A New Friend

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    The morning sun had begun to rise, painting the sky in gold. Each cloud dripped it's beautiful luster, while the grassy fields outside the country home shimmered with fresh dew. A cool mist hovered over the land, giving it a mystical aura. The silence didn't last for long as a low rumble grew, a small scooter closing in from the distance. Quieting slightly, the machine slowed, turning down a pathway and turning again to round the corner of the home. A tired blond pilot hummed and drove down a small runway, peeling back into a large barn that'd been converted into a hanger. Finally, the engine cut, and the world was silent yet again. 

    A sigh escaped his lips as a gloved hand popped the pilot's goggles up back onto his forehead. With tired gray eyes and a soft smile, he climbed off to scooter and turned back towards the rear compartment towards the sleeping passenger. A small, fluffy little friend. Careful not to disturb the kitten's rest, the young man slid his gloved hands under the pile of blankets and pillows and hefted it up, carrying it in his arms. 

    "There we go, little one." He whispered, trudging past a sleek, one manned flying machine and the various replacement parts that had been neatly stowed away. From up above a pair of avian eyes glowered menacingly down at the young man and his package, as though accusatory. 

    "Sorry I took a while, Ava." The young man whispered, still careful not to wake the kitten. "But look, we have a new family member." 

    The falcon puffed her feathers, indignant as she twisted her head away from Cayde. A small chuckled was Cayde's only response. Well, that's a better reaction than I expected. There were many different worries that had crossed Cayde's mind as he drove home. Ava screeching angrily, or attacking him or the kitten. The specific worries certainly were towards the kitten. The young man had seen that bird vivisect many a small, furry creature, and though he'd never seen her go after dogs or cats- no telling how the falcon would react to a newcomer in her territory. 

    Maybe she was more forgiving because of how tired Cayde looked? Nah, no way the bird was that merciful.
    
    Exhausted, tired, and running on fumes, the young pilot didn't follow the train of thought much further. He was barely even able to do so if he wanted to. Sure, he'd pulled all-nighters before working on projects, but he'd always crashed hard after he was done. And, if you really wanted to get into the nitty gritty here, Cayde had technically been up more than just a single day. Probably somewhere near a day and a quarter or a day and a half. That's what happens when you take jobs that practically run you through a twenty-four hour loop back and forth. 

    Ava watched from her perch as the courier sluggishly trudged up the front steps, fumbled with the doorknob, and dragged himself through the entrance to the home. The young pilot's energy stores were being run dry. The boy didn't even take the time to make sure his boots were left in a neat set up like normal. Just closed the door, kicked them into a corner, and went about his morning. Cayde set the kitten and her giant mass of blankets and pillows down on the couch, right infront of the television and under a nice, warm ray of sunshine to keep her nice and warm as she slept. 

    The sound of fluttering feathers came from upstairs, and continued in short spurts as Ava hopped her way down to watch as Cayde set up a small food and water dish for the cat, and practically stumbled up the steps, finally collapsing into bed. He didn't even undress, the second Cayde's face hit the pillow- he was out. 

    Ava's critical gaze went from watching upstairs, to the couch. Another sound of fluttering as the falcon landed on the back of the couch and inspected the small fuzz-bean with disgusted apprehension. She could kill this thing right now. Hide the body. Cayde would be none the wiser. But Cayde would be so heartbroken... With mighty reluctance, the falcon allowed the kitten's presence for the time being, and instead flew over towards where the food had been set up. Some spiced meats alongside water. Well, it was better than kibble, but there was no doubt that the tiny fiend would need something more substantial later. With a huff of air, the falcon rolled her eyes and flew out the window to find said thing.

[Ari]

A long night's drive finally came to an end as Cayde and Nova arrived at Cayde's home in the Periphery. Cayde carried the feline shapeshifter into his home, placing her onto the couch, before he himself went to his own room to embrace slumber.

Half an hour after their arrival, Nova awakens to her new home.



Sharp, light pink eyes slowly opened as the small feline stretched out on her pillow, a yawn escaping from her mouth. She shook off the remainders of her slumber before she took a good look at her environment. Huh, must be her 'new home', already looking better than her old residence but that's not a shocker.

