daybreakacademy | they meant well

Entry tags:

they meant well

Who: Tobias, confused vets, anyone!
What: Rescue a birb before he's shipped back to the States
Where: ???
When: End of July
Warnings: Will be added as necessary

This summer feels different than the last to one bird-boy, though not in a bad way. His second summer at school. Why, exactly, is not easy to pin down. Maybe it's because he has friends. He belongs. He doesn't feel so out of place these days--he never really was, but the mind is tricky like that. There may not be a next year, that's impossible to entirely forget. He's trying, though. Taking each day as it comes.

Long, lazy afternoons drifting in the wind, on days he's not needed. No classes. Sketching or painting whenever he wants. Goofing around with video games, especially that one where it's all blocks and landscaping and exploring. Reading at night when he can't sleep. A kitty to look after and keep him company. So wonderfully ordinary, for the first time in his life. The best summer he's ever had.

There are finally people to notice when he goes missing, unlike in his own life. (No one from home bothered to search for him. He checked.) It may take a little longer without classes for him to be absent from... but notice they will, when there is no distinctive red-tailed hawk in the sky towards the end of July.

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[While Kokoro was on the ground, Puella was way up going for...a bird's eye view. (That was so bad)]

[But she could actually see what was going on for a much further distance with the whole kestrel sight thing. Granted, she had no idea what sort of building to be looking for. One with bird cages and such probably? Those were probably somewhere someone would keep a hawk.]

[It's a perfectly ordinary wildlife rescue center, not a whiff of anything magical about it. Ordinary French-speaking staff, too. Unfortunately, it's quite a hike from the school, though the hawk was caught much closer. Going on foot or by wing may not have been the easiest way!]

[That is what hitchhiking was for. She calls up to Puella.]

We should be getting closer. Can you see it?

[It should be a lot faster getting there by flying though. (Especially if this is the way Tobias had already been)]

...I think I see something... [Kind of looks like some type of remote facility up ahead. ...And by up ahead it's like over the next hill.]

[But that might be it!]

Understood.

[Kokoro notes the way Puella's going and follows, moving into the trees rather than just walk up to the front entryway. Once she spots the building, she'll watch from there and look to see if there's any way in.]

[Doors, windows, the usual ways of entering a building... but none have been left open. Can't have that, with animals inside who want to be free.]

[Once they were close enough, Puella came back down and perched on Kokoro's shoulder. This sure looks like a wildlife sanctuary alright.]

...I can pretend to be your pet bird, or whatever. [That way they might be more inclined to let Tobias go!]

I suppose, but then they'll ask for papers and not know why I haven't got you restrained... not to mention they'll likely capture you too. Sneaking in might be difficult, and even then, do we pull the fire alarm?

...Maybe. [Sad, bird face as she stares down at the ground.]

[She does perk up again with a second thought.] I could circle around and see if he's actually here first.

[She was a native birb, no one would find it that suspicious.]

[Kokoro pets her head and nods seriously.] Search the outside, and if nothing can be breached, I'll have to go in the front.

[She emerges from the brush and walks toward the front door, frowning. Why this.]

[....Peeeeeeet.]

[--Oh right. Taking off again, then. Better find something.]

[The one stroke of luck they may get today--the foreign bird's cage is near a window, easily spotted. He's asleep in there, heavily sedated to stop him freaking out. He hadn't really given them a choice, trying to hard to escape that he sprained a wing in there...

And the front door isn't locked. Who's going to come all the way out here to rob a wildlife sanctuary in broad daylight?]

[Kokoro slips in, looks for cameras, and starts skulking around the edge of the wall, trying not to look suspicious and probably looking very suspicious. She picks up a pamphlet and opens it to hide her face. It looks very stupid. But she'll try and keep from being spotted by anyone, if it's possible.]

[Wait a minute...]

[Puella would have definitely missed the hawk in the window if it weren't for good eyes. She probably should go back and tell Kokoro that he's right here. But first--]

[She fluttered and landed on the windowsill outside. Checking to see if there was anyone else in the room first. If the room was empty that would be even better.]

[No one's in the room with Tobias at the moment. He may be extremely out of place, but he's healthy as far as they can tell, and sleeping calmly enough. He doesn't need watched constantly.

Someone does enter the waiting room where Kokoro is, though, surprised to see anyone. Too late not to be seen! She says hello, asking if she can help Kokoro with anything... in French.]

