oo2 ❄ I've got friends locked in boxes, that's no way to live

[anonfantry]

[ They were five-and-twenty artificial soldiers. One through twenty-four a perfect set, prized by their creator and the ruler they served, and he the last, the one built of spare and scrap left over from the rest.

Many a time, he had considered this an utterly unconscionable cruelty - that he should have been made, at all, of inferior metal and unfinished, as he was. With one whole leg missing, he would never be able to match his brethren in prowess or efficiency as a weapon, but somehow not even such a glaring deficiency had spared him this fate of inadequacy. So much as his inferiority had isolated and internally embittered him, though, over the years, it had also made him determined.

As all living things, even machines, were given to the will to survive, he had developed a fearsome dedication to proving himself useful to spite his innate failings. While the other soldiers marched off to fight, to pursue the grandest quests at the behest of their leader, he would stay behind - standing guard vigilantly at the gate of the great tower wherein their ruler resided, until the inevitable return of those (fewer and fewer than) twenty-four. It was from here that he would watch over what that he could, ever diligent, still close enough that should he be needed for any menial task, it would be no trouble at all to call on him, but neatly tucked out of the way, in the meantime, leaning on the long rifle at his side as a crutch only in the instances when his precarious balance failed him.

Ordinarily, that was. He would stand still and stalwart as a statue through rain and wind and drifting snow, unflinching (lest one look closely enough to discern the slightest shift), but on this perfectly pleasant Spring day, his post stood curiously vacant.

They wouldn't miss him, he'd thought, for one evening of absence. He would hurry back just as quick as he could, once he'd had done with his business in the city. (And on this point, he was very gravely serious with himself, for he'd heard the infrequent gossip among the passersby who oft visited his grand benefactor, always talk of putting him to better use by melting him down for spare parts. A fate anyone should wish to avoid.) But the draw of this particular sight had been impossible to resist.

Not three days had passed since the parade procession had marched past his well-worn divot in the stone of the tower courtyard, the traveling band of circus performers still every bit as bright and vividly colorful in his memory, now. On the whole, such a distraction would not usually have been enough drawn him away from his sworn duty - but among the rabble he had glimpsed one most elegant performer. A dancer, of some sort, he'd imagined, not so worldly as to know the proper term. A dancer who swept and spun so gracefully on tiptoe, one foot on the ground, it was almost like floating.

Since then, he'd become fixated on the brief memory, certain that if only he could learn to be so capable, as he was, then surely he'd be allowed to prove himself on the battlefield just like the others. And it was with this in mind that he set out on the city streets, moving as inconspicuously as a one-legged, mechanical soldier could. ]


[ ooc: All aboard the tl;dr express for a very special rendition of The Steadfast Tin Soldier (summary in case you're already tired of those deer), starring Mini Cloud as the eponymous soldier and... everybody else, as either the ballerina or the goblin or one of the other soldiers or literally anything else you can possibly imagine.

Of course, it's up to individual discretion whether or not this version ends up as horribly as the original. :3c ]

Comments

they can have GREAT ADVENTURES together, y/y?

[waterfell]

[But the soldier was destined for adventures, and before long, a little girl spotted him. She had been sitting patiently on a bench, reading a grown-up novel with many big words, but the tin soldier caught her eye and she marked her place with a finger as she looked at him more closely.]

You have one leg. [This was obvious, of course, but it seemed the most striking thing about him, and it bothered the girl a little that he had been left in that condition. After a moment, she thought of what to do.]

Maybe we can make you a new one. That way, you can balance better and walk more easily.

if by great you mean ADORABLE then yes. yes indeed

[anonfantry]

[ Drawing such direct attention wasn't something he was all that accustomed to - of course, once in a while, the visitors who came by his court would do more than simply glance in passing, and he did occasional have to task himself with the tiresome chore of escorting off any boorish, unwelcome guests.

