tilt your HEAD to the LEFT [open]

[Deleted]

His first day on the job, and he was already screwing things over. Things were different than they were back beside Shan Yu. For one, the time zone was horrendous. His internal clock still told him it was nighttime when it was really bright and sunny outside, and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. Speaking of sleep, the beds were weird. He was fine with getting a few hours of sleep while perched atop his master's shoulder or on some random branch, but now this new body of his had to lay down on a giant bed that wasn't made of wool and hay like he had originally expected. It took him an hour just to get comfortable, and then he didn't want to get up in the morning.

There was also that dreaded alarm clock that continued to ring and ring until he finally scooped it up and chucked it at the wall. He would have to clean up the pieces when he got back to his house. At least he didn't have anyone living with him. That would be horrible. He also had to quickly get used to the concept of bathing. He didn't have to worry about that as a falcon. Just roll around in the snow and you'd be good. No, he had to bath in order to smell somewhat bearable, and he had to put on some sort of magic spray to make his scent even more tolerable to humans.

Oh, and let's not forget how late he was getting to work. He got lost five times trying to figure out the map those people in black and given him. Not even the quick tutoring session he had with his English teacher could help him figure out the labels, so he had to guess until he made the right turn. Now, after fumbling with tying the apron he apparently had to wear to keep his white shirt and black pants from getting dirty, he was finally ready to work. His job? Oh, he just had to help out with the birds. It seemed simple enough. He was a bird, after all. The only thing he didn't like was the rule against him eating anything. Hmph...

Narrowed brown eyes stared at the cages lining the wall before him. There were different sections for different birds--parrots, parakeets, finches, and other smaller birds. Hmph. No large birds. He would have been much more comfortable around falcons, hawks, or owls. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers. Hayabusa tilted his head to the side, watching as all the birds in the cage he was standing in front of mimicked his movement. He tilted his head to the other side, and the colorful parakeets did the same. He took a step forwards, and they took a step back. He grinned. They seemed to acknowledge what he truly was. That bath must not have washed away all of the sakret scent off of him. Perfect.

[Kori Ander]

Let's face it, Kori had no real reason to be in a pet shop at all. For one thing, she didn't exactly have much in the way of the local currency, such as it was. They'd given her some, and she was on an allowance of sorts, but most of the money had went to buying the necessities: clothing, a few bits for entertainment, food, mustard, glitter, glue, school supplies... the essentials, of course. But Kori had been missing Silkie even before she'd been brought to this strange place, and she figured that if there was any place where she might find a Silkie, well...

So she entered the pet shop, her head swiveling, her mouth opening wide with glee. The girl all but squeed upon first entry, skipping up to a rabbit cage and staring at the rabbits. Kori's diminished powers kicked in every so slightly, making her extremely light-footed as she hopped before the bunnies, cooing at them and making absolutely certain that they knew that someone thought them to be quite the adorable creatures, though obviously not quite as adorable as Silkie had been.

"I wonder if there are larvae available for purchase here," she murmured, drawing her attention from the bunnies. It was then that she noticed the strange young man moving in front of a cage. He reminded her quite a lot of the various peoples that she had just seen back in Tokyo. Maybe he was from there...? All these Earthlings just looked to same to her...

Still, Kori plastered a smile on her face and hopped over. "Greetings strange boy!" she said, her voice jubilant. "I wish to converse with you and to possibly see if you know of the various creatures for sale in this place." she beamed at him, then beamed at the birds, then mostly just... beamed.

[Deleted]

His head snapped up and away from the bird cages at the chime that came from the front door. That meant someone was coming in, correct? Yes, he was correct. Someone came into the store, but this was of no concern to him. He was just there to take care of the birds. Nothing more, nothing less. He slowly turned his head away from the direction of the door, eyes narrowing at everything he look at before he was able to fix his gaze back on the birds before him.

Despite not wanting to have anything to do with the customer who came bouncing in, the man kept his ears open, listening to even the softest sound. Something about a larvae? Those things were only good for eating, and he doubted they sold those things for anything other than that. The falcon rolled his eyes, focusing back on the birds before him. They continued to stare at him before one hopped off to the side, tweeting merrily. The bird puffed out its feathers, clinging to the bars as if to try to woo someone into buying him.

