soft_focus | Lost Carnival

[You're mad? She's mad! Or...Annoyed. Dismayed. Whatever.]

...so I'm supposed to just pretend they're not upset anyway..?

...I don't think he didn't do anything. I just think he lets himself hurt too much. [There's a Key Difference.] ...And... ...maybe if he didn't, he'd be able to do things easier, or just be happier.

Do you think you'd be able to tell if you didn't have that power to read emotions like everyone is an open book?

[That's probably a fair point being made.]

Feelings are complicated. Stuff like people taken by Fae makes it worse. Don't poke at Yuya's problems so much and just... support him, alright? That'll help him the most.

.... [....................WELL. NO. But.]

.........if he wasn't hiding the feelings, I would try to help though... ...and I was trying to help..! [She adds, somewhat frustrated.] He said it would be ok! But then, he said he didn't know if it would be...if he doesn't believe his words, how will he make them happen..?

Helping means making him believe! ...Doesn't it?

You can't make people believe something. Not in the way you're thinking.

[Oho?]

But just tell him, especially if you believe in it yourself, that everything's definitely going to be alright! That when we fight those Fae, that we're gonna win! That's how you encourage people. You have to be strong, but nice about it too.

[Yugo's form of encouragement has a more fiery touch, but regardless maybe this time the child feels what he means.]

[There is..................an empty stare..........]

....Why does saying 'we'll win'...work more than saying they have to believe it if they say 'we'll win'...

[Explain what you mean by the way she's thinking because now she doesn't know!!]

You're lending people the strength in your own heart. To do that, words need conviction... force!

[While explaining this tangent, Yugo seems to get more animated- trying to tie in a 'demonstration' of the concept.]

Because sometimes the one person pushing everyone else forward needs one too!

[Does this remind Reira of a different metaphor with a similar concept that Yuya might've used?]

[No, because it's only going one way.

She's lost anyway, actually.] ...so... ...My words have to be the strongest words...

[Probably shouldn't have used the word conviction with a seven year old.]

If you want to believe what they're trying to make you believe, that's how you let them know.

So Yuya's gonna be alright as long as you reflect his words that way.

.....................reflect.............?

[What.] ........what do mirrors have to do with lying about feelings and having to have someone say their words back but stronger..!?

[Oh. She does pause- saying it like that makes Reflect make sense, at least, but-] ...Why does saying the same thing back help, if telling them to believe doesn't? ...I know you said lying about being happy is something he does...

...but why does it have to be like this..? ...Why can't he just make sure someone can help him, and why does help have to be this way...

[Because people are people, is why, Reira.]

Because people in general don't make sense, so I'm telling you what I know that works for Yuya right now.

[In the end, this is still Yugo- the guy that doesn't quite know the ins and outs of social interaction such as personal space.]

You'll get it after even more years of experience that this stuff is hard and hard to explain.

[Well. That's not helpful AT ALL.]

.....That's not helping now, [She mutters, starting to continue walking back to her trailer.]

...I just want him to be able to not be sad... ...For real...

[It is mostly muttered to herself, at this point- though Yuugo is welcome to chase after and insist upon something else, perhaps.]

[Just before she goes however, Yugo rests a hand on Reira's head and gives it a pat.]

It's good he has friends like us and more who care about him eh...? Night, Reira.

Ah- [Well...she pauses a minute to take that in at least, and simply sighs from there, nodding.] ...Yeah.

...goodnight. [Hwaaah! She's exhausted, it's pretty late. Off she goes back home anyway.]

[ After re-signing her contract, Eruka's a little put out to realize time's slipped away from her again, moments that felt like minutes slipping apparently into weeks as the Ringmaster's been otherwise occupied. Still, she's terrified of the Ringmaster, so she's hardly about to question that...

Instead, she'll devoted herself to settling back into routine, and the first step to doing that is figuring out exactly who it is she'll be staying with. It's easy enough to find the trailer she's looking for, and give a few light raps on the door. ]

Hellooo? [ She sing-songs, looking around for any sign the trailer might not be occupied at the moment. ] Anyone home?

[The trailer definitely has...Some Sign. There is for starters some kind of floating cloud lounge (bed, it's a bed) underneath the awning. The next bit obvious is there's a little shoe shelf beside the steps, with an extremely small set of work boots sitting on it.

And also, of course-] ...Umn...

[The door opened and a child was on the other side.] ...H'llo?

[Yes what is it what do you want-]

[ Well, noW, this ... is certainly unexpected. Eruka blinks, but she recovers quickly, raising her hand in a jaunty little wave. She knows better than to assume by appearances that someone's what they seem, and if this kid is working for the Carnival and has as many changes as she does... ]

Hey there. [ Her own ears, teal-furred and lapine, prick off her head and towards Reira attentively. ]

I'm Eruka. It looks like we're going to be roommates from now on. Pleased to meet you~

[No one expects the elementary schoolers.

