Lana

Svetlana Morozova 16 years old The Little Match Girl * This character is deaf *

[solo-erso-ren]

Aesthetic Meme -> 4/4 fairytales: The Little Match Girl

[alloutofmatches]

mostnoblelancelot·:

Lancelot had never thought much about children before Fableton. He’d been in love with a woman he could never have, so the idea of a family had seemed rather far-fetched. He wasn’t the sort of person to settle, and he couldn’t in good conscience pursue anyone else knowing his heart was taken. Things were different in this world though. He’d learned that he didn’t need a partner to have a family. Although Lana certainly deserved two parents who loved her, they were perfectly happy on their own. He hadn’t expected to have this much, let alone ask for more. He was honored to share a name and a life with her.

He was still working on his Russian and his ASL, and Lana was working on her English and ASL, so they managed to communicate perfectly well these days. He’d never pressured her about school, or anything else she wasn’t ready for. They’d visited the university together and it was basically a small village. He didn’t blame her for finding it overwhelming, though he worried occasionally that she didn’t have enough friends her own age. Hanging out with him and the Guardians surely wasn’t enough socializing. (Sometimes those parenting books really got in his head.)

He chuckled softly, signing back, “Not unless you want to invite Sandy and Jack.” The kind teacher was a welcome fixture at their place, and since Lance had never minded a little mischief, so was Jack. Without the knights, Lancelot didn’t have a lot in the way of friends now that Meg was gone, and he hadn’t gone out of his way to make them. He had enough to keep him occupied with caring for Lana, quietly grieving Guinevere, and learning to navigate this strange, modern world. “Are you finished with your lesson?”

.

Even having one parent that loved her was far more than she’d been used to. She loved Lancelot, more than she’d ever thought she would. She remembered her initial fear of him, his size making her hide behind Meg more than once. Now, it was nice, something she often buried into and climbed onto for comfort and for fun. When she’d changed her name, she’d practiced writing it more than anything else. 

Both of them had things to work on when it came to communicating, and it helped her feel better about how much more she had to learn. They helped each other, learned together. She’d been worried he wouldn’t understand her decision to not go to regular school, how it felt so overwhelming to her. She was grateful to their friends for stepping up to help her, to teach her. 

Laughing, she shook her head at him. She loved having both Sandy and Jack around, fun in different ways for her. Sandy was unfailingly patient at kind while he taught her, and Jack was fun. She wished she didn’t sometimes see that quiet sadness in her dad, but she didn’t know if she could be the one to make it completely go away. “For today! What are we doing after breakfast?”

[alloutofmatches]

mostnoblelancelot​:

home wouldn’t seem so far | lance & lana

@alloutofmatches​

Things had been changing in Fableton since the barrier went down. If not for Lana, there was little that would have kept Lancelot in the town. He’d crossed worlds to find that Guinevere had settled safely and happily with her king. He’d always only wanted her happiness. There was no bitterness in it, but he wasn’t self-punishing enough to want to stay and watch. He’d been adrift at first, but guarding Lana had given him new purpose. That he’d grown to love her was no real surprise. His heart had always had a mind of its own. She was his daughter in every way that mattered, and he’d taken steps to legally adopt her when it became clear that Meg and Hades weren’t going to and that Lana preferred to stay with him.

They’d also left their club in his care when they left town, and he’d been managing it easily enough in the meantime, settling into the apartment over it with Lana. It wasn’t a profession he’d have chosen for himself, but he wasn’t sure what that would be now that knight and bodyguard were out. He considered it a short-term arrangement until they figured out what they wanted to do next, and that would be a joint effort. Lana had had enough taken from her, and he wanted her life to be of her own choosing from now on.

He’d gone a little overboard on making breakfast this morning, and there were plates piled with more pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns than they could hope to eat on their own. Fortunately, they were both fond of breakfast for dinner. He probably wouldn’t have bothered to make anything elaborate if it was just him, but they liked learning together, and he enjoyed taking care of her. He hummed to the radio while he got things dished up. The music here left much to be desired, but some of it had grown on him.

