ROLEPLAY HQ - hyper-harpy-courting

Luljeta scoffed at the idea that there were monsters in the forests outside her home town. Monsters don't exist, right? People are so silly with their superstitions. It's unbelievable! Well, the joke was on Luljeta, as a monster with the wings and legs of a bird and the head and torso of a man just landed in front of her. Its feathers were black like a crow while its hair was blue like the sky. It's draped in torn clothes and an ugly technicolor cloak. There was a wild look in its eyes as it steps forward, its talons scratching at the fallen leaves on the ground. It's a harpy, Luljeta surmised. Because apparently harpies were real, and this one's face was inches from her, examining her closely with a tilted head and dilated pupils. After a few tense moments of inspection, it stepped back to let out its feral screech: “Hello, miss! What a wonderful day we're having!”

Nothing had happened in the forests outside of town for the eighteen years Luljeta had spent growing up there. She'd heard all of the monster stories as a child and now, on returning, she found it easy to laugh them off when her uncle warned her about the monsters. Or rather, translated the warning from her grandmother. The forests had long been a place of peace for her, an area where, as long as she stayed on the trail, she could go to clear her mind. And at the moment, it very much needed to be cleared. Then the monster whose existence she'd dismissed showed up in front of her. Luljeta let out a short, involuntary scream of her own as she jumped back from the sudden screeching of the bird man. "What the fuck?" She dug into her jacket pocket, slipping a finger through her key ring inside. A convenient substitute for brass knuckles if she was attacked. "That's a..." She trailed off, looking him up and down, as though trying to find some stitching, some trace of peeling makeup. "...very convincing harpy costume?"

“Oh, you like my costume?” The harpy(?) posed, extending its wings to their full span and giving Luljeta an even better view of its wings. “It took me a while to find a colorful enough cloak! Human cloaks are so drab and unattractive!” The harpy flapped its wings twice, lifting it into the air to hover for several seconds. Its talons hung a foot above the forest floor. “But when I saw this one, I knew I had to use it! This is a true courting outfit!” The harpy landed softly and took a step forward. “You're so much braver than the others. I never saw any of them venture this far into the forest! Brave is good! It makes you less likely to squirm and hurt yourself!” (edited)

When the weirdo dressed as a harpy stepped toward Luljeta, she instinctively took a step back. She had stuck to the trail, of course, but apparently, that was not quite enough to guarantee safety. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched him seemingly fly for a few moments. How...? She had assumed the stranger had jumped out of a tree, but that was unmistakable. Actual flight. "Uh..." She looked down at her own oversized black leather jacket, considerably simpler than the stranger's cloak. But it was cozy, and given how weird this situation was, she should not have been so offended by the talk of human cloaks. She took another step back at the mention of squirming and hurting herself. Now that sounded like a thinly-veiled threat. "I'm going to leave now," she said firmly, tightening her grip on the keyring until the metal teeth of her housekey bit into her fingers. Though Luljeta continued to back away, she wouldn't turn to walk away until she was sure she wasn't being chased. What mattered more at the moment was keeping her eyes on this costumed freak.

The harpy stepped forward with every step Luljeta took backwards. “Miss?” the harpy began. “Why are you leaving? Don't tell you're going to run, too! It's exhausting chasing humans down! You're so fast! I just want to take you to my nest!”

It seemed Luljeta wasn't about to get serial killed, but getting kidnapped - not to mention whatever would come after - wasn't much of an improvement. She stopped backing away, because it seemed running wouldn't help much. If she ran in a panic, she'd just get lost, possibly injured, and could she really outrun someone with wings? Her best options were to either fight or talk her way out of this. She was armed with only a keyring, zero fighting experience, and a BA in library science. Not useful if she tried to throw hands. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?" she asked him. "Just... explain why, maybe I can be convinced." Not likely, though.

The harpy paused and looked down at himself. He jutted out his cloak to take a closer look at it, and then moved on to examining his feathers. He looked up and tilted his head as he made eye contact with Luljeta. “I don't understand. Taking you to my nest is the first step, isn't it?” The harpy again stepped forward and its wings subtly tilted downwards, as if preparing to take off.

So it wouldn't end at kidnapping. Of course not. It could never just end at kidnapping. Luljeta stared right back at him, her golden brown eyes still holding an expression somewhere between distrust and pure terror. Whatever his plans, they couldn't have been good. "The first step to what?" she demanded. "Explain your intentions." Despite her resolve that running wouldn't change anything, she couldn't help but take another step back, her heel thumping against a tree root. If he did take off or approach her, she'd try to step back again, only to fall backwards onto the forest floor. Otherwise, she stayed still as could be.