But really all her appearance means is that she needs to stop toying around with made up magic. And also, Mean Faeries (she's stopped that one real fast though).

The child's eyes are wide when they spot the ears, staring at them a bit. It's a little odd, when the last one with ears like that who she saw was...well. The exact person who would normally have been in this trailer.

Of course, his ears were Floppy, so it's about as much of a stretch as it gets. As it is, she jumps.] Eh-

You live here now..? [That was fast.] Um...

[She steps aside, letting Eruka in.] I guess you get to come in then...

[Trailer's mostly clean, at least. Mostly anyway. There's some pictures of book pages on the table that she was trying to puzzle together, and the cables for the party console just never do go back on the shelf quite properly.

Also, if/when Eruka reaches the beds, she'll find the lower one full of stuffed animals. Reira apparently decided they deserved it.]

[ Hm. Bit too trusting, isn't she? Then again, she is a kid...

Eruka steps inside curiously, looking around. It's a big place to be occupied just by a child -- idly, she wonders if there simply wasn't anyone else to assign her to when she arrived, or if someone recently vacated. Either way, it's probably none of her business... probably. And then they come to the bed. With the stuffed animals. Eruka blinks. ]

I'm guessing that one is yours then?

[There's a lot of faith in the Carnival as a safe zone, in Reira's mind. As far as she's concerned, no one has any good reason to lie about being in her trailer. And even if they did lie, it probably wouldn't last long.

Certainly, no one with especially horrible intentions would make it far on the grounds themselves.

But Reira shakes her head and points to the top.] Um- I sleep on that one, actually..! ...Niisama just wasn't using this one anymore, since he's gone...

[She tries not to look too upset about that bit, but fails rather miserably- pushing it from mind to the best of her ability, she moves to start moving the toys.] ...I'll put them on the couch again, [She mutters, nodding.]

[ Well, now. Older brother, huh ... that's not a word Eruka's heard anyone use in a long time. The lack of visible distress suggests 'gone' isn't some kind of euphemism for 'dead,' but knowing that really creates more questions than it answers. ]

Oh, I can help with that. [ She says, quickly, ears pricked, reaching for the nearest two toys. She is, after all, capable of holding larger things. ] How should we arrange them?

[Good question. Reira just stuffs as many in her arms at once, and awkwardly starts trotting for the couch- somehow managing to peer around them to see where she's going.] Um... ...I just like to make sure you can still sit on it. ...That way, people can play games if they want, [She adds, dropping her few unceremoniously on the far end of said couch.]

[ Eruka deposits the stuffed toys she's hung onto the same way, taking a moment to examine them as she goes. The detritus you can accumulate in your time with the Carnival really is something ... not that she has any of that anymore, though. Seems the Ringmaster junked that stuff when she left. ]

It's quite the collection. [ She offers, taking a seat on the other end as well. Not being a small child, it's a little bit more difficult, but she manages. She's bad at this sort of small talk, but if they're going to live together from now on, she should at least try. ]

How long have you been here, Reira? [ She feels out the name, wondering if she's pronouncing it right, since the kid didn't give it to her herself. ]

Yeah... ...Tyki bought me a lot of them, he said, I had to pick seven, but then he got me the Star Bunny when he was buying candy.... [She blinks, apparently confused by it all.] ...He told me I had to pick lots of things...it was hard...

[It's a bit weird that it was hard for a kid to pick 'lots' of candies, but anyway. The child jumps initially when Eruka uses her name- she...didn't expect that after all! But then again, if she knew to come to the trailer....well.

This makes sense.] Ummmm...

[She starts counting in her head, closing her eyes.] ...Over...Four months? [The time sure flies. She thinks that's right, at any rate though.] ....I hope I pick a birthday before it's a whole year... [She mutters, apparently just now realizing that the entire point will be lost if she waits that long.]

[ What kind of weird guy buys a ton of toys for a kid he isn’t even related to all at once? At least doing it one a time makes sense! Then again, the Carnival has a weird way of bringing people together. Eruka certainly knows that much by now... ]

So you’re already a third done with your contract... [ She muses, pinching a stuffed toy absently. ] How’d you end up in a place like this?

[ Tricked, is her guess, or ... some really shallow wish? Would a child this young, who apparently doesn’t even remember her own birthday, understand the weight of a faerie contract? ]

Umnnn.... [She has to think about that for a couple of seconds- largely because of how many incredible ways she's been told to not answer this question.

It's become something of a skill, finding a way to answer without breaking those multiple promises in any way.] ...The Ringmaster saved me for someone else's contract....but...

[Here's the tricky bit. Hmm.] ....Since I wasn't where I was before, it meant something really bad would happen... ...so even though it wasn't something she thought needed to be changed, I asked her to change that.

[PERFECT. She's actually proud of herself!]

Lost Carnival - IC Inbox

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

introductions, pre-eden

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject