Happy new year everyone, & once again, this chapter was going to be longer, until I realised just how complicated the section right after this was going to be. I hope this satisfies to be going on with while I dive into it & try to satisfactorily explain something that's right at the heart of my story.
Also, it was mentioned by a friend whose helping me that a certain nasty character is getting off much too lightly here, I assure you, it's not going to be the smooth sailing he thinks it will be, once he actually bothers to find out what he's getting into.
Don't forget: Rob the Ara Macao's story 'The Fantasy Begins in Rio.' as well as Strykeruk's story 'Who we are'. Both are great stories in their own right, but have characters & events crossing over with this one & each other.
Disclaimer: Do I own Rio officer? Why, no, but I have written permission to write Fanfics about it right over here... by the THROTTLE! (Laughs maniacally while speeding away)
Chapter 26
Blu had been enjoying himself immensely.
This day out with his family exploring the city had been nice enough, but what had pleased Blu greatly was the fact that Linda & Tulio had been able to join in too. He'd also been able to discover Linda's hidden worries about the way she'd raised him & quickly & firmly set them to rest. In his view, Linda had nothing to apologize for. When they'd reached the Stadium & Blu had begun relating his knowledge of Soccer, he'd then been thrilled to see a look of absorbed interest on Linda's face that matched the ones the faces of his kids. Finally, here was something he could teach her, & he couldn't help but feel a swelling of pride as he did so.
He'd started out by just describing the training activities that were going on down in the Stadium & relating how Birds either copied or modified those moves when they played the game themselves, but seeing them hanging on his every word had fueled his desire to impress them & inspired him to move onto demonstrations. Thanks to the generous donation of a nut from one of the other Birds on the roof Blu could show them his old moves, & they'd come back to him so smoothly. He'd then asked for some volunteers to serve in the role of opponents to demonstrate some more complex moves, & things had snowballed rapidly from there. Before he knew it, he was playing in a full-on match, & it was only after scoring a 'goal', that the cheers from the Birds that had gathered to watch had suddenly snapped him out of his prideful haze & he'd realized just how far he'd gotten carried away. It was similar to when they'd last visited & Blu had discovered his knack for the Sport. He'd gotten carried away then too, but although she had outwardly supported him at the time, Blu knew Jewel well enough to see that she hadn't been happy, & upon talking it out with her afterwards he'd discovered why.
Jewel believed that Soccer was a Human activity that Birds didn't have any business emulating. Blu didn't really see the logic in this, it was just a Sport after all, a fun & engaging Sport that a lot of Birds around Rio either took part in, enjoyed watching, or both (especially The Maracanã Macaws) but he could see that this tied back into Jewel's long-running problems with Birds emulating or relying on Humans. He'd decided not to argue though, & Jewel herself had appeared to understand that her view was in the minority, but she did ask one thing of him, which was that he not encourage their kids to take up Soccer (or any other Human-related activity) until they were older, which would then give her the chance to encourage them to appreciate more Bird-appropriate activities.
As it was the love of his life asking, Blu had, of course, agreed to this in spite of his reservations, but (much as he'd suspected from the start) this method had hardly worked out the way Jewel had hoped. Their kids were intelligent & curious, so Humans & their activities naturally fascinated them, & they were the ones who continually pestered both himself & Jewel for information on or permission to learn about Humans & Human things, Soccer included. But even in the face of this, Jewel had been reluctant to accept that the life she wanted for their kids wasn't the life that they themselves appeared to want, which was why Blu had been so taken aback when Jewel had agreed to the visit to the Stadium. For sure, she'd agreed to let him teach them about the Sport someday if it turned out they really wanted to learn (Which Andre certainly did) but her sudden acquiescence had caught Blu a bit off guard, much like when after her chat with Linda, she had agreed to let their kids visit Jules' home later in the day.
Like he had then, Blu had wondered if something in that chat had brought about this change in Jewel's attitude. He'd seen the 2 of them talking during the class this morning, which he'd been thrilled by in that the 2 of them were getting along, but it looked like something had changed because of that talk. Some barrier had been overcome or some conclusion reached, & Blu wondered what it was, while at the same time wondering when would be the right moment to ask.
