Ducks!

[sohoangel]

There is an angel in the Plaza. This, in and of itself, is no longer unusual or noteworthy. What perhaps is strange is that said angel is very hurriedly walking away from nine fuzzy ducklings who are running after him as fast as their little webbed feet can go.

Which, it turns out, is very fast.

At one point, Aziraphale stops and turns around swiftly, causing all the ducklings to pile up at his brogues. "No! Stop following me!" he pleads, palms out, clearly flustered by all the attention. He tries walking away again, the ducklings ignoring him and running after him once more.

Eventually, the angel's endurance gives out and he sighs and collapses onto a bench in defeat. The ducklings hop up onto the bench and crowd into his lap, peeping happily.

"I was only feeding them," Aziraphale laments to anyone passing by. "Somehow they got separated from their mother, and... oh, bother! What am I going to do with all these ducks?"

Comments

[melove_cookies]

Cookie loved little yellow duckies just like Ernie loved his rubber ducky in the bath. But these were real ones! Cute, yellow and fluffy and it seemed the angel man was looking after them. The fuzzy blue monster walked up curious, looking down at the ducklings with his large googly eyes.

"Dese are cute duckies. Were you feeding dem cookie crumbs?"

Because it was an obvious question. But they were missing their mother? That wasn't good. Cookie looked sad because every duckling needed a mother. Even Cookie monsters had mothers in outer space.

"Where dere mother gone?"

[sohoangel]

"Oh, hello Cookie." The furry monster's arrival brightens Aziraphale's expression, and he even chuckles a little at the question. "No, I was feeding them some peas and cracked corn. Cookies aren't good for them."

The little ducklings huddle together on Aziraphale's lap, but as the angel seems unafraid of Cookie, they relax and peer up at him curiously.

"I don't know," Aziraphale sighs before catching Cookie's sad expression. "Oh, I'm sure she's fine, these little ones wandered away from her. She's probably looking for them right now. Would you like to come with me back to the pond and help find her? It's not far from here."

Two sets of eyes are better than one, after all, even if one set of them is googly.

[melove_cookies]

"You feed dem corn and peas? Dose are healthy food. Grown-up food. Cookie do not eat dat. Ducks like dis?"

He looked down at the cute duckies and wanted to pick one up and stroke it but he knew he might scare it. Also, his paws were huge and he might accidentally hurt one which wasn't nice. Cookie watched them huddle in the angel's lap, tilting his head watching them.

"Me wants to stroke one but Cookie know dey are so small. Cute duckies."

He nodded. Finding the mum? This was a good idea! Duckies needed their mother. He looked up at the angel and was now excited to he helping. Cookie was good at helping.

"Help you find their mother? Oh yes. Cookie wants to help."

[becarefulwhatyouwish]

Aziraphale may not find it surprising that he's being laughed at. Ducklings following someone is an eyecatching novelty, but it's hilarious when that person does not want to be Mama. Coyote's cackle rings out in the Plaza, accompanied by a chorus of peeps.

"I don't know about right now, but in a few months you could have roast duck for weeks!"

[sohoangel]

Aziraphale ignores the laughter. He's rather used to being laughed at, in fact, so it simply rolls off of him like water on a... well, a duck's back. He's also been in the Nexus long enough that a talking canine person is not enough to startle him, either.

Coyote's suggestion, however, has him gasping in outrage, wrapping his arms around the ducklings protectively.

"Absolutely not!" he says in a tone that brooks no argument. "I most certainly will not be eating them, and neither will anyone else if I have anything to say about it!" His stern frown melts a little as he adds worriedly, "I have nowhere to raise them, anyway. A bookshop is no place for a bunch of ducklings."

[becarefulwhatyouwish]

Oh, this is too cute. Five minutes of being Mama Duck and this angel's already embodying the spirit of it all, brooding over his tiny fluffy babies. Coyote rummages in his suit pocket and pulls out a bright yellow disposable camera, holding it up to his eye. Click!

He winds the dial with his thumb, a loud scratch scratch scratch, preparing it for the next occasion he might need to snap something. "Not sure you'll have a choice," he points out, chuckling. "If you don't raise them yourself, how can you know what'll happen to them?"

