1 || Video || Both Courts

[palaverous]

[A boy, probably around the age of 14 or 15, peers into the locket. He looks extremely nervous. He twists his fingers together and there’s sweat upon his brow.]

Hey! Uh hey. So my name is Wirt and this is my brother Greg. We’re uh… new here. Though I guess that’s obvious. _{It is obvious isn’t it. N-nevermind.}

[At the bottom of the picture, a small face keeps popping in and out of view as its owner hops up and down, trying to look. For the most part, you can only see a teapot hat and a pair of eyes, which keep dipping below the view.]

It’s me -- [vanishing from the picture] Psst, down here! [popping back up into the picture.] It’s me, Greg! [And popping out of the picture] Wirt, let me see! I want to say hi!

Be quiet, Greg. I’m trying to talk to these people and you’re making me look bad.

A-anyway. The thing is me and my brother were lost and were trying to get home and now we’re here. Even more… lost. And...in a war. Which is kind of, I dunno, weird. I mean Greg is seven and I’m in high school. Is it even legal to draft us into a war? I mean, don’t we have rights or anything like that? _{Do we have a fairy lawyer or something like that? Do fairies have lawyers?}

I’m starting to question the thought process behind this whole thing.

[By now, the smaller boy has given up on hopping up and down, and has instead walked off. You can see him in the background now; obviously a small kid with a lot of energy. He hops up one more time to wave, and then turns around and starts peering off into the trees behind them.]

Oh, did you ask if they need help picking out better uniforms?

[Wirt looks down at his brother and gives him a look of complete disinterest.] Greg. No one is wearing uniforms. This is like… one of those ragtag militias or something like that.

[Greg stops his looking around for a second, turns back around, and resumes hopping up and down again. This time he’s far enough back that you can still see him whether or not he hops, but he doesn’t seem to be aware of that.]

Right, and that’s [huff puff] exactly my point, because if we’re in a war, don’t you think --

No, Greg. We shouldn’t even be here. See I’m trying to talk to these people to get us home. So just… be quiet.

[Greg stops whatever thought he was about to say when Wirt interrupts him. He frowns, looking skeptical for all of a second, before smiling and making an ‘okay’ gesture with his hand.]

Yeah, okay! Good idea. I’ll be quiet and see if I can find the bad guys, and meanwhile you come up with the plan!

[With that, he seems satisfied. In fact, he wanders off again behind them, this time wandering very quietly and vanishing from sight behind one of the trees.]

So anyway, as I was say-

[Loudly whispered from somewhere beyond the trees.] Wirt! [And less whispered, poking his head out from behind a tree.] Hey Wirt! There’s a bear. I wonder if he knows directions! I’ll go ask. [With that, he vanishes again, wandering off into the woods.]

That’s great, Greg. [Said with all the air of someone who doesn’t care one little bit and is not in the least bit concerned] Anyway, if you could just point us back to the way out of here. Away from the war and armies and other things that are dangerous and not child-appropriate that would be great. If we don’t get home soon, things are going to start getting messy. And my mom’s going to be furious. And I’ll get lectured and grounded and that sort of thing.

[A beat. There’s something missing. Everything is far too quiet. Hmmm. What could it be. Oh that’s right.]

Greg? Greg? Where did you run off to?

((OOC; both Greg and Wirt will be replying!))

Comments

[candyrocks]

[Eyes going as wide as saucers.]

Wow...

Could you please transform me into a magical tiger? Pretty please? Thank you!

[fliesbynight]

I-- Wait why do you want to be a magic tiger?

[candyrocks]

I just really, really, really, really want to.

[fliesbynight]

W-Well, I maybe could with some practice. I've never transformed a human into anything before.

[candyrocks]

Great! You can practice on me, and it'll help you learn how!

[fliesbynight]

Yeah, sure, but uhm aren't you worried about being here? [Even Lemina is worried about a kid being here.]

[candyrocks]

Me? Oh, not really. He's worried, though.

[Pointing off to his left, though no one is actually visible in the locket picture.]

[fliesbynight]

[She can guess at least.]

That's because big siblings take care of you! So they worry a lot!

[candyrocks]

[Well, that doesn't seem right.]

Oh. Yeah, that must be why he worries about so many things! Poor Wirt!

[fliesbynight]

I'm an only child but it wouldn't be so bad to have a little sibling, even if I had to worry all the time.

[candyrocks]

Yeah! Harry Truman was like a little brother to me, so I know what you mean.

That's my frog who left to become a famous frog musician.

[fliesbynight]

[Oh no this kid is too cute.]

Did he become a really good musician?

[candyrocks]

I think so, because those frogs gave him some pretty fancy socks!

[sigh.]

I just hope he still remembers to hop like he used to!

[fliesbynight]

I'm sure he does. After all, the thing a frog is best at is hopping!

[candyrocks]

Uh-huh! He's a pretty good hopper!

So what's your name, anyway? And what are you? Are you a witch? Or a fairy godmother? Or just regular magic?

[fliesbynight]

I'm Lemina Ausa, Premier of the Magic Guild of Vane! I'm a magician! But fairy godmother is also totally acceptable!

[candyrocks]

I think magician is nicer. Hey, do you know Adelaide? She's magic, too, I think.

[fliesbynight]

I don't think I know an Adelaide. What sort of magic is she?

[candyrocks]

Oh, I don't know. Regular kind, I guess.

[fliesbynight]

What sort of things can she do? What's magic like in your world?

[candyrocks]

Pretty much anything! She can turn people into animals, or make it rain hot chocolate, or make music sound exactly like peanut butter.

[He actually has no idea.]