Regardless of Jewel's acceptance of the visit to the Stadium however, Blu couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry about what she might say about him once again getting carried away. Maybe she would view it as moving too fast. Maybe she wasn't totally on board with throwing themselves into the Sport to that degree. Maybe she would want them to back off a bit, cool down, think about it more carefully…
These thoughts ran through the back of his mind, forming a worried undercurrent to the much more positive experience he was currently having on the surface, that of the other Birds who had either participated in or observed the little impromptu Soccer match he'd just engaged in, coming up to offer their praise for the clear skill he'd just displayed. He did his best to keep smiling & graciously accept their praise, & after a while his flock of fans began to disperse, eager to get back to either their observations of the Humans in the Stadium or (inspired by Blu's example) to set up their own mini-matches on the roof. Blu then saw his family & friends approaching with smiles on their beaks. Jewel wasn't with them, but Blu knew it would only be a matter of time before he'd have to explain himself to her…
"That was awesome Dad!" Andre said, bouncing on his claws with excitement.
"…well, yes, I guess it was…" Blu said with a sheepish smile, wondering how he could downplay the activity…
"You've still got it Blu." Adao said appreciatively. "You should take my Big Bro up on his offer of a rematch sometime."
"…um…yeah, I probably could do that…" Blu said out loud, even while he internally wondered how he could get out of it…
"You're a natural Blu." Linda observed to him. "Looks like you've got a talent for Soccer as well as Spelling, hmm?" She teased him good-naturedly.
"…Yeah, it would seem…" Blu said. How could he explain to her, to all of them, why he had to keep this talent of his under wraps?...
"You gotta teach me those moves Dad!" Andre said as he quickly took to the air & hovered right in front of Blu's face. "I know I can do them too!" He said excitedly. "With the flips & the spins…" He matched the words to the actions, twirling through the air as he fluttered around his father. "…And the way you got past all those defenders! I can do that! I just need to…"
"Andre! Andre, please." Blu said as he tried to calm his excited son down. "You know this is a special occasion. And I'm sure your Mom would say..." he began.
"Go for it." Jewel's voice interrupted him.
Surprised, Blu turned & saw that Jewel had approached without him noticing & was observing his interaction with Andre with a small smile on her beak.
"What was that Jewel?" Blu asked with a tilt of his head, sure he had misheard her.
"I said: Go for it." Jewel said as she came up to his side & smiled at the 2 of them. "It is the National Sport after all, for both Humans & Birds, so if Andre wants to learn your moves, you should teach him, right?" She observed.
"Really?" Blu asked, surprised.
"Really?!" Andre echoed as he landed back on the roof & gave his mother an excited look.
"Really." Jewel confirmed, still with that smile. She transferred her gaze to the others, who were looking on curiously.
"In fact, we can all learn, if you want." She informed them. She glanced up to note the position of the sun before going on: "We have some time before we need to move on to Sugarloaf, so we could fit some practice in. In fact…think of it as an extension of that training we're going to do later…" She then looked down at Paulo & Gia, who were looking a little uncertain. "…but you don't have to if you don't want to." She reassured them. "This is supposed to be for fun, so if you want to just watch, you can." She looked back up at the others. "And that goes for all of you. You can play or watch, whichever you want." She said with a smile.
"Whoho!" Andre cheered excitedly with his wings raised in triumph, but the reaction from his brother & sister were more restrained, just giving their mother a smile & a nod. Linda, Tulio, Jules & Ana also gave Jewel their own smiles & nods too, signaling that they were up for it as well.
But in spite of this chorus of agreement to Jewel's proposal, Blu felt like saying to her: Okay, who are you, & what have you done with Jewel? Even with the softening of her attitude he'd observed, how could her position have changed so much, so quickly? It was one thing for her to be accepting of the activity, perhaps with a sigh, but now she was actively encouraging it. Was this once again, something to do with the conversation she'd had with Linda earlier?.. but no, that couldn't be right, as Jewel had had had that look on her face when they'd arrived at the Stadium. So, who, or what, could've changed her mind?...
As Blu tried to make sense of this however, Jewel turned to him & she noted the slightly confused look on his face. "Blu, I know, I know." She said with a sympathetic smile. "Let's just say…that I've come around to your point of view. This Sport is an important…bonding activity…for all of us. And that's good right? We can all have fun, & you can teach those skills of yours. That's what you wanted, right?" She prompted.
It was indeed what Blu had wanted, but never thought Jewel would come around to so suddenly. "Well…yes…yes!...It is!." He said as his expression lightened, & he returned Jewel's smile with one of his own. "Well…what are we waiting for then?" He asked, spreading his wings wide as he looked around happily, taking all his family & friends in with his gaze. "You heard Jewel. Let's all have fun & learning with Soccer!"
There was a chorus of agreement from Blu's friends & family to this proposal, & glancing over at him, Blu saw a smile on Adao's beak, & he returned Blu's look with a knowing one of his own. Blu gave him smile & nod of his own, & then raised his voice as he asked him as well as his friends & family to gather round. As they did so, Blu then quickly got down to the business of organizing who was going to be doing what in this activity, either playing or spectating, to which Adao agreed to participate.