Leaping down onto the floor below, she landed with a stumble on her paws before sniffing the floor as she explored this new domain. Her first encounter was the giant box before her that produced sound and pictures. What was this strange object; it’s so vibrant and loud!

Soon enough, after inspecting the strange loud and colorful box Nova grew bored and continued her exploration of Cayde’s house.
She was making her way towards the bowl that was placed on the floor, curious as to what it held. Little paws made their way to the bowl that had some meat with another bowl of water beside it. Taking a sniff of the meat, noting that it held some sort of spice to it, she began to chow down on the provided meal, taking breaks to drink water.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Sleeping soundly upstairs, the young pilot remained blissfully unaware of what was going on downstairs. Meanwhile, outside, fully awake, a grumpy falcon would reluctantly hunt for more than just herself this time around. Sharp eyes scanned the ground below, gliding above silently, only flapping her wings when Ava needed to ensure she was kept aloft. A plump, juicy rabbit was a tantalizing piece of prey, but it was far too large for such a small clump of fur. Speaking of that little fuzz ball, how could Cayde bring such a thing into their home? The boy had her for goodness sake! A puff of air escaped her nostrils, venting her annoyance. 

    The young pilot could never help himself when he thought something needed his help or attention it seemed. It served as both a strength and weakness, Ava supposed. A few songbirds chirped their little songs, and Ava briefly considered snagging one of them up. But they were too annoying to catch, and the falcon didn't want to waste too much energy on some furry bean. 

    A squirrel however... now that would do nicely.

    The falcon tucked her wings and began her dive, rocketing down towards the unsuspecting rodent, claws outstretched until-

    Cayde snorted in his sleep, leg twitching a bit as he stretched and rolled back over onto his side. In his dreams, the young man had the power to touch the sky of his own free will. Unbound by heavy machinery. Undaunted by the world below. Fingers free of gloves reached out towards the clouds and slid through them. The sky was his domain. A smile formed upon the couriers lips  as he slept soundly. 

    Ava meanwhile fluttered back up into the sky, which had always been her domain ever since she could remember. A dead squirrel, still swarm, hung in her talons. It was time to head back. Might as well make sure the stupid kitten had a good meal.

[Ari]

Nova

Peering back up towards the upstairs, the kitten's ears perked up, listening in for her new owner. Not hearing any sort of sound whatsoever, a grin formed on her muzzle and she transformed back into her human form. Stretching out any kinks, the sneaky shapeshifter shook herself off to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling of changing back into a human, then she made her way towards the kitchen.
Sure the meat that was given to her was okay for a tiny kitten, but since she's just a human that can turn into a cat she's gonna need more than that meager amount, which is why she's gonna raid the fridge for more food. Since she doesn't want to get found out right away, she's gonna take juuuust enough to fill her up.

Entering the kitchen and somewhat admiring just how comfy and clean this house was, she opened the fridge and began looking through it, sniffing out for anything good. Ooh, was that turkey she smelled?
That blond guy was knocked the fuck out so she wasn't too concerned with being found out in her human form.
If only she knew about the other inhabitant in the household. 

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    A sudden loud flutter of wings would pierce the air, interrupting the "kitten's" attempts at sneaking. Up on the window sill a falcon carrying a dead squirrel perched herself staring at the newcomer. Ava's first thought was that the young girl was an intruder, but the eyes were a very familiar color. Not to mention coincidentally there was a surprising lack of cats inside the house. The bird didn't let the shock get to her too much, as a new opportunity presented itself. 

    With a puff of her chest, the peregrine falcon inhaled deeply... and let out an ear piercing assortment of shrieks and screeches. Following the sounds of alarm, from up above a loud thud shook the house. As planned, when the startlingly loud screeching started, Cayde bolted upright and fell out of bed in a dazed panic. The stumbling and staggering could be heard (and felt) through the home as the young pilot practically fell down the stairs in a panic. With a large wrench in hand, the blond haired courier tripped down the last couple steps, then bolted upright frantically. "Ava what's-!?" 

