voidtreckerexpress | Winter Wonderland [Event]

”Good Morning passengers. Today is day Twenty Four of the month of Catfish. You may wish to look out of the window.”

As passengers wake in their beds they will indeed notice something different about the light. If they look out of the window, instead of the ever changing void they will see white slopes of mountains, flakes of snow alling down around them and frost covered trees zipping past the windows. If they glance at the ICP on the table they will see a message.

Investigating the dressing cart they will find the drawers and cupboards unlocked once again. However, instead of the fantasy-esque clothing of world #25768 they will find thick winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves. There are heavy fur lined boots and even some ice skates.

Entering the garden carriage they will see that the glass dome of the roof has opened, leaving the carriage exposed to a bright blue sky. Any nonsense of the past few weeks has vanished, leaving the carriage pristine. Not that that is easy to notice as it is covered in a thick layer of snow. The paths are clearer, a light dusting of snow but easy to talk through. Around the paths the drifts are high, perfect for snowman building or a snowball fight.

The streams and the pond in the centre are solid ice. Anyone brave enough to try to find the ice holds their weight for ice skating.

And the ICP message was correct. There is hot chocolate in the stores.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Maybe. But there must be being more elves who do no be being in your family." Surely. Unless all the elves were one big family. Who knew, other worlds were strange.

Brave in battle and skilful in a forge, he sounded like a useful person to have around.

She shook her head, "I do no be thinking so. I did no be knowing too many people there but no one else do be being from Gauig here and I did no be meeting anyone who did be being like a person from my world."

They were all from strange places. She nodded slowly at his last part. She still wasn't sure about friends. Friend seemed to be a title people imposed on her a lot. But she didn't really know what a friend was meant to do or why she had found herself with so many. But it was a truth and so she nodded. "I do be having a lot."

"In my world, there are a great many Elves who aren't my immediate relatives. And I've met a few from other worlds who aren't my relatives, either. Unless in fact we all have a common origin. But who knows about that?"

It was a little sad that she didn't have anybody from her own world, or at least somebody from her world that she cared for. And yet, friendship was a good thing.

"People are drawn to you, I think. Maybe at first it's because you're a child, and that automatically makes people want to befriend and protect you. But that's not all it is. Personally, I really enjoy talking with you. You're smart, competent and curious, and I think you have some affinity for unknown situations? You don't hide in your cabin and pray that it'll all go away. Instead, you get around and talk to people, and ask questions, and get to know the people and the situation."

Edited 2020-01-13 00:49 (UTC)

Right. So there were Elves that were not related. That was a relief at least. Maybe some of those elves would turn up instead. Or maybe not. She didn't know how this train decided to kidnap people.

She tilted her head as he explained. People were drawn to her? That wasn't a good thing but she was pleased he thought her smart and competent.

"Hiding do be being stupid. If you do be hiding then you will no be changing anything." Praying was not a bad thing, but she was unsure that her god could hear her here. It was not their world.

"So that do be being why I do be having friends..." Just because she was smart? That occurs to her to not be altogether a bad thing. Being a person that is seen as competent and people want to protect. Not that she needs protection, of course.

Who knew what the train's criteria really were?

"I completely agree with you about hiding. Whoever hides loses any chance of changing anything at all. It is not your way, and it is not my way. We're in complete agreement on that."

Friends. Friendship is a mystery too. Even when people know why they are drawn to one another. Translating that into an active friendship is a mysterious art.

"I think that's why you have friends. But I suppose your friends would have their own opinions as to why they like you. Reason for friendship are as many as the leaves on the trees." He smiles. "That's an Elvish saying."

"As many as there do be being leaves on the trees?" That's a lot of reasons. No wonder it was so complicated.

"So you do no be needing to be feeling one specific thing to be being friends with someone? You can just be... Being their friend. You can just be saying it?"

He seems very knowledgeable about the subject and if Elves have sayings about friendship then they must be very wise about it.

"Yes, as many as the leaves on the trees. That's because conscious, feeling beings are complex, and we are not all the same."

He thinks about what she is saying about friendship and reasons. "You don't have to feel only one specific feeling in order to be inspired to seek friendship with a person. You can be their friend for all sorts of reasons, and you don't even have to explain."

Elves have had many millennia to think about friendship, to experience it, and to try to describe it. If experience is wisdom, then they are wise.

Feelings are complex. The most complicated thing and really hard to learn. But Curufin explaining it like this helped. She didn't need to feel one specific feeling to be friends with someone and you didn't have to explain.

So even though Peter was a stupid light addled idiot who used twenty times as many words as he ever needed to and even though sometimes she just wanted to stab his stupid face she still could be his friend. She liked spending time with him, he made her smile and he was a person who would help her.

"I do be thanking you. You do be knowing a lot about friends."

Curufin smiled at her and said, "You're welcome, and feel free to talk with me anytime. It can help to share your ideas and questions about life."

He'd be amused to hear her thoughts about Peter. He too had once had friends he thought were idiots and whose faces he'd have liked to punch. He and they had remained friends as long as they had known each other.

She grinned at him, it was good to have someone who she could ask question of, who knew so many things.

She skated in a circle around him, only wobbling a little bit. She was definitely getting the hang of it. "I will be."

"All right!" he responded, cheerfully. He was looking forward to more conversations with her in the future.

He watched her as she circled him on her skates. "Very nice," he said, nodding, and also turning in a circle so that he was facing her at every instant. He grinned. "Want to skate around the edges of the pond with me?" He took off, though not so fast that she wouldn't be able to keep up.

Edited 2020-01-17 09:55 (UTC)

"Yes." She nodded and then he had set off so she had to catch up. Her legs were still a bit wobbly but she found that if she moved her body around as well as her legs. She followed him, though corners were a bit difficult and she wasn't sure how she was going to stop when the time came.

It was fun though, like roof running. But different. It still gave her the same feeling, that she might fall any time but the only way to not fall was to keep going and keep the momentum. She grinned as she skated, laughing slightly as she sped up.

Curufin didn't skate as fast as he could, since he wanted to give Little One time to become used to this peculiar and delightful way of traveling across that odd element, ice. She increased her speed as they circled around the edges of the pond, and so he increased his velocity by just a little, except when they were cornering.

He was delighted when she laughed. Obviously, she was having fun. They could skate like this all day, or as long as she wanted to, so far as he was concerned.

She would happily skate all day, or at least until her legs gave up. She chased Curufin around the ice, doing her best to match his speed. Though she fell a couple of times she remembered the way of getting up again that he showed her and she was soon back to skating, grinning the whole time.

Winter Wonderland [Event]

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Want to wrap this one, and let these two skate all morning?

Sounds good!