(Untitled)

[squeakersqueak]

The door swings open, revealing jungle foliage of almost cartoonish lushness, and a young man sticks his head into the bar.

He looks very puzzled. However, if you grow to know him better, you will discover that this is not much of a departure from his usual expression.

"... Huh," he says, with a degree of thoughtfulness usually reserved for

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[winged_defender]

Well, it's not much like the jungle, but that is a parrot over there scratching obscene words from six different languages into a tabletop. A scarlet macaw, in fact, such as one might encounter in the South American rainforest. A familiar face!

[squeakersqueak]

Kronk is rapt! He delicately approaches the beautiful specimen on feet that are surprisingly light given his height and bulk.

"Ara macao," he whispers, with an intensity that, again, does not exactly seem warranted. "Wow ... you just don't run into a bird of that coloring every day."

If only the Junior Chipmunks were here!

Hastily, Kronk digs out his pocket version of Exotic Bird Bingo.

[winged_defender]

The bird eyes him, a bit uneasy but mostly annoyed. She does not get this reaction much.

"Can I help you with something?" she snaps crankily.

[squeakersqueak]

Kronk beams!

The diction!

"Oh, thanks," he tells the bird, scribbling on his game board decisively. "But I'm just one Purple-Throated Warbler and a Variegated Hummingbird away from hitting the bigtime. I'm good."

[winged_defender]

Peach is not used to being the one who's confused by a conversation, and it's getting on her nerves.

"Lemme see," she snaps, and snatches the bingo board out of Kronk's hands before he can react. She throws the board down on the table and hops onto it to examine it.

[squeakersqueak]

Kronk's eyes widen in shock. He lunges forward--

"Careful!"

--and stops short to give the board a tap, delicately adjusting its position.

"It's only cardboard," he explains, for her benefit.

[winged_defender]

"That's true," she agrees, starting to bend down toward the board. Beak open.

[squeakersqueak]

"Nooooooooooo--"

(This anguished cry is surprisingly lacking in volume and discernible emotion. Oddly, Kronk also appears to be moving in slow motion.)

[winged_defender]

Shockingly, Peach completely ignores him.

A moment later, there are two large holes torn in the board. The Purple-Throated Warbler and Variegated Hummingbird squares are gone. So's a good portion of the rest of the board.

"There," she says cheerfully, spitting out cardboard pulp. "Now you've won!"

[squeakersqueak]

Kronk's eyes are wide and startlingly shiny with what might be suppressed tears. His lower lip trembles.

"All my hours of careful cataloging wasted," he says in a small voice.

[winged_defender]

"Well! See if I help you win anything again," Peach says good-naturedly, a great deal happier now that the conversation's going her way. "C'mon, cheer up, emo henchman. It's not so bad."

[squeakersqueak]

Kronk sighs, wiping his eyes, and starts to dig around in his pouch. Then, brightening, he extracts ...

Another Exotic Bird Bingo.

"Luckily," he says, with great beatific satisfaction, "I brought spares."