There was a spark of recognition in the harpy's eyes. It stood up as straight as it could with a massive grin, its wings expanding and splaying its feathers. “We're going to become lifemates and nest together forever! And we're going to have a big happy family together with lots of beautiful chicks!”

Luljeta watched carefully. Those wings would have been beautiful, in any other context, the blue feathers seeming to reflect the sky itself. As it was, she was a bit too nervous to be scared. Even more so as he expressed his intentions. "Oh." There had to be something seriously wrong with him, if he thought she was about to go along with that. His clear delusions didn't put her mind at ease; he could be unpredictable. "But we've just met," she said, trying to sound as polite as possible about it. "So, um... no, thank you. I'm flattered though, really." She forced a nervous smile onto her face. Why was it that some men would rather fly through the woods kidnapping women than just go to therapy?

(Santi groaned. This attempt had been going extraordinarily well so far, but then the human suddenly cut him off. He had been warned of this. Humans were hesitant to even receive courting offers unless extreme initiative was shown. If he wanted a chance to convince her, he would have to be proactive.) The harpy made a sound between a growl and sigh. He jumped into the air and swooped his talons towards Luljeta.

At the sudden movement, Luljeta screamed and tried to back away. Her heel had still been caught on the tree root, so her ankle twisted. She fell backwards, holding her arms up to protect her face from incoming talons as pain jolted up through her leg. Safe to say she'd said something wrong. "Wait, no!" Panic overwhelmed her, choking her voice. Was she just going to get killed now? Would she never see her family again? "I'm sorry!" She wasn't, but if it got her out of this mess, it was worth saying.

The harpy's talons gripped Luljeta around her shoulders and yanked her free of the tree root. He rose rapidly into the air, leaving Luljeta dangling well above the tree tops. “My nest is not too far. You'll like it when you see it, I promise!”

Luljeta winced further at the talons in her shoulders, but they didn't actually hurt as much as the twisted ankle. Then she made a worse mistake: she looked down at the rapidly shrinking ground below. She'd done plenty of screaming this afternoon. What was one more? Instinct said to thrash about in a panic, but her brain kicked in fast enough to remind herself that self-preservation demanded otherwise. She reached up instead, holding on to the harpy's leg. She closed her eyes, fighting back the feeling of dizzy nausea that came with being so high up on top of being terrified for her life. "W-why me?" she asked, unsure herself whether she was asking herself why this was happening to her, or asking the harpy why he'd decided to kidnap her, and not just gone for some willing harpy lady or something.

Despite the rising wind, the harpy managed to hear her mumbling. “You're brave and you're pretty, miss!” he shouted down to her. “I'm not picky! That's your role!” The pair continued to rise, the air getting thinner and colder with the ascent. It quickly became obvious that the harpy was headed towards the closest mountain and it's landscape of sharp cliffs and rocky inlets. “I'm glad you aren't wiggling! The last ones wiggled and slipped from my talons! I wasn't able to catch them before they went splat!”

Not picky? Was she seriously getting negged by a kidnapping monster right now? Luljeta shivered as the air grew colder and colder. 'Not far' her ass... Still, she clung tightly. "If it's my job to be picky, kidnapping me was not a point in your favour," she managed to say, before thinking better of it. Too late. She tightened her grip and hastily added, "but not dropping me while we're this high up might help you!" She didn't want to give him false hope or anything. She just also didn't want to die, and that fear won out by quite a bit.

“I'm happy that you're already warming up to my offer! Do you see it? Our nest?” Luljeta could in fact see “it” rapidly approaching, though it hardly seemed like a nest. It was a particularly large inlet of rock whose ground was covered with a tangle of pine needles, fur, leaves, and what were probably the harpy's own feathers. “I reserved a prime eyrie location for us! Protected from above and three sides, as close to a human dwelling as I could find! And I only received minor wounds while defending it from other harpies! What a bargain!” (edited)

Against her better judgment, Luljeta opened one eye as she was asked if she could see it. It didn't look like a nest, but it certainly didn't look like a house either. She already missed her family home. Or even the crappy apartment she'd rented in Glasgow during her studies abroad. Anything with a roof. She shut her eyes again, because they were still a bit high up. "Yeah. A bargain. Please don't drop me," she reminded him. Her ankle was still pulsing a bit. Probably twisted, so it would recover in time. She'd just do well to stay off it for a while.

