what once was mine.

[nowgoandgether]

Lena Austen has been turned into her six-year-old self. It was a shock to wake up and discover she was no longer a woman in her twenties and instead, the child version of her. She's retained enough memories to recognize people from her adult life, but her mannerisms and her way of thinking are now that of a six-year-old. It's quite a dilemma. That'

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[thelightofgrace]

Charlie Wellman fears nothing. Not wind, nor rain, nor miniaturized versions of one of his best friends with magical wands.

This may not be wise of him, but it is, in fact, true.

He also is not aware that Lena has been miniaturized, and this obliviousness may be his downfall. However, he could use a bit of fun. His past few weeks in Chicago have been long and heavy, and he could certainly use something lighter.

So do your worst, Lena Austen. Do your worst.

[nowgoandgether]

Eee! A Charlie! Charlies are some of her very favorite.

Lena quickly hides behind a tree as she notices him, wand in place. She follows him, trying to be very stealth. She is not as stealth and ninja-like in her childhood as she is in her twenties, so Charlie probably notices he is being followed by the tiny thing.

The wand points right at his head, and a prett, sparkly tiara appears right on top of it.

She grins and moves toward him, front teeth evidently missing. "Hi, Charlie."

[thelightofgrace]

He does notice he's being follows. Ever since this event has started, kids have been flocking to the streets and reveling in the fairy tales for as long as they lasted. It makes him smile, really, that the Rift could do something like this, so he hasn't minded when he noticed the kid following him, and just kept walking, keeping an eye on her through his peripherals.

Then he feels the tiara land on his head.

Then she knows his name.

He turns when she addresses him, and crouches down in front of her, seeing if he could guess which friend of his got miniaturized for the week.

"Well. I believe you have me at a disadvantage. You know me, but I don't know you."

[nowgoandgether]

She straightens up when she's caught, looking none too guilty about it.

"Yes, you do." Lena beams at him when he finds himself at eye level with her. It would be a lot of fun if she kept him guessing, but she thinks that might just be fun for her instead of him, so what she says next is a clue that would likely leave no room for doubt as to who she is.

"Waffles are way, way better than pancakes," she says.

As if this is fact.

Then she'll be twirling the wand in front of him so that the tiara is given more sparkles. It could use more sparkles, she thinks.

[thelightofgrace]

"Lena Austen, I am sorry that your child-self is just as confused as your adult-one," he says playfully, a smile stretching across his face. "Now how did this happen?"

He notices her twirling that wand, and he doesn't really want to know what she's doing to the top of his head. In fact, he's convinced he's better off not knowing.

[nowgoandgether]

"I dunno!" she answers, lifting up both hands helplessly. "I woke up like this."

'This' sounds more like 'dis' when she speaks. She gives him a proper hug, however, because it's been a while since she saw Charlie and she is much happy to see him. "There is no confusion, sir."

And to prove it, she sits down cross-legged on the sidewalk. She twirls the wand again between them, as a small table appears before them. With waffles--and yes, pancakes, because she's nice like that. His favorite beverage will go with it, and a lot of syrup and whipped cream.

... Yes, they will have a tea party on the sidewalk.

[thelightofgrace]

Charlie takes the hug, because hugs are always welcome from Lena in any shape or form. And when the waffles and pancakes arrive, he will not say no to a tea party in the sidewalk.

There have been much stranger things in Chicago this week. Much stranger.

"Will you pass the syrup?"

[nowgoandgether]

Lena will happily take Charlie joining her for the tea party.

She nods grandly and hands him the syrup so that he can place as much as he wants on his stack of pancakes. There are a lot of pancakes.

She grabs several different syrup flavors and zigzags them across her waffles. "Thank you for joining me."

[thelightofgrace]

"Lena, I will have pancakes and waffles with you anytime. You know that," he nods as he drizzles the syrup over a small stack of the pancakes and starts to dig in. They're magic, so he expects them to be very good, and he isn't disappointed.

"Especially when they taste like this."

[nowgoandgether]

"Pretty good, huh?" Lena asks smugly, digging into her waffles. Magicked waffles and pancakes. It doesn't get any better than this, and when both or either are involved, it's only right that Lena Austen and Charlie Wellman also be involved in some way or another.

"You can also make a wish if you want. My wand is giving everyone one wish. You don't seem the kind to wish though, huh?"

[thelightofgrace]

"I wish sometimes," he says with a nod. "Prayer's a bit like a wish when you think about it."

Which he did. A lot. Charlie thinks a lot about a lot of things.

[nowgoandgether]

"... I pray every night," Lena tells him seriously with a nod of her own. It makes sense to her, sharing the kind of faith he does. It's never the same, obviously, one's faith is one's own, but even at her age, she can understand.

It's why she waves the wand and magicks a chain, and dangling from it is a cross. It's similar to the one adult!Lena wears, as she knows Charlie won't actually keep the tiara.

"For you," she says with a smile.

[thelightofgrace]

"That's a good thing to do," he says with a nod.

He smiles when he sees the cross, looking down at it, before slipping it on and tucking it under his shirt.

"Thanks, darlin'. I love it."

[nowgoandgether]

Lena gives him another hug before she draws back, and then places her small, small hand over his heart where the cross rests.

"So it always protects you," she says with a beaming smile.

And she is happy that he loves it, because she loves him very much, and if there's anything she knows to be true, it's that Charlie Wellman deserves good things in life.

[thelightofgrace]

He places his hand over hers, letting it rest to his chest. "I'll keep it very safe."

And he means that. He'll take care of it for as long as it'll let him.

"Now. How about those pancakes?"