.

Lana had spent most of her young life more alone than anything, adrift. Her start in Fableton hadn’t been much better. Yes, Meg had taken her in, her and Hades putting a roof over her head and making sure that she lacked for nothing. Except affection. At first, Lancelot had been assigned as her bodyguard, which had been a kind term for a glorified babysitter. That singular relationship ha grown far beyond those bounds. 

When the barrier had fallen, it had never even been a question of if she would travel with Meg. It wasn’t anything any of them wanted. Lancelot had become home for her a long time before that, her safe harbor. The day he’d adopted her was the happiest of her memories and she’d even asked if she could change her name to match his. She knew it wasn’t the most conventional thing, her life, but it worked for all of them for now. 

She had settled into her lessons with Sandersen happily and with ease, the fact that the man himself often needed sign language adding to her comfort. She had learned that a traditional school setting was entirely too much for her. Looking up from the last minute lesson she’d nearly forgotten about, she laughed at the sight of all the food. Sliding out of her seat, she went to him so he could see her as she signed. ‘Papulya, I know I can eat almost as many pancakes as you can, but are we having company?’

[mostnoblelancelot]

Lancelot had kept up with his Russian lessons, but he and Lana had also discovered language apps on their phones to help the process along. The devices were useful for so many things. He muted it while he was in public, but he caught himself muttering the words under his breath from time to time. Truth be told, it only mattered if he could read and write them, but he preferred to be thorough. He thumbed through the lessons with the usual efficiency, rarely missing one, and paused, repeating a word thoughtfully to himself before he moved on.

[alloutofmatches]

Lana had been growing more comfortable, sliding a little further into the world as she learned more English. She was still far more comfortable with Russian, and probably always would be, but she knew it was good to broaden her horizons. The stable core she’d found, quite by surprise, in Fableton, with Lancelot, Bigby, and Sandy made her feel like she had a strange sort of family. Seeing Lancelot, she bounded up to him and started signing carefully, You look serious.

[mostnoblelancelot]

found family dinner | lana, g, & lance

[alloutofmatches]

knightedlancelot·:

gxpendragon·:

Guinevere was out of practice, these days, with keeping her feelings to herself.  Not that the years of practice would have mattered at all now that she was seeing Lancelot in such a fatherly role.  It opened her heart up in a whole new way, watching Lana embrace him casually, and reading her words about the things they did together.  She knew he was hired to be her bodyguard, essentially, but the role he was playing was so much deeper.  The fact they were so attached to one another made her appreciate Lancelot in a whole new way. 

She had to remind herself to look away from him and down at the phone.  ‘I’m glad you have him,’ she replied.  While she could’ve guessed how Lana felt toward Lancelot from their gestures and general mood around one another, she didn’t know the situation well enough to be more specific.  She redirected herself to basics.  ‘What are you studying?’    

Once she’d slid the phone back to Lana, she resumed chopping and glanced over her shoulder at Lance.  “So are you just going to stand there looking pretty, or do you want to start cooking while we chop?”

@knightedlancelot·

He wrapped an arm briefly around Lana when she pressed to his side, the gesture so familiar he didn’t have to think about it. Perhaps he would have stayed only her bodyguard if that was what she needed, but Lana’s life had never been in danger that he knew of. What she needed was someone who wouldn’t leave, and you would have to have a harder heart than Lancelot’s to walk away from that. It was sort of impossible not to love her, though it wasn’t as if he’d tried.

The skillets were ready, and he glanced over his shoulder when she spoke. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a quick kiss to her shoulder. “I was going to stand here and look pretty. But you have it covered,” he teased. Well, halfway teasing, since the second part was just true. He picked up a dish of chopped vegetables and poured them into the pan to cook, with another quick glance at Lana to make sure she was still doing alright.

