7th - They just slipped under the water. Unless Mat was watching.

[princeoftheravens]

Who: Teenage Mat and whoever notices
Where: All over the bubble
When: All week
Style: Whichever you prefer, starting in [ ]
Status: Open!

[So the one-eyed man is nowhere to be found this week, his hat and polearm also gone.

But there is a gangly teenager getting into an awful lot of mischief... He may have dusted your dog with flour, stolen a pie or something else you just cooked, let a badger loose in the plaza while you were watching, climbed up the side of your house or apartment to look around (or at least tried to), took apart something that he shouldn't (like a firework), or he might be standing outside the Winespring 'inn', staring at it.]

(ooc: replies will be from badgerbane! )

Comments

[badgerbane]

[Such a big boy! Though he's reminding Mat a little of one of his younger sisters...He won't mention that though.]

Maybe. Looks like this trail won't continue much longer...

[The clumps of forest bits is thinning in this part, and then...Are those bigger footprints? Mat stops, looking at the tracks.]

What...? Lloyd do you remember your Dad putting you down and climbing a tree? [Because really, that's the only thing that'd make sense.]

[redcladidealist]

[Daddy climbing a tree? Why would Daddy do something like that? Lloyd shakes his head. Digging up his last memory, he frowns worriedly.]

Daddy fighted a monster.

[badgerbane]

A monster? [What? Lloyd, what? Monsters aren't real; they're just legends...]

You're sure?

[redcladidealist]

Uh huh. I losted mommy an' a monster came out. Noishe save me an' Daddy p'tected me!

[Even so, he edges closer to Mat, seeming to seek reassurance.]

[badgerbane]

[Well then...Mat gives him a smile.]

Your Da's strong right? So he took care of the monster and he's fine. All we need to do is find him and your Ma. And we will; this place can't be that big. We'll try other ways since something happened on your trail.

[redcladidealist]

Yeah! Daddy's really, really strong! He can lifted me an' mommy!

[Clearly this is an amazing feat. Anxiety still tugs at him, though, despite Mat's attempts at reassurance, and his arms seek out the older boy's leg. He wants a hug. He wants his parents. He wants his dog.]

I want daddy.

[badgerbane]

[Wait, really? Mat blinks.]

Is he a blacksmith or something? [Unless Lloyd and his Ma were really light, carrying them both...would be hard.

Mat adjusts the pie to ruffle Lloyd's hair.]

We'll find him. I promised, didn't I?

[redcladidealist]

[What? No, really, what? Lloyd blinks, baffled by the question.]

Um... no...? Daddy's kinda pink an' b'own like me, an' he's got kinda red hair.

[Oh, right, he did promise. The reminder mollifies Lloyd a little, enough that his eyes are no longer threatening tears.]

I wanna find him now!

[badgerbane]

[Being a blacksmith has nothing to do with colors...not really. Mat just shakes his head and smiles again.]

Finding him this way didn't work, so let's go try a different way.

That okay with you, Lloyd?

[Seriously the tracks were really weird, changing like that...]

[redcladidealist]

[Lloyd hesitates, looking uncertain, then finally nods at the question. His fingers search for the leg of Mat's pants, looking for something reassuring to clutch.]

Okay...

[But his little legs are tired from all of that walking. He looks up at Mat hopefully.]

Pick me up. P'ease?

[Kind of forgetting that Mat's holding a pie.]

[badgerbane]

[...Then let's see if he can carry Lloyd with one arm and the pie with the other. He'll just have to carry Lloyd like women carry kids; it should work!

Mat puts the pie down, picking up Lloyd and grabbing the pie again.]

This isn't very comfortable, is it?

[redcladidealist]

[Lloyd squirms, trying to adjust his position to something more comfortable. Mat, you're not very good at this. Lloyd's mommy is whole lots better! Even so, Lloyd isn't willing to be put back down just yet. What Mat lacks in grace, Lloyd makes up in grip.]

Nooo, I don't wanna let go!

[badgerbane]

[It's the first time he's had to do this! Usually he just held the hand of whatever kid he's with if he needed to or just picked them up completely. None of this kid on hip stuff.

He lets out a laugh.]

Alright, but let me know if you really feel like you're gonna fall.

[redcladidealist]

Okay!

[Anything that lets Lloyd continue to cling sounds fair enough to him! And cling he will, quite tenaciously, turning his head to watch where they're going with wide-eyed curiosity.]

Where're we gonna go? Do you think mommy an' daddy're at a house?

[badgerbane]

Back to the main part of this place. It's possible, right? Maybe we'll find some other people too, and ask if they've seen your parents.

[Though Mat's starting to think that maybe they were kidnapped or something...Because he doesn't know how he got here either.]

[redcladidealist]

You really, really think so?

[So much hope in such a tiny face.]

Let's go ask 'em then! We can ask e'ryone!

[And that's enough hope to keep him content for a least a little while longer.]