Miss Blimey sat still for a moment and then exploded with laughter. She could not believe what her ears had just heard and what her eyes now saw to be true. Her crazy clock-work parrot, Rawkous, was standing before her in all seriousness next to what Miss Blimey now clearly realised was a female sea gull. The pair looked intently at the Captain of the Raven and waited for her to recover her senses.

"You're serious then?" asked Miss Blimey eventually, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes and gasping for breath as her giggles slowly retreated so she could deal with the current situation.

"Why, yes of course, Swoo Hoo," relied Rawkous.

"Betty H.V! Come here and listen to this!" yelled Miss Blimey before turning back to confront her bird, "it's not that I am mocking you" Miss Blimey continued to Rawkous. "Your request just caught me by surprise and I just didn't think seagulls were your type," she finished smiling kindly at her companion just as Betty hates Veronica came skipping up to her side.

"You're in a good mood then, rawrrrk," stated Rawkous, who would have smiled also if beaks had such a capacity.

"Yeah, well it's a nice day, I've had three coffees and I feel like sparkling," justified Betty H.V, though she couldn't quite understand why she felt the need to explain herself to a wind-up bird. However her thoughts on this matter were soon interrupted.

"Rawkous wants to get married!" blurted out Miss Blimey suddenly, unable to contain her knowledge any longer.

"YOU WHAT!?" came Betty hates Veronica's stunned reply slash question.

"Yes, he's wants to marry this seagull next to him, that's why she's there, and he wants me to marry them.....seeing as I'm a captain.... apparently, according to the bird here, I can marry people, uh animals, um things, anything whatever I want! I'm gonna marry the salt shaker to the pepper grinder some time soon," Miss Blimey explained in a torrent of excitement before bursting into a fresh batch of stifled giggles.

"Right.... OK," mused Betty H.V cautiously as she wasn't quite sure yet if this was a prank Miss Blimey and the parrot were playing on her or if they were, indeed, serious. Though, she thought to herself, if they were serious that would explain how they got to get the seagull gal to sit so patiently beside Rawkous.

Miss Blimey eventually calmed down and turned to her first mate to stress the sincerity of the situation, and to request that Betty hates Veronica made some arrangements for the wedding, such as a cake made entirely of seed for the bird-type guests Rawkous had warned her to expect would attend. Betty H.V processed all this information carefully before turning to Rawkous with a strange look of consternation etched gravely across her face. In due course she spoke again.

"So, how did you meet?" she asked the bird at last.

"Rawrrrk, the last time you two went for supplies I had to watch the ship, remember? And I got so bored waiting for you I flew over to a group of near by gulls, just looking for a little light conversation to kill the time, and as soon as I saw Cycloe I fell immediately in love," sighed Rawkous recounting their love story for a confused Betty H.V.

"Right, I didn't know you could even speak an actual bird language," she stated after thinking for a moment.

"I can speak a few languages actually, which you would know if you bothered to take me seriously ever!" was Rawkous's impertinent reply.

"But I do take you seriously!" replied Betty hates Veroinica, deeply offended. "I've just agreed to plan you damn wedding haven't I?"

"Ah, yes, a token," came back Rawkous dismissively.

"You're in some kind of mood for your wedding day!" returned Betty H.V storming off.

"Rawkous, you shouldn't torment Betty H.V so, it's not nice at all," scolded Miss Blimey, before breaking into another burst of giggles at the thought of her first mate planning her parrot's wedding.

"Sorry," replied a humbled Rawkous. "I guess it's just the stress of the wedding getting to me".

"What?!" Miss Blimey half asked half shouted in disbelief. "You just got engaged today, how can you be suffering from the jitters already?"

"Ah yes, but we are getting married this afternoon," retorted Rawkous, then changing his tone he asked quietly if he could be allowed to go away for a few days on his honeymoon.

"Sure," laughed Miss Blimey. "Nothing's too good for my parrot".

Later that afternoon, after some hurried preparations by Betty hates Veronica the wedding of Rawkous the parrot to Cycloe the seagull took place on the main deck of the Raven. Miss Blimey presided over the ceremony like a proud parent and did her best to take the whole scenario seriously. It was a beautiful wedding, attended by many gulls and parrots alike, most of whom Miss Blimey had only met recently and in passing that day, yet she was happy there were so many guests for the nuptials of her prize pet to his lady friend. Still there was a touch of the surreal about the day that would not go away and stopped Miss Blimey from completely accepting the fact that she wasn't really loosing a parrot, but was in fact gaining a seagull.

After the ceremony was done, the entirely seed cake had been cut, and the guests had departed, Rawkous and his wife farewelled Miss Blimey and Betty H.V for a few days to go on their honeymoon. As they flew away into the sunset together Betty H.V turned to Miss Blimey and asked if she thought their marriage would last.

"Well my dear friend, they've got as much chance as anyone else," answered Miss Blimey seriously before starting to laugh once again, then picking up a nearby bottle of champagne she added. "So let us toast to them and wish them luck!"

"Seems like the only right thing to do," giggled Betty H.V and together the two girls raised their glasses to their bird as Rawkous and his bride disappeared from their view.

The End