Banished

2

Willow fidgeted as the dress maker circled her thoughtfully, poking and prodding where she see fit. Her movements were quick, making Willow nervous and she glanced at Needle through the mirror. Needle smiled at her reassuringly before stepping farther into the room. 

"Iris, do you believe Willow has grown any since the ball last year?" To anyone who didn't know him, Needle sounded genually curious, but Willow had to bite back a smile, knowing what he was getting at without him having to say it. 

Iris stopped her prodding and looked up at him with wide eyes. Iris had had a bit of a crush on Needle since she came to work at the Bird Cage and it was beginning to show now as her high cheek bones turned red under his lingering gaze. "No, I don't believe so." Iris murmured, batting her eyes bashfully up at him much to Willow's amusement. 

Needle leaned closer before directing his eyes back to Willow, who stood in the dress that she would wear to the ball. He raked his gaze up and down her figure before looking back at Iris and lifting a hand, as if to shield a secret from Willow's curious eyes. 

"Not even around the hips?" Willow gasped at the comment and Needle snickered as Iris' eyes widened in shock. Iris whipped around to look at Willow as she shook her head, assuring her that her waist hadn't grown like Needle implied. 

"Of course not! Willow, you are just as thin as always. In fact, I believe we are all done with alterations. Go ahead and undress and I will have your dress stored away safely for the ball." Iris said this in a rush which led Needle and Willow to share a devious smile. 

Willow quickly ran behind the divider before carefully taking the delicate dress off her small form and slipping her grey nightgown back on. When she reappeared she noticed Iris across the room admiring Needle who was inspecting his weapon of choice, a blow gun. It was a simple tool, simply a hollowed out pipe. 

Needle didn't look up as Willow handed her dress over to Iris before leaning against the wall to study her companion. Needle's hair was kept short but even when it grew long it would stick straight up. Do to his Bird Soul type his hair matched his bird's by being intensely blond with orange tips. His green eyes were intense as he peered through the end of his blow gun, lifting it up before finally noticing Willow.

He immediately holstered  his weapon and walked up to her with a warm smile. "Want to go for a fly?" He asked hopefully and Willow let out a relieved breath at the thought of stretching her wings. "Won't we get in trouble? Shrew wants me to stay grounded until I get this month's fit and I thought you were still in your training frenzy?" Willow questioned as her inner owl scratched at her angrily for not jumping at the chance to fly. 

"I've trained enough and I doubt your fit will happen midair. Even if it did, when have I not been there to catch you?" Needle brushed a strand of hair behind Willows ear and she shivered at the light contact of his finger tips against her cheek. 

"Never."

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Willow's Great Horned Owl flew among the rafters, being followed closely by Needle's Golden Palm Weaver. Willow landed for a moment, letting out a joyous cry as Needle swooped by to sharply peck her, resulting in a game of chase.

Unlike Needle, Willow's appearance didn't resemble her Soul Animal in the slightest. Shrew told her it was because, at birth, some Animal Souls intertwined with the mundane soul tighter than others, resulting in similar appearances and a more conjoined personality. This didn't mean that her bond with her owl was any weaker, it just meant that they were more separate beings with different personalities who took turns letting lose in the world as opposed to Needle who couldn't distinguish between his thoughts and his bird's.