[open] This is all we got now, scream until your heart stops

[spoileralert]

WHO: Stephanie Brown
WHERE: Various Outdoors
WHEN: After Take Two Part 1
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: None anticipated

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The first thing Steph does when she gets home is take a long, hot shower. Definitely top priority. The second thing she does is head down into the bunker. She’s heard about people using the vending machine and nothing terrible seemed to happen as a result. She deserves a treat, she figures, and she knows exactly what power she wants.

She waits until she’s out in the open again to try it out, and isn’t disappointed. She’s small, yes, but whatever she is, she has wings.

HOUSES

established cr

One of the advantages to being small is that you attract less attention. The same holds true for being a bird. As a robin she can glide into her friend’s houses, moving quickly and then staying still to be sure she wasn’t noticed. From there she has all sorts of fun options. She can perch on top of refrigerators, swoop down and startle someone, or steal food when they aren’t looking. A little more difficult is moving small objects around, but that’s just as fun.

Her favorite, though, is waiting until the person is distracted and landing in their hair. With hollow bones and proper timing they might never notice she’s there.

WOODS

OTA

Being a bird isn't all sunshine and rainbows, of course, and not just because it's early March. Her first real, open-air flight comes to an inelegant end as, failing to out-maneuver a hawk, she changes suddenly back to human shape to foil the poor creature.

She falls with a yelp into the foliage below.

VILLAGES

OTA

When she tires of flying and trolling her friends (which takes a good while, to be sure) Steph decides to wander around both villages, gaining an appreciation of what everything looks like when you're a small handful of inches tall. She also takes the opportunity to unnerve people as much as possible.

Getting some food from the inn? Did you notice that there's a bird on top of the fridge, or the ceiling lamp in the common area?

Sitting outside to soak up what sun there is? Don't look now, but a bird's joined you on the bench, and it looks like it's bird-watching too.

Or maybe you're just going about your business, in the dojo, one of the farms, even the library. Wherever you are, a small bird has taken great interest in your doings.

Comments

[spoileralert]

For Steph flirting is just a basic mode of communication. She doesn't take it personally.

"Would you believe it if I said a hawk?"

She lets him set her down, wincing as her scrapes and bruises are aggravated. On her feet again she ignores the small forest in her hair in favor of running a hand over each arm, finding the worst scratches and bruises so she knows what to avoid.

"Hey, there's a thought," she says suddenly, and promptly pops out of existence and into bird shape.

Unfortunately, this does not achieve the desired effect. The biggest bits of tree litter fall to the ground, but the rest translates to very ruffled feathers, a large assortment of twigs and a tiny body still very sore and very scratched. At least the damage scales appropriately. She flaps her wings a few times to get her safely the three feet down to the forest floor then twitters her dismay.

[skyward_eyes]

"Only if you look tasty for a bird to eat," Nida shrugs. And then... He's staring in shock at the little bird, shocked beyond shock at the change. That... What?

Slowly Nida moves to kneel on the ground near the bird, staring in a bit of horror.

"Steph? Is that you?"

Or was this an observer trick?

[spoileralert]

She does her best to shake the twigs out of her feathers, but it's a rather different issue for a bird than for a human. Really, she is incredibly physical uncomfortable. But she was as a human too, so this doesn't seem particularly worse.

Finally she gives up, looks straight at Nida's gigantic head and peeps.

[skyward_eyes]

That... doesn't seem very healthy for her. But he supposes he gets it now. She did say she was trying to get away from a hawk. So he sighs and holds his hand out above her and, with a flick of his wrist, a small breeze blows over her, trying to help get the rest of the dirt off of her.

"You could get hurt like that. No, don't say a peep, I know I can't stop you."

[spoileralert]

She flaps her wings instinctively in the summoned wind, and is delighted to find a good number of feathers fit back in their proper places. She puffs them all out and gives herself a good, solid shake before letting them all settle again and cheeping her gratitude.

When she changes this time she's seated with her legs half-crossed in front of his head, so he's up close and personal with her ankles.

"That's a bit better," she admits, running a hand through her hair and pulling out what little twigs are left. Somehow the ones that came off of her in bird form have multiplied, but who can tell with something like that?

"How long have you been able to do that?"

[skyward_eyes]

"How long have you been able to that," Nida counters, and his fingers wiggle. The wind picks up just a bit to help with the twigs. "I was always good with wind and water spells. I just didn't like being disarmed this time, so I went and got something the moment Hawke and I got back. Hoping to surprise my boyfriend and brothers with it when they get back."

And maybe see just how much he can shape the wind. Which was why he was here. Practicing where people wouldn't get hurt.

[spoileralert]

"Hey," she starts with a grin, "I did the same thing! Except I just wanted a break, and flying is kind of the best thing ever." She got a little experience with that as an eagle fighting the yeti. Now there's a sentence for you.

"I just need to work a bit on my landing."

[skyward_eyes]

"It is," Nida agrees, and he feels jealous of it. He hadn't noticed, but if he had, he would have gone for that without hesitation. "And you need to work on it a lot. And I'm saying that as a pilot."

[spoileralert]

She sticks her tongue out at him. She’d stand up, but she’s only just found a spot where nothing is poking at her tender spots.

"Me and gravity have a bit of a love-hate relationship. It hasn’t killed me yet! That was something totally different."

