![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Rust in Peace [Open]
Zouichi, for once, wasn't in the City on patrol. Instead, he was making a systematic search of the city's streets, looking for telltale stray robot parts that might lead him to what he was looking for. Unfortunately, during SHODAN's attack, not all of the crew (except him! okay not really) had been terribly judicious about the property damage they were inflicting on the nearby buildings.
So there was rubble everywhere. Oops.
But it had been in the middle of a robot attack, right? Sometimes you needed to break a few eggs to make an omelet, right? RIGHT.
[This is the log for searching for robot parts and a SUPER SECRET ENGINEERING PROJECT okay it's not that secret but IT SORT OF IS. Feel free to have someone try and peek in on the Engineering threadand have Lash furtively cover her test paper.]
So there was rubble everywhere. Oops.
But it had been in the middle of a robot attack, right? Sometimes you needed to break a few eggs to make an omelet, right? RIGHT.
[This is the log for searching for robot parts and a SUPER SECRET ENGINEERING PROJECT okay it's not that secret but IT SORT OF IS. Feel free to have someone try and peek in on the Engineering thread
Re: SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS
He smiled at Pro's antics which, though not quite parroty, still reminded him of his own pet. "It seems more like he's trained you." Nobody tell Zouichi that Alan had done the same to him.
Re: SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS
She reaches up to take the bird from her shoulder. He hops onto her hand and wobbles, stretching out his black wings to keep his balance, thin, spider-like feet gripping at her fingers.
Then, without warning, Diana lets her hand drop.
With the sudden loss of his steady foothold, Pro gives a startled cry and beats his wings furiously to break his fall as he drops to the floor. Once there, he shakes himself, feathers bedraggled from shock, and starts calling up at her loudly, with a baby’s highly pitched and panicked croaks, bouncing around near her feet, flapping his wings for extra height and attention grabbing value, desperately seeking her acknowledgement and help.
She just looks at Zouichi with superiority. “Pro knows who stands at the top. That’s why he plays his tricks on Jinx, but listens to me.”
Re: SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS
Zouichi knelt down to where Pro had fallen, getting closer to eye level and putting out both hands to gently pick the bird up.
Re: SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS
While Big Dark Stranger had seemed very nice until this point, Pro is not impressed with the mans sudden closeness or attempts to pick him up when all he wants to do is return to Diana. He starts screeching defensively and moves behind Diana’s legs, calling for her to protect him.
Diana sighs. "Oh, don't be such a baby. He's not going to hurt you."
Pro seems to understand some of this as he calms down enough to get a good look at Zouichi, slowly stepping out of his hiding place. He switches his sharp bird gaze and forth between the two humanoids for a moment, before bouncing all the way up Zouichis arm and onto his head. Using this height advantage, Pro flaps his wings for altitude and finally lands back upon Diana’s shoulder.
“Welcome back.” She strokes the top of his beak while he gurgles proudly to her of his exploits, clearly happy to be back with her. Diana turns back to Zouichi. “See? No harm done. He’s a kid, not a baby. You don’t have to hand-hold him.”
She moves Pro back to her hand (it becoming clear she’s lost no trust from bird despite purposely dropping him) and holds him out to Zouichi. “Here. You hold him.” Pro croaks at Zouichi, looking directly at the mans hands to see if he has more food.
Re: SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS
"It doesn't matter if he's a baby or an adult. If you punish an animal like that for no reason, you'll just inspire fear and behavioral problems down the road."
Not to mention the cruelty of it.
Re: SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS
She eyes with Zouichi with a look that gave away she clearly had no fondness for the idea that he held the notion she would hurt something for the pleasure of it.
Holding Pro up to her face, she put on a mock pout towards the bird. “Zouichi thinks I’m an animal abuser.” Picking up on Diana’s tone and facial expression, Pro seemed personally affronted for his ‘mother’ and began cawing at Zouichi like he was a cat attacking the nest.
After actually bothering to read up a little on crows, Diana knew they were no strangers to danger throughout their lives. Fledglings were pushed out of nest by bossier siblings all the time and even other family members as encouragement to fly and explore, so as far as Diana was concerned, Pro had it easy. She usually just let him hop about the apartment gliding from the sofa to the coffee table.
Calming him down by letting him rub his head under her chin, she spoke to Zouichi again. “I wasn’t punishing him. I was playing. You should take a look a crow games in the library, it’s not much different. Sorry if the way I look after him doesn’t match up to your idyllic parenting skills but I’ve managed to make Provisions last this long doing it my way.”
She didn’t see why she should need to explain herself to Zouichi, Pro was always obnoxiously cheerful, not suffering from ‘behavioural issues’, unless you counted attacking Jinx’s hair every time she tried to have a quiet read of her book on the couch.
Re: SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS
Zouichi had been bothered a little in the past by Diana's flippant manner, but had assumed that she was simply unused to interacting with anyone in any way that left her feeling vulnerable. Thus, disparaging affection. Insults. An unwillingness to take anything seriously, and a desire to maintain an aura of indifference and distance at all times. Howard had a tendency to do the same.
However, this latest seemed to cast her actions in a new light. While Howard sulked and schemed and hid from his problems, there was no hidden malice in his actions. Any hostility he harbored was displayed for the world to notice. Not so Diana, for which everything was thinly-veiled insults and passive-aggression.
Why?
Because of the FAYZ? Or, like Howard, had the FAYZ merely exacerbated pre-existing flaws?
In a child, it might be worrying. In someone who was edging into young adulthood, however, it was outright unflattering. A glimpse into some inner ugliness, perhaps.
But also not his problem. He straightened to leave. "Take care of him, please."
He already had one broken teenager to deal with.
Re: SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS
"Tell Howie I said hi. You don't have to mention I'm a terrible person to him though because he already knows."
She's not pegged Zouichi correctly, but she adjusts that now. He was too grudge baring and quick to judge to be of any use to her, she could see it in his eyes. Oh well. Plenty of others.