Impossible Child [Harps/Lucca]

[Lucca]

Aberforth shook his head, his expression darkening as his mind raced with all the paranoid possibilities. "I don't believe in coincidence," he said in a low voice, and was about to go back and open the door when...his expression instantly smoothed over into a remote neutrality, his normal mask, and the trembling stopped. Despite having lived with her for a while, and trusting her to the extent he could...he and Polina still didn't get on very well, much to Iaso's dismay.

One ear flicked in a gesture of slight annoyance, but other than that he made no move nor any attempt to say anything as Iaso and her grate aunt spoke. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Polina said they should let the child in. He was pretty sure he'd just suggested that before she stuck her large nose in. He backed up a few echoing clops so she could get to the door. The next exchange happened with a rapidity that would have startled him if he hadn't already seen so much of the way Polina handled things.

He glanced at Iaso mildly and nodded. "Again, there is little else we can do," he said, and turned to follow, though he slowed his pace intentionally so his mate could keep up.

[Harpsdesire]

Kendra perked up slightly and scrambled to her feet as the door flew open. She looked at the badger for a moment, confusion at seeing someone different at the door quickly giving way to a light of recognition. "Auntie...." She couldn't remember the name for a moment, couldn't consciously form it in her mind, but her mouth seemed to work all on it's own as she quietly finished, "Polina?"" That sounded right, as though she could faintly remember saying it before.

It looked like someone remembered her after all! She was flooded with joy and relief as the woman spoke kindly words to her, and she eagerly grasped the long-clawed hand and allowed herself to be herded down the hallway. "I'd like a bath." She admitted. Getting the grime of the streets out of her fur would be a good start. Maybe once she recovered from the shock of her parents' cold reaction she'd feel a little more like eating.

She looked over her should with some dismay as Iaso and Aberforth formed a procession down the hallway behind her. This was not the homecoming she had longed for or expected, but at least her Auntie had let her inside. All hope wasn't totally lost.

[Callypso]

I thought you might.

Polina smiled kindly to the young girl before she escorted her down the hallway, masking her shock that the young ferret had known her name. Auntie Polina… The desperation in the Corvie’s voice, as well as the recognition, was very unsettling. As soon as the girl faced forward, however, she pursed her lips in thought.

For once, it seemed, her Grand-Niece and her mate weren’t being overly cautious. Aberforth would leer at the milkman, if given a chance. She knew the goat wasn’t overly fond of her but considered that to be of little importance in comparison with the task she was here to do. Helping with the little ones was her top priority – she didn’t need Aberforth to like her, just to tolerate her presence.

She guided the girl into the one of the many doorways leading off the main hallway into the bathroom, absently combing the child’s mane with one paw while she ran the tap with another. Polina was surprised to find the act vaguely familiar. Emotions stirred within her breast that she hadn’t expected, and she found herself feeling as lost and confused as the girl seemed to be. The badger pulled fresh towels and washcloths from a cupboard and smiled again at the disheveled teenager.

Now then, we’ll just give you a bit of privacy. Take your time, dear. By the time you’re done I’ll have something tasty for you at the table, eh?

She gently closed the washroom door behind her and looked gravely at the parents who had trailed her, and nodded down the hall for them to follow her into the kitchen where they wouldn’t be heard.

Iso seemed unable to contain herself, Is she quite mad, Polina? Something’s addled her brain, perhaps? A poison from the War?

Polina heaved a deep sigh as she put the kettle on to boil and began busying herself preparing a small meal.

No, I think not. I can’t explain it, love, but she does seem familiar. I don’t know if it’s trickery of some such or if she’s who she says she is, but there’s something about her, eh?

The doctor frowned and turned to look at Aberforth, unspoken questions and fears in her eyes. How could this be? After silently watching her aunt, she voiced her thoughts.

It’s impossible! I haven’t yet carried a litter to term, nor have I ever been pregnant before now. Clearly I'm months away from giving birth!

I know dear, but in the meantime you might want to find yourself a Diamond to verify the girl’s story, eh?


Iso's inky backside rippled as if agitated, echoing her unspoken thoughts. The last thing she wanted was more magic, more spells, but she didn't know what to do otherwise. Furthermore, what exactly was her Great-Aunt suggesting behind that solemn gaze?!

[Lucca]

Aberforth's ears twitched. The girl knew Polina's name. This was just getting too surreal, and the Goat felt his insides turning to ice. Whatever all this signified, it couldn't be good. He followed Polina and Iaso back to the kitchen, face a perfect expressionless mask, as he listened and processed and shot one final look at the closed bathroom door before standing a bit behind where Iaso sat.

