[ Well, it can't be a monster, because it's on the roof and they have a scarecrow.
Or the scarecrow doesn't work.
Mako winces as Fritter's claws dig into his shoulder. He's never seen an animal like that one before, but there are a lot of animals Mako hasn't seen, and the more important thing is that Vyng is on top of it and that Fritter is hissing at the big bird. ]
Fritter. Shh.
[ She does not shh, so Mako pitches his voice over her. ]
Need a hand getting down? That thing couldn't land on the ground?
[And the thunderbird is a stubborn boy, so. Rooftop, it is! With a grateful pat on the bird's neck, Vyng gently slides off. He sets his green suede bag next to the creature, so he won't be encumbered by any extra weight that could make him lose balance.]
[Movement steady and deliberate, he makes his way to the roof's edge and peers down at Mako. ]
Hmm. [As he contemplates what to do next, Vyng takes an awkward sitting position, letting his gangly legs dangle in front of him. ] I think I've got this, hold on...
[With that, he slides down and twists his body around at the same time, to where he's hanging with both hands. Even at nearly 7-feet tall, there's still a bit of distance between him and his friend. But Vyng turns his body again, pushing off the wall with one foot. He falls into a parkour roll across the ground, keeping enough momentum to transition into a crouch.]
[Finally, he stands at his full height, brushing the dirt off his animal hides.]
Hey, that worked out pretty well!
[But then he turns to look at where the thunderbird is perched over them...and he sighs.]
[ Mako is about two seconds from darting over there to catch him, watching this with a weird mixture of worry and admiration. Vyng clearly knows what he's doing (or at the very least he sure looks like he does), though, so Mako waits and only starts to move when Vyng pushes himself off the wall and lands on the ground.
But then he rolls, and pops up from his crouch, and Mako is sort of frozen there with Fritter still hissing on his shoulder, watching Vyng as he turns back to face the roof.
And then, for probably the first time in at least a week, Mako bursts into laughter.
Long, sustained laughter, probably a little too much for the situation but it's absurd and Mako's exhausted and heartsick and this is apparently the thing that has tipped him over the edge. It takes him a solid thirty seconds to calm himself down enough to speak, and even then he's still kind of laughing through his words. ]
Ask him to— [ another snort ] —push it off for you.
[ He'll be annoyed at Vyng for apparently improvising this whole thing once the laughter has worn off. ]
[Well, at least somebody's laughing. Vyng cracks a lopsided smile before silently looking up at his animal companion. The bird, apparently understanding the situation, looks down at the bag and...simply kicks it.
The item in question rolls down, down, down. And stops at the edge, just shy of actually dropping onto the ground.
Peering down at Vyng, the bird now wears an expression that clearly says "Are you really going to make me go down there and give it another kick?"]
I think we can handle the rest. [He says to Mako.] Don't you? For your poor raccoon friend's sake, if nothing else.
Fritter hates any animal that isn't her. Don't take it personally.
[ Is he talking to the bird, or Vyng? It's unclear!
He's still kind of getting over his absurd laughing fit. Absently, he reaches up to smooth down Fritter's puffy fur, and she huffs in protest about it. ]
What's so important about the bag? And the... whole trip over here?
There's a present for you in there. And carrots for Sven, too.
[The thunderbird would get closer if he asked. But it's in Vyng's nature to try finding a compromise that makes everyone happy.
So, he turns to Fritter. And in tiny little raccoon barks and grunts, he says:
"Hello there. So terribly sorry for our rudeness. I come bearing gifts. Of berries. And other sweet treats! But as your discerning nose can likely tell, these foods aren't on my person. You see, they're in that bag up there. So, allow me to make you a deal: If I send that big bird away...would you be willing to climb up there and push the bag onto the ground?"]
[ For a long, quiet moment, Fritter just... stares at Vyng, her little beady eyes slowly narrowing.
She's thinking about it. Sweet treats are a compelling offer, after all, and this is a highly food-motivated little raccoon. An apology is nice, too. Soothes some of her affrontedness.
Mako is also staring at Vyng, but for a very different reason. ]
Are you. Talking to Fritt–
[ He starts, and then Fritter chitters and leaps from his shoulder and he lunges after her, but she's already skittering toward Vyng to sit at his feet, looking up at him.
[Vyng's expression brightens. For a second, he honestly thought the raccoon was gonna tell him to get fucked.]
Aw, you've got a very helpful little friend here.