Even as he was occupied with arranging these matters, Blu once again experienced that feeling of satisfaction. Once again, his Bird & Human families could share an experience, & Blu was further pleased by this apparent evidence that Jewel really was thawing on allowing Human influences into their family's lives.
In fact...maybe the time might now be right for him to bring up his…secret project?
The thought had popped into his head so suddenly & unexpectedly that he almost lost the thread of what he was discussing, but he recovered quickly & continued without any of the others apparently noticing anything.
His project. The one that he'd been working on for some time, but had shelved after their kids had come along & he'd agreed with Jewel that they should be raised in the Jungle. He still had the plans though, hidden amongst the Books back in their Hollow. Now, with the kids being more mature & with this apparent shift in Jewel's attitude, Blu began to feel that he really shouldn't waste this golden opportunity to broach the subject to both Linda & Jewel, & get both of their reactions to it.
He'd have to see how things went, he decided. Right now, they had Soccer practice to get to. He knew that Linda still wanted to talk to him later that afternoon to finish up their chat from yesterday, & he'd watch for opportunity to share his idea for his family's future... with his closest family members.
In the city of Rio, there are various waterways, & most of the Birds who made the City their home were vaguely aware that some of these were used by Humans for 'Hygienic Activities ' in much the same way as the Birds set aside certain areas of the Jungle. The Birds had come to learn however, that the Humans apparently had these things called 'Treatment Plants' at the end of those waterways which served the purpose of keeping the water clean, & although the Birds didn't understand where Plants came into it, (From an aerial perspective, these places looked like large boxy buildings & circular tanks. Maybe the Plants were inside these things somewhere?) the fact remained that the Birds knew that dirty water went into these places, & clean water came out. As such, most of the Birds who made the Human city their home had also decided to adopt the Human methods of maintaining Hygiene, & made use of the area's leading up to these 'Plants' for their own needs.
One such area was not far from Nico & Pedro's Club. Some Birds had nicknamed it 'The Perch' as a counterpart to the name of Nico & Pedro's club & the name had stuck. It consisted of 2 major parts. The first was a dense cluster of trees overhanging the waterway leading up the Plant where the Hygienic Activities took place, & the second was a large abandoned factory a short distance away with a sloped roof that faced back towards the City. As it was safe & offered great views, this roof had been adopted by a lot of Birds who had over indulged at the Club as a great place to rest & recuperate in the sunshine & fresh air, which was exactly what a Male Scarlet Macaw was doing at that moment, resting on the roof in the shade of the factory chimneys as he tried to get over the lingering remnants of his hangover, & feeling sorry for himself as he did so.
Oh, not that Juan would admit that he was feeling sorry for himself if anyone had asked. No, he was simply…considering things. Evaluating the situation, weighing his options, & all that. That to an outside observer, he looked like he was sulking petulantly would simply be them not understanding what was truly going on.
So, as he sulked petulantly, Juan tried to get a handle on what had gone wrong. How could things have turned out this way? He & Ana being together was Destiny, it was Meant to Be… but now this upstart newcomer had flown into her life, & instead of telling him off & kicking him out like she should've, she was (in Juan's view) fawning all over him, hanging on his every word & following him around everywhere, just like he'd seen when he'd checked up on her during the party last night.
That was what she was supposed to doing with me. Juan thought discontentedly. And what made it worse, was that everyone was taking this interlopers side. Could they not see how Wrong he was for her? There was his…his… Juan couldn't actually think of anything right at that moment, but that didn't matter. He was Wrong for her, & that was that. But no-one but him could apparently see it. He was alone…abandoned…the only sane Bird who could see things the way they really were, but cut off from all support…
"Do you need anything else Juan?" A cheery voice interrupted his morose thoughts.
Well… not totally alone. At least one Bird was on the right side (his) even if she was just a common Greenwing.
"No." he said shortly, & not looking at her. "This is sufficient." He clarified as he shifted on the makeshift (but quite comfy) nest of leaves Giselle had put together for him, & took another small drink from the thimble of water she'd placed at his side.
"OK. Please, let just let know if there's anything else you need." She answered & then went back to whatever she was doing off to Juan's side, apparently just watching the view or something.
