[The Bazaar] Not Really an Animal Person (Sethelon)

[Taryn]

Taryn inhaled sharply when he heard the quiet peep in reply. It was that bird that he had been attempting to run away from. It then made another, more insistent noise. Taryn held his breath, listening carefully. The bird shuffled closer towards the bush, poking its beak in through the opening. Smart bird.

He remained immobile, but lowered the leaf behind which he hid, his curiosity making him more bold. The bird was looking for him, but now that Taryn had slowed down, he noticed that it was not hunting him in the fashion that the cat had been hunting for him. The bird was genuinely searching for him. He lowered his leaf more, coming into the range of the bird's vision.

His fear of animals was irrational, leading Taryn to initially regard any animal with unease. This bird, however, didn't seem as though it were out to get him. Taryn edged nearer to the bird slowly, his stance tentative. Now, he was certain that the bird could see him.

"Okay, you found me," Taryn finally spoke. Erring on the side of caution, he stood behind a branch still, which could be used as a means of protection if the bird turned on him.

[Sethelon]

Finally. Seth thought. For a respectable amount of time, the bird was silent and motionless. Its black eyes scanned the creature before him relentlessly, taking in every detail. Indeed, there was much to see. A conveniently similarly sized being, the little man possessed exquisite detail. If Seth wasn't so fond of such materials, he would doubt that the creature was truly made of ceramics. He might as well be made of flesh, by the intense level of detail. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to even be childlike in construction. To Seth, the living figurine was very cute. A rare, valuable treasure. Its apparent life added even more worth and depth, but also forced him to consider the being as any other. He wouldn't run off with a random kid off the street if he was dressed in jewels, would he? Depends on the jewels... "Okay, you found me..." spoke the little man. Tilting his head to the side, Seth was now faced with an interesting decision. He could not speak with the man in bird form, but changing now might scare him off, or worse, alert the guards to a naked man in the Bazaar. Still, he would need to do something. There's only so long that a bird could hold someone's attention. At the same time, though, the Syliran Knights had been rather gracious the few times Seth ended up indecent in public. Deciding that it would be best to speak to the little man, Seth hopped backwards about two feet, enough not to potentially crush the small man. When he believed himself to be a safe distance away, he willed himself to change form. With a brilliant display of light, Seth's body reformed into that of a man with long black hair. It was untamed, now, as he couldn't very well carry string to tie back his hair in bird form. Adjusting himself as to sit cross-legged, Seth looked down at the clay figurine. He was stark naked, but he wagered that his legs obscured the majority of any naughty bits from the Pycon's direct view. "Let me explain..." he grinned.

[Taryn]

The Pycon and the bird has a momentary staring contest, each sizing the other up. And, while the bird peered at him, Taryn peered back at the bird. He tried looking past its dauting talons and sharp beak, which still had bits of fur stuck to it from attacking the cat. It had fine black feathers, spare a splash of white around its nape, and sharp little eyes. Terrifying, but yet not too terrifying.

The bird hopped out of the bush, backing up as if it were quite through with staring at him. That's it? It just wanted a better look at me? He edged forward, watching as the bird hopped backwards a good yard, before stopping, giving him a humored look. Was this some sort of joke? Suddenly, the bird was consumed in a fantastic light.

Taryn shielded his gaze from the intense light, squinting at it as it expanded outward and upward. Had this all just been the joke of some magician, or wizard of sorts? Taryn edged towards the very edge of the bush, nearly outside of its protection, but careful not to touch the light. The light diminished, and in the place of the bird, sat a very naked man with dark hair and eyes.

Taryn stumbled back at the sudden change in appearance and species, blinking in disbelief. It wasn't the man's nakedness that had him bothered as Taryn, too, was technically naked. He was just trying to wrap his head around how a bird could be a human.

"Let me explain," the man said, with a grin. That was when it dawned on him.

"You!" Taryn stammered incredulously, "You- you're- you're a Kelvic?!" He got back to his feet, and slapped a hand to his forehead, looking around in disbelief and embarassment.

"You're a Kelvic!" he reiterated accusationally, pointing a finger at him, "You scared the wits out o' me! Scared me half to death! And you're a Kelvic!" Taryn was in too much of a shock to say much else. He was terrified of animals, and only slightly uneasy about Kelvics. After all, they were half-animals, which meant that Taryn was half-afraid of them. He sighed, trying to calm himself down.

"I've never met a Kelvic," he finally admitted. That was not entirely true-- he'd seen Kelvics in their animal forms being sold in the Bazaar, and perhaps a human or two that he'd seen may have been a Kelvic, but he'd never been personally introduced to a Kelvic.

Taryn stepped out of the bush, touching his clay hair as if to run a hand through it. To himself, he mused, "Sweet Harameus, he's a Kelvic."

He peered at the man, uncertain of how to recover his wounded dignity. He'd just run in a panic from a Kelvic, not some bloodthirsty normal, bird. How embarrassing. Taryn sighed. He must have looked like such a fool right now.