Bird Blended Nine-Patch

I started this in a class. The class sample was a wall quilt size. The teacher's quilt used a large Asian print featuring koi as a focus. I loved this bird fabric because I was just starting my bird period but the print is smaller and I did not believe it would make enough of a graphic impact to be a compelling wall quilt. I thought it would be appealing as a bed quilt so I made it larger. Now it needs a 2 inch or so inner border and a pieced outer border. The outer border, although more complex, will likely go together in a fairly straightforward way. The hitch is the inner border. The obvious choice would be a mottled red, like the red bird in the print. But I have been resisting that choice (although I bought mottled red fabric). I want a softer, tenderer color. Right now it is up on my design wall with yellow "fairy dust" and pink floral fabrics auditioning as the inner border. I can move forward with the outer, patched border and I have been. To finish I think I need to set aside about two afternoons to finish with the piecing. To finish completely I will also need to make a decision about the inner border. Any comments on color will be welcomed.