He met her look and, just for her and only for her, brief emotions swam in his eyes. Fear, certainly, and anger at whoever had caused this mess. Because, no, he didn't believe in coincidences. Therefore, this wasn't one. It was something far more sinister. Finally, he voiced his thoughts on the matter, his tone clipped and cold and his expression once again betraying nothing.

"That won't be necessary, Polina," he said. "If the girl has been deceived with magic or something else, she may indeed believe she is telling the truth when she is in fact raving mad. The question is, how does she know all that information? And what -else- does she know? We must question her. Find out what else she...'remembers' about us." The icy feeling in his stomach was making it hard to breathe, to think logically. He hadn't been this scared in a while, and he'd forgotten how paralyzing the feeling could be. He tried to just ignore it.

[Harpsdesire]

"O-Okay." Feeling rather overwhelmed, Kendra was able to say nothing more as she watched Polina bustle about and felt the surprisingly familiar and comforting touch of long badge claws combing through her silky mane. She leaned into the touch a little, craving that comfort. Although she nodded to accept the offer of privacy, her wide eyes watched Polina go with something like fear, and she stared at the door for a long moment after it had closed behind the woman that she somehow knew to be her auntie.

Shaking herself to ward off the sudden desire to run out of the bathroom and back into that comforting adult presence, Kendra lowered herself into the warm bathtub. There was bar of soap handy, and the scent of it was incredibly familiar. She had smelled it before... when? Her mind swam with cloudy, dream-like images of being much smaller, so that she fit in the tub with two other little girls. They splashed each other playfully and an adult voice scolded. They were the same colors as her... two sisters had been bathed with her here when they were all very small... Kendra whimpered and plunged her head underwater to wash her mane.

Although her first instinct had been to rush back to Polina's side, it was actually some time before Kendra peeked timidly out of the bathroom. Getting ride of the dirt of several days on the street took longer than he had expected, and this gave her time to remember and begin to dread the strange cold way her parents had looked at her. Like she was a stranger. It was hard to face that again, and she had delayed a bit, laying back in the warm water and trying to pretend that everything was okay.

Eventually pretense was not enough to keep her content, and the water had begun to go cold. She had scrubbed herself as dry as she could with a towel before she emerged and nervously made her way in the direction she instinctively knew to be the kitchen. The girl's fur was damp but clean-smelling, and her mane had been washed and combed.

[Callypso]

Polina pursed her lips as she removed a hot tray of steaming buns from the pot-bellied oven. If the girl’s mind had been tampered with a Diamond spell would do them no good – she would believe it with every fiber of her being.

I suppose that’s true, Aberforth. I don’t think there’s an ounce of malice in her, but we can’t be too careful. Not these days, anyway. The whole world was upside down and backwards. Selkies poisoned, the Lowlanders sent to a fiery hell… She shook her head as a shiver raced down her spine.

Iso felt her breath catch in her throat as the Tulgey turned his gaze toward her. It secretly pleased her that his stony façade was crumbling, if only for her, though at the moment it provided little solace. The fear and anger in his eyes only increased her own, her bewilderment edging towards panic. Though she had kept her wits during the War, it was more threatening when the unknown plunked itself at your doorstep. Even more so when it was washing in a back room down the hall. She rubbed her forehead with a paw, then accepted a small stack of plates as Polina arranged the steamy rolls into a basket and tucked a dish towel around them to keep them warm.

Waddling slowly to the kitchen table with her load, she looked back to the goat who had followed with a tiny tray of empty mugs.

We must be gentle with her, I think. Though she may be magicked or a plant, her confusion and fear seemed real. She genuinely believes she lives here and we don’t want to frighten her into silence.

The ferret crinkled her eyebrows into a mixture of exasperation and fatigue as she set the table. It was too much. She wanted desperately to excuse herself to her bedroom and sleep until this nightmare was over.

Ah, there you are, ducky! Have a nice bath, dear? The badger smiled warmly, hiding the concern she felt as she removed the tea strainer from a tea pot. Pushing a bowl of chopped fruit into one of the girl’s paws to take to the table, she slipped a single snickerdoodle into Kendra’s free paw and winked.

Don’t tell!, she whispered conspiratorially and followed the girl to the dining area with the rolls, tea pot and jar of honey in hand.

