eastbound | audio { un: hide-and-seek }

Right, sorry to interrupt the new introductions for a re-intro and information. If you know me, hello, if you don't, I'm Clara. If you've been here longer than I have, you know who the Child is already but for a little context, he's a kid who got a shit hand the day he was born, was thrown into a volcano by his mum, and now he has severe trust issues and can make people ill or better, depending, because the mountain gave him abilities. To catch up the people who weren't in Serthica: there was an illness and it was bad, but the Child gave me an umbrella, and because he covered me with it and I immediately felt better, I thought the umbrella did the trick. Especially because he left it with me. He seemed to randomly and desperately want it back, which reinforced what I thought so, I went to see him.

[ Pausing to push a hand through her hair, she focuses on memories that are coming back into focus after what feels like years away. ]

I'm ninety-nine percent sure the umbrella was and is just that. The Man in White was his best friend and gave it to him. They've had an intense falling out, and because it was a gift, the little boy wanted it back. We did talk, and look, he's very much just a kid. One who has no idea exactly what he was turned into and isn't sure about the people around him. What if someone tries to toss him in another volcano? I wouldn't trust anyone either.

[ Clara doesn't know what to make of the Child other than he's out there in a hostile world that he possibly has some (or more than they all know) control over. ]

Did any of us know there used to be a little girl the same age? The Child said the Man in White told him she existed, past tense. A daughter who died. She's never been seen, not a single time; all he's seen is the Man brushing a doll's hair, which isn't creepy at all. The doll was hers I think, and this is a quote: 'everything the water wakes up is wrong.' Trying to figure out a way to bring back a girl who unfortunately died? From there the conversation got a little, uh...ominous? The Child knows his father's dead. He also made it seem like his dad's gonna come back and try to wipe out the world evil villain style, so there's that. He's 'Worse than my friend' were the words the kid said. 'Eyes as dark as his heart.'

[ She remembers that part specifically because it felt like a timely omen. ]

Very much warned us to stay away from him at all costs; the suggestion was for us to leave, which I laughed at. In my head, not to his face. I don't think he knows exactly how bad it can be for us. Or maybe he does, but what can he do about it?

[ There's a quiet sigh from her side before wrapping up. ]

That's all I've got, I think. If I remember more later, I'll reach out again. Oswald, out.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Few things will men not do for grief of their children.

I believe that. I'm not a parent, but I know parents who've been desperate. This is a completely other level I have nothing to compare to.

He has been tormented.

...well, that was a lot. I remember the Child from the Unwinding - back in Serthica? I remember the story of him, and his father seeking to find him in Ke-Waicai, and the Huntress being his mother, and I think that Kamala spoke to Matthias about his daughter?

[A breath.] So, not to state the obvious here, but this is why one shouldn't toy with undeath.

[ Five at least has the decency to be uncomfortable at some of her revelations. Telling the Child not only that his father died, but that they killed him, was not his wisest decision.

He's not incredibly happy to learn she's become sympathetic to him. ]

So now he's scared, dangerous, and alone. [ He'd like to know more about what that falling out was over. They haven't run into anyone else who spent so much time with Matthias. ] Are you planning on staying in touch?

He mentioned his daughter when we talked. I'm the one who gave him back the doll. No regrets btw. Even if he's done horrible things, that's still his daughter's toy. The only thing I'm sorry about is how he's dealing with his grief.

Thanks for the update. It's terrible, but kind of what we can expect at this point, I guess.

audio { un: hide-and-seek }

un: absterge

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video; un: man's greatest treasure

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

text. un: slothbaby