#ri.to kids. this was supposed to be way shorter but does tutu ever listen to me?!? NO!!

[flockrest]

eavesdropping, are we? / accepting / @gloryseized ( Link )

     She probably doesn't mean to, Tulin guesses — not with the way she immediately stifles it in her beak — but Mum laughs and it's not very nice when this is a super important question he's been holding in since the day started!

     "And why," she begins, giving him some extra pats in apology before she resumes her usual pat-to-sleep tempo. It's hard not to forgive her when she does that, "would you want 'time to go faster', hm? I thought there weren't enough hours in a day?"

     Well, yeah, but— "But I dunno when Link's gonna come back!" He pushes himself up to stare earnestly into her eyes, ruining their whole night-night setup. If he's gotta give up his comfiness to let her know just how big and real his concerns 'bout this are though, then he will! "What if he takes ages? I don't wanna wait ages!"

     Mum laughs, again, and he has to shove her wing away with an indignant cheep this time 'cause seriously, that's not very nice! There's nothing silly 'bout his worries, stop laughing at him!

     "Oh— no no, forgive me, I'm not laughing at you, my sweet," she says, reading his mind, warm and fond and not at all ashamed. Muuuum. "But you saw Link off this morning, didn't you?"

     Uh-huh, so? What does seeing Link off this morning have to do with him being gone for who knows how long right now? "S'that s'pposed to mean something?"

     She looks at him like he's said something real funny, but at least she isn't laughing. "And you still miss him?"

     Duh! "Yeah!!" Why wouldn't he miss someone as neat and amazing and not-boring as Link? "Y'know, y'know, he shoots soooo quick! He got all the targets when he was showing me how he uses the bow yesterday!"

     "So I've heard—"

     "And-and he's so cool, he showed me how to say this!" Tulin leans over the edge of his hammock, ignoring how Mum's trying to gently nudge him back into lying down, and points at himself with a light tap to his chest. With the biggest smile, he then splays his feathers out in a brief hover, pinching his first and third remiges together and pulling the wing forward, before ending the motion by turning his wing 'round to point at her. "That's how he says 'I like you'!"

     "Oh!" Mum chuckles, and that's okay 'cause it doesn't feel as mean now, "That was very nice of him to teach you."

     "Uh-huh!" The nicest!

     "Well, Tulin," she presses a wing on him again, a bit harder this time, and he lets her guide him back into their night-night setup. "I don't think anybody can make time go faster, but the sun rises sooner for the early bird. The quicker you fall asleep, the quicker you'll get to see him!"

     Mm...that sounds like it makes sense. But, just in case: "You promise?"

     Mum pauses. Uh-oh. That’s not the yes he wants. "Tulin—"

     "You promise?!"

     "Tulin—"

     "You gotta promise! Promise me, promise—"