Bird's Eye View [Ethan]

[Kendall Saarinen]

50th of Spring, 511 AV Since coming to Syliras the Stone Gardens had become Kendall's favorite place to visit. It was quiet, peaceful, and most of all it was a good place to work on writing or drawing. He walked into the garden softly singing under his breath as he looked for a place to sit down and work. He was glad to see the Gardens were not too populated at the moment. Only a woman who appeared to be an off duty knight joined him in the area. While she was busy looking at the stones Kendall situated himself on a bench and looked around him, trying to find something to draw. Looking up his mismatched eyes caught the sight of a bird. He had never tried drawing a bird and he was sure he would not do too well at it. As he looked up at the creature he tried to draw the outline of it's body. Unfortunately his hand was not as steady as he would have hoped. Sighing he pulled the page from his book and held it in his hands. He hated the look of it. It looked like something a child would scribble. The body was mishapen and the wings were uneven. "This picture does not do you justice." Kendall murmured quietly as he looked up at the bird. His mismatched looked idly at his palm as he released a bit of Res, just enough to ignite into a small flame. Within a few moments the fire took over the glob of Res before Kendall dipped the edge of the paper into the flame. He smiled softly as he watched the flame climb up the side of the paper and race toward his fingers. Once the fire was strong on the paper Kendall closed his hand around the small flame, extinquishing it. Now it was just a game of if he was going to let the flames lick his fingers or if he would act the part of a good normal person and drop the flaming paper to the ground to protect his fiery secret. If the woman had looked over at Kendall he might have done better acting job but instead he let the flames cuddle up against his fingertips before they wained and smoked at the edge of the paper that was being held between his fingers. The fire calmed him and he felt at peace each time he saw it or it touched him. As the flames licked at his skin Kendall could feel his temperture spike. By looking at him, one could not tell that he had a fever brewing under his skin. It could only be known by touch.

[Ethan]

Hadrian had given a fair description of Kendall, enough for him to go off of. The main feature he had been looking for was mismatched eyes. Which was the only feature he really needed, after all how many people had such strange eyes? Hadrian had also mentioned a district or something like that, but it was a personal goal never to set foot in that wretched roofed city. No windows and no breeze, it was suffocating in there. So he had simply stuck to the favorite place of Kendall, or that's what Hadrian said anyways. The Stone Garden was one of his favorite places to perch as well. Already he had something in common with Kendall, that was something at least. He still had no idea how to spring up on the man. He has a Kelvic of his own but how many naked men can someone stomach? After a couple days with no luck. Ethan had started to wonder if his teacher was mistaken. He had started to perch here on his spare time to catch this young Pyromancer but he had come up short. Until today that is. Kendall came into the garden when Ethan was taking one of his more relaxing naps. No one bothered him here, so it was a suitable spot to relax the day away. The sound of Kendall's foot steps woke him first. The only thing that moved on the large bird were his eyes. Lazily he scanned the area with one sweep before turning his attention to the man. Dirty blond, devilishly handsome, white skin, toned muscles and ahhh yes... the mismatched eyes. Ethan was very pleased with himself to see his prey walk into view. If a bird could smile then a wide grin would be planted on his face. Ethan casually pecked and cleaned his feathers while he listened and watched the young man. It was interesting to watch Kendall draw. He almost felt flattered by the idea. He didn't much understand why he was being drawn but it had to be for a good reason. It was so interesting he stopped cleaning himself and simply watch. At the end of his work, when the young man seemed displeased with the art. Ethan wanted to go over and snatch it to see for himself. Unfortunately Kendall didn't know who he was so that wouldn't be very polite. When Kendall let out a small ball of res and lit it on fire. Ethan was immediately captivated and cursed himself for not being able to use Auristics fast enough to observe it. Instead he simply watched as the fire consume the piece of paper and as it was dropped to the floor shortly after. So it was true, he was a Pyromancer! He could feel his heart pumping louder with excitement, the idea of meeting and knowing two men of magic was phenomenal. Ethan thought about his options for a good minute. Weighing the pros and cons. Kendall was used to Kelvics and magic in general. It would be safe to show himself to him. Although that other woman was still in sight. He knew how touchy people were with nudity. There were trees to cover him well enough though... Finally he decided on using a well know tactic. The curious bird trick was the easiest way for both of them. Ethan was too large for a person to fuck with, and most humans awed and cooed when birds were friendly. Although the small roll of clothes posed a problem. Ethan carefully stepped off the roll, onto the bare branch and unfurled his wings. With one graceful hop he was gliding towards the man. Ethan landed with an audible clack onto the cobble ground. Slowly he hobbled over and started pecking at the burnt pieces of paper on the ground.

