One is a bird | OPEN

[singloversing]

Who: Wirt [singloversing] and YOU
Where: St Pigeonnation's!
When: 8/3 - 8/6 - Event catch-all!
Rating: PG probably
Summary: Wirt has been having trouble adjusting to being back in his totally normal high school after his experiences last Halloween...but he's getting there, slowly.
The Story:

A. Class. Literally any class.
[It's so hard to pay attention in class these days. He turns in all his work just fine, but it's hard to focus when there's a window right next to him for him to stare out of. He should be thinking about whatever the teacher is talking about, but his thoughts keep drifting to a world far away from this one...

He wonders what Beatrice is doing now. Did she ever turn her family back into bluebirds? Or is she still wandering that forest on two first, cursed to be a human for all eternity?

Maybe he'll never know. But he'll still wonder what she was like as a bluebird, and what it would have been like had he been able to stay...

Sometimes those thoughts drift to how he got out of the Unknown, but for some reason he can't quite remember. He accepts that though - maybe it was just too traumatic or something.

Either way though, he's definitely lost in thought, looking out the window and certainly not paying attention in his classes at all. It might warrant some prodding, or teacher intervention.]


B. Other Assorted Options
[Wirt can be found in a variety of other places around the campus. He takes music for his elective, and often practices the clarinet in an empty classroom. He also frequents the library since books are a lot easier than other birds sometimes. Sometimes he can be found doing homework at school or even before class if it's something he doesn't particularly care about.

Or, wildcard! Pitch something at me and we'll see where it goes. Action brackets or prose is fine; I'll match.]

Comments

A.

[powerofmabel]

[An adorable little thrush wearing a brightly colored patterned scarf around her neck, leans forward and gently pecks him in the back of his head. She then stage-whispers.]

Whatcha thinking about? And can I get it on it? This documentary is making me so tired. I thought movie day was gonna be awesome.

A.

[singloversing]

[Wirt startles pretty badly, but he tries to reel it in so they don't get caught by the teacher. Luckily, the teacher doesn't seem to have noticed.]

I-I'm not thinking about anyone!

[A long pause, as he realizes his Freudian slip.]

...I-I mean, I'm-- I'm not thinking about anything. Nothing. Nope.

[powerofmabel]

You said anyone. Ahhh. [Mabel's "ahh" is more of a shrill squeak (or a chirp if we're being birdy) and the teacher does notice, but Mabel is quick to cover it up.]

This is my favorite part of history, sensei!

[The teacher looks skeptical but goes back to grading, and Mabel goes back to needling Wirt.] Somebody has a cruuu~uuush.

[singloversing]

[Wirt nearly dies on the spot when the teacher notices them, but at least Mabel successfully dodges that bullet. He whispers back at her, but if he didn't have to whisper it would definitely be yelling.]

What? N-No! I don't have a crush on anyone! Who would I even have a crush on anyway?

[It's a bad way to deflect, but it doesn't occur to him until after he's said it already.]

[powerofmabel]

Uh. Anyone? You're basically peak desperate nerd, but you're also juuuust cute and artistic enough to have a dating pool. Unlike Dipper, who is always gonna be questionable and a little sweaty.

[Compliments galore from this one.] Which is so weird, by the way, we don't even have sweat glands.

[singloversing]

[That actually makes him blush, wish is an equally odd thing for a bird to be able to do.]

I...I-I'm not desperate. And maybe there is someone, but...i-it wouldn't work out anyway. So it's not something we need to talk about or acknowledge ever.

[powerofmabel]

[Mabel gives him a flat wren look.]

It's like you don't even know me. I'm hurt, Wirt. I'm deeply, deeply hurt that you think I can let this go that easily.

[singloversing]

[He sighs.]

I mean, you'll have to let it go eventually if I don't say anything...

[Right?? Probably???]

[powerofmabel]

I'll wear you down. [she narrows her eyes] And you will not like that process.

[singloversing]

[No, no he won't. He knows he won't.]

...Look, so. She lives...really far away. I'm never going to actually see her again, so it's not like I can do anything about it.

[powerofmabel]

[GASP] A long distance relationship? Who told you those couldn't work? 'Cause they're liars!

