Dionysus Venuvea agrees to join you. The bird gardens are full of song in the morning.

Jack_C I spend a few minutes in quiet meditation before I try to sing again.

Jack_C I'm going to let the birds set the song, and get a feel for it.

Dionysus Roll crowd reading -6 (because they are animals), musical acuity (equal to your by ear score), & will power

Dionysus You do manage to get the birdsong down pat.

Jack_C Next, he's going to try to harmonize with it.

Dionysus Roll singing.

Jack_C Ahoy?

Jack_C Oh. nevermind. I'm caught up.

Dionysus Do you use karma or no?

Jack_C Yes.

Dionysus Oh, I missed it.

Dionysus Sorry.

Dionysus Okay, you manage to haromize. Venuvea follows your lead.

Dionysus The birds do not approach you, but they react to the singing, some of them actually managing to react /musically/, not just repeating or doing their own thing

Jack_C then I keep it up.

Dionysus After about an hour, your concentration wavers.

Jack_C I don't go an hour.

Jack_C I go about five minutes, to get the rythm set up,

Jack_C and then I throw in some variation,

Jack_C I'll play with them.

Dionysus Some of the better ones react to your song.

Dionysus Most fly away

Jack_C . o O ( "Hey, they like that...let's turn up the juice a little..." ) I'll add a little bit of a swaying dance into my song.

Dionysus More fly away.

Jack_C How many remain? and if any, what are they doing?

Dionysus Six remain, two fo which are sitll singing along. One of which hasn't sung or moved at all, but glares balefully at you. The others are just doing bird-like things.

Jack_C I'll start directing my song to the two who are participating.

Jack_C Jack figures they're the key to whatever's going on here.

Jack_C Can I tell if the one who's watching me is male?

Dionysus You can;'t tell, but one is a baby bird.

Jack_C which one?

Dionysus One of the ones singing along. The other looks like a robin or something. The baby one looks... well, hideous.

Jack_C So jack figures, if this were a tavern, we got two fans enjoyin' the show, three chattin' at the bar, and one who's miffed because his friends told 'im Cidney Broncour was the opening act.

Jack_C How's the ugly duckling singing compared to the robin?

Dionysus It sings as well as the robin does.

• Jack_C will segue the song into counterpoint with both of those two birds.

Dionysus Roll singing.

Dionysus The baby bird is managing perfectly, matching you & even oneupping you. The robin flies away.

Jack_C I will continue this musical conversation with the baby bird then.

Dionysus You find you /understand/ it. She's talking to you.

Dionysus "Papa?"

Jack_C What's she saying?

Jack_C that probably surprises me.

Jack_C Quickly aside, "Venuvea, she just called me papa."

Dionysus Venuvea stares a moment, "Who?"

Jack_C "Her." I point to the baby bird.

Dionysus She looks, then laughs. "Are you making this up?"

Dionysus The bird chirps, "Mama?"

Jack_C "So what's your name, little one?"

Dionysus She hops along her branch, bends her head, "Name?"

Jack_C "What do the other birds call you?"

Dionysus "None have called me."

Jack_C "You're a good singer."

Dionysus "You're better, papa."

Jack_C "So...you know I'm not a bird, right?"

Dionysus It flits down closer, & you see that its ugliness is on account of it not having a bird's head. It's head looks like a dog's.

Dionysus Venuvea is staring in wonder at you.

Dionysus "So?" the bird asks.

Jack_C What's the situation in here regarding barriers? is he behind chicken wire, or are the aviaries open?

Dionysus There's no barriers between it & you, just a glass ceiling on this area.

Jack_C I'll hold one index finger down. "tell you what. Hop on, and we'll go see what we can learn about us, ay?"

Dionysus Venuvea says, "What are you singing?"

Jack_C "Counterpoint."

Dionysus She shakes her head in awe. "Amazing."

Dionysus The bird hops onto your finger.

Jack_C "Let's go see who's nearby."

Jack_C I'll see if there are any other conversant and sentient beings nearby.

Dionysus A shemir in a brown robe is sweeping the path nearby

Jack_C "Excuse me sir."

Jack_C "Can you tell me what manner of bird she is?"

Dionysus He frowns, "No..." He looks troubled. "No, I can't, & that should be impossible."

Jack_C "Why so?"

Dionysus "I am the Keeper here. I know every bird in here."

Jack_C "Oh. Alright..."

Jack_C "Um...Well, this is a little awkward, see, this one called me papa."

Dionysus He frowns, "It spoke to you?"

Jack_C "Yeah."

