Hello, Goodbye
Characters: A young Millie Thompson (age eight) and Miles Edgeworth (age eight and three quarters)
Content: As Colvus is making preparations for Long Night, two children wander outside town and get lost. How will they get back in?
Setting: Just outside Colvus
Time: Seventeen years ago
Warnings: Cuteness. Tall tales. Logs placed in dangerous places.
Sometimes, it really, really, really stunk, being the youngest. Everyone always got antsy whenever she wanted to go into town, and Big Big Brother made her other brothers go with her.
Not that it mattered. They always managed to lose her! And this time, it wasn't her fault!
Millie wandered around the outside of town, trying to find the way back. If it weren't for all this snow....
Miles Edgeworth was not lost. He was just exploring.
At least, that's what he told himself while he walked along the outskirts of the town. He only left for a little while, just to get a better look at one of the street performers who came out for Long Night, and as soon as he saw somebody from his father's ship he followed him immediately. Everything would be okay, and he'd be back with his dad before he even noticed.
...unfortunately, as soon as the man turned around, Miles realized he was drastically mistaken.
So here he was, alone and out in the cold, but determined to find his way back. It couldn't be that hard; after all, it wasn't like this was his first time in Colvus. It should be a snap.
Whump!
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Millie had run into a random person, and was currently lying on top of him. "I didn't see you, with all this snow, and my hat fell down over my eyes and are you okay, mister?"
Miles yelped and fell into the snow, squished by a big lump of ...something. Or somebody. In such a situation, there was only one thing the small boy could say.
"Get off of me," he said, his voice muffled by the ground and lack of air, "please."
"Oh! Sorry!"
Millie scrambled to get off the small boy, then stooped to pick him up. "Are you alright?" she asked, brushing him off. "Nothing broken?"
Miles blinked in confusion, stunned by the tall girl's ...well, by everything she did in the last five seconds, really, before he stepped back.
"I'm fine," he said quickly, his face red - from the cold. Miles wasted no time in searching around for his fallen hat (sure, he still had the red bandanna around his head, but it wasn't nearly warm enough to wear on its own), before it occurred to him to ask the same of her.
"...what about you?" he ventured, as he stooped down to the ground.
"Oh, I'm fine!" Millie laughed, smiling. "Mother says a few falls builds character, and Big Big Sister says I must have a lot of it, since I'm always falling down and tripping!"
She watched the boy look around. "Are you looking for something?"
"Sort of," he said. "Hey, have you seen my-"
Miles stopped midsentence as soon as he saw the hat. He picked it up, dusted it off, and placed it on his head before he turned back to her. Curious, he asked, "What about you? Were you lookin' for something?"
"The way back into town!" she replied. "My brothers lost me again, and with all this snow, I can't see a thing!" Millie frowned. She hated being lost. "What are you doing out here?"
"Just looking around," he lied. "The way back's not that hard - I'm going back in, too."
"Oh, do you know the way?" Millie grinned at the boy. "Can you help me? Please?"
Help her? Of course he could help her. ...well, maybe. Possibly. Probably. Anyway, he just told her the way back was easy, didn't he? If he didn't help her, he'd just look like a liar Somebody who talked big but didn't deliver.
"Sure," he said, trying to ignore the way his stomach flopped over. "Just follow me, okay?"
"Okay!" Following people was one of the things Millie did best. Besides, it made sure she never got lost, except when it didn't. "I don't think I got your name. My name is Millie Thompson of the Thompson Family Farm! What's yours?"
"I'm Miles Edgeworth," he said, his voice louder and more prideful. The boy smiled and pointed his thumb at himself, and continued, "Miles Edgeworth, of the Grey Halvard!"
...well, he didn't think she heard of him, but she should have heard about the ship. At least, that's what he assumed.
Millie smiled, but the ship wasn't ringing any bells. "Is that ship?" she asked, curious.
Miles nodded vigorously, and declared, "It's the best ship in the whole sky!"