[He looks upward, toward the roof. The thunderbird makes eye contact with him, and a silent understanding passes between the two. Without another word, his bird friend spreads his magnificent wings and propels himself into the air. He circles around the house in a sort of "farewell" gesture, before soaring up, up, up, and...mysteriously vanishing into the sky, as if swallowed by the clouds overhead.]
["It is done," Vyng solemnly chitters at Fritter.]
[ Fritter, who is not above pettiness (being that she is only a baby, and also a raccoon) hisses in a sort of good riddance way as the bird disappears.
Mako is watching this whole exchange with absolute bafflement. He is way too tired to even start to comprehend what's happening here, especially when Fritter locks eyes with Vyng, nods, and then scampers up the side of the house (clumsily, almost falling a few times) to go nudge the bag off the edge. She doesn't warn Vyng or anything, just sniffs around it a bit, nods, and pushes it off with her little paws before leaping after it. ]
Fritter!
[ Mako practically slams himself forward to catch her, alarm shooting through him. ]
What do you think you're— you can't fly!
[ Probably! What does he know about raccoons? Not a lot, it turns out.
Believe me, if you'd spent your childhood trying to keep your brother from falling off of stuff, you'd be fast, too.
[ Fritter immediately wriggles her way out of his arms once the treats are presented, and Mako has to catch at her again, shooting her a quelling look as he reaches out for the jar. ]
Calm down. If you're gone when Wu comes back he'll kill me.
[ And then he looks at the bag and remembers: Vyng. Static. Large bird. Gift? ]
I... meant the delivery and the yelling and the bird but now that we're on the subject, you want to explain the raccoon thing?
[ Okay Mako's actually really glad Vyng mentioned it because he was starting to think he'd made up the chittering and growling and stuff, or that maybe his ears weren't working from lack of sleep. ]
[ This is his most deadpan yet, Vyng. Fritter reaches quietly for another grape while Mako tries to imagine what talking to a lake (he does, at least, get that's what Vyng means) could possibly entail. After a moment of coming up entirely blank, he shakes his head and refocuses. ]
[ Vyng every time Mako talks to you he is left with more questions than answers. Does lake water need to mature? Like soju? Can you age it? What do lakes have to say, in general?
Spirits.
Shoving aside his confusion for the moment, Mako follows the instruction and closes his eyes. There's a slight crease of a frown pulling his brows together. ]
I didn't... ask you for anything, did I?
[ It's been kind of a blurry few days. He might have. ]
[Spirits, indeed! Probably best to focus on the matter at hand, instead of getting off-track by another wacky story from his misadventures back home.]
You did not. That's why I asked you to close your eyes. It's a surprise!
[A cool weight is suddenly pressed into the palm of Mako's hand. "Okay, now look," he quietly instructs. And when Mako opens his eyes, he'll find a pendant made from a raw piece of amethyst. ]
Tada! [A beat.] ...Well, actually, there's a second component to it. But that's something you've gotta see with your eyes open.
[ It's such an unexpected weight—heavier and sharper-edged than Mako, who is terrible with surprises in general would have thought—that he almost opens his eyes early.
But he manages to keep them shut until Vyng tells him to look, and then blinks down at the gem, his lips parting silently. ]
This is... beautiful.
[ A beat, during which Mako just stares at the purple stone, the kind of expensive-looking thing he would've never been able to afford or thought to buy back home. A moment later, he looks up at Vyng, his cheeks a bit, oddly, pink. ]
[Mako's pausing to admire the crystal draws a quiet, warm smile from Vyng.]
Thanks. It came from the heart.
[Literally. Vyng taps his chest, over the place that houses the amethyst geode. It's hidden behind his clothing — as it normally is — but it's impossible to conceal when taking a changed shape.]
Second part is...it can aid you when calling upon the elements. Choose which element you'd like to pack an extra punch, and imbue it with a little of your power.
[ Mako remembers its sharp edges from Vyng's funeral, cloaked in misery and regret as they both were. No wonder the color looked familiar. He looks up at Vyng, his face soft and full of something like wonder. ]
Well. I can only control the one element. Unless lightning's different where you come from.
[Aw, buddy. Vyng didn't expect Mako to be so touched by the gesture — if anything, he thought there was a chance it would weird him out. But their chat beneath the Spirit World's dream-like sky comes to mind...and he's struck by yet another reminder of how extraordinary even a small gift might feel to somebody who spent their childhood struggling to survive. (Now that Vyng thinks about it, Tuck takes surprisingly good care of his presents too.). Material items aren't Vyng's go-to when expressing friendship. But maybe he should think about it more often.]
