ALIS AQUILAE

Aquila nearly shrieked at the unexpected touch, fumbling desperately to not drop his phone; his one landline back to safety.

“H-” he took a deep breath to regain his composure as he turned to look at the owner of the arm, “Hello dear friend!”

And oh, what a delightfully modern-looking individual, Aquila thought as he looked the man up and down. Everything from the stranger’s clothing, to the way he so loosely and casually carried a glass bottle between his fingertips just oozed 21st century in a way that was so very exotic to him.

“My name is Aquila!” he said, following Rowan’s careful instructions on not using his full 4th century title around the general public. “Fixing? Oh, not to worry, I am not injured! Simply hungry.”

Aw, honey. Asher’s grin went wider. If the corners could have curled up into tiny spirals, god, they would have. Off-worlder, for sure.

That’d been Ash once. Difference was, he’d jumped in with both feet, finding the crowds and bustle practically peaceful compared to his life back home.

This one in particular, he read as being friendly, of the non-erotic variety. And oh how he leaned into that much-needed touch. How foolish it would be though, to reveal himself as the lonesome beast he was... And yet...

“Greetings, amicus novus, you would be right in your assumptions, in fact, for I am in search of the most legendary, most fabled of, loaded kielbasa dog.”

Aquila, with only the most minimal semblance of trouble, held out a digital photo he had acquired, out to his new friend to behold the glory of. His voice went silence, holding the tensions of the mystical fairfood.

“Wouldst thou be so bold... so knowing... as to the ways one might acquire such a treat?”

Aquila could have sworn the crowds kept growing by the second, waves of people streaming past him in every which direction, as more vendors called out to advertise their delicacies. Bright lights flashed from a large contraption of spinning, mechanical horses, and music blared loudly in his ears.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to venture out alone so soon, he was overestimating himself. Aquila could feel the tension rising up in the pit of his stomach, his earlier confidence suddenly long gone. Oh how some days he truly wished to crawl back into the tomb they unearthed him from and hide.

He glanced around and attempted to navigate to a less crowded area, nervously adjusting his sash and coat collar. Perhaps it would be a wise decision to give up on his quest for the “loaded kielbasa dog” and simply phone Vannika to come get him…

Alright. That was an alien, going off the outfit and general (Ash mentally hand waved) baby-deer-like panic, if Ash’d ever seen one in his life. (Deer or alien. He’d gotten plenty of both.) Fresh off the spaceship, probably—or at the least, had his hand held since he’d gotten here. Probably came from one of those quiet planets where the species there lived off nuts and berries and meditated for fun.

He’d have to show this guy the real fun. 

Ash pushed away from the fence he’d been propped against, crunched the butt of his cigarette into an ashtray as he passed it, and slung an arm around the baby deer’s shoulders. His beer bottle dangled loosely at his fingertips.

“H-” he took a deep breath to regain his composure as he turned to look at the owner of the arm, “Hello dear friend!”

And oh, what a delightfully modern-looking individual, Aquila thought as he looked the man up and down. Everything from the stranger’s clothing, to the way he so loosely and casually carried a glass bottle between his fingertips just oozed 21st century in a way that was so very exotic to him.

“The park, yes! An excellent idea. I have not yet had a chance to see Maroa in the evening light, you see. Germanicus had warned me to avoid stepping out before nightfall lest I burn into a fine crisp.”

Aquila grabbed a black umbrella and wrapped a dark, linen shawl loosely around his head and neck, as if to make a point. He then patted his pockets to make sure he had everything— house key, money, and the phone he was still yet learning to use.

“I do believe that’s everything,” he declared cheerily, “Germanicus dear friend I will return later this night, I will be out with Miss Emmett for the evening!”

Upon hearing his name, Germanicus poked his head over the edge of the living room sofa, his fluffy white hair in disarray as though he had just been awoken from a nap. He tentatively stared down their guest from afar.

“So you’re this Emmett he’s been speaking of nonstop about, how fascinating. I am Germanicus Albinus Fulgentius, aedilis curulis of the senatus romanus. Charmed! And my regards to your chicken as well, it wouldn’t be a proper picnic without freshly grilled poultry, would it?” Germanicus grinned.

The petty bitch in Emmett wanted to be rude right back to Germanicus, tell him oh, Aquila never mentioned you or shame you can’t come along. Especially with the annoyance and jealousy clinging to the man like nettles. But Aquila was barely more than a stranger, and Emmett didn’t know how he’d react to that kind of back and forth. Better to get him out of there for now and puzzle over Germanicus’s reaction later.

“Nice to meet you, Germanicus.” They couldn’t remember the rest of the titles and they didn’t care to try. That would soothe the combative side of them, for the moment. Mordecai gave a shitty little caw. “Mordecai says hello, also. Maybe we can catch up next time.”

Whatever tension had been filling the room between Germanicus and Emmett, Aquila seemed wholly oblivious to it, far too focused on dreamily imagining what the park and drugstore would look like or what treats Emm had prepared for them.

Street Follies

(☆Anju Note: this takes place shortly after Aquila’s interactions with both Alex + Emmett☆)

Aquila knew not to expect too much of this “Maroa Street Fair” as they called it, it would not be the same as the ones he once knew of, but the culture shock shook him all the same as he wandered the crowds.

