Flight Regulations

Log Info

• Title: Flight Regulations
• Emitter: Jay
• Characters: Jay, Slixvah
• Place: Nobility District
• Time: August 3rd, 2022
• Summary: A promise is a promise. Slix crashes into Integrity C Truefeather's office (allegedly) to inform him of a development that all Egalrin look forward to in their lives: First Flight. She thinks she's ready. Typically, one undergoes the Rite of the Skies within their Aerie after First Flight, but alas, sometimes one has to make do. The Rites can be done later. Right now was the time for the skies! The wind doesn't wait! The two barrel outdoors to the dismay of the nobles as Slix prepares for take off. It's a painful process, but with Tegri's help, she ends up soaring! He catches a few feathers that flutter down (Fallen First Flight feathers are good luck charms in bird culture), but she gets a bit too cocky and crashes into the pavement. After collecting themselves, they do what all good and wisened friends should do in celebration, they go jump off a cliff.

The Nobility District.

The Offices of 'Integrity C Truefeather, Esquire, Attorney for Hire'.

It is a small office, by egalrin standards, barely large enough to stand in with spread wings. The door has a frosted glass pane with his name and title printed on it. Just inside the door is a hat-rack to one side, and a filing cabinent, and another, and another. A few chairs, oddly sturdy, the sort one might find in Blar, solid and too heavy to be easily thrown. A desk, which unusually has a rail near the botton, like one would find in a bar. Behind the desk, a spinning chair and an egalrin perch, also a bean-bag chair that looks like it substitutes for a couch and supports napping.

Everywhere, there are folders, binders, and tied up sheaves of paper. It's not a nest, but it has the ordered disorganization of one, a filing system comprehensible by only one man. Who has his beak in a book, 'Statutes of Alexandria, vol 3."

From outside the office, there's the tell tale sign of someone rushing up outside the office. By the sound of the clacking, they're barefoot, taloned feet. They rush past the door.

Skidding sounds of nails on a hard surface. About face and the same blob returns back to the frosted door they just passed.

Fervent knocking raps against the wood. A muffled yet drawling woman's voice comes through.

"The C better stand for 'Come in!', Blueberry! New news just dropped!"

A pause.

"It's me! I'm the news! I'm droppin' in!" Bubbly laughter.

"Slix! Slix!" The door is thrown open, Integrity standing there in his courtroom dress of trousers and vest, his jacket and mithril mail hanging on the hatrack. There's a thump as Volume 3 hits the floor, he flew faster than it fell. "Yes! You came to see me work? It's very boring! Come in. Come in!"

His head bobs as he looks her over.

The door opens to reveal none other than Slix.

Posing. Arms up in a flex with her beak held high up. A smug expression on her visage. Behind her, wing spars extended out, a rainbow of ribbons intermingle with wide, thick, fresh feathers. She snaps her fingers towards him as she peers past. "Ya sure? 'nuff room fo' th' two of us?" she giggles before Slix sing songs, "I have newwwwws. Just for youuuu...!"

"Yes, yes! There's room! Come in." The bluejay says enthusiastically, backing up, looking the other egalrin over, "your feathers look great! Did you molt? Your colours are so bright. So many ribbons too, that's a lot of ribbons. Have a chair!"

He points out the chairs, "Do you want that one, that one, or that, one, or the couch?" The beanbag. His tail swipes, the feathers nearly knocking a stack of papers over. "You look great!"

Slix cautiously peers in. Gaze swooping about the place. "Man, Blue, I have no clue how ya keep up in this cramp." A little laugh behind a hand, the feathers on her face floofing up. "Thanks for the kind words, hon."

She treads in, folding her wings back tight. "I guess I did molt after that whole biz wit' the Mill," she says in passing, choosing the chair closest to the door. Which was also the furthest from getting in the legal jungle spread out before them. "Speakin' of. Sooo. I walked my feathered ass allllll the way up here to tell /you/, Blue. Rather, inform you. Since you oh so wanted to know when."

Her eyes gleam with buzzing excitement. "Cernan's and Ceiwen's gifts may have just clicked into place. Wanna see me bust ass at attempting this whole first flight thing?" Her wings ruffle.

Slixvah says, “Allegedly.”

"I go out a lot." Jay answers swiftly, regarding the cramped quarters, and then listens with his head bobbing. There's a slight open and closing of his beak at the mention of the mill. Not a good memory. Then...

"Your first flight! You're ready? Oh yes! Of course yes!" He looks left, he looks right, he looks up, "Did you have a place? The top of the courthouse, the red mountains? Just the street anywhere? It should be someplace memorable! Do you want to go to the aerie?"

Slix is about to give a little chuckle as her beak opens. "Honestly sugar, we can just go to the street and-"

She's blindsided. Voice catching in her throat. "...t... the aerie? What aerie?" she inquires, surprised, curious, nervous all in the same hushed tone.

