hadriel_logs | Event Log: The Hope of a Child

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Event Log: The Hope of a Child

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.

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Right?! Barry is so dumb! [In your face, mom. He hurries to add a quiet correction:] A-And it's Finbar, not-- not Finbar. Th-That's not how y'say it...

[Whatever else he thought he was going to say is completely blown from his mind as Lup's hand reaches up and cups his cheek. Oh god, she's touching him, her hand is on his cheek, oh god, that... that makes his tummy do all sorts of weird flips and cartwheels. It doesn't feel anything like the times his mom strokes his cheek. When she does it, he feels protected, cared for, tenderly loved.

When Lup does it... he kinda wants to kiss her right on the face.]

I-It is! [Barry shuffles his feet, embarrassed that she called him a goobus. Even though the elf girl is really close to him, way way closer than he likes other kids getting, he doesn't move away, doesn't let go of her hand.] It's a-- a white kinda rock, I think... Real soft ones, y-you can make statues out of'em...

Oh.

[Lup's mouth forms a small circle, eyes widening at his correction. To be perfectly honest, Barry's name was better the way she'd said it, but name's are pretty important to her at this age. Outside of her twin, none of her other family members can ever get hers right. So even if it's way less cool, she'll say it the way Barry likes it.]

Finbar. Fiiinbar, [she repeats with exaggerated mouth movements, brows drawn together in careful concentration.] Is that right?

[She doesn't want to be wrong!

Barry gets all flustered around her again, but Lup doesn't pull away quite yet. He's soft and so warm, his cheek feels nice under her palm.] Whoa, a statue? Have you ever seen one? I've seen pictures in books before, but never anywhere else. Auntie said statues are like, super giant. Bigger than even adults! And they're made of Alablaster? How do they do that? Is it magic?

[For being so young, Barry clearly knows all of the things. She's never going to stop asking questions now.]

[The buy purses his lips as Lup pronounces his name some more, actually getting it right. She looks... super cute when she's concentrating so hard.] Y-Yeah, that's-- it's right now. [He nods firmly, seemingly satisfied.]

I-I've only seen a couple in real life, most in books, um-- [Barry very gently reaches up to adjust his glasses, careful not to disrupt Lup's hand on his cheek, not wanting to lose her touch just yet. He does know a lot of things. And he loves showing off what he knows.]

Some statues are bigger than houses a-and some are smaller than even yer hand. Y'can make statues with um, w-with alabaster an' granite an' wood an' metal, but um! It's real hard! Y'gotta be real talented an' work for years t'make a nice statue.

[He thinks very hard for a second, humming softly.] Y'can also use magic, I think. Um. But it's still hard.

[Barry speaks, with the kind of confidence that leaves Lup believing in his words completely, the girl's hand finally slipping off of his cheek to wrap into an excited fist instead. Her whole body looks like it's vibrating from excitement, from her happiness at learning something new (and pretty cool). The hand still wrapped in his gives Barry's a quick squeeze.]

Years?! [The idea of anyone spending years on anything is kind of ridiculous at this age, enough that Lup laughs again, her whole dirty face lighting up.] Adults must be real bored all of th' time. If they learned to play games an' stuff, they wouldn't wanna spend years makin' statues, right?

[A thought comes to mind, the girl's long ears perking up immediately.] Oh! Hey, Finbar? Do y'wanna play a game with me while we wait for your mom?

[Oh. Oh, no. No, hand, come back. Barry glances at her hand when she pulls it away, trying and failing to not pout about it. It's not a long pout - he's not a baby - but there's a disappointed jut of a lip for sure.

The way she looks so excited about what he's saying kinda makes up for the loss of touch, making his stomach go all fluttery again. Barry decides he really likes that look on her. Maybe she's a kid who just loves to learn too? Just like him!]

Y-Yeah! Years! [Barry laughs a little, still kinda shy about it.] Crazy, huh? I think they like it though! I-It's like a hobby for some folks. So I guess they're not bored doin' it, technically.

[Lup's ears perk, and Barry almost wishes his ears could do the same. It looks super cute!] Um! O-Okay! [Not that he's great at games. But he likes Lup. He wants to do everything with her.] What-- um, what game do you wanna play?

