xp_logs | Nathan, Manuel and Bella, Monday morning

Bella decides she's not being left behind in her cage, and Nathan is forced to take her to his lesson with Manuel. Bird and empath get along rather well. Opera is sung. But it all goes to snarkiness in the end...

Bella had been quite clear about the fact that she was not being left in her cage this morning. The crazed shrieking and off-pitch rendition of 'O mio babbino caro' had convinced Nathan that taking the path of least resistance was probably a good idea. As soon as he'd put her on his shoulder and started downstairs, she'd stopped caterwauling and starting cooing and giggling at him. Hope Manuel doesn't have any objections to an observer this morning, he thought, reaching the door of their little classroom.

Manuel, for once, had actually beaten Nathan to the classroom - and was busy snacking on a bowl of what looked like strawberries. He didn't turn around when Nathan and Bella entered, but he did speak. "That's a very interesting emotional pattern you just walked in with, Nathan."

"Wasn't planning to bring her," Nathan admitted, coming around and sitting down in his usual chair, "but she wasn't keen on being left in the cage." Bella shifted on his shoulder as he sat down, clacking her beak. "Say hello to Manuel, Bella," he told her.

"Hello! Menno!"

Manuel looked at the bird, and said ~Hello, Bella.~ in Basque. ~You're a very pretty bird.~ His eyes glimmered just the faintest amount of red as he spoke. ~Do you like strawberries?~ he asked the bird, still in Basque. He then snagged one and held it in a bird-wards direction, mindfull of her beak and his fingers.

A little wary, Nathan held out his arm. "Step down," he told Bella, who hopped down and made a happy noise as she found herself close enough to reach out and take the strawberry delicately from Manuel, holding it in one claw and nibbling at it experimentally.

Manuel smiled at Bella. "Her feelings are very straightforward and uncomplicated. Not at all like Frank. I think reptiles have very primitive feelings or something. She's just about at the Mexican's level." he said with a smirk.

Nathan let the jibe pass. "The larger parrots have an intelligence level close to that of small children," he said, watching Bella continue to nibble at the strawberry. "And she's exceptional. Although, you know, I don't think she's ever had a strawberry before?"

"I was referring to her emotions." he said with a smile. "It's really fascinating." He held out an arm towards Bella, and unbidden, she hopped up onto his arm and ascended Mount Manuel until she got to his shoulder. "Well, I'd say she liked strawberries."

Nathan leaned back in his chair, watching the two of them closely. "She likes to eat hair," he said. "But it's an affectionate gesture."

"She won't eat mine." he said with absolute confidence. "All right, down, Bella." And the bird obediently hopped down and back onto the table. "She's very nice." he said with a grin. "A bright, sunny disposition with some very nice reddish streaks that in people would be a sense of humor."

"Species trait," Nathan said. "The sunny disposition, I mean. Most hyacinths are like that."

"Menno!" Bella volunteered.

Manuel looked at the bird. "Manuel." he clarified. He then pointed to Nathan. "Cabrón!" he said to Bella.

Bella tilted her head at him, then looked at Nathan. "Nate!" she proclaimed instead.

Manuel shook his head. "Cabrón" he said again, pointing to Nathan. "She'll get it eventually." he said to Nathan.

Bella gave something close to a chortle, bouncing up and down on the table. "Menno! Menno! Porcoddio!"

Manuel looked over at Nathan, and quirked an eyebrow. "That evil sense of humor is coming to the forefront again." he said with a smirk. "And what do -you- want, hrm?" he said towards Bella, stretching himself a little bit to feel her emotions.

"Fruuuit?" Bella said imploringly, bobbing her head at the bowl of strawberries.

Manuel smiled at Bella - not his usual unholy amusement cruel smile, but a softer, more natural one. "Sure." he said, pushing the bowl of strawberries to within Bella's reach. "Enjoy."

"Menno! Nice!" Bella started to pick through the strawberries, still making that chortling noise, and Nathan couldn't help a grin.

"I'd offer to show you how she d-a-n-c-e-s," he said wryly, "but I don't want to distract her from the strawberries."

"She d-a-n-c-e-s? You have got to be joking. Who would train a bird to d-a-n-c-e?" he said, keeping from saying the word outright. "What, does she waltz or something?"

"Dom," Nathan said simply. "And no, nothing so complex. She just capers around shrieking and having a very good time. It's actually quite cute."

"I should have known." he said with some amusement. "She's really enjoying the strawberries. I may have spoiled her for you a little."

"I'm just glad she's eating. She's been a little fussy since she got here - didn't like the plane that much."

"I noticed. She doesn't like being up in the air much - her instincts kick in, and she keeps trying to fly." he said, looking at Bella again as she devoured strawberries. "Animals are so refreshing to me. So uncomplicated."

"I suppose that makes sense," Nathan said thoughtfully, intrigued by his diagnosis of Bella's reason for disliking flying. "I'd noticed how well you got along with Frank."