[At this new piece of information, though, Vyng gives a delighted gasp.]
Your fire-bendy stuff lets you use lightning too? Can you show me?
[ Conjuring up lightning isn't the easiest thing in the world to do, but now that Mako visits the stones regularly—and has his stabilizing gem around his neck, always, tucked into the hollow of his throat—he has much better control of it here.
And there will always be a little peacock-rooster part of himself that likes showing off, so after a beat Mako grins. ]
Sure. Not the whole thing—lightningbending isn't exactly easy—but I can show you something.
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Or the scarecrow doesn't work.
Mako winces as Fritter's claws dig into his shoulder. He's never seen an animal like that one before, but there are a lot of animals Mako hasn't seen, and the more important thing is that Vyng is on top of it and that Fritter is hissing at the big bird. ]
Fritter. Shh.
[ She does not shh, so Mako pitches his voice over her. ]
Need a hand getting down? That thing couldn't land on the ground?
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[And the thunderbird is a stubborn boy, so. Rooftop, it is! With a grateful pat on the bird's neck, Vyng gently slides off. He sets his green suede bag next to the creature, so he won't be encumbered by any extra weight that could make him lose balance.]
[Movement steady and deliberate, he makes his way to the roof's edge and peers down at Mako. ]
Hmm. [As he contemplates what to do next, Vyng takes an awkward sitting position, letting his gangly legs dangle in front of him. ] I think I've got this, hold on...
[With that, he slides down and twists his body around at the same time, to where he's hanging with both hands. Even at nearly 7-feet tall, there's still a bit of distance between him and his friend. But Vyng turns his body again, pushing off the wall with one foot. He falls into a parkour roll across the ground, keeping enough momentum to transition into a crouch.]
[Finally, he stands at his full height, brushing the dirt off his animal hides.]
Hey, that worked out pretty well!
[But then he turns to look at where the thunderbird is perched over them...and he sighs.]
Except I forgot my bag.
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But then he rolls, and pops up from his crouch, and Mako is sort of frozen there with Fritter still hissing on his shoulder, watching Vyng as he turns back to face the roof.
And then, for probably the first time in at least a week, Mako bursts into laughter.
Long, sustained laughter, probably a little too much for the situation but it's absurd and Mako's exhausted and heartsick and this is apparently the thing that has tipped him over the edge. It takes him a solid thirty seconds to calm himself down enough to speak, and even then he's still kind of laughing through his words. ]
Ask him to— [ another snort ] —push it off for you.
[ He'll be annoyed at Vyng for apparently improvising this whole thing once the laughter has worn off. ]
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The item in question rolls down, down, down. And stops at the edge, just shy of actually dropping onto the ground.
Peering down at Vyng, the bird now wears an expression that clearly says "Are you really going to make me go down there and give it another kick?"]
I think we can handle the rest. [He says to Mako.] Don't you? For your poor raccoon friend's sake, if nothing else.
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[ Is he talking to the bird, or Vyng? It's unclear!
He's still kind of getting over his absurd laughing fit. Absently, he reaches up to smooth down Fritter's puffy fur, and she huffs in protest about it. ]
What's so important about the bag? And the... whole trip over here?
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[The thunderbird would get closer if he asked. But it's in Vyng's nature to try finding a compromise that makes everyone happy.
So, he turns to Fritter. And in tiny little raccoon barks and grunts, he says:
"Hello there. So terribly sorry for our rudeness. I come bearing gifts. Of berries. And other sweet treats! But as your discerning nose can likely tell, these foods aren't on my person. You see, they're in that bag up there. So, allow me to make you a deal: If I send that big bird away...would you be willing to climb up there and push the bag onto the ground?"]
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She's thinking about it. Sweet treats are a compelling offer, after all, and this is a highly food-motivated little raccoon. An apology is nice, too. Soothes some of her affrontedness.
Mako is also staring at Vyng, but for a very different reason. ]
Are you. Talking to Fritt–
[ He starts, and then Fritter chitters and leaps from his shoulder and he lunges after her, but she's already skittering toward Vyng to sit at his feet, looking up at him.
Send the bird away and she's all yours, Vyng. ]
Uh.
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Aw, you've got a very helpful little friend here.
