The Mind of a Child

[Linwelin]

It'd been a few days since the incident at the troll's den, and things had more or less settled down. Kin and a few other other guildmates took the time to collect what was left of the dead and perform a burial, staying to make sure the town was ell and could rebuild before heading back home. But the entire way, Kin was still bothered by the words of that strange necromancer.

"You're more than ya seem...?" Kin said to himself, but aloud, while looking toward the young girl that was now in his care. 'Ana' was the lone survivor of the village's slaughter, at least among those that went missing. During the rescue, whether through trauma or otherwise, she became practically attached to Kin's hip, constantly gripping at the hem of his shirt. At this point, though, he was relieved of her clinging as she was eating with her usual, emotionless expression. Kin was getting better at reading that expression, however. It was obvious she was content, if not a bit pleased with the meal. Other than the excessive tendency for silence, the girl seemed just that. She was just a normal little girl.

But the words still bugged him. They had enough suspicion that they'd assault with full force, whoever they were. What sort of conspiracy blames a child for evil. Though, Kin had heard of stranger things. He let out an exasperated sigh. At this point, it was best to check if something was possessing or affecting her in some way. If anything, such a check could help rid her of whatever trauma she's faced.

Once her meal was done, Ana was immediately back to Kin's side, watching her surroundings as always. That fear and paranoia really did make Kin unsettled. "Ana, I've told ya plenty of times, ya don't have to be so guarded. This is a safe place, with good people." In truth, he wanted to commend the child's vigilance. If she WAS going to be under his care, it was a good habit and skill to hone. But Kin knew that for her sake, it wasn't good.

"Come on, we're gonna go talk to someone here. For your sake. I think it'll help the both of us." By that, he meant seek out the help of any clerics or mages that specialized in mental manipulation and the detection of such magics. He may dislike wizardry, but he knew better than to avoid it completely. It was a necessary oddity, in that he was certain.

[Anastasia Sheel]

The little girl continued to stare suspiciously as she stared out at the others from behind Kin. Clinging to his shirt, she stared widely as her eyes darted back and forth whenever a new member of the guild happened to walk by or peer out at the duo. To the outside observer it looked as if she were afraid of everyone, and in truth that may be close to the mark. Anastasia didn't know anyone here, and though in the past few days a couple of others had decided to attempt to interact with the girl, Anastasia had usually only stared with her wide and emotionless eyes.

"Ana, I've told ya plenty of times, ya don't have to be so guarded. This is a safe place, with good people."

Anastasia clutched the shirt tighter.

"... Only safe with Hero." She said as she continued to stick close with the halfling.

[Linwelin]

Kin let out a defeated sigh with a smile. He knew better than to argue the point. "Well, you'll see in time, kid. Come on." Kin began to wander down the halls of the guild as he thought of who best to meet with. Lyolf, his roommate, was out of the question. Though skilled, there's no way he could be trusted with a child's mental health. Jornathel would be a good bet, but Kin hadn't seen him around lately, so he may not even be in the guild hall. Kin stood still for a moment at the sudden realization. "Who around here is good with divining magic and kids, anyways!?"

Now Kin was frustrated. There was literally NO ONE that came to mind, or if he did know them, he didn't know their talents. If there were ever a single moment in his life that he wished he knew that accursed 'wizardry', now was that time.

[Ella]

Callista Fae

Invisible and in her smallest form, the faerie hovered silently in front of the face of a child. She had followed one of her guild mates back to the guild and it seemed like she had decided that she would not leave his side. Most human kids seemed so vibrant and full of life. It was fun playing in the town with the kids! But this girl was off. Callista could see it from the first moment she saw her. She just stared. Was it at everything? At nothing? Could the girl see Callista now and just chose not to say anything?

And so, the faerie stared at the little girl who seemed to be staring at nothing in particular. When the short man rose and told the girl to follow, Callista followed behind. Something was definitely off about this kid. Why didn't she want to go out and meet other kids and play? It was a beautiful day outside. Perfect for meeting other children and playing in the mud! Maybe she could cheer the girl up!

