ioduanlogs | (no subject)

Characters: A miniaturised 10-year-old X and you!
Date: August 8-14
Location: Various places in and around Aifaran
Situation: Miniaturised 10-year-old X is very confused, and adorably gullible. But he's also very resilient, and much more capable and self-reliant than any 10-year-old has any right to be. He gets around, and gets into some trouble.
Warnings/Rating: X is trans and at 10 years old he wasn't aware of that yet. If anything becomes an issue, please let me know!

A | AUGUST 8 | THE BEGINNING: THE DREAMING BRIDGE
He still sleeps, even if he doesn't need to. It's a routine. Everyone does. You have nice dreams, and sometimes you wake up with the answers to questions that have been bothering you for ages.

But he's pretty sure he wasn't sleeping right before he woke up in this unfamiliar bed, in this unfamiliar room.

Aifaran, his mind supplies, cutting off panic at the pass. The Dreaming Bridge. It's safe. The only thing his mind doesn't mysteriously supply is his own name, something he only realises when he ventures tentatively outside and asks the first person he sees where he is.

Are you lost? What's your name?

"It's --"

-- blank.

That, he feels, is an acceptable reason to panic, and so he does. He spends the next several minutes running through the Bridge and addressing total strangers, asking if they know what his name is, because whenever he tries to guess it hurts and he doesn't know why and he doesn't understand what's happening --

B | MARKETS | COMMERCE - 3 | BOGO!
It's a hot, muggy afternoon while X walks around the market carrying a bright silver 'kitchen appliance' he bought, even though he's never seen it before in his life. But it was a fantastic deal! The seller said... a lot of things X can't quite remember anymore, but they sounded good! He can't wait to get back to the Dreaming Bridge and try it out!

... Except he's not sure what it does.

X stops in the middle of the street, frowning in intense concentration, and turns to the nearest bystander. "Excuse me," he says, polite and earnest as anything. "Do you know what this is for?"

C | NEAR THE BRIDGE | ARTS - 3 | IGHEERI EYE
The loud construction noises of the Bridge don't quite manage to drown out X's cries of objection as a large group of extremely tall bird-like creatures drag him off somewhere he's clearly very hesitant about going. To the casual observer, it doesn't look dangerous, especially since the Igheeri are more haughty and arrogant than they are criminal; but it sure does look like a case of a child saying no and the tall adults pretending not to hear.

X, for his part, has no idea how to handle the situation, other than to keep digging his heels in and pulling back. He's never before met an adult who didn't listen to him. It's weird.

"No!" he tries again. "I don't want new clothes, please --!"

D | THE TURTLE HEAD | TEARS OF THE OCEAN HEART - GUILTY PLEASURES
The head of the giant turtle the city rests on is the most peaceful place X has ever been. He can't put his finger on why, other than the view and the quiet, and he got plenty of both of those back in the Forest. But, whatever the reason, he spends several hours one day sitting cross-legged right on top of the turtle's head, watching something on his yimo intently.

The experienced soap opera fan might recognise the faint dramatic sounds of Tears of the Ocean Heart, a production very few people admit to enjoying and rarely watch in public. X, however, has no idea, and he has a teary smile on his face as he watches it. It's amazing. He never knew love could be forbidden, and the characters' fight against that cultural taboo to stay together anyway is so moving that he doesn't know if he wants to scream at the villains or stand up and proclaim that this is the most beautiful art he's ever witnessed.

After a moment, he chooses the second option, and does exactly that. Standing tall, with the yimo over his head, he announces: "This is beautiful! Everyone needs to see it!"

E | CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!
X can be anywhere, and will be fascinated by the smallest things, so please feel free to create your own scenario and he'll jump right in!

Threaded | Flat

Perhaps it's old habit manifesting itself, but since the strange business with the Narrakra and the shadows Rutile has taken to making rounds around the Dreaming Bridge. They check on some of the frailer Dreamfolk and make smalltalk with acquaintances, but otherwise keep from disturbing other inhabitants; they don't purport to any kind of authority, it's simply a comfort to know who's about and what state they're in, even if Rutile cannot do anything about it.

Still, they don't know everyone, and things have become even worse with so many of the Dreamfolk reverting to their childhood selves. Humans have no business looking completely different as time passes, they observe irritably to themselves. When the latest child approaches them with panic in his wide eyes and pleading in his voice, Rutile doesn't recognize him at all.

Worse, the child doesn't seem to recognize himself. He wants to know what his name is - how is Rutile supposed to know such a thing? It's not as though humans make it easy. Fortunately for X, Rutile has dealt with this kind of thing before - memory loss is a frequent side effect of injury for gems.

The child is not that much shorter than Rutile; eye contact is easy enough. Still, they lean down a bit to come to his level, their hands resting on their thighs. "I know it is unreasonable to ask you to calm down," Rutile says evenly, "as you are understandably distressed. But I am not distressed, and I might be able to help if you can keep your wits about you."

They do not smile, but their voice is even and calm, and as reassuring as they get. The voice of a professional.

"Try taking a few deep breaths, and then we'll see if we can't get to the bottom of this. Does that sound reasonable?"

On the one hand, the markets had a lot to offer, on the other... She didn't appreciate some of the merchants trying to push their "fantastic one time only" deals on her. Though she didn't fall for their tactics, they were still annoying and for some reason, the noticeable scowl on her face wasn't doing much to scare them of.

Just her luck.

Catching a break from the unwanted advertising, she turned to look at the child that had just addressed.

"That's a toaster." Raven said plainly.

"You toast bread with it."

Escaping the city had been a fun adventure, ditching the collar even more so. She had left that under the couch in Devin's apartment. He'd find it eventually, and if he didn't, well, she knew where it was. Most importantly, she also knew how to get back. She trotted down the well trodden path to the head just in time to catch sense of joyous enthusiasm. Then, of course, came the triumphant sounds of a young boy shouting that joy to the world. Meira sat back on her haunches, head tipped, then shook herself and continued down the path.

What's so beautiful? She asked as she approached, tail waving ever so slightly.

It is fortunate, then, that the Fool happens upon the scene when he does.

Whatever the peculiar, slightly far away look in his eyes might suggest, his hearing is keen, and the cries of protest from a child have him pushing his way through a crowded street to witness the scene as it unfolds. He only needs a moment to identify, for himself, who the child is; some things do not change even with age.

"Let him go," he says with a startling amount of severe authority in his voice, and whether they comply or not, the Fool promptly reaches out to press upon one of the Igheeri's wrists until they get the picture.

It’s an unusually clear, sunny day, so Ilda’s taken off to the outdoors, blanket suits in her arms. They’re upgraded versions of the previous design; they now come in bright neon colors and are extra-warm. (It’s actually a little too early for winter accessories, but hey, as they say, the early fisherman catches the fish!)

She sets her yimo up on a tree branch, puts on one of the suits, and dumps the rest of the glaringly colorful items on the ground. And then she just starts dancing. Well, flapping her arms, technically.

A!

B

D

C

E because this is Ilda, let’s roll! o/