Offerings and Homages {Iago}

[Andrina]

One of the things Andrina loved most about her chosen resort, other than being near some form of water, was that it also jutted up to many beaches where kids would play. She would often just sit and watch, as well as watching the lake, and sometime join them in their sand castle building. There were plenty of pools around the resort also, and the kids had enticed her into them a few times, making that bathing suit shopping trip with Morgan actually more useful than the girl might have otherwise guessed, but there was actually something unnerving to Andrina about swimming with legs, and since fresh pool water didn't give her her tail back like salt water did.

Even if one never went very far in a pool anyway.

She was sticking to the beach today, and, again because of the fresh water lake where swimming wasn't allowed anyway, having to trust the girls would believe her off her words as she helped them with a sand castle in the shape of her father's castle under the sea.

"So you're really Ariel's sister, a mermaid princess?!" one asked, awestruck. Andrina nodded. "Yes, yes. Sixth born, but apparently, according to a demi-god I met it makes me almost a goddess, just being Triton's daughter, small wonder when he can make tidal waves and storms and all the rest", she laughed, not bragging with her grand claims on herself and actually making fun of herself a bit, as most with a good sense of humor could.

"Oh that's right!", one girl said, "you would be! Here that means we gotta give you stuff", she handed over a colorful plastic bracelet of hers.

"Oh no, I'm totally kidding about the goddess part", Andrina waved her hands. The girl was insistent though, so Andrina accepted her kind gift, but only if she could give 'a hug from a real mermaid princess goddess' back. She then shook her head as the kids wandered off to other things. "Such nice kids", she looked at her plastic bracelet again, wondering if, even with the hugs given, she should feel bad. Maybe she wouldn't make so much of the goddess thing in the future.

[Deleted]

The spoiled Red Lory was barely here that long and already he was home sick, or more like palace-sick. Iago found himself needing to have a home in which to bask in luxury and protection, and now he was palace-less. It was almost as if he were being punished for running away from hero work.. nah! He could find a vacation home for now, he just needed to figure out how he could trick someone into giving him that life of luxury that he required. Trickery and deceit just so happened to be his kind of thing. All he need to do was find someone rich enough to do it.

"So you're really Ariel's sister, a mermaid princess?!"

Princess?! The opportunistic Iago's inner ears always seemed attuned with words that fit the description of the palace life, causing him to instantly land on an umbrella. His yellow eyes scrutinized the blonde girl that the girls were referring to down below. If she was a princess, then she didn't show off any pears or anything to indicate her rich status. What was with these simple types of royals anyways? "This is too easy! I'll be sittin' on the lap of luxury before you can say Yahtzee!" The Red Lory rubbed his feathered wings together with a fiendish grin. He'd easily pull off the whole dying act and he'll be in the life of luxury by noon! That was, until his yellow eyes widened in fear upon hearing the dreaded words:

"Yes, yes. Sixth born, but apparently, according to a demi-god I met it makes me almost a goddess, just being Triton's daughter, small wonder when he can make tidal waves and storms and all the rest"

"Oh great! She's one o' those elemental types! On second thought, I'm better off finding someone else!" He mused aloud to himself as he shivered in fear of another one like Saleen, a mermaid fully capable of manipulating any type of water. That was bad news for Al back then, and that sounded like it was bad news dealing with one alone! Just as he began to fly away, he overheard the princess say exactly what he wanted to hear: 

"Oh no, I'm totally kidding about the goddess part."

It was enough to make him halt in mid-flight and then quickly hide behind a cooler. "I don't believe it! This dame's cooked up a rep for herself and she's got 'em eating right off her hands!"  Iago whispered hoarsely to himself in shock, rather impressively. It was a brilliant con to have people actually believe her enough to give her things. Why didn't he come up with that? Either way, Iago knew an opportunity when he saw one, and he was always one to take advantage. 

In an instant, he flew around kids in the beach and began to provide his convincing speech: "Hey kid, you ever see a goddess before?! All ya have to do is pay up front, and you can make the line tah see for yourself!" With a gleeful grin, he would hold out his wing out to take any valuables that they would offer. 

There was that one sassy kid that questioned why they had to pay to make the line when they could always make a line to see anyone for free.

"You evah anger a tiki goddess? WHAT, YA WANT HER TO SUMMON A TIDAL WAVE?! PAY UP, PAL!" Iago impatiently yelled at the sassy kid as he thrusted his wing out at the kid to pay up or else the goddess would be angry.   

