forum The Dreams Of The Flightless//Open!//0/0

Started December 22, 2020 by @gracehustle

tune

Icarus shifted to try and lay more comfortably.
What if he made a statue of a ‘Scere’? But the catch was the wings would move. He could invent some kind of machinery to make it look as if the statue were flying in place. A genius idea! He’d study the muscles of the wings, and it would look so life like. People would come from afar to see it.
He could even go on to make wings themselves. Studying birds was to tedious, but they’d all be a step closer to flying freely in the skies, with help of his invention. If he paired up with another artisan, he could probably get more experience and make better invention. His idea would seem so incredible and he’d have the research, everyone would be practically begging to him.
He shaped his hands to form the rough illusion of wings. He’d need to write this all down.

Tellis smiled gently to whoever he saw as he left, tucking the new supplies close to his chest as he took flight once more. It wasn't a very far walk to the healers, but he didn't have the time to walk, not if he wanted to go through with his promise of being back fast.
Touching down once more outside of the building, he pulled his wings in fully before walking inside. Stopping outside of the door to Icarus' room, he knocked gently, only entering once he had permission.
"Will this work for your drawing needs?" He asked, holding out the gathered supplies, "At least for now?"
He hadn't grabbed a very large roll of parchment, but it was plenty big to hold drawings, especially if both sides were utilized. Plus, he could always grab more later when he came back to speak with the healers. This was sure to be more than enough to keep him busy for a while.
Like usual, his wings were tucked against his back once again when he was close to the human, no more than a few glimpses of the powerful wings available.

Icarus quickly looked over the supplies Tellis had brought him.
It wasn’t the same without his tools, and the drawings might smudge a lot more, but it would work.
“Thank you for bringing this all to me,” he nodded, as if in agreement to his thoughts. “It’s a shame not to have any of my other tools … and if I could study those wings a bit closer- a bit longer. Hands on kind of things work best, though I should respect your customs …”
Icarus looked closely at the writing utensil, before making a clean stroke across the page. The line weight seemed to be much better compared to the past tools he used. Or maybe his memory was that fuzzy? Or he just needed to create so badly?
He scoured through the image he’d ingrained to his memory- Tellis stretching out his wings.
He was soon lost in thought again, putting as much detail as he could to every feather and bend. If he mastered the basic structure, and used some inferring from birds he’s studied before, his wings would be flying in no time.

(Shall we timeskip?)
"Maybe when you are healed I can show you more of my wings," He offered, looking to the human only to find that he was already more than focused on his work.
Tellis smiled and shook his head, weighing the idea of interrupting his focus or leaving silently. Interrupting seemed rude, but leaving without saying goodbye also did. So he settled for somewhere in the middle. "I'll be back tomorrow to check up on how you're doing. Until then, the healers will be here to help."
Turning with that, he walked out of the room, closing the door so Icarus could be left in silence. He wanted to stay and learn more about the male, but there were more pressing things to deal with. Like talking about Icarus' appearance on the island.
His fellow Scere would be curious, and he was too as to how he came here. And the only way to figure that out at the moment was a meeting with his fellow guardsmen and the leaders of the city and few other tiny villages on the island.

Timeskip
Tellis' meetin had good pretty much like he had guessed, as well as the rest of the day after that. The guards had been shocked to hear of Icarus' appearance, but they seemed to trust his words that the inventor wasn't a threat. For the time, it seemed he would be allowed to stay and heal. Even if the rest of the Scere weren't a fan of him, there was no way they would throw him back out into the sea without healing him first.

Ideas of questions to ask him floated through his head the rest of the day, and even plagued his dreams when night fell. Everything from human anatomy to culture was questioned in his mind, and he prepared himself to be asked the same things.

Waking up early the following morning, he started off by doing his usual scout of the island. Or, more accurately, he started by throwing on an acceptable pair of loose pants and a soft shirt, fitting for the still cool morning weather. Then, he took to his scouting, stretching his wings as he woke himself up in his usual fashion. By the time he finished, the sun was fully over the horizon, and the city below his home was bustling with morning life.

A good start to a day that he still had to discover. And to start that discovery, he was set on visiting Icarus again.

