(Untitled)

[amazonofthe21st]

Is it enough to have some love
small enough to slip inside a book
small enough to cover with your hand
because everyone around you wants to look

Rachel has been scarce in the bar for the last few days. Five or six or however long her mun was MIA. Today, she's finally making her way down the stairs, intent on a stop at Bar and a semi-permanent

Comments

[whoiwasmeant2be]

Yes. Because Tobias is such a people person. That's what they call him back home: 'people person'.

Except no one calls him that. And Marco might well laugh himself sick at the very idea.

[amazonofthe21st]

Frankly, Rachel's amazed how little of a fight was put up when she suggested coming downstairs. But she's not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

...gift-hawk? Something.

With him on her shoulder, she can't lean on the bar like usual. Rachel sets a hand on the surface, casually ignoring any looks or stares coming their way. "Bar? Can we get a book to read?"

[whoiwasmeant2be]

It's a familiar perch, that shoulder. Tobias keeps his weight distributed in the least disruptive manner possible by dint of long practice.

He hasn't spent much (any) time in the bar since he found Rachel, so he watches the odd exchange like, well... With great intensity, let's say.

[amazonofthe21st]

See, this is why she insisted on at least a little bit of talking between flights. So the idea of conversing with furniture wouldn't totally freak him out when they got around to it.

A hardcover book appears on the counter. Rachel stares at it for a moment before frowning lightly, confused.

Then lifts it at a better angle for Tobias to read.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

"Who?"

[mogget_cat]

There's a sleepy not'cat insinuating itself around the corner of the bar, slinking lazily along the row of bar stools towards Rachel and the large, flying food hawk.

It eventually rubs up against her ankles, purring a sleep-drowsed greeting.

(ooc: Both? :D?)

[whoiwasmeant2be]

Said large, flying food hawk is large enough to eat the not'cat. At least in their respective current forms.

The hawk's head swivels to watch the cat for a moment, but turns away. Until, that is, said cat approaches Rachel. At which point it has the hawk's full attention.

Just in case it's a threat.

[amazonofthe21st]

A dangerous, fluffy, purring threat.

Rachel, on the other hand, smiles at its appearance. Okay, it's more of a smirk. Honestly, Yrael's utter lack of dignity in the pursuit of comfort never stops being amusing.

"Yrael," she greets, stopping so she doesn't trip on him. Then she tips her head slightly to the hawk. "This is Tobias."

They are going to be friends because she says so.

[mogget_cat]

He is nothing if not a dangerous, fluffy, purring threat.

An unafraid, spring-green gaze rests on the hawk for a long moment, in curiosity and perhaps judgment. "A pleasure to meet you, Tobias."

And, just in case it is a true hawk, repeated silently: A pleasure to meet you, Tobias.

One never knows, in Milliways.

[unbreakableben]

There's a guy at the front door who's clothes (bed sheet toga and tie headband) are practically a neon sign flashing Frat Boy Here who's staring.

Hot babe, huge bird, hot babe, huge bird...you can almost smell the smoke.

[whoiwasmeant2be]

The huge bird in question is overly sensitive to staring, and so his head swivels around to fix the guy with the metaphorical neon sign with a cold, hawk-y stare.

Can he help you?

[amazonofthe21st]

Even if the guy hadn't been staring and didn't look like the quitessential idiot frat guy, Rachel would have noticed him. It's hard not to notice someone when someone else is sitting on your shoulder and staring back.

So she glances over.

Takes in his outfit.

And his expression.

Wrinkles her nose in distaste and continues toward the bar with a dismissive shake of her head.

[unbreakableben]

The Frat Boy for his part swallows hard and gives a tentative wave. Hey, if a huge bird catches you staring it behooves you to be polite.

He's waving at a bird...this is all too weird.

[tyler_marlocke]

Rachel might spot the kid coming in from outside and knocking the snow off of his sneakers before he spots her. Tyler looks like he just got in from saber practice, though whatever the cat-sized...

...is that a dinosaur made out of metal following after the kid?

(both plz!)

[whoiwasmeant2be]

Kids. Tobias has seen lots of them in the bar already by this point, so another one coming in draws no more attention than any others (just a quick check to see if they appear to be threats). Even a metal dinosaur isn't, in and of itself, all that noteworthy in a place like this.

But the two of them together? Well, that's just enough to draw the hawk's attention. One gets the impression that if he were a human, Tobias' eyes would be narrowed in contemplation.

[amazonofthe21st]

Which Rachel will totally notice - the kid, the dinosaur, Tobias' attention - after she gets her sugar-flavored caffeine fix, thank you.

She's sipping on the straw by the time she registers the direction of the hawk's gaze and lets hers match it. Then she just gives the small boy a wave.

At least she's used to having one hundred acquaintances Tobias doesn't know - and maybe wouldn't care to know either.

[tyler_marlocke]

The movement from Rachel is what gets Tyler's attention as he bends down to make sure the cat-sized menace is also clean of snow. It's clean the mini cyber-raptor now or find wet spots in the carpet of his room with his feet later. He waves back and pauses, staring at the hawk balanced on her shoulder, in a clear 'baroo?' sort of expression.

"...Hi Rachel!"

The little raptor just snorts for a moment before looking to where his person is staring as well.

[says_the_booyah]

"Um, hi. Rachel. Hi." Cy has a rather odd look on his face. Like she's got two heads. Or maybe like she turned into a bird.

[whoiwasmeant2be]

Or like she had two heads but then one turned into a bird?

A bird that is now eying Cyborg very, very thoughtfully. The bird notes that Cyborg is a big guy.

And has metal bits.

That's... kind of cool.

[amazonofthe21st]

See, Tobias? Rachel's popularity totally comes with perks. How else would he have gotten to meet a partially-robot-guy, huh? Huh?

Rachel turns to look, smiling brightly when she recognizes him. "Hey, Cy," she says, leaving the stairs to approach him, hawk still settled comfortably on her shoulder. And she's enough used to this position that it doesn't impede her walking at all. "How are you?"

Because her day is going pretty awesomely so far.

[says_the_booyah]

"Ummm. I'm OK. You seem...good." Happy? "Listen...ummm, I gotta talk to you."

Is that bird paying attention to him?