Brand New World (Radu, Mirela, Lara's Trademark Insanity)
Mirela and Radu weren't making a great deal of progress, 'finding missing people' wise. Mirela was spending more time explaining things to Radu than making sure to feel out any demons, though she only really knew about such modern technology through second hand information, told to her by Peter. A man who didn't speak her language. And there weren't exactly Latin words for things like 'traffic light'. Mirela had spent almost her entire life in a tiny Romanian village, separated from things like electricity and cars, and Radu had spent nearly all of his in a cave. London was unfamiliar territory. Frightening even.
"What is it's purpose?" Radu asked in Romanian as he pointed at the traffic light. They had been passing them all day and they disturbed him with their winking.
Mirela cast her eyes up to it. "It controls the wheeled vehicles." She said, pointing at the cars. "When it changes green, it makes the wheels turn. When it turns red, it makes the wheels stop." She smiled, pleased with herself for remembering.
"Why do they need to stop?" Radu asked. The entire thing seemed pointless to him.
"I...don't know. Maybe the wheels get tired?" Mirela looked at the car nearest her and the man inside it winked at her. "Goodness me." She raised her eyebrows back at him and then she grabbed Radu's arm. "The man in the wheeled vehicle made a face at me."
Radu turned to the man and his face twisted into a vicious growl of warning. He was in human form, but the wolf was never far below the surface. The man in the car looked shocked and he pulled his car away from the kerb, into oncoming traffic, the act of which caused several other drivers to honk at him in annoyance.
"The vehicles are screaming!" Radu yelled, putting his hands over his ears.
"You scared them and made them run!" Mirela yelled back, shying away, in case they got caught in the stampede. "Come on, let's leave them alone!" She pulled Radu along with her around a corner to a quieter street where cars seemed to migrate far less.
On the quiet street, Radu pointed at a fire hydrant. "What is that?"
Mirela gazed at it and she realised she had no idea. "Gnome house." She said quickly, so she didn't look stupid. Radu and his family had been taught to revere her as a Heavenly Creature. She couldn't be seen to not know something.
"Ooooh." Radu looked at it carefully and then he bent down to sniff it. "Gnomes smell like knives." He said, thinking of the only other metal smelling thing he knew. He knew knives all too well.
"Gnomes are tricky." Mirela nodded.
Radu straightened up and he sniffed the air. His stomach rumbled and he put a hand to it. He smelled meat. "Are you hungry? I smell meat."
Mirela glanced over at him, afraid that he would race off and kill something. "We can find something in a shop!" She said quickly, but he was already leading her towards a building with a large window. The window said 'Charcoal Chickens' but neither Mirela nor Radu could read it.
"Look! They have dead birds on sticks!" He said, as if that was very strange. It was probably for the best that the people around them didn't speak Romanian. "They're rolling like the wheels did!" Radu glanced around, searching for the traffic light that controlled the rolling birds.
"I have money, I'll buy some food." Mirela stepped forward to attempt to purchase sustainence from a shopkeeper who couldn't understand her. In the end, she pointed to things she wanted, and they carried them away in a bag. "Here." She gave Radu some chips and Radu ate them with feverish enthusiasm, drawing many strange looks from passersby.
"I like these funny sticks." Radu said, polishing off another chip.
"They're made from potatoes!" Mirela announced, pleased with herself for remembering that as well.
Radu's eyes widened. "How do they get the potatos into the sticks?!" he asked, and he grabbed another one quickly, ripping into it to see the potatoes inside.
"They must just be very small potatoes." Mirela answered and she looked up at the sky. "I don't see any demons."
Radu's face darkened. He hated demons, and having been subjected to years of slavery and abuse by them, he had his reasons. "I hope to never see one again."
Mirela nodded. "So do I, but one has Mrs. Peter."
"Why do you care? She is not your family." Radu wasn't being short or rude, he actually wanted to know. All he had cared for, all his life, was his family. Nothing else mattered.
"She has been kinder to me than almost anyone ever has." Mirela said simply. That, at least, she could explain.
"I see. Can you make all manner of things appear as if from nowhere?"
Mirela nodded and she smiled. "I can."
"You truly are a magnificent creature. Can you make a deer?"
Mirela concentrated, and at once, in front of them, a deer appeared. The animal sniffed at the alley wall and then it gracefully walked towards them. Radu's instincts were going crazy, even though he couldn't smell the animal and he knew it was fake. He stretched his hand out to it and then deer came forward. "Now set it on fire!" Radu called out happily, showing off the rather boyish spirit he had seemed to gain since coming here. Mirela complied and the animal burst into flames, leaving behind no trace that it was ever there at all. Radu cackled with glee and he clapped. "Wonderful!"