And then the short man called out to no one in particular about magic and kids. Hey! She was good with magic and kids! Kind of. Pausing, the faerie enlarged herself to her child-size form and let her feet touch the ground. Keeping her wings hidden, she removed the invisibility from the rest of her body and skipped around in front of the girl.

"Hi! You don't have to be sad, its bright and sunny outside! You wanna go outside and play with me!" Callista reached out her child-size hand.

[Linwelin]

Kin was taken aback by the sudden appearance of this child before him. One he'd never seen before, especially not in the guild. He wanted to start shouting about how she got into the guild, and what she was doing here. He REALLY wanted to. But her proposal was too interesting to interrupt. How would Ana handle it? He assumed she would withdraw behind him, but it was the first time he'd seen her encounter another child.

So, for the time being, Kin bit his tongue (almost literally) and waited, watching the odd girl reaching out her hand with caution. Out of the norm for him, yes. Even he realized being quiet here was not his normal behavior. It was a real exercise in self control. But a necessary one for learning about this little girl beside him.

[Anastasia Sheel]

It didn't take a lot for Anastasia to realize Kin was looking for someone or something in particular. Someone good at something called divining magic and kids. Though concepts and words seemed foreign to the little girl - she understood the words. It was as if even though she knew what each of the individual words meant, she had no previous recollection or memory linking those words to any activity or preconception. At the time at least, she didn't connect her hero's search for someone good at divining with her own state of being at all.

It was much the same when a child, as tall as Kin and herself appeared in front of them.

Bright and sunny? The weather, that's what she means. Am I sad? Are you supposed to be sad when the weather is bright and sunny?

The young girl continued to stare at the new girl. Unsure of who she was, and what she wanted to play. Anastasia was a bit interested however, at the very least this was the first time she had seen someone else who was as small as both Kin and herself. Could it be that this new girl and Kin were related?

Anastasia pointed hesitantly at Callista, while she tugged on Kin's shirt.

"... is that... your sister?"

[Linwelin]

Kin could see the confusion surface on Ana's face. If anything, he was surprised she'd not retreated. But what was she confused about?

"... is that... your sister?"

It took quite a bit for Kin to actually stay on his feet. That one really caught him off guard. Was he mad? Not especially. Was it funny? Yes, a little. So that's why he was nearly laughing out loud while clenching his teeth. Last question: should he correct her? Most definitely.

"...No Ana, we're not related." Was all he could manage for the moment. After the quick feeling of shock was gone, he continued. "She's just looking for someone to play with. She's trying to cheer you up, I think." Kin looked at the child for her nod of approval at his assumption. "Did you want to go play outside?"

"Also," Kin turned back to the newcomer, "Who are you?"

[Ella]

Callista Fae

Oh! A reaction! She wasn't just staring at Callista the same way she did with the other people who tried to greet her! Wait, what? Sister? The faerie looked at the halfling, then felt her face and looked at her hands. She was pretty sure there was no way she could be related to the stranger of a guild mate. They did not even look anything alike, and she wasn't even counting her invisible body parts. She was about to deny the question, even though it was directed at her, but the short man answered first.

"I don't recognize you, so you must be new to town, right? I can show you all around town and introduce you to fun kids! They should be finished with their chores by the time I'm done showing you around!" Totally ignoring the man's question, Callista grabbed the girl's free hand and started trying to drag her away. She didn't really know him, but she didn't really know most people in the guild personally. Most of them she knew as much as she did because she enjoyed stalking them while invisible. Sometimes, that was the best way to learn. Even so, she knew of him, and figured he knew of her, so it was fine in her mind if she dragged his kid away to play. After all, she lived in the guild, so he knew where she lived and could retrieve the girl any time.

[Anastasia Sheel]

Playing outside wasn't something that she had at all considered. At the very least she had no memories of actual playing. She knew what it meant - that it was to do an activity that was enjoyable. But she didn't understand why it was enjoyable, and the more she thought about it, the more she was confused why people would play outside.