[He looks upward, toward the roof. The thunderbird makes eye contact with him, and a silent understanding passes between the two. Without another word, his bird friend spreads his magnificent wings and propels himself into the air. He circles around the house in a sort of "farewell" gesture, before soaring up, up, up, and...mysteriously vanishing into the sky, as if swallowed by the clouds overhead.]
["It is done," Vyng solemnly chitters at Fritter.]
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Mako is watching this whole exchange with absolute bafflement. He is way too tired to even start to comprehend what's happening here, especially when Fritter locks eyes with Vyng, nods, and then scampers up the side of the house (clumsily, almost falling a few times) to go nudge the bag off the edge. She doesn't warn Vyng or anything, just sniffs around it a bit, nods, and pushes it off with her little paws before leaping after it. ]
Fritter!
[ Mako practically slams himself forward to catch her, alarm shooting through him. ]
What do you think you're— you can't fly!
[ Probably! What does he know about raccoons? Not a lot, it turns out.
At least the bag is down. ]
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Nice catch there, bud. [...He then says to Mako, admiration in his voice.] Man, you sure think quick on your feet!
[After rifling through his stuff for a moment, Vyng presents an open mason jar full of purple grapes to his furry helper. ]
A gift! For your little friend's trouble. She seems sweet...when she's ruling the roost, hahah.
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[ Fritter immediately wriggles her way out of his arms once the treats are presented, and Mako has to catch at her again, shooting her a quelling look as he reaches out for the jar. ]
Calm down. If you're gone when Wu comes back he'll kill me.
[ And then he looks at the bag and remembers: Vyng. Static. Large bird. Gift? ]
What was that all about, exactly?
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[He's still got the bag open when Mako asks him that question. Vyng grins in response.]
The talking-to-raccoons thing? Or do you mean the special delivery?
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[ Okay Mako's actually really glad Vyng mentioned it because he was starting to think he'd made up the chittering and growling and stuff, or that maybe his ears weren't working from lack of sleep. ]
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[Is that helpful? That's probably not very helpful, is it.]
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Mako stares for a long, quiet moment as Fritter reaches tiny paws into the jar to grab a grape. ]
You, uh.
Tongue them.
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[Mako's stare would make most people clarify, but Vyng seems oblivious.]
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[ This is his most deadpan yet, Vyng. Fritter reaches quietly for another grape while Mako tries to imagine what talking to a lake (he does, at least, get that's what Vyng means) could possibly entail. After a moment of coming up entirely blank, he shakes his head and refocuses. ]
So what's with the bag?
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[Is he talking about the lake's emotional state? Or the quality of the lake water? Hard to say.]
Oh, the bag? It's got your special delivery, hold on--
[He plunges his hand into it, tip of his tongue sticking out in concentration as he fishes for...well, something.]
--close your eyes, bud. I didn't wrap it.
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Spirits.
Shoving aside his confusion for the moment, Mako follows the instruction and closes his eyes. There's a slight crease of a frown pulling his brows together. ]
I didn't... ask you for anything, did I?
[ It's been kind of a blurry few days. He might have. ]
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You did not. That's why I asked you to close your eyes. It's a surprise!
[A cool weight is suddenly pressed into the palm of Mako's hand. "Okay, now look," he quietly instructs. And when Mako opens his eyes, he'll find a pendant made from a raw piece of amethyst. ]
Tada! [A beat.] ...Well, actually, there's a second component to it. But that's something you've gotta see with your eyes open.
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But he manages to keep them shut until Vyng tells him to look, and then blinks down at the gem, his lips parting silently. ]
This is... beautiful.
[ A beat, during which Mako just stares at the purple stone, the kind of expensive-looking thing he would've never been able to afford or thought to buy back home. A moment later, he looks up at Vyng, his cheeks a bit, oddly, pink. ]
What's the second part?
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Thanks. It came from the heart.
[Literally. Vyng taps his chest, over the place that houses the amethyst geode. It's hidden behind his clothing — as it normally is — but it's impossible to conceal when taking a changed shape.]
Second part is...it can aid you when calling upon the elements. Choose which element you'd like to pack an extra punch, and imbue it with a little of your power.
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Well. I can only control the one element. Unless lightning's different where you come from.
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[At this new piece of information, though, Vyng gives a delighted gasp.]
Your fire-bendy stuff lets you use lightning too? Can you show me?
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And there will always be a little peacock-rooster part of himself that likes showing off, so after a beat Mako grins. ]
Sure. Not the whole thing—lightningbending isn't exactly easy—but I can show you something.
Uh. Should I do it with the stone?
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