“I won't drop you, miss!” the harpy squawked. “I have a lot of practice! I've carried over thirty humans to my nest at this point!” But under his breath, just barely audible over the wind, he added, “As long as you ignore the ones that fell.” The harpy made a cough that turned into a cawk. “We're landing now, brace yourself!” Without time to process his warning, the harpy tumbled Luljeta into the nest. She grazed the back wall as he landed in the opening with wings spread. “Do try to be calm. Panicked humans tend to fall out of my nest.”

"What do you mean the ones that fe- ow!" Luljeta landed hard, wincing as the stone walls grazed against her. She grimaced and rubbed her shoulder with one hand, unsure of exactly how she was supposed to get out of this mess. Over thirty humans... had any of them gotten out alive, or did they all fall to their deaths? It really was quite a high number. "Over thirty. You sure know how to make a girl feel special," she remarked, trying to lighten her own mood with sarcasm. For now, she stayed in place. "Do you have an ice pack around?" she asked as she shifted into a more comfortable position. "Never mind, stupid question." Not like there was any place to hook up a freezer.

“Ta-da!” the harpy proudly announced. “Our nest!” Luljeta opened her eyes to see before her an utter disaster. The inlet was full of junk, hopefully stolen from yard sales and not dumpsters and landfills. It was as if someone had seen human dwellings and tried to replicate it, but had no understanding of what any of the furniture inside actually did. There were a few broken chairs, an oven with no door, a surprisingly intact table lamp (that was nevertheless not plugged in anywhere), several naked shelves leaned against the side of the rock, and cracked and mismatched flower pots half full of dirt but with no flowers. All in all, the effect gave the impression of a house that had just been condemned for demolition. “I tried my very best to match human nests to make you really feel at home! I was mocked for my efforts by some of the harpies, but you can see that I've done a great job, yes?”

Luljeta looked around and bit back her first thought. Thanks, I hate it. Though it was all quite a disaster, she couldn't deny that an effort had certainly been made. More importantly, being rude didn't seem great for self-preservation. In the moment of silence that followed his question, a leg of one of the chairs gave out, causing the entire chair to drop to the ground. "I can see that you tried," she offered. "You... don't take this the wrong way, but you've never actually seen how humans live, have you?" What an understatement. "And I can't... this is kind of a lot to deal with right now, and I don't even know who you are." Aside from a harpy, because that was a thing, apparently.

(Santi suppressed a frown. He had put weeks of effort into his nest for only a muted response. Was this human just picky or had he done something wrong? Hopefully the next steps would go more smoothly.) The harpy bowed with a wing. The pose almost looked dapper, if his hideous cloak and half-destroyed clothes didn't ruin the effect. “My name is Santi! I'm the son of Perla and Indy. And what's your name, miss?”

Naturally, Luljeta hesitated before responding. But it wasn't like he could do much worse with the name than he had already. "Luljeta." Though her mother had never taught her to speak Albanian, she'd always spoken Luljeta's name with the accent, so that was how she said it as well. "You know, my family's going to miss me if I don't get back by dark." More like by the next day, but close enough. "I'll be missed, and people are going to come looking for me. I don't know how they'll react to you." Maybe appealing to more practical concerns could get her safely out of there. She reached down to massage her twisted ankle, but winced. Maybe better to wait until the swelling died down... "Also, I hurt my leg." While trying to get away from him.

Santi hobbled over to inspect Luljeta's leg. “It's sprained. If you stick to flying rather than walking, you'll be fine in a few weeks.” Santi took a few seconds to realize what he had just said. “Or I guess just rest. I'm happy to take care of you while you heal. Your family will understand your absence once they learn you've found a lifemate.”

It slowly dawned on Luljeta that, strange as he was, he wasn't quite... malicious. He was just unfamiliar with humans, and following the bird way of doing things. Which explained a lot, particularly those weird movements of his back in the forest. Maybe he could be reasoned with after all. "Rest. I can't fly," she confirmed. "But, you know, I'll miss them too. Usually when a human... finds their lifemate... we still talk to our old families. And what if I don't want a 'lifemate'?" She closed her eyes again, took a deep breath, and considered her next words. "How about we make a deal? While my leg is healing, I'll let you continue to try to impress me, and we can get to know each other." It was more than she wanted to concede, but she wasn't in a position to be completely uncompromising right now. "If, at the end of that time, I still want to go home, you'll take me back to the forest where we met and never speak to me again. But if I've changed my mind by then, I'll... be your lifemate, as you put it." At the very least, it would buy her a month of nothing horrible happening. She hoped.