[No one's here. Good.]

Toby! [If the telepathy doesn't work, she pecks on the glass to wake him up. Just something, to let him know they were here and going to bust him out.]

[One doesn't spend one's life attending Daybreak without knowing a decent amount of French. Kokoro stammers out a greeting and stands up. Okay, since someone's around, she should probably try to be the distraction.

So, she continues in French, she's looking around for a school project. What does the lady know about... okay, what would have information stored as far away from Tobias as possible so she can get the staff away from there... Tigers! Wasn't there a story a few years back about a tiger that they picked up wandering near a theme park after it had escaped? What can they tell her about how they manage to catch things like that?

All the while, she digs out her phone and texts without looking at it, if Puella has something in hammerspace.]

Distracting staff

[Tobias continues to sleep, not stirring. A drugged sleep is hard to fight off--tapping alone is not enough to wake him and telepathy isn't the same as sound. Zzzz...

The staff member is happy to talk, it seems, good French or bad French. Tranquilizer guns, bait, nets, they have plenty of methods, with an emphasis on not harming the animals. Even tigers. They are a wildlife rescue! And the animals usually end up sent off to a zoo. (But not the hawk, who isn't even mentioned. Few zoos are really interested in a red tail. They're not endangered in any way.)]

[Well that didn't work either. She squawks softly and decides to look for something else.]

[Unfortunately, Puella doesn't really have access to her phone like this, so she was without Kokoro's message. Luckily it wouldn't have changed her next plan too much as she was flying around looking for another window. One that was open and easy to just fly in. She knew what room Tobias was in now.]

[Fascinating, Kokoro says, typing notes into her phone, even if they're more along the lines of the facility's weaknesses than what the staff member is actually telling her. Would she be able to have a look around or something like that?]

[No open windows. Windows that can open from the outside, which is better than nothing, but one would still need hands.

Maybe some other time, she says apologetically, everyone is very busy today and there's no time for tours. What she doesn't say is that the last time they let someone wander the building, they stuffed a (perfectly ordinary) hamster in their purse and walked out with it. Apparently there are people who would steal from a wildlife rescue, but not after money.]

[Welp, that won't do either.]

[In that case Puella went back to the window that Toby was at and looked around some more. Glancing up, and noticing that the window wasn't even that hard to open. ...Oh.]

[She got off the windowsill and down to the ground. There was nobody that saw her so it was easy enough to transform back. Then carefully check around again before unlatching the window.]

[After making sure again no one was around she stops time long enough to get into the room and grab Tobias' cage, since opening it seemed like too much of a hassle, and then leave out through the window and traveling far enough not to get caught. Admittedly, this was way less as stylish than just flying into the office and demanding sweet bird justice and liberation, but this probably turned out to be way more effective.]

[It is only just now she noticed the text from Kokoro.] i got him!!

[Distracting was not necessary anymore.]

Very well! Understandable, of course, surely you're very busy. What you've had to say was truly helpful; you have my thanks --

[The text notification goes off and Kokoro quickly checks it, then shoves her phone back into her bag.]

Ah, my apologies, I need to be getting back. It was nice seeing you!

[She heads out of the facility and down to where they'd split off in the woods, out of sight of any cameras at the front. A bird stealing a bird, or a child stealing a bird as the case may be, would probably be noticed pretty fast if they came up to the door, after all, so the forest it was.]

[Or is a distraction necessary after all? Puella escapes with the bird in the cage, who is starting to stir finally, just as one of the staff members walks around the corner for a smoke break and double takes. What the??

Bewildered French, asking what she's doing with that bird, as he walks closer, intent on taking the cage back. Now who's the birdnapper, eh? Kokoro is going to have a much easier getaway...]

[And thus Puella was immediately startled too and instinctively held on to the cage more, protecting this bird boy with her life if needed be.]

[...She knew some French, just barely enough to get by and understand basic things. However there was not a whole lot Puella could say. Say that he belonged to somebody and they need him back? But that was the same excuse Kokoro already said likely wouldn't work.]

[She couldn't use magic due to the veil rules either. Otherwise she could run away instantly. Although that was still a possibility, just on foot, and much slower.]

[...Or if there was a way to get him to look at something else for a moment, and then bolt out of here.]

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