[ Real. He's real. He's undeniably, unmistakably real, solid and warm and strong. Safe. Korone buries her face against his shoulder.
She lets herself lean into this. Into him. Soaking up his — Sensei's, Macchan's, Dad's — scent and the sound of his chirps, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes, familiarfamiliarfamiliar, letting them guide her back to reality one slow, faltering step at a time.
… Then she hears another set of chirps, and her feathers floof. Not so bristly as to read as alarmed (no reason to be scared, Macchan is here), but absolutely, definitely deeply surprised. Almost bewildered. She jerks her head up fast enough she almost makes herself dizzy, looking around, staring blearily as if from the bottom of a deep, deep pond — at …
…
… She knows that face. She knows that voice. She knows — she —
Forces his name out through the barbed straw of her throat, so quiet it's barely more than a whisper, ]
Re: THE CITY ...
She lets herself lean into this. Into him. Soaking up his — Sensei's, Macchan's, Dad's — scent and the sound of his chirps, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes, familiarfamiliarfamiliar, letting them guide her back to reality one slow, faltering step at a time.
… Then she hears another set of chirps, and her feathers floof. Not so bristly as to read as alarmed (no reason to be scared, Macchan is here), but absolutely, definitely deeply surprised. Almost bewildered. She jerks her head up fast enough she almost makes herself dizzy, looking around, staring blearily as if from the bottom of a deep, deep pond — at …
…
… She knows that face. She knows that voice. She knows — she —
Forces his name out through the barbed straw of her throat, so quiet it's barely more than a whisper, ]
L-L … ott-?