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Daybreak IC Inbox

Héctor
UN: OLLIN

STATUS: Graduate Student / Teacher's Assistant

ACCOLADES: I write music, know how to play a few instruments, mostly la guitarra.

BIO: !Hola¡ Soy Héctor. Yo hablo español y un poco inglés. I've come to Daybreak to learn a little about all this magic stuff and help out around the Campus. If you need an odd job taken care of, I'm your guy! (Unless you are la policía. Or someone I have borrowed from. If that is the case, do not contact me, por favor.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He doesn't like telling people this. In fact, he's only told Imelda.]

I don't know the exact time. There can be a lot of factors involved that could change things. I just have an idea of where I am at and I'll start to know when the end's coming. But, if I'm guessing, anywhere from a decade to a year and a half. Whichever the case, I'll be going home before I'm done.

A year and a half?

[Something does change on his face, finally. And here he'd been hoping for a decade, at least. He's an animal and he has more time than that.]

...I'm sorry. That's not fair.

[That sticks in deep. It twists and for as much as he holds back he can't hide all of it. He moves a bit closer and brings an arm around again, just a slight squeeze.]

It's not really about fairness, Tobias. You have to remember, this is my second chance, not my first. Everything I get now, the people I get to meet, the memories I make, it's all extra. Most people don't get that. Especially not without a catch. I'm very lucky man. And I'm grateful.

As for you, just because I won't always be around doesn't mean it changes anything now. Not unless you want it to. But in the mean time, I'll still be your friend and I'll still be here to help.

[Well. Ow.

He won't say it again, but. Not fair. Not fair at all. The best, most loving family he's seen, and it could all end. And there's nothing he can do about it. It... hurts.

He... exhales, out his nose. It's not really a sigh. Breathing at all through his mouth seems odd.]

You keep saying that, but... I've got it good for whatever I am. I don't think I need help. Not more than you've already done.

Tobias.

[His tone is stern but there's a smile on his face now.]

You're allowed to have more. I have no less to give, for whatever you are or however much time I have. If it soothes your conscience or pride, it does me good being able to offer something in this world. But regardless of any of that, every person, no matter how well off, can use a bit of help. Welcome to humanity, Tobias, this is how my crazy species functions best when we function at all.

[He gives Tobias a pat on his shoulder and gets up.]

Let's make some good memories! Turn the good to great! I'm texting Imelda. I'm sure we've got the ingredients for something good here.

Edited 2019-09-04 03:12 (UTC)

[Every damn word the man says only makes him want it not to end even more--but. What can he do?

What can he do?

Maybe in five years he'd know enough healing magic... and he may not have five years. The whole world might not. He stays seated on the bed and watches.]

Is she going to be awake this late...? It doesn't have to be anything special. I've never had soda.

Go to bed without our nightly time? And deal with my heartbroken whining and wailing? She might have married me but she's not that masochistic.

[He grins wide.]

We'll see what we have. She's going to make what she wants though, just watch.

[No comment. What the heck does he know about love and marriage. He's a damn bird.]

Fine with me. I don't know much about food.

[He spends a brief time texting Imelda, back and forth, a dopey grin upon his face growing only wider as he reads her messages and sends back his own. Every now and again a soft, faint laugh slips free. Drawn up on his own bed, he's clearly in his own world in that moment, heedless of any second-hand embarrassment. And just like that, it's over. He stands back up.]

She's decided to join us! She'll be here soon!

[Sometime during all that, he realizes... Hands. Phone. It's right there, what's stopping him? And he almost seems to be a normal teenager, hooked on texting like every other kid his ages is. It's much easier to use with fingers and not his beak or tongue.]

Okay. Cool. Should I do anything?

Nothing you have to, but if you'd like, we could wander out there a bit, get a feel for the two legs thing.

Yeah, I can do that.

[He places his phone back on the branch, pausing to run his fingers over it. It looks so small now...]

Just up and down the hall?

[He nods.]

