A Year Passes by...

[smallspot]

Who: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (smallspot ) and anyone else who wants to talk to him!
Where: His room (2-17, Building One), the library (1st floor, Building Two) and a grassy area outside near Building One.
When:  First prompt is on 9-10, the last two are on 9-11.
Format: Starting in prose, but please use whatever you want to reply!
Summary: Diarmuid wakes up back in the city after being sent home for a year.  Thankfully, he doesn't have to wait too long before his friends find him again.  After spending a day readjusting to being in the city, he heads out to the library to try and teach himself how to read and write. Then, he is going to stop by his favorite grassy spot near Building One to practice...only those aren't wooden practice swords he's using now, are they?
Warnings: Cuteness, one little boy acting far too old for his age, angst?

Room 2-17, Building One (9-10):

Diarmuid might be a year older when he returns to Saeng Seong, but he still hasn't outgrown the habit of curling up in a nest of blankets when he sleeps.  That is why he doesn't notice anything is different from any other morning right away.  The sense of loss that he has become use to over the last year is still there.  His drive to become a better knight is still there.  His butterfly...

The boy sits upright with a small gasp of surprise and delight when his butterfly lands on his nose.  For the last year, he has thought his precious pet was lost.  He had begged his father to do something to bring him back, but all Aengus had been able to do was sadly say that once lost, some things can never be found again.

But here he is.  Little Dia is here.  The boy carefully gathers the butterfly into his hands and holds it close to him before looking around.  On the corner of his bed, his swan family watches him sleep.  On the table are the open candy bags from the last time his friend had visited.  He's back.  Back in Saeng Seong.  He had spent a year at home.  How much time had passed here?  Were any of his friends still around?

Was Cu Chulainn?  Lord Wing?  Suzaku?  Lord Auron?

Diarmuid should go find them, but instead of jumping to his feet to run and do that, he just sits on his bed for a while holding his butterfly close.  Since his feeling of loss had started around the time he had lost his butterfly, part of him had thought that to be the cause, but he has his butterfly back now...

...and the feeling of loss is still there.


Library, 1st floor, Building Two (9-11):

It takes a little while for Diarmuid to readjust to being in a place so different from his home, but seeing his friends again helps.  Now, a taller and more solemn looking Diarmuid can be found in the library wearing his dark green yukata that has little birds in lighter green embroidered on it.  He is so happy it still fits even though he has grown in the past year!  Unfortunately, most of the other clothes he has don't.  He will have to thank the lady at the shop where he got it when he goes back next for telling him it was okay to get it a little big so he could grow into it.

Laying in front of him there is a notebook along with a book meant to help people learn to read and write.  It's open to a page with numbers on it, and Diarmuid is very carefully writing numbers in the notebook next to him.  Of course, the writing messy and unsteady since he isn't used to holding a pencil.  He knows some ogham, which is a written language that uses mostly straight lines for letters, so many of the lines for his numbers are disconnected or slanted in strange ways.  This is especially obvious with numbers that have curves in them.  He just doesn't seem to know how they should go together even with the example right in front of him.

His frustration in clear in the frown on his face.  After messing up yet again, he sighs and drops his head down on his arms.  At this rate, it's going to take forever for him to get anywhere!


Outside Building One (9-11):

Diarmuid has changed since his time at the library and is now wearing a new set of clothes that obviously must have come with him when he came back to the city since they actually fit.  There is nothing special about the clothes, though.  In fact, they are very plain and obviously made for training in.  The shirt is a simple tunic in dark green.  The pants are simple as well and also dark green.  However, if the boy liking green is something that hasn't changed, there is very definitely something different about the picture he paints while he is practicing.  Before he was only practicing with a child's wooden sword.  Now he's certainly not practicing with a wood sword.  While still child-sized, Diarmuid's weapons are made of metal and are very real.  Not to mention, he's using them two at a time.

It's clear whatever he did during the year he was gone, his fighting skill has vastly improved.  Children his age usually aren't allowed to practice with a live blade, let alone two of them.  From the way he pauses every so often to repeat a move, it's obvious that he's being very picky about them.  If those who saw him practicing before thought him very serious about things, one wonders what they might think now.

Comments

[swordofzero]

"I am not sure, the note may disappear." He told him, "I am unsure how it works..." He wondered if they escaped for real, if they would forget. He hadn't forgotten Rakuen coming here, and Lelouch had not forgotten wherever he had been before.

But...

[smallspot]

"Oh, that is no fair!" Diarmuid pouts for a moment. However, now that he is a little older, he doesn't settle for just being upset about something. Instead, he tries to think of a solution. After a few moments, an idea does pop into his head, "Hey, maybe it is only like that because this world is short on energy! Once we get them more, that might change, and we might get to remember. One more reason to help them!"

[swordofzero]

"Perhaps." Suzaku wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to shoot down Diarmuid's suggestions with no evidence. "It might be that this place just isn't ready yet, and as we open more parts of it we will be able to remember."

[smallspot]

"Maybe! I hope so anyway. I really want to tell Father about everyone!" Diarmuid nods happily and then holds up his swords to show Suzaku. "See what Father gave me as a late birthday present? He said that I am good enough now to use real swords. I am one step closer to being able to use my partners. Isn't that exciting?"

[swordofzero]

"It is." Suzaku took one of the swords, examining it. "You have improved a lot in a year." He handed the sword back.

