A Story and a Song...

[smallspot]

Who: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (smallspot ) and anyone who wants to run into a cute little kid.
Where:  An open grassy area near Building One.
When:  8-19, in the afternoon
Format: Starting in prose, but please use whatever you want to reply!
Summary:   There are a lot of fun ways to spend a warm afternoon, though, for a bitty knight the best way to spend it is...training!  Oh, and sometimes stopping to sing songs to his 'family.'
Warnings: Cuteness?

For once Diarmuid is using his cloak as something other than a blanket.  Right now, he is carefully spreading it out on the grass so that he can set his new toys on it.  With him are three small stuffed animals he got at the end of the festival--two adult swans and a baby one.

"Here is the father swan," Diarmuid carefully sets the first of the adult swans onto the cloak--the one he has picked to represent his foster father, Aengus.  He then sets the other adult swan next to the first, this one representing his foster mother, Caer, "And here is the mother swan!  And here is the baby swan who isn't lost anymore!"  The boy sets the baby swan in front of the two adults and then jumps up and claps his hands happily.

"Now the whole family is together again!  Watch me, Father!  Watch me, Mother!  I'll show you what everyone has been teaching me while I've been away!"  The boy bows to the toys and then picks his practice sword up off the ground.  He takes a few steps away before starting to practice the new sword moves he's been taught by Suzaku and some of the others who have offered to train him.

He knows that the toys aren't really his family, of course, but over the last few days he's been more homesick than usual and talking to them like they are helps for some reason.  Once he's practiced for a while, Diarmuid will sit down by the toys for a rest and to sing some happy songs to his 'family.'  After a few songs, he will jump up and start practicing again.  Diarmuid isn't really paying attention to anything going on around him, but he will be happy to talk to anyone who approaches him and be even happier should anyone decide they want to train along with him.

Comments

[beforetights]

Yay! I'm glad you're proud of me. It's the first time I've had a friend who's been proud of me.

[The boys at home weren't really proud of him. And the adults, of course, saw him as a child still, no matter how old he was.]

[smallspot]

We need to fix that!

[Diarmuid gives his friend a confident nod.]

You need to have lots of friends who are proud of you! You are going to be a hero, remember?

[beforetights]

Yeah, but most of my friends are gonna be heroes right alongside me. So they don't really have time to be proud of other heroes.

[smallspot]

It doesn't take that long to be proud of someone!

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

Heroes should be proud of other heroes. Especially the ones who are their friends!

[beforetights]

I'll tell that to the Boy Troops then. If I ever see them.

[He giggles.]

I bet they'll be proud of me for being smart!

[smallspot]

For being smart and for being a good fighter! Because you are both!

[Diarmuid points at his sword.]

Do you want to practice some more?

[beforetights]

Yes, I would.

[He goes to pick up the sword.]

I think I remember a move that I saw that one lady do. Do you want me to try to show you?

[smallspot]

Yes! Yes! Show me, please!

[Diarmuid jumps up and down excitedly.]

And if you can't remember it all, I might be able to help!

[beforetights]

Alright, watch!

[With his tongue stuck out of his mouth in concentration, he does a diagonal slash from the above left to the lower right, then raises the sword to do a horizontal slash from right to left. And finally caps it off with a thrust.]

Now you can try.

[He offers the sword to Diarmuid.]

[smallspot]

Wow! That is really neat. My turn!

[Diarmuid excitedly takes the sword from Cu Chulainn. He plays the move over in his head before giving it a try himself. The strike isn't as clean his friend's, but he does remember all three slashes in the right order.]

How was that? What can I do better?

[beforetights]

[He claps his hands as he watches Diarmuid finish.]

Faster! Faster! You can go faster!

[smallspot]

I can! I just have to practice it a few more times first.

[Diarmuid runs through the strike several more times before grinning widely at his friend.]

Okay! Now I will go faster. Watch!

[And so he does. It's almost as fast and as smooth as his friend's version of it.]

How was that? Will the lady who showed you think I did good?

[beforetights]

I think she'll say you did very good. Especially since you learned from me and not her.

[He picks up the stick.]

Let's practice together!

[smallspot]

Okay! Time to practice together because it's more fun than practicing alone!

[Diarmuid gets his sword ready and then smiles at his friend.]

When you are ready!

[beforetights]

Ready...set...go!

[He raises the stick for the diagonal slash.]

[smallspot]

Go!

[Diarmuid raises his stick, copying his friend as he does the first part of the slash and then moves onto the second. When they do the last part, he thrusts forward really hard just because he's excited and ends up overbalancing himself. He makes a small surprised sound when he ends up on the ground.]

Oops!

[beforetights]

Oh no! Are you okay?

[He drops his stick to help his friend up.]

[smallspot]

[Diarmuid nods, giving his friend an apologetic look.]

Sorry for worrying you. I got too excited! I didn't get hurt. See!

[He jumps up to prove he wasn't hurt before giving Cu Chulainn a hug.]

Lets try again!

[beforetights]

[Cu Chulainn hugs his friend back and then picks up his stick.]

Alright, ready...set...

[This time it's Cu Chulainn who's a little overeager. Like Diarmuid, he falls as he does the thrust.]

[smallspot]

Oh no! Now we are both doing it!

[Diarmuid is giggling, though, as he kneels down by his friend to be sure he's okay.]

You're not hurt, right?

[beforetights]

No, I'm not hurt.

[A pause.]

What if this was a curse from another invisible monster? To make us fall down a lot?

[smallspot]

[Diarmuid giggles and shakes his head.]

I think the only invisible monster here is one called in-ex-perience. Do you know how we beat in-ex-perience? We keep practicing!

[beforetights]

[He laughs at Diarmuid's joke.]

I think we'll beat it soon. We're already doing well. Or at least you are.

[smallspot]

We both are! Especially for you because you are just starting!

[Diarmuid reaches out to help his friend up.]

You are keeping up with me and I had experience before this. Maybe not a lot, but it was still some!

[beforetights]

Well, I learn things fast when I want to.

[And yet another hug for his friend.]

And you're a really good teacher so I always want to learn things from you.