    Cayde didn't finish his sentence. Grey eyes just struggled to take in the sight of a full grown child raiding his fridge. If birds could smile, Ava would be sneering at Nova, but regardless the bird looked smug all the same. No need to worry about having to get rid of a cat when Cayde could just kick them out all the same. All he had to do was say the word. 

    "What...?" No not that word. 
    
    Dumbfounded, sleep deprived, and wildly confused, Cayde wondered if he was still asleep and this was all part of a dream. To answer that question he pinched himself. Yelped. Pinched himself again to make sure. Yelped again, and determined he was, indeed, not dreaming. Which just left more questions than they answered. Like; Did I just kidnap a child on accident? Although he doubted a kid with a family or a home would still come with Cayde. But wait, kid's are stupid! Cayde hesitated and pointed at Nova.

    "I didn't just kidnap you, did I?" Now Ava looked dumbfounded. The young man was just trying to come to terms with the fact that the kitten he brought home wasn't actually a kitten. This wasn't exactly what the young courier signed up for when he thought of helping a poor little stray. "Wait why didn't you transform sooner?

[Ari]

Nova

One moment she was minding her own business, next thing she knew was the sound of screeching. Yelping at the sound of the screech, she banged her head inside the fridge whilst she was scrambling to get out. Before she could transform back and appear innocent, the young man was already downstairs, having awoken from the abrupt screech from the smug avian.
'Crap, the jig's up...' The feline shapeshifter groaned to herself, glaring up at the Peregrine falcon that looked too smug for her liking. Stupid flying rat..

Hearing the young man address her in confusion, asking his mundane questions, she swallowed the turkey slice in her mouth before responding, "Now wouldn't a kidnapped person be trying to leave their kidnapper? Clearly I'm here of my own accord." Kicking the fridge closed behind her, the small girl crossed her arms, pouting up at the older male.
"And as to why I didn't transform back sooner, well it wouldn't do to get caught early on. And it almost worked if it weren't for the little birdy over there!" She hissed in Ava's direction, her pupils sharpening into a slit.
Scuffing her foot onto the floor, she grumbled, "Besides, it's not as if I was gonna do anything bad.. Just wanted to eat a little more.."

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Oh." Behind those tired grey eyes, a loading screen popped up as the information processed. This was a bit much to take in right now, so Cayde tried his best to take it step by step. On the window sill, Ava looked smugly down at Nova as she hissed at the falcon. Cayde's voice didn't change a whole lot when it finally broke the silence again. "Oh. Ok. Hm."

    "I don't exactly like being lied to a whole lot, and I don't know how I feel about having a child in my house..." The fingers wandered up to massage a temple. Ava beamed as though some silent victory had be attained. "...but-" Ava immediately began to glare. "-I can just throw a child out into the wilderness to wander and starve on her own. Even if I took you back to Avalon, I wouldn't feel right just leaving you on the street." 

    Ava deflated as her ego took a massive hit. 

    Stepping around the girl, the young pilot pushed to the fridge and pulled out some uncooked meat and a few eggs, taking it all to the stove. The young man seemed as though he was in a daze as he put a pan on and began frying it all up. On the side, he mixed together a bit of batter, and once the eggs and fried meat were done he poured the mixture into three disks. "Take a seat at the kitchen table, it'll all be done soon. I don't remember if I told you my name yet, but it's Cayde. Cayde Larris."

    His mouth opened wide as a loud yawn escaped. His feathered friend, seeming annoyed at how this was turning out for her, grumpily flew off to eat the squirrel herself. When the meal was finished, Cayde slathered the pancakes with butter and drenched them with syrup, giving a small smile when he placed the whole affair infront of the young girl. 

    "Alright, I've made my decision. I'll let you stay here, on the condition that you become my apprentice. Food doesn't come cheap you know." The young pilot seemed to beam at that idea. "You'll be my courier apprentice. I'll teach you how to make deliveries, and maybe even pass on some of my mechanical prowess down to you as well. Plus, it'll all be a good way to give you something to do, make your own money."

