, careful to keep his talons from puncturing the cushioning — if she could be polite, so could he. “Now, do you have any questions for me?” Staying calm when things go sideways was one of her talents, or so she had been told, “I imagine so.” Addy replied dryly, “Who, exactly is going around granting powers?” There were a dozen questions in her head, and that seemed fine for the first one at least. She walked over to the kitchen, still keeping half an eye on the bird as she pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, pausing before absentmindedly asking. “Uh, do you want anything?” The crow settled his feathers against his body and cocked his head to the side, watching her with his beady eyes. “I’m good,” he chirped, swiveling his head the other way. “And the caldera. It giveth and it taketh away,” was solemnly intoned before the crow started cackling. “Sorry, sorry. It doesn’t really take away, but it does give, and you, human, have been blessed with a great boon!” Yeah, right. Blessed and Adelaide don’t usually go together, that’s just not her kind of luck. That and anything that seemed to go to be true, well. You know the drill, “So you said.” The cap was twisted off so she could take a sip, all while eyeballing him warily still, “Blessed with what kind of boon, exactly?” If a bird could smile, Bob would be smiling. “Ah, but the most wonderful, rare, extravagant one of all!” He was really selling this. “Dream walking.” Addy froze with the bottle halfway to her lips, brain shutting down for a beat before rebooting with thoughts taking a very different tone than the bird’s excited voice. The cap was screwed back on so she could calmly put the bottle on the counter, “Dream Walking?” Oh she didn't like the sound of that at all. “Yes!” Bob chittered reverently. Then paused. “Well, and manipulation, but really, the walking is the fun part!” He launched himself up, flapping his wings, a momentary fit of pique overcoming him as he saw one of his black feathers fall onto the sofa. How embarrassing. Molting in front of the human. The others would never let him forget that if they found out. If. If was good. “Anyway! You can appear in the dreams of other people,” he continued, hovering in front of her. “Fuck that. “ The response came out with more venom than she intended. Dreams were intimate, revealing things and she wanted no part of anyone else's - she definitely didn't want any of her own bleeding over. She watched the feather fall while she watched the bird warily, “That sounds like a punishment.” Granted, Addy definitely had some karma coming but this seemed like an unreasonable punishment. Most of her crimes were straightforward. Physical . This was psychological, “My sleep is shit enough already.” The trouble with being a crow was that he couldn’t roll his eyes. “It’s a blessing,” he insisted. “Try it! You’ll see!” Addy's lips curled in a silent snarl, “You can take your blessing and shove it up your ass.” Her hand twitched towards the knife at her belt but she tried to refrain, though the surge of anger at feeling like she was being fucked with didn't make it easy. “This is such a mismatch, I'm beginning to think you're lying. Which isn't going to end well for you. “ Addy wasn't here for animal cruelty but that option was seeming more like a gesture of self defense than anything. The crow’s cheerfulness faltered. Why did humans have to make things so difficult? Bob sighed, exasperated. “Well Miss I know everything,” he snipped, “why don’t you try so you can eat some crow?” A pause. Then: “Well, figuratively. Don’t eat me.” The glare intensified, irritation at the situation doubling in strength with another wave that it was forcing her into arguing with a goddamn bird. The fact that it was about magical powers that were seeming like a curse in disguise definitely made it worse. Nope. This was absurd. She was done playing along. Addy strode away from the kitchen to pry open a window in the living room just a few feet from the crow, “I don’t believe any of this, get out before I shish-kabob you.” The biting warning came with a gesture to get out towards the window. There was a determination in her eyes that if she said this wasn’t real and that someone was just jerking her chain then she could make it so. Out stubborn this thing with rational thought and her already magical power of digging her heels in. Bob heaved a sigh worthy of Helen Mirren in the face of someone disappointing her. “I could go, but it doesn’t change anything,” he warned her as he fluttered to the open window. “And when you start traipsing through other people’s dreams and making them dream of 90s fashion” here, he shuddered; the 90s had been terrible “then you’re going to wish you’d asked real questions.” “So you say.” There was a headache beginning to form at the back of her skull, “The only question I have is how do I get rid of this and I don’t think you’ll be much help so—” Another gesture out the window, and as soon as he was gone she slammed the window shut and went back to the kitchen in search of alcohol. |