002 | Video [Forward-dated to the 9th]

[t0uchy]

[The video feed is shaky, but then the boy thoughtfully sets the communicator on a table. Even though he's not a hundred percent sure what it is, the seven year old clearly doesn't want to break it, and he chews his lip worriedly for a second before scooting it a teeny bit back on the desk before talking.]

H-hello. Uh, ah, I don't... I don't want to bother anyone, but... [the young child's English is heavily accented, and he murmurs something in Arabic along the lines of 'kayfa taqūlu kalimah...', looking uncertain,] if someone can find my Ummi and Baba, please do. I'm not supposed to go places alone. I have an appointment tomorrow [he stumbles over the big words slightly] so I can get confirmed as the Seer and that's really important. People will be scared if I'm not there, and Ummi is probably scared already, so... please, get me home? Please?

[He starts to reach for the communicator to turn it off, then pauses to add,] If you have gloves that fit me, can someone bring me them? I need - I - I would like that very much. Um, thank you.

Comments

[t0uchy]

I can see people's deaths when I touch them. [Unlike when he's older and says it casually, seven year old Nashir says it with obvious distress, wringing his hands nervously and ducking his head, looking away.] Ummi says all Seers do and it's not my fault. She got me gloves, but... I don't know where they are. I think I dropped them.

[nightwash]

Jesus, you got a shit deal.

[ And that's all Ronan really has to say about that. ]

Put your hands up so I can see them.

[t0uchy]

[Nashir guiltily holds up his hands. It's obvious he's been nervously biting his nails, going off of the bloody state of them. He's better about that when he has gloves on, but, well.]

Where are my parents? Why am I here? I want Ummi... [His mother would know what to do. She'd help him.] Am I in trouble? Did I get kidnapped? [That happens to Seers, sometimes, but then, why is nobody here? Why is there no ransom or kidnappers or whatever? That's not how that works.]

[nightwash]

[ A glance is really all Ronan needs. He gestures dismissively at the camera. ]

No, you're not kidnapped. You're not in trouble, either. You can put those down now. What color do you want?

[t0uchy]

Um... I like green. Or brown. Garden colors. [He drops his hands, grabbing and fiddling with the hem of his shirt anxiously.] I can't pay you for gloves, though. I don't have money with me and I don't want to take things I can't pay for. That's not very nice.

[And weird though the world is, Nashir is still going to try to be nice! Even if he's not sure quite how to be, right now.]

[nightwash]

That's no problem, because I wouldn't care about money even if you had it. You'll have to pay me with something else. These are very small gloves I'm making for you. Think of something small to give me in return. There are all kinds of small things just lying around if you look.

[t0uchy]

[Nashir looks around the room thoughtfully, small face scrunched up in surprisingly serious thought.] I guess that makes sense. I don't really know what you like, though. Is just anything okay?

[nightwash]

It's not just anything, is it? It's the thing that makes you stop and think, "Aha, this is the thing!" It's the thing you like better than all the other things near it. Find me that thing.

You've got time to think about it. It'll be a while before I get there.

[t0uchy]

I don't even know where 'here' is, [Nashir murmurs, still lost and stressed out, though he looks around for something anyway. Maybe after he gets gloves, he can go look for his parents. They'll know what to do.] Is this still England? You don't sound British.

[nightwash]

God, no. I'm from the colonies. You're in the USA now, kid. Think of it as a weird little vacation from your reality, like a dream. You don't have to worry about where Ummi and Baba are, because they'll be there when you wake up.

I'm a dream, too, so you don't have to tell me where you are. I can find you.

[t0uchy]

[It says a lot about him that this reassurance actually makes him tense up instead of relax, glancing around the room uneasily.]

I don't want to be in a dream. My dreams are scary. That's when I have the long visions, the ones that go on and on and have fires and big ditches and big loud sounds. I want to go home, please, sir. Please.

[nightwash]

Well I didn't say this was your dream, did I? Maybe your dreams are scary, but that doesn't mean all dreams are scary. You haven't seen any fires or ditches around here, have you?

