Sun Sep 28, 2008 5:58 pm by Ari
Ari pulled at the sleeves of her shirt, hiding her hands. Had she made the other angry? She suspected so, or at least doubted Vineda wanted her around; after all, she never did anything but brood and mull in silence or make reluctant conversation. Not exactly one with evident wit or charm, that was for sure. She shook her feathers out in agitation – with herself, of course, not with the person very kindly putting up with her.
But old habits were difficult to break and the bad ones were even more inescapable, so despite her resolution to try harder she couldn’t think of anything else to say or ask, though she managed to smooth her steps so she didn’t appear quite so nervous, so utterly feral. It was impossible to keep her wary eyes still; she turned her head upward and looked at the different constellations beginning to form. Surprisingly, she could hardly tell them apart…they all looked like little blots of light to her. When she had been younger she had flown as high as she could in order to touch them, capture one and keep it. At a certain point she would be afraid at how far away the ground was, and eventually she had given up trying altogether. Was that what growing up was? If so, she felt old...
Oh, the other hadn’t given up on her yet. Ari was jerked herself out of muddled philosophies and childhood, snapped her head back to Vineda and raised an eyebrow. “If I wasn’t me, I wouldn’t believe you.” If she could be a bird in human form, there was no doubt in her mind that there could be multicolored horses running around. The thought didn’t make her feel particularly safe, but at least now she knew what to look out for. “What are they called?” She asked, grasping onto a subject to discuss. It was obvious that her companion was interested in the creatures, and since Ari had no idea what to talk about she was content to oblige.
What had gotten into her? She hardly spoke when anyone else was around, let alone sang. Her face flushed, a reaction she hoped was hidden by the darkness and she ceased the humming. “My mother has an amazing voice, it is much better than mine.” Her voice was soft but she denied herself feelings of nostalgia.
Instead she moved hesitantly over to what the other was holding up. Usually she was quite the magpie but she wouldn’t think of touching it, not while it was in Vineda’s hands. She only looked at the swirls, colored just like the sky up ahead, with a quiet inquisitiveness. When she had lived with the crows they had collected treasures like this and put them all into towering piles. Funny how things always could be linked to the past, even that little stone.
“I didn’t have any plan.” She never did. Ari quelled the urge to nod, say thanks, and disappear. That was what she wanted, what her whole body and especially her wings urged her to do. But no, not today (or tonight, rather). “And I was planning on going this route anyway, whether walking or flying.” She looked sideways at the other, tensing up. Maybe Vineda had gotten sick of her and was hoping she’d just leave. Despite her nature, Ari found herself half-hoping that wasn’t the case.
The girl was too proud to admit that for once, she needed the company of humans rather than birds.