TEST DRIVE MEME

[bibliofilo]

TEST DRIVE MEME

> The Park. Man, what a nice day out. Why not enjoy it? I'm sure -- shit, yep, there's some echo monsters.
> The Mall. Exactly what it says on the tin! Dodge the hordes of teenage mallrats or take part, whichever suits your tastes.
> Rainy Day. Agh, it's fucking awful out. And is it raining those vermilion things?? Now you've got an Echo to contend with on top of everything else. Find some shelter, quick!
> PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, HOW FUN
> The most horribly kitschy Arts and Crafts Fair you can imagine.
> NEW YEARS. What better way to start out the new year than to learn that everything you know is a lie? Or if you are already acquainted with the network pass out some resolutions.
> A food fight has just broken out in the cafeteria. Join? Flee? The choice is yours alone.
> Wild Card! Make up your own.

Comments

[espigeonage]

[his father's big in Canada, and Julien used to worry more about being something like him.]

God, I hope not! My net worth's in the negative and I have already pre-committed suicide for if I ever try politics.

- basically, I have blue hair and if I google my name there's a picture of me duct taped to the wall in college. And the whole "pretty openly bisexual" thing. That's still something politicians like to hide, right?

[thebalrogslayer]

[Gabriel frowns faintly, not very happy that even after all of these years those are the things that people are still worried about.]

None of those should be a bad thing, especially the two that aren't your fault. And your hair suits you. I like it. [It's not flattery for the sake of it, he genuinely does like it.]

[espigeonage]

The tape kind of was my fault, actually... And I don't think fault enters in at all but I certainly could be quieter about hitting on guys, I just don't want to!

[He grins carelessly, leaning against the trunk of a tree, and gives his head a little toss so a lock of nothair flops into his eyes.]

Thanks! This actually turned white a while back. Not my color, but hey, it takes dye and now I don't have to bleach. You have no idea how much bleach damages hair long term.

[thebalrogslayer]

How was it your fault? [Curiously, with a tilt on his head.]

Another echo? What colour was it originally.

[espigeonage]

Well, kind of a long story. One of those stupid-college-kids things. I did buy some of the tape and wear suitable clothes, but I thought we'd be doing it to someone else.

Black - well I'm an Asian mix, that's pretty common. But I started getting gray hairs way back in high school, and it was like [pure anguished teenager for a second] nooo. And if I just kept to a little black dye no one would have to know, but I'm an adventurous lad sometimes. Took a while to settle on blue.

[thebalrogslayer]

You wore suitable clothes but thought they were going to do it to someone else? [Maybe he's missed a step.]

[espigeonage]

That's right! I guess on some level I knew he'd chicken out. Or have a sudden attack of common sense, whatever!

[thebalrogslayer]

Common sense is all too common these days I fear. [With mirth dancing in his eyes.] Is there any particular reason you planned to tape someone to the wall?

[espigeonage]

Alas and alack, people aren't stupid in the same way they were in your day, huh? [Julien can match that. Birds have started to come back, strutting around fearless of him to look for food.] And no particular reason. It's been a while, but I'm pretty confident in saying alcohol was probably involved.

[thebalrogslayer]

[There's a moment where he quiets and frowns faintly. He missed most of his first year of university on various jobs, and came back to it five years later as a university student. Aside from which, he was never into drinking (although that certainly wouldn't stop him from having done something stupid).

Ah, alcohol, I should have guessed. I'm not sure about taping people to the wall, but I think you wouldn't be saying that if facebook had existed when I was younger. There was plenty of stupidity going around.

[espigeonage]

[hmm. Sore subject, looks like. Julien marks that down and pretends he didn't see it.]

Hah. See, you're not that old, you're deliberately not lecturing me on how terrible my generation is.

[thebalrogslayer]

Don't let anyone know I've told you, but each generation is as bad as the next, they're just old enough to be embarrassed about it before the next comes round.

Unfortunately your generation seems to have met it's match in google.