Hayabusa cringed as a girl's voice reached his sensitive years. He whipped his head around, fixing his narrowed red and brown eyes on the female customer. He took a step back, straightening his posture as he just stared at her, almost as if judging her. Which he was. She was too cheerful, and the way she spoke--though he couldn't really understand most of it--was odd as well. The wording was weird, but English in general was weird. Not knowing how to respond, he mumbled out a hoarse hi before continuing to just stare at the girl.

[Kori Ander]

Kori was more than a little used to stuffy people who looked at her weird. At least this time, she wasn't bright orange and floating (at least, not literally). She met his stern gaze with an unwavering smile, her eyes bright, her hands clasped behind her, and every inch of her beaming with happiness, joy, and friendliness. "Hello and greetings!" she repeated, keeping cheerful. "You do speak the English, do you not? I know that some people do not."

Kori paused, considering. He really did look like one of the native Japanese... maybe she should try that language. Kori cleared her throat, coughing into her fist for a moment. When she spoke next, her accent, intonation, and pretty well everything besides grammar and syntax were absolutely flawless... flawless Japanese: "<Greetings strange boy with very serious eyes. I am Kori, and I am seeking information about pets!>"

Okay, so technically Kori's name wasn't in Japanese. The rest was. And the beam didn't shift, nor did the clasped hands or, well, anything really. She did bow to him. Just the once.

[Deleted]

Confusion flashed in his eyes while his face kept blank as the girl continued to speak. He could only understand a few words--hello, I, English, people. Yeah, he hasn't gotten very far in his lessons. They really should have given him a few months of tutoring before throwing him at his new job. He wouldn't have to face such confusing conversations with humans, or at least seemingly human humans, with bright and loud personalities... And hair. No one had that kind of hair back in China unless they were a bird like the ones behind him.

Hayabusa's confusion only grew as the girl cleared her throat before speaking in yet another tongue he didn't know. It sounded like a language from Asia, that much he was sure. He had only ever been introduced to Chinese, however, so he was at a loss. All he could pick out of that was Kori. The girl's name? Probably. Useless information for him. The sakret blinked, eyes still narrowed as he cocked his head to the side with the caged birds behind him mimicking his movements. Language barriers were really getting on his nerves.

The pets behind him seemed to sense his unease as they began chirping up a storm, fluttering about their cages. They flew around, ramming against the wiring of the cage while some just clung to their cages, ruffling their feathers and flapping their wings. His ears began to throb and ring as the noise filled his head. Red and brown eyes flashed as he whipped his head around, a screech emitting from his throat, quickly raising in pitch before dropping off, fading into nothing. The good thing about the form change was that his vocal cords still seemed to let him produce his usual warning call, and it was enough to silence the birds as they perched, staring at the man.

If that wasn't enough to tell the girl he wasn't native to really any tongue, then he didn't know what would.

[Kori Ander]

Strangely, Kori was used to the expression people got when she talked at them. And talked at was definitely the word for it, since Kori did seem to have a knack for talking at people and mostly having them stare blankly at her, usually wondering how someone could cram so many words into such a small amount of time. She was more than determined to keep going when the boy suddenly let out a loud screech.

It wasn't only the birds that jumped.

Kori's feet left the floor, and her eyes widened even further. She hadn't heard of a language like that before... if anything, it sounded like the birds. She looked over at them, but they kept fluttering against their cage, obviously freaked out by the sudden outburst from the boy. They had stopped for a moment; Kori had noticed that, and they'd all stared at him, but now they were nearly freaking out. She blinked several times, letting the noises fill the room for a bit.

"Do not worry!" she said, turning her smiling face back to the young man. "I know just what to do!"

And just like that, without any warning or movement or hint whatsoever, Kori grabbed the boy by the shirt, pulled him in close, and kissed him square on the lips. It wasn't exactly a long kiss or anything, but it was rather forceful, and it was most certainly direct contact. Kori held him there for a few seconds before letting go, her smile as wide as ever when she was finished.

[Deleted]

His confusion only grew as the girl seemed to only smile even more after his screeching. This human, if she could even be called a human, he didn't know, was really starting to get on his nerves. She was either too bright or too dense to realize when he wanted to be left alone. She apparently didn't understand personal boundaries as she was instantly right in his face, pressing her lips to his before removing herself.