[celestialpeacock]

Rota is out basking, literally, on the grass at the edge of the plaza. The warm weather suiting his more tropical nature. However, the sound of all the young ducklings has the angel sitting up. His first thought is that in the hustle and bustle of the plaza that they had been separated from their parents.

What he sees has him laughing cheerfully and then standing, brushing off his pants as he walks toward the stressed angel. "Shall we find their mother or are you interested in taking on the role?"

His amusement can't be contained and though he is still giggling he is willing to help the angel deal with the wayward wildlife.

[sohoangel]

Laughter or not, Aziraphale is relieved to see Rota. The other angel is exceptionally good with wildlife, and Aziraphale could use all the help he could get at the moment.

"Rota, thank goodness you're here. I would very much appreciate your assistance in locating their mother." Though he does not know Rota nearly as well as the other angels, he's set at ease by the celestial's presence. "As darling as they are, I'm not in a position to give them the care that they need."

He looks down at the ducklings in his lap and pets their heads fondly, giving in to their inherent cuteness. Despite being fuzzy and yellow, Rota might recognize them as juveniles of the crested duck breed, which would probably explain why they have imprinted so strongly onto Aziraphale.

[celestialpeacock]

Rota comes over to sit with Aziraphale, naturally gregarious and glad to see the angel again. After a lot of wing and feather shuffling to get them comfortably behind him, the ophan also starts petting the ducklings.

"These are domestic ducks." Rota checks out the puff of down on the back of the head and smiles. They are adorable. "Does anyone near where you found them a keeper of crested ducks?"

A farm or keeper would be the best place to start since they were more often domestic, though they could have escaped or been released to be wild here in the Nexus.

[itmeanscourage]

Isamu glanced over at the angel’s unsuccessful attempts to shoo the small flock of baby ducklings.

There was a part of him, if he was being honest, that would love to take advantage of that instinctive behavior to get back at Ziggy for the myriad of bird-related pranks he’d discovered in the apartment. But that thought came and went. The sheer number of natural feline predators around the Anthean households would end those ducklings quickly. It would be cruel. Isamu wasn’t cruel, and ducklings belonged with ducks, not people.

“Various research studies over the years has shown that chicks and ducklings will imprint on just about anything, and that it is irreversible.” Isamu admitted. “However, that research is questionable at best. And if the ducklings were wild-hatched, they likely imprinted on their mother already. Suggesting that the presence of another duck may be all the distraction you need.”

That may be easier said than done at this point, depending on how far Azriraphale has gotten from the pond.

[sohoangel]

"Hello, Isamu." Aziraphale recognizes the young man from his twin brother, and if there had been any doubt, Isamu's scientific explanation makes it clear to whom he's speaking.

The information reassures him briefly. If the ducklings had already bonded with their mother, then the angel might only be a passing fancy for them. However, the idea that he should try to pawn them off to any old duck has him frowning uneasily and herding the ducklings a little closer to his vest.

"Oh, I wouldn't feel right about that unless that other duck was their mother," he says worriedly. "What if the duck wasn't interested in them? What if it was a bad duck? They'd be lured away and then abandoned! No, I'll simply have to find their mother, otherwise I'll have to be responsible for them."

[itmeanscourage]

“Ducklings are capable of abstract thought. In the last five years, studies have demonstrated that they can differentiate between things that are the same and things that are different. They can even differentiate one duck from another...”

Which, honestly made Isamu pause. The ducklings were clearly still at Aziraphale’s feet, quacking in little peeps.

“No... I do not believe these ducklings have imprinted on you specifically. But I would hypothesize that they may have imprinted on a human shape in those critical first forty-eight hours of life. Thus, they recognize you as something with a similar form and sound.”

There were reasons, after all, why caretakers at the Condor Recovery Project used hand puppets shaped like condors and researchers at the Hetaoping Research and Conservation Center in Western China dress in Panda suits.

