☀ VOICE

[errandry]

[ SLAM.

the groan of a drawer pulling open. tap tap. tap. tap tap tap. tap. tap.

and SLAM again—before the drawer creaks open one last time. ]

Che, figured. [ ... ] Uh. Sorry ... about that.

[ a slightly overlong silence before the feed switches off. ]



PRIVATE ][ attn: long-haired jerk vigilante #4503

... hey. You there?

[ pause, some shuffling. ]

I wanted to ask you about something.

Comments

action;

[crowing]

Kuu.

( he folds his arms over his chest as he turns towards kazu. )

I haven't seen that feathery little fucker in forever.

action;

[errandry]

... that's it. You just noticed he was gone.

( all. the. staring. )

action;

[crowing]

NO. Shut up!

I've known! No one else said anything when Kururu left, or Thunder-Head, or Simca! No one said anything when anyone left, but I know he's still around here somewhere.

action;

[errandry]

... Thought you'd be the first to know anyway. And he's not gonna be in my room, dumbass, I don't keep food in here.

action;

[crowing]

It was the last place to look in the apartment!

For all I knew, he could made a nest outta your crappy hats.

action;

[errandry]

Sure he was on you when you came back?

action;

[crowing]

He's gotta be here.

He wasn't on me when I left.

action;

[errandry]

So he's gotta be in the trees around the building somewhere.

action;

[crowing]

I checked.

action;

[errandry]

When's he ever ditched you like that... So what's next, a giant Kuu-signal?

action;

[crowing]

Never, he's usually in here. ( he brings a hand up to his head to tussle his hair. it's remarkably clean and free of birds. how disturbing. )

Dunno, make posters or something. Someone else might have him.

action;

[errandry]

Could just try the network, everybody reads that...

action;

[crowing]

You do it.

action;

[errandry]

What if he's listening for your voice, huh? He's not gonna flock to me!

action;

[crowing]

Duuno. He should have heard my voice somewhere already by now.

Just do it!

action;

[errandry]

All right, all right, I will!

[ eyeing his hair now. ]

You still got his nest in there?

action;

[crowing]

That's the right answer!

( rather than give an answer, ikki bows his head down to tousle his hair with his fingers: it's completely clean. in fact, it's probably the cleanest his hair has ever been. there's no dirt, no sticks, no eggs, no birds, no . . . anything! it's almost like ikki's a normal person. )

Nah, nada!

action;

[errandry]

He's gonna need something to come back to. Maybe you oughta glue one in for now.

action;

[crowing]

It's cool. I got it covered.

( reaching into his back pocket he reveals another one of kazu's hats that he repossessed. )

action; - 1/2

[errandry]

( ................................. )

action;

[errandry]

What the fuck, how much of my stuff'd you go through?

( SWIPE. >[ )

action;

[crowing]

All of it.

I've seen all your secrets!

( he lets him take it away, he's got more of his hats anyway. )