aut vincere aut mori;

      “Doves are good, clean and elegant, but perhaps one would prefer a parrot.”

     "You have quite the fascination with this parrot..."

"I did see a cat not that long ago, though I’m not sure if it was entirely grey or not. It ran back in the other direction I could… show you where I saw it?”

"Sure, why not? Everything else I've tried has been futile so far. Why do people insist on having cats? They're a nuisance."

      “Useful for a stage magician, then.”

     "I thought they preferred doves? A lot more graceful."

     ”I would appreciate that. One never knows when I parrot could be useful.”

     "I think never, dear."

     ”Pity. The world’s oddities are often the most interesting parts.”

     "If I see her again I shall pass on your interests." 

     ”You aren’t curious at all about how she came about having a parrot to pawn off?”

     "Not at all. People are strange. Best just to leave them to their weirdness." 

     ”The thought of someone having a parrot, but not as a pet is even more worrisome. Now I’m curious to know why she had it.”

     "To be honest with you, I wouldn't think much of it. I didn't take it, anyway."

      “I didn’t even know people still had parrots.”

"Not exactly as pets, but I wasn't about to pry."

"Oh well… I don’t know. He was supposed to give a few little… papers to me."

"And the nature of these documents would be? He may have left them out."

  “Taken with the intention of giving it back, but then never able to find you, would I still be classed a thief?” She chuckled, finally offering the umbrella back to him. 

"Not quite so on the criminal level. Maybe just a nuisance thief," he chuckled softly, taking the umbrella back gratefully. "I'm Marco, by the way."