phonetasmal | [video] UN: danslalune

[video] UN: danslalune

[The camera is rather shaky at the start of the video, through unfamiliarity with the technology. It soon straightens out to being somewhat stable, and Astolfo comes into view.]

Hey, everyone! Guess what!

[He's breathless with excitement, going faster than his words can really keep up.]

Astolfo airlines is noooooooow OPEN!!

[With a dramatic flair, he quickly turns the camera to show a Hippogriff, stabled and calm. Off-camera, Astolfo's voice can still be heard, though in a hushed whisper:]

Come on, do the thing!

[After a moment, the beast spreads its wings out, and lets out a cry similar to that of an eagle. Astolfo then turns the camera back on himself, absolutely beaming.]

Come down to the stables if you want to meet him! I promise his friendliness on my worth as a Rider!

[Which may not be much, depending on who you ask.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes. All sorts of breeds. I have never seen a horse that was crossed with an eagle, though.

[ mostly because that's not possible in her world, but don't ruin this pure child's dreams. ]

Most people haven't. They're often the stuff of folk tales, not thought to exist.

How did you manage to come by one? Are they common mounts in your own world?

In my life, I'd only ever seen one. They're not beasts that should exist, so I'm surprised this one came through a fissure...

I'll try not to question it too much! ヾ(*ゝω・*)ﾉ

Does it like bread or vegetables?

[ It's a bit bigger than the chickens down in the garden level, but if it's a bird then it should probably enjoy eating some of the same things, right? ]

Hang on, I'll ask him.

[A couple of minutes pass, then Astolfo sends her another message:]

He's happy with those!!! (・ω・)b

Then he would eat some if I brought it along?

[ She... wants to feed the bird... ]

I think he'd like that very much!

Understood.

[ And that's all the warning Astolfo gets before Violet turns up at the stable not ten minutes later. She's carrying a big plastic bowl she probably borrowed from the kitchen and judging by the mountain of greens in there it looks like she's sliced up an entire head of cabbage for her new feathery buddy. ]

I was going to bring some bread as well, but once the cabbage was sliced, it seemed to be enough. And also, bread can make birds fat.

Is he hungry?

[Bread makes you fat? That's news to him.]

He hasn't eaten since he got here, so I'd imagine so. [He casts a glance at the bowl of cabbage, and chuckles lightly.] You want to hand feed him?

[ Violet doesn't answer immediately -- instead she glances down at her gloved hands, clutching the bowl. ]

... Yes. I think I would like to.

[ But then her brow creases just a touch in concern. ]

Is there a chance he might nip my fingers?

He's tame enough, so you shouldn't have to worry. Oh, but...

[He reaches over to the bowl and takes a small amount of cabbage, leaving plenty left over for Violet to feed him.]

You should hold your palms out, like this. [He unclenches his fistful of cabbage, his palms flat and out-turned.] It makes it less likely that he'll accidentally catch your little fingers.

I see. Please give me a moment.

[ She adjusts her hold on the bowl so she can cradle it against her chest, one-handed. She raises the other to her mouth and carefully bites down on the index finger of her glove. Then with a swift, smooth movement, she draws her hand back, pulling off the glove and revealing gleaming silver and metal joints where a flesh and blood hand should be.

Without missing a beat, she dips her hand into the bowl and carefully scoops up some of the cabbage then holds it out just as instructed. ]

[He casts a curious glance as the gloves come off. Perhaps she's one of those humans to have lost limbs replaced with mechanical parts?

Meanwhile, the Hippogriff gently eats the cabbage from her hands, only lightly grazing the metal with his beak as he tries to get the shreds from the bottom of the pile.

When he's polished it off, Astolfo points towards her hand.]

What happened there?

[He knows you have to be sensitive with these things. Clearly.]

I lost my arms in the war.

[ She says this quite matter-of-factly, as she takes another handful of leafy greens from the bowl and holds them out to the Hippogriff. It would probably be quite a charming image if Violet was actually managing to do any sort of emoting with her face. And wasn't talking about, you know, being a child solider. ]

During my recovery, they were replaced with adamant silver prosthetics, which I have almost completely adjusted to.

[He feels his heart sink at the mention of War. He doesn't know how old Violet is but, judging from her appearance, she's far too young to be on the battlefield.

He begins to wonder if she ever had any choice in it, he wants to ask and know more but...none of that matters right now. She's not there. She's here. No need to dwell on the past, when he can focus on her enjoying the present.]

It's such a wonder what they can do with medicine nowadays, isn't it? [Oh- a thought.] If you touched his feathers, would you be able to feel them?

[ She shakes her head. ]

No. I have some sense of touch, but I am unable to discern temperature or texture. In fact, it is not entirely accurate to call it a 'sense of touch', when, primarily, I am detecting the change in pressure caused by touching and handling an object on my hands and fingers.

[ She pulls her hand away from the hippogriff briefly, just to flex her segmented fingers for him. They're a bit skeletal, so this looks all kinds of #spooky. ]

[Neither Astolfo nor the Hippogriff seem at all unsettled by the display, the Hippogriff even leaning in to nudge her palms. More cabbage, please.]

Huh. I see.

[So, petting is out of the question. But...]

Would you still like to feel his feathers anyway?

[He has a plan.]

[ Have another leafy green, new feathery friend. ]

If he would have no objections, then yes.

[ She says it as matter-of-factly as she says basically everything but there's a sparkle of something-or-other in her eyes all of a sudden that wasn't there a moment ago. ]

Okay, put that down. [He waves to the bowl of cabbage.] Put your arms around his neck, and lean in. He won't mind as long as you don't squeeze him too tight.

[He's already tested the Hippogriff's threshold for tight hugs.]

[ Violet does as he says without much fuss and a look on her face that sort of suggests that she isn't completely down with this nonsense. But the fact that she does it so quickly doesn't even hesitate before she goes and buries her face right in that griff plumage tells a whole other story. ]

... it's so soft and warm...

[ Her voice is a bit muffled, given that she doesn't lift her face out of the feathermageddon to say any of this. It's fine. ]

[Astolfo watches her disappear into the wall of fluff, a warm smile on his face.]

Isn't he just?

[Truly, the most impressive thing about his Hippogriff is it's fluff.]

You can stay there as long as you like.

He won't mind?

[ Of course, she says this but makes no move to stop huggin' that griff. Not even linefaced child soldiers can resist the siren call of a fluffy, huggable birb. ]

I couldn't possibly have a steed that objects to hugs.

[What do you think Astolfo was doing for the 20 minutes-or-so before he made the broadcast?]

Then, so long as he does not protest, I will stay here.

[ hug! that! griff! ]

Have you managed to ride him yet?

[video] UN: danslalune

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