(no subject)

[gone_byebye]

The door opens onto an alley in New York City. It nearly always does.

"We go around the front and into the Firehouse," Ray says. "The door tends to lock behind me when I head to Milliways. Don't worry, the guys are all used to me bringing home strangers."

Comments

[creator_raven]

Raven fishes one out of his pocket and hands it over.

"They are very bendy. It is useful, I think."

Then he blinks down at Alex.

"You are missing the feathers. It is an important part of things, perhaps."

[gone_byebye]

"Yeah, but I don't know how to grow feathers," Alex says.

Joey solemnly accepts the paperclip and turns to Ray. "I gotta show you," he says. "Over here."

As Ray follows his nephew to one side, Alex looks back to Raven. "Am I at least moving my arms right?"

[creator_raven]

Raven studies him critically.

"It is less like flapping, I think, and more like swimming. Here. I will demonstrate, perhaps."

And then there is a bird hopping across the floor toward Alex.

"Possibly it is better if you are crouching, yes?"

[gone_byebye]

Alex nods, brow furrowing in concentration as he lowers himself to get a better look at how the bird is doing this, exactly. "More like this?" he asks, swinging both arms in an excessively wide butterfly-stroke sort of swimming motion.

[creator_raven]

Raven squawks and leaps out of the way.

"Something like, yes. But it is not so--"

He breaks off, shifting again and reaching out to correct Alex's motion.

"It is less like flailing, yes?"

[gone_byebye]

Alex thinks for a bit, then makes a significantly more cautious motion. "I think I get it," he says. "It's like when Uncle Ray started with the swords. If you swing too much you get too tired and don't get anything done anyway."

[creator_raven]

Raven nods solemnly.

"Also in the air there is the problem of falling."

[gone_byebye]

"That'd be bad," Alex agrees. "Uncle Ray's fallen off a building twice."

"Alex, I'm a little busy right now," says Ray's voice, sounding somewhat strained.

"It's okay, Uncle Ray, I'm just talking to Raven..."

[creator_raven]

Raven ruffles his hair.

"Wings are very helpful in those cases, I think."

He frowns.

"Though it does not work particularly well for human shapes."

[gone_byebye]

"People're too heavy," Alex agrees sourly. "Big solid bones."

He glances over at his uncle for a moment, and his expression goes as calculating as a six-year-old's ever gets.

"Mom just said 'no blood no fire'," he says to Raven, very quietly. "She didn't say 'no magic'."

[creator_raven]

Raven grins, black eyes bright with mischief.

"This, I think, is very true. You are not minding feathers, then?"

[gone_byebye]

"Am I gonna be able to change back afterwards?" says Alex. "Because I don't wanna be a bird forever. Just for a little bit."

Feathers ROCK, says his expression.

[creator_raven]

"I will make certain of it, yes."

Raven nods firmly.

"It is not meant to be unpleasant."

[gone_byebye]

Alex really looks like his uncle when he makes the squee! face.

[creator_raven]

Raven laughs, handing over a black feather.

"It is very simple, mostly. Think bird to grow feathers, and think your name to change back."

Here's hoping a six year old can master this.

[gone_byebye]

Alex nods solemnly, taking the feather and concentrating.

Possibly it was a bad idea for Ray to look up and go, "Alex?" just at that moment, because it broke his nephew's concentration mid-feathering.

This... could be interesting.

[creator_raven]

Raven studies the feathered boy very carefully.

"This, I think, is very interesting."

For interesting, read 'has never happened before'.

Oops?

[gone_byebye]

Ray is making the face in the icon.

Joey is trying not to snigger too loudly, and failing miserably.

Alex is looking over the feathers on his arms and going, "COOL!"

"Oh, man," says Ray mournfully.

[creator_raven]

Blink.

"You are still wanting to try to fly?"

Birdman rides again, apparently.

Well. Bird-boy.

It is likely close enough.

[gone_byebye]

"Can I?" asks Alex, and then says "pfeh," because when you haven't really got a beak you can't really deal with feathers in your face all that well. "Is it still gonna work?"

"You know," Ray says to Joey, "if you thought your mom was gonna be upset because you can psychokinetically lift paperclips..."

[creator_raven]

Raven pokes the boy in the arm.

"Possibly not. It is the problem of density, perhaps."

Blink.

"Though that, too, is easily changed."

[gone_byebye]

"Oooh, how do I do that?" says Alex immediately. He ignores Ray pinching the bridge of his nose. If his uncle is having visions of a density-altered Alex bobbing up against the ceiling he wants nothing to do with it.

[creator_raven]

"You do not. I do."

Raven grins, ruffling Alex's hair.

He might also be fiddling with his coatsleeve.

"That will do, perhaps. Best to watch for windows."

[gone_byebye]

"Okay!" Alex announces brightly. Ray just shakes his head and wanders over to one of the lockers; he returns a moment later with a blue nylon rope and a very large carabiner on one end, which he looks like he wants to hook through Alex's belt.

[creator_raven]

Raven makes an eloquent face at the sight of that.

"That, I think, will only make things very awkward. Also there is the problem of strangling."

He is so helpful, isn't he?