ioduanlogs | How do You Solve a Problem like Meira?

Entry tags:

How do You Solve a Problem like Meira?

Characters: Valdis and some open
Date: August 2018 (ish)
Location: Around Aifaran
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: In Headers

Valdis was tired. Between the return of the Narrakra and the discovery she could return ruins to complete something would have been bad enough without the memory of the visions or what she had seen soul-walking inside that corpse. Aside from that, the knowledge that she could move the Void with more power than she believed had sparked a new determination to harness its power without fear. The events of the last week had been eventful, what with the short term Dreamfolk that had arrived only to vanish once the damage had been done. Admittedly most of them hadn’t left much of a mark, but some had. She hoped that things would calm down for a few weeks at least.

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Well, at least she wasn't panicking. A happy miniature Hellhound was much better than a distressed one. Regardless of her size, Valdis was potentially still stronger than him.

And, apparently, adorable. Devin was beginning to think he was not actually dealing with Valdis, but who she had been before. That was odd, given he had understood she had only become a Hellhound after being an angel. The Dreaming did stranger things than meld the two.

"I'm glad you think so," he replied, smiling a little at her behavior as he rubbed the back of his neck. What has he just gotten into? "Yes, I'm-- Devin." Oh, this was going to be awkward. "Do you mind my asking how old you are?"

He needed a benchmark here.

Valdis watched him, not sure if she cared about him going through the sketches or if her anxiety had more to do with the fact she couldn't put her memories together. She mostly felt curiosity from him, which helped her to relax some of the tension she'd felt since waking.

"I took up drawing after an incident several years ago," she explained as she took the book from him, "There is a large part of my life that I don't remember, and sometimes sketching helps put together the fragments I do have."

But not this time. This time, based off lack of facts and conversation, felt much harder to pin down.

He seemed confused, but that was ok, life could be confusing. Meira stopped bouncing around and looked at him, head tipped, wondering how she might alleviate his apparent concerns over whatever he was concerned about. Pinning down these emotions could be frustrating.

I am ten years, eight months and seven days.

She continued to watch him, trying to recall how to be a proper lady.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Parker. She dropped again like a bow, it was the best she could do in this form. My name is Meira, Daughter of Raphael, Bringer of Light.

Ten, and Meira. So, that was her name before she was torn apart and remade.

...Ten. Oh Christ, she really was a child. The reminder of Raphael felt like a stone dropping in his gut. She might be a Hellhound, but Meira couldn't be left without a caretaker. It wasn't right.

Devin gave a tiny, not-quite-hysterical laugh, and then a slight bow. "Nice to meet you, Meira. And Devin is fine, really. I'm not much for formalities." He paused and glanced around his apartment, wondering if he was even remotely prepared for the responsibility that Anani had just dropped in his lap. Though, to be honest, he would probably do it even without the cat's machinations.

"It's quite early," Devin continued, running through the list of things needed to take care of children. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Shock, many types of concern, perhaps some confusion. Meira took those feelings to mean that Mr. Parker had no experience with ten year olds, or he had been expecting something else. Anani chose that moment to reappear and rub against her front legs, circling under her belly and around in figure eights. She picked up a paw and he moved under it, fixing Devin with eyes briefly more intelligent than any cat should have.

It is proper to use titles when speaking with your elders, she commented, quoting her father, But if you insist.

Who cared about proper though. This was a dream, her dad wouldn't find out. Her tail started to wave again.

No, but I don't feel hungry.

"I've never cared much for titles," he said, a hint of his normal wryness returning. If they were getting really proper, then Devin would be addressed not only by 'lord' but probably something along the lines of 'vessel of death'. Good thing neither of those would be happening.

Her answer made him wonder if she was drawing on soul energy like Valdis sometimes did, but without realizing it. "You should probably eat something, even if it's small. Besides, when you are hungry, breakfast is the only thing I'm good at cooking," he told her, heading to the kitchen. Now he was struggling with whether he should be feeding a child or a foal-sized Hound-- but he supposed her canine cousins would eat just about anything.

"I'll make eggs and toast," he offered, retrieving a pan. Coffee, too, but not for her. "Make yourself at home."

Titles only have as much power as you give them.

She dropped her head to sniff her cat, but Anani had redirected his attention to Luthien, his job done, he batted one of the Inan's toys at her. Meira sat, watching the two creatures, then tipped her nose up to look at Devin.

Eggs are good. Toast is good. Michael can't cook either. He says he can, but he can't.

She cocked a hip, shifting her weight over as she looked down at her paws, considering how eggs would work without silverware. She'd just have to eat like Anani did. Her eyes drifted back to Devin.

I don't suppose you have bowls...