(Santi was stunned. He would be given several days to convince Luljeta? That was more generous than any harpy had ever given him! Most rejected him within the hour, if a rival hadn't already chased him away!) Santi nodded eagerly. “Yes that's... very fair! Thank you so much, miss! I promise you won't regret it! When you want to go home, I'll take you home!” (Santi found himself unsure what to do now. What was he supposed to do with all this time? His courtship routine was meant to be quite short to prevent trying the impatient. All he had left on his agenda was to present his feathers and to show off his song and dance.) (Actually, the more he thought about the extra time, the more anxious it made him. What exactly did she intend for him to demonstrate? Were humans always this indecisive? He found that the idea of having to continuously court Luljeta for weeks just to get an answer made his stomach churn. If she rejected him then, mating season would be over and he'd yet again have nothing to show for it.) Santi flinched as he spoke. “Actually, I don't mean to rush you, miss, but could you make your decision a little sooner? Maybe by sundown? I'll be gentle on your ankle if I bring you back.”

Luljeta breathed a sigh of relief as he agreed to it. So she was right - not malice, just cluelessness. She let herself relax slightly, even as he asked her to decide sooner. It might mean she could go home sooner, or that she'd be stuck in the woods with a sprained ankle. "Humans don't work like that. We need more time," she said, because she saw no harm in honesty right now. "I'm not so sure about walking back to town like this, so you'd have to bring me closer to it, and I'll need something to lean on besides..." She looked around again. The chairs seemed pretty useless for sitting in, but maybe they could be broken down for a makeshift cane of some sort. She nodded, not wanting to be a missing person for a month. Besides, if he was technically harmless, she wouldn't want to bring the wrath of the entire town down on him. "Alright. I'll try to decide by sundown, but it's a lot of pressure."

(Santi huffed. A lot of pressure? She just had to decide, he was the one doing all the work. But he kept his complaints to himself.) Santi folded himself inwards. With a glance to make sure Luljeta was watching, he straightened his back and jutted his wings while splaying them as far as they go, dislodging his cloak in the movement. “I present to you my wings! Look at how bright and vibrant they are! The true mark of a healthy harpy!” His wings were colored with a gradient, with jet black feathers near his shoulders and sky blue feathers near the tips of wings. They did look quite vibrant, but now that Luljeta could get a full view of them, there didn't seem to be any possible way that he should be able to fly. His wings were simply too small for his weight, nevermind while he was carrying Luljeta. Perhaps Santi was just so clumsy he simply forgot the laws of aerodynamics. “I put a lot of work into pruning them. And they're strong. I carried you here with them, after all. If I hugged with them, you probably couldn't wiggle free!” He moved closer to Luljeta, boxing her into a corner of the nest. “And I have a courting song next!”

The wings were admittedly beautiful. Luljeta couldn't help but smile as she watched him strutting about. He really was a bird man. She briefly wondered if his bones were hollow to allow flight, but was unsure how the question would be interpreted if she asked. So she kept quiet. This was not a situation where science seemed to apply. Her joy vanished as he moved uncomfortably close, the smile replaced by cringing. "Please don't touch me," she said, flatly, then nodded. "Sure, I wouldn't mind hearing a song. Maybe from a meter away or so?" She pointed at a spot on the ground, a bit further from her.

Santi backed up and coughed. He steaded himself for several seconds with his head down. (He could do this. He could do this. This was by far the most elaborate part of his courting ritual, and if successful, it could woo even a reluctant woman. And if not, then he was lucky if he wasn't knocked out of his own nest.) (Most harpy songs were related to flying and the beauty of their intended's wings. That wasn't relevant for a human woman. Luckily, Santi did know one song that a harpy in the past had sung to a human. It was a strange one, and he didn't understand most of the lyrics, but it seemed to have worked for him. It was the best chance he had.) Santi flowed and danced as he began to sing in a beautiful chirping voice, puffing his feathers to the rhythm.

My pretty human~ You're in seclusion~ You're mine forever~ So tough luck!

Additional footwork was added as Santi moved onto the second verse, tapping his talons on off-beats.

