Trust dreams. Trust your heart, and trust your story.

[smallestopener]

Ingress had a brilliant birthday. She’s eleven. Eleven is nearly grown up! It’s also the year when children in the stories she’s read come into their own. Adventures begin, schooling starts, worlds are saved… she can hardly wait to see what will happen next

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There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[smallestopener]

Ingress is in Milliways, but it’s not quite Milliways. It’s also the family room in their wing of the House of Arch with stacks of books and comfortable couches. There are board games scattered around the floor - chess, Exploding Snap cards, Snakes and Ladders (which she doesn’t even play anymore), and old toys. She laughs when she sees her dress up trunk by the fireplace. She runs to it and pulls out the tutu she always loved to wear best.

She hasn’t played dress up with tutus in a while. She shimmies into it, and it fits again! Her blue shoes glitter on her feet, and there are shiny beads around her neck. Her sword, however, remains in its scabbard attached to her belt. Some things don’t change.

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[smallestopener]

That is a pretty brilliant compliment. It is akin to Lan not frowning as much when he tells her she's progressing.

She beams and her wings flap. "Thanks!"

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[oneman_onevote]

Havelock is peering at his ice cream with clinical interest.

...

Give him a moment.

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[smallestopener]

"Don't worry, Havelock," Ingress reassures him as she bites off the top of her loop-de-loop. "It's a very serious flavor."

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[awesome_lilly]

"Tastes like death?" Lilly asks, looking hopeful. "Because I've always imagined she has a White Russian flavor to her at this point."

Not that Lilly has ever pondered licking Death. Shut up. Just because Raph seemed to think it was fun...

Anyway.

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[oneman_onevote]

"I wouldn't know," Havelock says, eyeing Lilly in mild amusement.

"But it's very good."

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[smallestopener]

Ingress dances around the chairs and the fireplace, waving to the fishes, and then she pats the dogs from the House of Arch painting on the head. For once, they aren't playing poker. They are all lounging on the sofas or arm chairs.

She plops down on the rug, and Galatea, the House of Arch owl, swoops over her. She circles Ingress' head and then flies down, dropping a packet into her lap.

Ingress opens the packet and lifts out several photographs, some from Wizarding cameras, some not. Bernard and 'Dora, the kids, Sunny, Faith, Arithon, Elaine, Cuthbert - all the friends and family who she rarely, or never, sees any longer.

Pictures don't make her sad. She loves seeing the familiar faces.

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[gonna_live]

Kaylee's dress -- in the layer-cake style -- is the color of Tonks's hair, and her scarf is a deep, deep purple. "Nĭ hăo, xiăo mèimèi." There's a parasol, and she's twirling it, making the red and green and yellow and white swirl. "What's the news?"

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[smallestopener]

"Galatea brought me pictures," Ingress smiles, and now, in place of her tutu, she's wearing the first dress Tom bought for her at Madame Malkans. It's deep red with puffy sleeves and a full skirt. It was one of her very, very, very favorite dresses ever, but she outgrew it a long time ago.

There's only so much a charm can do to expand a garment.

"Are you going to a party? You look like a princess."

As Ingress stands, a couple of little toy robots go marching by, their gears whirring.

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[gonna_live]

"Oh, me?" Kaylee laughs. "This is how I always am. It's just that most folks don't see it."

She points. "See?" One of the robots is also wearing a dress. It may not have been a moment ago.

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[smallestopener]

"I love that color, Miss Robot. You're rocking the look!"

The robot turns its head, nods, and then, with a very dramatic clank, slowly comes to a halt.

"Uh oh. I broke it with compliments."

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[gonna_live]

"That's okay -- I know we can fix it." Kaylee's dress rustles as she walks; there's a crinoline under there somewhere. "Do you have your tools?"

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[smallestopener]

She pats her pockets. Except the skirt has no pockets. So she lifts the skirt to pat the pockets on the capri pants she's wearing underneath.

"I do, I do!"

She pulls out a little tool kit from a pocket and then says "Oh!" with surprise as she pulls a wrench from her sword sheath.

"I have them."

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[gonna_live]

"Oh, good."

Kaylee kneels by the robot. "Do you know what to do, Ingress?"

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[smallestopener]

"Um. Yes. But you'll help me if I need any help?"

She taps on the robot and a control panel pings open. The panel is decorated with lace. Ingress starts pulling out gears, blowing on them to get rid of the dust, and putting them back inside.

Re: There once was a little girl who came to Milliways

[gonna_live]

Kaylee doesn't actually do any of the work, or say much of anything -- a little encouragement, but that's it.

It's not long at all (or maybe it is, but it doesn't feel like it) before the robot's good as new, and it turns them a little curtsey before soldiering on its way, dress and all.

"It talked to you," Kaylee says, beaming. "They got workings, and they talk."