i bought some postcards

[truthwright]

Kas is sadder, after Inkeri's prophecy. And it gets worse as time goes on. The closer they get to Isabella's return, the more it hurts.

He tries to do the best he can for Helen regardless. Helen, in turn, hugs him a lot and doesn't fuss when he cries on her. They make a good team that way.

Comments

[carillons]

Helen bounces happily.

Kalavar leaps from her shoulder as a dragon, then circles them as a teratorn. There's hardly room for her to stretch her wings without tugging on the bond a little.

"I wanna go flying," says the enormous bird. She shifts species subtly, once and then again—her wingspan in this last form is massive, twenty feet or more. "I wanna - oh."

The massive black bird lands on the ground beside Helen and preens her hair with a beak longer than her hand. Standing up, not stretching, Kalavar in this form is a good six inches taller than her human.

"I think - I think I'm done," says Kalavar. "I think I found it. What we're supposed to be. I think I settled."

[alicornucopia]

Inkeri claps. "What are you?" she asks politely.

[carillons]

"I'm not sure," Kalavar says thoughtfully, leaning gently into Helen as Helen hugs her. "I'm a teratorn - a big one. They're exctinct; I think they might have been related to condors, or maybe just similar to them."

[alicornucopia]

"You did always like those," observes Inkeri.

[carillons]

Kalavar laughs. "Yeah. And I've been teratorns a lot lately, but I was never the right one until now, and then—" She makes a shruglike gesture, lifting her wings slightly and then folding them close again.

"I'll tell Ranata," says Helen, and she puts her voice where Ranata is. "Manatee, manatee, I settled!"

[alicornucopia]

"You did? Oh, congratulations!" says Ranata. "What are you?"

[carillons]

"Some kind of teratorn," says Kalavar. "We might have to look it up to get the exact species."

[alicornucopia]

"Well, that's lovely. We can go north first thing tomorrow."

[carillons]

"Okay," says Helen.

[alicornucopia]

"Congratulations, Helen," says Ranata again.

[carillons]

Helen giggles a little.

[alicornucopia]

"Is there anything you want me to pack you for the trip? Food is usually it - and I'll get your white silks."

[carillons]

"If food is usually it, then food can be it," says Helen.

For Inkeri's benefit, she says with her voice in place, "We're going north tomorrow."

[alicornucopia]

Inkeri nods. "That is usually how it goes."

[carillons]

"Yeah."

Helen hugs her enormous daemon.

[alicornucopia]

Inkeri's Veravia shows up, and lands on her shoulder, and inspects Kalavar for himself.

[carillons]

Kalavar stands in place and spreads her wings.

That is a lot of wing.

Helen looks at her thoughtfully.

[alicornucopia]

"I wonder if you could ride her," says Veravia.

[carillons]

"I was just thinking that," says Helen.

"I bet you could!" says Kalavar. "I'm wondering how I'm going to get off the ground like this. I'm not sure I can jump high enough to get a wingbeat in; I might need a run-up. Or a good headwind."

[alicornucopia]

"Sit on Helen's cloudpine," suggests Inkeri. "Get up that way."

[carillons]

"I could manage that," Kalavar acknowledges. "I'll have to figure out something else for when I'm by myself, though."

Helen hugs her some more.

[alicornucopia]

"If the bird existed they must have had some way to do it," says Veravia. "Unless that is why they went extinct."

[carillons]

"Well, they're extinct, so nobody's sure, but some people think they did use the wind," says Helen.

[alicornucopia]

"Wind is useful," opines Inkeri.

[carillons]

"It is!" laughs Helen. "I'm glad I know how to make it."