Re: Revisiting Garnelia - 120 4A

[Nara-pyon]

Twig's eyes flickered to Hikaru. "Ojii-san says it is called Tai Chi," he replied. He hesitated briefly, then ventured, "He teaches me when I am strong enough." Then, with a bit of pride, he added, "He says that I am one of his indoor students."

Shiro chuckled softly at the comment, and Kaito beamed. Most of the others looked confused by the statement.

"Where is your grandfather from?" Shiro asked curiously. "The tongue he speaks is one we know from our world."

Twig nodded. "Hai, he is from your world, Gaia. Kaito told me about it yesterday."

[Kara Winters]

That part wasn't that surprising, it was clear from the language the chances that Twig's grandfather was Gaian was high. Though it was interesting that he practice Tai Chi, it was something that Miyuki had practiced, but without a teacher she could only go so far. She mainly used it as another form of meditation than anything else.

"How did he end up in this world?" Lin asked curiously.

Probably through a tear, but there were other ways and it wouldn't hurt to ask.

[Nara-pyon]

Twig turned towards the chair and repeated the question in Japanese, and almost immediately he looked back at Lin. Instead of speaking, however, his only response was a shrug of both shoulders.

"Sounds like another tear," Shoneah murmured thoughtfully.

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki wondered how many Gaians had ended up in this world, and if there were any in the Four Lands. Perhaps a question for when they return. Instead she asked a question of her own.

"Would your grandfather be alright with telling us the story of how he came to settle in this world?" she asked.

Since it was clear that the grandfather had settled her and called this world his home.

[Nara-pyon]

Twig repeated the question again in Japanese, once more looking towards the seemingly empty chair; then he nodded and sat still and silent, a look of intense concentration on his face.

A minute passed, and then two. Kaito looked as though he wanted very much to speak, but as he opened his mouth, Shiro elbowed him - hard - and he clamped his mouth shut again.

"It is not a very long story," Twig said at last, turning towards the others and looking at them all. "He was walking to his dojo one morning and suddenly found himself in a forest ... and then he met my grandmother ..."

He frowned then and looked back at the chair. Switching back to Japanese, he protested, "Ojii-san, do I really have to say all of that? That's all yucky mushy stuff!"

Then, almost immediately, and looking very put out, his face glowing red, he said very quickly, "And-he-thought-she-was-the-most-beautiful-person-he-had-ever-seen-and-they-fell-in-love-at-first-sight-and-even-though-they-couldn't-understand-each-others'-languages-they-understood-each-others'-thoughts-and-hearts-and-they-got-married-and" - and here he switched back to Japanese - "there Ojii-san I said it, now can I skip ahead?"

[Kara Winters]

If there was ever a moment Miyuki wished she could see Koizumi and hear him, it would be at that moment. She was highly amused, even if she was trying her best not to show it. Twig probably wouldn't like it.

Hikaru coughed into his sleeve and tried his best not to chuckled at the poor boy's plight.

[Nara-pyon]

The rest of the group was struggling not to laugh, too, and Kaito couldn't keep all his snickering back - he let one small one escape. A second nudge from Shiro silenced him, however.

Andarien just chuckled softly and looked at Shoneah.

Twig sighed heavily. Returning once more to the Ancient Tongue, he went on. "As soon as the General heard about Ojii-san's arrival in Garnelia he sent an invitation for him to visit the palace and Ojii-san went. And the next thing he knew ..."

He cut himself off again and glared at the chair. "No! No! I won't say it! Because it's not true! You are not dead!"

His fingers curled into tight fists, his scrawny muscles pulling taut in his arms.

[Kara Winters]

"Twig..." Miyuki spoke up quickly knowing that Twig was not yet ready to face the truth of what had happened, "Could you ask your grandfather for me if Second Sight runs in his family?"

She depended on the hope that Twig didn't understand what that meant, and she was pretty sure that Twig didn't. Otherwise, Twig's emotional scars ran deeper than they realized if he did know what Second Sight was.