    Continuing to rub his chin, the young man mulled it all over, making a few small 'hmm's' and hums as he thought it all over. "Right, so this is how we'll do it. On solo deliveries, you'll take seventy-five and I'll take twenty-five towards room and board. For deliveries we do together, you'll get fifty, I get fifty. I feel like that might be a fair deal, wouldn't you say?"

[Ari]

Nova

She gave the blond a wary glance at the fact that he told her to take a seat at the table, but followed instructions anyway. Climbing onto the cushioned seat, she sat there swinging her legs back and forth. She was somewhat confused, he wasn't gonna kick her to the curb? He was just gonna accept the fact that she lied and tried to sneak some of his food?
The room was silent as the young man began to pull out food and ingredients from the fridge, setting them upon his counter as he began to cook. Huh, he's still gonna feed her despite her deceitfulness? Either this guy was trying to lull her into a false sense of security or he's a bigger dolt than she thought.

As she continued to try and figure out what Cayde was planning, the scent of cooked food wafted through the air, causing her mouth to water a tad and her nose to sniff the air. She could smell meat and eggs, but she could kinda see that he was cooking something else as well. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the falcon was going off to sulk and gulp down her recent kill. Hmph, serves that feathered rat right, thinking that she could try and turn the blond male against her. Sure Nova wasn't expecting to be discovered so early, but so far nothing bad has happened.
She was brought out of her thoughts when a plate of food was placed before her. Looking up to see a warm smile directed towards her, she took that as incentive to chow down.

She sniffed at the fluffy, golden disks that were on the plate, confused as to what it was. She also wasn't sure about the somewhat thick liquid that was drizzled upon them, but she inwardly shrugged and took a bite out of the fluffy food.

...
"Holy crap..." She whispered to herself, in awe of how delicious and soft the golden disk was. She immediately took another bite from the provided meal, this one more larger and ravenous. Jeez, for someone so tiny, she sure was chowing down as if she hasn't eaten in forever. Oh wait..
Just as she ate, her ears perked up at hearing the young man speak to her. Oh so his name's Cayde, good she was tired of calling him blonde guy. She almost choked on her meal at hearing that he was not only gonna offer her an apprenticeship, but he was gonna give her 75% of the cut for when she worked alone and 50% for when they worked together. 
Swallowing her food, she glared up at him, still not believing that he was offering her this much.
"That's it? That's all I have to do to stay here? Seems too... simple."

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Watch your language." He stated gently, letting out another loud yawn. The young man scratched his head, the hair looking a bit more wild now that it was set free from his cap. Though that might have just been bedhead. "And I mean, there's standard ground rules. Behave yourself, no stealing anything, don't stay up too late, brush your teeth, don't forget to wash behind the ears, etc. I'll probably make up a list of chores as well, so you're not sitting on your butt being lazy. If you have any magic, I'll set aside some time so you can go out and practice but just don't destroy the house or property while doing so." 

    "We'll probably have to teach you how to ride a bike as well... hm. Going to have to get you a helmet for that." Once she learns how to ride a bike I could probably teach her how to drive the scooter. It'll be expensive but I can build another one for her. Cayde zoned out as he thought, almost nodding back off. It really hadn't been all too long since he'd passed out, so he was still violently exhausted. Snapping out of it was no easy feet, but when the young man did, he tried his best to keep it at bay for the time being. Getting a bit ahead of myself with those plans, we'll have to see how it all works out first. Regardless...

    Cayde smiled a bit as he watched her expressions. The kid could really put it away. Still, he could tell what was on her mind. "There's no secret catch or anything to all this. Leaving a kid to die just isn't something that's on my agenda and a lot of the orphanages around here aren't the safest or most sanitary places. I suppose I could try the places in Avalon but I could also use a pair of hands around here. As word gets around more and more I get more and more courier jobs. Simply put I can't take em all on my own. Eventually I'd have to take an apprentice or two anyways. 'Sides, it's always nice having a new friend around."  
   
    With a stretch, the young man stood up and began walking back towards the stairs. The pilot couldn't hold it back anymore. He was absolutely exhausted and he couldn't stay away from his bed any longer. These shenanigans were keeping him up and he hoped that wouldn't become a new trend or something.

