Finch's Flight

I didn't go home after my show. I stayed, drank, talked, and soaked in the atmosphere like sunlight. It wasn't even that much of a show, just 'one last hurrah' for Carmen's departure from Waterdeep. Of all the entertainment districts I could have had my break in, starting out in this one was awfully lucky for me. Regardless of venue or circle, Waterdeep viewed music more than just entertainment; music is a language, a vessel for story and emotion. I could not have asked for a more appreciative audience and inspiring culture. So why was I leaving?
That question sat at the forefront of my mind for hours, even as distracted as I was. But as the night aged more and more people said their goodbyes, and soon I was alone, out of costume and watching the moon's faint trail on the water. Eventually even she left me, and I watched the slumbering ships in adamant refusal of my tiredness as they rocked against the dock. Ships were meant to sail, I don't wonder how they feel.
A feather floated in front of me, waking me from my lull. Hidden in an alcove of a roof was an open bowl of a nest with a number of finches fluttering their wings and careening their necks. They warbled sparsely, an interspersed melody appropriate for a long, stretched out dawn. One finch poked their head over the edge of the nest, young and brave, and broke out in a burgeoning treble.
Walking through the serene morning fog felt like walking through memory itself, hazy and unclear in all the finer details. People would emerge and then disappear in quiet softness. They did, until a group of three said something.
"Cameron!? Hey, that's our Cameron!" Without even realizing it I'd passed Gunter, Sybil, and Millicent, old friends. They each held a piping cup of tea, blurring their faces further amidst the fog. They must have recognized me since I didn't look all done up.
"Oh!" I'd let out as a reflex. "What a pleasant surprise!" Sentiments were repeated tens of times, how so much time has passed and everyone was just so busy.
"So, you all are headed off to university? Sybil, are you finally becoming a vet like you've always dreamed of being?"
Her face tilted into an awkward grin. "That's what I wanted to do when I was 11! I'm actually becoming an architect." I felt nervousness crack into my smile. The steam of steeped tea washed strongly against my face, smelling like it's been a while. It really had been.
"And you're off to some boomtown? Doesn't sound like your style."
"As good as Waterdeep has been to me, it's about time I move on... Speaking of which, I've got to get to the last of my packing." We exchanged parting hugs as soft and as fleeting as feathers.
As they disappeared into the fog I heard one of them say, "Give your mom our best!"
Right.
Legs floating on the euphoria beyond tiredness carried me through residential streets, stones and lawns specked with dew already. I was too tired to zigzag across the old wood, so the stairs creaked and groaned plenty. The smell of sharp lacquer and stale dust greeted me home. Before long I was washed up, changed into another pair of bland commoner clothes, and seated in my room, packing the last of my valuables. Clasps and clicks clipped through the air, amidst which I heard something move into my door frame.
"Just about packed," I said nonchalantly, turning to see my mother in the doorway with her pincushion smile. She's a wiry woman. Whereas I am wiry like a wine glass' stem, however, she is wiry like a prison fence. With arms crossed over her chest, she looks almost eye level to me seated with eyes scrunched shut.
"I am so proud of you for being your own man, your own hero, and taking charge in your life." Memories that would directly contradict her tenuous swelled like the tide, and I urged them to settle. Even in memory, however, disapproval burned like bile. "You know I am always in your corner supporting you, your Number 1."
"Thanks." I turned away and finish closing clasps, clearing my throat. "The wagon should be arriving shortly." She didn't leave.
"By the way, I ran into friends from school; Sybil, Mill, and Gunter, remember?. They wished you well." I heaved upwards with a sigh, wanting to just focus on how I was getting all these crates out of here.
"Oh, that's wonderful you got to see them before you left. What are they up to?"
"University," I said, dripped with reluctance. I could almost hear her wrinkles crinkling further as her thin smile widened.
"How wonderful for them, hm?" she raised. I turned away from my room of toys, books, and picture frames for the last time. I offer her a shrug before walking past. My fists grasped handles to bags with make-up, costumes, and sheet music. Only the best of me was leaving.
"Well don't let me slow you down. I made breakfast, on the counter. Grab some before you go."
The outside air was sharper than before. Sun and songbirds joined in bright chorus to wake up the rest of the neighborhood. I couldn't remember many of the neighbors, though this bit of Waterdeep wasn't what I'd be missing. My eyes spotted through rich orange sunbeams the entertainment district, miles away. Fond memories relieved and replaced the sour taste in my mouth; songs, dances, lessons, parties, lounges, warmth, love.
My eyes stayed on that slice of the horizon even through the shuddering wagon window. The driver asked, "Are you hungry? If you need to stop anywhere, just say." I said I was fine as I wiped the crumbs off my face. I opened the window and poked my head out. It was time for this finch to finally leave the nest, which meant leaving their old self behind.