Re: Revisiting Garnelia - 120 4A

[Nara-pyon]

"Well," the boy amended, a puzzled look crossing his face, "Mama talks to me ... and Ojii-san ... but no one else."

Half the group blinked in surprise, recognizing the word for what it was.

The boy didn't seem to notice their surprise, though, and he took another nibble of the stew from Kyrie.

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki rarely used Japanese, and switching to it with only one word to prompt her was a bit difficult, especially since she only wanted a translate and not to speak it.

"Your grandfather?" Hikaru asked who translated it faster than Miyuki.

[Nara-pyon]

The boy swallowed his nibble of food and licked his lips. "Yes ... but we don't have a home. Sometimes people help us a little bit but we always get sent away."

"Sent away?" Kyrie frowned.

But the boy had taken another bite of bread sopped in stew and was chewing slowly, too busy to respond immediately.

[Kara Winters]

"Where is your mama and ojii-san now?" Miyuki asked.

Since he had family it would be best to find them.

[Nara-pyon]

At Miyuki's question, the boy became visibly upset.

"Why does everyone always ask that?" he frowned. "They're right there!"

He raised one hand and pointed towards an empty space in the room.

The others looked towards where he was pointing, and Cael tried once again to see if he could sense anyone; but there absolutely was no one where the boy was pointing.

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki blinked once, blinked twice looked and looked thoughtfully. There were two choices, neither the boy was seeing things, or there was something there that they couldn't sense. Could they be spirits? She didn't know if she could sense spirits, but she had heard of a grandfather who could see them.

"Have people always not seen your family?" Miyuki asked.

[Nara-pyon]

The boy closed his mouth and looked at Miyuki, still clearly upset, but slightly calmer now that she had asked a different question.

"They used to see Mama," he told her, "but they never could see Ojii-san. Even Mama never used to. But now she does and no one sees her."

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki looked thoughtful, and wondered how to word her next question carefully.

"If I asked your mama how she ended up seeing your ojii-san, would you tell me what she said?" Miyuki asked carefully.

[Nara-pyon]

"No," the boy frowned, growing upset again. "She will just lie to you! She will just say that she is dead! But that's not true, she helps me! She finds me food and places to sleep at night - well, maybe not always but whenever she can find anything, and Ojii-san too, he helps me too, and they make sure that I get all the food and they don't take any from me because they say I need it more than them - but they're not dead! Even if they say they are!"

Kyrie set down the bowl and bread and put her hands on the boy's shoulders, trying to calm him. "Shh," she murmured. "Take it easy ..."

[Kara Winters]

"He has Sight..." Lin murmured softly to her husband.

She felt sorry for the boy, she could see why he had trouble understanding, if all he knew was seeing them and no one else saw the dead, what else could you believe but they were alive?

Miyuki leaned over and patted the boy's head, "Okay, then I won't ask her or ojii-san alright? By the way, if it's okay to ask. Could I ask your ojii-san where he comes from? Ojii-san is a word that many of us are very familiar with."

She was taking a gamble on this, as whatever part of this little boy's heritage was (probably) Japanese could be further than three generations, but since the boy used 'mama' instead of 'kaa-san' maybe the grandfather was a full blooded Gaian?

[Nara-pyon]

The boy flinched when Miyuki patted his head, but he relaxed visibly when she did nothing more.

"Ojii-san doesn't talk to anyone but me," he muttered, a hint of defiance in his tone. He was starting to shake slightly, and his skeletally thin fingers curled around the rag of his shirt.

Kyrie took the blanket Mirania had brought and put it around the boy's shoulders. "Will you ask on Miyuki's behalf?" she asked him softly.

The boy eyed Miyuki warily. "Why do you want to know where he comes from?" he asked her cautiously.

[Kara Winters]

"To see if maybe if we have family where he comes from," Miyuki replied softly, "My great-grandmother is Japanese, she was from the Ito clan when she was alive. Hikaru is from the Hayashi clan."

She really couldn't do the mental math to figure out if the grandfather was Gaian, how much time had passed between worlds, but the Ito clan was well known for dealing with the supernatural and of course the Hayashi dealt with textiles. So both families would hopefully be a bit familiar, especially if there was a clan claim to it. Probably more Hikaru's family than Miyuki's great-grandmother.

