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noriko ashida

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It's that time of year again.

Noriko expects the viewscreen this year, and peruses it when she comes to the bar for cookies (pignoli, and thought weirdly chewy they are delicious) and matcha, considering. They're not altogether outlandish, and the fact that she thinks that says a whole lot about how long she's been coming to Milliways, but there's the requisite robot, which she's done before and was not, actually, all that fun, and there's the genderswap(fun but really, really weird), and one she's never taken.

As she's deciding, Noriko smiles, and requests a few items; a hanging plush hammock about the right size for what she'll be, and a little name tag that goes on her leg, able to be clamped with her beak, hopefully (since not being able to speak seems like it'll be a problem).

And a minute or two later, there's a small parrot on the bartop, flapping along as she gets used to having wings and no hands.

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Athelstan has never seen a bird that colour. He looks at her with fascination, offering a hand to perch on if she wants.

Noriko is totally unused to self-powered flight. Fast movement, sure, but it's always been on the ground, and so it's with a few only mildly graceful hops and flutters that she climbs into Athelstan's hand, trying to avoid pecking or clawing.

She chirps happily, almost triumphantly, and trills at him.

His hands are calloused, and her claws barely make a mark. He smiles at her.

"You're a very pretty bird."

Awwww. She gets compliments already, Athelstan's such a good human.

Bird laughter is kinda different, more like a screechy caw than anything, but she does it, and proceeds to dip her beak and peck at the tiny silver tube hung around her birdy neck in amongst her feathers. Inside the tube is a short note explaining her name and with a small picture of what she normally looks like.

Edited 2015-06-06 20:27 (UTC)

He takes it, reads, and grins at her.

"It's you! We met once - are you enjoying yourself?"

She bobs, the parrot version of an enthusiastic nod, and chirps away gladly, flapping her wings to balance on his hand. With her beak, she points--as well as she can, anyway--to the plush purple nest hammock that's now hanging from a bar rafter.

Food might still be a problem, but hey, she'll work at that as she goes.

He follows the direction of her beak.

"That's where you're going to sleep? It looks very comfortable, and far above any predators."

There are dogs and cats that are just dogs and cats here, after all.

There are indeed, and Noriko is not keen on being caught by one.

She's still working on the mimicry of speech thing that she can do, though, and so her 'words' ed up a little jumbled. "Pretty bird! Enjoying!"

"And you can talk!" Athelstan grins. "Do you want something to eat?"

He guesses she can only talk the way a starling does, or she'd have managed full sentences.

HEY. She's new at having to mimic words, because she doesn't have all the parts necessary to speak as she usually does, she thinks she's doing good.

"Eat," she replies. "Eat!" She tries to say 'cashew', because nuts sound like a good idea, but it might come out a little funny.

She's doing very good! By bird standards.

"That's a yes!", he says cheerfully. "Mistress Bar, what's good food for this type of bird?"

Cashews are provided, because Bar understands her and Athelstan is hampered by not actually knowing the word in the first place.

Cashews! Nom nom.

Have a very happy Nori-bird, Athelstan, who sort of whirrs and rubs her cheeks on his hand. "Eat goooooooooooood!" she chirps, crunching on a nut.

Athelstan strokes her head very gently, because she's a small and fragile Nori-bird.

"Put those on my tab, please", he instructs Bar. "And some water for her as well - and an ale for me."

Oooh. Do birds drink ale? Like, can she do that?

She will be peering very intently at the drink he gets, and then will abandon it in favor of the water. "Ale good?" she trills. "Cashew ale?"

Edited 2015-06-06 22:14 (UTC)

"You can have a little taste", he agrees. "Though I should think you'll get drunk very easily in that body."

Slurp slurp.

The only problem with this form, she's discovering, is that she can't adequately make a disgusted face as a bird. Clicking her beak will have to do. (And she does it, loudly and with as shrill an 'ewww' as she can manage.)

However those fluffed feathers send a pretty definite message.

"Not to your taste?" he asks, trying not to laugh out loud. "Here, wash it away with the water."

Have the patented Birdie Beady-Eyed-Stare-Of-Doom for that laugh, Athelstan.

Now is one of those times when it's kind of obvious that Noriko's spirit animal? Totally a bird. "Not. Not eat good."

"It's an acquired taste, and perhaps it tastes different to a bird's tongue", he offers repentantly. "Can I make it up to you?"

"Water. Cashew," she says, low and barely not a squawk as she clicks her beak.

"Yuck."

"More cashews, please, Bar, and we'll have that water now."

Noriko drinks the water thirstily until she can no longer taste the ale aftertaste, and munches on the nuts, crunching away.

"Apples?" she asks. "Apples on my tab." She can totally get the hang of this bird-talking thing, see!

"Apples", Athelstan echoes with a smile. "You're getting the hang of the new shape of throat, I see."

It takes nearly everything Noriko has not to try saying polly want a cracker at him for that. It really does.

"Apples!" she chirps, with a very birdy smile and a trill as she fluffs her feathers and preens.

He can't resist petting her head again for that, and Bar provides the requested apples.

Gently, and not enough to break the skin, she nips his finger as he pets her head and sort of whirrs at him as she chips off pieces of apple.

Athelstan smiles at her.

"Is the apple good?"

"Yes yes," she coos. "Apple good."

And she's happy with that! She's just also clenching the last slice of apple in her beak and flapping her way up to Athelstan's shoulder, manipulating the fruit as she leans against his head. "Niiiiiiice."

The affection gets a beam.

"I like you too, little bird-girl."

Niiiiiice monk. He will protect her from the evil cat.

Yes. Good plan.

He will indeed. At least until he and Ragnar take on bird-shape themselves, and then even Yrael might find three birds too much trouble to deal with.

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