[Hopetoun] Little Bird

[Vega]

21st Ashan, 721

"So, Wren" Vega said, "we're goin' to go an' ask people about this place, alright?" He nodded, but he wasn't overly keen on the idea, Vega knew. "We'll stay together, an' then we'll have all the information we need. An' then, I'll teach you how to do wonderful things with carpentry. You'll be able to make cabinets an' tables an' all sorts of things" Wren considered this, carefully. He mulled it over for a moment. "Not just friezes?" Vega felt a wave of nausea, but she knew it was her pregnancy which caused it and so she ignored it and focused on Wren. "No, not jus' those. All sorts of things. Because once we've made the frieze, we've got to get it standin' an' all sorts." Wren considered this and nodded, apparently content. "So, you're happy with the questions we've got to ask people?"

"Yes," said Wren. "We are going to ask what they like the most about Hopetoun, and then one of their memories from when it started till now." Vega nodded. "That's right. An' the last one?" Wren frowned, remembering, and then he answered. "What image do they think should go on the frieze, to represent Hopetoun to them?" Vega beamed. He didn't smile but he was pleased, she knew. Standing up, she held out her hand to him and he took it. "Right. Now, jus' remember our signals together, yeah?" He nodded solemnly. "Scratch of the nose means stop asking questions," he said. Vega nodded, and so he continued. "And tugging the ear means stop talking all together." "Right!" Vega confirmed. "An' you're ready with them, if you need to use them?"

Wren looked up at her with confusion on his face. "I thought they were signals for you to use for me?" He had assumed as much since she was the adult and he the child. "And you only said that we'd both use them if needed, to be nice." Vega shook her head. "Well, there's two reasons you're wrong, little bird." His expression told he had mixed feelings about the name, and he was confused about what those two reasons might be. But, Wren was quiet and said nothing as he listened to. "Firstly, I'm never nice jus' for the sake of bein' nice, an' secondly, you've been around me more than three an' a half minutes. I'm as likely to put my foot in my gob as you are an' then some."

He considered it for a few moments and Vega saw the conflict in his eyes. "It's alright to agree, you know," she said quietly. "I'm not goin' to be offended. One of the things with never bein' nice for the sake of it is that I never expect anyone else to be." She grinned at him and the corners of his eyes crinkled, just a little.

"So come on, lets go an' find our first victim. You look cute, I'll look threatenin' an' emotional, an' we'll confuse the life outta them. Deal?"

"I don't know how to look cute," he replied softly and Vega beamed. "That's right, little bird," she said. "Jus' like that."

[Vega]

21st Ashan, 721

"You see?" Vega said, "That weren't so bad were it?"

Wren looked at her and Vega couldn't help the grin she gave him. "It weren't! You did great. I know you were shy, but look at what you got. You made out like a bandit." Wren nodded, "Yes," the serious young man said. "People were very kind." Vega reached out and gently stroked his hair. Wren looked at her, "You do that a lot," he said and she nodded. "Do you want me to stop?" Vega asked and he thought about it. "No," he said. "I like it."

"Good," Vega said with a smile. "Me too."

"Vega?" Wren asked and she glanced over at him. "Yes, little bird?" He looked at her thoughtfully. "Why don't you try and put it right? Fix it?" Vega frowned, just slightly, as she considered his words. "Do you mean your hair, Wren?" He nodded. She thought about it and realised what he meant. She never stroked his hair to make it be in another place, to try and neaten it up or any such. She stroked his hair because she liked to stroke his hair. "Well, it don't need fixin', does it? It's perfectly good hair."

This caused Wren to think about it a little and then he said. "But it's messy and it never sits where it's supposed to." Vega looked at him with a serious gaze and she spoke to him with the kind of firm gentleness that he'd grown very used to from her. "Now, Wren," she said, and he knew there was a twinkle in her eyes. "You take a look at my unruly mop an' tell me if you think I care, for one trill of one bit, about hair bein' in place?"

