Understanding The Human Condition

[Dip]

Eddie gave the other boy a look. "Afraid?" He could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Me? Afraid of you?" He was just double checking to make sure that he wasn't sounding like an idiot, but sadly, he was. He was acting like a moron, and Eddie could have seen it from a mile away. "You can't be serious, can you? You're the least of my worries right now. The only thing I'm worried about is if you manage to kill yourself again, and I get blamed for your death. Other than that, I doubt you'd be any danger to me."

Eddie rubbed his eyes. "And no, I don't want anything. I don't care how hard you work, or how hard you didn't. I will not drink anything you make."

Mikee looked at the boy, and looked out the window. "I'll pass," He smiled gently. "It seems like a little more trouble than it's worth. But, hey, I'm always in the second both left of the window, yeah? Drop by." And with those parting word, Mikee left the building and walked down the street to someplace unknown.

 

[RiniPinja]

Skyler shook his head. He was determined to get the harpy to try his drinks. "No, you're going to try them." He muttered stubbornly.

In his mind, he was wondering what kind of drinks the harpy would like. What do birds like? Worms? Dirt? Maybe fruit - yeah, just stick to fruit. Skyler was feeling sick from just thinking about having to blend worms up... "It'll be good, trust me." He muttered, still deep in thought. Mango? Apple? Bananas?

James was a little disappointed by the rejection, but he nodded at Mikee's words. He glanced over at the booth he saw Mikee was in earlier, and a smile appeared on his face. It was small, but it was certainly there. "Yeah, alright."

As Mikee walked out, James waved. "See-ya." He called out. He stood there for a moment, the smile still plastered on his face. Sure, he was embarrassed to death a few minutes ago, but... It was okay! At least... James thought it would be okay. He wasn't sure what to think about the events that just transpired.

The red faced man in the background yelling at him to "GET BACK TO WORK" followed by some not-so-kind words probably should have clued James into what to think though. But he tried not to let it get to him as he hustle his way back to his station.

At least he had something to look forward to.

 

[Dip]

Eddie didn't respond to the boy. He shook his head, and looked off into forever. He had bigger fish to fry, and he didn't have time to try and think about what Baxter was going to be up to when they get back home. It was hard to believe that it was almost sunset, and they still had to go back into town and restock on their mail.

Why didn't they get it all when they first came? When Eddie is able to use his wings again, things are going to be different. He stretched out one of his wings, and inspected it to see how it was healing. He peeled the bandage off, and smiled gently. If he complied with J.J Asshole and tried not to fly too hard, it'd be off by the end of the week. He put it back over the wound, and thought gently about how he should avoid the man,

 

[RiniPinja]

Perhaps birds doesn't like apples, maybe Skyler should try the orange-based drinks. That's what Eddie ate earlier... Right? Skyler blinked, trying to remember. The harpy had picked up some sort of round fruit - so definitely not a bananas. Maybe it was an apple...

Skyler's head was hurting as he continued to bounce around ideas of rounded fruits. Orange? Apples? Bottom half of a pear?

He hardly noticed when the sun was almost completely out of sight, barely peeking up from the horizon. But when he did, he quickly looked down at the ground, watching in excitement as his hometown come into view. Skyler quickly forgot about his fruit dilemma and hustled around the hot air balloon. He pulled on some strings and allowed the heat of the fire to lesson. As a consequence, Skyler began to feel the cold air seep into his skin.

He tried to pain no mind to the goosebumps forming. "We're almost home." He told Eddie thoughtlessly, hardly expecting an answer out of his 'partner'.

Skyler wondered where the term "squawk like a bird" come from. Apparently, birds were not noisy or talkative.

As they landed on the ground, he saw some people watch them from inside the building. He felt a little pride swell in his chest. His first job! Done! He wondered if he would get praise from the other employees.

Thinking about the praise made him turn to Eddie. "Um... Thanks for working with me?" He muttered a bit awkwardly, still feeling the tension between them from their continual fights. And, well, you know, Eddie's apparent dislike for Skyler. "Good job on your part!" Skyler grinned, trying to shake off the negative waves that seemed to flow out of Eddie like some sort of stink bomb.

He then hopped out of the basket as he landed on the ground. Home sweet home.

