When the Providence docked, all eyes turned on the ship to admire its grandeur. For Haytham, however, it had become nothing but another of the many ships that crossed the monotonous seas. That, and something of a nuisance, what with the crew and captain he had become involved with. He was grateful to have reached the port, and even more so when he stepped off that blasted vessel. He was met with an active environment—something he wasn't exactly delighted by.
The New World was definitely a chaotic place.
He'd noticed flocks of black birds riddled among the port, perched upon the masts of the ships and on rooftops. Some of them cawed loudly, annoyingly, but he was able to put their voices out of his head. His attention was given mainly to an eager Charles Lee, who struck hands with him and made his cooperation clear. They began to walk together, away from the docks and further into the city, but Haytham was unaware that a set of eyes were trained on him ever since he arrived.
A pair of eyes from directly above.
Curious, conniving, red eyes.
The eyes of a Murkrow—one of the black birds Haytham had dismissed earlier.
There were many of them, scattered all around not only the port, but the rest of the city. They cawed at each other, at people, at other Pokémon. Sometimes for a reason, sometimes for nothing. But their presence was ignored by the residents who had lived in Boston long enough. Newcomers often grew weary of the Murkrow, making fools of themselves by shouting back at the birds, even tossing things at them to make them leave. Not a single thing worked, though, and it was through trial and error that people gradually accepted the flying nuisances as their neighbors.
Haytham was not about to make any of these mistakes. Thankfully, he tolerated the noise and the black figures that darted from here to there. Charles had engaged him in conversation, though it was light and hardly demanded serious thought.
The Murkrow that saw Haytham—that watched him the entire time—grew interested enough to follow. There was something about him; his gait, his appearance, and the fact that he was a fresh face. All of this made him an object of study, and gave him a certain... magnetism; that which pulled the Murkrow toward him. Indeed, it trailed him from the docks, but did so with a careful amount of stealth. Charles was accompanied by a Houndoom, a creature that kept itself on high alert. Its eyes and ears were finely tuned to detect the slightest disturbance. Murkrow had encountered the likes of those Pokémon before, and knew their aggression could surge forth from one second to the next.
Murkrow hopped from rooftop to rooftop, from tree to tree. Its eyes remained perfectly glued to the adornment on Haytham's head. It was curiously reminiscent of something it had seen before. Something that gave it bad vibes. It even reeled at the feeling, confused as to why it should follow a human whose appearance made its stomach turn. But the temptation remained, the curiosity burned brighter, and Murkrow would not relent. It was on its own, and what would be the harm?
Besides, this would be fun.
When Haytham approached a man seemingly in distress, he immediately regretted the decision as soon as the older fellow expressed his dilemma.
"Look, I'm not sure if I—"
And very promptly did the discussion end. Benjamin Franklin retreated into the building he motioned at, and Haytham was inclined to enter, though not for a continuation of the subject. He felt eyes upon him again, but not from Charles, or from the canine that walked with them.
In his peripheral vision, he swore he saw one of those same birds actually watching him. When he turned to look, however, nothing was there.
"Something the matter, sir?" wondered Charles as he followed Haytham's gaze.
"No," Haytham answered quickly and comfortably, which was enough to put Charles' worries to rest. He made his way into the store after all, leaving his escort to wait outside.
But something was definitely the matter. Haytham had seen it with his own eyes. He knew it—and Murkrow knew it, too. They hadn't made eye contact, but they saw enough of each other to cement the fact. It wasn't a problem for Haytham, but for Murkrow it was a disaster. It had been seen because it fumbled, peeking out at them longer than it should have, and now the element of surprise was eliminated. A mere second made all the difference.
But not all was lost. It was in a Murkrow's nature to make mischief, and this opportunity was too promising to pass up. To test this man's patience while indulging its own curiosity? Oh, yes. The time was now.
Murkrow had ducked behind a cart, propping itself on a wheel; but as far as it knew, hiding was pointless now. The bird flew away to the nearest roof, which was occupied by some of its own kind. They ignored it only after leering at the outcast, but they were ignored in turn. Murkrow wanted to have fun, and it assured itself that it would. Haytham would guarantee that.
Its whimsical eyes caught sight of his friend, though, interacting with another person. They talked, in close proximity, and Houndoom kept with it an air of suspicion as it guarded against danger.
This Charles Lee... What was he up to? He seemed to marvel at something in his hand which the other person had given to him. They fled, and Charles tucked away the object before Murkrow could get a clear look at it. The prospect of it being a wonderful thing filled Murkrow's mind, exciting its passions and sparking its curiosity. Now it seemed that Charles was a thing of interest as well.
And just like that, Haytham returned. "Now, where were we?" it heard him ask, and watched the pair move on.
They made use of two horses—well, horses with flaming manes and tails, but not at all harmful to the touch. Charles' canine followed close behind, and Murkrow even further behind the party. It overheard them speaking, but it could not gather anything of importance. It followed them right up to where they dismounted, and watched them enter from the safety of a rooftop nearby. It was displeased to know that Houndoom had waited outside. All Murkrow could do was watch and wait. But apparently this Green Dragon Tavern was a place they'd be frequenting, as Charles had mentioned something about an inn earlier, and Murkrow had once tormented people who stayed there for a time.
Not more than minutes passed before the two same men exited the building. Having chosen a perch in front of them, and being the only bird on it, Haytham noticed the Pokémon once again, giving it a cold shoulder for the second time that day. He couldn't be certain if it was the same as before, but he had a fairly educated guess. Murkrow didn't care about being seen this time. Having locked eyes with the man for a moment, it cawed in his direction, catching the attention of Charles Lee and the dog. Haytham was not in the mood for a distraction like this, but he admitted that there was something curious about his two chance sightings of a similar bird in one day, and the very one that watched him from above tickled his interest, if only for a fleeting moment.
Its caw was almost like a greeting to him; a "welcome to Boston" that held a mild level of intrigue.
