He hated shifting in front of people. He truly did. It was one of the hangups from his previous world that had remained with him the longest, even if he was learning to suck it up. It was one thing to shift in times of stress or danger, when seconds mattered and being coy could cost lives, but for daily interactions? It was uncomfortable and unsettling as hell for him.
He nodded affirmation that he was Attuned, glad the girl had finally caught on so he didn't need to explain it, but her next set of questions were those that couldn't be answered easily with a simple nod or head shake - not as swiftly as she asked them, at any rate. She was very clearly Quanil's sister in that regard, and she didn't seem to be giving him much option for remaining in his shifted shape while expecting answers from him, so he settled back on his haunches and allowed his mass to shrink and his human flesh to reemerge from scales and wings and talons.
"It is rude," he said neutrally, "and yes, there is plenty of open space in Sanctuary to land. The plaza where we usually build the Firebird perch is perfectly suited for it. Though ideally we'd catch up to the little monsters and stop them before they left the fields. It's going to be a close thing to run after them, but we can hopefully catch the stragglers on a good sprint. I can at least heal your bruises up, if you'll let me?" The longer they dithered, the farther away the gourds rolled.
He nodded affirmation that he was Attuned, glad the girl had finally caught on so he didn't need to explain it, but her next set of questions were those that couldn't be answered easily with a simple nod or head shake - not as swiftly as she asked them, at any rate. She was very clearly Quanil's sister in that regard, and she didn't seem to be giving him much option for remaining in his shifted shape while expecting answers from him, so he settled back on his haunches and allowed his mass to shrink and his human flesh to reemerge from scales and wings and talons.
"It is rude," he said neutrally, "and yes, there is plenty of open space in Sanctuary to land. The plaza where we usually build the Firebird perch is perfectly suited for it. Though ideally we'd catch up to the little monsters and stop them before they left the fields. It's going to be a close thing to run after them, but we can hopefully catch the stragglers on a good sprint. I can at least heal your bruises up, if you'll let me?" The longer they dithered, the farther away the gourds rolled.