@alloutofmatches·

She couldn’t quite imagine a life in Fableton without Lancelot in it, as he had been with her from nearly the beginning. It had given her a chance to get comfortable, to maybe have someone who would stay with her even though she knew it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t as though she was easy to communicate with, and it just added challenges that some people didn’t like.

“I am too,” she agreed with a small smile. The question made her pause and think about everything she was trying to learn. “I’m learning English so we don’t need a translator anymore. Then I’m going to try and learn sign language. And I’m trying to learn normal things, too, since I didn’t really go to school.”

@gxpendragon·

[mostnoblelancelot]

found family dinner | lana, g, & lance

[alloutofmatches]

knightedlancelot·:

gxpendragon·:

Silly or not, Guinevere nodded in reply to the message, but she laughed as she typed in her reply.  ‘If you cook with him, he likely already taught you the same things I know.  He is good at everything.’  She glanced over at Lance, almost shaking her head fondly.  Instead, it turned to a nod of understanding.  ‘It is different for me, too, but better.  Is it also better for you?’  She wished there were a more efficient way, a short hand, but there wasn’t.  Watching the brief moments of reassurance between Lancelot and Lana made her think it was possible to develop one, though, and that was a pleasant thought. 

@knightedlancelot·

He moved over a little to make space for Lana between them. For purely practical reasons, it made the most sense so she could communicate with both of them, but he also sensed she’d be more comfortable if he stayed close. When she briefly leaned into him, he wrapped a comforting arm around her.

He wasn’t privy to their text conversation, so he kept himself busy lighting the stove and getting the cooking process started. He’d mastered enough skills to get by and even get a little creative once in a while, but he thought it was best to stick to simple things tonight. Guinevere’s laugh brought a smile to his lips, and he caught her eye over Lana’s head when she looked over.

@alloutofmatches·

She was able to relax at the reassuring comfort of Lance being close, reminding her that nothing was really different. Reading over the text, a small laugh escaped her and she looked between the two of them. ‘Everything? Really? Are you sure there isn’t something that he isn’t good at?’ There was a teasing look on her face as she showed the phone to Guinevere.

As she thought about her old home, she shivered lightly before shaking it off. ‘It’s much better for me here. I really had nothing where I came from, and here,’ she paused in her typing to look at Lance, ‘I have something kind of like a family. At least, more like what I always thought family felt like instead of what mine was like.’

@gxpendragon·

[mostnoblelancelot]

found family dinner | lana, g, & lance

[alloutofmatches]

knightedlancelot·:

gxpendragon·:

Guinevere tossed a glance toward Lancelot over her shoulder as he repositioned.  She didn’t get enough of a glance to actually tell where he was going or why.  She could only guess the answers were ‘not far’ and ‘because he trusted her/them’. 

Lana dug into chopping with a smile, and Guinevere hoped it wasn’t a show.  Getting to know another person was always a struggle, and she didn’t want Lana to simply put a happy face on it.  Eager to keep the conversation going however possible, Guinevere reached for the phone before she started her own chopping and possibly sautéing.  

“Do you like to cook? I don’t know anything elaborate, but I can show you what I do know.” 

@knightedlancelot·

Lancelot didn’t go far, only a few steps away, but he didn’t think they could truly start to bond with him hovering over their shoulders. He knew that Guinevere wasn’t in any way a physical danger to Lana. He didn’t think she was any sort of danger at all, but there was no way to reassure her of that before they even knew each other. He knew how much she worried about not fitting in or being left behind, and he also knew that Guinevere could be sensitive when it came to children. It could be a very good match, or it could be a disaster, and he was trying not to let his imagination wander too far in either direction. He stayed out of their conversation for a time and busied himself with pulling out a pan for sauteing and any others they might need.

@alloutofmatches·

She shifted all of her things so she was between the pair, choosing to keep both of them close. It also made it easier to interact with both of them, since her and Lancelot had become very good at not needing words or text all the time. As she worked, she saw Guinever typing and paused to look over at the offered message. 