[Kendall Saarinen]

Kendall was surprised to see the large bird actually decend from the heights above to peck at his feet. He cocked his head at the large bird as it poked at the ashes. "Hello." Kendall tended to have a strange habit to talking to animals. It was how he got to be close with Cathan. He met the man in his wolf form and in his hysterical haze he had not been scared. He spoke to the canine as if he was just another human at his side. This strange habit had come about after his accident. When there had been no one to talk to at times animals were the only ones who listened. Kendall had found himself with a small group of friends currently but he never seemed to shake the habit of speaking to those who could not speak back.  "I don't think that is healthy to peck at." He was not sure why the bird would be interested in the ashes. Perhaps he was just curious. "I tried to draw a picture of you but I'm not too good at art. I wish I was though." He looked at the bird curiously. Why would a bird as big as this one land in front of him? It seemed big enough to be a bird of prey. "I wish I could draw a picture of you though. I think you would be a good subject. You have nice colors." Kendall was not sure why he was offering compliments to some random bird. He found it a bit endearing to see the creature pecking at his ashes. "I'm sorry I don't have anything more palatable for you." He really was not sure what a bird of it's size would even eat.

[Ethan]

Ethan was still playing the simple minded bird and focusing on a particular piece of burnt paper when Kendall spoke. If a bird could snicker and snort then he would of given himself away. The young man was talking to the bird casually, as if he was another person. Not only was he chatting to Ethan like he was his friend, but he was being concerned about him and complimenting his colors. It was by far the cutest thing Ethan had ever heard in his life. Hadrian was right in his reassuring him that Kendall was a nice man. He didn't want to trust so openly at first but now he realized his teacher was a good enough judge of people. In fact Ethan felt almost complimented by the young man. He didn't understand what a subject was, but it must of meant someone you drew. Did that mean Ethan was an attractive bird? He never really thought about it that way but it could be true. He was always proud of the colors of his plumage but he assumed that was natural to him being an animal. Like being confident about how you looked. He stopped pecking at the random ash and looked up at the young man and really studied him. He had nice looking eyes. The eyes of a person that wouldn't harm a fly, but they were sort of sad in a way too. Ethan didn't know a lot about this man but he could tell he wasn't going to hurt him or try shit. Quickly he bird walked over to the far side of the bench and hopped up barely using his wings. When he was on top of the bench he looked over his shoulder. The lady Knight was still away and unaware of them. Quickly he strode over to Kendall and placed his heavy ass besides him. As if sitting next to a buddy. Any other human he would never think of this, but Kendall came recommended and had a Kelvic of his own. He would be used to this sort of thing. Plus he seemed so nice and Ethan couldn't resist nice people. To reassure the other that he was comfortable, Ethan fluffed out his feathers and puffed to show he was relaxed. A large but fluffy black, white and orange ball rested next to Kendall. Waiting to see his next move. Staring off into the distance and trying to act as “bird” as possible.

[Kendall Saarinen]

A small chill ran through Kendall when he saw the bird looking at him. The bird seemed to be studying him and by the looks of it, a little too intuitively for a mear animal. He simply looked back at the creature, a small smile poking at the side of his lips. "Hey birdy." He knew that the greeting was a little childish, if not strange but he was talking to a bird for the Gods' sakes! The blond was a little bit surprised to see the bird hop up next to him. It seemed almost like a little feathered person plopping down for a rest at his side. "I suppose there is room enough on the bench for the two of us. Nice to have someone joining me." He scooted over a bit so the bird could have it's personal space. He was not sure if the bird was too wild. If it was, it might prefer it's space even if it was sitting next to him. To Kendall's surprise the bird began to puff up his feathers in a show of comfort around the blond. "Does this mean you will let me try to draw you again?" He bit his lip as he looked at the bird. Drawing was becoming a little hard on his ego. He decided against his better judgement to try to draw the bird again. He pulled out his notebook and began to try and draw the outline of the bird. Sadly, it looked more like a blob than anything. He clearly did not have any skill in drawing even though he desperately wanted to be a good artist. With a little pout he looked to the bird. "You are a good model, I promise you that. I am not a good artist though." He sighed a bit as he let his Res form over his hand once again. "I'm going to set this alight. Don't be scared, I promise I won't hurt you." The Res ignited over the blond's hand as he once again set fire to his work. He was embarassed of the sloppy drawings and he would make sure no one else saw them. "Don't peck at the ashes this time birdy." He smiled sweetly at the large bird at his side. As strange as it was, he was enjoying the one sided conversation with the feathered creature.