Why would I want to play outside?

And as always Anastasia continued to peer out from behind Kin, staring at the new girl, but making no move to come out or say anything. To the onlooker she would have looked shy and afraid, but rather than that it was more that she didn't know how to respond or react to the invitation.

At that moment the other girl had grabbed her hand and had begun to drag her away. Alarms went through Anastasia's head as she started to feel panic well up within her. Step by step, she continued to be dragged away.

Stop it. I don't know who you are.

The distance kept growing. Her eyes glanced towards Kin. Anastasia didn't know what she was doing, only that she wanted to call out to the halfling. She felt her mind soar towards his direction, reaching out and attempting to communicate her stress through a series of different flashing images, each seemingly distorted to get any real sense of a picture, but hopefully enough to convey her anxiety.

[Linwelin]

It was quick and sudden, as mental images flew through the halfling's mind. They were extremely distorted, but all of the ones he could make out were different scenarios of Anastasia being back at Kin's side, with a few extremely dark and grim image that gave a feeling of pure fear. These were not Kin's thoughts. He grabbed his head with wide eyes, then looked back toward Ana and the girl. Ana's eyes were wide, and it was the first time Kin had seen so much emotion on the young girl's face. It was a pleading expression, as she was trying to resist.

"That little girl isn't what she seems."

"I think I finally get what he meant a little." Kin muttered to himself as he stepped forward. Quickly, he seized the wrist of the unknown girl, immediately stopping her progress at pulling Ana. "Hold it, lil' miss. Ana may not have said anything, but it's obvious she's resisting. I don't think she's ready to go play just yet." He waited until the leaf-and-twig covered girl released her grip. Wait, why is this girl covered in foliage? Kin thought quickly. "Maybe another time...once she's more comfortable with this place as her home. She could certainly use a friend. But you still haven't answered me, where did you come from?"

Of course, Kin had a mountain of other questions in mind. But they were ones he needed to ask a specialist. It was just a suspicion, but the halfling was convinced that Anastasia had just placed images in his mind without a single motion of casting a spell. Not only was she able to use magic, but it was far from normal magic. He was now certain, between a cleric and a wizard, he needed some sort of wizard.

[Ella]

Callista Fae

'Eh?' Callista dropped the girl's hand and turned to stare. Why would she resist to playing? That was weird. All the other kids, they only resisted going out to play because they had chores or because they weren't feeling well. But they always tried to finish up their chores as soon as possible so they could play. She was pretty sure the girl did not have any chores to do, since they had not been doing much before now. That left only one possible reason why a sad girl did not want to play. She was sick! In which case, someone should take her to the guild's healing place or that one pretty lady who came by with herbs sometimes.

OH. She wasn't comfortable here yet? Hm... That still didn't add up to the faerie. Most kids she had met, old to the town or new, were always eager to go out and play with other kids. It was boring to stay inside all day, after all. And if they did stay inside all day when they weren't sick, they usually ended up getting stuck doing chores to keep them busy. They even went out when it was raining sometimes! Yes, this only confirmed that the girl must be sick in the faerie's mind.

"Are you sick? Is that why you're sad and don't want to play?" Callista asked, worried. "You should take her to the hospital, little man." She pointed in the direction of the guild's infirmary, just in case he didn't quite know where it was.

Again, she did not reply to his question about herself. After all, he should be concentrating on taking care of his kid and making sure her sickness was not bad rather than worrying about where a fellow guild mate came from.

[Linwelin]

Huh, well it's kind of true.

"...Yes, she's sick. That's where we were headed. Trying to find a specialist to examine her." Kin said, somewhat relieved he was given such a solid excuse. It's not like he was going to say 'Oh, no. It's just that everyone she knew died and she's extremely hesitant to speak with others'. Well, usually he might, but he didn't want to bring up bad memories for Ana. He was her guardian, after all. Can't just speak his mind ALL the time anymore.