‘I do! Papulya and I cook a lot when he’s here with me these days. It’s a nice break from studying.’ She paused and bit the inside of her cheek before she typed the next bit, wanting to help Guinevere understand where she comes from. ‘It is very different from where I came from. I did not have all of the things I do here. Honestly... I did not have much at all.’ She offered the phone shyly and ducked her head, leaning to the side to press against Lance for a moment before straightening and going back to work.

@gxpendragon·

[alloutofmatches]

guardianofdreamssanderson·:

‘They are relatively okay. It is not easy to tame and destroy a star.’ Sandy wrote pausing, ‘But I am not sure. I don’t think they entirely stay as stars. Not completely. I have met one that became a fire demon. Of sorts. But they won’t tell me how they transformed to that. It is a mystery that even myself must figure out. When I have time.’ 

‘That’s good, at least,’ she mused for a moment, chewing on the side of her thumb as she processed. ‘A fire demon? I bet that’s an amazing story. I hope you get to find out one day.’

[mostnoblelancelot]

found family dinner | lana, g, & lance

[alloutofmatches]

knightedlancelot·:

gxpendragon·:

While she appreciated the opportunity to meet the girl Lancelot had been protecting, the actual experience of it was nerve-inducing.  The quiet tension within Lancelot wasn’t something she’d seen in a good long while, if ever.  Lana’s withdrawal, if not quiet attention, was going to be hard to subvert.  Guinevere hadn’t had trouble relating to people once she got started.  She had done fine in various social situation, but she had been the queen then and basic courtesies and pleasantries were required to break the ice.  Her role had given people something to grab onto, to identify with in some way.  Here, she had none of that, and it presented a challenge. 

Combined with the fact she’d agreed to come to the apartment Lana lived in, and Lancelot spent a lot of time in as a result, she felt like she may have been the most out of her element of the three of them.  It was easy to focus on some of the rote tasks of cooking, things she was enjoying and learning anew with Lancelot, but that didn’t accomplish much beyond a meal itself.  It certainly wasn’t social. 

Having been prepared for the communication challenges, she knew how to ask for something.  She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and typed in Do you want to help me cut some of these vegetables? , then let the translating app do its thing before she reached around Lancelot to hand it to Lana.

@knightedlancelot·

Lancelot didn’t have a good answer for why now except that it was long overdue. A better question might have been why not six months ago, but it had taken time for them to build the relationship they had. He’d come to care for Lana much like she was his own child. He’d also realized that her apartment with Meg seemed like kind of a temporary solution. Before he knew whether he could play a role in finding her a real home, he needed to know whether Guinevere and Lana even liked each other. He hadn’t really formed most of that into coherent thoughts, let alone plans for the future, but they would know more after tonight.

When she handed the phone around him, he deftly traded places with her so they could communicate without him as a barrier. He slid a quick gaze to Lana to make sure it was alright, his hand lightly grazing Guinevere’s back as he moved around her. It was normal for him to try to blend into the background during Lana’s interactions with other people. He wasn’t there to control her life, just to see that she was safe and to help if she needed anything.

@alloutofmatches·

When Guinevere reached around Lance and he shifted to let her closer, Lana took a deep breath. She knew that her papulya wouldn’t let anyone close to her that would hurt her. However, there was a large part of the small girl that was terrified to let another person in who didn’t actually want her or who wouldn’t stay. Her eyes flicked to the ceiling before she reminded herself that Meg wasn’t up there. 

Dropping her gaze to the phone, she thought about it for a long moment before giving the woman a tentative nod and tiptoeing up to carefully pull a knife out of the block so she could help. Lana made grabby hands at some of the vegetables, offering up a slow smile. She was determined to at least try, to see who this new woman was and how she was supposed to fit in her life, if she was at all. 