[skyward_eyes]

"I can see it hasn't killed you yet," Nida shakes his head as he smiles down at her. "But you've got to respect that it's there, Steph. Because sooner or later, it could kill you. Maybe, you know, land before you change in the future. Or don't fly near hawks. They like eating small, noisy things like you."

Is he talking about the bird or just Steph. Probably Steph.

[spoileralert]

She assumes he’s talking about her. She gives a dramatic harrumph.

"I’ll take it down with me if I have to," she declares, shaking her fist at the sky. "Gravity too. Just see if I don’t."

[skyward_eyes]

"Don't hurt the hawk," Nida protests, and he actually seems concerned. "Not if you can avoid it. The thing just wants to eat. You're the one upsetting the natural balance."

Poor hawk. The thing just wanted a meal. Hardly fair to it, to hurt it for its nature. "And you can't hurt gravity. Mathematically not possible. You're just too small."

He does reach out to offer her his hand. Stand up, Steph. He can take you back to town.

[spoileralert]

"And I’m just trying to survive. You can’t blame me for what happens if a hawk keeps trying to gnaw on a human." She takes the help, doing her best to look disdainful of the idea that she can’t hurt a law of nature.

"Thanks for the help, anyway. You saved me a few bruises."

[skyward_eyes]

"You weren't a human at the time," Nida counters. So it's not the hawk's fault. Sorry, they're his favorite animals back home and there isn't a lot of of animals in his world, not really. But he shrugs off her thank you.

"Helping people is what I was made for."

If only he was kidding.

[spoileralert]

"Lucky me," she responds with a touch of wistfulness.

"I was made for screwing up." Genetically predisposed, at least.

[skyward_eyes]

Ouch. That doesn't sound very good. Still... Nida shrugs it off.

"Somehow I'm not shocked. Your world sounds fucked up, and that's not just from what little you've told me. I've heard more from Jason. Frankly? I'm starting to think that all versions of Earth are about the worst place to be ever. This place wouldn't be that bad if it was predictable though."

He likes it here, he likes the people. And has just realized that he sort of needs Steph's permission to visit his other brother at his own house, so he really needs to get on Steph's good side. Beyond just puns.

"How's he doing? Do you know if he's back yet? And what did you have to fight? I had some giant, horned thing that... well, I have no word for it."

[spoileralert]

That makes her pause a moment. She knew they were friends, but... does Nida know where she lives? How many people do? She forgot, for a while, to work at keeping it secret. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

She shakes it off.

"Jason? Yeah, he’s back. He said something about some foxes, but he wasn’t badly hurt. I went up against the Yeti, who apparently lives on top of the mountain way west. Big dude, but mostly just frustrating. Like, there comes a point on the ‘massive’ scale where you’re trying to hurt a brick wall, you know?"

[skyward_eyes]

Huh. Mountain creature, big, frustrating? Sounds like something he's been through.

"Really ugly, squished face, LONG arms? Yeah, Hawke and I took one down too. Not that big but so damn hard to hit. Not that it was so bad when I could just let it hit me. Every time it did I got stronger, more durable. It was a less than wonderful thing to learn when it started."

He'd been worried he was going to get punched hard enough to shatter a rib, but instead his body had seemed to absorb the force. Still, he seems actively relieved to hear Jason is good too.

[spoileralert]

"That’s the one! A good six feet at least and built like a freakin gorilla. I’m all about taking down dudes twice my size but this thing felt like double that, or more." She shakes her head at the memory. What a beast.

"We’d have been totally screwed if I didn’t suddenly turn into an eagle for some reason. I’m so fricken pissed they took my knives away. I was working with sharp rocks and a big-ass stick."

[skyward_eyes]

"Gorilla?" Hm, that's probably an animal from her world. "It really wasn't all that big. Only about the size of a Wendigo from back home. Actually, hits a bit like one too. Still, was damn ugly."

Still, turning into an eagle? That's a bit weird. "Is that what inspired your bird form here?"

[spoileralert]

She shrugs.

"Maybe a little. I’d just looked at the options and ‘animal shape’ sounded like fun. It didn’t exactly ask which animal. Lucky I’d already learned to fly, though."

She runs her hands through her hair again. She still feels like there are twigs on her. Or maybe that’s just the scratches getting irritated and itchy. Who knows.

"You and I have very different definitions of ‘big’. I’m 5-foot-5, something like 120 lbs." Probably a good bit less, actually, given her eating habits these days. "My style is using the enemy’s weight against them, letting them underestimate me. A 6-foot ex-con I can handle no problem. One with lead bones? Not so easy."

[skyward_eyes]

"I'm only five-nine," he points out. Four more inches, a bit more poundage. No, what he thought of as big was different because of what he lived through. "I'm from a world with dragons, Steph. So far nothing here has really struck me as truly big."

But yeah, he gets it. Out here where there is no magic to strengthen you, no true weapons, things like that 'Yeti' are probably fearsome enough here.

[spoileralert]

Steph snickers, raises an eyebrow and compares their heights with one hand.

"Four inches? Barely noticeable. Not even worth mentioning. Are you sure it's not the other way around?"

[skyward_eyes]

"Might well be. Reality is what you make it here, shortie," he teases lightly. Yes, it's not the funniest line, but he's going to embrace it anyway. Humor is its own reward. Most of the time. Sometimes. Enough of the time for him to embrace it.

"You going to walk back to down or will you be flying?"

[spoileralert]

She snickers some more.

"What makes you think I’m going back at all? Nothing new is broken. I’m getting right back in the air."