♢ — @mlodic said: The little Chi was certainly one of the most interesting ones to follow. He brought a more... pure sensation, one that Columbina had rarely seen during her whole existence in contact with humans. That combined with the intensity of his personality ended being a very interesting combo in her eyes. This one night in which she's been carrying one of his books (one too complicated for her to understand- did children really have the habit of reading such weird texts?), Columbina decided to lower the lights and pull Chi down in a hug while sitting in the floor, holding both him and the book telling the story of a tragedy in Sumeru. ' Here, it will be more comfortable if we read like this. Like... a bed time story. ' EXPERIMENT IN PROGRESS: UNPROMPTED ASKS INSPIRED BY DARE TO HUG THE DOCTOR
Chi follows alongside Columbina with footsteps nearly as silent as her own. If it had been intentional, perhaps it would be cute. Many people found children trying to copy those around them as a cute or fond sight to witness. But reality is far crueler. His were silent not out of mimicry but of necessity ; or at least a necessity for the original Dottore at this age. HE WAS NOT WELCOMED IN THE EYES OF THE VILLAGE, but even less so his mother. In the days he had to stay away far from her line of sight and any of the other priestesses. Only at night could he sneak back to the house under the cover of darkness, footsteps silent so as not to wake her and send the house into hysterics ; to not hear the wails of despair at a woman punished by her gods in her eyes because she could not accept the child as anything BUT punishment. In those nights he'd hunkered into a corner and tried to ignore it while his father soothed his mother and distracted her ; with age he opted to escape back outside when it might occur - rarely from too loud of steps and moreso the occasion she might not have fallen asleep first. It had not taken him long to learn to quiet his steps so he might sleep inside, and the rare slip up was often a result of something new being added to the environment or moved that he had no way of knowing about. If he was lucky, his mother would temporarily forget about his existence and his father played it off as an animal in the house that he would see to, allowing Dottore to continue to the side room while his father pretended to handle an animal and his mother remained in her bed. At least until Dottore had begun to prefer shelter elsewhere, in nearby ruins he explored or abandoned abodes. Even then, it had taken many years for Dottore to learn he could make his presence known. But Chi was eternally stagnant in the period of requirement and thus never would.
Chi watches, curious, when they've stopped in their usual spot - amongst plush cushions and pillows yet Columbina continues to move. And it's not like Chi can simply sit down and start when she has his book. That might have been a mistake on his part - but it was heavy and she seemed to have wanted to. He does not demand it either ; red eyes merely track her as she dims the lights in the room. Not too dark, he will still be able to read, but it gives wraps the room in a cozier feeling when paired with the fireplace and the crackle of fire.. The darkness feels a bit safer, and Columbina settles herself on the usual spot with the book. THIS IS NEW, BUT NOT UNPLEASANT.
It is only when she pulls him that Chi gives a quiet gasp of stunned surprise. He is lightweight, offering no resistance other than a startled " H-Hey! " that holds no bite. Instinct tells him to bolt like a trapped animal, but there is no where to go in her hold and with the book weighed down on his lap. What is she doing? Did he do something? Is she mad? Maybe Prime was right and he -
It is only the third's voice that stops the youngest segment's thoughts. " .... A bed time story ? "
Chi knows what they are of course. He's seen kids with their mothers and fathers, tucked in to bed and being lulled to sleep with childish stories. Once upon a time his father had sat with him, but the stories had been educational, not fantasy (at his own request). He thinks that stopped some point after what Chi knows to be his first dissection, but the original Dottore had simply seen it as an act of education - an act that had changed how his father started to look at him too. ( Doing so for hunting and cooking was fine, yet to sate curiosity was not? It made no sense. ) But even those few times had never been like this. They had been side by side in firelight, distance between them. Like this, with Columbina, it was different.
It was WARM. Now that the initial internal panic had settled and his small body was tentatively relaxing, he would even say it was . . . nice. Strange, but nice.
" Okay. " Chi agrees softly, letting himself fully relax against the warmth. It felt safe. His gaze turns towards the book, opening it to where they had last left off as he begins to read. ( And if he later starts to doze off amidst the story, soothed by company and warmth he was always denied? Well, he could hardly be blamed. )