He paused for a moment, as if in thought, and added, "...I could show you it, if you want. Later on, I mean."
"Oh, that'd be lovely!" she said, smiling. "Um...do you know where it is? I'd love to see the best ship in the sky!"
Millie hoped the answer was 'yes'. She was getting cold out here!
"It's docked at port," he said. "Oh! But lets get back to town first, okay?"
"Okay!"
While following a kid who clearly didn't live here seemed stupid, to Millie it made sense. He'd came out this way on his own, so naturally he'd be able to find his way back, right? Right!
"Is it fun on the ship, Miles?" she asked.
"Welll..."
Miles began to retrace his steps, and said, "It's a lot of hard work, a lot - but you get to see a lot of really interesting things, too. More than you'd see stuck on land all the time, anyway."
"I don't know, I see lots of interesting things on land! One time, Big Big Sister brought home a two headed snake, and scared us! And I once saw a frog that was shaped like that Ivonian navy officer's cravat!" What was his name? Fon Dharma? Von Karma?
Okay, Miles had to admit, a two headed snake sounded really cool. But there was still better stuff around.
"Oh, that's nothing," he bragged. "On Kropmork, they have snakes with three heads. And they're as long as a person's barn - they have to feed 'em whole cows so they don't eat the people. Like one for each head, every three months."
Millie gasped. "Really? Is it because of that university Father talks about all the time? He says there's no way in heck we're going there! They might turn us into frogs or giants or mayflies!"
He'd gone to Kropmork and survived! Amazing!
Well, he hadn't actually gone to Kropmork - not yet, anyways. However, he did hear all about it from the men on the ship, including a lot of things that he was told "should not be repeated in polite company". Which meant anybody that wasn't part of the crew, he guessed.
"It sure is," he said, "And they probably won't turn you into anything - welll, they wouldn't do it on purpose, anyway. It's against the rules, you know, and the guy who runs the city does nasty things to rulebreakers."
"We talked about that in school, once! Vet...Vet...V-something, right--ow!"
The snow had piled up on top of a log, and Millie, distracted, hadn't seen it. She landed face first into the snowbank, wincing.
"It's Vetin-ack!"
Miles wasn't paying attention either, and didn't notice that Millie had fallen until he heard a loud "whump!" He rushed over to help her up, and asked, "Are you okay?"
Millie grabbed onto Mile's shoulders, helping herself up. "I'm fin--ow! I think I've twisted my ankle!"
She tried to walk, but she could only go about two steps before having to stop because of the pain. "It hurts!"
Miles squawked when she landed on him, but tried to help her walk.
Key word being "try".
Unfortunately, she was too hurt to make it herself, he was too far to carry her or help her back, and they were both too far from anybody they knew to do anything else. Miles chewed on his lip, and said, "Hey, sit down, okay? I'll go get some help in town."
Millie sniffed and held on to Miles. "But it's lonely out here and we're lost and I hurt and it's cold and I don't want to be alone!" she wailed. "Don't leave me, please!"
"We're not lost!" he protested, "An-and we're going to be okay, I promise! Just ...here, take this, all right?"
Miles pried his arms away from her and took off his woolen winter hat, and stuffed it under his arm. His head wasn't bare, though; underneath the hat he wore a faded red scrap of fabric. He quickly loosened the knot and handed it to her.
"This is my lucky bandanna," he said softly. "It'll keep you safe - I wouldn't be here without it."
Millie took it from his hand gingerly, wrapping it around her ankle. "Thank you! I'll...I'll use it as a bandage for my ankle so it'll heal faster!" She grinned at Miles. "Hurry, Miles!"
"...yeah, yeah it will," he said. "And I'll be back quick, I swear."
And with that, he ran off to where he thought the entrance to town was. Time would tell if he was able to keep his word...
Millie stayed seated, though she moved to the uncovered log. It was getting dark, she was getting really cold, and sooner or later the monsters would come out.
