Birds of a Feather

Cass/Artemis

Verdant Row can be chaotic or peaceful to a fatigued adventurer. Managed by spirits, this town serves as a temporary stop for a person to rest and eat. If there is no trouble about, a stay here is lovely, due to the nearby picturesque scenery. Read more...
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Cassian Thander
Character
Streetrat
Level
01
24 / 24 HP
20 / 20 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Shapeshifter and Fae
Class: Rogue and Sorcerer
Posts: 8
Joined: October 1st, 2019, 6:12 am
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Re: Birds of a Feather

Post by Cassian Thander »

Cass felt the alcohol burning down his gullet, providing a good distraction from all the noise in his head. Somewhere, he heard that little voice telling him he was drinking too fast. He ought to slow down, but how could he? The ups and downs of his emotions were too much to deal with. He was on the upward swing again and maybe this time, it would stay that way.

The starling grinned, unwittingly copying the other man's expression. Surprisingly enough, he didn't flinch when Artemis nudged his shoulder, finding the whistling language too fascinating to think about any stabby intentions the other might have. The birds themselves had a language, but it wasn't nearly as sophisticated as that of humans, or kerasoka as the case may be. Stumbling upon a language that merged the two into something he could very easily learn and use was a miracle. A treasure of the utmost lucky find.

"Oh! I wish I thought of that!" The young man piped up. "Those kerasoka must be really smart. How much do you know of it? Can you teach me?" He said, and nearly launched into a torrent of questions before stumbling. "I- I mean if you want to... I can learn whatever you want, though!" He added, nodding eagerly.

Artemis didn't need to ask twice about meeting him tomorrow. "Of course, I will!" More nods came from the youth, who by habit started reaching for the bottle again before the little wooden coin stole his attention. Cass blinked at it, then tentatively picked it up, unsure whether he was truly allowed to.

The token had a bird on it, something that drew his focus wholly. As anything bird-related would. Even though he lived in Verdant Row, it was a lonely kind of life. One that easily lended itself to obsessing over one thing or another. In Cass' case, it was anything avian.

The boy's amber eyes shone, partly from alcohol and partly from awe. Despite himself, Cass cooed at the coin, before looking up. "What is it? Is it something those kerasoka rangers use as well?"
Word count: 351
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Artemis Black
Character
Black of the Night
Level
04
48 / 48 HP
36 / 36 MP
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Class: Rogue
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Re: Birds of a Feather

Post by Artemis Black »

Artemis felt the overwhelming rush of youth practically radiating from Cassian and his grin broadened. "I can certainly teach you plenty. You're quite the energetic one, and I think you'll take to it well," he answered, letting his voice drop slowly to almost a conspiratorial whisper. "And this," he slid his fingers along the token in Cassian's palm, "is my sign. I don't know where the practice began but it's common with my associates. It marks you as someone I owe something to, and can be exchanged for favors."

Artemis brought his hand up to gently pat Cassian's alcohol-reddened cheek. "You're far too cute for your own good, and that's enough talk of jobs. Do you want me to teach you some birdsong now, or is there something else you want to learn?" he asked with an amused twitch of his lips as he raised his voice back up to a more conversational tone.

"I'm half a mind to just take you somewhere quiet and see how much I can teach you about using your mouth before the sun rises," he added with a glance to the sky through the dirty windows. "Though I understand you've things to finish up, so don't let me keep you if you need to handle responsibilities, Starling."
Word count: 213
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User avatar
Cassian Thander
Character
Streetrat
Level
01
24 / 24 HP
20 / 20 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Shapeshifter and Fae
Class: Rogue and Sorcerer
Posts: 8
Joined: October 1st, 2019, 6:12 am
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Birds of a Feather

Post by Cassian Thander »

Cassian couldn't help himself. The shapeshifter beamed at the prospect of learning something he might actually be good at. At least, until he remembered he was suposed to be humble. To that, the youth blinked and fidgeted, spider-web of insecurity making its way across his face.

Mercifully he didn't have to endure that for long, thanks to Artemis stealing attention again with the coin.

A secret language. An equally secret token traded about for favors. Artemis having associates, whatever that might mean. It was as though the boy across from him fell off a page of an epic story of shadows and mystery. The young half-breed couldn't help but feel impressed, imagination whirring at what kind of exciting life Artemis might be leading.

