Not really an introduction

[sophie_darling]

Here is a little girl of 7, toying with an old doll on the stairs of the Mansion.  She's talking to herself, or to her toys, who knows? Today is her birthday, but she hasn't fussed about it.

Her auntie (is she her mummy ?  she forgets sometimes), is away more and more on mysterious errands, and her best friend is old, now, as are the boys she used

Comments

[thenotsofair]

Cleeg has been running all day.

Not literally running, but fleeing various locales because he does not want to talk and he does not want to see people who are going to make the dull ache in his belly worse. And there are a lot of them.

However, he has to come in eventually, head and shoulders down, more weary than he's been in a while and trying not to let his head go in circles.

[thenotsofair]

He closes his eyes, briefly. "I'm just tired, that's all."

[sophie_darling]

"Then sleep. Are you having nightmares? I have them sometimes..."

[thenotsofair]

Swallows, once. "Sometimes. It's not...the kind of tired sleeping helps."

[sophie_darling]

"When I have nightmares, Sugar sings to me - I can sing for you, if you want. It really helps a lot!"

[thenotsofair]

Uuf.

"I'll be all right, Sophie. Truly."

[sophie_darling]

.... "But you said I could take care of you...."

[thenotsofair]

"You can worry about me if you have to. It's my job to take care of you."

[sophie_darling]

"But everyone says that, and then they leave me alone, and I just --- I'm so bored!"

[thenotsofair]

Eyes sharpen a little, abruptly. "Who's been watching you?"

[sophie_darling]

--- "Auntie Kalush. But --- it's just --- "

[thenotsofair]

"And she hasn't been paying enough attention to you?"

[sophie_darling]

"No, no," quickly. "No, she's very nice, very very nice, it's just --- my best friend -- Arianna --- she's --- "

[thenotsofair]

Frowns a little. "She's-?"

[sophie_darling]

"Grown up." Eeeeeew. "And she's with boys." Eeeeeeew. Coodies.

[thenotsofair]

His mouth almost twitches at the implied. "So quickly-" Wait.

"Oh. Yes." A pause. "I'm sorry."