N-no... no, I'm scared...!

[relinquishing]

Who: A very young Guy Cecil and a bunch of scary strangers.
Where: Yutopil Apartments and the alleys near the plaza
When: Monday morning - afternoon
Style: I prefer [Action], but I'll match.
Status: Open

[It was such a blur. He remembered it being dark and loud. There was shouting. They were running, his arm being pulled just a little harder as a window shattered in one of the front rooms. A scream echoed from another part of the hall, and he felt the urge to do the same, quickly biting his lip in fear. The shuffle of feet. The slamming of a door. There were soldiers. So many soldiers.

He was frightened.

Mary had said something to him. That he needed to hide. That he needed to live. Why? Why was this happening? This was supposed to be a happy day, right? Why were the soldiers here to hurt them? Why did his sister have to look so sad?

Mary... M-Mary, come back... I-I'm scared...!

He'd ducked away, knees to his chest and lip quivering, still trying to keep his older sister in his sights. And then, as if he'd fallen down a hole in the back of his hiding place... he was somewhere new. Mary was gone. And he didn't like it one bit.]


[Residents of the lower floor of Yutopil might here a thumping crash from Apartment 1-5 early Monday morning, followed by a loud wail. That's because one little blonde boy has literally fallen out of his bed and hit the ground a bit too hard. Nothing to truly hurt him in the end, but... well, he is a bit of a coward, and the impact is enough to startle him to tears. What is this place?! Where is he? And now his head hurts and oh no, oh please, what is he going to do????

He will eventually wander from his strange quarters, although the outside world isn't very inviting. Every face is strange and hostile, and with what he's just seen and heard he can't help but flinch away. So don't be surprised if you come walking through the plaza and hear the sniffling sobs of a young child, not even a day past five, huddled in the alleyway behind a building, head buried against his knees or hands wringing at clothes of the finest quality (dusted with the clouded markings of soot). He may look like an animal caught frightened in a bright light. But for as much of a man as Mary wants him to be, a stranger is still a stranger, and strangers are still frightening.]


((OOC: All replies will be coming from heirofhod.))

Comments

[zelda_hylia]

[She's glad for the fact that he hid his face in her skirts again, because she can't hide the shock on her face. It's Guy. This little boy is Guy, from before he had to flee his home. No - judging by the state of his clothes and how afraid he is, this might even be Guy from that moment exactly. How cruel could this place be? Goddesses, what is she supposed to do with him? Taking him home is an option, but considering their relationship she's not certain she wants to literally mother him for a week.

But Peony had called him "Gailardia" as well. Is it possible he knew him as a child? Maybe...]

Gailardia? That's a lovely name. Very strong - "a flower that blooms in adversity".

[The encouragement is subtle, but she hopes he takes to it. Zelda forces a smile back on her face, kneeling down at eye level with him and taking out her SFC. If this is Guy, seeing the device might distract him a bit. She turns it on, starting to scroll through it and holding it within his view.]

I know someone that knows a boy named Gailardia. I'm going to call him with this and see if you know each other, all right?

[heirofhod]

[He watches cautiously as she kneels down, relaxing slightly at the comment about his name. A flower wasn't very strong, Miss Zelda. That's kind of really confusing.

When she takes out the starfish, his eyes light up with curiosity, especially when she reveals the screen. His ability to read isn't strong at all, but those were words, right? Words and pictures that moved, and-- aah, was it magic?]

A-ah, but... I-is it gonna make your voice really loud? W-will he hear you okay?

[zelda_hylia]

[That face is more like the Guy she knows. Her smile becomes more genuine. It's too bad she can't give him a proper explanation on how the SFC works!]

This communicator connects to a network. It can transmit pictures and sounds over a distance. I am not very good with technology so I can't give a better explanation, but after I call him you can take a look at it if you like.

[Please, Vatheon, don't let Peony have turned into a child as well! Finding his name, the princess calls him up, choosing the video option. It will be easier to explain if he can see the boy, after all.]

