Daybreak IC Inbox

[unpocoloco]

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.)

© TESSISAMESS

Comments

[hawkwardness]

[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?

[unpocoloco]

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

[hawkwardness]

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?

[unpocoloco]

[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.]

[hawkwardness]

[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?

[unpocoloco]

[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.

[hawkwardness]

[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?

[unpocoloco]

[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.

[hawkwardness]

[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.

[unpocoloco]

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!

[hawkwardness]

[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?

[unpocoloco]

[He smiles wide and shameless, nodding.]

Yes. That is absolutely what I'm saying.

[no_dejare_de_quererte]

[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.

[hawkwardness]

[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.

[unpocoloco]

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.

[no_dejare_de_quererte]

[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.]

[hawkwardness]

[It's weird. Nice that they're so affectionate, but weird. Not how his aunt or uncle ever were.]

Uh, no. [His verbal voice sounds quite a lot like the mental one.] I can't stop it halfway or anything. I don't have much control.

[unpocoloco]

[It's an echo chamber. The more she smiles the more he does.]

Si! Yes! All of it, of course!

[He laughs.]

She's making a joke, Tobias. Teasing.

[no_dejare_de_quererte]

Or am I? [She glances back at Héctor with a smirk that says she is, but now he's pulled into it, too. She looks back to Tobias, giving him another look-over before turning to walk towards the kitchen with her bag in hand.]

Anyway, I heard that you were hungry. And that you need practice holding utensils. Do you like tamales, Tobias?

[hawkwardness]

[Teasing. Right. Normal, friendly adults do that. She's only teasing, not mocking him for being a filthy no-good liar. She's a nice person, same as Héctor.]

I have no idea, sorry. I don't think I dislike anything?

[unpocoloco]

[He laughs at her teasing back, grinning at her.]

Ay, tamales! You're in luck Tobias! Doesn't get any better than Imelda's tamales!

[And quieter.]

Told you she'd make what she wants.

[He waits until she's set everything down. Then he goes behind and wraps his arm around her, hugging her close as he leans around and kisses her cheek.]

[no_dejare_de_quererte]

[Doesn't dislike anything... She doubts that. Kids can be picky, and this one in particular... She glances back at Tobias with a neutral look.] Well, I can promise they'll be better than anything else you might find lying around.

[Her husband is a pleasant distraction from that cryptic train of thought, though. Even if he's also a bit of a obstacle, as well.] Héctor, please. How am I supposed to cook like this? [She tries to sound scolding, but fails utterly at that. It's too hard, when he makes her smile the way he does.]

[hawkwardness]

I bet they are. Thanks for doing this.

[He goes to sit, this thin barefoot boy. Whoever's shape he's in, it doesn't look like he'd been eating well. Sit, look at his phone, and not interrupt their private moments. It's nice that Héctor's happy.]

[unpocoloco]

[He laughs in a way that's all too pleased with himself, especially as she scolds him.]

With my passionate belief in you to back you up, of course.

[He goes around and kisses her other cheek.]

Is it working?

[He hums, sneaking a glance back at the boy who's simply withdrawing. That won't do.]

Mmm, perhaps more power. Tobias! Come help!

[And with that he lets her go.]

[no_dejare_de_quererte]

Not at all. [He kisses her other cheek, and this time she turns her head to give him a kiss back. On one hand, shame on her for rewarding bad behavior. On the other hand, he does let go, so she moves to find a cutting board, some knives, a large pot, and a sauce pan.]

The last thing he needs is help. Here--you can come help me instead. [She holds the pot out to Tobias.] Fill this up with water and put it on the stove with the heat turned up to high.