 

[Dip]

While they neared the ground, Eddie's eyes scanned the ground gently. He wanted to go back to his home-- well, his government owned property-- and rest his wings. He wanted to take a bath. He wanted to work himself into sleep, and sleep gently. He wanted to do all of this, but he couldn't. He knew he couldn't at first because he saw someone making their rounds on the ground below.

As they got closer, Eddie saw who the stranger was. When they landed and he watched the human step out, and he grabbed his shoulder tightly and quickly. He planted his hand on there so tightly that anyone could tell that something was wrong. Eddie looked behind him, and saw that Baxter was nearing closely. Eddie placed a second hand on the other side, and looked at the boy with slight fear in his big brown eyes.

"Tell him I did a good job," Eddie pleaded. "Please-Please tell him I did a good job. Please. I'll-I'll give you my paycheck, I'll do whatever you want, I don't care. Tell him I was compliant and honest. Tell him I worked hard, and I followed all instructions and that I didn't talk back." Eddie licked his lips, and looked back again. He was never scared of any humans, but this one had it out for him. "He'll kill me if you tell him different, and don't think I'm lying. He wants me dead. He did this to my wing, he--"

J.J. Baxter came over, whistling Dixie. "Mister Fay," He chirped, "I believe work is over for the night. Why don't you follow me, yes? Let's walk and talk." Baxter pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and twirled them around his slick middle finger. He watched as Eddie walked out slowly, turning only to look back at the boy. Baxter looked at the boy, and smirked gently at him.

"Mister... Wright, was it? How was your day?"

 

[RiniPinja]

Skyler's eyes widened at Eddie's plea. Was the older man really that scary? Well, Skyler couldn't help but believe in the harpy's words, saying that it was the longest thing Eddie ever said to him in consecutive sentences.

He blinked a bit at the handcuffs, and then at the officer's question. Skyler didn't have long to think about what he was going to say. So he told the truth. "Great." He muttered slightly, but then smiled. "Eddie saved my life, because we went a little too high. So, I'm glad he came along."

Sure, it wasn't the complete truth, but Skyler didn't think it mattered. That event was the most important one anyways. "And we delivered all of our letters and packages!" He announced, showing Baxter their two empty bags. When Baxter looked, Skyler glanced over at Eddie. The handcuffs glistened in the dying light, and Skyler was instantly disturbed by it.

It was normal, right? Cuffing harpies. Cuffing anything not human. Or leashing them. It was all normal.

But why did it feel so wrong?

Skyler tried to shake the thought from his head. "Anyways, Mister... Baxter?" The name sounded weird on his lips, "Do you mind if Eddie and I went home together? I promised to make him some drinks for a job well done." Skyler realized a little too late that a human making something for a harpy willingly and happily might have been socially unacceptable. He could only hope that the officer didn't mind... too much.

 

[Dip]

Baxter looked over the boy as he briskly pulled the harpy's hands behind his back. "Well, the thing is," Baxter started. "I do mind. Even if he... 'saved your life' or not. I can't allow it." Baxter made sure to pull out a special pair of cuffs for the harpy, and he attached them to his wings and shackled the rest of the chain to his feet. "Eddie Fay is an enemy of the state, and I can tell you that you don't live in government zones."

Eddie struggled under the weight of the chains. All ideas of flying away soon flew off without him. "Blow it out your ass," He mumbled. Baxter took a small step to plant his foot onto the bird's talons. Eddie knew that if he screamed, he'd be dead. He bit his lip, and looked away. "...Therefore, it would be illegal, and I would have to fine you and add another charge onto Eddie's already growing list. Let's see... attempted man-laughter, breaking and entering, impersonation, smuggling... What else am I missing, Mister Fay?"

Eddie bit his lip, and swallowed gently. "Nope." He said quickly.

"Well, there is assault with a deadly weapon, promoting mob-mentality... Well, I don't want to waste your time, Mister Wright, but Eddie is... not to be trusted. I mean, he is one of them. You know what they say about groups of crows, right? They run in a murder. I'm just keeping the community safe from crows like this one. Have a nice night, and contact me if you need."

With that, Baxter stepped off of Eddie, and shoved him off into the direction of the car.

 

[RiniPinja]

At the blatant display of hatred and harm towards Eddie, Skyler flipped out. He should help the harpy, but he didn't know how.

