Open

[lightbranded]

Characters: Will Stanton and Anyone
Date: October 15 to the end of the month
Location: Various
Situation: Will arrives in Aifaran. He is terribly confused.

1. Arrival
After being pointed towards the Dreaming Bridge, Will had set out to find it. This was much easier said than done. He thought he was still heading in the right direction, but the walk was much longer than he had expected.

And much further than he could walk right now. He'd only been out of his sickbed from a week now, and Will was still getting used to how very little exertion it took to tire him right now.

Feeling that all too familiar exhaustion, Will slowly makes his way to a convenient park bench for a rest. He closes his eyes and leans his head against the back of the bench as he waits for the dizziness to pass. Just a few minutes here, and he would try again.


2. Dreaming Bridge (Breakwater Wing Room Four)
"Hullo? Is anyone here?" Will steps inside the room he had just been assigned and looks around to see if any of his roommates were there. On not seeing anyone he gratefully makes his way toward the unoccupied bed. It had been a very long day, after all. 


3. Dreaming Bridge Cafeteria

Will had claimed one of the tables in the corner of the room. He sits there reading a book as he slowly drinks his tea. He wasn't looking for company, but he wouldn't object if some appeared.
 

Comments

Arrival

[shaini]

While Yuuko was out doing her daily shopping at the various street stalls she is beginning to know, her eyes catch on the faltering steps of the boy in question. She doesn't stop what she's doing, but does keep a watch on him as she continues her debate with the seller for the quality of the lemons and limes they are extolling.

When she sees him finally teeter over on the bench, she buys one more item which wasn't on her list and quietly walks over to seat herself on a nearby bench, placing her satchels on the ground next to her. She looks at him carefully before she speaks. "Here. This might help a little with things."

She's holding out a small carafe of tea, steaming lightly in the air, with a scent of ginger, and perhaps oddly, cardamom. She'd asked for a generous dollop of honey, too, in deference to his young age. If he is unable or unwilling to take it, she will set it on the bench near him, and remain in her own seat quietly until he is able to sit up.

[lightbranded]

The boy frowns lightly as he feels the presence of someone approaching and opens his eyes. There was a certain paleness to the his appearance, as if he had recently suffered a long illness.

Bracing himself on the back of the bench, he pushes himself back up into a sitting position and reaches out to take the carafe. He inhales, and smiles at the familiar smell of the spices.

"Thank you," he says. "I think this will help." He takes a careful sip of the hot tea, and glances over at her again. "Do you live here?"

[shaini]

Yuuko answers him equably. "I do now, it seems." She smiles slightly, and adds "What about you?" Based on his clothing and his look of someone bit wondering, a bit lost, she assumes he is a newcomer much like herself.

She was fortunate in having made contact with more long term residents fairly quickly, and rather hopes the boy has an easy transition. She turns on the bench to look at him a little more carefully, noting his paleness. "Are you hungry, child?" She rather expects he must be, given his age.

[lightbranded]

"I just arrived here, myself." He sighs a little. "I was told that I needed to go to a place called the Dreaming Bridge, but it seems like it is a bit further away than I was expecting."

He blinks, looking a little bemused. "Hungry? I guess so. I haven't eaten since breakfast."

[shaini]

She makes a soft noise of annoyance, although it seems to be with the universe rather than himself, then she looks back over at him. There is a slight frown, thoughtful more than annoyed.

"It happens I should visit there myself. I have directions, if you'd like to walk with me. There is an excellent pastry vendor on the way." She gets up, tossing her bag back over her shoulder, then surveying the boy again, a little more slowly, intently.

"And on the way, perhaps you can tell me about the power I sense around you." She doesn't seem impressed or flustered, her tone of voice shows to be matter of fact about it.

[lightbranded]

"I would like that, if you don't mind." He smiles a little sheepishly. "I was worried some about taking a wrong turn again."

He gets back to his feet with the aid of the bench and stands there a moment as he stretches.