[Ethan]

Considerate, was a good word to use for Kendall. Considerate and perhaps care free. Almost whimsical in a way. He was either extremely polite and considered all creatures to be equal or a little touched in the head. After all he was talking with a bird... Not typical behavior for a human but Ethan thought it was sweet. Surprisingly he felt rather warm towards the man. His simple minded respect was refreshing. So Ethan just watched, groomed a feather now and then but mostly watched in amusement. He held back the urge to nod when the other man talked about drawing him again. It might freak him out a little if he acted too intelligent He doubted anything would phase this young man out, but it was better to keep safe. Besides he was interested to see what this picture would look like. Granted, it was a little odd since he never paid much attention to art, but it was rather exciting to see what he would look like on paper. The reflections in rivers and lakes never looked perfect and he never had the chance to be in a mirror in this form. Although it didn't seem like this man was a great artist, he did not mind. Pictures were interesting either way. Whether it was for likeness of reality or the mechanics of drawing. It still interested him. Ethan waited patiently and kept still, other than trying to peek once or twice when Kendall was deeply concentrated. He wasn't able to see much and after the third try he stopped all together. When Kendall was finished with the picture he could tell by his face it was a disappointment. Ethan himself was a little irritated for waiting, posing and then not getting to see it but he kept any squawks to himself. Kendall was apologetic for being a bad artist and it made it easier to understand why he didn't get to see the picture.. Ethan watched while he spoke and seemed to be in pieces over his art. He was definitely passionate about his work, that's a good thing. Although getting down wasn't a way to move forward in a talent. Ethan never really doubted himself, and was surprised when others did. He saw it as when something doesn't go right. You just need to try harder to fix it and laugh at the mistakes. His master taught him confidence was key to anything done right. Ethan was thinking of things while Kendall spoke some more. Trying to figure out how to encourage him to draw while being in his bird form. He gave out a little humorous squawk when he said don't eat the ashes and tried to play it off with a couple more odd sounds. When Kendall gave him a warm sweet smile. It made Ethan a little awe struck. He never noticed this til now but this man was exceptionally... pretty! Most men he saw weren't pretty. Even Hadrian with his softer features wasn't ever pretty. Besides his charming smile. It was surprising to see how genuinely nice this person was. The Kelvic he owned was very lucky to have him. The thought chewed at Ethan the second it happened. He was still master less and the only one he ever had was simply a teacher and nothing more. No love, true concern or the other qualities that made it a loving bond. Ethan decided not to dwell on the thoughts. Hadrian and other people had come into his life since then. So their was no reason to dwell on old despair. Moving a couple paces down the bench to give Kendall some more room Ethan prepared to help the young man with his art. Obviously he had no true idea what drawing took other than a hand moving across paper to create something, but he was going to try. With a single look across the area to make sure no one was looking. He extended his wings to full length. Made sure it was comfortable and settled there. In a sort of crouched position almost as if he was about to take flight. In his opinion it was a great pose and hopefully it helped the young man gain a little bit more confidence in his art.

[Kendall Saarinen]

Kendall giggled quietly when he saw the bird trying to sneak a peak at his work. "No peeking!" He smiled at his feathered companion. He seemed too curious and eccentric. A little too much so for a common bird. The creature intrigued him. He wanted to know why it was so interested, almost in a human-esque way. The blond could not help but be curious as he looked at the bird. He wanted to know more about it. How could he though? He could not understand it and even if it was a kelvic, it did not seem as though it wanted to switch forms. He tried to think back to Hadrian and the magics he had taught him. He knew that there was one that could help him here. It was autistics. Kendall still was not too skilled in the art but with a bit of meditation he found that he could begin to see the hints of an aura. He closed his eyes and breathed out, trying to clear his mind. He pushed out his embarrassment for his less than impressive work in drawing and even the nagging want to figure out what the bird at his side wanted. "Just auras. Just find the auras." He opened his eyes and looked to the bird. Around his edges a dull light seemed to cling to his feathers. It seemed to be tinged with a sense of wonder and interest. One that was clearly too complex for a simple bird. He cocked his head as he looked at the creature. "You are not just an everyday bird, are you?" Maybe the bird was. He was sure that there were extremely intelligent avians out in the world. He had heard about the extremely intelligent eagles of Wind Reach although it was clear this bird was not one of them. "You seem very smart. I like that regardless of if you are special or not." He smiled lightly at the bird as he watched it shifting it's position on the bench. He was truly an extraordinary bird. Once again the blond cocked his head at the strange bird. There was no way it was actually modeling for him! That was absurd! "If I did not know better I would think you were modeling for me bird." He smirked a bit as he looked down at his notebook. He did not want to try to draw anymore. It was taking a toll on his ego. This bird seemed adamant on posing for him though. With a small sigh he began to try and draw the bird once more. He first tried to draw the head but it looked more like a worm than anything. The pyromancer kept pushing through the drawing. He moved onto the body which did not end up looking any better than the head of the bird. "It is a shame you could not have found a better artist to draw you. You are good at posing." He continued to scribble away at the drawing, moving onto the wings which turned out to look more like flippers. In the end, the picture was a complete mess. He looked at the bird hesitantly. He felt as though he should show the bird his work even if he was embarrassed by it. "Okay bird, I'll show you the drawing but I warn you, it is terrible. I am not an artist, not even in the slightest." He turned the notebook around so the terribly drawn picture was facing the bird. "Sorry that I did such a bad job. I did not do you any justice with this."