[For such a small boy, Barry has a lot to say. It's impressive to Lup, who has only ever known other street urchins or elves who never left their small, secluded units to attend public school. Their families had always lived fairly sheltered lives away from the rest of the world. It had made the shock of running away just that much grander.

But as scary as it can be sometimes, or as hungry and cold as the two may end up every now and then, Lup's never regretted leaving for a second. They're free out here and have gotten to learn so much on their own than they ever did being passed around between their family members. And she never would have met Barry if she'd stayed, a thought that doesn't sit all too well with her.

She kind of likes this weird boy.]

You know a lot of stuff, huh? Did your mom teach you? Think she'll teach me too? I wanna be prepared when I finally get t' school. [What if they are quizzed day one on how to make statues, huh?? Lup needs to know everything.]

My brother an' I like t' play tag n' hide. Or do races, but I always beat 'im so it's kinda boring now. My big favorite is leap frog! What kinda games d'you like?

Um-- Thank you! [It's important to remember your manners when someone compliments you! Barry puffs up a little with pride. He does know a lot of stuff.] I read a lot of it in books, o-or mom read it for me. She'll definitely read for you too!

[Oh no. Those all sound hard. Barry's no good at tag games, or racing games, or really even leap frog. Anything that involves running is just too much for him. He's too heavy, too short, too slow. The other kids always tell him he's slowing them down when they play, or that it hurts when he bumps into them or jumps off of them. They don't wanna play with him anymore unless it's Monkey in the Middle. It's not that Barry doesn't like playing running games - he does! a lot! - but he doesn't wanna be a spoilsport. And he definitely doesn't wanna hurt Lup.

Besides, she's so tall and strong, with super long legs. She'd win even if he wanted to play something super physical.]

Um... I-- I like guessing games. A-And word games. [Not wanting to look like a total nerd, he quickly adds:] I like hopscotch too! And jump rope, and conkers, and cat's cradle.

[Their hands are still pressed so tightly together and with the suns beating down onto them, Lup can feel her palm going a little sweaty at the closeness. The whole thing is a little weird, holding a hand that doesn't feel exactly the same as hers, but she really likes how good it feels, so when Lup finally pulls her sweaty palm out of Barry's to wipe it against her dirty clothing, she switches hands, slipping her dry hand against his other palm.

There! Now they don't have to let go completely.] That's cool. I heard that mom's read the best out of anyone. Is that true?

[She'd heard that real moms are the best at a lot of things - kissing scraped knees and cooking breakfast and singing lullabies at night to - but Lup can do all those things with Taako without a mom. Reading is a lot harder with no access to books.

Guessing and word games don't sound as fun to Lup - games should involve running or throwing or some kinda physical skill, right? - but her face lights up at the mention of hopscotch. That one she can do! They finally have something super important in common. Does that make them friends now?]

I've played hopscotch before, it's pretty fun, but not as much as tag. D'you wanna take turns pickin' games out? Like, I can pick one an' then you can. So it's even.

[Barry hadn't even noticed that their hands were getting so sweaty. He'd honestly just been kind of astonished she'd wanted to hold his hand at all, not to mention for this long. So when she switches hands, he finds himself smiling, squeezing hers gently. She still wants to hold hands. Good. His tummy's doing that weird thing again, feeling all hot and fluttery, making his cheeks blush.]

Yeah! Moms are th'best. Maybe dads too, but I dunno about that for sure. I don't have one.

[Not dwelling on that for too long. Now there are games to decide on. Thankfully, Lup doesn't seem to think he's totally lame. She looks excited, even! This definitely makes them friends. Nothing forges a greater bond than hopscotch.]

U-Um, okay. That sounds fair. [He's really nervous about having to play tag, but... he'll do it if it means hanging out with Lup.] What do you wanna play first? [Ladies first, after all!]

[Barry squeezes her hand, gentle and so so soft, and the slightest touch of pink lights up at the girl's cheeks again, her toes curling against the ground at the nice warmth that settles inside of her.

Lup honestly doesn't have a clue what all of this could mean, but boy, she likes it. She doesn't want to let go of Barry for awhile now.]