[Nara-pyon]

The question distracted the boy, and he blinked at Miyuki in complete incomprension for several seconds before he translated the question again.

The answer, though the question was a simple was, was longer in coming.

"He had to think about it," Twig reported finally, slightly calmer than the minute before. "He says maybe there was someone generations ago but that's all and he's not even sure about that."

He eyed Miyuki suspiciously. "Why?" he asked, hesitant. "What is that?"

[Kara Winters]

"It's a type of Gift," Miyuki blinked and realized that Twig might not even understand that, "All elves have, at least one Gift, one magical ability that comes to them naturally with little to no learning needed."

Deciding she didn't want to quite answer Twig's question, she took the Gift idea and ran with it.

"Among elves, there isn't always rhyme or reason to what Gift you get. In this country and the countries that surround it, certain races tend to lean towards certain types of Gifts, but across the ocean in another set of lands, that's not the case. A person's race is no indicator of what kind of Gift they'll get. While it is possible to inherit a type of Gift from a parent, that isn't always the case. Among Gaians, once a type of Gift appears in a family, they're more likely to inherit that particular Gift unlike the Elves of this world. Of course... it could also just appear. Then again... depending on where you live Gaians tend to be a mix bunch, so there is also the possibility of a Gift being dormant from a long ago ancestor."

[Nara-pyon]

Twig nodded. "So what does it mean, Second Sight?" he asked again. "I mean, I don't see two of everything ..."

"Twig," Cael said firmly, leaning forward in his seat and pressing the tips of his fingers together, "this may not be easy for you to hear, but it is very important that you understand it. Second Sight is a term for the ability to see those who are dead who may not or choose not to go into the halls of Mandos."

Twig's brown eyes lit up. "I can see dead people? That's pretty special, isn't it?"

Cael blinked and exhaled slowly. Clearly, Twig wasn't making the connection.

Suddenly Twig turned his attention back to the direction of the chair, and it was his turn to blink and stare. "Iie," he murmured, shaking his head, though his eyes didn't move. "Mama ... Ojii-san ... what are you saying? He's not right. He can't be right."

[Kara Winters]

"Twig..." Lin spoke up softly, "We can't see your mother and your grandfather. We just know they're there because you can see them, and the reason why we believe you is because we're familiar with this kind of Gift. My grandfather has the same ability."

Among other things, but that was not the time to talk about it.

[Nara-pyon]

Twig continued to stare straight ahead for several seconds before barely glancing at Lin.

"No, no, they're not dead," he said quickly, his eyes wide. He turned back to the chair. "You're not dead. No. No. Ojii-san, you're not dead, you've been with me my whole life, just like Mama. You taught me things. You taught me to talk like you. You taught me Tai Chi. You're not dead."

Suddenly, so quickly that his movements were almost violent and he made those around him jump in surprise, he curled up in a ball, eyes closed, clamping his hands over his head.

"No! No, you're not dead! You're not dead!" he shouted. "I don't believe it! I won't!"

Kaito hesitated very briefly before putting a hand on the boy's back. "Kid, calm down," he murmured. "It's okay. Really."

[Kara Winters]

Hikaru moved to help, he could kind of understand where the kid was coming from. To admit they were really dead was to admit he was alone.

"Kaito's right, take a deep breath, after all they are still here," he reminded Twig.

It was just they weren't alive.

[Nara-pyon]

Twig looked up, but he wasn't looking at Kaito or Hikaru: he was looking between them with a look of longing and hope, even expectation. He reached out towards the space, his fingers outstretched. Suddenly he made as if to grab something; and when he grabbed nothing but air, he let out a wail and burst into tears.

"Aw, crap," Kaito muttered, suddenly looking very alarmed. He pulled the boy into his lap and patted his back, a little awkwardly. "Hey kid, it's okay, you've got us."

Kyrie and Mari exchanged a look. "Perhaps it would be better to let him rest before we ask any more questions," the queen suggested quietly.