[Nara-pyon]

The boy eyed Miyuki a moment longer before turning towards the open space. Switching languages, he spoke in flawless Japanese, explaining the situation and asking Miyuki's question. Then he went silent, listening.

After a moment, he turned back to Miyuki.

"Ojii-san says answers will come after I have rested," he told her as firmly as his grandfather must have told him.

"I think that's fair," Kyrie nodded. "Is there smewhere we can take you, somewhere you call home?"

The boy shook his head and sighed. "No. People just chase us away."

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki wondered if it was the boy's grandfather or his mother who taught him Japanese. Since it was so flawless, she suspected the grandfather.

The kitsune shrugged and looked over to Kyrie, "Shall we go with our age old adage of, more the merrier?"

While side stepping neatly that the boy didn't have anyone, and so they had to keep him.

[Nara-pyon]

"Unless we find someone to care for him, yes," she said without hesitation. "Knowing that he has the blood of someone from your world means that he will not be accepted here. It may not be in his immediate heritage but it is definitely visible. He should be brought to Caras Galadhon."

"Then I'll stay in here with him today," Kaito offered, surprising everyone, "and you all keep going to Dekra."

[Kara Winters]

Holly had a small frown, though it wasn't angry, but more sad than anything else. She looked quite thoughtful really.

"Will you need anyone to stay with you?" Lin inquired to Kaito.

It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she just wanted to know if he would like company. It was good though it was Kaito (though Shiro, Hikaru, Miyuki or herself might do the trick as well). Somehow, she felt that having someone who could speak Japanese might benefit the boy, and Kaito had always been good with children.

[Nara-pyon]

Kaito smiled and shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine. It isn't hard to watch a kid sleep, and when he wakes up I'll just give him some more food and water. Maybe see if he'll open up a bit."

He stepped forward and squatted down next to the boy. "What do you say, kid? Want to sleep on a futon?"

The boy's smile showed that he understood the word that so few people of this world did, and he nodded faintly. His excitement and agitation had worn off, though, and now he just looked exhausted, fighting to keep his eyes open.

[Kara Winters]

"I'll go set it up," Hikaru offered as he moved to get the futon where it can been folded up and packed away.

While normally in the big tent it wasn't needed when everyone had their own room, but for them where there was limited space and people sharing room it was more efficient that way.

[Nara-pyon]

"I was just thinking I'd put him on mine," Kaito replied, "but go ahead, if you want. Maybe put it in my and Shiro's room?"

Because when they stopped again, this would become a busy room again, and he thought it would be best if the boy got as much uninterrupted rest as he could.

[Kara Winters]

"Okay," Hikaru agreed as he went off to get a futon.

Fortunately they had packed two extras, because as Miyuki had put while they packed something was going to happen. That was also the reason why they were well supplied with medical supplies, food and even weapons. It sounded like the group led an 'interesting' life.

[Nara-pyon]

While Hikaru was getting the futon, Kaito pulled the blanket up over the boy's shoulders, then slid his arms underneath him and picked him up.

"Hardly anything to him," he murmured sadly as he rose with the boy in his arms.

[Kara Winters]

"He might have been on his own for a long time," Lin commented softly.

If it weren't for his Gift he would have died a long time ago. Though she quietly wondered how much of him being chased away was also because he continued to talk to his family as if they were alive, not believing that they were dead.

Then again, she couldn't blame him, she never heard of anyone in this world seeing the dead.

[Nara-pyon]

"Perhaps we could add that to the list of questions we ask him when he's awake again," Shiro murmured. "In addition to his name."

It was too late to ask his name now. He was fast asleep in Kaito's arms.

Kyrie sighed. "Well, the rest of us might as well get ready to go again. We should still be able to make Dekra by nightfall."

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki nodded, paused and then realized.

"And when he wakes up, we are going to have to explain he's no longer where we found him. When we were talking he probably assumed that we're leaving him and Kaito behind while we travel onwards."

Instead of packing up the tent and taking them with them, because that would make no sense without warning or explanation.

[Nara-pyon]

"If he wakes up before you let us out, I'll be sure to explain things," Kaito told the others. "See if I can't get some answers from him, too."

He headed off to his and Shiro's room to wait for Hikaru to set up the futon.

Shiro smiled and shook his head in disbelief as his brother headed off. "Just when I had started to give up hope that he would ever grow up ..."

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