Spare me your whining~ And halt your crying~ No one can hear you~ So tough luck!

His voice lowered to a minor key, his movements having slowed with the climax of the song.

Cause my disfavor~ With bad behavior~

He stared directly at Luljeta in a frozen pose. He was no longer singing. “There's always the cliff.” After a long held pause, Santi broke out into a smile as his wings exploded outwards in a final flourish. His voice returned to a major key as he sung his final line, holding the final resolved note.

Then good luuuuck~!

Over the course of the song, Luljeta's expression shifted from one of vague apprehension to abject horror. Fucking hell, she had made a mistake in giving him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed less likely to bring her home when she rejected him and more likely to straight-up murder her. Over thirty humans she remembered. Needless to say, she was too scared of the implicit threats of violence scattered throughout the song to appreciate the impressive footwork. At the end of it, she opened her mouth, but all that came out was a choked noise of terror. She cleared her throat, then chuckled nervously, slowly clapping despite the fear in her eyes. At last, she found her voice. "So, uh... what did you say happened to the other humans you've brought here?" Something told her she would not like his answer.

Santi swallowed. “They weren't as brave as you. They were very frightened of me.” He quickly added, “But that was okay! I understood. After all, I was scared the first time I saw a human, too! I remembered I was just a young chick, and I had to hide behind a tree because I was so frightened I had forgotten how to fly. I kept hopping around while flapping my wings, trying to get off the ground.” Santi illustrated his point by demonstration, hopping through his nest with a shaky laugh while thrashing his wings. But he slowed down and his voice got sober. “But this fear was different. They wouldn't stop yelling and shaking and trying to bolt away. I tried and tried to get them to calm down, but my nest only has three walls and so they all would...” Santi violently shuttered and covered his face with his wings. “I don't like thinking about it. What awful accidents! I had never seen anything like that before I started courting humans! It makes me sick just thinking about it! The screams still haunt my nightmares!” His eyes peaked out slightly from between his wings, though his body still shivered. “You wouldn't do that to me, too, would you, miss?” (edited)

It all could very well have been a lie, a coverup. What serial killer would admit to their crimes when asked point-blank, after all? But his feelings about it seemed genuine. Remorse, perhaps. Luljeta remained skeptical nonetheless, as she sat still and observed him. "I wouldn't do that to myself," she answered, honestly. It occurred to her that she couldn't safely leave here without him, even if she did have means to defend herself if drastic measures were called for. "But I can understand why they were so afraid. They thought you were planning to hurt him. Or... knew. Coercion and kidnapping are still forms of harm, whether that's what you're doing on purpose or not." Possibly, they may have been right. But her best bet was to assume he was just clueless and act accordingly. She lowered her voice, taking on as sympathetic a tone as her fear would allow. "Santi... in your own words, what do you think that song you sang means? Did you come up with it, or did you hear it from someone else?"

Santi froze and shuttered. “I...” (How did she know he learned the song? Did she hear it before? Then she was definitely unimpressed! He was doomed! She was going to reject him!) “I heard it,” Santi confessed. “It was used a very long time ago by a harpy that courted a human. He took her to his nest and sang it to her and she fell in love with him. It's an old legend around here, among several others, from the times when harpies and humans coexisted.” Santi twisted his talon in place as he failed to meet Luljeta's eyes. “I always liked it because it's a cheeky song, you know? About how love is tough but you need to stick with it to make it work. And sometimes you need to see a miracle of nature, like the sight from a cliffside, to remember why you're here and to fulfill your duty. It's romantic in a strange sort of way, different from the more naïve love songs harpies usually sing.”

Clueless, then. It would be a relief, if Luljeta could just believe it. "Are you familiar with the term 'Stockholm Syndrome'?" she asked. "The simple version is that when someone is captured and held against their will, they will sometimes form a close bond with their captor, and make excuses for them. It can be mistaken for love, but it's different. That's what the legend reminds me of. Love can't exist without choice. She felt she couldn't leave safely, so she just did what he wanted, because she was worried he'd hurt her otherwise." She still kept her distance, right up against the wall. All she could do was hope against all odds that he would take her words to heart and not react violently. "To a human, someone who can't fly, doesn't approach courtship the same way harpies do, and was raised to expect some level of respect from her partner, that song sounds very threatening. It's not a love song, it's a threat to throw me off a cliff if I don't do what you want." And oh boy, did saying it out loud only make it that much more terrifying for her. She shrank back as she spoke, wishing she'd settled down somewhere closer to one of the many scattered objects, so she'd at least have something to defend herself. (edited)

Santi's wings lowered, his eyes wide and his face puzzled. “Then that...” Santi's voice trailed off as he thought in silence. “No, but—!” Santi cut himself off again. A wing came up to support his head as his talons wobbled and his eyes started to water. “Is that why it was only the lonely and desperate harpies that ever courted humans? They did so because they were unable to find anyone willing to mate with them?”