[t0uchy]

Whose dream is it, then? [Hopefully whoever it is doesn't mind him being in their dream. He didn't mean to barge in here, it was an accident.] No, but... then, why am I here, if I'm not going to have a vision of something?

[nightwash]

Some dreams grow in the wild, out of magic rivers that run through the mountains. It's all very complicated. The point is, you're not having a vision. And once I bring you your gloves, you can just relax and watch cartoons or something.

[t0uchy]

What's a cartoon?

[It was 1919 back home. Nashir looks at him in absolute confusion.]

[nightwash]

Wow, we've got a lot of ground to cover. I'll show you when I get there.

> action?

[t0uchy]

Um, okay. Thank you, sir. You're very nice. [He's open to learning! Learning is fun, even if learning English is an ongoing process.

When Ronan arrives, he'll find Nashir, with socks on his hands to keep them covered, looking a little nervous and wide-eyed. The good news is that he found something to give him in return for gloves: cookies from the kitchen. Everybody likes cookies, right?]

[nightwash]

[ Ronan could do the Fairy Godmother entrance and appear out of nowhere, but since he is not an adorable old lady but a goth dude of nearly six and a half feet, he opts for something less terrifying. About an hour after his last message, he invites himself in via the door. ]

Ready to trade?

[ He's got the pair of tiny green gloves in hand, pinched between his thumb and forefinger, and he dangles them above Nashir's head. ]

[t0uchy]

[Nashir blinks up at him, a little surprised by how tall Ronan is.] Wow. You're only a little bit shorter than Baba is. I hope I get to be tall some day.

Oh, um, yes! I found cookies in the kitchen and I think they're pretty fresh, too! [Victory! He eyes the gloves with obvious awe, handing the cookies over politely before taking the green gloves with utmost care. Homemade gifts were always impressive, but homemade gifts made that fast were amazing.] Thank you! These are really nice. Did you make them?

[nightwash]

Sort of. I said to the dream, "This kid wants some green gloves," and the dream said, "Dope," and now here we are.

[ The gloves are perfect, of course. As precisely fitted as if they'd been tailored specifically for Nashir. Magic be like that.

So that the kid doesn't have to keep craning his neck, Ronan takes a seat to enjoy his cookies. ]

This is a good tribute. I feel very Santa Claus.

[t0uchy]

Oh. That was nice of the dream. Normally dreams don't listen to me when I say things.

[Nashir is visibly relieved to have the gloves on. Though the socks worked for opening the door, they would've been impractical for almost anything else. He grins at Ronan, delighted and then confused.]

What's Santa Claus? Is that a British thing? Or an American one? My family only just moved to Britain a little while ago, so I'm still learning about a lot of things... I'm glad you like the cookies, though!

[nightwash]

Santa Claus is an everywhere thing. He's a fat man from the North Pole who breaks into people's houses to leave them presents one night a year. Instead of being weirded out by it, those people leave cookies and milk out for him as a thank you. Imagine eating that many cookies in one night. Eight billion cookies, at least.

[ Ronan is content to chomp on just a few. He works hard for his abs. ]

[t0uchy]

[Nashir just stares at him. He's too young to say 'what the fuck?', but the spirit of that sentiment in his gaze as he tries to figure out if he's being messed with or not. Is this some very weird joke or something?]

Ummi says never to eat anything bigger than your head. All those cookies put together is definitely too big. Wouldn't that make him sick?

[Forgive him, he's literally always been the over-thinker of his family, even as a small child.]

[nightwash]

[ Who can ever say, with Ronan, whether anything is a joke or not. ]

Probably. I would listen to Ummi. That's a very good rule.

[t0uchy]

I don't like cookies a lot anyway. I like honey cake. But I didn't want to try making anything in the kitchen since it's so strange... is it okay to eat food in this dream, or do the other people who live here need the food? I'm hungry.

[And stealing their food would be bad buuuut also he's seven and hungry and there's probably something in there he can eat without using an oven, right?]