[CONSOLE] video; BACKDATED to 8 JUNE

[gistful]

[When Anton turns on the video he looks a little ruffled. His tie is gone, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, and there's blood on his vest, for the observant. His expression is flat but with an edge of exasperation, and behind him ... Behind him is Skulduggery and Erskine. They're bound together with a five-foot length of chain, Erskine with a manacle on his wrist and Skulduggery with a manacle around his neck-bones.

[Skulduggery is missing his hat, and his suit is tattered. Erskine's in obviously clean clothes, but he's missing a jacket, he's limping slightly, his arm is in a sling and he has a spray-bottle. And they're arguing. Loudly. Anton's voice is raised to be heard over them and, perhaps notably, he keeps his hands out of view of the camera.]

Let it be publicly known that these two reprobates are grounded.

[He jerks his head at them without looking around.]

If anyone sees them on the streets while Erskine, that's the ridiculously pretty one, is not wearing a dog-collar, please punch them both and return them to the Midnight Hotel. If anyone finds them not in the company of each other, please, again, punch them and return them to the Midnight Hotel.

Rest assured that the damages they caused will be repaired at their expense and any loss of revenue reimbursed. We'll be by in the next few days to arrange this.

[Pause.]

Ah. Yes. Skulduggery, that's the idiot who's forgotten his skin, has lost his hat privileges. No hats for Skulduggery. Thank you.

[This broadcast is also available as action, for those staying at the Midnight Hotel.]

Comments

as much as having a leg snapped off? /whistles innocently

[edgeoftheknife]

[Erskine's face screws up in a bemused smirk as he watches the little bird go to work on the chain.]

Smart little thing, isn't it?

[He hesitates, then looks up at Skulduggery and gives a small smile.]

D'you think Shudder would believe us if we told him a bird set us free?

Re: as much as having a leg snapped off? /whistles innocently

[akito]

[ don't mind him he's just going to keep getting pissy at this chain. he may or may not say 'fuck!' once or twice. ]

-_-

[skeletonenigma]

Oh, yes. Too smart for its own good.

[And no, Ravel isn't going to get to hear the story behind that.

The question comes as a surprise. Not because of the content, but because it's said halfway amicably. Skulduggery tilts his head toward Ravel and doesn't say anything for several moments.]

No. Probably not.

[edgeoftheknife]

[He's almost too amused by the cursing bird to get really worried about that silence from Skulduggery. Almost. The smile slips and his face shuts down again; the expressions are all there in the right places at the right times, but there's very little actual feeling behind them.]

Right, I didn't think so. Any idea where this little one came from?

pssh no such thing as 'too smart'

[akito]

[ bird continues assaulting the chain with tiny peeps and pecks and chittered grumbling for a while longer, right until that change in the man he's perched on happens. Bird can't tell what's wrong - just that something isn't right. Akito gets like that sometimes too, and Bird does his best to fix it. So he'll try to fix this person too.

Have some mutilated mashup of a couple of Beatles songs: melody spot on and mixed well, but only a few words out of every bar being decipherable and/or accurate.

Fluff fluff chi-chirp. Pi-peep. Waggles his tail in invitation to cheer the fuck up, man. ]

[skeletonenigma]

Where it came from? No. But it belongs to Akito, if you've met him.

[Skulduggery doesn't feel inclined to explain any further. The Beatles music doesn't help his mood, either, though he doesn't do anything to stop it; he just shifts a little further away and looks up at the ceiling.]

[edgeoftheknife]

Ah, yes. The one who told me I wasn't getting enough beauty sleep, and prompted Anton to call me a dick. How could I possibly forget.

[However pained the situation with Skulduggery is, Erskine really is amused by the singing. He chuckles as he raises the bird to eye level again.]

Do you take requests? Don't peck me for this, but I preferred the Stones.

ravel u know u loved it. also phone didn't inform me of this tag how dare..

[akito]

[ a head-tilt of utmost confusion, because for as smart as Bird is, he doesn't understand that much. Most of his understanding comes from tone and body language which is why he understands his mama Akito's chatter the best.

A confused chirp. ]

No habla Español.

[ ...another one of Agito's jokes. But it gets the message across, at least!

Perhaps if you prompt him with a song he'll finish it for you, given that he seems to know songs from that era quite well. ]

[skeletonenigma]

Don't bother. Whatever translates the kedanese language for us doesn't seem to work on that bird.

['Bird' is said with just the slightest hint of a tone someone might use to describe a cockroach.]