“Oh you wouldn’t appreciate such… plebeian activities ahahaha,” Germanicus had warned him before he left, and yet he chose not to heed the warning, spurred on instead by his new-found courage to explore the 21st century. What fueled him in particular this evening was the quest of this fabled “loaded kielbasa dog” of which he had heard only rumors of.

“Pawp-karhn, getcha pawp-karhn heah!!”

“French fries, freshley frah-ied!”

“Kyan-dee apples! Get em’ heah!”

The siren-like calls of the street vendors beckoned to Aquila from every which direction, yet he knew he could not indulge all of their monetary requests for their treats. A true conundrum he had found himself in…

Street fairs on Earth? Sucked.

This was Asher’s excuse for hanging at the edge of it with a soda bottle (beer had to stay in the beer garden, and Ash sure as shit didn’t want to hang around anywhere people were tasting craft IPAs in little single-oz cups and throwing around words like floral and hoppy) in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

But hello?

Somewhere in the middle of it all stood someone as out of place as a toddler at a rave. Shouldn’t be there, but too fascinated by the colors to budge, and just as in need of supervision.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to venture out alone so soon, he was overestimating himself. Aquila could feel the tension rising up in the pit of his stomach, his earlier confidence suddenly long gone. Oh how some days he truly wished to crawl back into the tomb they unearthed him from and hide.

“Mordecai,” Aquila repeated in awe, gazing at the bird, “it certainly is a pleasure to be acquainted with such a magnificent creature. “May I…?” he asked to both Emmett and the bird as he held out an eager hand to stroke the creature.

“I must say,” he continued, “I am so very eager for today’s outing to… did you say, the CVS? I have procured 50 United States Dollars to spend at this mysterious vendor, and I wish to purchase this most peculiar “sunscreen” you spoke of in our messages, dearest Emmett! Perhaps this will help me in my planned future endeavors to visit the Maroa Street Fair?”

Mordecai finished pulling a lock of hair free from the braid, completely ruining it, and turned to inspect the approaching finger. He clacked his beak together once, then went still.

“It’s not up to me, but I think that’s a tentative ‘yes’ from him.” Emmett was a little embarrassed, but Aquila didn’t seem to mind the 'he’s not taken warning. There was only so much one could do.

“You shouldn’t need that much, but we can definitely get you sunscreen. And I packed some food for you to try out, too, if you want to go walk around a park.” It was getting to be evening, so the sun wouldn’t be out for long. Emm was up early for themself. “I’ve got plenty of time.”

Aquila grabbed a black umbrella and wrapped a dark, linen shawl loosely around his head and neck, as if to make a point. He then patted his pockets to make sure he had everything— house key, money, and the phone he was still yet learning to use.

"I do believe that's everything," he declared cheerily, "Germanicus dear friend I will return later this night, I will be out with Miss Emmett for the evening!"

Upon hearing his name, Germanicus poked his head over the edge of the living room sofa, his fluffy white hair in disarray as though he had just been awoken from a nap. He tentatively stared down their guest from afar.

Aquila jumped at the sound of the knocking on the door. He had been waiting all day, unable to sleep in fact. He had on his finest clothes, presents courtesy of the Regulator, Rowan, who had been charged with introducing him to the basics of the 21st century. He sported a dark, button-down coat with a collar he embroidered himself, and dark slacks, along with a deep-green sash that Rowan had insisted would suit him.

He cleared his throat and opened the door, greeting his guide with a deep, practiced bow.

“It is a pleasure to meet you in the flesh, Mistress Emmett, I offer you my most gracious thoughts for taking me out on this day a- is that a corvid perched upon thy shoulder?”

Aquila gazed in awe at the creature. It would be putting it lightly that he had always been a fan of birds, particularly birds of prey. It was of no coincidence that he earned his imperial nickname Aquila, meaning “eagle”, by his fascination of the war birds of his time.

Emmett took half a step back when Aquila bowed, uncertain if they were supposed to repeat the gesture back to him. He was, as they expected, a lot. Which, fair. Even with three years of time on Earth they didn’t know if they could have completely changed their mannerisms.

Emmett did one last double check before knocking on the door, to make sure she had everything, but also that she wasn’t out of breath after taking thirteen flights of stairs. The elevator had looked either out of order or derelict, and she’d decided not to risk waiting to figure out the truth of it. But even with daily runs with the dogs and Charlie, that was a lot of stairs.

Mordecai landed on her shoulder, the crow having gotten inside somehow (just crow things, as Emm understood; he was tweaking reality just a bit to get himself where he wanted to be). He looked out of place in comparison to her casual, light green overalls and white lace t-shirt. She’d been going for non-threatening.

That didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate the company. She had a knife, mace, her boyfriends on speed dial, good mental shielding, and empathic punch in her arsenal, but better safe than sorry. She didn’t know Aquila, and the whole area was a little shady, to put it mildly.

“Okay,” Emm said to their familiar, who felt full of mischief. Not that it was a change from normal. “I need you to behave.”

He cleared his throat and opened the door, greeting his guide with a deep, practiced bow.

“It is a pleasure to meet you in the flesh, Mistress Emmett, I offer you my most gracious thoughts for taking me out on this day a- is that a corvid perched upon thy shoulder?”