[sweetcandygirl]

"Awwwww sweetheart. I think they bonded with you..." The bright response comes from Harley, who saunters up to Aziraphale. She is followed by another woman, who is all green in color, except her bright red hair. The woman is wearing an outfit of plants, that seem to grow and change with her movement.

"I am not one for animals, myself. But eventually they will want to explore." Pamela notes softly.

[sohoangel]

Aziraphale looks up at the familiar voice and gives Harley a wan smile. "Hello, dear. Yes, they have, and that's the trouble. They ought to be with their parents, not me."

His gaze moves over to the green-hued woman and gives her a courteous nod. "Not soon enough, I'm afraid, they're still rather young yet." He pets a few of the ducklings, who all try to crowd under his hand, eager for attention. "My name is Aziraphale. Are you a friend of Harley's?"

[sweetcandygirl]

"Well... they think you are their daddy now. Opps?" Harley bends down to get a closer look at the ducks.

"Pamela. Nice to meet you. Yes, I am a close friend of Harley's." The other woman responds.

[notasnake]

Crowley had wondered where his angel had gotten off to when, after turning his back for no more than a few seconds, the demon turned around and found his partner missing. The why of it is quite clear once he manages to catch up with Aziraphale and his new brood.

"Oi." He can't help but quirk a fond smile at the angle in spite of Aziraphale's obvious discomfort. "I told you feeding them would eventually mean they try to follow you home."

That's not actually an answer to the question, of course, but Crowley will get there. For now, he's going to take a seat next to his angel and enjoy this rather adorable moment (and the accompanying flailing coming with it). This is something that should be enjoyed to its fullest, after all.

[sohoangel]

"Crowley." Aziraphale looks up at his partner with big doe eyes, saying his name in the same plaintive tone as when he's in any sort of need of rescuing. At least this time it's only a lapful of ducklings and not his corporation at stake. He sighs and rolls his eyes, hands absently stroking the backs of quietly peeping ducklings. "Yes, well, it's never happened before, has it? And now I don't know what to do... we don't have anywhere to keep them at home..."

Not that he wants to care for nine ducklings, but they are awfully cute. When Crowley sits down, a few of the ducks hop off of his lap and clamber onto Crowley's, apparently finding him just as appealing. Aziraphale has to stifle a little laugh.

"It appears some of them remember who else was tossing them peas and cracked corn."

[guitar_voodoo]

Mick was out about with his guitar enjoying the fresh air and hoping to bump into more people to play guitar too. But this time he heard what sounded like little cheeping sounds or---quacking? Little quacking sounds as he approached where the noise was coming from and spotted the well dressed bloke with a load of ducklings around his feet. Oh, they were cute! The blond guitarist walking up to the man, glancing down at the ducks.

"Do you need a hand, mate? They're cute though. Have you got names for them all? I can help find their mother if you want?"

Even though farming wasn't in his family, Mick liked animals and wanted to help the bloke since he seemed more than a little flustered. He didn't really look like a farmer or zoo keeper either.

[sohoangel]

"Yes, I would very much appreciate some help," Aziraphale says gratefully to the man with the guitar. "Thank you. No, I haven't named them. They're wild ducks, I have no intention of keeping them."

What would he name nine little ducklings, anyway? The nine muses, perhaps? There were also nine members in the Fellowship of the Ring...

No! Aziraphale shakes his head quickly. He can't get attached, and naming them is a surefire way of doing that. "Will you come back with me to the pond? Their mother is likely there."

[alittlehinky]

So, will it be reassuring or disconcerting to the poor angel, when a large blue-laced wyandotte hen makes a beeline for him, making that low, sleepy clucking sound a broody hen sometimes makes in the twilight hours. She seems highly interested in these fluffy baby birdlings. Fortunately, she's also docile and has no intention of challenging Aziraphale for them. Instead, she takes a few cautious hops closer, eyes him with a tilted head, then joins him on the bench with a noisy flutter of feathers.

bock, bock?

A few minutes later, Cricket will be visible, making a slow, rocking pace around the plaza with his cane for support, and clearly peering along the ground for something.