Humming to keep herself occupied, the tall girl kept an eye out for Miles. He had to be back. He promised!
Content: As Colvus is making preparations for Long Night, two children wander outside town and get lost. How will they get back in?
Setting: Just outside Colvus
Time: Seventeen years ago
Warnings: Cuteness. Tall tales. Logs placed in dangerous places.
Sometimes, it really, really, really stunk, being the youngest. Everyone always got antsy whenever she wanted to go into town, and Big Big Brother made her other brothers go with her.
Not that it mattered. They always managed to lose her! And this time, it wasn't her fault!
Millie wandered around the outside of town, trying to find the way back. If it weren't for all this snow....
Miles Edgeworth was not lost. He was just exploring.
At least, that's what he told himself while he walked along the outskirts of the town. He only left for a little while, just to get a better look at one of the street performers who came out for Long Night, and as soon as he saw somebody from his father's ship he followed him immediately. Everything would be okay, and he'd be back with his dad before he even noticed.
...unfortunately, as soon as the man turned around, Miles realized he was drastically mistaken.
So here he was, alone and out in the cold, but determined to find his way back. It couldn't be that hard; after all, it wasn't like this was his first time in Colvus. It should be a snap.
Whump!
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Millie had run into a random person, and was currently lying on top of him. "I didn't see you, with all this snow, and my hat fell down over my eyes and are you okay, mister?"
Miles yelped and fell into the snow, squished by a big lump of ...something. Or somebody. In such a situation, there was only one thing the small boy could say.
"Get off of me," he said, his voice muffled by the ground and lack of air, "please."
"Oh! Sorry!"
Millie scrambled to get off the small boy, then stooped to pick him up. "Are you alright?" she asked, brushing him off. "Nothing broken?"
Miles blinked in confusion, stunned by the tall girl's ...well, by everything she did in the last five seconds, really, before he stepped back.
"I'm fine," he said quickly, his face red - from the cold. Miles wasted no time in searching around for his fallen hat (sure, he still had the red bandanna around his head, but it wasn't nearly warm enough to wear on its own), before it occurred to him to ask the same of her.
"...what about you?" he ventured, as he stooped down to the ground.
"Oh, I'm fine!" Millie laughed, smiling. "Mother says a few falls builds character, and Big Big Sister says I must have a lot of it, since I'm always falling down and tripping!"
She watched the boy look around. "Are you looking for something?"
"Sort of," he said. "Hey, have you seen my-"
Miles stopped midsentence as soon as he saw the hat. He picked it up, dusted it off, and placed it on his head before he turned back to her. Curious, he asked, "What about you? Were you lookin' for something?"
"The way back into town!" she replied. "My brothers lost me again, and with all this snow, I can't see a thing!" Millie frowned. She hated being lost. "What are you doing out here?"
"Just looking around," he lied. "The way back's not that hard - I'm going back in, too."
"Oh, do you know the way?" Millie grinned at the boy. "Can you help me? Please?"
Help her? Of course he could help her. ...well, maybe. Possibly. Probably. Anyway, he just told her the way back was easy, didn't he? If he didn't help her, he'd just look like a liar Somebody who talked big but didn't deliver.
"Sure," he said, trying to ignore the way his stomach flopped over. "Just follow me, okay?"
"Okay!" Following people was one of the things Millie did best. Besides, it made sure she never got lost, except when it didn't. "I don't think I got your name. My name is Millie Thompson of the Thompson Family Farm! What's yours?"
"I'm Miles Edgeworth," he said, his voice louder and more prideful. The boy smiled and pointed his thumb at himself, and continued, "Miles Edgeworth, of the Grey Halvard!"
...well, he didn't think she heard of him, but she should have heard about the ship. At least, that's what he assumed.
Millie smiled, but the ship wasn't ringing any bells. "Is that ship?" she asked, curious.
Miles nodded vigorously, and declared, "It's the best ship in the whole sky!"
He paused for a moment, as if in thought, and added, "...I could show you it, if you want. Later on, I mean."