Then, there was this other kid that was asking questions about the goddess, things that he didn't know how to answer. "Ya wanna see a goddess or not, kid?! PAY UP FRONT OR BEAT IT!" Geez, all these ungrateful kids had tah do was give him something in order to make the line to see the fake goddess. What are they complaining about?

[Andrina]

"Hmm...", Andrina sat back and studied the castle she and the newest set of girls to show up were working on. It didn't bother her that her helpers had changed out, she was planning on making this sand castle epic, and the result of many people, as many as wanted to help.

Since it wouldn't last forever either-way, and even without being near tidal waves to wash it away, sand castles were fragile things.

It still wasn't to the scale of some of those competition sand castles, but it was becoming an impressive thing for sure!

"I'm thinking Ariel's window doesn't look quite right...", Andrina tried to fix it without undoing any of the work. "There!", as she stood back, she noticed her crowd of girls was dwindling...and a co-ed sort of crowd of all sorts of children was forming off a little ways away.

Interesting...

Standing straight once more, Andrina walked over.

"Ya wanna see a goddess or not, kid?! PAY UP FRONT OR BEAT IT!"

It could have nothing to do with her (maybe there was some actual goddess around here!) but something in this coming right after the two girl's questions peaked Andrina's suspicion. She leaned on one of the nearby beach chairs behind the crowd and studied the parrot, "You know a goddess?", she asked casually, but with a hint in her voice that she was on to him. Not upset exactly, just...knowing.

[Deleted]

"This beats manual labor any day!" The lazy Iago exclaimed happily, watching the coins jingle as he dropped it ontop of several coins, then used his wings to straighten them up into tiny silver towers.  Who cares about the change in currency when money was money? "All this for one day of reapin' the benefits off of someone else's c-!" The palace parrot was about to let it slip that he was reaping off of that lady's so-called con of being a goddess when he suddenly heard a voice behind him that he didn't expect. 

You know a goddess?"

"AHHH!" The Red Lory instantly shot up with a few feathers molting away from his wings. As soon as he realized it wasn't the bunny, he tried to recover his breath. "ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?!" He accused breathlessly, "Geez! What is WITH you people and scaring HARMLESS BIRDS?! A WARNING SIGN would be NICE, you-!" It suddenly occurred to Iago that he was talking to none other than the would-be goddess he had been proclaiming to everyone, and just as another kid was coming up in the line with money! Iago quickly changed tactics to a more agreeable smile.  "I mean..it would be you, if you were none other than a goddess, of course! AHEM.. hell-o goddess, how may we help you today?" The way the palace parrot spoke, it was as if he had adopted a more sophisticated, snobbish air to his manner of speaking followed by a broad, sheepish grin. Suddenly, the bird partly covered his wing to whisper hoarsely to her, "Make with the goddess bit already! The kids'll eat that up!" And then he was going to be rich, rich, rich! 

[Andrina]

Andrina expected to surprise the parrot, but she didn't expect the level of surprise she got! The bird shot up into the air, leaving behind a few feathers, and instantly complaining angrily.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?! Geez! What is WITH you people and scaring HARMLESS BIRDS?! A WARNING SIGN would be NICE, you-!"

Andrina just watched, with a small little half smile, not bothered by his accusations one bit and in fact a bit amused by them and the level of energy he seemed to be at normally. Or maybe just when agitated, though it didn't seem to take much. He instantly broke off, though, and she frowned curiously.

"I mean..it would be you, if you were none other than a goddess, of course! AHEM.. hell-o goddess, how may we help you today?"

Suddenly he was smiles and affability. Sadly this sort of turn around to discovering her status was not new to Andrina. She sighed, her assumption with the group of kids confirmed, especially as he went on.

"Make with the goddess bit already! The kids'll eat that up!"

Andrina glanced from him to the kids, getting a better idea of what was going on. She could have stated how she wasn't really a goddes, maybe, but his words showed he no doubt knew that and was just using this situation.

"Oh...of course", she smiled to the kids, who all looked at her eagerly. "Let's see...", Andrina paced in front of him and tapped her chin, thinking, "What would a Goddess do...well first she would thank this good bird for all of his hard work", Andrina pat the bird's head, a bit hard perhaps, or just with the level of awareness to pressure a two-year old would.