    "You can stay in my sister's old room, it's up here to the immediate left. We'll see about furnishing it with stuff for you later. All the books she's got are yours to read through though so have fun with that." I'm gonna have to see about enrolling her in a school too... that's gonna be a hassle. Well... we can figure it all out after I  wake up. The young man finally vanished up into the attic, his domain.
    
    Silence returned to the home. 
    
    At least until he popped his head back down and yelled out. "You never told me your name by the way." 
    

[Ari]

Nova

She squinted at him that was supposed to look like she was searching his soul, but with her puffed out cheeks that were filled with food she just looked silly. But she could tell that he was genuine, so she decided to drop her protests. She listened as he listed out what he expected of her, which didn't seem too complicated. She could deal with doing chores and whatnot, and getting the chance to practice some of her magic ain't too shabby!
She grimaced when hearing about the state of the orphanages, not disagreeing with him about that. She's heard about the horrors of orphanages from various other young street rats and let's just say she's glad she never got caught by anyone who could send her there.

Her eyebrows shot up when hearing his plan for having more apprentices for his job, "Huh, alright then. I won't let ya down then boss." She watched as he made his way back up to the stairs to go back to sleep, before he stopped and asked for her name, "Oh, it's Nova!" She called back, then turned back to her somewhat cool food going back to eating it. 
As she polished off her plate she went over the events that went down all in a span of a day. She goes from a feline shapeshifting thief that has trouble getting food to being accidentally adopted and getting a bunch of food.
She even apparently gets to have her own room! With her own stuff! 

...Did Cayde say something about books? Ooh, she doesn't know how to read! I mean, she knows how to read some words, but she didn't exactly get the opportunity to learn ABC's and stuff like that. She only knows what she's heard and learned on the street. She'll probably have to tell Cayde, hopefully he doesn't try and enroll her into some school.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Well, Nova, feel free to make yourself at home. Just make sure that you clean up any messes you make, alright?" The pilot's head finally vanished back up into the attic after giving a smile. Out of view, Cayde shambled towards his bed like a zombie. His battery was drained and the poor courier was running off of fumes. As he hurled himself towards the soft, gentle ocean of blankets, the boy's mind was completely blank. 

    He was asleep before he even hit the covers. 

    Now Nova was left all alone to her devices within the home. Which... was honestly pretty cozy. Most of the floors were deep, rich hardwood, with rugs placed in certain spots like underneath the kitchen table. The walls were also wooden, but more a lighter, more caramel colored oak. The pantry was loaded, and up next to the sink, set right before a window was a vast array of different cooking utensils, herbs, and seasonings.

    The stairs and front door could be seen from the kitchen, as well as an entryway into the living room where Nova had woken up. The carpet of that room was soft and cream colored. One couch was set parallel to the entryway, while it's compatriot was perpendicular, both set around a square coffee table. The television and it's stand sat opposite, also in front of a window. Next to it sat a shelf, loaded with movies and show boxes. Both couches were colored maroon and had knitted blankets thrown over the back, as well as couch pillows on both arms. Accessed either through another entryway in the living room or the hallway was the family room, which was devoid of a television. 

    Its colors were darker, richer. The carpet was a deep maroon, while the couch and chair were a brown that bordered on black. An unlit fireplace had a few pictures placed upon it's top, while more surrounded the walls. At least, the ones that were devoid of books. Shelves and bookcases had been set around, and were packed full of different novels, organized alphabetically. A few shelves had been set up for children's novels and books to help practice spelling and reading. Obviously unused for a long while, but still kept in good condition. A large family painting showed a family of four (five if you counted Ava). A younger Cayde with his trademark smile and a pair of oversized pilots goggles on his head, next to a younger girl who had a stern expression. A bow was in her long black hair, bangs trimmed out of her grey eyes. They were colder than Cayde's, like they were fashioned from steel. 

    Behind them were two adults, the parents. A warm looking woman with calm grey eyes peered out from beneath golden blond hair, curled and going well past her shoulders. At her side, with his hand around her shoulders was a man with wild black hair, Rounded spectacles sat upon the bridge of his nose and a gentle smile tugged at his features. All of them wore some variation of 'fancy' clothing, but fancy for the more middle class household, instead of blatantly rich and showing it all off type fancy. A smaller falcon was perched upon the shoulder of the young blonde, eyes wide. Even through the painting, they radiated curiosity. 

