"It's not ruined," he chirps with a series of eager nods. Not ruined is the best he could hope for. A little more damaged than before, sure, but not ruined! Not ruined is all Vincent wanted. He's so happy he actually doesn't realize he's clutching the poor old paperback against his chest with a white-knuckled grip. It takes a full beat after he's declared it's state before he notices and gingerly sets it on the table so Rai can read the title: To the Lighthouse.
"Thank you," he gushes softly. "It's your quick thinking that saved it."
Rai tips his head to the side in a very bird-like fashion that could just as easily be mistaken for perfectly human curiosity. He reaches across the table to put his hand on top of the book once it finally touches the table. The whole time, he keeps his eyes on Vincent, to see how he might react, to see if it's okay to be touching the human's book. But without any further waiting, he pulls it toward himself, spinning it around to better look at the cover. He's looking at the title, committing the cover to memory. If he sees a copy just like this out in the wild, maybe he'll pick it up to replace the one that's not ruined, but a little more damaged than before.
"It's my defence against the rain. I have terrible luck and get myself caught out in it a lot."
"Is it bad luck? The rain isn't so bad..." Even if it did threaten a beloved book. It's an older book, very worn. Older than Vincent in fact. It's his mom's favorite book and she's read it to and with him hundreds of times, it seems like. She gave him that copy which was hers when she was younger.
"I kind of like it when I don't have a book to protect."
"It's not great luck when you're not a big fan of the rain." Says the bird who caused the rain. Though to be fair, causing the rain is a lot more enjoyable than being caught in it. Even if he's well equipped to more than handle the weather that he causes, his body still tingles in a way that he's never really liked when he's too wet for too long. It could certainly be much worse, though, for a bird made mostly of lightning. "Well, it's more like I have mixed feelings about the rain." Rai leans back and runs his fingers through his hair to shake out some of the water without getting too much of it on the table. "I don't really like getting caught in so much of it."
Rai turns the book back around and slides it across the table toward Vincent. "Hmm yeah I can see how a threatened book could really sour any good experience."
Vincent hums, nodding in thoughtful agreement. From the way everyone took off running at the first drop of rain, he can imagine a lot of people don't like. He's not ever pleased to be caught in it, but it's just water. He can always go home and change his close if he gets too wet. It's not the end of the world.
Looking down at the book, he takes it gently in his hands, a fond smile pulling across his face. "It's a special book to me."
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"Thank you," he gushes softly. "It's your quick thinking that saved it."
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"It's my defence against the rain. I have terrible luck and get myself caught out in it a lot."
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"I kind of like it when I don't have a book to protect."
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Rai turns the book back around and slides it across the table toward Vincent. "Hmm yeah I can see how a threatened book could really sour any good experience."
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Looking down at the book, he takes it gently in his hands, a fond smile pulling across his face. "It's a special book to me."