Normally, Juan would have dismissed her from his presence by now, but just like earlier, he was aware that she was pretty much his only ally, as pathetic as that was. That was why he needed to try & come up with a plan to get Ana back… but Juan had never been one for planning things out, or at least not to any great degree. Things had usually just…fallen into place for him, like with the Dance Club Sergio had asked him to run, he'd had both Giselle & Bruno to deal with most of the arrangements of that for him, especially with Giselle giving glowing reports to Sergio about how well it was all going, & Bruno keeping the flock in line, saving him the bother of dealing with either of those things himself. Having to keep order amongst all those Greenwings would have been a real chore, but as for dealing with Sergio…
Juan couldn't help a mild shiver from running up his back. Even though Sergio was a Greenwing, he was the one exception to Juan's low opinion of the group. With the position Sergio held as the leader of one of the larger Greenwing flocks, Juan had suspected from the start that he wasn't as easily led as most of them & that it wasn't a good idea to get on his bad side. Something that he'd confirmed was true after Sergio had had a few words for him after the incident with the newcomer that had broken up his Club…
Juan angrily dismissed such thoughts. That wasn't his fault. That newcomer had tricked him!...Somehow! And anyways what did it matter? The Club had only been a fun distraction, & what really mattered now was Ana. He couldn't lose her too, so he had to think…think of some way of getting her back…think…think…
Juan groaned, attracting a concerned look from Giselle, but Juan didn't care. "…how can I get her back?" He lamented out loud to the huge, uncaring world.
Giselle hesitated briefly, but then she tentatively ventured: "Ana?" in a questioning tone.
"Of course Ana!" Juan snapped, but still not looking at her, directing his glare out at the City. "I must think of a way of showing her that I'm the one for her…not him!" He went on fiercely. But then just as quickly as his anger appeared, it dissipated. "But how?...How?...How can I show her the mistake she's making?..." He lamented out loud once more.
As before Giselle hesitated briefly, but then as before she spoke up once again: "How about…singing?" She ventured.
Juan scoffed. "Singing? Now that's a stupid idea if ever I've heard…" He began but then stopped as he began to think. Singing… Yes… yes! Along with dancing, that was one of the main ways Birds used to court each other. Why had he not thought of it before?... no matter, he had now. "Singing…yes, that could work!" He exclaimed. "I am, of course, an excellent singer, so all I would need would be the right song…" He mused out loud as he began to mentally review all the songs he knew.
"Not that one…no, not that one either…pah, that one's much too sappy…that one's too long…that one? gah, too off point…" He continued to muse out loud.
"…I know one."
"…Too short…that one's about something completely different &…" Juan continued to muse before his hearing caught up with his thoughts. "Wait…what did you say?" He asked as he looked over at Giselle, who looked down at her claws sheepishly.
"Well I…I heard this song a while back…& I thought…it…it was perfect for you & Ana." She clarified.
Juan frowned. This again was it? Giselle had been trying for ages to get him to hear her songs, apparently out of desire to have her singing ability evaluated. He'd had no time for such nonsense & had always put her off, but there was perhaps a chance, a very small chance, that she'd stumbled across something he could use. But in order to find that out…
"And you want to sing it now do you?" He asked with a touch of displeasure. "To demonstrate it for me?"
"Oh can I Juan?" Giselle rushed into speech. "Please? I had to change it just a little bit, you know, to make it more appropriate, but I'm sure my changes can't compare to those an Artist such as yourself would use. I'm sorry I can't just write it down or something, but can I sing it just a little? Please?" She begged.
Even as he primped a little internally at being recognized as the artist he was, Juan let out a sigh of resignation. "Very well." He said. "You may sing." He allowed. "Just don't take too long about it."
Giselle looked thrilled, but then she quickly pulled herself together. "Oh!...I…I mean, oh, yes. Of course Juan. Ahem." She cleared he throat & drew herself up a little. "It's called: 'If you're not the one' Juan." She informed him.
Juan sighed again. "Just get on with it."
Giselle nodded & upon drawing herself up once more, she took a deep breath. Juan braced himself for…
"If you're not the one, then why does my soul feel glad…today?"
…The most beautiful singing voice Juan had ever heard.
"If you're not the one, then why does my wing fit yours…this way? If you are not mine, then why does your heart return…my call? If you are not mine, would I have the strength to fly…at all?"
The tone. The Purity. Juan had dreamed of Ana having a singing voice like this, but as he sat there, totally spellbound, he could only gawp at this beautiful voice coming out of such a plain body…
"I'll never know what the future brings, but I know you're here with me now. We'll make it through, & I want you to, be the one I share my life with…"
But as Juan continued to listen to this beautiful voice, he looked at Giselle…as if he was really seeing her for the first time. And as he did so, for the first time that Juan could recall…she looked just as beautiful as her song.
"I don't want to fly away, but I can't take it, I don't understand. If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way…that I can stay…with you always?"
