Mid-Day

[birdwingsandthings]

That wasn’t too bad. Not the worse thing to have happened to me. But I feel weird.

Also, I did not get a cool scar for it. In cartoons when something like that happens, the hero comes back with a powerup and a BIG scar.

So I have drawn what should have happened.



[Luce feels too weird to actually color anything, so its a simple black and white drawing.]

But anyways, I will be throwing a party soon for any plush friends you might have. Please RSVP so I can make sure they have a hat.

Comments

[shuttersense]

It means to not worry about something without reason to.

[birdwingsandthings]

Oh.

I wont then. Right now I am just trying to focus on making the paper hats. They can't be too big or too small, right?

[Luce is still dwelling on the weird feeling though]

Have you died here?

[shuttersense]

The sizes have to be just right.

[Oh, this child.]

Not this cycle, but I did. Once.

[birdwingsandthings]

Thats why you should come so I can make sure your hat fits you perfectly before I color it and stuff.

[And he wants that hug.]

How was it for you? For me, it wasn't that bad. I've had worse.

[shuttersense]

I'm on my way. Really, I am.

[She wants that hug too. Especially when he says he's had worse. LUCE...]

It was painful, and sad. It's a bit of a story, and I'm not sure I'm ready to tell you the full story.

[birdwingsandthings]

[It was his previous lives that he remembers.]

Then don't worry about telling it to me. Lets just worry about what color you want on your hat.

[shuttersense]

[Things she doesn't know about this child...]

Okay. I like the colour blue. Do you have that?

[birdwingsandthings]

[He will happily tell her if asked. Heck, he will probably tell her in person because if Asch gets to hear it all. So does she.]

I have lots of blue. I have one of the big packs of crayons. And some colored wax things from here.

[shuttersense]

[He can tell her all about his previous lives as they cuddle or hug even.]

Colored wax things? It sounds as if you are well supplied with plenty of blues then. That's good.

In Person

[birdwingsandthings]

Luce had the papers for the paper hats all over his bed. Bird, Frog and Dog were wearing a few hats stacked on top of the other and right now Luce was carefully folding an adult-sized hat.

He was in his pajamas, he had his blanket he got from Manny draped over him and he was just focusing and waiting for Rei.

When she appeared, his face brightened up.

"I'm working on your hat now."

[shuttersense]

She's not surprised to see all of the papers, or the plushies that have the plushies already. The frog was new, or something she didn't notice before, but that wasn't important.

Her face brightened, and softened at seeing Luce in his pjs.

"Thank you very much." She walked over to his bed-quicker then usual-and made to sit on the side of the bed. "Did you want your hug before or after you're done your hat?" She was already writing it down, in case he didn't have his hearing aids in for him to read. She didn't feel confident enough in her sign language to try signing to him yet.

[birdwingsandthings]

He didn't even wait to read the note as he moved to flop against her and wrap his arms around her the best he could. She could see he didn't have them in, he would make comments later, but right now he wanted a hug.

"I woke back up with my book, and I am scared she won't help the ghosts."

[shuttersense]

She wrapped her arm around him, the other one going to gently brush her hand over his head once. Just in case he wanted that too.

"It's okay." Maybe she knew and it helped-the sheer earnestness of his attempt to get through to her might have helped. Or not. "We'll have to see."

She didn't know if Luce could hear, but that was all right. Heck, she didn't even mind if he climbed onto her lap for a better hug.

[birdwingsandthings]

Luce is just craving the affection right now. He knows she is talking from the gentle vibrations of her person, but once she stops he keeps on talking.

"If she won't though, I will do it. Even if the Tea Lady says I shouldn't play around with Graveminder things. I feel like I should help them back into the cycle."

[shuttersense]

She doesn't mind giving him affection, not in the least. She might need it as much as he does at this rate, especially when he says that last part. She sighs, still patting his hair.

"It might be dangerous, and the Tea Lady is worried." He couldn't hear, but she said it anyway. It's a nice thing that he wants for the ghosts and the departed-even if she suspects that it's a little bit due to his own self interests in the matter.

[birdwingsandthings]

Luce finally moved so he could watch her lips. "I don't think its scary whats inside the book, it talks about hearts being weighed, and it makes sense." He then noticed something.

"You're getting fat. Do some crunches."

[shuttersense]

"That can be a judgement of the heart." She said it slowly, before pausing. Her mouth twitched, as she tried not to smile. She would have told him the truth, but in the castle...she didn't want the lord to overhear and decide she needed to have a nice long visit.

"That's not very nice. I thought I needed to eat more?"

[birdwingsandthings]

"You got to eat the amount thats right for you, I want you to be healthy." Luce frowned. "Healthy so you can live a long time and not end up having a sad tv show about you."

He pondered the judgement of hearts thing. "I felt it was only right for me to get judged."

[shuttersense]

Rei offered Luce a small smile, smoothing his hair away from his face. "Don't worry. I won't end up on a sad tv show. I plan on living a long, long time."

She tilted her head, curious. "Why did you think that? About being judged."

[birdwingsandthings]

"Because." Luce tried to find the words. "My weird dreams, were of previous mes." he reached to play with some of Rei's hair.

"And each one had that duty at the center of them."

[shuttersense]

"The yous that lived before?" She leaned down so he could play with her hair. She wasn't wearing it up today, and it had thankfully grown out from the bob she had it in before. Six inches gave Luce a lot more to play with.

"Then what's your duty now?" She was curious as to what he thought.

[birdwingsandthings]

He nodded at the comment. "They were all me." he enjoyed playing with longer hair, he wouldn't want to have because it seemed like a hassle to keep.

"I feel the urge to keep on doing it. The first life had it come natural. The second life..." he paused for a moment, looking sad. "The third life didn't like it either. But, its like how I know I like birds."

[shuttersense]

She nodded slightly. Rei normally wouldn't wear her hair so long, but it always felt like a hassle to find a pair of scissors and figure out how to style it correctly.

"Hmm. So in all your lives, you like the same things. Right? And in this life, you feel...you have a duty? To judge?"

She wanted to make sure she got that right.

[birdwingsandthings]

He nodded as he kept on playing with the tips, entranced by it.

"Like I was made for it." he cocked his head to the side. "And it feels so heavy, but I just can't let go of it." he frowned at Rei. "That if I did that, I would no longer be." Not be him, but simply be. His eyes focused on her mouth.

"Those two before me-me hurt a lot, Rei."

[shuttersense]

For all she knew, he had never seen hair like hers before. It helped too, that she'd been trying to take good care of it.

But she had to think of what to say-what would be honest, and what would be true to him-what did he need to hear?

"What the two yous did before-it sounds like it was a hard job. It's very heavy. But it's needed too."

She let that sink in for a moment, before she continued.

"Maybe it's a little different for you. But do you mean that you was hurting a lot inside? Or that he hurt a lot of people?"