[Orb post, 3rd day]

[whatmuttiforgot]

[The picture should be an amusing one; a young man tripping over the long ball gown he's for some reason wearing, dainty tiara barely hanging in his hair. The amusement is dampened by the faint red staining one sleeve and the worried expression on his face.]

Kisa? Dende? D-dean? Are any of you here? Are you okay?

[He gulps]

Please, has as anyone seen a little girl?

Comments

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[Faolan scowls] No!

[He struggles with words, not quite liking this method of communication. But at least he can't smell Momiji]

Not Person hunters!

[whatmuttiforgot]

Then what kind?

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[Scowl scowl are you making fun of me?]

ANIMAL kind!

[whatmuttiforgot]

[He holds up the hand of the uninjured arm in a placating gesture.]

I'm sorry. I'm just not used to having things like that around. The last place I as in didn't even have animals.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[No animals? You now get shock and disbelief, strange human male in female clothing.]

[whatmuttiforgot]

[He takes that as a cue to continue.]

There wasn't many living things there. It was mostly machines. Only a few people and plants were left.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Not here. [Emphatic answer]

Here squirrels. [He likes squirrels]
And rabbits.
And foxes.
And bears.
And [and if you don't stop him he'll keep going]

[whatmuttiforgot]

It's more like home then.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[Faolan had opened his mouth to continue, but now shuts it with an almost audible click. He eyes you suspiciously again.]

Just said no animals. [There is a definite amount of "Make up your mind" in his tone]

[whatmuttiforgot]

Where I've been wasn't my home. I was taken from my home some time ago. The place I was born in had lots of animals but the city S.A.M.M. sent me to didn't.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Stolen twice? [This is obviously just too much for Faolan to think about all at once.]

[There's a pause.]

Hungry?

[whatmuttiforgot]

Yeah. [It's not something a kids should be thinking about, in his opinion, so the subject change is welcomed.] A little.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[Faolan brightens a little] Hawk has food. Went hunting. Cooked yesterday.

[whatmuttiforgot]

Who's Hawk?

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[This time he doesn't have to pause to search for the words.]

Daddy!

[whatmuttiforgot]

You've got family here?

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Hawk is here. And Snow.

[whatmuttiforgot]

That must be nice.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[Without a proper sense of smell or full body view to really have contact, this part of the conversation is a bit hard for Faolan, but he can sort of pick up that Momiji might not be feeling happy.]

Family can come. Faolan has family. Can make new family after bad place. Faolan did.

[He is very puppyish in his earnest attempt to make Momiji feel better.]

[whatmuttiforgot]

[Momiji gives a slight and bitter smile to that.]

I know that. Back there we sort of were...[A sort of family, built from a need to band together through the rough times.
They weren't perfect or even functional, but it was what they had.]

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[Oh, the distress is more obvious. Whimper whimper whine.]

[Wriggle cutely. Would flop on back to have belly rubbed, but that doesn't work through the orb.]

[Stupid orb.]

[whatmuttiforgot]

[At least Momiji knows to stop when he notices the distress. He makes another attempt for a better smile.]

But, you're right. I started over once, it can't be that hard to do it again.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[Lack of smell = easily fooled.]

[Hooray! He's better!]

[Faolan nods agreement, smiling happily.]

Can find new people everywhere! Like Hawk! Hawk is daddy!

[Yes, he already said this, but this time he means more than simple explanation of relationship. This time it means something like "great person who can do anything and is awesome and cuddly and safe and great!" Who knows how much of that got across.]

[whatmuttiforgot]

[The excitement behind the words certainly did make it across, if nothing else.]

You found your dad?

[greatsquirrelhunter]

No. Hawk found Faolan.