[open] Toto, I don't think we're on Hedenex anymore....

[bluesuit_handy]

It's been so good to stretch his legs again after so long cooped up on the ship. Andrew loves traveling, of course, and he loves spending time with James and the dogs, but his tolerance for monotonous space journeys is diminishing rather than growing. Their first journey out from Earth was the longest, of course, since they had to reach a jump node before they could travel from world to world in a matter of weeks rather than months, but somehow just a week stuck in a space the size of a largish flat is almost unbearable to him now. If he had to do that longer journey again, he might go mad.

Despite his enthusiasm, there's only so much running about (much of it literal) he can do before he tires out. Hedenex is a friendly sort of planet, with more than a few things to do and see, but just now he's tucked back up in bed in the spaceship he shares with James, their dogs curled up nearby as if watching to make sure he doesn't go off again without them when he wakes up.

His sleep is troubled by dreams that are less bad, necessarily, than they are weird. He's in the midst of grudgingly assembling a floral arrangement under the watchful eye of a robot servant belonging to a version of the Master he hasn't seen in centuries when a chill wind suddenly blows through the beach house where he and Abraham Lincoln have been imprisoned together. He shivers in both the dream and in reality, shifting uncomfortably on the hard red surface of the bleachers that make up the roof of the Times Square TKTS booth. He's wrapped up surprisingly well for someone who was just taken away from his cozy bed and blankets, as he tends to layer up even when he goes to bed, but a fleece onesie with a hoodie over the top half and socks on under the enclosed feet is still not enough. At least he'll look dashing in that yellow ducky-themed print?

Comments

[bluesuit_handy]

That's alright, Andrew can do the sighing for her. He ruffles his hair and shivers, risking a look away from the bird to glance around. "No, of course not," he says unhappily. More to himself, he adds, "Though if it was a localized temporal spatial event, it'd be more likely -- have you seen any dogs, then? Big brown one, little gray one, big yellow one?"

[wildmage_daine]

The technical gibberish flies right over her head, but she understands losing friends (both human and animal) well enough. She's been paying closer attention to the People in the square than the humans, but she hasn't seen any dogs matching his description--none that weren't already with their masters or mistresses, anyway. Daine shakes her head again, now feeling a good bit more sympathetic than exasperated. She wishes she could be of more help.

Then again, she could help him--help him look for his dogs, at least. She'd be better at that than finding a two-legger. Rocking back and forth on her feet, she considers her options. If any of his friends did get scooped up by the rift, they might have wound up at the park. That's where she landed, after all. It'd just be a question of getting him there.

[bluesuit_handy]

"At least they'll have William if they're still on the ship," he mutters, sitting down and rubbing his cold feet through the footies on his pajamas. "Unless you've seen a sort of robot squid wandering about -- but I assume there'd be more screaming if he'd shown up here."

He touches his tongue to the roof of his open mouth, his expression thoughtful. If the dogs aren't here with him, he just has to hope they really are back on the ship -- or with James, wherever he is. Finding James has to be his first order of business -- and he's just going to assume James is here somewhere, because the alternative is too terrible. "Been a while since I've been to New York," he comments. "This New York, anyway. What is this, 2000? 2010-ish? And how is it I've met a talking crow, anyway, what's up with that? D'you have a name?"

[wildmage_daine]

'Robot squid'? Daine ruffles her feathers, appalled by the thought, then hops beneath one of the bleachers. If they're going to have a proper conversation, she'll have to shift again, and she doesn't want to do it any more out in the open than she has to.

Once she's tucked away where only he can see her, she reshapes her head until it's all human, if small enough to still fit on her crow body. "I'm Daine," she says, bracing herself to resume crow shape and take off if he starts shouting.

[bluesuit_handy]

If he knew what has her feathers ruffled, Andrew could reassure her that William's a perfectly nice robot...even if he started life as a tool of war. At least if they have William, the dogs will get fed and walked.

He bends so he can see the bird more clearly as it takes cover under a bleacher. When he sees the transformation, he takes in a sharp breath, but he doesn't shout. "Very not usual," he comments instead, mentally noting 'she' rather than 'it.' "I'm Andrew."

[wildmage_daine]

If she was fully human, she might attempt to be more polite, but holding two shapes at once is difficult. She gets right to the point. "If the rift brought you here, your friends might be at the park. That's where most folk end up."

[bluesuit_handy]

"Rift?" he asks immediately, eyebrows going up. "You mean this isn't an isolated incident -- this is something that happens often?"

He frowns. "I don't remember that in Earth's history. Not in this area, anyway."

[wildmage_daine]

"I'm not sure how often it happens," Daine says, "but it does. It's how I got here." Not that she's bitter about that or anything.

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew nods, accepting that explanation (at least, until he finds evidence to the contrary). "Well," he says, looking up and around. "I'm going to need clothing -- but family first, I think. Coming with me?"