"Power? But I don't have anything like that." And he was honest about that. Will had no memory of ever being anything else than human.

[shaini]

Her head cocks as she listens to his words, and once again she looks him over a bit more searchingly than a casual encounter might require. After that she says lightly "If you believe that, then it is probably the truth for you. For now. But be aware, power always finds an outlet." With those words, she finishes adjusting her bag, and gestures to the road "Shall we?"

The path she leads him on does in fact stop by a pastry cart, and she picks a rather oversized chocolate croissant, which she shares with him as they walk. Being as it is a pleasant day, she calls her Caladrius to fly along with her, and while she isn't sure it needs to eat, she tempts it with scraps of buttery pastry when it stops to rest on her shoulder.

While she is not quite sure where the Dreaming Bridge is, she had requested directions and jotted down a basic map of the city to help her navigate. It hadn't been on her immediate list of priorities, but she realizes no matter how much she flouts the "rules" she should probably at least go and speak with the orientation center and let them know she is loose in the city. Being able to help this young one find his way is a nice perk to an otherwise bland chore.

Eventually she sees what should be the correct building from the description she was given, and nods to it. "I think we are here. Why don't you tell me your name before we go in? I would rather not have to say 'the nameless child I found on the street'" She gives him a quick look of amusement.

[lightbranded]

All along the walk, Will couldn't help but mull over what she said. A power? But what did that mean? And how could he have something like that without knowing about it? He would almost think it a joke, except something in the way she had looked him told him that it was far more than that.

As a result, he was rather distracted. He takes the pastry when it is given to him, and thanks her. But any conversation he gives is vague and more than a little absent-minded.

When they finally stop, it takes him a moment to recognize that they have arrived.

"My name?" He blinks, and brings himself back to the present moment. "I am Will Stanton."

[shaini]

Yuuko smiles, shifting her hair over one shoulder so she can lean down a little and be closer to his height. "You can call me Yuuko, and I work at a cafe named Die Rose Tulpe. You should come visit soon, Will Stanton. Especially if you have any questions you aren't otherwise finding answers for."

She indicates the door with one hand, and precedes him inside, holding the door open. Once they've both passed the threshold, she bids him farewell, and looks for the orientation area involving things like the network access and a yimo. She hopes the boy has an easier time than she suspects awaits him, but unless he actually asks for help, it's really not up to her.

3

[quietsolo]

Unfortunately for Anakin, his brother isn't there for every meal and thus has to either eat alone or seek out someone. If he weren't keenly feeling the loss of his best friend, dining by himself wouldn't be a big deal but even Anakin knows that he has to make friends at some point.

And so when his eyes scan the cafeteria and come across someone his age with a book, well, that seems like a good place to start. With a shrug, he moves to claim a spot two seat down from Will and sets his food down before sitting.

Anakin is content to let them just sit and eat in silence for a long minute. "What are you reading?"

[lightbranded]

Will looks up from his book, and smiles as he recognizes that there was someone else here his own age.

"It's a herbal that was written a few hundred years ago. I think it's great fun learning what people used to think about different kinds of plants."

This close to him, the pallidness in his appearance from his long illness was obvious.

[quietsolo]

Having a pair of siblings older than him, Anakin can estimate that Will is maybe a year or two older than he is but that suits him fine enough. Jacen and Jaina were the only (human) friends he had before attending the Jedi academy.

He does notice the paleness now that Will's face isn't covered by the book but for now Anakin decides not to say anything. Commenting on it after having just met would be rude. The other boy doesn't look all that bored by the choice of subject Will is reading. In fact, he smiles.

"There's a lot that could be learned from looking back on what people used to think about all sort of different things. Have you seen anything that's really caught your eye yet?"

[lightbranded]

"I think so too. That's one of the reasons I like reading old books." Will glances back to the book and turns back a few pages. "Here. Did you know they used to believe that mistletoe would prevent anyone with evil intentions from entering a house if you hung above the doorway? They thought it would prevent sickness and lightning strikes too."