"Whoa..." Cass breathed in a whisper, amber eyes bright, if slightly hazy at the edges from alcohol.

"But...wait." The youth blinked at the blackbird symbol. "I don't... I mean you don't...." He scratched the back of his head. "You don't owe me anything."

Cass opened his mouth to say more, but the pat on his cheek and the compliment only served to make him redden in silence. The starling twitched in his seat, rubbing at his face as amber eyes kept darting to the coin in his palm. Pushing nervous thoughts away he decided that indeed, he was allowed to keep it.

"I... uh, yes! I'd love to learn everything!" He cracked another nervous smile as he sought a proper place for the token. He was tempted to keep it with today's earnings, but that won't do. It could get lost. In his pants' pocket wouldn't do either. That somehow seemed disrespectful. For a few moments, the youth shifted in his seat as he kept changing his mind, until he finally decided on hiding the token in an inner pocket of his shirt, close to his heart.

That settled, he gave Artemis a nervous, expectant smile, much like a student checking whether their master would approve of the choice.

His thoughts returned to Birdsong, but before the cheer at learning could gain traction it faltered again. Tracing the other's glance to the window, Cass too wished they were somewhere more secluded and quiet. The language would be much easier to learn that way, and spending an entire night on that...

If only he hadn't lied about having other business to attend to. That was quite stupid of him.

"Oh uh... yeah, the... responsibilities." Cass glanced to his empty glass, then shook his head at his own foolishness and went for the bottle of whiskey. Alcohol poured and immediately downed once more, the starling grimaced and went on.

"So that was... uh..." He twitched, then held up a hand to count off as he chirped the sounds. "Easy... Fast... Hide... See?" He paused. "What about... uh, 'here'? Or.. oh! Oh! Run! Run would be a very useful one!"
Word count: 481
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Artemis Black
Character
Black of the Night
Level
04
48 / 48 HP
36 / 36 MP
0p / 0g / 1s / 25c
Race: Human
Class: Rogue
Posts: 358
Joined: September 30th, 2019, 12:06 am
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 14 times

Re: Birds of a Feather

Post by Artemis Black »

Artemis had to stop himself from groaning in appreciation of Cassian's breathy whisper; the flighty manner of the starling mixing with the alcohol and exuberance to tease all sorts of ideas through Artemis' own addled head. 'Spent too damn long away- Idol's he's so damned precious,' he heard his own heady thoughts and couldn't hide another glance over at Cassian's flushed skin.

The smile Cassian gave him caused another wave of heat to rise in his cheeks that he played off by looking intently to the night sky. 'Can't be too forceful, will scare him away. He'd probably do whatever I wanted if I was though-' he considered, weighing his choices. Then there was whistling, a bit too accurate for one inexperienced and he couldn't stop a faint chuckle as he shook his head.

"You're talking a bit too together, it's all disjointed to me, but you've got the right words," he explained and repeated the words back to a beat, tapping his finger to his armor to accentuate it. "Stolen words, with different meanings," he added before bouncing his head faintly back and forth.

<<Run Fast, Here Now, Hunt One Hide>> he whistled, the sounds slurring a touch and causing him to lick his lips before explaining. "Run fast, typically used to indicate movement of any sort, not just legs. The part about speed- it comes up a lot- it means more like intensity. Use it all the time," Artemis went on.

"The second is 'here now' and is more about getting attention than anything, and the last-" he paused, giving Cassian a broad grin. "Is 'hunt one hide', which usually is about stalking a target of interest. In this case a lone one instead of a group."

"The biggest thing is that you're conveying a series of general ideas. Precision is for afterward, birdsong is about situational awareness," he finished, taking another quick drink and thumping his glass down faintly with an appreciative sigh before rising. "I'm going to head out to a spot on the edge of town, rooftop to the north east, not a lot of others about. Good view of the stars- dark and private."

Artemis rolled his neck, reaching out a hand to give Cassian's shoulder a firm squeeze. "Head over when you're done with what you need to do and we can continue? Don't keep me waiting too long-" <<Fast Here Now, Hunt One Hide Fast>> he whistled more slowly than usual, giving the starling a wink before turning away for the door.
Word count: 429
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