(no subject)

[street_sparrow]

Hello! Welcome to Milliways. Today, Milliways marks the Cybertronian holiday of Cubefall, the anniversary of the day upon which the Allspark first landed on the rocky world that would become Cybertron. Would you like to sample some possible reconfigurations? (y/n)

Gavroche barely has to think about it before he taps the screen. And then there's a sparrow perched on the edge of one of the tables.

Comments

[ostro_goth]

The sparrow might be advised that there are cats in the bar, especially a little black one who had recently vanquished an entire Frenchman.

[street_sparrow]

The sparrow is well aware of the cats, and is watching every movement in case he needs to retreat to the rafters - or somebody's head.

[ostro_goth]

The black cat comes closer, slowly, pretending to be completely uninterested.

[street_sparrow]

"Not for you", the sparrow says sternly. Maybe being obviously noticed will put the cat off?

[ostro_goth]

Instead, she looks at him and lashes her tail -- the game is up!

[street_sparrow]

The sparrow stares back at her, not giving any ground but quietly preparing to take off.

[ostro_goth]

She pounces.

[street_sparrow]

But when she lands, the little bird isn't there any more.

[ostro_goth]

She jumps around on the table, peering up into the rafters to spot the sparrow, and makes those funny little 'Ack-ack-ack' noises cats sometimes make when they see birds and are all excited.

[street_sparrow]

The sparrow peers down at her smugly - and also looks around to see where Teja is.

[ostro_goth]

The cat looks up at him, unblinking; you can positively see her plot.

Teja is by the fireplace, being a maned wolf in charge of a fox cub, which is Egil's animal shape independent of Cubefall. Gavroche might probably know that Teja's foster kid can turn into a little fox, so the male adult in charge of the little fox is most likely Teja.

[street_sparrow]

He does know this, has even seen Egil in fox shape to recognise him, and so he flies down and sits on the wolf.

[ostro_goth]

The wolf turns his head and gives the sparrow a friendly look; the cub gives a welcoming yip. Egil has already learned that patrons aren't prey, even if they're shaped like small animals.

The cat comes closer, but settles down, disappointed, when the wolf says something to her that she obviously understands, something like 'Desist, he is a friend!'

[street_sparrow]

"Prey doesn't talk", Gavroche tells the cat. "Hello, Teja, Egil. Having fun?"

[ostro_goth]

Indeed, we are, Teja answers, in an animal-speech that he will hopefully understand. We are doing well in this shape.

[street_sparrow]

He understands it easily, and tries to make the closest to a smile that a beak can achieve.

"Does it make it easier to talk with him?"

[ostro_goth]

Indeed it does, Teja agrees. As a fox, he is further along than as a human baby.

Egil chimes in. As a fox cub, he can.

I can't talk good when I'm being a baby and things don't work and I can't run all by myself, but the cats love me either way and Pyrrha and Teja and Jack do as well! he declares, all in one go.

[visible_sariel]

The sparrow is getting spotted, and then smiled at, by a woman sitting at a nearby table. The beginnings of something as yet undefined, or at least undefinable, are taking shape in metallic-painted Legos on the tabletop. Hmm. Could that structure be a perching possibility for small birds?

[street_sparrow]

It is a very good perching possibility, and with the added benefit of somebody to chase away opportunistic cats. Gavroche takes advantage of it.

[visible_sariel]

Sparrow onna shiny perch building site thing!

"Hello," says a slightly bemused Sariel. Beat. "Is this a temporary transformation, are you a patron in your original shape, or--" She seems to be choosing the right way to phrase the third possibility. "Are you a nonsentient sparrow?"

In other words, am I talking to a bog standard bird who won't know what the heck I'm saying? Not that she'd likely phrase it *quite* that way...

[street_sparrow]

"It's Cubefall", says the sparrow. "I'm Gavroche, I think we might have met?"

[visible_sariel]

Thank goodness for the Speech, eh? Or Bar's translation field. ... Or both.

Sariel startles, but only slightly. Then she smiles. "Oh! Yes, we have. Excuse me. I remember you."

[street_sparrow]

Quite possibly both! He gapes his beak for a moment in the closest he can get to a grin.

"And you're... Sariel?"

[visible_sariel]

"Yes," she confirms with a small smile. "It's good to see you again, Gavroche. Has the transformation gone well so far?"

[street_sparrow]

"It's fantastic. If you ever get the chance, you really should try having wings for a while."