[quietsolo]

"There's a reason we go through so many history lessons, right?" Even if Anakin doesn't go to a formal school, he still has Threepio to teach him whenever he's not learning how to utilize his connection to the Force. When Will flips through the pages of the book, the younger boy leans in to glance at the page.

"Well, considering I didn't even know there was a plant called mistletoe before today I can safely say that it wasn't something I knew. I do know that if you weave together the stems of a trico plant and pack it with a certain algae that you can breath underwater for a short period of time."

[lightbranded]

Will grins. "I rather like history. That and anthropology, really. Although we don't go into it as much at school as I would like." The school in his village did a good job at teaching the basics, but it didn't have much beyond that. In just a year or too Will knew that he would have to move to a bigger school in another town.

"What is a trico plant? I've never heard of that one." He laughs at himself a little. "Suppose I'm not really used to this thing with other worlds. "I've never even been out of Britain before."

2

[ilda]

Unfortunately for Will, a blonde teenage girl comes into the room a few minutes later dragging a large box nearly overflowing with candles, lanterns and candy. Like, literally dragging the box across the floor, and it’s not a pleasant sound.

But Ilda stops short as soon as she realizes that someone else is in the room. A new roommate? Wow! It’s been forever!

“Sorry!” she calls out apologetically, at least having the decency to look sheepish. “I just got all these stuff to sell at the market tomorrow but I don’t have anyone to help me carry them. Sorry, I’ll be quiet now. If you want something to eat though, just let me know? I’m Ilda, hi nice to meet you!”

[lightbranded]

Will listens to all of this in a bemused manner.

"I am Will Stanton," he says at last. "It is nice to meet you as well. Are you one of my roommates?"

He frowns lightly at the pile of boxes. "Do you need some help?" He pauses a moment, and conscientiously adds. "I can't help much with moving things, I don't think. But I could help with other things."

[ilda]

“They assigned you to room 4 of Breakwater Wing, right? Then yes! I’m your roommate! Our other roommate is Padparadscha and he’s so cool and wise and he’s a rock.” She says that last bit so matter of factly, hardly batting an eyelash.

Then she glances back at her stuff. “Oh, it’s okay! If you don’t mind I’ll just leave these here since I’m bringing them out again tomorrow anyway.”

And, totally ignoring new roommate protocol (or maybe this is her new roommate protocol), she moves to sit next to Will on the bed. Not super close, but close enough to bump elbows. “Can I get you anything? Food? Water? A bibiru? Or maybe you’d like a blanket suit?”

[lightbranded]

"Goodness, really?" What else could you say to something like that?

He shakes his head. "I don't mind. I don't think it will get in the way there."

Will watches her with confusion as she climbs up on the bed with him."I don't think I need anything? I had lunch earlier. And what is a bibiru?"

Or a blanket suit, for that matter.

[ilda]

Oh boy, now Ilda's not going to shut up. She takes out her yimo from her pocket and browses through her photos; while she's adapted to the device rather well for someone who's not had any experience with that level of technology, she's still a novice in a lot of ways. For instance, she has no idea about organizing pictures into folders, so she practically scrolls through hundreds of them before she finds what she wants to show him.

"This is Flekk!" she says excitedly, showing Will the screen. Cue rapid flipping through a series of blurry and badly composed photos. "She's a bibiru! Or is Flekk a boy... I forgot. But this is a bibiru! Super adorable, right?"

[lightbranded]

To Will, Ilda seemed to be quite the expert. If there was a better way to sort the photos, he certainly didn't know about it. He was from 1974, and never even seen a computer in person. The very idea that so many photos could be stored like that already seemed marvelous to him.

"He does look cute," Will admits. He'd been responsible for taking care of the family rabbits, back home. There was a certain degree of similarity. "But what are bibiru?"