The kids nodded.

"Firstly I'll take that...", with a grin she took the coins he held, but to hand back later, "And...let's see...I'm King Triton's daughter so...I say a sea blessing! Go on kids, get your buckets, scoop some water and pour it on the bird, to thank him for his wonderful job!".

Of course he could fly, but Andrina knew the kinds of chaos kids were known for and even as some of the hastily scooped and sloshed water they aimed at the bird before reaching him hit her, she laughed. It was mostly pool and fresh water anyway so she wasn't in danger of being transformed here on land.

[Deleted]

The Red Lory was all too content with his scheme hatching, breaking into a gleeful grin curving across his orange beak when the so-called goddess seemed to go along with the scheme. This was perfect!

"What would a Goddess do...well first she would thank this good bird for all of his hard work"

"Awk! Hey, no problem!" Iago blinked and his beak bared his mashed teeth upon feeling his head being patted harder than anticipated for this lady. Geez, this con lady doesn't know her own strength!

"Firstly I'll take that..."

"Hey! I was savin' that for -! Wait a minute. Did you say King Triton's daughter?!" The greedy parrot hoped that he was going to snatch that back as soon as this was over, but the aspect of King Triton's daughter suddenly added a flavor of her being a princess. She never mentioned King Triton before. Was she just adding another juicy element to this con or was this the real thing?! "Ooh a blessing! Go on!" He grinned eagerly, but his smile quickly faded upon hearing what she said about scooping the water. "Wait - nevamind! Don't go on! I'm too humble! I DON'T DESERVE- !" But it was too late, for water instantly splashed onto him as commanded by the so-called goddess, whom he instantly realized was actually doing this on PURPOSE! 

Sure, Iago attempted to fly and dodge the water attacks, but the parrot was not exactly agile and he was tiring easily. "OKAY I THINK IT'S OBVIOUS BY THE DRIPPING THAT I'M BLESSED! CAN WE-?!" A kid instantly shot water at him using a water gun, catching him off guard while he was talking and sending him plopping down onto the ground. "PLEH PPBLEH! Oh GEEZ! I think I accidentally DRANK some that time! EWW! WHAT KINDA SEA WATER IS THIS ANYWAY?!" He complained, clearly not used to this kind given his experience of being with pirates and traders at the sea. He'd been used to fresh water, of course, but this tasted different! Unfortunately, the desert parrot wouldn't ever know what pool water tasted like. Sadly, the kids were relentless and laughed all the more, finding it like a funny game!  "ENOUGH WITH THE BLESSING ALREADY! I THINK I'M GONNA CHOKE AND DIE OF BLESSING! TAKE YOUR DISGUSTING WATER AND -AWK!" He was suddenly clunked on the head that sent him laying down, "..That one had a shell."

When Iago opened his yellow eyes within a second or two, his eyes widened upon seeing the kids surrounding him with buckets of water. In an instant, he was up in the air and molting some feathers out of nervousness, "AH! Look, kids, I'm feeling generous, so why don't ya go bless some seagulls with that water?!" With any hope, the kids would find another victim to lay upon their blessings, and then he was outta here! 

[Andrina]

Andrina's smile just grew at the parrot's protests, partly in amusement, though she next looked surprised as he looked surprised at her being Triton's daughter. It was something for her to pursue later, after the Water Blessing and Teaching of a Lesson.

She could barely contain her laugh as the parrot's excitement turned pleading once he realized what the blessing was! She might not have been a con-artist herself, but as a prankster she just understood the way both thought so well and when trying to pull seaweed over one's eyes.

Hence her ingenious solution!

The laugh finally broke from her, though, and yet she also spared time to answer his inquiry. "Pool water. I know, it's...interesting stuff". Well, maybe less so when you were being pelted by it...

When shells started to make their way along with other things, Andrina figured maybe it was time to calm it all down. "Alright, alright, I think the little birdie gets the point". One had to be willing to step into the line of fire herself to fully stop it, and Andrina had known and been prepared for that and taking her own medicine as it were. Finally she'd grabbed enough water guns and buckets to stall the onslaught and convince the other kids it was over.

Between that and the bird's words, they did finally make off, but Andrina leaned so as to sort of pin the bird's tail feathers casually in case he wanted to fly off. Just because she had a simple question. "You know Daddy, um, my father?", she asked, amending the ending to sound more 'professional'.