In your place there were a thousand other faces

[bumbles]

Date & Time: ON A DAY. IN THIS WEEK.
Location: Casa de Medieval Fantasy Suffering
Characters: Donny & Arya wolfchild
Summary: Mr. Casey wants to make sure Morgana is okay and are you okay Morgana, Morgana are you okay but instead he gets stuck with Arya.
Warnings: nothing planned, will edit if the trauma children generate anything hideous.


( See Adonis Casey.

See Adonis Casey with box of cookies – assorted – heading into the transport residential building. He's got his bag hanging off his shoulder, sketchbook under his arm and the tin balancing on one hand as he knocks. He waited until the gash across his left cheek could be stitched properly, and for a few days to have passed before he came over in person, because he didn't-- he didn't want to get in the way. Everything has been so chaotic, and Morgana seems like a lady who would prefer the peace to the wild disorder that everything has been the last little while.

The knock at the door is still quiet, hesitant. How do you knock to get someone's attention when you really don't want to be a bother or actually get anybody's attention? )

Comments

[wolfchild]

[ the girl ignores the sound. her wolf does not. she goes to the door and barks. the girl stands. she keeps her hand on her sword, hidden behind the door. she opens it enough to see who is on the other side. ]

What do you want?

[bumbles]

( Oh, God. The intense girl.

Donny gulps, hand that knocked raising again in an awkward wave. )

I'm h-here-- I c-came to um, t-to see Morgana?

( As he feebly holds up the box of food. ) May I c-come in, p-please?

[wolfchild]

[ …yeah sure she's sure she can take him ]

Give me. [ she takes the food first then opens the door to him. ] Mother's sleeping. You'll have to be quiet.

[bumbles]

( Obediently complying, a response to the order and maybe because he had his lunch money taken too many times, he just holds it out automatically, keeping his sketchbook carefully tucked under his arm, and then holding it nervously in his hands, the other twisting into the material of his shirt. )

O-okay. I c-can--

( He can be quiet. He can be silent, even better, so he nods. At least in his prior comings and goings, he has heard Cat refer to Morgana as mother. It was... kind of nice. Maybe Morgana just wound up being family to people. ) Yep. Quiet.

( And he's going to just nervously step in. )

[wolfchild]

Lock the door.

[ she shoot the reminder over her shoulder. the girl sets the cookies on the table, absentmindedly picking out one. at the doorway to her room, her wolf eyes the newcomer. her storm-grey fur is damp. ]

[bumbles]

( Nodding yes, definitely, doubling back to make sure he did it, hand pressed to the lock and confirming the metal has clicked into place with his magic. He glances over his shoulder to make sure Cat doesn't see, before he draws closer, dropping his gaze at the sight of the wolf.

He remembers when she told him the wolf was her weapon, and some part of him is definitely unnerved. Weakling, coward, his sister needles in his mind. )

Um. They're d-different k-kind. I didn't um, I didn't know what she'd-- like. ( Fingers nervously curling tighter around his sketchbook. )

[wolfchild]

She doesn't.

[ she doesn't seem to be lying. after inspecting her cookie, she takes a bite. she swallows before looking over to donny. ]

Will you stay and wait?

[bumbles]

Oh.

( That's... kind of disappointing, and his face falls a little before he's glancing back down at his hands.

Without looking back up right away, he nods. )

Y-yeah. If-- if that's o-okay?

( He shrugs stiffly, holds up the book. ) I c-can, just-- ( Pointing at the corner. He can just go sit in the corner and be out of the way. )

[wolfchild]

[ mistake #50985067: show book. ]

What's that book?

[bumbles]

Uh, m-my sketches.

( he lets the page fall open randomly, hitting a couple of sketches of Joy, holding it up to show her. Some of his drawings are rough, scribbling lines and layer over layer of pencil, while others are cleaner, with simpler lines. He's good, actually. It might be about the only thing Donny will admit he's pretty okay at. )

[wolfchild]

[ she never cared much for art. she has no skill. but she can admire another's work. ]

Who is that?

[bumbles]

That's m-my, uh, Ma.

( Slowly, he turns the next page over, to reveal his sisters. )

These are m-my sisters. Um, the-- she's Selene. ( Gently tapping just above the one that looks so alarmingly similar to Morgana. )

[wolfchild]

[ her face only registers mild surprise. after sharpe and boromir, she's no longer stunned by near-identical faces. ]

She looks like Mother. Is she like her?

[bumbles]

She's--

( How to describe Selene? )

I think they're b-both um, sad. Selene c-can uh, can be c-colder? She's like ice.

( he doesn't mean it in a bad way, and it's evident in his tone. )

[wolfchild]

[ she holds one hand out as if she were to trace the lines. she stops short of touching the paper. ]

Is she your favorite?