He considered it and then Wren smiled. Vega was delighted at that because it wasn't something he did often or readily. But that meant it was all the more precious and she didn't want to startle him like some deer about to take it's first tentative steps away from its mother. "Besides," she said in that same tone. "You're perfect jus' the way you are, far as I'm concerned. So, there's nothin' to fix." She grinned at him, all teeth and freckles and genuine good humour. "Now come on, an' stop thinkin' about hair rufflin'. Lets have a look at what we've got, shall we?"

"This is from Kirt," Wren said, and he held out a small shell. "He said that when they arrived, as they were coming over in the boats, he fell into the water and that night, this was in his trouser leg." Vega nodded. "What else did he tell us, did you write it down?" Wren nodded. "The water was only up to his waist and someone shouted to him 'You'd better stick to dirt, Kirt,' when he was standing in the water and they've been saying it to him ever since." Vega nodded. "And he said that he found a fish - lots of fish - and he held one in his hand high above his head, and then the fish flew out of his hand."

"I reckon, you know," Vega said, "That we can use that story in the frieze, don't you think?" Wren nodded. "It's a good story," he said and she smiled. "Yeah, Little Bird, it is. An' why did he give you that there shell?" Wren looked at the shell and replied, thoughtfully, "he said he thought the fish put it there and it has some Hopetoun magic in it." Vega nodded. "So, when we make the frieze, the image of Kirt should have that fish puttin' a shell in his trouser leg, you reckon?"

Wren considered this. "I don't think he really believes that, though. I think that's the kind of thing grown ups say, to make children feel good." Vega nodded. "Well, one of two things is true.Either it's that, as you say, or the fish put it there. If the fish put it there, then we should record it because that's awesome. An' if he's bein' kind to a young boy because he understands shy an' not feelin' quite like you belong? Well we should record that too, don't you think?" Serious young eyes turned to Vega and Wren nodded.

"An' what about Lars, what did he say?" Wren perked up at that, he'd enjoyed talking to Lars who he already knew a little because he and Vega spent quite an amount of time together. "He talked about the time that Darius, Serena, Kirt and he went out on a hunt and they found the Faldrass potato." He said. Vega nodded. "That's right. They found a field, an' a crop. That were well useful. So, shall we put that here, on the frieze?"

They had a rough plan, and what they were putting where. It was a journey, starting with a boat - then the boat landed (and here, Kirt was in the water) - and then they found the food. "What next, do you reckon?"

"Rats!" Wren had the eagerness that only a young child can have when discussing vermin and Vega nodded. "Yeah, so a tent with a hole in it?" Wren nodded. "And then Darius and Lars and Kirt all sitting together and finding the nest?" Lars had told them that. "Then, snekvines," Vega nodded and grinned. "Here?" she asked and Wren looked at the plan they had. "Yes," he said, "that works."

And so it went on. Serena's Faldrass-potato-topped fish pie, the building of the Granary, the discovery of Hopetoun Hole. All of it went on there and, when they were done, Vega looked at Wren and she nodded. "We've got enough, I reckon. What do you think?"

He considered this carefully. "I think we've got enough." Vega reached out and stroked his hair. "You see, Little Bird? You got a shell, an' Serena fed us, an' Lars said he'll take you out huntin' an' Kirt wants you to learn farmin'. All in all, I'd say you've done well, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," Wren said and he leaned his head against her. Vega didn't say anything, didn't react in any way. She just put her arm around him and held him there.

[Avalon]

Review & Rewards

Name: Vega

Points awarded: 10

Knowledge:
None requested

Skill Review: Appropriate to level.

Notes:
I loved reading this thread and the interactions between Vega and Wren. Stunning writing all around.

I've not read much of Wren but I felt the weight of his personality in this piece, which is a great thing to say about an npc. He had dimension to his character and I could feel his emotions as he conversed with Vega.

Vega has a natural way about her that is hard to define because it manifests differently with each pc/npc she encounters. With Wren, there is such a warmth to how she chooses to interact, and it easily comes through in the writing. The character is so incredibly grounded as she tries to help Wren through his own decision-making processes.

I think what has always struck me about Vega is the way she can be undeniably herself, but shift what she's doing or saying subtly - naturally and instinctively - to suit the situation/person she's interacting with. To me, it's beautiful writing and very realistic as people indeed do that.

Wonderful job! Enjoy the rewards!

Avalon