Luljeta stopped as he started to cry. She'd expected a number of reactions, but this definitely hadn't been one of them. She stared, unsure of how to react. Her kidnapper's feelings were decidedly not her responsibility, and she'd never been good with that sort of thing regardless, but she also needed his help to leave. At least her words had gotten through to him. "I don't understand why someone would feel that much of a need to find another person," she admitted. "But I'm sure you'll find someone who likes you, and who you like back. Human, harpy, the choice is yours." She shrugged, relaxing somewhat. Only somewhat, though. "But if you're going to try to date - er, court - human women, you really need to understand them better. Kidnapping them doesn't work, and telling them you're not picky sounds insulting. Because all humans are expected to be picky about their partners." Not that there were many humans who wouldn't run in the opposite direction the moment they saw an actual harpy in front of them.

Santi wiped his eyes, his voice melancholy. “Miss, you don't understand. I wouldn't have done what I've done if I could court another harpy. The older I get, the less attractive I become as a potential mate. I've run out of seasons where I'm attractive enough to compete with the other harpy males. Approaching human territory is extremely dangerous, so I only did it because I thought it was my only chance.” Santi sighed as his body deflated into a defeated slouch. “I was told humans are less picky. But if that's not true, and humans only nest with harpies when threatened, then I'm never going to find anyone who loves me and wants to nest with me. I'm unlovable.” He looked to Luljeta and his body rose a bit. He put on a sad smile and a transparent veneer of confidence. He stood near the entrance to his nest looked out to the landscape. He extended his wings and glanced back towards Luljeta. “But that's my problem and not yours. I've troubled you enough already. I'm assuming you want to go home? Just grab on to me and I'll fly you back.”

Luljeta was ready to inform him that there was, in fact, more to life than finding a partner. But she didn't know enough about harpy culture for it to not be overstepping. She looked away, her previous discomfort replaced by a completely different discomfort. "Nobody is unlovable, Santi." When he spoke again, she turned toward him, eyes widening slightly in surprise. "You're letting me go?" She smiled, relief clear in her face. "Thank you." She just hoped this wasn't a way to lure her into the air and drop her to her death. She'd be sure to hold extra tight, just in case. For now, she managed to stumble to her feet and limp over to him. "I know this didn't work out the way you planned, but this really is the best thing to do. Just saying, human women love men who don't react violently to rejection." Oh god maybe the bar for humanswas as low as harpies thought.

Santi nodded politely asking with Luljeta's words, but inwardly sighed. He had heard plenty of the same kinds of “advice” and “encouragement” from other harpies. They just don't understand. He surprised a pleased chirp as Luljeta tightly embraced him from behind. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend it was a form of affection and not merely Luljeta's attempt to secure herself for flight. Santi allowed himself just a moment to enjoy the sensation (he didn't know if he would ever feel it again), before beating his wings to take off. He tried to go slower this time and stay closer to the ground, since he wasn't sure how strong Luljeta's grip was. Santi forced his voice to stay friendly and cheery despite his dejection. “Are you okay back there? Do we need to land so you can readjust?”

20:31

@MandALorian

Luljeta could feel her heart practically jump into her stomach as they took off, if only from the initial jolt of motion. She closed her eyes instinctively, though not as desperately as when she was being unwillingly dragged up into the air. This time, it was expected, and not the nightmare speed ride she'd experienced before. Slowly, she opened her eyes back up. Now that she was here willingly, she had to admit the view was lovely. She'd seen these lands for years, but never like this. The wind buffeted her hair back from her face as she looked ahead. "I'm okay," she said, almost wishing she had wings of her own. "So this is how you get to see the world all the time, huh? It's beautiful."

“It is. It calms me, so I go flying when I'm in a bad move. The sky accepts me no matter what.” Santi was silent for most of the rest of the journey, only speaking again as they neared the sight where the two had first encountered each other. “I'm going to need some direction. I assume you want to be dropped off closer to your home with that sprained ankle.”