In Skyler's head, he wanted to tackle the officer. Yell at him and call him a 'jackass' and a 'jerk' for doing such things to another living creature - even if he wasn't human! He was going to help Eddie, beat the older officer up for being such a jerk, and then he and Eddie could go try some of Skyler's drinks. An orange-flavored smoothie.

But of course, he knew that was impossible. The officer weighed probably twice as much as Skyler did. And well, he was an officer. Skyler was just a newbie mailman. It was kind of obvious who would win in a battle. Anyways, Skyler probably would have just bounced off of Baxter's body like some sort of bouncy ball.

Skyler didn't want to leave the officer alone with Eddie. Eddie had said that he had broken his wings - what if he broke something else also just because he could? Skyler frowned. He just had to get the officer away from Eddie...

He turned to the first thing he could think of.

"How about... You try some of my drinks then, Officer! Tonight! You'll like it, I swear!" Skyler announced. He ran up in front of the two, preventing them from going into the car. "We can drop Eddie off at... Well, where he sleeps, and then you and I can go have a drink!"

"Please?" Skyler begged, looking up at the officer. He tried to smile warmly, although he felt like grimacing. He glanced briefly at Eddie. Maybe this would make Eddie hate him even more, but at least he would be safe... "I want to award you on... keeping our city safe at night!"

 

[Dip]

The Inspector paused when he heard such a thing. He looked at the boy, and he looked at the bird. Maybe he could work with this, sure, but he couldn't allow someone like Skylar to ride in the squad car. He smiled, and planted a free hand onto the boy's shoulder. "Why not? But, how about I drop off the convict, and go to your house. It's regulation, I can't let good folk ride with these kind."

The Inspector received the address of the boy after a few minuets of negotiating, and soon shoved the harpy off towards the police station. As he drove off, he saw that the harpy wasn't wearing a seatbelt. So, Baxter slammed hard on the breaks, having the Harpy slam his head into the window separating the two. "Uh-oh, my bad." Baxter chimed, before he dropped off the convict and locked him into solitary confinement.

He drove home to check on his son, and change out of his uniform into something a little looser. He drove off to the other man's house, unsure if this was a date or some kind of ass-kissing.

 

[RiniPinja]

Skyler could only hope that Eddie wouldn't get hurt further on the way to his 'home,' and then he turned to go home himself. Usually, Skyler would just walk home to enjoy the night air, but this time he splurged a bit to take a taxi ride home. It would be faster and give him more time to create some sort of drink.

At first, Skyler was about to make an orange smoothie. But then he realized that the officer wouldn't have the same taste bud desires as Eddie, a harpy. So he frowned a bit and quickly tossed the orange back into the fridge. What would Officer J.J. Baxter like?

Skyler tried to think, trying to imagine what the man would drink in his head.

Beer. Alcohol. Wine. Coffee.

He could only imagine 'adult' drinks. Skyler sighed, he didn't have as much experience with mixing beer into his drinks, but he knew how to use wine. He decided on making a certain wine mixed he learned quite a bit ago. It was a just a tiny bit sweet, with a harshly bitter after-taste. Certainly not one of Skyler's favorite, but his anxiety about having such an officer - such a cruel man! - over seemed to match the drink perfectly.

Skyler made quite a bit, his nerves getting the best of him. He made almost 2 liter of the drink - a bit too much for just two people drinking. He wondered if he should save the rest for someone else.

Once the doorbell rang, Skyler rushed to open the door. Without checking, he swung open the door. "Officer...!" He said loudly, almost forgetting to greet him. "Oh! Hi! Um, come on in!" He moved out of the way to let the officer in. Skyler couldn't help but glance at the older man's knuckles, relieved that he saw no blood splatter. He hoped to take that to mean Eddie was safe.

"I made some wine... Do you like wine?" He asked, quickly forcing himself to look up at the older man.

 

[Dip]

Baxter was dressed as casually as someone could when they weren't sure if it was a date or not. He wore casual work pants and a white work shirt-- sure, it was the same one he wore to work that day, but it was casual. He wore a nice brown cardigan on top, and brought with him his pair of glasses. He usually wore contacts for work, but after hours he wore a thin pair of glasses.

He took one look in the mirror and thought to himself, "My god, I look like a father."