[sohoangel]

Initially, at least, it is merely confusing to Aziraphale that the large chicken with pretty feathers should want to join him on the bench. Is there something about him today that should make him so particularly attractive to birds? But then he clues into the fact that it's the ducklings she's curious about, and considering that she's currently the only listening ear available (do chickens have ears? Must do. That's how they hear other chickens), he shares with her the events that led up to him being in possession of nine ducklings.

By the time Cricket comes around, he's well into the story. Some of the ducklings have fallen asleep in his lap, while a few others have wandered over to the hen to say hello. "...case of mistaken identity, I assume, because why else would they have followed me so far away from the pond? But there's no way I can return home with them. I mean, my dear girl, you must understand, I'd be honored to care for them, but the bookshop would be a terrible place to raise them..."

[delphicbooksandbaubles]

Aal's currently looking over a corkboard between errands. Even with her spring jacket her tummy would be considered and tattle-telling rounded in a particular way since the last time she ran into the lovely fellow.

Her wolf ears perk up, however, as she scents the air at several sounds and looks round about for its source. She does a double-take, trying not to smirk too much but she is slightly bemused and grateful her new acquaintance is not in a majorly bad sort of a sticky wicket. Nevertheless. She can't help but giggle at the fluffiness as she waddles over to see what assistance she can offer.

"Oh dear, " She murmurs eyebrows going up as she eyes the situation. "Aye, not surprising birdies tend to associate food with well.." She trails though most beings tended to return or have a liking for folks and spot where they could get good pickings. She tilts her head and rubs her chin in thought.

"At the moment, ..I think it best we try and collect them..and perhaps retrace some footsteps?" She half asks half states simply. With a warm smile. More than happy to help with such a 'quest'. Yes yes trying to find their mum would be the best idea and if..they could not. Her eyes soften, we'll deal with that bridge if and when they came to it.

[sohoangel]

"Hello, Ashlynn." Aziraphale's smile returns as the young woman approaches, although that worried little pull of his eyebrows remains, and likely will until the ducklings in his lap are safely back with their mother. He makes note of Ash's rounded stomach, but says nothing. Politeness dictates that one does not offer congratulations or ask questions unless one is absolutely certain that a woman is expecting. But he does give Ash a brief questioning look in case she would like to offer that information.

The angel sighs and pets a few of the ducklings while Ash shares her thoughts. "That's likely what enamored them to me initially, although usually once the peas and cracked corn have all run out, the ducks go back to their usual business..." He gives her a grateful look and says, "Yes, let's do that. I'm sure they'll follow us back to the pond. One moment..."

With a lot of peeping and complaining (mostly from the ducklings), the angel gently directs the lot of them back to the ground, then stands up and brushes out his jacket. "Shall we be off, then? It's not a far walk."

He offers his arm to her gallantly.

[skeksisheretic]

Az's little escapade has attracted a very strange bird, this one larger and toothier than the ducks. He looks at them, smiling. They're odd creatures, but they're very cute.

"Hello, Aziraphale. New friends?" He makes a trilling noise in his throat, trying to imitate the chirping noises the ducks made with a little success. He means well, but a skeksis is a far cry from a duckling. "It's good to see you again! It's been a while. I hope things are going well for you." The old birdlike alien bobs his head.

skekGra tries to sit on the bench, difficult for someone about seven feet tall with a long tail, but he manages eventually.

[sohoangel]

This is one strange bird that Aziraphale at least recognizes. "Hello, skekGra." He gives the skeksis a brief smile before looking down at the ducklings in consternation. "Yes, they are new friends, of a sort. They are baby ducks who followed me here from the pond, but they ought to be with their mother instead."

The ducklings remain huddled in the angel's lap, although they do poke their heads up curiously at the sounds skekGra makes. Aziraphale scoots over on the bench a little, giving the alien plenty of room to sit.

"Aside from being volunteered as a surrogate duck mother, things are going quite well. Crowley's rooftop garden is really starting to flourish, and I acquired another first folio of Shakespeare's. I feel obligated to collect as many of the bard's works as I can to keep them from rotting away somewhere. And how are you doing, dear? Where's your better half? Running late?"