[chokmahemperor]

[Nope! Peony's still an old man just as he always is when he picks up, flashing the princess a grin as the connection comes through.]

Hey, there~ Found any surprises, today?

[He's flipped through the network and wow there are suddenly a lot of kids.]

[heirofhod]

Aaah!

[Well, here's one more for you, Peony. There's a mess of blond hair poking into the shot as Gailardia crawls forward immediately, a hand moving to touch the screen with an excited smile.]

It works, it works, Miss Zelda...! [He swallows, adjusts himself in his seat ...and proceeds to speak very loudly to the magical man (who must be very far away!).]

-Can you hear us, mister?-

[zelda_hylia]

[Oh no, he's too cute when he smiles! Zelda tries not to laugh, turning her attention back to the SFC. The change in her age isn't nearly as apparent as Guy, she's just a few years older. Still not an old man like Peony, though.]

I certainly have. I found Gailardia here. I was wondering if you might know each other?

[chokmahemperor]

[Zelda's changes are a little subtler, though come to think of it... And then Guy. Oh no. Oh no, this is all just a mess of cute and shut up Peony's allowed to think that. Knowing Guy as an adult and excited is one thing, but seeing him so young and excited...

Oh. Wait. Peony runs through the math and the guesses and lodges it somewhere it won't touch his expression.]

I can hear ya loud 'n clear, buddy.

[Chipper salute and all. His focus turns to Zelda, chuckling.]

I see you have. I'm not sure about knowing me, but knowing of me is a maybe.

[He looks right at Guy, grinning brightly.]

How old are you, then, young man?

[heirofhod]

Four...! Or... uhh...

[His expression drops, his voice getting quieter. That's right, he almost forgot what today was.]

...ah... f-five, sir. Today's my birthday.

[zelda_hylia]

[He's so young... Zelda lets the smile fade from her face since Guy's attention is on Peony, resting her hand on the crown of his head again. At least when she'd been forced from her home, she was old enough to take the memories with her. At this age, will Guy even be able to remember his family properly when he grows up? She knows he doesn't remember what it was that caused him to start fearing women - whatever that is, it obviously hasn't occurred yet. She remains quiet, letting them talk a bit.]

[chokmahemperor]

Five?

[Peony puts on a show with an impressed expression. It shifts to one that's more playful, mischievous.]

And if your birthday's today, that means you should get loads of playing done, right?

[heirofhod]

Mmmn... yeah. I-I mean, maybe, I guess.

[He looks off to the side, one hand twisting idly against the palm of the other.]

I gotta get home first, though! Cause... cause I can't play without Mary, and... [And things were kind of scary back home, anyways. Miss Zelda said that this man knew him, though? He didn't look familiar...] A-ah, Mister, do you know how to get to Count Gardios' manor?

[chokmahemperor]

[Playfulness gives way to sympathy and Peony shakes his head.]

Sorry, kiddo. For right now, we're in Vatheon. My friend and I can't get back to the capital, either. It's alright, though! [His customary grin's right back in place.] We'll be okay here, and you'll get to go back to see them in a few days.

[Or considering how Vatheon works, it'll... work roughly like that, he thinks.]

[zelda_hylia]

He's right. We're in a bit of a tricky spot, but things will be back to normal in about a week.

[By "normal", she means that Guy will be back to his proper age, of course. It's highly unlikely the coral is going to suddenly send them all home next week.]

Let's do our best to relax for now, all right?

[heirofhod]

The capital?

[The boy suddenly looks very focused, wriggling his way closer to the camera and completely ignoring the instructions to relax. No, he couldn't. If this man was from the capital, then--]

M-Mister, do you know the Emperor? I-is he here? C-can I talk to him?

[chokmahemperor]

[Peony's not really clear on how this age-related curse works, but he's assuming if this is just grabbing people from earlier points and swapping them out... Or maybe it's not like that! But who knows? Either way, he zones right in on little Gailardia's curious excitement.]

