journal entry; first day of owlets

[enflame]

⇢ sender: Emil Västerström
⇢ to: Everyone
⇢ subject: Journal text

❰ not one to be on the up and up in a place where he feels that fully integrating is still a form of treason, the whole deal with owls and santa claus has totally gone over emil's head. he stays in his tree house, goes out to enjoy himself from time to time, comes back and that's that.

unluckily enough for him, he's chosen a day of owlet extravaganza to go outside and get fresh air. reclining against the base of a tree not too far from the one he calls home, everything is uneventful. no huge bugs, the weather is mild as far as he's concerned. there's no noise— well, actually, hold that thought. there is a high-pitched sound off in the distance, but no matter. the closer it gets, the more his aggravation shifts from being underlying to obvious, especially if the crease in his brow is any indication. but the time it finally gets close enough to be within sight line, the smell of burnt ground becomes more apparent.

the sight he sees: a small owlet, screeching and running, flapping like mad while every beat of its wings pushes a cloud of fire forward. the bird veers close enough to emil that he has to tuck in his legs to avoid his shoes being burnt.

what...was that? did he miss a memo?? is this just another thing that happens here??? ❱

A bird just tried to set me on fire ?

Comments

Sender: Jiang Cheng

[legbreakings]

What did you do to deserve that?

[ Helpful reply. Super helpful reply. But he may be a little bit disgruntled right now. ]

[enflame]

Nothing. I didn't do a single thing and it's still freaking out. I'm the innocent bystander, here.

❰ disgruntled vs disgruntled ❱

[legbreakings]

Maybe that's why! It set you on fire because you weren't doing anything useful.

Maybe you were supposed to feed it.

[enflame]

I'm not obligated to do anything useful, last I checked. I'm not here to do a job, even if this is the most aimless world I've ever been to.

Not that I know why what I'm doing is your business in the first place.

(And if it wanted food, it could have been more polite about it.)

[legbreakings]

It's an owl! Are you expecting it to have studied the Rites, or read the great works of Kong Zi?

Apparently, the owl did decide you have a job. And you weren't doing it. Complain to it, not to me!

[enflame]

What on earth are you even talking about? Do you think I think owls are literate? I have no idea where you're getting that from.

I'm pretty sure they don't understand human speech, which you (sort of) seem to. So I'm complaining at you, the person being needlessly aggressive to a hapless victim.

I could have been hurt. Scarred, even!

[legbreakings]

You are the one who started complaining about the owlet's lack of manners!

And HOW are you a hapless victim? You just got a little scorched. I assume. If you were badly burned you wouldn't be able to write, anyway.

And men shouldn't be frightened of scars. We don't have to be pretty.

sender: Oriphi

[hearthwarming]

You must have run into one of the elemental owlets! They are prone to using their elemental magic by accident or when they're in distress.

Are you alright?

[enflame]

Wonderful. More weird animals I have to watch out for.

I'm fine for now but this thing just set a shrub on fire and I would be impressed if I wasn't concerned about getting my hair singed off.

[hearthwarming]

[ Although it goes unseen, Ori frowns down at her journal. They aren't weird animals! Just magical. ]

Oh my.

I think that using dreamotion to help soothe the little one can be quite effective.

[enflame]

I know how to do about three things with dreamotion and soothe crazy animals isn't one of them.

Unless it would literally enjoy fighting fire with fire, which would be fine by me.

❰ if that happens, a very sizable patch of forest may become charred. ❱

[hearthwarming]

I suppose some of them might, but...

[ wait, no, please don't take that suggestion actually ]

If you'd like, I could come and take the owlet off your hands... where are you?

[enflame]

I don't mind, honestly. If you've been in the forest at all, you'll recognize that huge rock that looks like a chunk is missing. My treehouse is right nearby it, but the rock is where I'm taking cover for now.

And in the meantime, I'll see if it wants to meet me on even ground.

❰ shit's about to blow up, tbh ❱

Sender: Naminé

[lethechained]

[ -- Ah. Whether she recognized the name or not, she'd still have to investigate this matter. Just, you know, out of common decency and general concern. So: ]

Were you injured?
I can come and look after you if you have any burns.

[ She's already out and about, what with the trying to help catch the owlets. Jiang Cheng's got the accusations covered; she'll look into solutions. ]

[enflame]

❰ oh, this is actually a distraction from the screeching he can still hear, circling back around to him at any moment. ❱

Oh, it's you? It's you!

❰ this is actually very exciting news, as he hasn't previously known anyone else from asgard to be here. ❱

Oh no I haven't been burnt. I'm trying to dodge, but I'm pretty good at staying away from traveling flame. This one's just a wildcard.

❰ he has training for running from stray explosives, but this is certainly a very mobile target. ❱

[lethechained]

[ Emil no--

But in any case, since she isn't yet aware of the, you know, immediate threat of immolation going on in the background, Naminé's pretty relieved by his immediate recognition. Lalli remembered her, but one can never be too sure. ]

It's me.
I'm glad you made it too, Emil.

[ Because she remembers him from a much less pleasant place than Asgard was, and this one's a breath of fresh air in comparison.

Then the present continuous grammar catches up with her and she is immediately back to being Concerned. ]

Wait, is it still after you?
Right now?

[enflame]

I'm not glad at all. I'd much rather have stayed than wound up in this horror show.

❰ maybe it's just a standard platitude that hits his mind wrong...? but in reality, he has no memories of vestige, which would make that sentence make so much more sense to him. ❱

Technically I wouldn't say it's after me, but it is freaking out in my vicinity. So it's basically the same thing.

[lethechained]

[ This horror show? There's a record scratch somewhere in Naminé's brain as she tries to parse why Songerein of all worlds would be the non-preferred alternative to a place like the containment zone. She doesn't much like the possibilities as to why, but in light of the situation, it seems the appropriate time to sweep that under the rug and fret over it later, once there's a little less mortal danger going on. ]

It is? Is anything else on fire?

[ Because that's been one of her concerns with this elemental business, considering so many of the houses are in trees. ]

[enflame]

Some grass, probably. I don't think this tree bark is dry enough to combust with this little bit of flame, so probably only charred. The dumb owl doesn't even know how to torch a tree properly.

❰ like, if you're gonna light shit up...at least do it the right way, and maybe emil will respect you you little beast. ❱

Sender: General Nuadha

[burnttoashes]

So set it on fire in turn if it doesn't cease its attempts.

[WHY IS HE LIKE THIS]

[enflame]

Maybe if it was actively aggressive, it just seems freaked out for now ?

❰ it's also baby-looking and emil is very, very soft... ❱

[burnttoashes]

They do seem to enjoy wandering away from their mother. You should be able to mollify it with food, if nothing else, assuming you can get close enough to offer any.

[Ask him how he knows, it's a great story.]

[enflame]

Okay, that's an alright idea.

But what do owls eats?

❰ this is probably something he should know, but. oops. ❱

[burnttoashes]

Meat of any kind should do the trick. Failing that, children of all species tend to like sweets.

Unless you would prefer to try to catch bugs, that is.

[He's pretty sure they eat bugs too? He thinks? He is no owl expert here.]

[enflame]

The bug would hurt me before the owl would, considering they're the size of tanks.

❰ only a slight embellishment, there. if he caught one, he'd have to dismember and fillet the thing to even begin to feed it to an owl baby. nah. ❱

I have half a cookie, we'll see if that works.

❰ give him a few minutes to try this out before the eventual response comes, ❱

It took the cookie but it only bought me about thirty seconds of peace AND I'm drenched.