{ota} hush, little baby [[forward-dated by 24 hours]]
At midnight on June 19th, a Two of Diamonds slips off-Deck. He had come to this strange place a few days earlier, running from his dangerous past life, where he lived in constant fear, and with a death sentence on his head. Now, though, he had found a place where he could belong. His wife and his daughter, he could save them, bring them to the Drink, and they could live happily ever after.
It's this fairy tale ending that drives the man to return to his home, wake his wife and daughter from a light, uneasy sleep. They can go now, he says. They'll be safe, and they'll never have to worry about assassins and past mistakes again.
Little do they know the house is surrounded at that moment, that various eyes follow the family as they sneak out the back door, begin heading back in the direction that the Two had come from.
They're almost there when they find themselves surrounded. The thought immediately runs through the Two's mind: it's a romantic way to die, really. So close to safety, yet so far away. But there's no more time to ponder as the scuffle begins, and he fights protect
Realistically, he knows he's done for. There's no way he can escape now. But… his wife. His daughter. He needs to give them a chance to live. Amid the fighting, he manages to push them towards to parting in the trees that he'd slipped through just days before. "There- run! And don't come back."
He doesn't see his wife getting pulled away by one of the attackers. But he does manage to see his little girl slip away through the trees before he's knocked out with a dull blow to his head.
--
Adrien heads into Town late in the morning on June 20th. The sun is shining brightly, and he's almost managed to forget about all that's occurred in the past month. It takes him a moment to notice the bedraggled girl with the huge eyes watching him from behind a tree.
He approaches her, raising an eyebrow at the young girl. "Hey, darling. What are you doing there?" he asks kindly, immediately assuming she's from the Deck. When she blinks at him without speaking, he falters a little. When she does open her mouth to whisper back to him, his confusion is cleared up.
"Papa told me to come here." She speaks in fluent Hindi, and for once, he's glad that he was forced to learn so many languages at a young age. His Hindi is badly pronounced and hesitant, but at least he can speak with her.
"And where's Papa?" he asks, looking around. Perhaps she's playing some sort of game with him or something. Such thoughts, though, are banished when she points over her shoulders to the thick woods on the borders of the Deck.
"He came last night. He isn't coming now, though." Her tone conveys a hint of underlying sorrow. She knows what's happened.
Adrien can figure it out too, and he runs a hand through his hair, lost for words for a few moments. He can't just... leave her here. But he has no clue who to take her to, or where she belongs. After a moment, he holds out a hand to her. "Would you... like staying with me? Until you find somewhere of your own?"
She nods silently in response and he lets out a little breath. "So. What is your name?"
"Sitara."
His response? Another raised eyebrow. "Well, we'll have to make that little name longer."
{{ooc: You can find them either on Diamond grounds somewhere or in Town. Responses from Sitara, if you want them, will come from petitechoti Basically anything goes, okay. Just have glee over new child with Adrien. }}