The fun thing about tossing a sword to someone who only really knew the theory of how to catch one was getting to watch them try, fumble, second-guess themselves, and drop it onto the grass. All of which X did. Thank Asri it was only wood, or he'd probably have speared himself through the hand.

"Wasn't she," X murmurs, less bemused and more withdrawn now that Bobby had been brought up. "I'm a little attached to the past tense, where she's concerned. You met her too?"

Valdis watched X as the sword bounced around and ended up in the grass. She really had her work cut out for her. She arched a brow at him, then set her own sword down. He seemed to be cutting himself off from something emotionally, or at least trying to.

"I did," she replied, "It was a fascinating conversation."

Her mind was more on how to teach X to move himself as he 'remembered'. She was certain he knew what he needed, he just lacked the finesse and muscle memory.

"Toss that to me," She gestured to the sword he had dropped, "I'll show you how it's done."

It was a fascinating conversation. Uh-oh. Anyone else, and X might have taken that straight; because it was Valdis, he knew instantly not to.

He picked up the sword, and threw it back towards Valdis in the same way she'd thrown it to him. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't far off the mark either. For all that handling any sort of weapon was still abhorrent enough to make him drop one thrown to him, you didn't befriend dozens of warriors without picking up something.

"Fascinating," X repeats, dubious. "What did you talk about?"

Valdis caught the wooden blade by the hilt, tossed it up into the air where it rotated twice and caught it with the opposite hand as it fell. She rolled the hilt between her fingers, making the blade move as if dancing with it.

"Hobbies. Fashion. Dating. The definition of friendship."

Another toss, this time with a spin added, catching the blade and flipping it over her shoulder only to catch it again and freeze, wooden tip pointed straight at X.

"Normal girl things."

Having learned from their first encounter, Luthien went after the toy and then batted it back to Anani.

Devin's hands stilled, holding a container of eggs aloft, but only for a moment. "Yes, I have bowls. Don't worry," he said, and tried his best to sound gently teasing, "I won't let you starve." If Valdis remembered this in the future, she might tease him or be irritated. It was hard to tell with her sometimes. He plowed ahead anyway. "You're a fine young lady, and you'll eat like one even if you're a bit fuzzier than you might be accustomed to."

He paused while he put the eggs down and used a knife to add butter to the pan. "Michael probably just wants to take care of you. That or he, like most men, don't like to admit when we're bad at things."

"All right. But be careful, all right? He spooks easy."

In his arms, Flekk wriggles a little anxiously at the prospect of being put down again, but Kit passes a soothing hand across his head and ears, mumbling a few quiet reassurances to him under his breath. He crouches down in the grass and sets the small bibiru down, then takes a moment to reattach his harness so that if he takes off again, at least this time he won't get that far. Then he looks back to the pup and waves her over.

"You've got to get down on his level," he tells her, patting the ground in front of Flekk. "It'll be less scary for him that way."

A lot fuzzier, she said mournfully, staring back at her paws. Luthien's toy bounced off of one as Anani batted it at her. Meira watched it roll slightly then batted it gently at Luthien, all trace of concern gone.

Anani pounced on the toy when it passed him, intercepting it before it reached the Inan. He grabbed it in his mouth and took off toward the bedroom, leaving her to stare after him. This apartment was too small for her to run around like he did.

She flopped onto her side, rolling over to paw at the air and tucking her tail over, considering her brother.

Both, she said, I'm an empath, he can't hide from me! Though sometimes I pretend.

Meira could hardly contain her excitement, but she slowly rolled over, keeping flat against the grass while he put the rabbit-bird down. Once he had settled, she crawled over to him, ears softly held, trying very hard to not scare the adorable creature. She got withing two feet of the animal and paused, releasing a short whine and waited for it to come to her.

What's his name? She asked.

Luthien bounded after Anani into the bedroom and disappeared.

Given that Devin didn't know how Valdis transformed from a human to her Hellhound form, he was in no position to help Meira make that attempt. She didn't seem overly concerned, but if she was regressed like this for an extended period they might have to explore the possibility. X might have some clue.

...he should probably call X regardless. Backup was advisable.

"That's kind of you," he remarked, cutting slices of sourdough off a loaf and dropping them in the toaster. "People are used to their privacy. I'm familiar with empathy, however, so I won't ask you to hold back if you don't feel like it." He and Valdis had agreed to be honest with each other; Meira should be no different.

A short pause followed as he considered what to do about looking after her. He wasn't comfortable with her at Valdis' apartment on her own. "If you'd like, you're welcome to stay here until things sort themselves out."

She stayed upside down, watching him with those emerald green eyes as he moved about the kitchen. Being a fluffy dog surely had some advantages over being on two legs. No need for clothes, or shoes, or brushing hair. She liked clothes though. Meira sighed, flopping back to her side and stretching.

