talontrot | Seventh Jiggy | [Action/Voice]

[Action | Early in the day]

[It was cloudy and overcast when Kazooie was dropped on her face in the dirt the day before. The weather had mirrored her mood, a cruel reminder of the darkness cloaking her the week before, right before the explosion of light, sound and pain had robbed everything from her senses.

She couldn't bring herself to go home. Instead, she wandered through the forest, avoiding everybody, hunkering down in the brush. Some stubborn, angry part of her didn't want to see anybody - didn't want to be reminded of that failure, that irreconcilable fact that she had failed utterly and entirely. She didn't want to go back and see the look in the eyes of her friends...

... Because the signs of her ruination were physical.

But she can't stay away forever. And this is why she walks home today, taking the quickest path to House 45 that she can from the pocket of forest she's been nesting in. She tries not to be seen - but who knows how successful that will be? She is still bright and colourful as ever, after all.

Anybody who gets close enough to her will be able to see the scars of her defeat - her wings have been mercilessly clipped, pinioned to the point she can't use them properly.

That's why, whenever she gets to the door of the house, she's forced to peck it, thudding her beak against it until she gets a response.

And then she waits for the inevitable.]

[Accidental Voice]

[Whenever she can, Kazooie will try to get away from the others long enough to get to her journal. She needs to be sure of what day it is - just to convince herself that what happened did in fact happen.

She has to struggle to get it open, wedging her toe and beak under it and then using her shortened wings to push the pages apart. In the process, she hits the recording button.

Sure enough, it's the fifteenth. A week and a few days. That's longer than she's ever been dead before...

The journal catches her sigh of resignation and the subsequent spoken words.]

... This is crud. How the heck am I gonna do anything now? This never happened when I died at home...!

I can't even Fly - whoever heard of a dumb bird who couldn't fly...?!

[Her voice almost breaks there, from anguish she wouldn't normally admit.]

Stupid Malnosso-guys. Stupid, stupid...!

[Stupid her.

... She doesn't notice the journal's on, and sounds like she could use some comforting. Any volunteers?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Next to the weapons' shop. Or maybe on the journals. They make things with metal, eh. They made a wheelchair for Keimi -- the mermaid I was talking about.

[Well, if they can make a wheelchair for a mermaid, maybe they can make wings for a bird.]

Okay. I'll ask 'em sometime, then!

I figure I oughta get used to these things first, though. [Another wistful glance down at her wings.]

You want me to go running with you until you're used to it?

... Think it'd help?

[She's not sure. It feels like... like she shouldn't rely on other people. But despite her stubbornness... well, she really is having trouble.]

Yes. Such things shouldn't be done alone.

[For all that Marco can be a loner, he's got 1600 brothers. He's used to looking after them, and to receiving help even when he doesn't ask for it.]

Besides, what are big brothers for, eh?

[Despite herself - despite everything - Kazooie's expression softens at that.]

... Yeah, I guess. It'll be just like old times, having a sidekick around...

[A wry grin in return. Normally he'd object to such a description, but then again, that sort of was what he was with his Pops.]

Aye, and I'm very good at that, if I do say so myself.

[At least Kazooie trusts Marco. And he won't mock her with his eyes, will he? Even knowing the state she's in now...]

Really, huh? What kinda sidekick-type-stuff have you done before? Helped out any awesome heroes?

Heroes? No. [Heroes punch him in the face. He's not a fan of them.]

But I helped my father protect Fishman Island from slavery and took on a guy made of light in order to protect Pops. That sort of thing, eh.

[Speak for yourself, Marco. Kazooie won't ~~and right now can't~~ punch Marco in the face!]

... Took on a guy made of light? Musta been pretty bright, heh.

[Terrible joke, yep.]

[Grins back.] In a literal sense, yes. Figuratively speaking though, nah he wasn't the witty. He tried to steal my schtick so I kicked him into the Marine fort.

[Marco's technically sort of a bad guy after all. Or at the minimum, an outlaw who fights the so-called heroes and good guys.]

[Good thing Kazooie is totally unaware of that! Besides, she pretty much flaunts the rules of "heroes" herself.]

Serves him right! I woulda liked to see that one.

[So he's heard.]

Hah. I always use legs for fighting. Easier to get more force into them, eh. If you want, I could show you a few tricks for you to try too.

[This is literally something he would never offer to anyone else, even most of his brothers.]

Seventh Jiggy | [Action/Voice] | Backdated to May 15, fff

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]