    Back into the hallway, there were three doors. Two on the kitchen's side, and one under the stairs. The one below the stairs led to the cellar, while the two by the kitchen led to the the bathroom and study, in order from which was closest to the kitchen itself. The bathroom was of little note, a toilet, a sink, a window. No shower meant that there was another bathroom likely set somewhere else for that sake. The study meanwhile was filled full of hundred more books. Each wall was full of them, save for the one behind a grand, deeply rich and dark colored desk. The floor beneath was hardwood, lacking a carpet, and beside a globe to the immediate right was a grand chair with gold metal accenting it's deep maroon cushions. Though, on closer inspection the gold wasn't actually real, just simply colored to look that way. The globe, could be popped open, but nothing was currently held within. The room hadn't been used in a long while, but it was still kept free of dust and all the books were kept in perfect condition. 

    The final door led down into the aforementioned cellar. A small "hall" split towards two doors. One led to a lovely furnished game room, complete with a pool table, all shelves filled with board games of some type. The other was a sort of workshop it seemed. Many different pieces and parts were stowed away, though most of the tools seemed to be missing. Additionally, in a corner was a washing machine, next to a dryer. Thankfully, it seemed like there weren't much in the ways of creepy crawlies down there to be worried about. 

    The final trip was upstairs. From the front door, the stairs led up halfway, then split at a ninety degree angle and continued up. A balcony overlooked the front door and kitchen, but behind it was a long hall with four doors and a set of stairs set in back leading up to Cayde's attic room. On the immediate left was Cayde's sister's old room, just as he'd said. It lacked everything that used to be there, save for a small desk, a stocked book shelf, and a queen sized bed. Though, aside from the sheets, the bed was bare. Good thing they'd bout blankets and pillows already. The window overlooked the nearby barn. Like the hallway outside, the room was carpeted, and was colored a tan, almost soft peach color, while the walls were cream-white. 

    The door across the way led to a room that appeared to have once been a bedroom, but no longer served it's purpose. Now the only thing in it was a bookshelf and a small desk. It's window overlooked the path towards the home and the forest behind it. This room's neighbor was a grand bedroom with a king sized bed, a large desk, a bookshelf, and many different paintings. The bed, and room itself for that matter, hadn't seen occupation in a long time, but it too was kept dust free and clean. Finally, across the way was the upstairs bathroom, where the shower could be found. Next to the entry door, to the left, was a towel closet. The shower itself was a tub-shower mix, so both baths and showers could be had within. It was surprisingly large, all things considered. Hell, a kid could swim in it like a kiddy pool if the tub was filled enough. 

    Back into the hallway, upon closer inspection of the stairs that led up to Cayde's attic, it would become apparent that they were a more recent addition and hadn't actually been built with the house. But, even from below the vast spaciousness of Cayde's room could be observed. A few of his hanging flying machine models could even be spotted. The reason why he'd moved there instead of the room below was pretty obvious now. 

    So, with the tour over, the day progressed as normal. When Ava popped in, she didn't seem too happy, but at least she accepted Nova's presence. A little after noon, Cayde finally awoke and groggily propped himself up out of bed. The young man still seemed dazed, but as he stood, the remnants of sleep all but shook off of him. Gathering a change of clothes, he made his way to the bathroom below and freshened up with a shower, cleaned his teeth, and changed into a new set. Though, it wouldn't exactly become apparent as he just wound up throwing on his bomber jacket, gloves, and hat anyways. 

    When he made his way downstairs, Cayde yawned and gave a casual "Mornin'" to Ava and Nova (if she was around), and set to work making himself breakfast-lunch. Course, his new apprentice would likely need a homemade meal as well, so he whipped something up for her as well. Two sandwiches- blt's- and hash browns. A mediator between breakfast and lunch with all the potatoey goodness of fries.