This was a human custom, he knew that much. He had seen the Huns do this on several occasions when raiding villages. He never understood it, whether it was supposed to be a sign of affection, rage, or just because why not? One thing is for sure: the Huns took their sweet time with such close contact. The girl was there for mere seconds before backing on, leaving the falcon to deadpan as he tried to figure out what just happened.

Hayabusa shook his head, letting out an irritated breath of air. Human customs were something he would need to learn about at some other time. Locking his eyes on the orange haired girl, his gaze narrowed once more. He might as well speak a little in his native tongue--the, uh, screeching, chirping, and cooing tongue, not the Chinese. It wasn't like she could understand him, right? Right. Hopefully. Strange things were happening around here. "<Foolish, foul female. You will be the first to go when Master arrives.>" If Master arrives.

[Kori Ander]

Kori kept smiling even as she let the boy girl, convinced that her abilities had again come to her rescue. However, what Kori didn't realize is that her abilities were... mostly defunct. She had realized, of course, that she no longer flew nor shot Star Bolts, nor possessed super strength, nor radical endurance, and she could certainly feel cold more than she used to. However, she hadn't thought of any of this when she'd kissed him. It was just a reaction when you met someone you didn't understand.

Fortunately, Fate was slightly kind to poor Kori, in that this ability was the only ability she had that hadn't gone completely defunct. Just as she could be light on her feet or glow slightly, so too could she pick up languages very slightly from the kissing. While she fully expected to be absolutely fluent in Hayabusa's native tongue, she had to settle for, well, a child's understanding of the language...

Thus: "<Foolish, foul female. You will be the first to go when Master arrives.>" turned into : "<stinking female without sense. First to go will be you when Master arrives>" which Kori had to pause and decode, gesturing in the air with one finger as if putting the words in some order. After several seconds, she managed a screeching reply, sounding very much like she was completely and utterly butchering the language:

"<Greet currently male do not know! Happy me speak you. Help can me you?>"

Oh it was horrible, and likely incredibly painful to the ear, but there was no mistaking it for anything other than an attempt at Hayabusa's language...    

[Deleted]

His eyes narrowed at the butchered attempt at his language. This is why humans--well, he was quite sure she wasn't human now that she kind of, sort of knew his language just by lip contact--should not be allowed to pretend that they are birds. They ruin the language beyond belief, and it would probably just be better for her to talk to him in Chinese. Oh well, her loss. The customers would just have to deal with their ears bleeding because of the two standing beside the bird cages.

Hayabusa crossed his arms cross his chest, keeping his glare and frown firmly upon his face. He had to take a moment to reorder the words and replace some in order to understand what she was trying to say. Finally putting everything into place, he was ready to respond. "<Yes, I can help you. What is it you search for?>" He wasn't even going to bother with correcting the orange haired girl. She could figure out all of her mistakes on her own. For now, he was just going to try and not give himself a migraine.

ooc: late and short. sorry. ;u;

[Kori Ander]

[no worries, mate; not every post has to be a novel]

Kori beamed as she realized that she understood every word of the screeching. Oh, it still sounded most definitely like screeching, but it was intelligible screeching. This confirmed her firm belief that at least some of her Tamaranean powers had been maintained. Probably because they were inherently hers instead of being a learned skill or magic or something. Kori wasn't a mod; she didn't need to know this stuff.

"<Search for I wiggly thing upon the ground!>" replied Kori, her enthusiasm not helping the butchering of the language at all. She also looked very much like she was about to hug Hayabusa at the slightest hint that this would be a doable action. "<Name called Kori>," this last was said in her own language, since there was no real translation for "Kori," thank God. "<Name what yours?>"

And that beaming smile suggested that ignoring the question would result in hugging or possibly more kiss action. Hard to tell. There would be contact, however.

[Deleted]

Yes, he was quite sure this girl was, in fact, not human. If she was, then she was, by far, the most annoying one he had ever met. Mulan was pretty bad, but she just tipped the scale. He liked it better when he couldn't even remotely understand her, and her broken speech wasn't making this any better or more tolerable for him. He would have to just deal with it. Snapping at her wouldn't do him any good, and, without a master, he was honestly a bit useless. He might as well attempt to do his job.

He was only supposed to take care of the birds, but aiding this girl in her search for a pathetic excuse for a pet seemed to be his only option at the present. The wiggly thing upon the ground? His head tilted to the side at this, narrowed eyes clouding with confusion. Wiggly thing... Grubs? Worms? Uh... Yeah, that was all he could think of. Shaking his head, he let out a sigh. He turned towards the birds, rasping against their cages to silence them as they grew louder once more. Turning back to the girl--Kori--he seemed to take a moment to process what she had said.