Oh, you don't? Really? [Oh. There's another thing they have in common. And yeah, sure, Barry at least has his mom around still, but it's kind of nice to know she isn't the only kid without a dad in her life. Just another thing to bind them together as friends, an experience they can share in, even if it isn't necessarily pleasant.]

Wait, you're gonna let me pick first? How come? You're not gonna try t' shove me over or make fun of me for what I pick, are you? Most of th' boys I play with don't like girls pickin' first. [Or when it came to the twins, ever.]

No, I don't. He died.

[Barry doesn't want to think about it too much, so he just shrugs it off, like it's no big deal. Of course, it is a big deal. Thinking about death isn't particularly scary, he understands the mechanics of it and what happens to something that dies, but someone he loves being gone forever? That's scary. It makes him sad knowing he won't ever know his dad. It makes him sad knowing that his mom is going to die someday.

But he doesn't want to think about that now. It makes him want to cry, and crying is for lame losers (which Barry is, no denying that, but he can't look like one in front of Lup!). All he wants to think about is the girl holding his hand, making him feel good and soft and warm inside.]

Wh-What? [The boy looks bewildered.] No, I-I'm not gonna shove you! O-Or make fun of you! Why would I..?

[What kind of boy does that to a girl? That's so rude!] Mom always says that a gentleman lets ladies go first. A-And I'm a gentleman! And you're a lady! Or-- O-Or a girl, I mean, y-you're a girl, b-but-- [flkjdsflkjhsdfg]

Um... A-Anyway, you go first.

[Was a dead dad any different than a dad who ran away? Lup can't quite say. Either way, the end result is kind of the same for the two of them.

Then, out of nowhere, Barry calls her a lady and there's just no hiding the soft awe in the way Lup's mouth parts, the immediate flush on her freckled cheeks, the way her eyes go impossibly wide. No one's ever called her that. Most of her crappy family barely even called her a girl, but Barry thought she was a lady? Really?

The rush of warmth that floods her entire body is both confusing but wonderful, tingles dancing up her spine, her bare toes curling against the ground. Lup knows her and Taako don't look like much right now, they're too skinny and filthy and dressed in clothes she's already gotten too tall for, but-- But Barry calling her a lady makes none of that matter. It makes the girl feel pretty and special, even if it was just a slip of the tongue. She squirms in place, still holding his hand, just too delighted to keep fully still.]

Let's play tag. [She finally slips her hand out of his, staring down at Barry's face for a moment, before she's leaning in to peck a quick kiss to his small mouth, just the barest touch of her lips to his. Then Lup's slapping a hand down on his arm and running away at top speed.]

You're it!

[Barry's too shy and nervous to look up at her after he slipped up and called her a lady - she's a girl, doofus, ladies are old and she's not old and she must think he's so stupid - so he doesn't catch the look on her face at all. He doesn't catch how her cheeks go red, how her mouth falls open, how her body twists and squirms with delight.

Only when her hand leaves his does he look up, his little face scrunched with concern. Her eyes are really pretty. They're so big and bright and nice, and they're looking at him like that, making his insides feel all gooey, and he finds he wants to look at her eyes like that for a really long time. He couldn't care less about playing tag, but if it's with her? And he gets to look at her some more? Then tag doesn't sound so bad.

Then she kisses him, and for once, everything inside his head goes quiet.

Lup slaps his arm and sprints away, and Barry remains standing just a little while longer. It's only a second or two, but it feels like an eternity. That felt super nice. His heart is beating so fast in his chest, and even though he's gone all stiff, he feels so hot and airy he might just float right off the ground and into space. That wasn't like a kiss goodnight, that was a kiss the way grown-ups kiss. Grown-ups who really really like each other.

Lup really really likes him. Barry really really likes her in return.

He watches her run away, and after those brief seconds of near sensory overload, Barry breaks into a heedless sprint after her, laughing brightly as he chases her. He vows that if he's able to catch up with her, he's going to kiss her back. He's going to make her feel as good as she just made him feel.

It's a vow he will unknowingly keep for the rest of his immortal life.]

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Event Log: The Hope of a Child

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