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 guess, but you are still much better than I was at your age." Suzaku told him, "If you need practicing when you are my age you will be a much more skilled fighter than I am.

[smallspot]

Diarmuid giggles happily, excited--and a little embarrassed--at the compliment, "You are too nice to me, Suzaku. I have a long way to go yet, but I will keep trying hard. I hope I will be as good as you someday. Then I will be able to save lots of people!"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku blinked at that and looked down. "I hope you do." Hoped he was able to do better than Suzaku, actually save those he cared about and wanted to protect. "I have no doubt you will be a great knight."

[smallspot]

Diarmuid nods, letting his swords fall to his side, "Yes, but the little knight is tired now. I want to practice more, but I might get hurt if I do. And I probably should get something to eat. I think I skipped lunch..."

[swordofzero]

"That's not good, you need to eat." Suzaku told him, "Would you like me to make you some soup again?"

[smallspot]

Diarmuid shakes his head, "I want to make it. Will you help me make it? I need to learn to take care of myself more. And I want to make sure I can make food for my friend to eat so he's not just eating candy all the time."

[swordofzero]

"Of course I will help you." He nodded, "You are a good friend to be looking after him like that."

Of course once Suzaku learned the true extent of Cu's hatred of vegetables Diarmuid would have a sidekick in this mission. "We can go and make it with the ingredients I have if you wish."

[smallspot]

Diarmuid's expression brightens, "Are you going to show me where you live, Suzaku? And then we can make soup! It sounds like a lot of fun! Let's go!"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded and led the way, "I am sure it will be fun." He led him to the second building and up to his apartment, unlocking the door. The rooms were as neat and tidy as anyone who knew Suzaku would expect, everything put away with military precision, as if no one really lived there at all.

If Diarmuid went to look around though he would see the cats he had bought Suzaku on the small sofa.

[smallspot]

Diarmuid does look around, though he takes a moment to find a safe place to set his swords before doing so. When he sees the cats, a wide smile crosses his face and he runs over to them giving each one a pat on the head.

"Hello kitties! I hope you are keeping Suzaku company!"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku meanwhile stepped into the kitchen area and began finding the ingredients they needed, setting them up on the small table so Diamuid would be able to reach easily.

[smallspot]

Diarmuid takes a few moments to play with the toy cats before remembering that he is suppose to be doing something else. He gives the cats another pat on the head and then sets them carefully back on the couch before heading into the kitchen to join Suzaku.

"Sorry! I got distracted," the boy's eyes go wide when he sees all that Suzaku has set out. "And you were busy! All the ingredients are out. Thank you, Suzaku!"

[swordofzero]

"Don't worry about it, I thought it would be easier if they were all out at the beginning so you can see everything that you need."

He pulled out a chopping board as well and a pan. "You need to wash your hands first."

[smallspot]

Diarmuid gives the ingredients on the table a look over before looking up at Suzaku, "Okay! Will you help me? The sink in tall! I can't reach it!" He leans against the kitchen sink, reaches toward the faucet knobs and waves his hands to show he can't quite reach.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku lifted him onto the counter, "Perhaps we should see if anywhere here sells step stools, it might help you when you are in your own apartment." When he didn't have adults to lift him up. Suzaku turned on the water for him, waving his hand underneath it until he judged it the right temperature. "There you go."

[smallspot]

"Step stools?" Diarmuid gives Suzaku a curious look and then reaches forward to wash his hands, "When I need to reach things, my friend helps! We stand on each other's shoulders or he helps me move a chair. We both climb stuff too, but some things aren't safe to climb."

Like the stove for one...

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded, "It's good that you are managing, I suggested a step stool because it is sturdier than a chair, and it means you won't have to climb around so much."

[smallspot]

"Oh! That's good, but I don't mind climbing. It's fun!" Diarmuid doesn't seem to realize it's also dangerous. Then again, he's a little boy and little boys tend to miss stuff like that.

"There! My hands are all clean! It's time to make soup now!"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku lifted him down and ushered him towards the table. "First off we need to chop these vegetables." A carrot and an onion were what he pointed at. He figured they could start basic, some vegetables and meat and then as Diarmuid got better at cooking he could add more things.

"Do you know how to chop safely?"

[smallspot]

Diarmuid nods, "I think so! Where is the knife?" He holds out his hands, spread flat so that Suzaku can safely give him the knife, "It doesn't matter if it is fighting or in the kitchen! You always have to be careful with blades!"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku handed it to him carefully. "Exactly," He nodded. "You have to be careful, and cut the vegetables in small pieces. I'll cut the meat."

[smallspot]

"Okay!" Diarmuid carefully takes the knife and then sets it down on the table while he grabs a vegetable to cut. He puts it down on the board close to him and then picks up the knife again. He looks the vegetable over for the best place to start cutting from and then starts cutting it into small pieces like Suzaku asked.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded at his progress and began cutting up the meat. "That's good, once everything is cut we can begin cooking it and making the soup.

[smallspot]

Diarmuid nods, focusing on the vegetable he is cutting. The last thing he wants to do is accidentally cut himself. Once he is finishes, he looks at Suzaku, "Did I cut them small enough?" He doesn't want to start the next one until he is sure he's doing it right.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku looked over to inspect the vegetables, "Perfect." He nodded, they were a bit rough but they would do. He nodded at him before going to fill a pan with water and put it on the hob. "This is the part you have to be careful of." He told Diarmuid, "But as long as you are as careful as if it were an outside fire, and make sure the pan handle is turned towards the wall you will be alright."