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Being thrown out of a bar was truly never fun, but he always seemed to manage. Tora was an unruly little beast, getting into fights with creatures twice his size and those that could easily kill him. But he didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

However, this time was a bit different. He'd forgotten his damned lute. He'd tried to sneak in a time or two, but the half-orc guarding the door wasn't having any of it. And that /infuriated/ him. The little bird crowed loudly before being forced to stomp off, shouting an obscenity or two. He'd picked up some newer ones in the night which he felt we're very helpful in the situation at hand.

Seemed he'd be sleeping in a nearby tree so he could sneak in come morning. Wouldn't /that/ be comfortable. He very much preferred his own tree, thank you very much. It had very wide branches, it was the best one he'd found. It was why he lingered. But now, he could linger no more.

2/17/2019, 11:55:29 AM
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Dust had begun his search at the very tavern he found the instrument, asking the few souls that remained if they had seen anyone recently with a lute that had left without one, and when nobody admitted to seeing anyone that fit the description, he then questioned if they had seen any avians. That garnered even less interest it would seem, the Tabaxi turning to leave before stopping to ask the half-orc standing outside the same two questions, and would actually get an answer! Though they seemed upset while talking about a kenku, that certainly gave him something to help further narrow down his search. This was less about Dust being a good Samaritan and returning the lost item to it's owner, and more /finding/ who owned it. His mind wouldn't rest until he found them.

So turning from the tavern, he'd then rely on his bodily senses to help locate this 'kenku' that had given the guard so much trouble, if only to inquire if /they/ saw any other avians, or one that had lost an instrument. So sniffing the air and focusing his thoughts, Dust would be able to single out the faint scent of feathers, as well as ale, indicating a patron rather than a simple wild bird. The Tabaxi would then begin slowly start to follow it, and found the further he strayed from the tavern, the weaker it got, indicating they either took to flight, /or were still around/. His search would grow narrower and narrower as the scent seemed to hover around one tree, far more prominent than anywhere else around the tavern, leading the feline to call out into the dusk. "Kenku...are you still here?" Squinting, the feline would look up into the foliage, the cover of night of course making it difficult to pick out darkness from shadow, but he'd be able to make out the silhouette of someone among the branches, a humanoid shape most definitely.

2/17/2019, 12:42:17 PM · Edit
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Tora had just settled in. He'd /just/ gotten comfortable. The little bird sighed, and he looked down, gripping the edge of his little tree bed.

He had been about to tell the cat off, but he immediately realized that he was holding a rather distinct lute. Scratched to all hell, with a few little etchings on it. He'd dragged his little dagger along it a hundred times in boredom.

He lept off his perch, grabbed for the instrument. He crowed and squawked, reaching up to try to snatch the lute away. He was not a threatening creature, only loud.

2/17/2019, 1:07:02 PM
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The Tabaxi was quick to pull the instrument out of the avian's range, not going to hand it over just yet until he could either confirm that the noisy, smaller avian was indeed it's owner, or get information that would lead him /to/ the instrument's proper master. Dust /would/ have asked about the lute, had the scent of the other not caused him to pause, as he knew it. He knew it as it matched the scent that clung to the well-worn instrument beneath all else, the feline slowly lowering it and holding it out towards the other, a grin soon plastered on his face.

What luck, the noisy Kenku was the owner of this instrument, and were close as well! It might be a little presumptuous of him to think so, but as far as he was concerned, the smaller angry bird in front of him was a bard, which /surely/ meant they MUST have stories to tell, songs of mystery, legends of old forgotten places that those of the modern day have abandoned. ".../Play.../" Without another word, Dust would take a seat in front of the other, his ears perked as he waited to listen intently. Unfortunately, the only thing that the Tabaxi knew about Kenkus was all he saw before him: They were wingless, black-feathered avians. He knew nothing of their inability to speak as he did, though that'd only make the onyx avian before him /that/ much more interesting.

2/17/2019, 1:35:00 PM · Edit
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Tora took no time at all to snatch the lute away, checking it over for busted strings or scratches he hadn't made. When he discovered the instrument was safe, he sighed, clipping it to his back carefully.

He looked at the cat, knowing he should probably thank him. But, he didn't want to, so he wouldn't. He crowed at the Tabaxi, getting ready to run off before he was commanded to play.

"Play?"As much as he wanted to go to the next town, to leave this little shithole, he took pause. He removed the lute, giving it a quick tuning before starting to play. A song of legends old, with love scalped from one of his teachers. He'd have a new person sing it too him every now and again, just so he could keep it in his arsenal.

2/17/2019, 1:48:10 PM
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Dust would patiently wait for the other to start playing, before listening intently, not caring for melody or prose or anything like that. The /music/ interested him very little, it was the /contents/ of the song that he hungered for, taking note of any landmarks mentioned, or any geographic descriptions, as this would become his next destination, gaining precedence over any other tale he's heard for the time being.

As the song ended and tale stopped, the Tabaxi would stand before offering a short applause for the Kenku, figuring it was only fair to offer compensation for the other's time and voice, before turning and starting to head back to his tent where he planned on spending the night before heading off to this fabled place. "Thank you Kenku." Were his parting words before he'd leave the tavern and the Kenku, not bothering to learn the avian's name as he had something else that was driving his thoughts now. He wasn't rude, nor did he mean to come off as such, though his sudden departure might come off as such.

2/17/2019, 2:07:24 PM · Edit
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The little bird looked up to find his audience simply leaving. He squawked loudly, tramping after the tabaxi.

A free show? That was not happening, no sir. The bird did nothing for free, and if he did, expect to get something stolen in lieu of pay. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, and he did eventually catch up. Never before did he wish more that he could fly, and that was truly saying something.

He tapped the cats arm, looking more than upset by the ordeal. Food, pay, or lodging, he didn't care. But he was getting paid.

2/17/2019, 2:23:05 PM
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Dust was almost to his tent once the Kenku had caught up to him, his hearing alerting him to the avian's gaining before the feline would feel the tapping, and honestly, he was /quite/ perplexed! Turning around and looking down to the avian, the Tabaxi would cock his head some as an ear flicked, not understanding why the other was upset. "I have returned your lute. What else do you want of me, Kenku?" Did he nick it by mistake? He had been /especially/ careful to not let anything touch that instrument save for his paws, claws never having even been extended!

Thinking on it for a moment, the Tabaxi would come to another conclusion: Payment. He had assumed the return of the instrument was a fair enough trade for the song, but perhaps that's not the case. "If you're hoping for coin, I have none." He felt no shame in admitting that, as it /was/ true. The only coin he had was from selling useless gems and trinkets in this town, and he had used every last one to either purchase food, or a round at the tavern to gather more stories.

2/17/2019, 2:38:31 PM · Edit
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The bird pointed at the tent. Not sleeping in a tree might be nice, he'd certainly accept that as payment. Maybe he wasn't large, nor a major threat, but he could make life rather annoying if the Tabaxi tried to deny him his payment.

Dark eyes locked onto the cat, not wavering. He'd get his pay somehow. If only the cat knew any shiny trinket would be pay enough for him. It only needed distract him, not actually have any real value. He stole most of his food anyways, and kept the shiny gold and silver he was paid.

2/17/2019, 2:48:52 PM
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Looking to his tent, then back to the Kenku, the feline would nod as he figured he could spare one night with the bird. It would be nice he figured, someone to talk to at least, even if the avian didn't seem to be the most talkative creature he's encountered, not that he thought poorly of them for that. "Alright Kenku. You may sleep in my tent for tonight. Be warned however: If I find out you've taken something, I /will/ get it back." The warning was just that: A warning, not a threat. Anything that Dust kept with him, gem or otherwise, still held a mystery he desired to find the truth of, and if he found one of them missing, he'd make it his immediate mission to get it back, more than likely by trading something rather than through force.

With that aside, the feline would crawl into his tent and motion for the Kenku to follow inside, Dust curling up and resting his head by his tail as a wild feline would, finding it comfortable compared to being under anything. Of course, aside from the small pack in the corner that held the interesting baubles that the Tabaxi had yet to uncover, the tent was empty, the floor clear of anything like a sleeping bag as he had no need for anything like that. Hopefully that wasn't a problem, as Dust couldn't change it if it were.

2/17/2019, 3:53:29 PM · Edit
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Tora stepped into the tent, immediately settling in. He removed the cloak covering him, settling it into something that could resemble nest, before straightening black and white feathers. His markings resembled a magpie, and he seemed to pride himself on his feathers.

He didn't mind no blankets, not did he mind close quarters. It was warmer than outside and that was good enough for him. He decided to lie down, beak resting on the ground. He wouls certainly have to look into getting a tent for himself.