[espigeonage]

[He flashes teeth in a smile.] I know every generation before Millenials like me's been heralded as just awful and nothing like their respectable parents. We're just the newest. The Internet and records might make it harder for us to try and tell whoever comes after us that we were- oh, hi.

[A pigeon decides to flap-hop up on to Julien and try to cling to his waist, fluttering to keep in place, and try to get at his pocket. Clearly used to this, Julien catches it with a hand on its back, gets it to stand on his wrist, and fishes a trace of grain out of the seam of a pocket.]

- nice, serious-minded people who minded our elders and didn't get swarmed by birds. Don't you start. [other pigeons are watching intently] I swear they didn't used to do this.

[thebalrogslayer]

Maybe you're being too nice to them.

Or it could be that you're carrying around bird seed - did you always do it?

[espigeonage]

These are all ones I know. I pulsed back something that made birds sick, so I took care of them, so - hey! [he stops leaning on the tree in order to try and dodge another bird that tries to land on him, but it swerves, agile, and manages to get its feet between the collar of his coat and his neck, where it maintains position by flapping and biting his hair, croo-wokwokwoking] - they think they're pets or something.

[He echoed back the virus that uplifts pigeons and makes them sentient. It won't take full effect for several more generations, but...]

[Julien switches to Elvish and tells them they should not attack him, but while lots of little heads tilt they don't see this as an attack. He shifts the one at his neck to his shoulder, where it continues tugging on him.] - no, Sixes, you're messing up my hair...

[thebalrogslayer]

Pets or family. If you named them it probably doesn't help. [Amusement is curving his lips again and he lets Julien suffer for a moment longer before he leans closer so he can nudge the pigeon away from Julien's hair.] He doesn't need grooming.

[espigeonage]

[Yeah that gives him goosebumps again. The pigeon looks at Gabriel out of one round eye in a way that seems almost evaluatory, tugs one more time, and settles down.]

[If it's touched at all - Julien's hair doesn't feel right for human hair. Too light, too soft. Even if it isn't that might be close enough to catch that he smells something like fresh bread. Heat, a touch of sweetness, something like yeast, something like egg yolk.]

Thanks - well, that one was a racer, see the number on the band on her leg? Lots of sixes. I haven't named all of them.

Anyway I've still got a sack of grain stowed away somewhere, and they're not sick now but it's winter. Why not feed them?

[thebalrogslayer]

[As he leans in to see the band he does smell it, but it's not something he'd mention, or even dwell on for very long.]

Do the numbers mean anything, or is that just her number?

[espigeonage]

I don't think so - well I could use it to find out who her owner was, but it probably doesn't mean anything special.

[Sixes knows it's being talked about and preens under one wing. The one on Julien's wrist slips and clings with its claws, fluttering and scratching deeply enough to make blood bead up. When he shakes his hand it gives up and goes back to the ground.]

[Another pigeon takes flight and shoots past Gabriel at close range, then lands in the tree behind Julien. He frowns up after it.]

- Okay, that's enough. Uh... No food remains. Your manners are small! Abandon me!

[A few pigeons fly away. On Julien's shoulder Sixes makes a grumpy noise, stands tall, and fans her wings vigorously, causing a breeze. The rest decide to walk off a few at a time.]

...think that was right, anyway. You guys are rude. I think Elvish encourages them. [He starts to inspect the scratches. Julien's hands are criscrossed with fine healed lines from this kind of nonsense.]

[thebalrogslayer]

[Automatically, Gabriel dodges the beating wings. Even though it's a flinch, it's a smooth movement, easily righted.]

If I was a pigeon and there was a human I could sort of understand it would probably encourage me too. [Gabriel points out, but he's watching as Julien examines his hand.] How bad is it?

[espigeonage]

I guess. And here today there's a two-for-one special, even if they don't know you.

[He shrugs, careful not to dislodge the single bird remaining on his shoulder. Julien's skin is perilously thin, but also tough, and small breaches tend to close on their own.]

It's all right. If I wanted to clean this out I'd have to reopen everything, but nothing's ever got infected yet. They're a lot cleaner birds than people think. [he smiles.] ...I should wear gloves, like a falconer.