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 Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:03 pm
It was some kind of fancy party. Magdelen didn't know what she was doing there but she understood a few things. The first thing was that her father was not being her father right now. He kept getting swept up into conversations with other people who didn't look like he did. They didn't have halos or warm eyes the color of the fizzy drinks some adults held. The second thing was that she was not allowed to play with the big people. She had to stay over here in the corner with an old lady in an apron. And the third thing was that everyone hated her.
Well, not everyone. There happened to be one other child who looked friendly enough (or at least, not immediately violent). She had on a pretty shawl, which Magdelen wanted, but she thought it might be mean. Instead, she toddled unsteadily over to the other girl (her hair was blonde and shiny, thought she) and then fell onto her butt with an "Oof!"
Then she tilted her head a little and said in a prim and proper voice, "Am Magdelen. You?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:33 pm
Some of the other kids had tried to talk to her earlier, but none of them had stayed very long. Iselda wasn't entirely sure why, since they'd all been quite polite in their attempts to gain her favor, but after a while they just sort of.. ran away.
It was boring. Boring, boring, boring. The other kids just stopped trying, and eventually they'd gone as far away from her as they could without leaving the governess' hold.
Except for that white-haired girl, that was. Iselda eyed her with curiosity, wondering why she seemed to be alone as well - the only difference was that no-one had bothered to try talking to her at all.
Maybe she should try talking to her..?
A few seconds later the other was toddling over towards her, and Iselda couldn't help but make a surprised face. She didn't think Magdelen was interested in her too!
"Is Iselda. Very nice to.." She thought for a moment, trying to remember how this was supposed to go; "Met you."
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Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:40 pm
With a smile, Magdelen clapped her hands in front of herself a few times. "You have pretty shawl," she offered, splaying her fingers out in front of herself. Everything someone wore around their neck was a shawl; scarves, necklaces, capes, all shawls in the eyes of the young girl. "Why you stay alone?"
As young as she was, loneliness was not a foreign concept to her. A lot of the time, her father was around but quiet. So silence was normal. "Not bad," she said, a lilt at the end making it a question.
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Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:59 pm
Iselda's eyes lit up, and Magdelen instantly gained a few levels in her eyes. No-one had liked her shawl before! Her mother had said that it was garish, and everyone else seemed to not like it as well, to her great sadness.
"'ank you." She nodded, trying to look solemn. "Like your hair." It was very pretty, in a shade she'd only seen on old people before - but it looked better on her than it had on them, she thought.
"Dunno." She shrugged, smiling; the smile had an odd predatory tilt to it, but the little girl seemed oblivious to it. "Why you alone?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 7:36 am
Did she say something bad? Magdelen looked at that smile and felt a funny jump just underneath her collarbone, like she was in danger, but for some really weird reason she didn't feel scared by it- just more interested. "Thank," she said, fluffing her hair with a smile that would be better described as secretive.
"'Cause I look funny," she told Iselda darkly, "'Cause got..." She didn't know what they were called so she just pulled one of the laces on her pretty shirt's sleeve free to show her current comrade the fabric wrapped tightly around her skin. "Diff'rnt." Magdelen looked at the ribbon in her hand for a moment, puzzled, then just dropped it off to the side. "Alone," sighed Magdelen. Alone was her all-purpose word for negative emotions. If she was sad? Alone. If she was hungry? Alone.
If she was bored beyond human capability to stand? Alone.
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 11:46 am
Iselda too looked puzzled, though it was more directed at the bandages than the ribbon. Had her new friend gotten hurt? It looked like the bandages Anna had worn when she said she'd gotten a booboo on her hand.
"Look very pretty," she told Magdelen, quite enamored with the little ribbons and laces all over the other's outfit, "very pink. Nice."
She scooted closer, grinning happily: "Not alone now. With Iselda!" She patted the bandaged arm, a bit clumsy but happy to be with someone who didn't seem to want to run away.
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:14 pm
"Thank you," said Magdelen very properly. It was a passable imitation of the perfect baby-like animatrons wandering around nearby, and the smile on her face was funny. "You are very blue. We match?" She held her pink sleeve against the other's shawl carefully. "Match with Iselda," she repeated, quite satisfied at this development.
Boredom was quick to strike, though, and the white-haired baby looked around before asking, "What to do?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:20 pm
"Don't know." Iselda looked around as well, but nothing seemed to be particularly interesting in here. The adults were milling about, talking and trying to make nice with people they secretly hated, and the rest of the kids would have wet their pants if the duo tried to approach them.
"No fun here." She would have pouted, but Anna said that little ladies didn't pout and the pout was stopping last second.
Picking at her shawl as she had seen grown-ups do, a bright idea struck, "Go somewhere else!" The grin she directed at Magdelen was nothing short of devious.
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:24 pm
The devious look was returned with interest. "Else," agreed Magdelen, putting both hands on the wall and pulling herself up to her feet. "Where else?" She glanced around and spotted a table with a fancy white cloth, pointed and said, "We go there!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:27 pm
The little huldra clapped her chubby hands in excitement. "There! Has sweets."
The table had several bowls of sweets and desserts standing on it, to compliment the standing buffet at the opposite side of the room. It was a worthy goal in any toddler's mind, and Ise was no different.
"We need away from old lady." She sent a conspiratiorial look at Magdelen, indicating the old governess with a nod of her head. "She not like it."
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:37 pm
She eyed the governess. If only the two of them hadn't been dressed so brightly!... "Wait," she instructed Iselda, then she toddled over to the small group of children nearby. They weren't looking her way, and so they didn't notice she was there until she shoved one of them into another- even then, they didn't seem to notice her. Not until she was long gone, anyway, gaining coordination as she tugged her new friend towards the table.
Magdelen darted under the tablecloth, then peered out nervously. "Nook," she said with satisfaction.
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:40 pm
Iselda eyed her newfound friend with increasing respect; the girl was a genius. And such pretty clothes!
"You my friend now." It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement of fact - Magdelen was brilliant and pretty and not afraid, therefore she belonged to Iselda.
"Want sweets?" None of the adults seemed to have noticed them, and it'd be easy to dart out and steal some of the sweet stuff from the table before they did.
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:47 pm
Friend! That was an awesome word, one that Magdelen fully liked because it meant belonging. "You my friend, too," said the white-haired girl, peeking out from under the tablecloth again. "What we like? Do you know?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:49 pm
The huldra nodded, satisfied with their friendship going both ways. That was good.
"Hmm.." She considered her experiences in sweets so far and came to a depressing realization. "No. Don't know." She made a wild guess: "With colour?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:54 pm
Magdelen peeked out again and grabbed the nearest tray. It crashed down, but none of the adults seemed to notice due to sheer luck- apparently something in the opposite direction had distracted them at exactly the right time. (If she had stopped to see what it was, she would have been quite shocked, but she didn't look, so it was all right.) Even though several of the delicate snacks hit the floor, she managed to save most of the plate.
"What these," she said cluelessly, offering one puffy pastry to Iselda. "They look fluffy."
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