[Ethan]

It was true, he was no average bird and he felt Kendall catching onto his ruse. Hadrian vouched for him as a good man so it didn't matter. Kendall had his own Kelvic so he could keep the secret after all. He felt personally safe with Kendall as well. There was a certain disarming quality about the young man. A quality that screamed “not a threat”. When Kendall didn't freak out, but only asked if he was posing for him. It made Ethan laugh on the inside. How he was just going along with everything and not questioning too much. He was starting to like this man more and more. They would be good friends, he could tell already. In response to his question Ethan gave a small almost invisible nod and waited as the young artist began his work. It was a tense couple of minutes. Ethan wanted to see what he looked like on paper, and his body was starting to cramp in such a statuesque pose. He underestimated the small annoyance it would put on his limbs. Since he was used to gliding for hours he thought it was the same thing? Apparently, they are two completely different things. Which is interesting because it's basically holding the same position for a long time. Whether your gliding or posing?. Perhaps the air that carried you really took the pressure off your muscles. That meant you got sore not by simply being in that position, but holding yourself in that position. Gliding was practically being weightless... Ethan hardly even noticed that Kendall was nearly finished with his drawing. The movement and sighs of his breath snapped him out of his deep contemplation. Kendall seemed shy about showing the bird but he was still willing to do it. Ethan would feel a little odd too if he was showing a bird art but he didn't chirp about it. He lowered himself from his pose and waddled over to the young man and waited anxiously. It didn't matter if he wasn't an artist. He really didn't know what art was after all. It wasn't something he ever needed to figure out before. Art and drawing were just lines on paper no matter who did them. The mechanical aspect of art was very interesting and perhaps with his increasing skill in Auristics he could look at the emotions or muscle involvement when drawing. Although none of this mattered at the moment and he wouldn't be rude to his new acquaintance and ignore his art. Kendall wearily turned the picture around and showed the bird..For a second the Kelvic gazed and just took in the picture, staying completely still. The picture showed a strange looking creature. With a long neck, sort of odd shaped head and shapeless wings. Although what Ethan saw was a flurry of strokes and lines all coming together and completing a picture. He saw curved and straight lines clashing together and mixing while other parts seemed to parallel each other forever. It was an amazing show of lines and form that he never got to see in real life. Almost like magic, it was the creation of something out of thin air. Ethan didn't see a level of skill. Only the art of making something from your hands and mind. He was too excited for words. The picture pulled in his mind as he tried to contemplate each line and wonder how it was done by hand. What muscles were being used? Did these lines mean something like letters did? He had seen paintings and murals before and they were also somewhat unique, but this was something he had never seen before. It was truly interesting and alive. Ethan was so exited he couldn't contain himself. Making quite the racket squawking and pecking at the picture and Kendall's hand. Gently of course, more like nips of affection if anything. He wanted to say so much it was killing him on the inside. He warbled closer and rubbed his feathered head against the young mans hand. Ethan was chirping and pecking in such frustration that he finally said. Fuck it! Enough was enough, this man was recommended to be trustworthy. He proved himself in Ethan's eyes to be a good nice polite man. Considerate of animals and deeply connected with them. The bird backed up and took flight from the bench. Making sure not to hit him with his wings. He fluttered to the tree and quickly snatched up the bundle of clothes he had left on a branch and swooped back down near the artist. He let go of the bundle of clothes and looked around. The coast was clear, a flash of light and a little bit of magic. Ethan morphed from the large bearded eagle into a very handsome, but very naked seemingly 20 year old man. He picked up the roll of clothes and started unfurling them with great big flaps. The dust and dirt from travel flew out as he did so. When he was done Ethan gave the young man a coy smile. “Your art is amazing, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself Kendall. Confidence allows talent to grow.” Separating the breeches from his tunic. Ethan held the clothes in front of his nakedness and held a hand out for the man to shake. “Hadrian has told me plenty of good things about you, but I had to see for myself. My name is Ethan, I'm his student.” Ethan's smile was nothing but warm and friendly. He could already tell they would get off famously... Despite the bit of shock.