You could say that.

[That's... Well, Peony can't even really say he knew the man. What he remembers just makes him crabby. But, uh.

Man, how do you explain to a kid that the emperor the kid remembers isn't the present emperor when their memory very specifically says that he is?]

It'd be hard to speak with Karl V, though.

[zelda_hylia]

[Zelda's back to just listening to the conversation quietly. It seems odd that Peony would say that the Emperor is in Vatheon if there's no "Karl" here. She's never seen that name on the residency list. Unless...

No way.

As far as she knows, there are currently only three people from Auldrant in Vatheon: Guy (who has said he was a servant and had to flee his home), Jade (who has been referred to as "Colonel"), and Peony himself.

Honestly, it's more believable that Guy could be an Emperor in his future than it is to think that of Peony. He's just kind of... ridiculous. Whichever of the two it is, you can bet Zelda's paying a lot of attention to this conversation now.]

[heirofhod]

I-I-I... [For a long moment, the blonde looks so dejected that he just might burst into tears again. He sputters and shakes his head hard,] B-b-but he's here? Is he here, c-could I--

[The young boy immediately turns to Zelda, yanking at her arm urgently.]

M-Miss Zelda, you need to bring me to him, p-please!

[zelda_hylia]

[Picking up the child tugging at her arm is almost purely instinctual, and Zelda doesn't seem to realize that she's done it until she's already standing with Guy hoisted up on her hip and the SFC in the other hand.

Well then.]

If that is all right, Peony, I can bring him over?

[chokmahemperor]

[A-aaah, Guy, don't make those faces not when you're so little. But with Zelda hefting him up, Peony feels a little more at ease; kids usually calm down a bit with that, right?]

Yeah. Yeah, bring 'im over. I'm pretty sure there's a lot of explaining that's going to go down.

[heirofhod]

[For as much as Gailardia loves to be carried, he still squirms impatiently in the lady's hold, hands wrapped around her neck with a quiet whine into her shoulder. This is important, they need to hurry, and he'd rather walk--!]

[zelda_hylia]

Then we will be there shortly.

[Zelda turns off the feed and tucks the SFC away, wrapping both arms around Guy now. She's sure he would rather walk, but she can walk faster than he can. Besides, he looks terribly tired. Hopefully he would feel better once she starts for Peony's apartment with a brisk pace. It won't take her all that long.]

Do you have an important message for the Emperor, Gai...lardia?

[heirofhod]

[He whimpers a bit, his grip tightening as he nods against her shoulder.]

Y-yes... yes, ma'am. I need him to listen and c-come right away...

[Somehow. He wasn't sure how. But the Emperor was the Emperor for a reason, right? He could figure it out.]

[zelda_hylia]

Well, we'll get you too Peony at least. He doesn't live very far.

[Jogging a bit, hoping Guy forgets that particular sensation when he ages up again... she can sympathize with him far too much to not hurry, though. Her own anxiety levels had been absolutely through the roof when she'd been in a similar situation. Hopefully the expedience will soothe his nerves a bit. Before long, she's knocking at Peony's door.]

[chokmahemperor]

[Peony's just been mulling over what to do about this when the knock sounds. Well, he can only do so much, difficult as it may be. Selective truths might be enough to at least stave off the inevitable for as long as he can.

Opening the door, he greets both with a bright grin.]

Heeey, so this is the little nobleman, huh?

[heirofhod]

[He's so tall! Guy shies away when the door first opens, but as soon as he sees that the man's face matches the one that had been on the magical starfish, he's wriggling his way from Zelda's arms until he can feel his feet touch the ground.]

Sorry... Yes... yes'sir, mister, ah--

[Oh, whoops, manners, that's right. He bows a bit as an afterthought before continuing to speak.]

Mister Peony, sir... do you really know the Emperor, Mister Peony? I-I-I need to g-go home, and I need to go see His Majesty r-right away s-so he can come with.