2024-05-04: My House
- Log: My House
- Cast: Yuliana Kafim, Elisa Kafim
- Where: The Silent Castle, Kaffeklubben Island
- Date: 2024-05-04
- Summary: Elisa happens upon young Maksim, pacing around and hoping to find one of his adults. She finds herself dealing with a child's affection, consciously ignorant of the dangers she presents. He even wrote an essay for school, and he wants Elisa to see!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBvZnPGA_gc Child of Light - Path of the Eclipse
Sometimes, Yuliana is the one who is occupied. She has to record another message for the faithful; she and Wendy will be occupied for a while. Maksim Morozov knows not to disturb her when she's live, and so...
That mint-haired boy walks the halls, in his ushanka and his warm black robes; he needs to be rugged up, because the halls are colder than the living rooms are, in the Silent Castle. In his hands he clutches a tablet; at eight years old, he's a strong reader by now, all the better to understand his homework.
He's evidently hoping that he can find his aunt as soon as she stops her tasks, even if he's too dutiful to interrupt her, judging by how he's pacing around outside.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Elisa is not so busy. This moment she is communicating with an operative far distant, through her dark magics. "...Continue to observe," she instructs. "It is best if we do not intervene as yet..."
"Yes," she says. "That is well. We will communicate again in six hours."
But then she cuts off the connection, and in the silence, she hears... steps. Hmm.
A few moments later, Elisa emerges from the communication chamber in her dark robes, looking around for the source--and looking down, to find--
"Hello, Maksim."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Everyone is so busy...
But Elisa steps out of her room, and Maksim brightens, looking up to her. "Auntie Elya!" He chirps, running over; and of course it's natural that he'd slip into calling her that, when Yuliana always does. He's still too young to understand the concept of 'my chair', particularly when it's a name.
He looks happy to see her, though.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Maksim looks up to her. Elisa briefly wonders if he is going to attempt a hug. Instead, he uses that name, and Elisa is quiet for a moment, considering. On the one hand--that is Yuliana's. On the other, she remembers her desire to 'love' the children...
She decides, "I would prefer if you called me Auntie Elisa. 'Elya' is a special name that your other Aunt has for me." She puts on a smile. It has the ordinary amount of teeth. "But whatever you choose to call me, I am... pleased, to see you."
"Were you looking for me?"
She considers sitting, to reach his level, but decides instead to lead him to a sitting-room after she ascertains his wishes.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Maksim blinks. "Oh," he says, frowning. "Sorry, Auntie Elisa." He looks sad, but he accepts it easily enough.
He does look down at his tablet and tap at it a bit, though. Tap, tap...
"Everyone's busy," he pouts. "Auntie Yulya's still doing her MeTubes, and I'm not allowed to go in..." But evidently, he does have something there in his hands!
He looks up at her, and asks: "Am I bothering you too, Auntie Elisa?"
Oh no. The child feels ABANDONED. Even at his young age, he's still developing the same kind of feelings Yuliana has...
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
"It is not a problem," Elisa answers Maksim.
She looks to the tablet, thoughtfully. Then, back to Maksim's face. He does have something. But at that question, she shakes her head. "No," Elisa says. "If I were unable to make time for you, I would not have emerged from the chamber." He feels abandoned... "Why do we not go and sit?" she offers him.
"You can show me what you are working on, in this way." There's a sitting-room just down the hall. There's a lot of those in here, in case Yuliana needs to sit comfortably.
"It will be... nice, to spend time with you."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
And each one sitting room is equipped with its very own fainting couch!
"'Kay," Maksim says, when Elisa assures him and ushers him into a warmer place. He follows her dutifully, of course, and he does brighten up when she says she'd like to spend time with him.
Alarmingly, when she sits down, he climbs onto her lap. "It's my homework," he says, offering it up to her. "We gotta write about our houses." And there, on the tablet, is...
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
He does brighten up. That's nice. Elisa is not accustomed to caring whether people brighten up, but she is trying to be good to Maksim, and so it is nice. When he crawls into her lap Elisa looks at him for a moment very much like a toad or a lizard, but then she smiles. She decides it is all right. "I see," she says. "It is important to do one's homework..."
She reads! She is thoughtful as she does, paying close attention. She notes a few spelling errors but does not correct them, because he has not asked for assistance, merely to share. "About our houses..."
"We do have a large home," she says. "And indeed. The North Wing is dangerous; it is not for children. It is true that our castle is often not Silent, isn't it? The Silence is a... figure of speech."
She considers a little more. "I think it is a very fine desire to name one's snakes. I particularly like Swordtooth." She considers. They could give the children ordinary snakes. With supervision that might be fine.
"I agree, though. It is not fair, that we are so maligned. But we are strong. We can handle such things."
Hmmm... Other children on the island, or... "I will consider this 'loneliness'," she says. Oh no.
"Perhaps when you are older you may learn some magic. I will find other 'cool things' for you to learn in the meantime, yes?"
"This is a very good essay, Maksim. I am pleased that you have shared it with me."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Maksim does see that strange reptilian expression, and he frowns, looking uncertain for a moment -- and staying very still. (It is an old, old reflex, in the young, to freeze when a predator is nearby.) But then she smiles, and he smiles, too.
"... but why's it that figure?" Maksim, who does not transgress into the minds of others, is still quite confused about the Silence. He does grin, though, when Elisa appreciates his snake names. "Thanks! I thought it was cool!" He's eight years old; he's very occupied with coolness.
"Yeah, I guess we can handle it..." He kicks his legs out, loosely, as he says: "I once saw Auntie Yulya lift up Sokrova like he was a kitten. One day I'm gonna be that strong, too." And why wouldn't he think he could be? He doesn't know about the human experimentation. That's not a subject for children.
But surely Maksim can trust Elisa with his loneliness. And his desire to improve! "Really? Will you teach me how to fly?!" He asks, turning towards her with those big blue eyes of his. "Okay!!"
He's still all smiles, when she praises his essay. "Thanks, Auntie Elisa," he says, and this time he does hug her, oh no. "I worked hard!"
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
It's natural, to stay still in the face of a predator. But Maksim is not Elisa's prey, today. Nor ever, should the bonds she holds persist. No, Maksim is a precious thing in their lives...
"Because it is a magical Silence," Elisa explains. "magic that pushes into other minds and steals their thoughts does not work here." She is pleased that he thinks the name is cool. "Very 'cool'," she agrees.
They can handle it. And a different kind of strength! "Perhaps you shall," she says of strength. "Sokrova will guard you until then." That loneliness, that desire to improve... They are things Elisa can comprehend. So the matter of flight? "When you are older," Elisa says, "And if you still wish to learn, I will teach you to fly."
He's all smiles... it's 'nice'.
"You are welcome," she says, and gently pats him when he hugs her. "Hard work is the most important resource you have. Continue to exercise it, and you will grow well."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Elisa wouldn't ever hurt them, would she?
No -- she explains, instead, and Maksim's head cocks to one side. "Magic can do that?" He asks. "But I thought magic was, like, making dragons and stuff. Like what Auntie Yulya told us." Of course Yuliana has explained magic to the children. "But I guess you'd know," he allows, a moment later. "Since you're the best at magic."
"He's really strong, too!" Maksim enthuses, on the topic of her tiger. "Okay!" He grins, when Elisa assures him she'll teach him later. He's good at patience, so he can wait!
"I'll work really hard," he promises. "You'll see."