Noldor Babies (We Make Our Dreams Come True)

[utulien_aure]

Who: Elfhouse residents and any guests (invited and uninvited)
What: Bitty elves run ramshod over houses that contain an alarming amount of sharp objects
Where: The Elfhouses
When: During the Hope of a Child Event
Warnings: Small explosions, potential references to violence; will update if it becomes necessary



The houses of the Eldar are beautiful and perilous, and the dwellings they have taken in Hadriel reflect that no less than any city or fortress of song. There are deadly blades inside, and tools of craft, and in some corner the traps and tripwires used before the Null arrived have been stored away for the time being.

But nothing in the house may be quite as dangerous as the children who wake up there without any memory of the place. Curiously they wander through the house, grabbing hold of things they that interest them without any sense of caution. When they're hungry (they're growing boys; they're always hungry) they leave the kitchen looking as though it has been hit by a whirlwind.

And when they find one of the few adults left in the house, peacefully sleeping away in a bedroom, a few wonderful, terrible ideas occur to them....

Comments

[childofthemusic]

It isn't until the last few days of the even that Maglor finally succumbs to sleep, and maybe that's why Cano is the youngest seeming of the elflings. Being the littlest, however, does not, in any way, imply the least adventurous.

He's up on the couches and swarming up onto the tables and laughing at all the things that make noises, and singing. He sings more than he speaks, a bright, cheerful treble that bounces happily off the walls and details all the new things he's playing with.

But not even his voice is enough to wake his brother, and that makes him frown.

"Us needs to wake him."

[whowouldvaliantbe]

"Mmmhmm," Findekano nods, munching on an apple as he watches his (now strangely tiny) cousin. "I've been talking to him for ages now, but he's not waking up."

And also he'd swung one of the swords in Maedhros room against a shield, which hadn't done much except have all the swords taken forcibly out of his reach. He was still a mite insulted at that, surely waking Russandol up was a good thing.

[childofthemusic]

"That's not like him." Cano agrees.

"Maybe... if we make more noise?"

[whowouldvaliantbe]

"Oooo," Findekano's eyes linger on the kitchen, where there are probably plenty of noisemakers.

"We could try pots? Or maybe there's something in the city we can use."

[childofthemusic]

"Telpe will get cross if we go outside."

Suuuuuuch a spoilsport. Definitely related to Atto.

"But Cano saw lots and lots of pots!"

[whowouldvaliantbe]

Findekano wrinkles his nose at that; Telpe is very nice, but he's a bit smothering.

"Then let's go look, Cano."

He scrambles off into the kitchen, and starts laying out pots. They should know what they have to work with before they get started.

"Which ones do you think?"

[childofthemusic]

So true! Very annoying.

He taps thoughtfully at the assortment, before pointing.

"This one aaaaaaaand... this one, and this one! They'll makes the most loud sound."

[whowouldvaliantbe]

Findekano nods; Kano's instincts regarding noise are always worth heeding.

"Now, spoons-" he drags a chair over to the shelf where the big spoons are kept and picks four big ones.

"That should do it! Come on!"

[childofthemusic]

"Wait!"

He scrambles up onto the bench and fills a jug with water.

"Us can try splashing him too!"

Uh... how does get down with jug...

[so_dark_a_road]

Curvo naturally wakes in his own bedroom, which does not contain the most dangerous tools and materials in the adult Curufin's possession, but it's a good thing the young Elf already knows how to use sharp tools and how to be safe with them, because there are a few in here. The swords puzzle him; they are beautifully made, but what are they for? However, there are many mysteries to solve right now, and the weapons are only one of them. He isn't as fazed by this strange awakening as you might think he'd be, and he quickly explores the room and the house, and then he goes back to the room and starts rummaging around in the desk.

He finds a sheaf of maps, all drawn in a hand that looks strangely familiar. He sits down and studies them all. One seems to be a map of the larger environment -- it seems this is a city! But it is not at all like Tirion, and this is very odd. He continues to ponder the map. Down in the southeast corner of it, between a forest and a river, there is a collection of little squares which are labeled as various kinds of workshops: forge, carpentry, metal shop, storage, and. . .

. . . What is this one? -- it is just marked XXX. The universal symbol for DANGER.

His eyes light up and a mischievous grin comes over his face. He grabs the adult Curufin's big leather satchel, stuffs the map into it, and runs like a deer across the very strange environment.

He comes back with the satchel stuffed full of contraband.

And when he arrives, there is some furor over Nelyo, who is lying in his bed in a deep sleep and can't be wakened.

But Curvo has an idea of how that might be accomplished! He starts pawing through the fireworks he put in the satchel and toted home. Somebody interrupt him, or it won't be pretty!!!!!!

[whowouldvaliantbe]

"Huh?" Findekano turns as the outer door opens in the distance, and listens as carefully as a twenty year old can. Is Telpe back? He creeps out to the front door to check.

And standing nearby is... huh. An older boy, clearly Noldorin- and if Odd Cousin Telpe looked a lot like Uncle Feanaro, this one could be that childhood miniature of Uncle Grandfather keeps in his private office come to life.

It's weird how that keeps coming up.