Ok. She didn't have anywhere else anyway. You are nice, no wonder Anani likes you.

At that moment, the cat tore back into the room, still carrying the toy in his mouth, paused to let Luthien almost catch up and then raced back into the bedroom.

That was easier than he thought it might be. They weren't strangers and Meira seemed to know him on some level, but that had been no guarantee of agreement. At least he'll have the opportunity to keep an eye on her.

With the toast going, Devin got started on the eggs. 'Nice' was not a term that was often applied to him. "I try to do what's right," Devin hedged. "You're on your own, aside from the cat. It's the least I can do while you're here."

What was he supposed to do with her? Depending on how long this lasted, Devin would have to do more than just feed and house her. The dynamics of caring for a child were expansive and frankly a little terrifying. "Speaking of," he continued, stirring the eggs around with a bit of milk, "what kinds of things do you like to do?"

You don't believe me. she commented, rolling to an upright down, her tone slightly teasing. People who do 'right' aren't always nice about it.

She looked past him to the bedroom, then back over her shoulder at the couch, thinking. Dogs were allowed on couches, right? Meira rose and padded over to the couch, gently maneuvering past the table and jumping up, curling up as small as she could so there was room for the nice man if he wanted to sit.

I like to read, draw, dance, go on adventures with Michael and Gabriel. Gabriel is so nice! He's Michael's friend. I don't like playing the princess so he'll do it sometimes.

Aw. She was getting cuter. Was that possible?

"Can I see it?" Zephyr wanted to know, already reaching cautiously for the collar. He didn't know exactly how tame or instinctive she was, and didn't particularly want to find out in the worst way possible, hence the relative slowness. "If I can get his information, I can get you where you're going. What's your name, anyway?"

Probably written on the collar, if he could get a look.

She scooted closer so he could reach the collar, tipping her chin up so he could see the name, her tail moving across the cobblestones. There was so much to see here, darn her promise to not wander off.

Meira, she yipped, Daughter of Raphael, Bringer of Light.

Her emerald gaze returned to him.

Who are you?

The collar would have little information aside from the name 'Devin Parker' and the number for a yimo.

Devin couldn't help but burst out laughing at the image of a young angel pretending to be a princess for his friend's sister. It was a far cry from the stiff image he held of the heavenly hosts.

"Quite a confident young man," he said with another chuckle. That was a good distraction from the concerns of child-rearing and the various problems of righteousness versus justice. ~~Bakura would have Words.~~ "Well, reading I can definitely help with." He gestured vaguely in the direction of his bookshelf with the wooden spoon being used to scramble eggs. "I work in one of the larger libraries in the city. Drawing may be a challenge, but if you'd like to explore Aifaran we can certainly do that. It's a fairly welcoming place."

...Would it be inappropriate to get her a leash?

Meira lifted her head, tipping it as he laughed, not quite sure how Gabriel playing the princess warranted such laughter. But it seemed to lighten his mood, so she scoured her memories for other fun instances that might draw a laugh.

He is nice. She quipped, jumping off the couch to go look at the bookshelf. Won't wear a dress, says women can wear whatever they want, especially princesses.

She poked one of the books with her nose, scenting it, then reared up on her hind legs to check the next shelf up, placing one paw on the shelf to balance herself as she looked. It wobbled slightly when she came back down.

Lots of books. she commented, jumping back on the couch to look out the window.

The sun was up now, casting shadows on the ground and the city started to wake.

I don't think I know this place, but I also feel like I do.

His kingdom for an angel in drag.

"Most of my free time is spent reading."

Devin took a moment to summon a reply to her last comment. He couldn't be sure if Meira learning more about her existence here would be a negative trigger, or if she would just stolidly carry on as though nothing bothered her. She definitely had not been a Hound as a child and seemed to be handling that well enough.

"This a strange world," Devin allowed. She would know if he were lying; the omission of the truth was not technically a lie, and it was done with the best intentions in mind. If Meira panicked she as much as anyone else could be in danger. "A lot of people come here from other places and live here for a while, like me. There are connections to all the places we've come from."

He retrieved bowls, and silverware for himself. "As long as you feel safe, that's what's most important. The rest of the details will sort themselves out."

Odd to be telling her that, given his own anguish of late. Seeing like this has certainly changed his perspective.

She looked over her shoulder at him, leaning away from the window to get a better look at what he was doing. She sneezed at his explanation, almost falling over, but managed to catch herself. Stupid paws...The eggs smelled good, however, so she decided to pay attention to that instead.

Why wouldn't I feel safe? Meira asked, jumping off the couch again and wandering over. She poked him in the knee with her nose before circling to the side. This place is big, yes, but not scary.

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How do You Solve a Problem like Meira?

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