But being spoken to was a rarity, outside orders or the others just like him, and he stiffened so sharply as his wobbling gait came to halt that he nearly went toppling over entire. ] H-Huh?

[ A little girl, with a book much bigger than she ought to have? He'd seen odder things, in his short life, surely, but few as surprising as that strangely innocent observation. Curiosity without a hint of disdain was a new one, on him.

Pity that he hadn't the time to discuss his position further. ]

I manage. [ For emphasis, he hefted himself another foot forward with the help of his trusty rifle, turning away. ] Don't worry about me.

<333

[waterfell]

[Addressing the tin soldier wasn't unusual for the girl known to use formal speech even with stuffed animals. Her curiosity was the driving force.]

Where are you going? Is there a battle? [The little girl's mind was already filling itself with all the things a toy soldier could do, as if despite calling attention to it, she didn't believe the single leg would truly limit him.]

[anonfantry]

No. I'm going to-

[ Where? To the circus? To see if there was some trick to a simple feat he should have mastered long before now?

Even to a child, that seemed a silly thing to admit, and so he shook his head and amended the thought. He hadn't ever been very adept at spinning lies, either, though. ]

...Somewhere else.

... I MISSED MY CHANCE TO MAKE A BALLET-FU JOKE. oh well. XD

[waterfell]

[She'd offered to help, but she doesn't offer again, having been rebuffed once. She's used to the way people find her a bit odd, and stay away. She'd like to convince herself she prefers it.

So when the little girl speaks again, it's not with an offer to carry him there, or help him on his way.]

Will you find what you're looking for there?

The night is young and dreams are weird. Maybe they should run off and join the circus together

[anonfantry]

[ It was awfully awkward to try to keep walking, with her asking strange things like that, stopping him up each tie with another uncertain wobble.

So he quit, altogether, planting his bayonet firmly between two stones of the city street. He didn't turn all the way around, but he glanced back- ]

I don't know. [ After all, there was a lot out here, in the frighteningly busy world, which he hadn't ever seen, before. Much less on his own. How would he do better to find what he needed? ] Maybe.

that would be hilariously epic

[waterfell]

[The child considered this.]

Then how do you know you should go? [After all, in her simpler logic, it was still best to be sure of oneself before going ahead.]

[anonfantry]

[ In turn, the incomplete soldier paused - though it was unclear whether he meant to consider his answer more carefully or simply didn't have one. In the end, it seemed to be some of both. ]

...I just do.

[ His shrug would have to suffice by way of further explanation. ]

[waterfell]

[The girl nodded, as if wise beyond her years.]

I think I understand. Sometimes, you don't understand it, but you know what you want to know.

[In fact, it may have been one of those very moments.]

I want to come, too.

[anonfantry]

What?

[ He shuffled back a half-step, preemptively - about as far as he could freely move, without trouble. ]

But- You can't.

[ The soldier may not have known much of the world outside his well-worn post, but he did know that small children belonged with their parents, and not wandering off in the company of strange tin men (no matter how short, one-legged, and wholly non-threatening). He was already worried enough for the trouble he'd get into were he not quick enough on his return to guard; dragging along another into the wake of this potentially condemning act didn't sound like such a great idea. ]

[waterfell]

I've never been that far away before. I want to see what's there. [Always curious, always questing, always destined for the ends of the very universe.]

Of course I'll go home to Mama afterward.

[anonfantry]

It's... Too dangerous.

[ Too vague, but he didn't have convincing in mind - it shouldn't take much to dissuade someone so young, the soldier supposed. With rust or merely the gravity in the gesture, he shook his head slowly. ]

You'd better stay here.

[waterfell]

[She's still young enough to be kind, in this dream, and so her answer is obvious.]

If it's two of us, then, it's safer than one. Isn't it?

[anonfantry]

[ Maybe she had a point - or would've, had they been anything other than a little girl and a broken toy. As matters stand, he'd rather not drag anyone else into his own trouble. ]

I'll be better on my own.