[Another glare from the teacher. Mabel, keeping her cool, responds:] That interviewee is a crack! Everyone can see that! [The glaring continues and she settles back down to whisper a bit more covertly:] Plus we're birds. How far does she have to be for it to really be long-distance anyway?

[singloversing]

Really, really far.

[He's very firm about that.]

Plus there's, um. There's another complication. She's kind of...cursed? A little bit?

[powerofmabel]

[Wrens should not be able to go all starry-eyed.] You're living a teen fantasy romance right now, and you're squandering it. [She leans forward and desperately whispers] Give me your life.

[singloversing]

What? No!

[This time it's his turn to get called out by the teacher, but instead of having a good alibi he just sort of babbles until it turns into an apology for being disruptive. He whispers at Mabel again once the teacher looks away.]

Look, she...she kind of threw a rock at a human? And the human cursed her and her family to all be humans. It's super complicated.

B

[entreats]

[ Ange is pretty much in the library every single moment she's not in class. Especially the moments like lunch break that would usually evolve hanging out with other birds. Nope. Not her thing. Books indeed are easier to deal with than other birds are, so here she is in the library, carrying around some books she's picked up to read.. except the pile is just a little too high for her to be able to look over it as she walks, so she ends up walking straight into Wirt, the stack of books toppling over and falling all over the floor.

For a moment she looks annoyed at the fallen books, as if it's their fault she has to go pick them all up now, but then at least bothers to look at Wirt. ]

... Sorry.

B

[singloversing]

[To be fair, Wirt wasn't paying attention anyway. He was really invested in the book he was reading, to the point where he was trying to walk and read at the same time, so he definitely was on track to crash into her anyway. When all the books go flying, he's mortified.]

N-no, I'm the one who should apologize! Sorry, I-- I should have been looking where I was going. Let me help.

[The least he can do is help her pick everything up.]

[entreats]

I guess I won't turn that offer down.

[ Especially since gathering books with bird wings isn't all that easy, even when you're used to using them. Ange seems super calm about this whole deal though compared to how mortified it made him - she just calmly starts piling her books back up on the floor. ]

What a pain.. I guess I should have been carrying less.

[singloversing]

It's okay? That kind of thing happens to me like, all the time. ...N-Not that I'm-- I don't bump into people all the time, but I've totally dropped stacks of books that were way too big before.

[He's just kind of babbling along those lines as he scoops up some of the books into a new stack for her.]

[entreats]

[ At least it's someone who understands her problem.. Kind of. Even though he seems a lot meeker than she is. ]

It's like you just can't stop picking more books once you've got one, right? [ That's what it's like for her. ] It's too hard to pick just one book to read at once.

[singloversing]

I know, right? It's like, way too hard to decide on just one book to read. I always have a whole bunch I'm working on at the same time.

[Instantly he understands her so much better now.]

[entreats]

[ Yup, that's definitely something she understands as well. ]

Do you come here to the library often? [ Ange doesn't really bother to pay attention to what other birds are around when she's just here to read and talk to Nageki.. So even if he is here a lot, she probably wouldn't have noticed. ] I'm usually here to avoid the crowds hanging around everywhere during lunch break.

[singloversing]

Yeah, I-- I'm usually here a lot too. It's a lot quieter than other places on campus...

[It feels like kind of an obvious thing to say about a library though.]

I...I don't think I've noticed you before? Sorry, I get kind of-- I get sucked into whatever I'm reading and just tune out everything around me.

[entreats]

Don't worry, I do the same.

[ So she doesn't seem offended at not having been noticed at all. It'd be kind of hypocritical, anyway - and she does like to fly under the radar. ]

I'm not usually looking out to meet people anyway. [ There's a small pause, and then she adds-- ] Although I suppose most who bother to regularly hang out here seem pretty alright.

[ Yes, Wirt, she's including you! Just.. in an entirely roundabout way, because expressing direct affection might just kill her. ]

[singloversing]

Really?

[He feels silly the second she says it, but it just slips out before he can stop it.]

I-- I guess that makes sense. Common interests and all that. And wanting to be away from everyone else...

[entreats]

[ Ange nods a little. And then there's the tiniest moment of silence, since she's definitely not good at saying this sort of stuff, but.. ]

Yeah. So.. you're pretty alright, kid.

[ "Kid", she says, as if Ange isn't literally still a teenage bird as well... ]