[smallspot]

Diarmuid carefully takes the sword back, but as he does the excited look on his face fades and is replaced with a much more solemn one, "I have to learn fast. The sooner I become a great knight, the more people I can help. I...lost something, Suzaku. I don't know what it is, but something is gone now. I don't want anyone else to have to feel like this..."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku frowned, he wasn't sure what Diarmuid meant. Had something happened at home?

But he knew loss, and he knew what it was like to not remember important things, to feel that something was missing all the time. And have no way to fill the gaps.

He knelt and awkwardly reached out to draw the boy into a hug.

[smallspot]

Diarmuid is trying to be brave and strong. He really shouldn't waste time being upset like this, but as soon as Suzaku hugs him, the boy can't help but give into tears.

"I know some is gone now. Something that was always there before, but no one will tell me what. They know! I know they do, but they won't say what! Not even Father. He just says it's something I am better off without. But...but..." He sniffles, bringing one hand up to rub at his eyes, "I shouldn't cry. I need to focus on getting stronger so others don't have to hurt like this, but I..."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku held him, unsure what to say or do. Because Diarmuid was such a kind hearted boy, it hurt to see him in so much pain. But this was far from the first time Suzaku had seen children so upset, bad things did not wait until adulthood to happen.

"It is alright to cry." Good that he could. "It is sad to lose something, even if you don't know what it is."

[smallspot]

"I don't like not remembering. Did I do something wrong? Is that why this happened? How can I change if I don't know what I did wrong? Or did I hurt someone? How can I make them not hurt anymore if I don't know how I hurt them?" The questions come quickly between sniffles, "It's scary not knowing, Suzaku. How can I learn to be better if I don't know?"

[swordofzero]

"I know." He drew back a little, holding Diarmuid by the shoulders so he could see his face. "I'm sorry you cannot remember and I cannot guess what it was that you forgot." He wished he could reassure him that he probably hadn't hurt anyone. But he didn't know.

"All you can do is try and do your best." He said softly.

[smallspot]

"I-I know. I will try very hard! I have to stop anyone else from ever having to feel like this!" Diarmuid wipes at his eyes with the back of his hand, sniffling slightly. "I might not ever get back what I lost, but I can stop others from losing things like I did. That is a good job for a knight. Protecting people and the things that are important to them. It is why I have been practicing so hard the last year. I want to be able to help people as soon as I can."

[swordofzero]

"It is a very good job for a knight." Suzaku sounded sad, but his grip tightened on Diarmuid's shoulders. "You will be a great knight I am sure, I can see you have become a lot stronger already, and your technique has improved too."

[smallspot]

Diarmuid nods, "I should try and find a practice spear to use while I am here. I wonder if Jack or Zack found a weapon shop in the third district. They were going to look." He falls silent for a moment, thinking, and then looks up at Suzaku, "Do you know if there is a weapon shop there? I am sure there must be..."

[swordofzero]

"I haven't found one yet." He told him with a frown, he had had a look as well. "But there is bound to be one somewhere, or perhaps in all the people they have brought someone will know how to make weapons."

[smallspot]

"Maybe..." Diarmuid pauses a moment and then his eyes light up. "What if I asked on the Network sometime? I don't know how to use it very well, but I should learn. Just like I am going to make sure I learn to read! It's important and I shouldn't keep putting off important things just to have fun."

[swordofzero]

"That is true, I can help show you how to use the network if you wish." And to read but Diarmuid had mentioned he had already had offers of help for that.

[smallspot]

"Lord Devin showed me how to use the video part since that doesn't require reading the keys. I have to learn to read before I can really use the rest," Diarmuid's expression saddens slightly. "It's hard to learn how to read by yourself. I tried earlier since most of the people who said they were going to help me have left."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku frowned, there had been quite a few people leaving recently. "I can help you if you wish, I think it will be very useful for you to be able to read here."

[smallspot]

"I would like you to help me!" Diarmuid's eyes light up, "Between you and Mami I bet I will learn very quickly! You are both good teachers. She helped me earlier today, and I already know you are a good teacher from when we practice. I will be reading in no time! Thank you!"

[swordofzero]

"You will indeed." Suzaku nodded, he didn't know Mami but he thought it was good that Diarmuid had a lot of people to help him.

[smallspot]

"I will! But for now it is practice time," Diarmuid holds up his swords and nods. "Do you want to show me a new move, Suzaku? Or would you like me to show you more of what I have learned? Father has showed me so many things!"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded at him, "Why don't you be the teacher today. I'd like to see what you have learned." Find out what he knew now, how his style had changed. It would be important before Suzaku could teach him anything new.

And he thought it would be interesting to learn the style of fighting Diarmuid was learning at home.

[smallspot]

"Okay! I will do my best. If you have any questions feel free to ask Bitty Knight Teacher!" Diarmuid giggles and then steps away from Suzaku far enough that he can start showing moves without the risk of either of them getting hurt. The biggest difference now is, of course, that he is using two blades at once. While before he was focused only on balancing himself with one blade, his focus is split now.

Interestingly enough, he seems to be doing better with his focus split like this. Almost like it is easier for him to balance with one weapon on each arm.

The boy starts with some simple double slashes. Diarmuid has been taught more complex moves, but he's still getting those smoothed out. Once he has shown Suzaku some basics, maybe Suzaku will help him figure out how to better do the moves he's having problems with!

[swordofzero]

Suzaku watched him carefully watching how he moved with the swords and how he fought. Suzaku had never fought with two swords before, though he was decent with dual spears, so this was actually new ground for him, he picked up two sticks and began copying the slashes. They weren't too difficult and Suzaku soon picked it up.

"Is this right?"