Tiger and bird

Sassy looked at the gleaming locket in Rumi’s hands with great curiosity. Pretty. She’d have kept it for herself if she could. But Rumi was looking at it like a wounded fledgling who had fallen from the nest. Odd, very odd. Sassy let out a puzzled quark, flew closer, and tapped expertly on the lid. Gold. A fine thing. Why the gloomy face? Maybe the human wanted a shiny stone on it? “What is it, Sassy? You like it?” Rumi asked gently, running her fingers through the magpie’s feathers. Sassy nodded and settled comfortably on the girl’s lap. “I like it too. It is a birthday gift from Selin.” There it was again — the slumped shoulders, the lost gaze. Human signs of sorrow. Jinu had explained them once. Sassy was smart; she remembered things. Where was that useless Derpy when he was actually needed? Sassy didn’t understand a thing about comforting. The human had so many hats, shiny things, and gemstones (not a single one Sassy’d managed to snatch—stingy!) and still she was sad. If Sassy had all that, she probably wouldn’t even need a pack. Probably. Annoyed, Sassy narrowed her eyes and jabbed Rumi sharply in the shoulder —t hree times, for good measure. “Ouch! What was that for?” “Charr-charr!” Sassy scolded, then snatched the locket and soared triumphantly to the top of the fridge. Rumi jumped up, fluffing herself in displeasure. Ha! That’s right — Sassy could do all sorts of things. Just try taking it back now, ke-ke-ke. “Down. Now. And give it back,” Rumi ordered, sternly pointing at the floor. Sassy chattered, then gave a pitiful, dramatic cry. Then she narrowed her eyes and slapped the locket with her foot. For more dramatic effect, she dangled it over the narrow crack between the fridge and the wall. One twitch — and it would go down. To Sassy’s surprise, Rumi understood the pantomime. “No… It’s not the locket that’s making me sad,” she said, sighing. “It’s just... I’m getting older. And I’m a half-demon, so… where do I even go when I die? And Jinu… did I really save him? Will he come back or are my hopes just illusions? These thoughts keep gnawing at me.” Sassy tilted her head. Now she got it. How alike these two were—Jinu and his mate. This, at last, was something Sassy knew how to handle. Before Rumi could speak again, Sassy landed on her shoulder and gently rubbed her neck, ruffling her feathers with a soft purr. Rumi laughed, reclaiming the locket and stroking the magpie’s beak. “Sassy, are you feeling sorry for me?” she teased. In reply, Sassy gave her a sharp peck on the ear. “Ouch! Okay, okay! I’m quiet now.” They sat together for a while, quietly examining the locket. Sassy was still trying to think of a proper way to comfort her. Nest building? No, let the master handle that when he returns. Feeding her was pointless, and soft cooing was too much trouble — humans never understood anything anyway. She did have a pretty bracelet stashed away, but... she needed that one herself. Although… maybe she had something even better than this sad little locket. Without hesitation, Sassy launched herself into action. It took two entire stashes to dig through, mind you, but she finally found it — an old hairpin, delicate and lovely. Derpy would owe her for this. “What’s this?” Rumi asked in surprise as Sassy triumphantly dropped the pin into her hands. Sassy didn’t bother answering such an obvious question. Instead, she pecked her in the shoulder this time — just enough to make her think. Rumi turned the hairpin over in her hands, eyes widening. “This looks ancient,” she murmured. “Made of jade. And this flower… is it amugunghwa? The eternal blossom—blooming and fading again and again. Like a phoenix, never truly dying. Jinu used to tell me that story…” Come on, Rumi, Sassy thought, watching closely. Understand. And finally, Rumi smiled softly, genuinely. The sadness vanished like morning mist. “What would I do without you and Derpy?” Sassy clicked her beak, unimpressed. What did that oaf have to do withanyof this? She’d done all the work again, and he gets the credit? So when he finally wandered in late that evening, from who-knows-where, Sassy wasted no time. She flew straight at his clumsy head, pecked him hard, and plopped down on top to sleep. Next time, she thought grimly, he can be the one to comfort the human. Let him worry for everyone while I rest. Useless lump.