Hello Sunshine

"...Dad-Mom lets me drive the tour bus when I go bigger?" He whines.

 

"Does your Dad-Mom own the tour bus? 'Cause I don't own that truck."

 

"....yeah..." He sighs, kicking at the sand. "...aww..."

 

"Once the novelty wears off, you'll realize it's not even that exciting," Corrie points out. "You get to look around a lot more when you don't have to pay attention, you know?"

Aaaand here they are. She pops the doors again. "In or out this time?"

 

"Uuuhm. Probably in?" He clambers into the passenger seat. "..and yeah, but it's still pretty cool, you know?"

 

"Guess so." At least in places like this where there's no damn traffic. "Here- you can have the radio. Call it a consolation prize."

And off they go. It won't take too much time, this way.

 

He beams, turning on classic rock and singing along, laughing.

The rock, it turns out, is much taller than it looked from so far away, and Eirik is ecstatic. "It's wicked cool, right?"

 

"Oh, man. Gorgeous," she enthuses. They're close enough to pull over now, and after she does that she hurries to get her gear out because oh god that's so pretty.

Hmm. Maybe she'll do a few with a fisheye, really emphasize the size of the thing...

 

Eirik is happily running ahead, shifting into his scaled but bipedal form as he does...but it seems you have a new friend.

A raven perches on the hood of the truck, watching you with its head tilted curiously.

 

Huh. Brave bird, even for a corvid. It's not going to talk, is it?

"The position of talking shapeshifting animal companion has been filled," she informs the raven, just in case.

 

The raven caws, then looks over at Eirik, then back towards Corrie, preening thoughtfully. Then it hops down to the passenger side mirror and pecks at the window, fluffing its feathers cutely.

 

"I'm not opening it back up," Corrie says. She hits the lock button on the keyfob to make the point extra clear, and then heads off to look for a decent vantage point.

 

"You should get his phone," the voice is quiet, behind her back. "At least let Baldur know he's safe."

 

Corrie doesn't know why she's even still surprised.

"I don't know why I'm even still surprised," she says as she turns around. "Look, I didn't ask for any kind of supernatural family drama. I just want to take my pictures and go home. I don't want to mess with his phone. I will encourage him to call home, if that will make you happy."

 

"I know." The raven fluffs up. "I'm just the messenger. I mean... just what you have to say, right?"

The bird hops around, looking in at the phone on the passenger side of the truck. "But yes, I think that should satisfy?"

 

"Okay. Good. Wouldn't want to piss off any sun gods." Corrie pauses a long moment. Most people don't get this kind of opportunity, after all, though it seems obscurely like cheating.

"...incidentally, would it be okay if I got some pictures of you? Most birds don't let people come this close."

 

The bird lets out a little trill. "Of course I don't mind! I'm not as.... well. My brother likes to be the center of attention, and I like to listen... but if you'd like, absolutely."

 

"Great!" Corrie crouches down, there is a considerable rustling of bags and fiddling with equipment, and then she pops back up, camera in hand. "Ready for your close-up?"

 

The raven spreads her wings. "Like this?"

 

"Nice." The whirr of focusing, then click, click, click.