"Oh, that'd be lovely!" she said, smiling. "Um...do you know where it is? I'd love to see the best ship in the sky!"
Millie hoped the answer was 'yes'. She was getting cold out here!
"It's docked at port," he said. "Oh! But lets get back to town first, okay?"
"Okay!"
While following a kid who clearly didn't live here seemed stupid, to Millie it made sense. He'd came out this way on his own, so naturally he'd be able to find his way back, right? Right!
"Is it fun on the ship, Miles?" she asked.
"Welll..."
Miles began to retrace his steps, and said, "It's a lot of hard work, a lot - but you get to see a lot of really interesting things, too. More than you'd see stuck on land all the time, anyway."
"I don't know, I see lots of interesting things on land! One time, Big Big Sister brought home a two headed snake, and scared us! And I once saw a frog that was shaped like that Ivonian navy officer's cravat!" What was his name? Fon Dharma? Von Karma?
Okay, Miles had to admit, a two headed snake sounded really cool. But there was still better stuff around.
"Oh, that's nothing," he bragged. "On Kropmork, they have snakes with three heads. And they're as long as a person's barn - they have to feed 'em whole cows so they don't eat the people. Like one for each head, every three months."
Millie gasped. "Really? Is it because of that university Father talks about all the time? He says there's no way in heck we're going there! They might turn us into frogs or giants or mayflies!"
He'd gone to Kropmork and survived! Amazing!
Well, he hadn't actually gone to Kropmork - not yet, anyways. However, he did hear all about it from the men on the ship, including a lot of things that he was told "should not be repeated in polite company". Which meant anybody that wasn't part of the crew, he guessed.
"It sure is," he said, "And they probably won't turn you into anything - welll, they wouldn't do it on purpose, anyway. It's against the rules, you know, and the guy who runs the city does nasty things to rulebreakers."
"We talked about that in school, once! Vet...Vet...V-something, right--ow!"
The snow had piled up on top of a log, and Millie, distracted, hadn't seen it. She landed face first into the snowbank, wincing.
"It's Vetin-ack!"
Miles wasn't paying attention either, and didn't notice that Millie had fallen until he heard a loud "whump!" He rushed over to help her up, and asked, "Are you okay?"
Millie grabbed onto Mile's shoulders, helping herself up. "I'm fin--ow! I think I've twisted my ankle!"
She tried to walk, but she could only go about two steps before having to stop because of the pain. "It hurts!"
Miles squawked when she landed on him, but tried to help her walk.
Key word being "try".
Unfortunately, she was too hurt to make it herself, he was too far to carry her or help her back, and they were both too far from anybody they knew to do anything else. Miles chewed on his lip, and said, "Hey, sit down, okay? I'll go get some help in town."
Millie sniffed and held on to Miles. "But it's lonely out here and we're lost and I hurt and it's cold and I don't want to be alone!" she wailed. "Don't leave me, please!"
"We're not lost!" he protested, "An-and we're going to be okay, I promise! Just ...here, take this, all right?"
Miles pried his arms away from her and took off his woolen winter hat, and stuffed it under his arm. His head wasn't bare, though; underneath the hat he wore a faded red scrap of fabric. He quickly loosened the knot and handed it to her.
"This is my lucky bandanna," he said softly. "It'll keep you safe - I wouldn't be here without it."
Millie took it from his hand gingerly, wrapping it around her ankle. "Thank you! I'll...I'll use it as a bandage for my ankle so it'll heal faster!" She grinned at Miles. "Hurry, Miles!"
"...yeah, yeah it will," he said. "And I'll be back quick, I swear."
And with that, he ran off to where he thought the entrance to town was. Time would tell if he was able to keep his word...
Millie stayed seated, though she moved to the uncovered log. It was getting dark, she was getting really cold, and sooner or later the monsters would come out.
Humming to keep herself occupied, the tall girl kept an eye out for Miles. He had to be back. He promised!