That should work. We don't need to do any Olympic miles or anything like that.

[He notices the way Tobias pauses. Yeah, things can look different when you're different. He remembers that.

He gets up and leads the way out into the hall.]

[He follows, a barefoot ruffian. No trouble walking, it's not what's keeping him from passing for human. One of the few things he remembers how to do...

But then, he hasn't tried to run. Baby steps.]

You see what I mean about, uh, not being ready to impersonate people yet?

[Tobias, dammit, he gave you shoes and socks. Imelda's going to shake him.

He shrugs.]

You don't need to be perfect. The rest of the world out there is normal. They're not going to think that a guy's being impersonated by a bird, they're just going to think "wow, Jim's acting strange today!" But, that said, we are practicing right now.

[The socks would have been fine, if he'd remembered. Shoes, on the other hand, would have meant trying to tie a knot first the first time in months, with stupid clumsy fingers. Embarrassing. Save that for another day.]

I want to do better than that. I don't know, you're human every day... we can probably figure it out?

[As if he wouldn't help with shoe-tying. That stuffs hard for kids of all ages and some adults.

He shoots the kid a softer grin. He's not surprised Tobias wants better. Tobias seems to want the best, even if not for himself. He reaches over to ruffle his hair then, just like he tried before with feathers. Much easier now.]

Of course we can. We'll have you walking and talking like the best of them. The good news, you've already done the watching part of studying. Now we just have to get you joining in.

[He misses a step, startles, and staggers to the side for a moment then corrects himself... then ruffles his own hair, ruining what was left of the neatness. Ha. Feels like feathers.]

Right. Okay. I know what people do for fun, but half of it seems weird to me.

Whoa there!

[He reaches out when Tobias stumbles, ready to catch him, but the boy rights himself. And then makes him laugh with that self ruffling. So he likes that, huh?]

Ah! But see, that's the trick of it! Many humans will tell you that being human is stuff like... jobs and school and being the intellectual species and the rough stuff of the world. And, yeah, that's part of human life, but it's not what being human is. And being human is the stupid stuff.

[He says that much too smug.]

It's enjoying small things just because and getting crazy excited about it for no reason. It's playing dumb games because it's funny and doing things we know we'll regret in an hour. Giving things meaning because it makes us feel special and so it makes the things special and it goes round and round until we're all following along an insane ritual. You've got to take all that weird, Tobias. Embrace it!

[Seems like he can't play with his own hair and walk at the same time, but he's moving again.

Also amused in a way that reaches his voice and not his face.]

So to sum up what you're saying... I should be more spontaneous and that you have no clue what you're doing at any given moment?

[He smiles wide and shameless, nodding.]

Yes. That is absolutely what I'm saying.

[When Imelda arrives on Aube's third floor, it's with a bag in hand that has an assortment of foodstuffs in it. Upon seeing Héctor with a human boy, she stops and watches from the end of the hall for a moment. Her head tilts a little, her free hand resting on her hip. A smile pulls at her lips.]

I don't know what advice he's giving you, but be careful about taking it. It's likely to land you in trouble.

[The lousiest human act she ever did see. He still has no idea what the hell to do with these arms. Stuff his hands in his pocket and keep them out of the way, mostly. He doesn't blink much, he doesn't smile, he jerks his head in birdlike fashion to look at things...

But hey, he can smell things now. Smells like food.]

Mostly he's saying he doesn't have a clue. [Sorry, Héc.] Hi.

Imelda!!

[He smiles bright, delighted by her arrival and missing any opportunity to take offence.]

I was telling him the best parts of being human, mi amor. Trouble is definitely part of that.

[Oh, the brightness of that smile is disarming. She finds herself smiling more, unable to resist.]

Part of it? You mean all of it. [She comes closer to the two, greeting Héctor first with a kiss, and then turning to the boy.]

So this is our bird friend? I half expected you to still have feathers. [She gives him a look over, her gaze lingering on his hair as if she expects to see downy fluff underneath those locks.]

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