[waterfell]

[But... she wants to go with him. It's a selfish thought, really: she doesn't want to be alone.]

Is it because I'm little still?

[anonfantry]

[ The surprise is easy to read under the lip of his helmet, echoed in his body language as he shrugs back in one short, rigid motion. ]

Um, yeah. Kind of. You should stay here, where you'll be safe.

[waterfell]

[It hurts to be shut out again, and she'd like to argue, to say she's big enough, to make it alright and make him accept her.

But she's never been good at that.]

I'm sorry. I hope you have a lot of adventures.

[She... supposes it's fine. She can read about adventures at home.]

[anonfantry]

[ ...It's another unfortunate trait of a soldier to be so malleable, in spite of his hard outer shell.

Perhaps he was a bit harsh. He doesn't really intend to go anywhere that should be so frightfully perilous. Not really. His round, tin shoulders sag just a fraction, and he frowns. ]

...I'm going to the other side of the city, where the circus is. If you're allowed to go that far, I guess you can tag along.

[ It might not be the worst possible thing to have someone around who should know the city a little better, anyway. Even if she is just a kid.

For good measure, though, he adds in afterthought: ] I'm not on any adventure, though.

[ He'll still have to be back before his absence is noticed, after all. ]

[waterfell]

You're a wandering soldier. Wandering soldiers always have adventures in books and stories. [This is almost said coaxingly; he can tell her the truth about his grand deeds and feats of derring-do!]

If it's to the circus, I can go. Mama won't be home until late tonight anyway.

[anonfantry]

Not me. [ But perhaps he insists a little too much, on that point.

Though there certainly aren't any grand events of any sort, in his past, unless he's forgotten quite a bit of his own history. She'll just have to be sorely disappointed with the day entire.

Doing his rough approximation of an about-face, he swings another step forward, glancing back over his shoulder. ]

I don't have time to waste looking for adventures. I've got work to do.

[waterfell]

I won't get in the way of your work. Maybe I can even help. [She doesn't boast of it, as she is now, but she's very good with school - and problem solving.]

[anonfantry]

[ He doesn't immediately rebuff the offer, thinking along the same lines, already, but doesn't offer much by way of a response, either. There isn't a lot of time to practice socializing, in his line of work - and most of the human contact he does get at isn't exactly positive.

Still, maybe it's answer enough when he starts off on his way, once more, hobbling determinedly without a word. Behind the shield of his helmet, he keeps an eye out for her as much as himself - watching is his one manageable skill, after all - as they make their way across the city.

Or - as far as the exceptionally crowded streets of the open air market. Here, the throng was an almost solid wall of people, thorough and chaotic enough to give him pause. ]

Maybe we should go around...

[ No, he wasn't the adventuring type at all. ]

[waterfell]

[Ami looks through the crowd, which seems somewhat exciting to her. She doesn't really imagine herself ever wanting to be in the center of a crowd, but the atmosphere of bustle and chatter seems... friendly.

Still, for the time being, the little soldier is something of her chaperone so, reluctantly, Ami tears herself away from staring at a small knot of people gathered around some street performer.]

Alright. I'm coming now.

[anonfantry]

[ From his perspective, it's all crazed disorder, so many potential disasters waiting to happen. And, besides, all of that motion - he'd be fairly easy to topple over, should one of those carts stray too close or clip his crutch.

So it's a very distinct relief when the girl he's supposed to be looking out for (or who's supposed to be looking out for him) comes right back after her short jaunt through that mess. Whatever the fuss, over there, he doesn't have much interest in it, so he nods stiffly, again, and sets out to take a safer-looking side street. ]

Have you been to this side of the city, before?

[waterfell]

[Ami shakes her head, and makes a small negative sound.] School and cram school [Yes, cram school already despite her age] are close to home. I don't usually come this far.

[Unless it's to go to the local amusement park- but they haven't done that in awhile.]