[Kendall Saarinen]

The blond was a bit nervous as he looked at the bird examining his work. He was not exactly sure why. The bird was just a bird, as simple as it was to say. He was not sure how to react when it started to squawk and peck at the paper. Had he done something wrong to make the bird upset? He did not know that the bird would even be able to understand that he was drawing a picture of him. Of course, this show of excitement would clearly show that the bird was more than just a bird. Kendall's heart raced a little when the bird moved closer to him and rubbed against him. He flinched a little, afraid he was going to get nipped by the large bird. Instead, he watched with surprised eyes when the bird simply showed him affection. "Heh… well your welcome I guess." He was surprised the bird liked the picture at all. He looked terrible in Kendall's opinion. Suddenly the bird took off into the air, seeming to be aiming for the tree that Kendall had first seen him in. He pouted a bit as he watched it fly away, his heart in a bit of a flurry from watching the bird take off. As strange as the meeting had been he found the bird quite interesting. He was surprised to see the bird return to him though. He seemed to be holding a bundle in his talons as he flew through the air. It was not until Kendall saw the flash of light engulfing the bird that he knew his wonders were correct. The bird was in fact Kelvic. Kendall averted his eyes when the naked man stood before him. He knew that Cathan was not too shy about his naked form but he did not want to offend the bird… the man. He cocked his head when the man said his name. "How do you know my name?" He did not recall telling the bird what he name was. He blushed a little as he looked down at his notebook. "Um… thank you for your complements though." He wanted to feel confident about his work but when there were ten year olds who could draw better than you, it was hard. He was still having a hard time averting his eyes from the naked man in front of him. Not because he wanted to see him but that he did not want to be rude by not making eye contact. His mother's repetitive mannerism lessons seemed to echo in his head as he looked away. Mismatched eyes darted up to Ethan's face when he mentioned Hadrian. "Oh! You are the Kelvic he told me about." He stood up quickly and held a hand out to the man, keeping his eyes focused on Ethan's. "He said good things about you too. It is nice to meet you in person." He was happy he finally got to meet Hadrian's kelvic friend. Hadrian had met Cathan a while ago and he felt bad that he had not tried harder to do the same with Ethan. "What has he taught you? He has taught me some magic, although I knew reimancy prior to meeting him." Kendall was curious as to what Hadrian had taught the Kelvic. He knew from Cathan that Kelvics were rarely skilled in magic and even when they managed to learn it, they found it difficult to grasp.

[Ethan]

Ethan was ecstatic that he was met with such a friendly response. It was rare he could show a human and they wouldn't question and freak out so much. Even a person that knew about things such as Kendall. The idea that Hadrian had mentioned good things about him put a smile on his lips. Well, he was a good student after all. Polite, eager to learn and caring to his remedial needs. Compliments should be in order, but saying them to other friends? This was definitely a good sign. Their shake was friendly and warm but not long enough for it to be strange. Both of them were smiling and seemingly happy. Things were going great for a first meeting. Besides the nakedness and Kendall didn't seem to mind much past avoiding his eyes. While Kendall talked, Ethan started putting on his white tunic. Pulling his head into the neck hole when Kendall asked him what he had learned so far. When he got the tunic on he felt a little more comfortable. The long garment went to about mid thigh. Kelvic or not he was taught etiquette and manors at a young age, and public nudity was a no go. Being naked in the middle of Syliras was especially awkward. Even though it was an empty courtyard. “There... that's better, now you can look freely.” He laughed a little bit, poking fun at Kendall's shyness. “It's very nice of you to value my privacy but I am a Kelvic after all.” Ethan smiled more but kept it polite. Wanting to keep things nice, but interesting enough to spark further conversation. His old lessons still ran deep inside his mind, helpful as always. “Hadrian has been a great teacher, but my skills in Auristics are still rather limited. Mostly I just work on the concentration and ability of Auristics. I understand very little of the Aura's so far. And I saw your use of fire.” Ethan laughed and felt a little embarrassed about pecking at the ashes. “You are very kind to animals. Its just sad that I am a terrible bird. Sorry for deceiving you.” Ethan tugged on his pants quickly as he looked around for any people that might be coming. He laced the front up tight and listened as the other man spoke.