Nephfei Prompt: Breaking The Ice

What's got two long legs and a headful of feathers?
Sagittarius of course!

When it came to ice-breakers and mood-lifters there were few and far between that possessed the same charm and wit that Chicory exuded.  The spinxyn was an infamous face around Winglin, always ready with a smile and a prank and a plan on hand; you wouldn't find a more endearing annoyance this side of the clouds!

... Which was precisely what had Haida's tail in a knot as the rot-cursed spinx sat brooding over his teacup at Hole-in-the-Wall's coffee bar.  One careless misstep on a taunt string meant for someone else's talons and whoomf!  Suddenly he was buried under an avalanche of flower petals that had been hanging in nets from the eaves above.

The sound of howling laughter had greeted him as he rose from the floral cascade, that branch pattered idiot crowing and tooting away on a noise maker as though in celebration... though the moment they realized Haida was not the face they were expecting in the midst of the mess, they were quick to hurry over, dig him out, and pick a few stray petals out of his more exposed nooks and crannies.

"And they had the nerve to tell me I smelled better for it...." he growled under his breath, taking a long, deep pull of the bitter espresso in his cup.

The barista, a harpip that was all long legs and curious blue eyes, evidently realized something was amiss with him, putting aside the knitting he'd been fumbling with in order to slide a dainty raspberry tart on a small saucer over to Haida's side.  

"On d'house."  He said cheerfully, beaming at the questioning glare the spinxyn shot him.  "Y'look like you could use it friend, you tail's been goin tick tick since y'got ere."  He waggled a finger back and forth like a metronome to emphasize.  "Name's Legs.  You... wanna talk about what's on you mind?"

Haida watched as the harpip topped up his drink from a very charming spinx-shaped teapot, picking sullenly at the pastry's edge as he tried to think of his words through the cloud of burning shame and indignation he still felt.

"I ran into... trouble.  On the way here."  He finally growled out.  "One of the locals hit me with a prank I suppose was meant for someone else."  

He paused, making sure Legs could see exactly how disdainful he found the ordeal, but much to his surprise (and disappointment), the harpip only cocked his head curiously.

"Oho?"  There was a scrape and a scuffle as he pulled up a chair with an eager wing, seating himself across from Haida, seemingly immune to the veritable storm of anger that was brewing all around his customer.  "Were it a big one?  Somet'ing flashy n loud?"

"In a sense."  Haida grumbled.  "If you could call a ton of flowers falling on your head big."  His tail whipped back and forth behind him with an audible click and creak of straining muscle and exposed bone.

The barista chuckled.  "There are worse tings than flowers, ja?  Paint, roaches, rain, mud in you fur...  Flowers though... sounds like d'thing Chicory was workin on this mornin-"

He jumped suddenly as the spinxyn hissed at him, teeth bared across the bar.  

"Chicory!"  Haida snarled, recognizing that name.  "Yes, it was just that one!  The harpips on the street said the same thing to me when they were dusting me off, 'oh that's just Chicory you'll get used to them.'  'Oh that's just Chicory, there's nothing to worry about.'  Like this moron hadn't just buried me under... u-under..."  He trailed off in furious bewilderment at the sight of Legs shaking his head.

"This is... you first time in Winglin, ain't it?" the harpip tutted.  "Do the spinxyn not play tricks where you from?"

"Tricks!"  Haida gasped, incensed.  "Never!  The spinx of my clan are above such things and I'm a living testament as to why!"  He slapped a paw to his chest with an audible, uncomfortable squelch.  "Tricks and pranks will only cause you problems and give you curses you can't run away from!  Why, its only a matter of time before someone else gets angrier at them than I did and takes away their lungs or their face o-or something!"

Legs crossed his wings, smiling bemusedly.  "It almost sounds like you worried about em."  his voice was light and almost teasing, leaving Haida unsure whether to scream or cry in his frustration.

"I couldn't care less what that idiot gets cursed with!  Do you truly expect that the harpip around here will put up with those antics forever?  Don't you think it'd be better to stop for their own good?"  He spread his paws on the table in a rather stressed and beseeching manner, hoping that some of his philosophy would get through to the barista.

But the harpip looked down at Haida's hands, at his face, at that ticking tail still going back and forth in irritation.  He closed his eyes for a long, thoughtful moment and let out a quiet hum.

"So you sayin... you t'ink I should teach Chicory a lesson?  To stop em havin fun and playin tricks on people on they birthdays?"

The spinxyn's ears drooped.  Birthdays?  What did that have to do with any of this?  He started to have a sinking feeling upon realizing what that prank might have been for.  "Well, maybe not you specifically but yes..."

"Did you see the lil wings on their ass?"  Legs fluttered his own in mimicry.  "You know Chicory's gifted, ja?"

Haida blinked.  "I.  Didn't look..."  he cleared his throat awkwardly.  "But one gift doesn't mean they can't still suffer a curse later on-"

"I gave them those wings you know."  The harpip was frowning now, not angrily, but in a sad, disappointed way that made Haida feel like a petulant child.  "I don't know what kind of impression you were hopin to make ere... but pranksters got friends in high places, if you catch my meaning.  We're friends with the spinxyn on our clouds."

Haida shrank down in his seat under the harpip's somber gaze.  Without another word, he chugged his coffee and crammed the tasty raspberry tart into his mouth, chewing hurriedly so that he wouldn't have to stay a moment longer.  Even before he had swallowed, he was on his feet, scattering a handful of coins on the counter and choking out an "I'll be going then." as he made a shuffling dash towards the door.

He scurried down the cave-like corridor and up the cliffside steps, finally taking a moment to look back the way he had come once he reached Winglin's main streets.  He closed his eyes and gradually caught his breath, feeling the shameful heat in his cheeks simmer away to nothing, the barista's disappointed gaze finally leaving the back of his neck.

What a disaster of an afternoon!  Not only pranked but to end up complaining of his woes to the one harpip who had the pranksters back...!  Haida found a nearby bench to plop himself down on, muttering softly and thoughtfully to himself as he tried to make sense of the ordeal.

"The last thing I wanted was to give this island's residents a reason to curse me!" he ran his paws anxiously through his hair.  "And who's to say if Chicory has one friend, there aren't more harpip that will also back them up??  Haida you fool!  You've gone and insulted Winglin's honor and hospitality!  Rather than break the ice you've reinforced it!!"

He sucked in a deep breath and let it out through his nose, trying to calm the racing thoughts he was having of more curses coming to pile upon him for his sharp words.  He couldn't risk his family's honor just because of one emotional outburst!

"There's only one thing you can do to remedy this, you know."  He told himself, hopping off the bench and pacing back and forth in front of it.  "If you can prove to them you aren't their enemy then well... they won't see you as a threat and you won't be twice cursed!  The harpip are endeared by spinxyn here, eh?  Well!  I'll just have to be endearing too."

He raised his head, determination burning in his eyes.  "And I know exactly the spinx who can help me out with that!"  That no-good, pranking Chicory, the cause of all this mayhem!  Haida rubbed his paws together.  "Yes, with their help I'm sure I can set this grave disappointment right...!"

For who would know how to get on a harpip's good side better than one who was always forgiven of their tricks?  Haida set off down the streets with his bold plan in mind, searching around for the branch and leaf patterned body that he had run into that morning.

"Icebreaker round two!"  He growled to himself.  "You can fix this, Haida!"

"And this time do not mess it up!"

~ fin.