He thought that he couldn't change anymore than before, so he just drove off. Once he got to the house, though, he knocked gently and soon found himself at ease. There was a rush of warm air that hit his face, and he was ushered into the house. He chuckled gently, and found a seat in a relatively bar-esque chair.

"I like wine," He smiled, placing his hands atop the table.

 

[RiniPinja]

Skyler quickly poured Baxter some of his homemade mix of wine. He poured it into a mug, and then realized that he should have poured it into a wine glass. It is wine... He frowned, but didn't want to keep pouring, so he just handed Baxter the mug. "Um, if you don't like it, tell me!" He declared.

"I'll change it to your liking."

Skyler took a sip of his own small cup of wine. He immediately felt the burn of bitterness as it ran down his throat, but he also felt the soft buzz. It was relaxing his mind. His smile was a little bit more true after the initial sip.

"I didn't know you wear glasses." Skyler commented randomly, looking at the officer. It made him seem... Well, not as intimidating. He almost seemed kind. Emphasis on the almost.

The image of him hurting Eddie purposefully still seared onto Skyler's mind.

 

[Dip]

Baxter thought that it was a little odd that they were drinking wine from a coffee mug, but Baxter was known for bringing cereal to work on almost any and all occasions. This was nothing but a little lazy, he thought, but it was an okay lazy. The kind of lazy that you get when you sit at home in pajamas and read the news paper. The kind of lazy you rewarded yourself with after a job well-done.

"I usually wear contacts to work. It's a safety violation to have something these thin on your face," He said, sipping at his mug. He supposed it was alright wine. It was fruity, sure, but it was decent. It tasted a little like a peach cobbler, but with a little kick to it. "This is pretty good," He decided outloud.

 

[RiniPinja]

Skyler couldn't help it. No matter how badly he thought of he older man, no matter how much pain he saw the main inflict on another living being, he smiled brightly. He felt pride and happiness swell in his small little heart merely by the simple compliment. He couldn't help it! He always loved it when someone enjoyed his drinks, no matter how awful the person was.

"I'm glad you like it." He answered, grinning brightly.

Thoughts of Eddie was still in his head. And perhaps it was the slight buzz making Skyler enact questionable choices. But he continued to talk, without thinking of the consequence it would have on the pleasant mood they were making. "Do you think Eddie would enjoy it? I might bring him some tomorrow..."

 

[Dip]

Without skipping a beat, Baxter responded to what the other man had to say. "I doubt it. Beings such as... Eddie... aren't capable of enjoying the little things in life. Did you see him smile at all today? He has it out for everyone. You should see his felony list, he's a danger to society and his kind." Baxter didn't show any emotion when he spoke. Not a single crack.

He sipped the rest of the wine down, and set the empty mug on the table. He decided to help himself, and perhaps ask his son for a ride home if he got too buzzed. "You really did well on the wine, Mister Wright." He said, as if he wasn't just bad-mouthing the postal-service's co-pilot. "I may have to ask you for the mix later on. I bet my wife would love this."

 

[RiniPinja]

Skyler felt a little buzz in his head as the wine began to flow through his body like some poisonous water. He thought back to Eddie and found himself trying to imagine the harpy smile. He couldn't. Skyler found himself frowning instead. Well, he figured, it was sort of a given. Eddie never seemed very happy with Skyler around.

Skyler sighed and finished up drinking his wine.

He then looked up at the officer, grinning happily. "Really? You can have more, I made a ton on accident." Skyler went over to grab the large pitcher of wine. He was a bit surprised to hear that the officer had a wife - well, suppose everyone had someone to love them. "You can take some for her, if you want...?"

 

[Dip]

Baxter smiled gently as he saw how big the pitcher was. "Oh, no, I'm drinking for one." He held up a hand to politely tell him that he wasn't ready to get absolutely piss drunk as of then. He placed his hand back on his mug, but did help himself to some more of the wine. He looked gently down into his hands and brushed his thumb against the side of the cup. "I don't think she'll be able to wine and dine with me where she is."

Maybe it was the fruity wine getting to his brain, or maybe it was the way the boy looked at him. But it just felt as if Baxter could talk through with this stranger. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, and slowly placed the frames back on his nose. He looked over to the boy, and almost saw his wife in his kind eyes. She was always a gentle soul. "She died back in '97, just a few weeks before my son was born-- it was amazing, really. The doctors never pulled a living baby out of a dead women before, but they did it. He was screaming and kicking, and healthy as could be. A few weeks early, but that was alright by me."