[Lucca]

Aberforth nodded, glad to see Polina agreed with him. Not only did he know that a Diamond truth telling spell would bear no fruit in this situation, but he also didn't want to involve anyone else in this matter. The fewer Cards that knew about...whatever this actually was, the better. He helped set the table, mind still whirling with everything. What was one to do in this situation? He felt fidgety and nervous, even more so than usual.

His only answer to Iaso was a grunt, as the tray in his mouth prevented him from speaking. He agreed with her. Scaring the girl off would do no good. Therefore...

"I think it's best if I stay silent, then," he said to Iaso in an undertone as he set the tray down and began to carefully push the mugs to their proper places at the table. The Tulgey was under no illusions that he was a friendly Card, or that he was good with kids. He would do his best for his own children, but for this girl who claimed to be one...well, he'd have to observe her and see what he thought. His pink eyes flickered as he watched the girl come back in and make a beeline for the kitchen.

"Ask her about these siblings she claims to have," he whispered in an undertone to Iaso, and then took his seat at the table to wait.

[Harpsdesire]

"Yes, thank you." Kendra was as polite as she was able, for she didn't feel entirely at ease, even with Polina's kindness somewhat improving the chill in the room. There was a suppressed tension in the woman that Kendra's own subconscious responded to, even though it was well hidden enough that she couldn't say for sure that it was there.

The kitchen was steamy and fragrant with the smell of good things cooking, and although the cookie surprised her, and the wink even more, she nibbled at it gratefully. She actually was hungry underneath that sick, sinking feeling, and the smell and flavor of the treat was so utterly familiar and homey that she felt tears well in her eyes. It was good to be back... back where she could never fully remember being before. "I won't." She assured Polina, somehow managing a reasonably normal tone of voice. She accepted the bowl of fruit and headed to the table on auto-pilot, as if she had walked this floor many times in her life.

If only her mom and dad weren't afflicted with an amnesia even worse than hers! She put the bowl on the table carefully and looked at Iso and Aberforth with a touch of apprehension. What if they really didn't remember, or worse-- were pretending just to be rid of her? She brushed a paw through her damp mane nervously. She opened her mouth as if to speak, closed it, and then looked down at her paws.

[Callypso]

This was going to be a rather delicate situation.

How did one go about interrogating a child without sending them into a panic attack? Complicating matters further, the girl was an adolescent! Children were one thing – show interest in what they liked and use that as a platform for other inquiries. Teenagers, though, they had developed beyond infantile curiosity and pleasure and were fast offended by any purported breach of privacy or alluded infraction. At least, that was what her mother had complained to her once she had entered the university.

What was one to do when a quandary was compacted by the fact that one’s memory was possibly tampered with? When the subject giving testimony was convinced beyond doubt that they spoke truth when the situation they described reeked of impossibility?

She only nodded in response to Aberforth’s suggested line of questioning, for just then the slightly dampened newcomer arrived at the dining table with a fruit bowl in hand with Polina trailing behind carrying the rest of their lunch. Despite the girl supposedly been wandering the last few days since the War, she didn’t look the worse for wear though it was obvious she was agitated. She opened her mouth and closed it again, staring at the table in front of her once deciding not to speak.

Polina bustled easily around the table and slipped down the hall for a moment before returning with a shawl that she draped over the girl’s shoulders as she slipped into the seat next to her.

Can’t let you catch cold now, can we, ducky?

Iso chewed her lip and tore a bun in half but ended up just fiddling with it on the plate, tearing it into few smaller pieces. Realizing she wouldn’t be able to eat until she had some answers, she cleared her throat and looked at Kendra.

I don’t want to ruin the lovely lunch Polina has prepared, but we’d like to ask you a few questions. Could you tell us what happened to you during the last couple of days?

She would ask about the supposed siblings soon enough, but perhaps if they knew where the girl had been wandering they might be able to retrace her steps back toward her proper home?

[Lucca]

Aberforth looked away at the nod, trying to relax. The girl would be able to tell if he was tense. He knew that she'd noticed, earlier, the way he was suspicious of her. And he'd noticed how she'd expected quite a different sort of reception into her 'home'. Part of him actually felt a little bad for the girl, which he hadn't expected. It wasn't something he was used to feeling, but looking at her sad, eerily familiar eyes wrenched his heart a little.

And that made him uncomfortable. So he avoided looking into her eyes as she sat, keeping his pink eyes focused on some point right above her left ear if he was forced to look at all. He used the excuse of paying special attention to his lunch and pretending to be ignoring all of them with his usual distant air. Of course, as always, his ears were perked to catch every word of the conversation. What she said now would tell him just how dangerous whoever was trying to infiltrate their household was.