"If we find Mrs. Peter, I'll show you all sorts of things."
"Then by all means," Radu said, helping himself to more potato sticks. "Let us find this woman and her demon captor."
"What is it's purpose?" Radu asked in Romanian as he pointed at the traffic light. They had been passing them all day and they disturbed him with their winking.
Mirela cast her eyes up to it. "It controls the wheeled vehicles." She said, pointing at the cars. "When it changes green, it makes the wheels turn. When it turns red, it makes the wheels stop." She smiled, pleased with herself for remembering.
"Why do they need to stop?" Radu asked. The entire thing seemed pointless to him.
"I...don't know. Maybe the wheels get tired?" Mirela looked at the car nearest her and the man inside it winked at her. "Goodness me." She raised her eyebrows back at him and then she grabbed Radu's arm. "The man in the wheeled vehicle made a face at me."
Radu turned to the man and his face twisted into a vicious growl of warning. He was in human form, but the wolf was never far below the surface. The man in the car looked shocked and he pulled his car away from the kerb, into oncoming traffic, the act of which caused several other drivers to honk at him in annoyance.
"The vehicles are screaming!" Radu yelled, putting his hands over his ears.
"You scared them and made them run!" Mirela yelled back, shying away, in case they got caught in the stampede. "Come on, let's leave them alone!" She pulled Radu along with her around a corner to a quieter street where cars seemed to migrate far less.
On the quiet street, Radu pointed at a fire hydrant. "What is that?"
Mirela gazed at it and she realised she had no idea. "Gnome house." She said quickly, so she didn't look stupid. Radu and his family had been taught to revere her as a Heavenly Creature. She couldn't be seen to not know something.
"Ooooh." Radu looked at it carefully and then he bent down to sniff it. "Gnomes smell like knives." He said, thinking of the only other metal smelling thing he knew. He knew knives all too well.
"Gnomes are tricky." Mirela nodded.
Radu straightened up and he sniffed the air. His stomach rumbled and he put a hand to it. He smelled meat. "Are you hungry? I smell meat."
Mirela glanced over at him, afraid that he would race off and kill something. "We can find something in a shop!" She said quickly, but he was already leading her towards a building with a large window. The window said 'Charcoal Chickens' but neither Mirela nor Radu could read it.
"Look! They have dead birds on sticks!" He said, as if that was very strange. It was probably for the best that the people around them didn't speak Romanian. "They're rolling like the wheels did!" Radu glanced around, searching for the traffic light that controlled the rolling birds.
"I have money, I'll buy some food." Mirela stepped forward to attempt to purchase sustainence from a shopkeeper who couldn't understand her. In the end, she pointed to things she wanted, and they carried them away in a bag. "Here." She gave Radu some chips and Radu ate them with feverish enthusiasm, drawing many strange looks from passersby.
"I like these funny sticks." Radu said, polishing off another chip.
"They're made from potatoes!" Mirela announced, pleased with herself for remembering that as well.
Radu's eyes widened. "How do they get the potatos into the sticks?!" he asked, and he grabbed another one quickly, ripping into it to see the potatoes inside.
"They must just be very small potatoes." Mirela answered and she looked up at the sky. "I don't see any demons."
Radu's face darkened. He hated demons, and having been subjected to years of slavery and abuse by them, he had his reasons. "I hope to never see one again."
Mirela nodded. "So do I, but one has Mrs. Peter."
"Why do you care? She is not your family." Radu wasn't being short or rude, he actually wanted to know. All he had cared for, all his life, was his family. Nothing else mattered.
"She has been kinder to me than almost anyone ever has." Mirela said simply. That, at least, she could explain.
"I see. Can you make all manner of things appear as if from nowhere?"
Mirela nodded and she smiled. "I can."
"You truly are a magnificent creature. Can you make a deer?"
Mirela concentrated, and at once, in front of them, a deer appeared. The animal sniffed at the alley wall and then it gracefully walked towards them. Radu's instincts were going crazy, even though he couldn't smell the animal and he knew it was fake. He stretched his hand out to it and then deer came forward. "Now set it on fire!" Radu called out happily, showing off the rather boyish spirit he had seemed to gain since coming here. Mirela complied and the animal burst into flames, leaving behind no trace that it was ever there at all. Radu cackled with glee and he clapped. "Wonderful!"
"If we find Mrs. Peter, I'll show you all sorts of things."
"Then by all means," Radu said, helping himself to more potato sticks. "Let us find this woman and her demon captor."