"Hello?" He ventures.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curvo stops pulling out the contents of the satchel and arranging them on the rug, and looks at the child who has just come out of the hallway. He smiles. "Finno?"

[whowouldvaliantbe]

"Mm-hmpf," Findekano nods. "You're not Telpe, are you?"

Everyone's been appearing at different ages, maybe he should check to be sure.

"Whatcha doing?"

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin finds it all very odd, too. He knows everyone by their faces, even though the ages are different. Except he's not too sure about. . .

"Who's Telpe? I'm Curvo."

And he grins at Finno. "I was finding something to make a really loud BANG, to wake Nelyo up. This ought to do it! It's a bomb!"

[whowouldvaliantbe]

"Telpe's big, and he told Cano that he was his nephew and he looks like Uncle Feanaro," is Findekano's answer, the words coming out in a rush. "At least-" he looks like Uncle would if Uncle wasn't always grumpy, is how he meant to finish, but that's probably a bit rude to say to odd popping-up cousins.

"Are bombs louder than pots? Cause we've tried that already, and it's not working."

[so_dark_a_road]

"Telpe is Cano's nephew? That means. . . " He squints with puzzlement. "Nelyo must be his dad, then? Nelyo's the only one of us who is old enough to have kids." Currently, anyway. Curvo can't quite wrap his head around the weirdness of the disjointed ages in this household.

"But then, if Nelyo's his father, he'd look like my Grandfather Mahtan, wouldn't he? Not like my Atar or me." He scratches his head. Hmmm.

Curvo would have laughed aloud if Finno had spoken aloud that thought, if Uncle wasn't always grumpy. Fëanáro was always grumpy.

"Yes, bombs are louder than pots. A LOT louder! I was going to set it off outside, so there won't be any problem with flying rocks or anything." (Yeah, right.)

[whowouldvaliantbe]

"He didn't say," Findekano pouts, rather put out at the suggestion.

He already has to share Russandol with Cano and Tyelko and baby Moryo and probably Amme's baby and Aunt Earwen's baby when they come along. Now some girl might take up Russandol's time too? Bleh!

"But people's ages are funny here. Makalaure was Grandfather-old when I first got here, and now he's really little."

Oh, so it wasn't just Findekano's impression....

He nods. "Can I help?"

[so_dark_a_road]

Yes, damn it, the girls always come around sooner or later to take up a guy's time. Sometimes even the guys who prefer guys end up falling for it. Young Curvo's observation of life in Tirion, anyway. And poor Fingon if that happens to Maedhros!

"You must have gotten here before I did, then. Makalaure was little when I saw him. But. . . " Oh, the weirdness of it all! ". . . how can that be? I've never known anybody who was big to become little again." Ho ho. If only he knew. "I thought it was only supposed to be the other way around!"

Nope, the grumpiness of Curvo's dad was not just Finno's impression!

"Of course you can help!" he says, eagerly. It is very nice to have cousins, especially Finno who is so nice. (And also, he makes Russandol so happy.) "Let's go outside! Oh, we need something to light the fuse with. Maybe we could light a match from the kitchen stove? Or have you got your flint and steel with you?"

[childofthemusic]

"What's that?"

A little voice pipes up from behind him.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Something that goes KA-BOOM!" answers Curvo with a grin.

[childofthemusic]

"Ooooooooh"

The tiny elfling eyes them.

"Is safe inside?"

[so_dark_a_road]

Curvo can't help smiling at his tiny elder brother. Káno is so cute as a little guy.

"Do you mean are we safe inside the house? Or are you asking is the bomb safe inside the house? Actually, I was going to set it off outside Nelyo's window."

[childofthemusic]

"Whassa bomb?" He asks, clambering over to lean against him and look at the stuff curiously. He feels safe, and known, this brother-who-isn't-yet, a familiar song.

"Are you trying to wake Nelyo too?"

[so_dark_a_road]

Curvo is delighted to be clambered over and leaned upon. This little child likewise feels utterly familiar to him, his little body vibrant with song even when he is not singing.

"Did you ever notice those sacks of funny-smelling black power in Atar's outside shed near his workshop?" There is a reason it's not too near the house in Tirion. "It's the most wonderful stuff! If you light it, it burns really fast, so fast that it can't keep up with itself, and it explodes! He says he uses it to blast holes in rock walls, in order to get to the layers that produce gemstones. Once, he took me out to one of his rock quarries and let me watch while he blew up part of a cliff. We stayed there for hours, and he let me place some of the explosive charges and light the fuses. Whoa, we had to run fast afterwards! And there was such a big BANG! every time!"

He grins. "He asked me not to tell Amil where we were that afternoon. But he didn't say I could never tell you, Káno."

He points to the tube of rolled-up cardboard in the opened satchel. "Anyway, I've packed some of that same kind of powder inside this tube." There's a string fuse hanging out of one of the ends. Both ends are sealed with wax.

"Yes, I'm trying to wake Nelyo. I was thinking that maybe if the sound was loud enough, he'd jump up out of bed. Want to come along?"

[childofthemusic]

Cano looks at him askance.

"You's not supposed to go out there by yourself! Cano's not allowed either!"

But he nods, yes he remembers.

"You sure is alright? We won't get in trouble?"