[wildmage_daine]

"Sure." She offers him a shy smile. "I might be able to help find your dogs, at least. I'm good with animals." Nodding at Andrew's shoulder, she adds, "Shall I fly ahead, or ride?"

[bluesuit_handy]

"Ride?" he requests, squaring his shoulders to provide a better perch. He's a little afraid he'll lose track of her (or vice versa) if she flies off, and lose his guide.

[wildmage_daine]

She shifts her head back to a crow's and flaps up onto his shoulder. He's a bit too gangly to make a good perch, but at least crows aren't too big. Nor are her claws long enough to pierce his clothes, though she's still careful not to grip too hard.

[bluesuit_handy]

He winces a little nonetheless as she gets settled, not having counted on the talons. Tilting his head awkwardly to get a look at her and verify that yes, she looks like a crow again, he carefully stands and picks his way down the bleachers, ignoring the odd looks he's getting.

"Suppose it's yes or no questions from here on out?" he asks mildly.

[wildmage_daine]

She's too occupied with keeping her balance to nod, so she lets out a croak that she hopes he'll take as agreement. She keeps her wings unfolded as Andrew heads down the bleachers, hoping she'll be able to stay balanced without accidentally cuffing him with her wing. Once they're not so out in the open, she can shift into something else.

[bluesuit_handy]

"North, isn't it?" he asks, pausing a moment to remember before turning to take 7th in that direction. "What I don't understand," he adds, "is why here, and why Hedenex. That's where I was, was Hedenex. Nice place, didn't get much chance to look around."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine manages a nod as he turns in the right direction, but only blinks at the rest of his chatter. She's never heard of Hedenex before. Granted, she doesn't know much about the geography here; she's getting better with the city, but only has vague ideas about the rest of the world. She's seen a world map, but was more preoccupied with trying (and failing) to find anything like Tortall on it to pay much mind to anything else.

[bluesuit_handy]

"Are you from Earth?" he asks suddenly. "I'd sort of assumed you weren't, but...."

But that had looked like a human head. Not that that necessarily meant anything.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine wouldn't be sure how to answer that even in a human shape. She doesn't think Tortall's on a different planet, because all the animals here are the same. It's only the two-leggers who are a bit different, and then only because none of them have the Gift.

Then again, there was no Tortall on the map. She lifts her wings in the closest thing to a shrug she can manage.

[bluesuit_handy]

"That's not a yes or no," Andrew points out. "Does that mean you don't know?"

He's shivering pretty steadily by now. There's not much he can do about it, though. The most he could do would be to put his hood up, but he might dislodge Daine if he tries it.

[wildmage_daine]

She hesitates, then nods.

Speaking of being dislodged, that might happen anyway if he keeps up with the shivering. She feels rather sorry for him. Spying an alleyway that looks a bit more secluded than the street, Daine lets out a quiet caw, then picks up the string dangling from his hood and tugs it to the left, towards the alley. It's probably rude to try and steer him like a horse, but maybe he'll catch her meaning and head over there.

[bluesuit_handy]

He startles when she stoops to peck at his chest -- no, his hoodie string. Andrew watches in bemusement, wondering if this is a crow thing or what, but catches on after a moment.

"Is Timmy down the well?" he asks, grinning at his own joke as he turns in the direction indicated.

[wildmage_daine]

Any pop culture jokes are going to be lost on Daine, but at least he's heading into the alley like she wanted. She launches herself off of his shoulder and lands behind a dumpster, where folk from the street won't be able to see her.

She considers taking dog shape, then decides against it. She'd rather be less noticeable, not more so, and being carried has its perks. Closing her eyes, she trades black feathers for white fur, her body stretching into the long, lithe shape of an ermine. She gives herself a little shake, then scampers back over to Andrew, feeling rather pleased with herself.

Only trouble is, she doesn't fancy trying to climb up Andrew as if he's a tree. She might be able to manage it, but she doesn't think either of them would enjoy it. Sitting up on her hind legs, she gives him an enquiring chirp. How about a lift?

[bluesuit_handy]

Is she abandoning him?? Andrew takes a few tentative steps toward the dumpster to look behind it, but when he doesn't see her reemerging further down the alley, he realizes that maybe she wants privacy and holds back.

He takes in a sharp breath when instead of a crow, a little white mammal appears. Is that a weasel? No, weasels aren't white. Same family, though, obviously. "Is that you?" he asks, dropping into a crouch and holding out a hand. He's not sure what exactly he intends to do, but it doesn't seem politic to just reach out and grab her up.

[wildmage_daine]

She nods--well, it's more of a bob, but she imagines he'll understand it. Now that he's crouched and holding a hand out, it's only the work of a moment for her to scamper up his arm. Once she reaches his shoulders, she drapes herself around the back of his neck, feeling much more secure like this than she did as a crow. Probably more comfortable for him, too.

[bluesuit_handy]

He gives an awkward, ticklish little shudder as she touches the back of his neck, but settles down once she's in place. "More comfortable?" he asks, standing up. He pauses, putting a hand to his hood. "Mind if I put this up?"