Chapter Text
water,
there was..water…and..
nothing. nothing else. you remember.…water…but you cant swim very well, so you had,
a boat. you were in a boat. a small, two-person boat…but you were alone. just you and,
your head hurts..
you cant remember what else…
above you..there was…something. so many little somethings but,
you feel yourself wince. its dark..you dont want to open your eyes….
something would hurt if you opened them…it hurts, the,
the light. there were lights. hundreds, thousands..little little lights…above you…in the sky. they never left you…you werent alone after all. even when you cried and,
but those lights…they have a name…theyre called…
what are they called..you cant remember…the lights in the sky, theyre,
“Stars.”
the voice is enough to make you jolt. you sit up so fast you feel dizzy, but you manage to grab the closest object to you and hold it out like a weapon–something that feels so..natural, but,
its…..a spoon. youre holding a spoon.
and the long-haired stranger in the doorway across from you is…laughing?
their voice is almost..fuzzy…but you somehow understand.
“My apologies, young one. I did not mean to startle you.”
you open your mouth to speak..but your throat hurts...and even if it didnt, you cant….think of any words…
what…language do you speak?
clearly you know one. its whatever theyre speaking. you know it. its..
words that you can barely understand slip out one by one.
> “who are you”
and to that..they only tilt their head. “...I could ask you the same thing, don’t you think?”
. . .
> (lower the spoon)
you take a deep breath in…and let it out…and try to relax.
youre breathing…
…you’re…breathing. just keep that up.
as you start to calm yourself, they seem to relax too, stepping forward into the room you’ve apparently been staying in. you hardly gave yourself the chance to look around, but now that you have…it seems cozy. there’s a dresser at the opposite end of the room with a darkless cloak hanging off the corner, along with a pointy hat and a strange, moving figurine of…something on top of it. it has a funny face, and it’s dancing around…how…cute? there are tons of decorations around the walls too, most of which are just…a lot of circles…how…pretty? but otherwise it seems…empty, like it was recently moved into. the bed you’re in has a nice, fuzzy blanket draped over it (and you!) at least, completely lightless other than some…little dots all over it. are those the things in…
oh. no time to think about that now. the stranger has…a bowl of soup. is that what…the spoon was over here for?
“You’ve been asleep for several days. I was worried I was too late when I found you on shore.” on…shore? so you remembered the boat correctly. you watch as they set the warm bowl on a stand next to you. your mouth waters. “You were so cold and pale, and so…so light… How long were you out at sea for, young one?”
…you…don’t know how to answer that.
and they seem to know not to push. “Right. My apologies again. We’ll worry about the details later, but for now…please, eat, it’s obvious you had no food on that small boat. I just picked up some fresh bread and pastries from the locals as well, so I can grab you more if you’re still—”
you don’t let them finish talking. you pick up the bowl and bring the edge right to your mouth, tilting the bowl up and up as you enjoy the soup. you don’t need a spoon!
“...hungry.” they seem…amused by your lack of table manners, letting out what you can only hear as a snort before quietly taking the other utensils that were left. “Don’t be so quick like that,” they laugh. “You’ll get sick.”
you’re already feeling better. So, so much better! You feel warm…your throat doesn’t hurt as much anymore…and you have some energy back! Your head still hurts, but that’s probably a given. The sunlight peeking through the window is the first light you’ve seen in days, as they’re suggesting, so you’ll probably get over the headache soon too!
You let out a satisfied sigh as you lower the now empty bowl, and if you could see the stranger’s face behind the long hair, you can only guess that they’d look either impressed, or absolutely horrified. The thought is enough to make you giggle.
“What kind of parent would send their child out with no preparation like this,” they mutter under their breath. You only heard them due to how close you are, but you keep quiet about it. You probably weren’t meant to hear that. They let out a not-satisfied sigh and turn to you…or at least, you assume so. You can’t see their face still. “Young one, do you know where you’re from? Do you know where your parents are?”
. . .
Your smile…drops.
You wince again, and a sharp pain suddenly pulses through your head. You let a whine slip out as you hold your head, and the stranger takes in what sounds like a sharp breath through their teeth, their hands hovering forward in what seems to be worry. “I thought so… Nevermind that, you don’t have to answer. You don’t have to think about it. Please, don’t think about it anymore, it’s okay.” They reach for you, and—
You gasp, shaking their hands off of your shoulders as your body jerks around wildly. You look up at them with big eyes, and for a moment you felt…fear. You had apparently backed up into the bedframe, only noticing the new distance after you blinked. They’re silent, and…they seem to be staring at you, studying you…
They…lower their hands.
“...My apologies. Again. I won’t touch you without warning.”
You blink again. A few times.
...You must not be used to that.
You breathe in…
> “Where are… Where are
you
from?”
They take a long, long…long time to answer. “I’d do anything to know the answer to that question. But…based on your features, your clothing, your…your accent…” They lean forward slightly. “I believe, bright one…we share a homeland.”
…Bright one?
“Tell me, do you…know what these are?” Their hand stretches out and points towards the blanket. “These little dots… Do you know what they’re called?”
Your stare follows their finger, and…you stare for a while. The lightless blanket covered in dots…it looks just like the sky did when you were on that boat. They said something not long ago, right? What was that word? It sounded foreign, just like the rest of this conversation, but at the same time, it all sounds so…familiar.
You perk up. You know this.
> “Stars?”
You can’t see their face, but you can feel them smile. “Yes, yes! Yes, they’re called stars! And they’re part of…?” They lean forward again in anticipation.
Oh, is it…your turn?
Stars, stars, stars…they’re part of…something. They’re part of something big. Really big. Really really reeeeaaaally big…as big as the…
You perk up again. Stars are part of-
> “The Universe.”
They nod quickly, even bringing up their hands to clap. “Yes! Again! Stars are part of the Universe, and wherever the Universe leads…?”
…They tilt their head, waiting. Your turn again??
Where the Universe leads…where…the Universe leads…
You should know this. That’s so, so familiar, but…
You look down.
> (Shake your head.)
You prepare yourself for their disappointment, but…they only laugh, shaking their head too. “That’s alright, bright one. You already remember much more than I anticipated…we’ll get there when we get there.” Slowly, they hold a hand out in front of you, offering for you to hold it. “Are you well enough to stand? We can keep chatting, but we still have those pastries to get into, remember? If you’re still hungry, of course.”
…You are. You’re still hungry.
(Don’t hold their hand.)
> (Hold their hand.)
Carefully, you set your hand in theirs, and they slowly close their grip around your hand, giving you every opportunity to pull your hand away. You don't. You feel...safe. Their hold is gentle and light, but you can tell they’re very, very strong. Your hand is…much smaller compared to theirs, though, so that’s probably why. “Come along then. We have delicious profiteroles and buttery croissants awaiting us.”
Your mouth is watering again. With an eager nod, you slip out from under the starry blanket, and allow them to guide you out of the room. As you stumble by the dresser, your eyes catch a small mirror that had been hidden by the cloak, and…you meet your own stare. You stop your movements, and luckily, the stranger waits for you, giving you the time to look your reflection up and down.
It’s you!
…Whoever… you are.
Your hair is messy, probably from laying in bed, and…oh, it’s the same darkless shade as the stranger’s. Is that normal for…wherever you’re from? You try to imagine yourself with hair as long as theirs. You giggle, and they turn to look down at you. “What’s so funny?”
You shake your head with an innocent smile, and squeeze their hand–a silent signal to keep going!
And so…you move, and let them guide you down the hall.
…Maybe you’ll remember more when your headache is gone.