%title Harleigh

Harleigh is a fine example of a secretary bird. Her species is already tall, but she stands a good few inches taller than most in her cohort. This is certainly helped by her straight back and severe posture, not to mention the crest of feathers that helps give her species its name. Those long, sparse feathers help crown her elegant head, face reddish-orange and featherless, fronted by a cruelly curved beak.

The feathers covering most of her body are very light grey or white in sharp contrast to her flight feathers and those covering her thighs, which are quite black. Despite the bright colors of her face, the exposed skin of her legs is dusty grey, with only a hint of warmth to it. Her arms - separate from her wings - are covered with similarly short feathers to the elbow, though these are a crisp white.

With her upright posture and occasionally strict bearing, it'd be easy enough to write her off as rather prim. Her clothing during the day does little to help her case, too, being confined to well-pleated over-the-shoulder dress tops or shawls, and pencil skirts. But hey, dress-codes is dress-codes, and as soon as she gets off work, the stiff attire is quickly replaced with far more punky clothing. Band shirts, skater skirts, and over-long scarves in a wide variety of colors help spruce up her otherwise drab feathers.

Her one concession to her evening lifestyle during the day is the subtle tint she's dyed her crest feathers: blue on one side and pink on the other. Of course, with them being as dark as they are, the colors are quite dim, but shine well under bright light.

With the exposed skin of her face, a crest that can stand upright, splay out, or be laid back, and her quick, forceful movements, she's quite the expressive bird. Far friendlier than her stern mien would suggest!
