2019-10-20: The One Who Was Left Behind
- Cutscene: The One Who Was Left Behind
- Cast: Shelinda, Penelope
- Where: Bevelle
- Date: October 20th, 2019
- Summary: Shelinda kindly attempts to help a strange bird.
BGM: (Claude Debussy - Preludios. Libro I. Preludio nº 12 Minstrels) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX065QRAtPM
Birds aren't an uncommon thing to see in Bevelle. They perch atop the walls and posts where they can, they mill in the streets, they build nests where the architecture permits -- as much as some of the custodial departments try to make them go away. Shelinda has always found them rather charming, even if she does nothing but watch them from afar.
But as she regards the bird perched atop one of the walls in this plaza, she's taken somewhat aback by its coloration. It has a white body and a black face and throat. Black-tipped wings, a black tail. And a most charming ruff of feathers just at the back of its head. It has hunkered down up on the wall, as if seeking shelter. Or perhaps as if it were very tired.
She cannot help but approach it, stretching her hand up to it. It opens its eyes to blink at her, blearily, slowly.
"Are you all right there?" she calls up to the bird. "Are you lost? Poor, pretty bird. Here... if you would allow me..."
It must be tame, this bird. Or perhaps, wounded? She can just barely reach it, her fingers brushing against it. It doesn't shy away or take flight. It just remains there, studying her.
"You poor thing. Will you permit me to pick you up?"
It is a difficult task for her to reach it. It's almost -- almost -- out of her reach. She has to stretch, reaching until she's standing on her toes, stretching up the wall until it feels like her limbs will pop out of their sockets--
But she reaches it. Stumbling back a step, the bird remains quiet and still in her two hands, staring up at her. "You poor thing," Shelinda repeats, as it stares up at her.
Which is why she is taken quite aback when it suddenly launches itself into her face--
--not her face, her head--
--her hat. Seizing her hat, the strange bird takes flight high over an adjoining wall and vanishes, hat in tow.
Shelinda is left speechless.
And hatless.