IC thread: tiny knight is tiny!

[astalavampire]

[in her room on the first floor of the library there is a Methuselah, reading a book, her tiger curled up on the floor by her bed]

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[oneknightstands]

[do you know where your children are? . . . well, one tinyknight at least is outside knocking on the door]

[astalavampire]

[sits down and looks through the bag, pulling out a pear]

....I'm glad.

[oneknightstands]

Do you usually come up here too?

[astalavampire]

...Sometimes. When I don't really feel like dealing with people. It's quiet, and you can see the whole camp from up here.

[oneknightstands]

Sometimes I did that home too. But never with anyone before.

[points up at one section of the sky]

See that? That's the constellation that I'm named after!

[astalavampire]

[looks up]

I didn't know there was a constellation named Suzaku. [points] There's the planet Venus.

[oneknightstands]

It's like in the old myths -- Father's Genbu.

[peering, and then pointing himself]

. . . it's that one, right?

[astalavampire]

That's the one. The planet Venus was named for a beautiful goddess.

...I don't think I'm familiar with your myths, Suzaku.

[oneknightstands]

It's the Four Guardians -- Seiryu, Genbu, Byakko, and Suzaku. They're each supposed to be holding up one corner of the sky. And Suzaku's the phoenix!

[astalavampire]

Are you a protector then, Suzaku?

[oneknightstands]

Mm! But once I'm big enough, I'll be able to protect the whole country.

[astalavampire]

Do you know the most important thing when it comes to being a protector?

[oneknightstands]

[turning]

What is it?

[astalavampire]

Loyalty. If you're loyal, everything else will follow. It makes you brave and gives you strength, even when you think you don't have any left.

[oneknightstands]

Someone else was saying that too. He said that if you're loyal to someone else, then nothing would stop you from helping them. I didn't really understand it. . . but he said that even death didn't matter.

[astalavampire]

...I think you might be a little young to understand that much of it. But... when you decide to protect someone, when you decide you're going to be loyal to them, you're making them a promise. And because you've made that promise, then that person is going to be counting on you.