"The Red Mountain Aerie, above Alexandria? There's an Aerie there. I don't go often. I haven't gone at all, actually. I suppose I should." Jay gestures with a wing, to a wall with no windows, suggesting a direction that isn't entirely helpful.

He also notes the hesitation, "You... ah.. right, they might have heard of you. I think they've heard of me. Maybe the street is best."

He tilts his head, "Are you sure you don't want ot hire a caricature artist, to capture the moment? Or and illusionist?"

The idea that they might have heard of Slixvah makes her shoulders sag just a tiny bit. "Oh, well. If they've heard of me..." she wrings her hands. "Probably not the best plan to go there. As... nice as that would be, I wouldn't want to upset another aerie."

Her spirit lifts a bit from Blue's antics. "I can get a nice view from Fiadh, so no worries about capturing the beat. I just want my closest legal eagle to be there. Maybe catch some of the feathers that fall out. Fallen feathers from first flight forfends misfortune, you know?"

"Allegedly. I haven't been up there and they haven't been in touch. You know how elder birds can be. Allegedly." Jay says, qualifying twice. He perks up, as if compensating for the negative possibilities he's introduced. "Yes!"

"I'll catch them. First Flight Feathers are incredibly lucky! I'd want to use them when I try to fly. I'd make a pen out of them."

A promise that isn't immediately flattering until one considers the pen is his primary weapon. "To success! Do you want some water? Should we just go? Let's go!"

Slixvah rubs her neck. "Yeeeaaah... I know how they can be..."

She perks up, his energy feeding into her. "They are! Hey, if ya do, I'll catch 'em fo' ya so ya can do that!"

She's already up on her feet, reaching over and grabbing him by the shoulders with a giddy giggle. "Let's just go! If I screw it up, it ain't nothin'!"

She pops up and runs out the door to the street, shouting, "Let's go!" as she does so. Wings unfurling as the space opens up, ribbons raveling into their respective spots on the rainbow. "Momma always told me I was an early bloomer ta make me feel better, but gods damn I didn't know she meant like this!"

Jay follows, the wind of his passing pulling the door to slam shut behind him, and he is out in the street. He trails Slixvah enough that he can admire her ribbons without being caught up in them. Freed from the constraints of indoors, his wings are spread and his crest high.

"I think you've been blooming all over! So I agree." So much to watch, so many streamers on the wind. "Do you need a countdown? On three?"

"A one!"

"A two!"

GAME: Slixvah rolls fly: (14)+8: 22

Slixvah equips a little white thrush as they rush out. Those poor papers inside the office. It's probably a mini tornado of them in there. She mumbles something to the bird before letting them go, the familiar fluttering off to a nearby window sill to perch and observe.

She laughs, getting out to the street, getting the stink eye from a group of nobles that give her a wide berth. "On three!" she echoes.

A one. Her wings unfurl further to a twelve foot span Her pumping her legs in a drop.

A two. She splays her arms out, leveling most of her back to be parallel to the ground.

"A three!" she says with Tegri, breaking off into a sprint as her wings give a heavy beat. Her face cringes. "Ahhhhhoooww! Holy shit this hurts...!" she complains, only managing to skip a few feet. Talons skirting the ground as she goes for another flap. And another. And another.

Like a little kite catching the wind, she wobbles up. Up. Up. Above the buildings. "HOLY SHIT TEGRI!" she shouts from the distance. "THIS IS REALLY AWESOME! BUT MY BACK HURTS LIKE A BITCH!"

Some rust red feathers start to slowly flutter from the sky.

GAME: Jay rolls acrobatics: (9)+11: 20

"Three!" Integrity caws with Slixvah, bouncing in place as she breaks into a sprint. After three steps he's running after her, "It will! It's okay! Keep flapping! I'll massage your back after!"

The red and white egalrin takes to the air, and the black, white and blue one attempts to follow with a very energetic leap. His wings flap also, but he doesn't climb, managing only a short glide.

He catches one feather before his talons touch down, and then is darting left and right to grab the others. Feathers lost on a first flight should never touch the ground, not if they are intended to keep their luck. "You did it! You did it! I have them! Cawwwwww!"

GAME: Slixvah rolls fly: (18)+8: 26
GAME: Slixvah rolls fly: (5)+8: 13

Slix does a wide arc to circle around, gliding more than anything. But the suggestion to keep flapping doesn't go unheeded. More flapping. More ascension. Some on looker watch the caw'ing duo with confusion. It's bird culture people, get with it!

She does a quick turn, basically a roll over to turn around, cackling loudly. "Hey I think I'm getting the hang of this!" she shouts down.

Fiadh, nearby, pays close attention. Almost... amused by something.

