Meet your new roommates.

[wrightingwrongs]

WHO: Nick and the residents of Nonah 05
WHERE: Nonah 05
WHEN: Midday, February 6th.
WHAT: Nick tries to get into his room without incident, meets his new roommates - and an old one, too.
WARNINGS: There will PROBABLY be gross tears when Maya gets involved. Also: Akira boys.

[This is not how Nick wanted to get to what was clearly the quarters he'd be assigned.

Still stuck as a small bird - with a plume of fire trailing off his slightly distinctly feathered head. He still wasn't yet used to this body - feathers and fire - ugh, why did it have to be fire... A flash of memory of what had been merely hours ago for him - but the calendar clearly said February.]

(Not that that's any better...)

[Unfortunately, it seems that Nonah 05 is a rather loud place - which puts a damper on the "get inside, not embarrass self further" plan. What's a bird to do?

Luckily, Nick sees an attempt to actually perhaps get to his room and figure out this whole "being a bird" dilemma - an open windowsill.]

(Okay Phoenix... you can do this. It can't be -that- hard to fly, right...?)

[Taking as deep a breath as he can, he flaps those wings, pushing himself off the ground, and soaring in the air-

straight past the windowsill, and into the window.

Turns out, flying? Way harder than it looks. Anyone in the Nonah 05 living room may want to look out.]

Comments

[rassera]

[Kaneda found himself twice as hungry nowadays. Not that his appetite wasn't already a bottomless pit, but he once every few hours dashed for the kitchen to grab at least a snack ('Snack' used lightly. It's practically a meal), his hunger now working in spikes on top of the usual.

Which is what he's doing now, rummaging through the pantry to grab something to get into his stomach. This box of Pop Tarts? Now it's his. All of it.

In fact, he's on his second wrapped package of them now, tearing it open and taking one out--Strawberry--and putting it between his teeth while he tries to grab something else out of the fridge. Takeout? Well, that can come after.

And maybe the rest of that rice he'd made earlier. All of these are thrown onto the table as he sits down, grabbing some tea to wash it all down with and some edamame from Aunt Cass. Hell, he'll just pop em right into the rice. Grab some candy for dessert and he's set. Chopsticks are picked up, ready to dig into that takeout with one half eaten Pop Tart sitting next to him.

Until a bird--a bird on FIRE no less--soars across this scene like a comet, across the kitchen. Kaneda watches this happen, mouth agape and chopsticks dropping that lo mein slowly and methodically as it flutters ungracefully.

Sure.


Why not. This just happens now.]

[wrightingwrongs]

[WHAT ARE AIR BRAKES, WE JUST DON'T KNOW

Nick soars across the kitchen like a boat attempting to fly, only managing to just avoid slamming face first into the opposite wall - colliding with the floor and skidding until he bumps against the wall, lightly.

There's a squawk of what sounds like disorientation - he hasn't noticed he just ruined your Second Lunch, Kanneda- not yet, anyway.]

[rassera]

[Dropping everything, Kaneda books it around the table towards the wall--because that is a fucking bird and--

Capsule may get to it first.

And it's a good thing he did, too, because that golden retriever is on the scene, booking it into the kitchen to sniff this strange bird that has flown in.

THIS IS A BIRD, MASTER! I SAW ONE ONCE BEFORE AND I CAN CONFIRM THIS IS A BIRD!

HELLO BIRD! YOUR FEATHERS ARE HOT!

But Kaneda's quick to push the Golden out of the way, waving a hand in command to make him back up.]

The hell?!

[Does he...poke it with chopsticks?]

[wrightingwrongs]

[Nick jolts with a almost comical wark, feathers flapping as he tries to right himself - not that he doesn't notice the dog sniffing at him. Shootinng the dog a look (why animals) and looking up at Kaneda, trying to smooth his feathers as best he can.]

Uh...

h...hello there.

[The bird is talking to you, Canada.]

[rassera]

[The bird just talked. The flaming bird is now looking at him and just talked like it ain't no big deal. Then again, he did meet a komainu in the past month, and...you know.

He talked.


Still, not exactly the first thing that comes to his mind. Scrambling back a few paces, he reaches back for the takeout menu, feeling around until he gets a good grip on it and slides it to the edge. You know those cheesy Chinese Zodiacs that are printed on the back of those things? Where you find your year and see what your animal is?

Yeah, he's looking at that, specifically at 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, and 2029.

The Year of the Rooster.]


Jesus Christ it's a rooster.

[wrightingwrongs]

R-rooster!?

[He's staring at you, Kaneda, a little confused. He does look a little like a Rooster... if you squint. Or you're Kaneda.]

I-I'm not a rooster! I'm a human!

[Why is this so hard]

[rassera]

...






Yeeeaahhhhh I think I was closer.

[As he holds up the menu to him for reference.]


R O O S T E R

[wrightingwrongs]

[Nick takes a good long stare at the menu.]

(Yep, that sure is a rooster...)

[He starts flapping his arms, more agitated.]

N-no! I mean I'm not always a roos-I mean, phoenix! I transformed into one after I got here!

[rassera]

[You know, of all the explanations Nick could have given, that's actually one that makes sense to him. Yayoi could do it, after all. And so he takes a moment to mull that over, letting it swim around his brain as his head tilts back and forth.

...

Contemplating it.]

So you're a phoenix...sometimes.

[Capsule's patience only lasts so long, before going to try and move towards Phoenix again. Thankfully, though, Kaneda's hand puts him in his place again.]

Can't you change back? That's usually how the powers work.

[wrightingwrongs]

I- I'm sure I can but-

I don't really know how. I kind of... got startled into it, and I haven't figured out how I'm supposed to change back.

[rassera]

Guess I can't help you there.

[...

But thanks America for not giving a person instructions on how to change between forms. Good to see you're as sterling as ever with explaining shit.]

...You like takeout?

[wrightingwrongs]

[...He blinks at Kaneda, beadily, before he sort of fluffs his feathers.]

I am kind of hungry... if you don't mind sharing, of course.

[Translation: Yes.]

[rassera]

[Hands reach out to grab him, although stopping just before fire flicks against his hands. It probably wouldn't hurt him too bad--he was pretty durable...but still, he wants to avoid pain.]

Uh.


Soooo~ think you can fly a little better than last time and get on the table?

[wrightingwrongs]

[If nothing else, it doesn't feel like he's -actually- on fire. Pleasantly warm, like the front of a space heater, maybe, but not full blown bonfire.]

I... well, I can try.

[He aims for the table, flapping his wings and lifting himself off the ground - he has a brief scrape where he overshoots and nearly hits the ceiling- but he manages to make it to the table, albeit a little shakier than he'd like.]

O-oof... that's... gonna take some getting used to.

[rassera]

[It's a good thing too, because Capsule's self control ends there, and as soon as Phoenix starts to move he makes to pounce at him, missing of course. It's accompanied by a Japanese curse at the dog, who immediately yields.

THE BIRD WANTED TO PLAY, MASTER!!!

But Kaneda eventually sits back down at the table, looking at his array of food that...honestly was just thrown on the table. A nice, respectable eater he is not.

But he will slide that rice and edamame forward. That's...bird friendly, right?]

So you're really a human?

[wrightingwrongs]

Y-yeah. And my name is actually Phoenix, if... you'll believe that. I've never had to deal with actually being one, though.

[It's no burger, but it'll do, he happily digs his beak in, getting a handle on exactly how his beak -works- as an eating too, digging in a bit.]

[rassera]

[His chewing slows for a moment, looking at Phoenix for what he is and...]

Phoenix, huh.


Didn't think that'd be such a popular name...