[bumbles]

I l-love all my sisters.

( but he can't drag his gaze from the sketch. )

Asteria w-was, I g--g-guess.

( Before he knew better, before Max tore that down.)

[wolfchild]

Is that her?

[ by chance, she manages to point at the right one. ]

[bumbles]

Yeah.

( Barely louder than a breath, staring at Asteria for a second, mouth catching painfully. Instead of acknowledging his own painful expression, he points to the third woman: ) That's Phoebe.

D-do you have uh, have siblings?

[wolfchild]

[ three brothers and a sister and a half-brother she misses more than anyone else. she had long ago mastered to make herself still water with nothing to show on the surface. ]

No.

[ though she memorizes his reaction, it's interesting, she doesn't comment on it. ]

Who's the eldest?

[bumbles]

That's, um.

( That's sad, he wants to say, but when he thinks about all the ways they hurt each other, maybe it's better. Maybe if he hadn't been and Asteria hadn't either, Selene and Phoebe could have been happy. They would still have each other, then, of course, and he has to swallow past a very dry throat. )

That sucks.

( And pointing. ) Asteria, then Selene, Phoebe. And then m-me.

( Softly, ) I'm the b-- b-baby.

( The useless, stupid baby. The beloved baby brother; not so much the latter, as it turned out. )

[wolfchild]

[ she laughs. ]

You must have been their doll to dress up and look after.

[bumbles]

( He almost flinches. Asteria did have a way of treating them like toys. )

Phoebe c-cut my hair, once.

( it was a disaster. ) I um, d-didn't look so g-good in dresses, though.

( why is he trying to joke

this is so awkward )

[wolfchild]

I bet we could find a pretty one for you. And ribbons for your hair.

[ run. ]

[bumbles]

( oh good god )

N-no, that, um. No.

( He's pretty sure she's terrible enough to do it. In fact, he looks distinctly alarmed. )

That's a b-bad idea. ( Is he clutching his book to his chest protectively? Yes. )

[wolfchild]

Why? Mother wouldn't mind if we used hers. I know it.

[ just a few pretty braids and ribbons in your hair. everything she will chew her own hand off to avoid. ]

[bumbles]

( No, please. There's something begging in his gaze, and he is becoming very aware of the fact he needs a hair cut. Perhaps if it were shorter she'd have less ideas. )

And, um. I'd stretch them.

( Which he can imagine Morgana would mind. ) Eat the uh, c-cookies instead, that'll b-be more-- more fun.

( :c arya pls )

[wolfchild]

[ she rolls her eyes. ]

You don't have to be so afraid of me, you know. I'm not going to do something awful to you.

[bumbles]

( She'd be surprised how many people have said that. )

I'm um, scared of everyone? It's m-more efficient.

( Was that a joke?

He has no idea. )

[wolfchild]

So you admit you're craven.

[bumbles]

Um. Is-- is c-craven like uh, like b-being a c-coward?

( it sounds like it. He nods a little, but-- )

B-but, I mean-- you c-can't uh, you c-can't be b-brave unless you're scared first.

( Very softly. ) If you're n-never scared, then you aren't b-brave, you're just-- just d-doing stuff. I'm scared, b-but uh, but I still t-try to d-do stuff that um, that m-matters.

( Wow this is the most humiliating day. He hangs his head, and just shrugs. Yeah, I'm craven. )

[wolfchild]

I know that. Everyone knows that. But you're always afraid and you haven't done anything brave I've seen. [ ergo.. ]

[bumbles]

( Okay. He nods, slowly, carefully picks up his sketchbook. Morgana hasn't appeared, and he can just leave the cookies here. )

You d-don't-- see m-me.

( Very softly, as he eases himself up from the ground. It's fine. It's better she doesn't, normal she doesn't. )

[wolfchild]

Whose fault would that be?

[bumbles]

N-not yours.

( no, he knows that. ) there's n-not much to uh, to see.

[wolfchild]

You're a liar.

[ but she doesn't care enough to delve. she returns to the kitchen to fetch some wine for herself. ]

[bumbles]

( Ouch. Okay, then.

Bag shrugged back to his shoulder, Donny glances to the kitchen. ) H-hey, uh. I b-better-- better g-go.

( All things considered, that seems best. She doesn't like him, he feels painfully uncomfortable, Morgana is still sleeping. ) C-can um, can you g-give those c-cookies to Morgana? Please?

[wolfchild]

[ she nods. ]

I will.

[bumbles]

O-okay. Thanks for, uh--

( Letting him in. The other stuff, not so much, but he doesn't specify, painfully swallowing around the air. )

Um. Yep.

( He's just gonna head for the door. )