"Frank's a different case. He's much slower, more instinctual in his feelings. Food, sex, warmth, maybe some itchiness as his skin sheds - those are his concerns. Bella's very different." he said, pausing to think about it for a moment.

"Have you met Sarah's puppy?" Nathan asked, wondering if this might be something that Manuel would want to explore.

Manuel shook his head. "No, and I have no real desire to. Sarah is ... uncontrolled. She wearies me."

Nathan shrugged a little. "Just thought that a dog might be an interesting point of comparison to a lizard and a bird. Empathically speaking, I mean."

"Probably, but I don't want to go into her dungeon just to say hello to a dog." he said with a shrug. "I have a hard enough time taking care of me, let alone an animal. Although Frank is good to practice on. Most stuff just sails right over his little reptilian brain."

Bella looked up suddenly and gave a very distinctive bark. Nathan grinned. "She heard us talking about dogs," he said, chuckling when she barked again.

Manuel grinned at Bella. "So what other tricks do you know, pretty lady? Can you show me?" he asked the bird.

Bella giggled and rolled over, then launched into a much more on-key version of an aria from 'La Boheme'.

Manuel quirked both his eyebrows. "La Boheme! Your bird has exceptional taste in opera. I always liked that one. I've seen it perhaps a half-dozen times or so. Always exquisite." he said with a sleepy smile of rememberance.

"She's lived all thirty-odd years of her life in Rome, and her previous owners were lifelong opera fans. She's got quite the repertoire."

Manuel ahhed. "That would explain it. Does she know any Rossini? I heard an absolutely exquisite Barber of Seville when I was seven or so. Absolutely beautiful."

"Bella," Nathan said, and the bird immediately stopped singing, giving him an inquisitive look. He hummed the first few bars of Rosina's aria from the Barber of Seville, and Bella picked it up enthusiastically.

Manuel closed his eyes and hummed along. Seems he's got excellent pitch, even when humming along with nonhumans.

Nathan watched the two of them, oddly tickled. Maybe I ought to start bringing her to class on a regular basis... Bella reached the end of the aria, giving a delighted squeal at Manuel's approving look and then going back to the bowl of strawberries.

Manuel opened his eyes and took a deep breath. "It has been far too long since I've heard any decent opera. I should see if I can get tickets to something. A pity I'd have no one to take."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Not interested in seeing if you can broaden Amanda's cultural horizons a little?"

Manuel rolled his eyes. "I know better than to even ask. And even if, for some reason, she did say yes, she doesn't have anything she'd need for a night at the opera. Her idea of getting dressed up is an unripped T-shirt and her leather pants. No, she quite clearly won't do. Perhaps Monet would deign to accompany me? Yes, that would do nicely. She could use the time away from all of this."

Nathan looked at Bella and offering his arm. She trilled at him and hopped over, leaving the strawberries behind. "I'm sure you could find someone to go with you," he said wryly.

Manuel smirked at Bella. "I'm sure that the public companies have a no-pets rule, more's the pity. And I am not in a position to buy my way in to one of the better opera-houses."

"Dom would probably go with you, next time she's back," Nathan said, not quite believing what he was saying. "She likes opera. And she can certainly look as elegant as the situation demands."

"I'm sure she can." he said with a leering grin. "And that is a distinct possiblity. The next time she is in town, I will have to inquire about her taste in music. Unfortunately, my fellow students are tin-eared Philistines, the lot of them."

"Dom likes the unusual," Nathan said as Bella hopped up to his shoulder. "Modern composers, especially. And maybe the other students just haven't had enough experience with the range of music out there?"

"Perhaps. This does not mean that they get to ruin _my_ night at the opera with their jabbering." he said firmly. "I know Alison would enjoy a night at the opera, but I think that she'd rather be seen in public with herpes than with me. Ah well."

Nathan looked up at Bella. "He's feeling sorry for himself," he informed the bird blithely.

"Silly! Menno! Pretty!"

Nathan snorted. "I wish my bird would stop hitting on people... I think she's spent too much time with Dom lately."

"I am _not_! I am merely stating facts. I can sense feelings, remember? And while I haven't seen Alison in some time, I am fairly certain her feelings have not shifted." he said with indignation. "And it's cute. She's a very pretty bird, why should she not, as you say, hit on other people?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed. "Do you want to start your lesson now, or shall I have Bella sing to you some more?"

Manuel leaned back and looked at Nathan. "You are upset with me. Why?" he asked the other man. "Because I will not whitewash how I feel and what I think?"

"Because you dwell on the fact that people don't like you yet don't seem to want to fix it."

"I could fix it with a thought, Nathan." he replied hotly. "I'm trying to not do that sort of thing anymore. And people will always dislike me, for one reason or another. Some of those are in my control, some of them are not."

"Removing the dislike and fixing a relationship are two entirely different things," Nathan said. "But there's never been much point in trying to give you advice. Shall I call Galin out so that we can get started?"

Manuel shrugged. "Your choice." he said, clearly dissatisfied with the conversation, frustrated by it, but unable to make any headway. "Might as well."