"We'll head there right away. Sorry she couldn't play with you this time." Kin says as he starts walking toward the medical wing with Anastasia. Once out of earshot, he spoke up, "Ana...were those images your doing? And are you alright?" He glanced down to meet her gaze.

[Anastasia Sheel]

Anastasia shivered as the panic slowly started to dissipate. It had only been a few days since Kin and the other guild members had come and rescued her from the troll who lived in the cavern, and she was still getting used to life after the seemingly traumatic event. It wasn't that she didn't like the others, in fact most of them had treated her well, but she didn't like being reminded of the frightening memories. More than that, there was something about thinking to the past that made Anastasia recoil.

When Kin had begun to pull Anastasia away towards the medical wing, Anastasia looked back towards the funny-clothed girl, almost sorry that she didn't get to experience this 'playing'. A moment later she looked towards Kin, and as always began clutching his shirt. She paused for a few moments when Kin had asked his questions, trying to recall what just happened only moments ago.

I... don't know. She thought, trying to make sense of what she did.

Instead of replying out loud, she shook her head slowly.

[Linwelin]

Kin looked toward her seriously for a moment, studying all that just happened. That was a hesitant response...I don't think she eve knows what happened. But the content...that was definitely her doing. Realizing he probably looked upset, he quickly returned to a smile. "Well don't mind it, I'm just glad you're alright, kid. Though once you've gotten used to this place, I do recommend going and playing with other children. When the time comes." He nodded to his statement.

"Now then, let's go see what the guild medics can do for us." Kin said as he barged into the room moments later.

"Hey all! I have a question!" He declared confidently to the entire room upon entry.

"What the- Oh gods, Kin. You nearly gave me a heart attack. Don't you ever knock!?" One of the healers retorted, obviously flustered.

"No." Kin said bluntly, "Now, question time for me. I'd like to have this young girl examined. Not for physical injury, but mental strain. She...went through some hard times, and I want to make sure she's alright. Is it possible to do a scan like that?" Kin then leaned in before he answered to add one last thing in a whisper, "I also would like her checked for magic aptitude if possible. I think she's manifesting something. Please keep this rather secret."

The attendant was surprised by the request, "This is odd coming from you, Kin. But yes, I think I can manage something with the others' help. Go ahead and have a seat against the wall there, both of you. I'll let you know when we're ready."

Kin wandered over and hopped into a seat, with Ana in tow as usual. Realizing she was probably uncomfortable about all this, he did his best to reassure her. "These people are going to make sure you're ok. And if we're lucky, they can tell us what happened in the hall before. They're good, and kind, but I know you still don't like the other of others getting close. I'll be next to you whenever I can, just do what you can to hang in there and follow their instructions."

[spoiler]OOC: I have no idea what you want to reveal and how, so go ahead and describe what they check/examine/etc. Message me if you want to brainstorm. I'll remove this spoiler once it's done haha.[/spoiler]

[Anastasia Sheel]

Moving into the room almost seemed like a transformation. Most of the guild's halls were floored with stone and wooden planks, yet as they entered this new room, the tiles became white, the walls too took on a more cleanlier look. There were a couple of well-dressed healers in the guild, and each of them had given Anastasia quite smiles whenever the young girl would peer out and stare at them. It was almost uncomfortable, and Anastasia continued to cling to her hero like some sort of lost child.

She too was curious about what had just happened, though in some strange ways it felt as if she had already known what she had done. Needless to say, whatever she did, it felt almost natural to her, even though she couldn't remember ever doing anything like it before.

The time continued to tick forward, and Anastasia continued to feel even more uncomfortable in the room. The bright lights of the room stung her eyes as she shifted often. Her eyes continued to scan, darting back and forth whenever movements appeared. This so-called healer's room made her feel uneasy, and though Kin had said some calming and reassuring words, Anastasia couldn't bring herself to relax. She felt off. She felt trapped. But she didn't know why.

"Hero..." Anastasia said quietly, her voice full of trepidation.