The flying witch suddenly dives in with wings tucked tight towards the ground before she flares them out to cut her fall off. One more wing over! Do a barrel roll! Do a flip!

Wait, one's doing a roll, the other's doing a flip! Spin out! Spin-

The woman crashes against the ground, sliding along the way on her belly before coming to a halt right before Tegri's feet. There's a pained groan. She holds up a finger. "Totally worth it..."

Her wings flop over as she just busts out laughing.

"Yes! Yes!" Jay's excited cheering if followed by, "uh..." then, "Oh no, watch out! Look out!"

He's shocked, worried as Slixvah crashes to the ground and slides up to him, crouching to catch her. Except, she stops short. He finally laughs when she does, reaching out to help her up, "Best first flight I've seen!"

"Anything broken, do you need a healer?" He glance at Fiadh, her familiar seems fine, this is reassuring. "You were great!"

Slixvah snickers as she takes the hand, staggering a bit on her feet. "Blue, I /am/ a healer!" she laughs, poking a digit at her chest to test for pain but coming up just lightly smarting. "I'm good!"

Then she hugs him, ribbons rustling. "That was a ton of fun!" she giggles into his feathers, holding the embrace for a moment before pulling back and holding him by the shoulders. "Thank you! I'm really glad ya got ta see it, hon!"

She rolls her shoulders. "But yeeesh, they coulda said somethin' about how much of a pain in th' back it is. Literally."

"Some healers get a little strange about healing themselves, allegedly." Jay responds, chirping happily, "but it's good you could fix damage if there was any! I definitely want you near when I'm trying to fly."

And near at other times too. He bobs in place, "I love a long glide, the feeling of the air moving like an entity, it must be so much better when you can climb and have full control. I'm so honoured! You were amazing. Look!"

He embraces tightly for the time it lasts, "Four feathers, and it does hurt but it gets better." Jay tilts his head, "the ache might go away if you used a healing orison."

Slixvah gives a long, knowing sigh. "I know it too. I loooove gettin' up here and glidin' into tha city. Was right sad when all th' feathers were gone."

She looks down to his grasp. And a smile breaks across her eyes. "Hey! Look at that! Nice catches, Blue!" she chirps, reaching out and taking the lucky charms by the base of the quill carefully. A little sigh leaves her, and she playfully rolls her eyes. "Fiiine. Here. Eb ahle," she ends with a chant, hand glowing a familiar white hue as she presses it against her chest. She sighs in relief.

"Still. Prolly better ta endure that pain. But we can give it a pass. Anywho. Integrity C. Truefeather, Esquire," she adopts in mock regal announcement. "I bestow upon thee the spoils of witnessing the Rite of the Skies-" Slix breaks into a snicker, "For reals tho. Here. Have one. It ain't nothin' proper like an Aerie does it. Maybe I can do the rites for reals later in life. But at least here, I can share this moment with ya."

Slix holds out one of the fallen feathers to Tegri.

GAME: Slixvah casts Cure Light Wounds. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15

Integrity C Truefeather, Esquire, the 'C' is for courtly, makes a deep and formal bow, one leg stretched out behind, his wings spread, his head lowered and hand held out to take the feather. "Slixvah of the Skies, I humbly accept the token of your success, as Cernan and Ceiwen accept you as one with the wind."

He straightens up, clacking his beak, "Everything is proper when it's done with friends to be remembered. There might be another ceremony, but there's only one first flight."

He takes the feather, staring at it thoughtfully in silence for a moment before saying, "Thanks. I will keep this with me."

Slixvah giggles at the theatrics and formalities return, her playing the part and straightening up to be proper and all that. But Slix is never proper for long. "You're oh so very right, Tegri," she coos. "First flights come outta the blue sometimes. Lucky we got to catch this when we did."

Her eyes soften. "I'm glad..." Slix intones, happy he accepts as she carefully puts the other lucky feathers away in her robe. She watches him for a moment overlong before she inquires, "Do you want to go jump off a high road together and get some tea? Or are you busy?"

The flight-ready bird jabs a thumb over her shoulder towards Mountain Road.

"I am never too busy to jump off a cliff with you!" Jay says eagerly, looking up the mountain, "and tea sounds great. Let's do both. Both!"

He carefully tucks the red feather inside his inner vest pocket where it will be safe. He hops in place again, "There are a lot of good jumping off points I can show you if you don't have a favourite one. I've got a favourite one. Well, three, depending on the time of day." He squints up at the sun, looks back down, "There will be a great updraft."

"Then let's ride that updraft for miiiles, Blueberry," Slixvah giggles, her holding out a hand as she too is hopping in place. Filled with exuberance and energy. "Show me the spots, I don't come all the up here that often."

Fiadh, in the distance, gives a little chirping sigh and shake of their head. "We've only just begun," they twitter softly to themselves before flying to catch up to the energetic duo.

-End Scene-