He smiled gently, sipping at his mix. He stopped himself for a moment, and shook his head. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to bring it up. This is very good-- I have a high alcohol tolerance, but it's already getting to my head, I suppose. I miss her sometimes, but it's an unpayable debt that I owe to her, you know? I wouldn't be so strong without her gone. But I'm still not as strong as she was-- oh boy, she was a fighter. On our first date, she put me in a headlock, and I--"

Baxter took off his glasses again, and let out a sigh. He didn't mean to get excited at all, but who could blame him? "God, I'm sorry. I have a motor mouth. How about you? How are you? I trust you're doing fine. How was your first day?"

 

[RiniPinja]

Skyler watched as he saw the older man open up to him. Emotions played across the man's face, and he couldn't help but sympathize. A death of a loved one? Skyler's own parents were gone when he was just a babe, but he grew up with one of the kindest old lady one could imagine. The thought of her dying was just... Skyler's mind couldn't even fathom the mere speculations.

Without the ability to truly understand, Skyler didn't know what to do to make the man feel better. What words do one say? What actions do one take? Nothing seemed good enough. So he shook his head, "No. It's okay, she sounds like a wonderful woman... A beautiful woman." He tried to smile a bit, all while imagining the son of Baxter. "If you want to keep talking about her, I don't mind... Your memories keep her alive, after all, right?" Skyler knew it was cliche, but he figured it would be appropriate. The older man seemed to want to just spill every living thought he had of her anyways.

It made him seemed loving and kind. As if the man's previous action towards Eddie was a delusion. It made Skyler doubt himself - maybe he was just over analyzing the situation at the time. He was tired from the long day of flight, and perhaps Eddie's pessimism was getting to him. Maybe the cop did nothing wrong. Maybe Skyler was just seeing things.

He rubbed his eyes a bit, feeling slightly stressed. What does one do when one can't trust their own head? They drink, that's what they do. Drink.

Skyler downed more of his own sweet wine.

"It was long, but exciting." He muttered a bit after he finished his wine. "But I liked it. I met a lot of people and they all seemed kind." He then shook his head, "But really. Don't feel bad. What was your first date with her like again?" His eyes stayed glued onto the older man, truly curious about the man's past.

 

[Dip]

Baxter looked up and smiled gently at the younger man. He really did seem a lot like his wife... well, before she died, atleast. He looked back down at the sweet mixture and back at the boy. He gently placed a hand over the other boys, and gave him a nice squeeze. "You're a nice man." He let go of the hand he held, and he took a swig at his own sweet wine.

He topped off what he had drank, and he began to speak gently about the women he had once loved. He talked about how they had met, how he had worked up the nerve to ask her out and how he had totally ruined the first and second... and third and forth date. And how he had managed to ruin the proposal and got a black eye on their wedding day, but even after all of that, they were married for years and years.

Every so often, Baxter would stop to make sure that the other was still listening, but even after his talk, he apologized for his motor mouth.

 

[RiniPinja]

Skyler was listening, but not to the words in particular. He was more in tuned to the voice that seemed to float across the room. At times, images would flash in his mind. A young, awkward, aspiring cop, trying to woo a beautiful, strong woman. How the boy kept screwing up, spilling things, dropping things, ultimately ruining the date. Yet, it ended up okay.

He couldn't help but smile at the images and the voice that stroked the inside of his ear- Woah. Stroked? Okay, well, Skyler realized that he might have drank a little bit too much wine... Maybe. Just a little.

At the end of the long story, Skyler immediately shook his head at the apology. "No!" He laughed once more, a bit giddy. From the story or from the wine? He couldn't tell. "I liked hearing you tal- I mean, I enjoy seeing you- Agh. I mean, the story!" He stumbled a bit, laughing at his own screw ups. Did he sound too weird? Did he mention something strange? Ah well, did it matter?

Skyler decided to playfully punch Baxter on the shoulder. It was a pathetic throw, and due to his intoxication, it nearly missed it's mark. Still, it made Skyler grin like an idiot. "Don't apologize for something silly!"