(Sorry for the wait! I needed to get in a school application.)
Icarus ached.
His neck was sore, and every inch of skin around his bandages was on fire. The kind of feeling when you stick your hand in water so cold, it feels hot.
He shifted to try and get more comfortable. Though he gave up for a few moments, letting himself conjure back the images of the wings he’d seen so far. He wished there was something he could use to add some more colour to the drawings.
He pulled out his drawings from the day before. He was still indeed here, and those drawings- and wings, did indeed happen.
He traced the curvature of the wing, and wondered when Tellis would be back.
He needed to gain his trust quickly, especially since he didn’t know if he’d be whisked away suddenly. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

(All ok!)
Landing on the ground outside of the healers, Tellis ran a hand through his hair, making sure the wind hadn't totally screwed with his hair. It wouldn't matter in the least, but he didn't want to look like he had just been through a windstorm when meeting the island's guest.

He smiled at the healer as he walked in, receiving a soft smile in return before he wandered his way to Icarus' room, knocking softly when he arrived.

Cursing under his breath, he scolded himself for not bringing breakfast along for the male, though something told him the healer would be by soon with food. It still felt rude, and to compensate for that, he waited for approval to come in before he pushed open the door and offered Icarus a tiny smile.

"I'm back, how are you feeling? Any better than yesterday?"

Icarus quickly looked up- recognizing the voice that he was starting to find more and more familiar. He soaked in a few moments, glazing over Tellis’ eyes and the bits of his wings that were visible.
“I feel like a branch about to be put in a fire. Dry and stiff, and a bit hot around the edges.” Icarus was suddenly feeling a bit smug about the analogy he just pulled off. “But I suppose your presence has improved my mood.”
He smiled lightly, before turning back to his drawings.
He spun the sheet around to face Tellis and lifted it up, “Do you think these are accurate? I’d assume you know quite a bit about how these wings work. I’m thinking some of the odds and ends are a bit stiff, but you mentioned that most wings were quite different … ? So perhaps some of this is applicable.”

He frowned at Icarus' words, much more concerned about how the human was feeling than Icarus himself seemed.

Tellis walked to his bed, hiding his concern as he studied the drawings that were shown to him. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked over the work. "That's quite accurate, though there are some issues with how you have the most innermost feathers out. Right around here. As well as the ends, but those are less noticeable," He pointed to the very base on the wings as well as the tips of them, then looked to Icarus again, "Are you in a lot of pain? Do you need anything?"

Leaning gently against the wall, he crossed his arms, tipping his head to the side in question, "I was going to see if you'd like to be moved to somewhere with a view of the city, perhaps to somewhere that you are less likely to be bothered, but if you're in pain, I'll wait."

After seeing the drawings of the wings, Tellis wanted to help him draw exactally how they would be laid out, but he kept his mouth shut. If he wanted help, most likely, he would ask for Tellis' help. Until then, he would keep his focus on keeping the guest safe as well as confortable.

(Thank you for being so understanding, and I’ll be going to sleep, so I’ll just get this in now)
Icarus nodded, soaking up every bit of feedback.
“There’s not much I can do without a reference …” he muttered.
Icarus started the next drawing, a copy of the first but with Tellis’ feedback in mind. It didn’t matter how long it’d take, or how many drawings, Icarus would make this happen.
Though … without a reference, perhaps there was another inventor or artist or painter that could help him. Did Tellis have any artistic capability? If yes, considering Tellis was currently his only acquaintance, things could work out.
He continued drawing as he spoke, eyes barely glancing up, “Regardless of how I feel, the body still will heal. Bit by bit, and many times have I suffered injury from an ambitious invention. I just need time, and maybe something to cool me off and to help soothe my skin.
“And a view of your city sounds incredible, I’d love to see more, especially since I can’t be gallivanting around. I should also mention to not be alarmed by the length of time the injury needs to fully heal, I’ll likely be scarred for life and the skin won’t settle for up to a year or more.”

Tellis nodded, pausing for a moment before suggesting, "I can speak to the healers and see what they can do for pain and the scarring." He pushed away from the wall while he continued, "Getting you moved somewhere with a view is tougher…the infirmary where you are is at the base of the city, you'll have a limited view, but you'll be on the ground and there will be healers coming in to check on you. The other option is to risk aggravating your injuries and moving you to my home. It's higher on the mountain, you'll have a clear view of the city and piece and quiet, but it's much harder to get to the ground."
Shaking out his wings, he turned to look at Icarus, finding himself caught in watching him draw. It was fascinating to watch the drawing come to life, especially as drawing was not Tellis' favorite way to create. He preferred tinkering and pottery, piecing things together without having to worry about following a written down plan.

