Tailyn’s Parrot Preserve
Spring 80, 518
Late Afternoon
The weather had been drizzly and gray all day, matching Tailyn’s grim and ever shifting mood. She had paid a visit to the Panacea earlier that day, and succeeded in thoroughly annoying the Akalak twin souls there with her roiling temper. She had apologized half a dozen times, paid the single bodied pair for their trouble, then stormed home. Thanks to the pair’s considerable skills, her sliced up hand was now properly bandaged and didn’t even ache, but Tai’s stormy temper remained. Upon return to her abode, Tai ignored Abanath in his usual spot and stomped over to her parrot’s perch.
Lucky stared at her with his usual merciless beady gaze. A bit of dried blood still clung to the upper part his beak.
“Why are you such a little shyte head?!” Tai hissed at him under her breath.
Lucky clicked his beak together once. The bird had fledged properly now, and was no longer a monster, at least in appearance. Under ideal circumstances, Tai would want to begin looking for a home for him, now that he was properly aged. Unfortunately, with the bird’s temperament, Tai wouldn’t be surprised if his buyer would turn Lucky into soup. And then spread the word to never buy from her again.
“I saved your life! Remember?!”
Lucky turned and looked at Tai from one eye. The expression was half dubious. Tai could practically hear the bird ‘but I wouldn’t have to be saved if it wasn’t for you, right?’.
“Shut up!” Tai snapped.
“Are you arguing with Lucky again?” Abanath asked.
“You too!” Tai retorted at Abanath.
“Shup,“ Lucky said deviously. Then he cackled.
“Why is he such a pain?!” Tai growled. “I’ve done everything by the book with him!”
“Okay?” Tai looked to see Sisi and Nobody staring over at her with concern. “Okay okay okay?”
Tai exhaled hard, willing all her anger out of her body. “I’m alright,” she told the birds. It wasn’t their fault after all, and she shouldn't be worrying them. She walked over to the paired and stroked their head feathers to reassure them. After she calmed both them and herself, she returned to Lucky thoughtfully.
“I have got to rehab this bird,” Tai said with a sigh.
Privately, in the most secret of ways that she had no plans of sharing with anyone, not even Abanath, Tai felt guilty. After all, it had been her negligence that had let Lucky fall this far. Parrots were sensitive. Tai knew that. But she hadn’t given Lucky the attention he deserved and that he badly needed. So now here she was with a poor tempered parrot. It was no one’s fault but her own. And it was her job to fix it.
Tai leaned in close to Lucky, just out of reach of where he was tethered.
“Listen close bud. By the end of today, the two of us are going to be friends. Alright?”
Lucky cackled again. The response understandably did not give Tai a great deal of reassurance.
(Words 502, Total 502)
Spring 80, 518
Late Afternoon
The weather had been drizzly and gray all day, matching Tailyn’s grim and ever shifting mood. She had paid a visit to the Panacea earlier that day, and succeeded in thoroughly annoying the Akalak twin souls there with her roiling temper. She had apologized half a dozen times, paid the single bodied pair for their trouble, then stormed home. Thanks to the pair’s considerable skills, her sliced up hand was now properly bandaged and didn’t even ache, but Tai’s stormy temper remained. Upon return to her abode, Tai ignored Abanath in his usual spot and stomped over to her parrot’s perch.
Lucky stared at her with his usual merciless beady gaze. A bit of dried blood still clung to the upper part his beak.
“Why are you such a little shyte head?!” Tai hissed at him under her breath.
Lucky clicked his beak together once. The bird had fledged properly now, and was no longer a monster, at least in appearance. Under ideal circumstances, Tai would want to begin looking for a home for him, now that he was properly aged. Unfortunately, with the bird’s temperament, Tai wouldn’t be surprised if his buyer would turn Lucky into soup. And then spread the word to never buy from her again.
“I saved your life! Remember?!”
Lucky turned and looked at Tai from one eye. The expression was half dubious. Tai could practically hear the bird ‘but I wouldn’t have to be saved if it wasn’t for you, right?’.
“Shut up!” Tai snapped.
“Are you arguing with Lucky again?” Abanath asked.
“You too!” Tai retorted at Abanath.
“Shup,“ Lucky said deviously. Then he cackled.
“Why is he such a pain?!” Tai growled. “I’ve done everything by the book with him!”
“Okay?” Tai looked to see Sisi and Nobody staring over at her with concern. “Okay okay okay?”
Tai exhaled hard, willing all her anger out of her body. “I’m alright,” she told the birds. It wasn’t their fault after all, and she shouldn't be worrying them. She walked over to the paired and stroked their head feathers to reassure them. After she calmed both them and herself, she returned to Lucky thoughtfully.
“I have got to rehab this bird,” Tai said with a sigh.
Privately, in the most secret of ways that she had no plans of sharing with anyone, not even Abanath, Tai felt guilty. After all, it had been her negligence that had let Lucky fall this far. Parrots were sensitive. Tai knew that. But she hadn’t given Lucky the attention he deserved and that he badly needed. So now here she was with a poor tempered parrot. It was no one’s fault but her own. And it was her job to fix it.
Tai leaned in close to Lucky, just out of reach of where he was tethered.
“Listen close bud. By the end of today, the two of us are going to be friends. Alright?”
Lucky cackled again. The response understandably did not give Tai a great deal of reassurance.
(Words 502, Total 502)