[Kara Winters]

Lin agreed and nodded as such, "Yes, I wish we didn't need to confront him about this now, but I guess it's better now than later."

Eventually someone was going to have to get through to him that his family was no longer alive.

Holly made her way over and bent down, "How about we take you back to the tent? Kaito and whoever else you want will stay with you as long as you want."

She didn't know if there was anyone else Twig would be fond off besides Kaito.

[Nara-pyon]

Twig just curled up into a tighter ball, either ignoring or oblivious to those around him.

Kaito kept rubbing the boy's back in small, gentle circles. "I think it might be best if we just do it instead of asking him," he said quietly to Holly. "I'm not sure we're going to get anything out of him for a while."

A part of him was frustrated, and he sighed and turned his eyes upwards. "If only there were someone else who could talk to his family so that he didn't have to be an intermediary. It would be so much easier."

[Kara Winters]

"I have a really stupid question," Lin suddenly pipped up, "Does Sight work through mirror communication?"

Because the only other person she knew who could talk to the dead was grandfather Daemon.

[Nara-pyon]

There was a long silence as everyone looked around at each other, trying to see if anyone knew the answer to that question. Mari, for her part, just looked confused.

"No harm in trying, I suppose," Shiro said at last. "But Lin, are you thinking of your grandfather? He's back in Gaia ... we've never tried to use the mirrors to communicate across the worlds ..."

So that was already questionable.

[Kara Winters]

"That is true..." Lin chuckled, "The time difference would make it tricky and that was never resolved the last time communication devices were talked about... although. I recall someone mentioning that when grandfather Daemon and Gion were traveling together, back when grandfather was stuck in that sword, that some of his Gift bleed over to Gion. I wonder if maybe he could..."

Then again, no one was certain how that happened or even if it lasted after the Daemon left the sword.

[Nara-pyon]

Kaito laughed. "He doesn't speak the Ancient Tongue OR Japanese!" he exclaimed.

"For that matter, neither does Grandfather Daemon," Shiro sighed reluctantly. "At least, not the Ancient Tongue."

"Maybe he could just repeat things aloud and we can do the translating ourselves," Shoneah suggested, trying to be helpful.

Earendil rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. "He's mute."

[Kara Winters]

"Grandfather Daemon should know how to speak Japanese, grandmother was," Lin replied, "So he would actually be our better bet... though..."

Again there was that issue with the time difference, which made communication difficult.

"Would creating a temporary portal be easier?" Miyuki suggested, "I mean, if you're crossing worlds, the difference between a portal in the Four Lands and a portal here is really no different. Not that I've ever attempted one... at all..."

But they knew it was possible because the Winters used permanent ones all the time.

[Nara-pyon]

"I would be able to help with setting it up," Lancaeriel offered, "but I would not be able to contribute to the magic."

Cael looked at Miyuki, his dark eyes serious. "Do you think you and I could power it ourselves?" he asked her quietly.

"I could help too, I think," Shiro offered.

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki thought about it for a moment. She knew that her grandmother (her mother's mother) had a lot of magic, Anderian had commented on it as much when he saw her. Even with the googles and even with her trying to keep as much of it under wraps as she could around him. But she also knew her grandmother never did it alone, the family was teeming with magic users.

"With Shiro, I think we have a better chance. If all else fails, if we can just make a portal long enough to get to the Winters compound then they could link a portal back. They have more than enough strong magic users to do so," Miyuki replied.

[Nara-pyon]

"Probably best if you can keep the connection open for him to come through," Earendil said worriedly. "Even a few minutes in Gaia can translate into days here if the portal is closed ..."

He knew from experience, from when he had gone against his parents' wishes and gone to Gaia to ask Donovan for Lin's hand in marriage.

"Two of us did it successfully for five people to come through," Lancaeriel spoke up quietly. "I'm sure the three of you can manage one person."

"But that wasn't between worlds," Cael pointed out. "And they were ready and waiting for you."

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