Using his fingertips, as were the best available choice, he smudged in a bit of shadow and hatched over afterwards to try and cover the fingerprints. With a reference, he could still do better though.
He finally looked up, “I won’t be giving in so easily! I’ve barely seen anything beyond this room - if it weren’t for my stiff muscles I would’ve broken my way out already,”
Icarus laughed a bit, which ended with a wince as something brushed against his wounds from the motion. If everyone here had wings though, him breaking out would be quite the sight!
“The worst that can happen is the heat being trapped in, and you should know the healing of the mind is just as important as the physical body-“ he tapped a finger to his forehead, also imprinting a dark smudge in the process, “I’d go crazy to be stuck in here when there is so much so discover out there- but still, I’m thankful for you’re hospitality.”

(I just realized my goof when I spelled peace in my last post my gosh XD)

Tellis laughed lightly, trying to imagine Icarus sneaking out of the infirmary. He did believe that the male could do it, but it was where he would get to after it. Most Sceres would realize that he didn't have wings, and even if they didn't, it would be hard to not see how entranced Icarus would be around them.
"It's the least I can do, you're stuck here for the time being, the least I can do is offer someplace more comfortable to stay." He shrugged, taking another glance at Icarus' drawing, "I can leave you some peace to draw if you'd like, you can think over the offer to stay here or be moved, and I'll grab you some medicine to help you feel more comfortable."

(That’s happened to me more times than I can count, or just flat out skipping words xD)

Icarus nodded along with whatever Tellis said, missing some parts, slowly zoning out.
“It’d be a real help if I could get a better look at your wings though …” he said quietly.
He furrowed his brows, pushing himself further upright - he needed to get up as soon as possible. Though in his current state, he doubted he feel relieved immediately.
He flipped the scroll around to face Tellis.
“Is this more accurate now?” He took a breath before starting his ramble, “I’m filling in the gaps with what I already know about wings, but I can see there is some differences. I’m also trying to consider the size differences, and it is a bit difficult without properly understanding the texture. I know there are feathers, of course, but I know that organisms always change to better suit their environments. Also considering, as I’ve speculated, your wings will be used in everyday life, there should be a lot more muscle mass- anyways, I think these are alright for a start.”
Icarus realized soon after, he could’ve saved more of his breath, doubling over into a coughing fit. His back was ablaze again, feeling his eyes begin to water, and he tried to keep still to not rip anything.

Tellis opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Icarus' rambling. Not that he minded. He simply closed his mouth, smiled, studied the drawing and listened to the words spewing out of his mouth. All of the differences there were between his drawing and wings he had listed off, and he only had minimal suggestions to change. Most of what he had was almost spot on, and he figured letting him see his wings again would give him the extra information he needed to perfect the drawing.
"It's be-" He started, pausing in worry when Icarus started coughing. Stepping closer to the bed, he watched nervously, unsure of what could be done. "Are you alright? Do you need water?" He asked, concern lacing his tone, "I will be right back to answer your question, I think getting something for pain and something to drink is more important."
His eyes were wide and he looked as concerned as he sounded, waiting for just a few seconds before stepping away, repeating once more, "I will be right back, give me just a few minutes." Then, as quickly as he could, he turned and headed to the door, wasting no time in trying to find a healer that could get him the medicine that Icarus needed.

Icarus got a blurry glance of Tellis’ face, realizing how worried he looked. Tellis was probably in override without any experience in looking after a human before.
Icarus guessed he looked as bad as he felt too.
“I just got a bit excited is all,” he smiled bleakly. “Usually injuries get worse before they get better- some water would be good. I have no promises on staying still forever though.”
He blinked to clear his eyes, watching Tellis leave in a rush.
The edges of the scroll were a bit wrinkled and folded now - but that was nothing new to him. Some of his tears did blur a bit of his drawings though. He was greatly annoyed by liquids like this that spilled so easily and soaked through his scrolls and parchments.
He set the writing utensil and rolled the scroll down by his feet, and let himself relax as much as he could.
Using that much energy was painful, but he felt no regret. There was too much to be inspired by - no time for pain.