@gxpendragon·

[alloutofmatches]

guardianofdreamssanderson·:

‘Sometimes they realize. When they get closer to a planet, they hear those voices. Wishes from people.’ Sandy wrote, smiling a little, ‘But getting closer to us typically means they are falling, or shooting, stars. And they can’t stop otherwise they might become a sun. There are those that guide those kind of stars though. To help them achieve the wishes made on them and continuing on with their lives.’ 

She frowned lightly as she tried to understand the life of a star. ‘When they fall, are they okay? Do they get to stay stars?’ There was a look of concern on her face as she looked at Sandy.

[alloutofmatches]

% (For Sandy)

Send “%” for a CURIOUS text.

Lana: Do you know any stories about stars guiding people to new places? Or showing up to people without falling?

@guardianofdreamssanderson

[alloutofmatches]

guardianofdreamssanderson·:

‘I can. It is a fun little story that doesn’t really have that much scientific value here. At all. But I like it.’ Sandy smiled, recalling the tale, ‘What if I told you that perhaps those stars in the system are not simply balls of fire burning brightly till they completely fade after a few millennia. But instead they had thoughts, feelings, and are actually living things up there not even realizing that people down here are watching them?’ 

Lana’s eyes slid to the sky for a moment, something sad flashing in them before it went away as quickly as it came. ‘I think it’s so much easier to believe that they are really alive. But... How do they not know we watch them? We look at them with wonder... hope... at least... I do.’

[alloutofmatches]

guardianofdreamssanderson·:

‘Of course. Is there anything you would like to know to begin with? Or would you like me to just start telling you something?” Sandy began to think of the tales he knew, including somethings that were from his adventures with Emily Jane. 

‘Can you tell me your favorite story?’

[mostnoblelancelot]

found family dinner | lana, g, & lance

[alloutofmatches]

knightedlancelot·:

@alloutofmatches

Lancelot wasn’t by nature a nervous person. Few people could have detected it on him now, but he had some concerns about Guinevere and Lana meeting for the first time. They were the two most important people in his life, and at the very least, he wanted them to like each other. Ideally, more than that, but he was trying not to set his expectations too high.

His current apartment didn’t have room at a dinner table for three people, and he thought Lana might be more comfortable in her own space, so they’d chosen her apartment to make dinner. Though it was nothing fancy, he’d mastered enough cooking skills with Guinevere to get by. He was mostly concentrating on the food preparation and keeping an eye on Lana without being obvious about it. They communicated pretty well without language, and he wanted to know if she started to feel overwhelmed.

@gxpendragon·

Lana stayed on the far side of Lance, keeping him between her and the blonde woman currently in the apartment with them. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about the decision for this dinner. Lance had been a part of her life for the last year, constant and caring enough for her to start to see him as more than just a bodyguard. But what she was trying to figure out was why now, and she couldn’t seem to come up with an answer.

She’d seen Hades a few times in the last year, but he never lingered long, just making sure she was alright and didn’t need anything. She could never get comfortable around him, and she was sure he knew that. Meg was very busy, and Lana simply took to trying not to need much, which was familiar to her. She had always known Lance had his own life, and apparently the woman... Guinevere... was most of it. 

[alloutofmatches]

guardianofdreamssanderson·:

‘Astronomy. I like teaching about the stories of the stars and myths behind them as well. They can be much more than what we often are scientifically told after all.’ 

Lana smiled dreamily at the idea of it, “Stars have stories? Can you tell me about them?” She thought of the star that had brought babushka to her just before she came to Fableton briefly.

[alloutofmatches]

guardianofdreamssanderson·:

‘Quite a few, yes.” He chuckled, ‘College and universities here have a lot of classes with different students every couple of weeks. It is fun.’ 

‘So it’s like you’re always getting to meet new people! What do you teach normally?’

[alloutofmatches]

guardianofdreamssanderson·:

‘That is a lovely name, Lana.’ He typed out, “My name is Sanderson. Sanderson Mansnoozie. But I prefer that you would call me Sandy. All of students are told to do so. And you are my student now, after all.” 

His name made her smile, ‘Sandy, I like it! Do you have a lot of students?’