Dionysus "Do birds normally speak to you?"

Jack_C "No. This is a first."

Dionysus He sighs, thne pulls out a book & flips through it. After a moment, he stops, then shows you a page. The writing is unreadable, being in shemir, but the picture is of a bird with a dog's head & plumage like a peacock's. The feathers are magnificent of color. Your bird lacks the plumage--she has babyfeathers--but has the dog's head.

Dionysus "A simurgh...? But there's only one of them, & he's... well, immortal."

Jack_C "Yeah. That's her."

Dionysus "This isn't possible. It would either have to be from another world, or... there'd be something wrong with this one."

Jack_C "Well she sings just fine."

Jack_C I'll ask the baby bird. "Where are you from, little one?"

Dionysus "With this world, I mean. Not the bird."

Dionysus She says, "The forest."

Jack_C "She says she's from the forest."

Dionysus The shemir frowns, "Of Gensis? Where the World Tree is?"

Dionysus Venuvea is watching in amazement

Jack_C I'll relate that to the bird.

Dionysus The bird responds with a chirp that amounts to, "I have no idea."

Jack_C to the shemir. "I think she couldn't see the forest for the trees."

Dionysus The shemir frowns, not at all understanding that. "Okay?"

Jack_C "She says she doesn't know."

Dionysus "I see. Well... I don't know what to say. This shouldn't be possible."

Jack_C "Well, assumin' for a moment it is, what should I be doin'?"

Dionysus "Keep it away from snakes, I suppose. It will attack them on sight."

Jack_C "Fair enough. What about ophidians? lycanthropes, and etcetera?"

Dionysus "Probably best to keep an eye on it around them."

Jack_C "Alright...So what's she eat then?"

• Jack_C is probably looking slowly more and more unsteady as the conversation goes on.

Dionysus "I have no idea. Presumably, its father would suckle it..."

Jack_C "Riiight...Can you recommend a vet?"

Dionysus "Feed it what you would a puppy."

Dionysus "I have tended birds all my life..."

Jack_C "A puppy...I think I can manage that."

Jack_C "I had a puppy once."

Jack_C "Ay, thanks for your help."

Dionysus He nods. "My pleasure."

Jack_C I walk a bit away and say to the bird, "So...wanna come with me?" and glances at Venuvea to see how she's taking this.

• Jack_C is nervous.

Dionysus The bird chirps, "Yes, papa."

Dionysus Venuvea looks curious.

Jack_C "Alrighty then. We'll see if we can find you some puppy food. you hungry?"

Jack_C "And I'll introduce you to the rest of the...the nest."

Dionysus It chirps happily.

Dionysus Venuvea asks, "What are you singing to it?"

Jack_C "I'm tellin' 'er we're gonna find some puppy food and introduce her to the band."

Dionysus Venuvea says, "Do you know much about the simurgh?"

• Jack_C takes a deep, nervous breath. "No. No I don't, point of fact, and that's not makin' me feel any better about my responsibilities right now. Like it or not...I'm a papa."

Jack_C "I could tell you what my parents were like. I was never meant for parenthood."

Dionysus She is trying not to laugh. "You could just leave it with the Bird Keeper, but... Well, the simurgh..." She gives you this info: http://www.merukis.net/wiki/index.php/Shem/Simurgh

• Jack_C squints.

Jack_C "wow."

Jack_C "So how is it I'm able to speak to her?"

Dionysus She pauses, "You have... a unique voice, Jack. Tell me about your parents."

Jack_C "Well I was 6 of nine, you know. Me dad worked in a dwarven coal mine and me mom sewed shirts. Jimmy, the oldest, could do no wrong even though he always did. he ran with a gang. Jorgie, number 2, died playin' with magic, Kansella ran off with the bartender's son,"

Jack_C "Dad disowned Gisela and Rubella for gettin' arrested in Marradon city,"

Jack_C ...I can't keep making it up. you get the idea.

Dionysus "How is it you still have a Dhunic accent, if your family's not from Fasune?"

Jack_C (Where is Fasune?)

Dionysus Berellia is on Fasune.

Dionysus Dhun used to be there, & the people who used to be Dhunic either converted or left.

Jack_C Is Fasune a continent or a moon?

Dionysus A continent

Jack_C "That's just how dad talked."

Jack_C "We all picked it up."

Dionysus She nods, "It's just interesting that it survived. It suits you."

Jack_C "Oh..." blush. "Well thank you."

Dionysus So you pick up puppy food (in this age, probably just low grade meat) & go back to the inn?