Chupacabra campfire: early Monday morning

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Today was the first day of classes. Karal was quite pleased, because having nothing he needed to do felt rather odd.

Not, however, as odd as waking up to see the Valdemaran history he'd been reading nesting next to the bed. And clucking. And apparently quite determined to set on the balled up piece of paper it had found on the floor.

His inability to quite believe what he was seeing - and hearing - didn't seem to bother it.

Karal went into the common area to fetch a cup of tea and returned to find the book chicken had somehow incorporated his pillowcase into its nest. Which made it easy to scoop it up and carry it outside.

Settling it safely against a rock, he - after some fumbling - kindled a fire and sat down to watch it. "How in Vkandis' name are you making those noises? You're a book!"

[ooc: open!]

Comments

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

"No, you got it," Gavin said and nodded. "That's what I'm looking for. Might be the wrong class to take but I figured it couldn't hurt, you know."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I've had some exposure to that." Which may be a significant understatement. "Learning when to see that the right word can keep things from sliding into disaster, or the wrong can send it plummeting into chaos. My master was extraordinarily gifted at such things." He smiled sadly. "It's a valuable skill to have."

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

"I don't really have it," he admitted. "Others in my squadron, they can, like, sense when there's something wrong. I can't do that."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Then maybe it's not entirely a bad thing you were sent here?" he suggested gently. "You can learn what you want to know, and then be an even more valuable member of your squadron when you return. Not to mention stories to tell that they probably won't believe, like book chickens."

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

He was right. Still, it was hard to digest, being here while they were there. It was hard.

"Maybe." He shrugged. "Maybe I can take some book chickens back. Scare the Empire."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Loose flocks of them to cluck and flap their way to victory," he said, grinning a little, though he was still concerned. He knew how it felt to be a long way from home and everything familiar. "Perhaps I should do the same."

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

"Unfamiliar things can be scary," Gavin said. "They wouldn't know how to defend against book chickens."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"They can be, at least until they're known," he agreed. "And I'm not sure anyone would know how to defend against book chickens. Chances are they'd be laughing so hard, they wouldn't even try."

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

"And then we'd sneak attack!"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"You can sneak attack while I discover the best way to be rid of the chickens once you've captured the enemy," he said, laughing at the absurdity. "Because it would be terrible to be rid of our respective Empires only to face flocks of rampaging book chickens!"

[sixstandingby.livejournal.com]

"Right!" Gavin gave Karal a thumbs up. "I fight, you research and we defeat the Empires and then the chickens and everything goes back to nice and quiet and we're heroes!"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"And we're heroes," he said, smiling up into the sky. "Which means we get to live happily ever after and bore people with stories no one will ever believe. But it won't matter, because we'll know they're true."