    Cayde didn't sit at the table though, after whipping up a plate for Nova, he was out the door, putting on his boots as he went. It was honestly a surprising display of balance, dude didn't even lose a single hash. Ava seemed unfazed by this display, meaning it was a pretty normal occurrence. 
    
    The weather outside was bright, warm, and filled the young pilot with purpose as he went to the barn-hanger, working as he ate, setting to work taking care of maintenance on his flying machine. One hand for food, one hand for he mess. When two were needed, Cayde put the sandwich down and set to work, and handled his food without the gloves only when he was done. The guy was on autopilot now, no pun intended. So, all in all, just another day for the young man, Nova or no Nova.

[Ari]

Nova

After placing her dirty dish in the sink and running hot water over it to get rid of the grime, she looked around the house to see what she could do. Hmm, well she could check out her 'new' room and assess it. With that thought in mind, the former orphan made her way to the stairs to climb towards the second floor to explore. As she passed through the living room, she marveled at at decor of the living room, despite the fact at knowing next to nothing about interior design she could still appreciate the comfort it had. As she passed by the fireplace she noticed the picture of what appeared to be Cayde's family, she recognized Cayde and the falcon, albeit they were obviously younger in the photo, but her eyes drank in the appearances of the other three.
So that's what having a family is like? She looked at their expressions of pure happiness and felt a small feeling of envy fester in the pit of her stomach. So that's what a happy family looks like?

Shaking her head to get rid of the feeling of jealousy, she continued her trek towards the second floor, climbing flight of stairs and being confronted with a hallway and four doors. Now Cayde said that her room was the door on the left side, right? Walking towards the doors on the left, she opened the door closest to the stairs, peeking inside. 
Aha! She picked correctly, entering the room and shutting the door behind her, she spun slowly, taking in the room. Simple enough, it had a bed, bookshelf stuffed with books of all types, and a desk. It lacked anything personal, making it a good starting point for when she redesigned it with her own personal touches. 
Rushing over to the bed, she sprung towards it, landing face first into the plush sheets. The moment her body registered the soft comfort the sheets gave she relaxed and melted into the sheets.

Next thing she knew she embraced the realm of sleep as her mind dreamt of pilots and flight.

The next time she awoke, it was afternoon and the house was somewhat silent. She rubbed the grit from her eyes as she blearily looked around, trying to recollect what just happened.
...
Oh! Right she's in her new room in her new home. So that wasn't just a figment of her imagination, everything from being picked up by a delivery guy to getting her own room just happened. Cool.
She climbed down from her bed, looking over at the bookshelf. Might as well look at the collection of books to see what might catch her interest. Scanning over the various book titles, her eyes stopped on a green colored spine as she sounded out the title, "'Y-You Hafta Stop Dis'... hmm, may as well give this a shot." Shrugging to herself, she pulled the book from its spot on the shelf, and carried it with her downstairs. 
She hopped down each step until she reached the first floor, casually tossing the book onto the couch for the time being whilst she went into the kitchen. Oh lookie here, there was already a plate of food for her. A sandwich no less!
Grabbing the plate from its place on the table, she carried it into the living room, careful to not drop it or make a mess. Plopping down onto the sofa, she picked up the book and opened up to the first chapter and began to try to make sense of the words on the page, occasionally stopping to take bites from her sandwich.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   Cayde sighed and pulled a wrench back from the engine block. Everything seemed like it was coming together nicely. The sound of fluttering feathers up above caught his attention/ Up above, Ava watched the young pilot work, diligent as ever. Cayde smiled up at the falcon and whistled, holding his arm up for her to land on. However, the bird huffed and turned her head away. A laugh escaped the young man's lips. 

    "Oh well, I'll just leave you to mope I suppose." The falcon puffed up and let out a short screech in response. The pilot only laughed and buried his arms back into the air-frame. After a few minutes, Cayde let out a small 'tsk' noise. With a sigh he wiped the grease off his gloves best he could and turned back towards the house, trudging over and popping the door open. Thankfully, the new tenant was up and about which was exactly what he needed. 

