Thirteenth

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

[Lost, as the castle has condemned him to be, Sora slipped from an unknown room to wander the halls. He wears his Paradisa High sweat jacket over a matching tee, which dangle off his frame like a tent. As he wanders he hugs the journal to his chest and rubs his eyes dazedly with his free hand. His voice is groggy and weak- after all, he had been ill before this growing-up business had reared its ugly head.]

...Is everything over now?

Comments

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

[Puddleglum might not recognize the boy, but he gets a friendly nod anyway.]

You're up awfully late, lad. No doubt, you'll be stumbling around, exhausted to the point of dropping tomorrow.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

M'lost.

[It was a simple enough response. He toyed with the metal bracelet on his wrist that read his room number.]

I'll find somewhere to sleep.

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

Ah...terrible fate, that. And who knows what could go wrong, just sleeping anywhere around here. [a small frown] That will never do.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

But it's safe now, isn't it? No more monsters. It'll be okay.

[He actually does believe this, by the way, and settles into a slouch across from him.]

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

[oh Sora... Puddle's not trying to scare him, but he sighs] Oh, safe enough from those monsters, but it's just a matter of time. Why, the castle'll probably throw something at us in a matter of days. Catch us all off guard, and then where will we be?

No, there's no trusting it.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

[Sora's eyes dampened and his lip trembled.]

There's nowhere in the castle quiet I can be out of the way? I don't want to be involved.

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

[By the lion....

He gives the boy a slightly surprised look when his lip begins to tremble] Now, now... take heart. We're not giving up, now.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

Take heart way?

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Take heart. Chin up. It's rather unrealistic, knowing the castle, but one must try.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

[Idioms are lost on him.] ... Where do you take the heart? Where do I put my chin?

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

Ah....it means cheer up, lad. Difficult to do here, I know, but we carry on all the same.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

How? Good things are always accompanied by pain.

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

Indeed... and so are the bad.

And if there's no way to avoid it, either way? Well, then I'd rather take a bit of good with the bad, however it goes. Small enough comfort, I'm afraid, but we keep going. Won't be any better if we hide from it.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

[Sora likes logic.] You're right.

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

[he gives a half smile at that] There's a lad.

Now, if you're here I'd suppose the castle gave you a place to stay. No guarantee it's one hundred percent safe, but there's chance enough it'll be safer than just any other place around.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. [He wiggles his silver bracelet reading his room number.]

I can't find anywhere or anything, so I wear this.

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

Well, now. [turning the heat of the fire down, he'll turn away from the stove to crouch down by the boy. Webbed fingers stretch out to grasp the bracelet Sora's fiddling with]

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

[Oooh, fascination! Webbed hands? Sora touches them curiously, eyes large.]

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

[he doesn't mind the touch, though his attention is on the bracelet, reading the room number]

Well now, that's not so hard to find... unless the castle's gone and moved it on us.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

Oh. Yes... I just get lost on the way.

[...Fingers! So intrigued.]

[respecto-wiggle.livejournal.com]

[such an odd boy. But then, he'd yet to run into any humans here who actually knew what a Marsh-Wiggle was]

Well then. I suppose there's no guarantee my sense of direction is much better, but once the stew is finished, there seems little reason I can't simply guide you to your own room.

[colorlesschild.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much, sir.

[He bows, his hair pitching forward.]