He had never introduced himself in his falcon calls before. There was never a need. If the lip to lip contact the girl did earlier could teacher her the speech pattern of his native tongue, then she should have picked up on Chinese as well. However, his own knowledge on Chinese was very limited. He did know how to say his name, though. "Hayabusa." Clearing his throat, he continued, switching back to his native tongue. "<The only 'wiggly' creatures are the grubs, but those are for the reptiles to eat, not keep.>"

[Kori Ander]

Kori had picked up the smallest amount of Chinese. It was more a matter of picking up whatever language was primary, the one most frequently upon the person's lips. Plus, her ability was most definitely cloudy, thanks in no small part to the Shifting. The point was: she understood enough to pick up Hayabusa's name. Her smile widened a tic and she nodded most enthusiastically as the name processed.

"<I am not unhappy to be speaking with you,> Hayabusa," she said, effortlessly switching between the languages. While Hayabusa thought through Kori's question and talked to birds, the redhead let her eyes wander. she'd been in pet shops before, and even if she hadn't, she'd seen Beast Boy transform into nearly every animal in existence. Still, there was something fascinating about seeing all the animals in their habitats, many blissfully unaware that an animal that wouldn't mind eating them lay only a few feet away. Truly, it was most magnificent.

Hayabusa's answer tore Kori away from her musing. She turned to look to him, her joyous expression slipping slightly. There were not the Silkies to be found? She supposed that was expecting a little much: Silkie had been a genetically modified insect. She tilted her head to the side, carefully trying to think through her next words before responding:

"<That response most helpful is,>" she managed. She tapped her finger to her lips, as though coaxing out more words before: "<Something squiggly like is shop to be seen?>" and a wide grin, as if that sentence wasn't nearly incomprehensible at all.

[Deleted]

Squiggly? Squiggly? What kind of description was that? If she wanted worms, she might as well just go outside and start digging. This was going to be hopeless, he just knew it. If she wanted something 'squiggly,' then he might as well try to find something she would be suitable with. Let's see... Worms, grubs... Those are all food, no one would want those as pets. He thought some more, his face scrunching up as he tried to think.

Snakes? Millipedes? Did they even have Millipedes here? She could just walk outside and find a Pill Bug, but those weren't 'squiggly' like their larger counterparts. Well, he might as well take her to the tanks. "Follow." It was a simple word in English, brought for with great difficulty, but it was still a word he knew. The falcon turned to the left, leaving the birds behind as he navigated through the isles. He slowed down, coming to a halt in front of multiple tanks.

"Here," Came the questioning word, once more in English. His limited vocabulary was not something he was proud of, but the screeching was taking a toll on his vocal cords. Normally it wouldn't, but the shift probably had its own tolls on him, far more than just turning him human. Inside the tanks were different snakes, colorful and otherwise, in a variety of sizes. Below each tank was a tag that stated the name of each kind, the Latin name, and a short description of their temperament and what they ate. There were also some frogs, turtles, and lizards mixed in, and... Oh, there was a Millipede. Only one, however, probably because not many people favored them as pets.

[Kori Ander]

Per usual, Kori totally misread the frustration on Hayabusa's face. You'd think all those years of dealing with Raven would leave Kori at least a little savvy. But no, instead she really thought that this poor young man was enjoying every moment of her company, and that her speaking his language was bringing him a joy that he could not express properly. In fact, she determined that he was likely shy, and that was why he had started being quite short with her. Or perhaps he was upset about the lack of selection of squiggly pets.

Either way, both Kori and Hayabusa were soon standing before the section Hayabusa wanted. There were various animals, all of which Kori recognized. Most of them did not look like Silkie in the slightest, though there was what appeared to be a multi-legged insect thing of some sort that did vaguely resemble what Kori was looking for. in all honesty, she probably would have been happier had they gone out and dug up some pillbugs, since everyone knows they are awesome pets.

Feeling that she should include her new friend, (for anyone who talked to Kori for more than five minutes automatically fell into this category) Kori turned to Hayabusa, smiling. She figured it best to stick to his own language, though it was making her throat rather sore: "<One of which like best you?>"

Isn't her grammar just adorable?