    "Ah, Nova, there you are. I need your help out in the barn. I'd appreciate if you pop on out as soon as you can." The young man offered the girl a warm smile and shut the door behind him as he returned to his flying machine. Ava had popped down onto the work table, one talon pushing and tugging at a wrench, sliding it ever so slightly. Cayde chuckled and gave the back of her head a gentle scritch. As upset as the bird was acting, she couldn't resist the scritches. The tension faded and the feathered companion let out an array of contented chittering. The boy smiled and pulled away- to the many protests of the falcon- and returned to his maintenance. Cayde tossed a glance back at Ava and gave a teasing smirk. "Oh now you want my attention." 

    Ava puffed up and turned away indignantly. 

    Cayde grunted as he made sure everything was in proper order. He'd taken a lot of the lessons he'd learned after his run in with Miss Windess, and now he was certain he was ready to fly without any failures. By himself, the maintenance might take a few hours, burn daylight. Cayde would have to wait until the next day at that point. However, the young would-be pilot remembered that he had another set of hands finally, which would make this process significantly easier. 

    It was worthwhile taking an apprentice after all.

[Ari]

Nova

Looking up from her reading, she watched as Cayde asked her to come help him outside. Shrugging and putting her book down on the couch, she got off from her spot on the couch and followed after Cayde outside. Her bare feet was soothed by the cool ground, the only sounds heard was the pitter-patter of her footsteps and the sound of Cayde working on something. 
Soon enough her feet lead her to the front of the barn looking structure, the large door raised up high revealing Cayde inside along with the Peregrine falcon. He was working on some sort of... what the hell even was that??
Nova walked inside the barn, her eyes darting around the whole room before her feet stopped besides Cayde. She stood there silent for a moment, just content in watching him work on his machine, before clearing her throat to announce her presence. 
"You need me for something? And what is that thing you're workin' on?" Curiosity filled her entire being as she rocked on her heels waiting for a response.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   Grey eyes were filled with a hyper-focused determination. The room was less a barn and more of a workshop. Some chains held up pieces of machinery bigger than Nova, and the walls were mounted with different propellers. Some old and broken from crashes long past, some in wildly different styles than the one currently on the flying machine. The flying machine was rugged looking, more angular  than it was smooth. It was tough. The air-frame was scarred on the bottom, but most dents were smoothed out as best they could be. Set behind the popped up engine cowling, painted in bold and flowing writing, was the name The Mako. 

    While Ava perked up at Nova's presence, the pilot didn't seem to realize it until she made herself known. Cayde bumped his head slightly on the cowling as he popped up, causing him to wince as he turned around towards his apprentice. A beaming smile graced his features and made his eyes shimmer. "Oh good! You didn't take much time at all. Do me a favor and grab the toolbox on the work bench by Ava,- Ava no biting- bring it over, and grab me out the tool with B-10 labeled on it."

    The tool box was... quite large, filled with large wrenches, hammers, mallets, etc. etc. B-10, meanwhile was a socket wrench of decent size. When the box was lifted by the handles, it was actually a bit more wieldy than it looked. Still heavy, but not so much that a fourteen year old would break their back if they lifted the thing. 

    "While your over there grab the lamp, I could use some light in here." The lamp in question was easily noticed hanging off the side of the worktable. It was electric and even had an extendable rod attachment on it that clicked and locked into different positions. Obviously so it could reach deeper into the air frame, but certainly would help a shorter individual like Nova reach it in as well. 

    "As far as what this is." Cayde grunted, finishing the tightening of one final bolt. "This is The Mako, and she's my flying machine. Heh, if you help me get her running fast enough, you might just get a chance to see her in action. Consider that a bit of motivation, eh Nova?" 

    A laugh as smooth as honey and bright as sunshine escaped his lips and filled the air. "It's always been my dream to fly in the sky, but I don't have magic of my own. For some reason, I'm unable to learn either. I'm just particularly magickless.  So this baby here is my ticket to following my dreams. She works too. I've figure out every kink now, all I have left to do is finish the final maintenance and she'll be ready for her first, real, uninterrupted flight." 

    Cayde pulled back and rubbed his brow. His eyes shimmered in a way that simply couldn't be matched. It was a pure sensation that filled his heart. A simple dream. A simple drive. And yet, for his eyes only, this dream was his world.