For this Life Day (because Sithmas is a *FARCE*), Qyreia went to her local crafts shop for some supplies: two foam balls, the largest no larger than her fist, the other about half the size; a bag of fine black feathers; some glue; sturdy dowels about the thickness of a bird leg; some paint; and a little baggie of black beads. These she crafted, at home, into something that resembled a small black bird — round and rather pudgy-looking to make it rather cute compared to its sleeker, real life counterpart — using the beads for eyes and the sticks (unsurprisingly) for legs and feet. This little bird is, of course, for Ruka, he who fears birds (or *ornithophobia*).

So Qyreia boxes up the bird in very nice wrapping paper and gives this to Ruka, with a very obvious card on the package labeled "READ THIS FIRST" on the front cover. In the card, there is text, likewise all in capital letters that reads: *I MADE THIS, SO YOU BETTER NOT DESTROY JEFFREY! AND YES HIS NAME IS JEFFREY! JEFFREY IS MY BIRDCHILD. YOU WOULDN'T HARM A DEFENSELESS BIRDCHILD, WOULD YOU?!*

Of course, she knows that Ruka wouldn't *destroy* it, but he probably wouldn't keep it in his view ever and just hides it in a closet or something. So she intentionally comes over just to "check up on her birdchild". It's a reason to visit and have some fun with the Mirialan when he inevitably says that Jeffrey is safe and comfortable in his home that is out of everyone's sight. So Qyreia start hounding Ruka about putting her "child" in a dark hole, chasing him around his house while Cora and the kids watch in mixed horror and amusement, as she screams "Get my child out of your hole!"