As the pendulum swings

For @Dimitri

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Floating, drifting, fading. It was a strange sensation, as if she had been encapsulated in a womb but fro some reason that did not seem right. Her heartbeat steady, and yet the feeling of her body was off. Warmth engulfed her, carressed her before the weight of her body came to rest at its destination. A shiver ran over her spine and she began to stir, a breath and then two.

Life came to the child's body just as her pale lashes lifted from her cheeks, for a moment she saw nothing as a haze cleared from her lavender eyes. No memories entered her mind, no thoughts really came as she simply stared at her surroundings. The child laid there, shivering slightly as if she had been pulled violently from the warm embrace of a parent but nothing of recollection came to mind.

Those lavender eyes looked down at the small silver chain that coiled around her leg, simply staring at the quartz crystal at the end of it. Unsure if what to think or feel.

How peculiar.

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Pace the length required. Have a seat. Stare out at the water, breathe in the air. This is the world the Five made for you, he reminds himself. A general you-- not him alone, for in the grand scheme of things he is so small and insignificant that the Five wouldn't act for him alone. But he prays to them regardless, looking for a sign of his latest purpose. What he does not expect is mid-prayer for a wolf to manifest on the shores. Not an adult-- too small, too strange.

He stares with an equal mix of apprehension and wonder. He has extreme attention to detail and knows she was not there before. He's not sure what to think, and so he settles for a few moments of silent prayer before the words come to his mouth. "Are you lost?" He doesn't even know if she'd know English, but he could try Russian. Other languages? He'd be shot there.
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Her gaze was focused in the pretty gem laying proped on her dark paw, the way the sunlight made it glow and glitter with the softest shift of said paw. It was beautiful and something in her mind told her it was important, a gift of some kind but from where? Was it from some almighty beings, was it from a friend?

Are you lost?

Her thoughts fell away at the sound of that voice, was she lost? Perhaps she was? Wisteria eyes moved to the boy who stood close, young like her. Her head tilted slightly as she thought about hos question, wonderment sparking in the depths of her gaze.

"I-" Her voice caught, gentle and soft as she tried to think what to day. "I don't know." Confusion entered her features as she looked up at him, he had rather pretty eyes.

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She doesn't know? Well, that's an answer that causes him to shiver from nose to tail. The only people that don't know if they're lost are people who don't remember, or people sent with a purpose. Or both, he realizes suddenly. He edges closer, ready to bolt at any minute, but then his eye falls on the pendulum of quartz, and he stares for a period of time that's almost too long.

"Well, you're..." He clears his throat and looks her in the face again, to remind her that he's still acknowledging her. "You're in Elysium. It's safe here for all who are not sinners. Since you're small, perhaps the Five sent you here to be protected." Though why they would reveal her to him, if that's the case, he doesn't know. Because he's rather small himself, and not fit for protecting anyone yet. He'd probably cry the entire time, too, just like he did with Sylvie and Narcissa.
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She did not break the eye contact between them, instead she blinked slowly like a cat might do when they wanted their person to know that trust had been forged between them. When his eyes fell she simply watched him, curious of what he was thinking though she too had been mesmerized by the crystal that seemed to emerge with her.

Elysium

That was where the Five had brought her, to this land, to this boy. She supposed the Five were beings higher than them, maybe they were the warmth she felt before being placed in this foreign land. She wanted to know more about these creatures, curious to what this all could mean.

"Are you going to protect me?" She questioned softly, almost dreamily as she looked down at the quartz once more. Was this a gift from the Five? "I want to know more about the Five.." She looked back up, tilted her head once more before smiling reassuredly.

"What's your name?"

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He twitches slightly. He's not used to people asking him more about the Five. There's still so much he needs to learn himself, so many questions in his faith that he needs to ask (like what would cause a wolf to be possessed by evil). And the minute he hears her questions, he suddenly feels it within him: a calling. A sort of importance, weighed upon his small shoulders.

He's being asked to stand up to the task. But how, when he's so small?

"I... I suppose I could do my best," he says, ears flicking back. "I'm still learning how to fight, though... But I can pray for your protection." It's the strongest thing he can do as a child of his size. "And I can teach you all about the Five so they can protect you, too." His quiet, gentle voice has an edge of resolve in it. Yes, he can do that. He will... walk this path.

"I'm Dimitri. Um. What's your name?"
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So he was new to all of this too, maybe it was his first time finding someone. Was that how it happened, or was it the will of these Five that put her in his path or him in hers? It was a curious thought, putting two children together but maybe it was so they could learn the ways of thir world together? Her mind churned as he confirmed, thought shakily, that he would protect her. His resolve forming more as he spoke about teaching her about the beings that brought her into this world, is that how these things worked?

She nodded, slowly raising her body from the ground. Huh, she was smaller than him by a short amount. Odd. The chain of the crystal pendulum remaining coiled along her leg as if secured there, hanging gently against her fur. She took a step forward, closing the distance between them only slightly before speaking her name.

"Lyubov" How she knew that was her name she was not entirely sure, had the Five given it to her? She could not recall anything else at this moment.

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"Lyubov," he returns, and then he realizes she's closer to him. And then he realizes he's never met anyone his age that wasn't directly related to him before. He's not sure how to act. Perhaps she'll end up hating him as much as Violet hates him. Maybe things will turn suddenly nasty and she'll grow to see him as a bother.

"You should probably meet my moms," he says instead. "They lead the pack. I'm sure they'll let you stay. You're very small, and um. I'm sure I could look out for you. When I'm not in lessons. Just... don't talk to Violet too much and you'll be okay. Everyone else is nice."
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She had no idea the turmoil he was going through inside his mind, the struggle of thinking she might dislike him like his sister. A gentle smile came when he said her name, a wag of her tail to show him he had said it correctly. She felt the need to encourage him though she had no idea how to do that yet, maybe eventually she would be able to. She would get to know her protector and they could be friends, she liked him so far.

Then the subject changed slightly and they were talking about his moms, plural. Two mothers, that was fascinating to her. What parents had she had, with a head tilt she realized she could not remember at this time. How strange. Instead she focused on what he was saying, his parents were the leaders and would more than likely let her stay. He would look after her when not in his lessons and to not talk to this Violet person, she was not nice. Noted.

Her ink tipped tail began to move from side to side in a more regular fashion, both out of excitement and encouragement. She nodded before vocalizing her agreement, "I would be happy to meet them, do we call for them?" She asked, her head tilting in question. If he said yes she would raise her voice with him, helping call the adults to their location.

continuation..

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