Event Log: The Hope of a Child

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the The Hope of a Child event
Where: All over the city!
When: January 23rd-Feb 1st
Warnings: Youths

By now, the gods have probably done enough weird crap to you while you're asleep for you to be a little suspicious- but it's not like you can just not sleep, especially when there are a few supernatural forces making your eyes droopy and your body feel heavy.

And now, when you fall asleep, you'll wake up somewhere else and you'll likely have quite a different temperament- you'll be younger, maybe a little more naive and innocent, and you won't exactly remember all the wild stuff that's happened to your adult self. Maybe now you'll be a little more trusting and emotional, hm? The gods could definitely use a little boost in power, and what better way to do it than to harness the power of overemotional kiddos!

Or maybe you aren't affected at all and find yourself surrounded by youths. What are you going to do when your best friend doesn't know how to cook for themselves? Or your bitter rival is throwing a temper tantrum because they broke their favorite toy? Nobody asked for this kind of responsibility, but think about what would happen if nobody was around to take care of these babies...

► This log covers January 23rd-Feb 1st.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you trip over a kid and die, please let us know here.

Comments

[hot_mes]

Why not, is the sun going to be offended? [look he has no idea]

I have my ways. But I want to check the fire pit first. No sense walking all the way out there if we don't need to.

[puzzlingly]

「How does he not know that?! Atem looks a little more than surprised, maybe a little scared even.」

Yeah...

「Why you offend the Sun...? Meanie.

He proceeds to stare at him with those big eyes as he follows until he does something about it.」

[hot_mes]

[oh he'll offend a lot more than the sun, boyo...

The communal fire pit is such a nice thing, but with the elves bitty at all sorts of odd times it takes adults like Law to keep it going. Checking a cooler, good, still some of his early catch, but the fire's down to low coals. He's going to have to stoke it and then actually do the grilling. Whee.]

Well. It'll be a little bit but at least I can manage this much.

[puzzlingly]

「Wow, are you an Apep follower or something? Apologize to the Sun, you fiend! Okay no but really, as they draw closer to the fire pit, he can smell some of the remains of past meals that have been cooked there, it's odd, but makes him even more hungry, if possible. That thought alone makes him forget his concern for a moment.」

So, what are you gonna do now?

[hot_mes]

Grill some fish, I think.

[tossing a little more fuel on first, and then going to find where others have left utensils, pots, whatever everyone has managed to scrounge and collect for the community's use. It's weird but Law actually has come to really enjoy just coming down, cleaning and grilling fish, and going on with his day. It's very pirate-like.

He gives Atem a quick, keen glance as he finds a knife and cleans it, and then gets straight to work gutting and scaling some of the fish.]

Do you want to help or just stand there and watch?

[puzzlingly]

「The kid is clearly interested in what he's doing, leaning over and following him like a shadow, but his eyes go wide at the question.

No one asks that, it's obvious he shouldn't be doing that kind of stuff!」

Can I?

[hot_mes]

If you want to. You might get a little dirty, though.

[teasing! he's not giving you a knife, he's not that reckless. There are little things even tiny hands can do to help cook.]

[puzzlingly]

I-- Yeah! I do! I don't care getting dirty!

「Look at that face, he cannot believe it. Dude, you're forgiven, whatever, he forgives him in name of the Sun and their multiple gods.」

W-what do I do?!

[hot_mes]

[haha what a little dork. He can't help but approve.]

See that metal rod over there? [nodding toward the pit] Use it to stir the ashes a little. Make sure any red coals come up toward the top.

[it has to be done, but it's definitely going to puff up clouds of ash. Better Atem than the guy with fish guts all over his hands]

[puzzlingly]

「Ahhhhh, ahhhh, yes! He goes do exactly that, way too exited even if it might be the most boring thing in the world to do. It is new and exciting for him, that's enough.

The rod is not too heavy but it's huge compared to him. He struggles fora moment before he finds a way to hold it, and of course there goes a lot of ashes into the air, making him cough a little, but he just moves the other way the very little wind there might be moves, and tries again.」

Like that?

[hot_mes]

[looking up over his work] Mm. Yeah, that'll do. Don't smother the coals, we need those.

[he's not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, but his surgeon's skills make him more capable than most of sufficiently separating the delicious parts of fish from the less-than-such. He comes over with four good-sized fillets speared on long sticks. Real skewers, not mere twigs. This is a kitchen after all.]

Now. We wait. You can help turn them to make sure they get done on all sides.

[mostly though it's just sticking the skewers in the ash piles along the sides so they hang over the coals.]

[puzzlingly]

「And he strangely does as told, he waits. Until waiting becomes unbearable after like a minute and he keeps looking up at the stranger and then at the fish, up at him, then the fish, and repeat.」

I will die of hunger before it's done...!

「D r a m a」

[hot_mes]

You're not going to die. [flatly] Trust me, it tastes better this way. You don't want sushi made out of these fish.

[he did try it once. Not a taste sensation]

Have you never even watched someone cook?

[puzzlingly]

「The heck is sushi? And he shakes his head.」

Whenever I went to the kitchens, food was already cooked.

「All he has to do is open his little hand and he gets what he wants.」

[hot_mes]

[snorts, but the difference between the angry child and the merely grouchy adult is that Law has learned that not all royalty is terrible on sight.]

Spoken like a prince, all right.

[watch as he gingerly turns one of the skewers, making sure he doesn't burn his fingers on it]

[puzzlingly]

「That's by far the weirdest thing he's heard so far. But it sounds very much like a compliment because, yep, that's what he is. But from that he can only gather this guy is definitely super weird.

He does watch, super closely.」

Can I do it?

[hot_mes]

Yeah. That one. [points] If you don't want to burn your fingers, try licking them first. The moisture will protect you.

[look at that, he can even offer good advice! Gross, though.]

[puzzlingly]

「It doesn't sound gross to him at all, it's smart, actually! So, he does exactly as he's told.」

Hey, cooking is fun... Are you cook then? What's your name?

[hot_mes]

[HA!] ...no. I just know enough not to starve.

[does it matter? Oh well, he probably doesn't want to be called hey you all day]

Law. Just...Law.

[puzzlingly]

You could be one if you wanted.

Okay, Law. 「He should probably give him his, but who doesn't know who he is anyway? It's silly to even think about it.」

[hot_mes]

No, I'll leave that to other more competent people.

[don't worry Atem, he knows exactly who you are. It just hasn't come up yet. He stretches to test a couple of them, not quite done yet, but getting flaky and grilled]

Things like this, anyone can do if they have to. It's good to know these things, in case you find yourself somewhere like this place.

[puzzlingly]

「When Atem finally sets on the idea that cooking is like a waiting game of some sort, he stops fretting about it, not that he's not awfully hungry though, but he's not sending reproaching stares at the not-cook anymore, just at the fish.」

Anyone... How did you learn? Did someone teach you too?

[hot_mes]

Yeah...

[it's Atem, he's told this kid more than he's told anyone else here. And, there's always the very likely chance that he won't remember anything said or done to his kid-self]

When I was young. Older than you, but still a kid. I had to learn quickly, because Cora-san probably would have set himself on fire if I didn't do the cooking.

[actually he did set himself on fire at least a dozen times, but shh. Doesn't count.]

[puzzlingly]

What? Why would he do that?

「Not only Law is a little weird, but his friends are weirder!」

[hot_mes]

Not on purpose...

[he sighs, but there's something fond about it. He'd give anything to have that clumsy dumbass alive again, then he could just let everyone see for themselves why Law is Law.

Oh look, one of the thinner fillets is done. Since Atem wanted food, he gets it first, offered right on the skewer]

Here you go.