14:08

@MandALorian

"So it's the same way the forests here are for me," Luljeta commented. Except this time she'd been kidnapped. Next time, what would guarantee she wouldn't encounter something far worse, someone genuinely malicious? "Or... the way they were," she admitted. She looked down. The trail was just barely visible. Not very well maintained, but enough that she could make out the way she'd come. "See that path? Keep following it in this direction. The town shouldn't be too far from here. You can drop me off near the edge of the woods and I'll make it the rest of the way."

Santi nodded and tipped his wings to follow the trail. At Luljeta's urging, he circled down near the edge of the forest and landed near a tree. “There you go,” he said, turning to help lean Luljeta against the tree. “You didn't get hurt during the flight, did you?” Before she could answer, some leaves rustled from deeper in the forest. Santi's head swiveled in the noise's direction as he froze completely. He watched intensely with the eyes of a prey animal, not even seeming to breath. After a few seconds, he relaxed and sighed. “Are you sure you don't want me to take you closer? I've put you through a lot. I feel awful leaving you to drag yourself home injured.”

Carefully, Luljeta climbed down from his back. Then the rustling of leaves came and she tensed, still holding on to him. She stared, holding her breath until the sounds had left. "You'll be conspicuous in the air once we get closer, but could you accompany me on foot the rest of the way?" she suggested, forcing herself to look away from the direction the sounds had come from. The sky above had started to darken, the air growing colder. "Just as close as you feel safe going; I won't drag you out further than you're comfortable with." She realized she was still clinging to him and let go of him, stepping away to give him space. "But to answer your first question, I'm fine. I didn't hurt you at all during the flight, did I? I didn't pull any of your feathers or anything?"

Santi shook his head. “No, miss.” (That was a boldfaced lie. Carrying her on his back had been a massive strain on his back and neck muscles and a bad idea. Harpies were supposed to carry weight with their legs. But he was hardly going to shame her for his mistake.) He offered a wing after Luljeta shied away. “I'm willing to accompany you as far as you'll let me.”

That was good to hear, mostly because Luljeta didn't know her was lying. She nodded and rested a hand gently on the offered wing. She'd try not to lean against it too much, just in case his wings were a bit tired already. "Then thank you. And you can call me Luljeta." Formality just seemed weird, at this point. "We'll stop at the tree line, just in case. It's this way." She started back down the faint trail, toward the town. Dinner would probably be waiting, and her absence was definitely being questioned by now. She'd think of an excuse when she got to it. For now, she limped back, letting Santi help with support on her bad leg.

Santi shook his head. “Sorry, miss, but it is considered very insulting for an unpaired harpy to not use an honorific when referring to a harpy of the opposite sex. A signal that we do not consider them attractive or worthy of courtship. I understand that humans don't do this, and so I'm not insulted when you don't use them, but speaking without them makes me nervous.” Santi continued speaking, trying to fill the silence. “There's a lot of things about human culture that make me nervous. I still don't like how pants trap my lower feathers. I started wearing them because I thought maybe it was my ‘nood-i-ty’ that was scaring the humans I found, since you find it repulsive. It helped a little, but not a lot.”

It was interesting to hear, to say the least. Luljeta listened to the brief cultural lesson, and what he continued to say after that. She had no problem with the quiet, but didn't mind listening, either. Still, she was sure a response would be warranted so, when there was a lull in his speech, she nodded. She was quiet for a few moments longer as she regarded him, then covered her mouth with one hand to stifle a laugh. "Sorry, Sa-" She corrected herself. "-Mister? I just... it's hard to believe now that I was so afraid of you at first." He seemed so harmless, not to mention so clueless that, with the previous misunderstanding cleared up, it wrapped around to amusing. "Anyway, if you do want to learn more about human culture, I could help out with that. I'll be in town for a while." How long was still up in the air. Possibly indefinitely; the local librarian was rumoured to be retiring soon, and she had her eyes on that position. If she didn't decide to go back to Scotland for her master's degree, and the increased opportunities in other countries that would come with it.

For a split moment, Santi cringed at the laughter, but quickly corrected his posture and expression to be more neutral. “I don't have much else to do these days,” Santi replied. He idly kicked a stone out of the way as they trotted forward. “Everyone else I know will be busy with their nests and mates and children. Visiting you is perhaps better than spending another year sulking. But it's a dangerous trip, so I would probably have to establish a nest that is closer. It's not as if my eyrie is going to get much use.”