The passion that Giselle was putting into her song, gesturing along with the words & totally caught up in it…in Juan's eyes, it was almost as if she was glowing. The colors of her feathers, that Juan had always dismissed as pale & dull copies of his own magnificent plumage, now seemed to glow like precious stones. Even those green feathers on her wings now looked like shining Emeralds rather than the dull grass like he'd always thought…
"If I don't need you, then why am I crying on…my nest? If I don't need you, then why does your name ache…in my breast? If you're not for me, then why does this distance cut…like a knife? If you're not for me then why do I dream of you…in my life?"
All Juan could do was just sit there, awestruck, as her song continued…& he found himself wishing…that it would never end.
"I don't know why you're so far away, but I know that this much is true, We'll make it through, & I want you to, be the one I share my life with…And I wish that you could be the one I fly with….And I'm praying that you're the one I build my home with….I want to love you all my life."
"I don't want to fly away, but I can't take it, I don't understand. If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way…that I can stay… with you always?"
Giselle's singing voice dropped a little, & the next verse was tinged with just a little sadness.
"'Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away. And I breathe you, into my heart & pray for the strength to fly today. 'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right, & though I'm not with you tonight, You know my heart is by your side."
Ana's singing became even more passionate for the final verse.
"I don't want to fly away, but I can't take it, I don't understand. If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way…that I could stay…with you always?..."
Giselle's voice trailed off on the last word, & it took several stunned moments for Juan to realize that the song had finished. Giselle was just standing there with her eyes closed & a content smile on her beak, & in Juan's eyes, she still had that glow.
Momentarily however, she snapped out of it. Opening her eyes & turning to Juan, she spoke in her normal voice: "Do you think Ana will like that Juan?" she asked conversationally.
It took a few more seconds for Juan to get his thoughts in order sufficiently to answer her. The glow had faded, but the moment had stuck with him.
"Ana?..." He managed before his thoughts caught up with her question. "Oh…Ana. Of course." He said, & then made a further effort to pull himself together. "Yes…I'm sure she would love such a beautiful…song."
Giselle looked pleased. "Oh, I'm glad." She said. "I thought it was very romantic when I first heard it, & I'm sure you can make it even better when you sing it for her."
"…For her. Yes, of course." Juan said. He shifted slightly on the nest. "But…Giselle…let's not talk about Ana right now. That…was a beautiful song, & the way you sang it…that's the most wonderful singing voice I've ever heard." He admitted.
For an instant Juan wondered if he'd made a mistake, giving honest praise like that (a first for him), as Giselle looked like she was about to explode from an overload of pure joy.
"Really?!" she exclaimed. "Oh Juan, thank you! I've always tried to live up to your example, & even being able to approach your level…" Words appeared to fail her, & she hugged herself in joy as Juan looked on.
Part of Juan couldn't believe that he was willing to elevate Giselle to his level. After all, she was just a common…but that was where that train of thought, a common one in Juan's head, screeched to a halt with an abruptness that surprised even himself. No Bird with a singing voice like that could possibly be called a common…anything, by him or anyone else. It didn't matter if she was a Greenwing or anything other species, Juan knew that any Bird that prided themselves on their singing would give their feathers to be able to sing like that…
And that meant that perhaps…Destiny had smiled upon him after all.
But he didn't want to be too hasty. Maybe it was just a fluke, & that was the only song that Giselle could sing that well. So he smiled, shifted over slightly to make room, & patted the leaves next to him with his wing.
"Come Giselle. Sit next to me, & tell me all about it. I'd like to hear more about your singing." He said.
Once again, Giselle looked thrilled. "Oh…of course Juan! I'll tell you everything. Sergio is always saying I should talk about my interests." She said happily as she obeyed his instruction come closer & make herself comfortable on the leaves next to him.
Sergio…Juan once again felt that ripple of discomfort as he once again recalled what the large Greenwing had said to him back when his Dance Club had broken up…
But once again, he dismissed it. This was different. If Giselle truly had the same talent as himself, then she truly belonged on his level, Juan would treat her accordingly. Of course, it helped that she worshipped him… but first things first, so he cleared his throat, & said: "Yes…well., I'm sure Sergio will be pleased that your talent is being recognized. So, if you would, could you…sing something else for me?...You do know other songs…don't you?" He prompted.
"Oh, of course Juan." Giselle said happily. "I've got quite a range. Where would you like me to start?"
"Anywhere you like, Giselle." Juan invited. "Anywhere you like."
Thus encouraged, Giselle got down to the business of demonstrating her musical range, & as she did so, Juan was once again swept away by her beautiful voice. It looked like…it wasn't a fluke…