thenearshore | Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

Entry tags:

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

Who: Alice Liddell and Yukina /Alice Liddell, Yukina, and You!
What: Prayer 31
Where: A small village on the near shore/heavens later on
When: July 10th early morning and late afternoon
Warnings: Talk of animal death, but otherwise the cavity warning that is Yukina and Alice together.

A: Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at! (Closed to Yukina)

It was Alice's very first prayer she was answering. She was still getting a hang of being... well, a goddess, and Yukina was kind enough to be beside her the entire time, even living with her at the Temple of Idunna. She had looked at the prayers and thought, well, since she was able to talk to animals, and Yukina was able to heal, then they most certainly could help the poor soul keep the animals in the pen! So, taking Yukina with her onto the near shore, Alice politely asked here and there for directions for the farmer in question. Wondering what sort of animals they might be dealing with. It was a pretty little Swiss village, nothing like the grand cities she saw in pictures of London. It almost seemed untouched by time!

"It's like in a picture book!" she smiled up to Yukina as they headed up the hill to the farm, the animals in questions, goats and sheep, some chickens, and strangely enough butterflies! She didn't know you could farm butterflies. But as they walked up closer and closer to the farm mountain clouded yellow butterflies were flying all around. The farm house was a bit more modern with their devices than the picturesque landscape would suggest, a satellite sat on the roof of the main house, one car and one truck sitting in the driveway, but otherwise it was like a farm Alice would have found back in 1865.

She kept a hold of Yukina's hand as they finally made their way to the house.

"I do hope they're home!" she said as she went to go knock on the door.

B: Up above the world you fly, like a tea tray in the sky. (Open to all/The Far Shore)

A successful prayer should be rewarded! And what better way to reward one's self than with tea!

But everywhere she went was green tea! She frowned and put a hand on her hip as she continued to roam.

"It should not be this hard to find proper English tea!" she said out loud though she was speaking to herself. "Green tea is lovely, truly, but sometimes it's nice to just have a Grey's Tea." And a nice scone with clotted cream sounded quite nice as well.

"Well, before I get so horribly lost, I best ask," she nodded at her very good advice, and this time she was going to follow it, after all, tea was on the line!

"Excuse me! I do beg your pardon!" she shuffled over to the nearest person to her.

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The cat sniffed at Yukina and offered a briefer "hello" than before as Alice led Yukina to the farmer, the cat in her arms.

The farmer was crouched by a wounded sheep, gently sighing as he stroked her side, the poor thing lying down and bleating out a small cry of pain. There weren't many sheep and goats left. Alice stepped back into Yukina, biting her lip at the deep, dark, and rusted patches on the ground; some were faded and smaller.

"It... you don't think that's-"

Yukina squeezed Alice's shoulders briefly, but didn't linger. She ducked past her goddess and knelt next to the farmer purposefully.

"Give me a moment and some space to breathe!" she commanded, voice soft but with a distinctive force lingering beneath words.

However, it only lasted for a moment. Her lower lip quivered as she raised her hands and a soft blue glow surrounded them, as her she summoned her demonic energy.

"I pray I'm in time..."

The farmer looked shocked to suddenly see Yukina, and when he turned his head to see Alice, he practically fell back onto his hands, not expecting to see them, and certainly not expecting his nasty, ornery tom cat to sit like a content kitten in a little girl's arms.

Alice, however, was much more concerned about the sheep.

"Is she going to be alright, Miss Yukina?" she bit her lip, hugging the cat a bit closer.

But fate would be kind, at least, to this little sheep. There were three long scratches, the wounds were shallow but long, it's wool had been able to prevent the full force of the attack, whatever it was that attacked it.

The healthy blue glow spreads and Yukina nods tentatively.

"It's long, not deep," she said softly. She stroked its head. The marks were gone, there was no way to look at them and guess what made them, but Yukina would not have been able to tell, anyway.

"It's lucky you heard this prayer," she said earnestly. She's grateful to be with a goddess who not only hears a plea like this, but answers it.

Alice let out a long sigh of relief, a hand pressed to her chest.

"You did wonderfully, Miss Yukina!" she smiled and even the cat offered a compliment. The sheep bleated a 'thank you' before hesitantly standing up, her legs wobbling and then she walked off to join what was left of the flock.

"W-Who are you two!" the farmer demanded, scrambling away from both girls.

"Well, you asked for help, didn't you?" she asked, tilting her head. "We're here to help you with your animals... or about your animals, now I suppose."

Yukina remained on her knees before the sheep, but she felt a protective urge. She considered a show of force of some kind, of lowering the temperature or forming ice, but she discards it quickly. Fear isn't rational and this poor man had been through enough. He was compassionate to his animals, was distressed enough to pray... he had retreated from Alice, not attacked. She ducked her head.

"If you think any others might be even a little hurt, let Miss Alice and I help them."

"You are the god I prayed to?" he asked, looking to Yukina since she was the older one and had healed the sheep. He stood up and made his way to Yukina. "Thank you! Thank you so much for answering my prayers!"

Alice hid a smile behind her hand, the cat clearly amused as well.

"Ee?" Yukina blinked rapidly, until her hand clapped over her mouth.

"Ab-- absolutely not!" She shook her head so hard her red hairband loosened slightly. "I-- I mean, I'm happy to help you, but it's Miss Alice who can hear what everyone has-- has to say..."

She blushed, uncomfortably warm for an ice demon.

Alice couldn't help but giggle even more by Yukina's reaction as the farmer looked at Yukina, then to her, then back to Yukina, then back to Alice. He pointed at Alice and mouthed "her?"

The cat gave a loud "MEOW" as if to say "Yes, her!" actually, that's exactly what he said, but Alice knew the others wouldn't hear such a thing.

"How do you do?" she smiled and the farmer swallowed. "If you would like, I can speak with your animals, make sure they don't stray out of the pen anymore?"

"Oh uh... thank you, your eminence."

Much-- that was much better. She stood, and brushed off her yukata, and retreated to stand behind her goddess.

"The poor things must be terrified," she said, looking out over the farm itself. Her powers were limited, but they were too perfectly paired with Alice's for this sort of situation. What other opportunity would these animals have to be heard like this, and healed?

"I'm sure Miss Alice can convince them. You won't have to worry anymore."

"A-Again, thank you, thank you so much."

Alice wasted no time after that. She called all the animals over to her and, after adjusting her skirts, sat down right in front of them. She explained, quite plainly, that the animals couldn't go off anymore. Leaving the pen would not only worry the farmer, but it was clearly quite dangerous.

The sheep and the goats bleated and baw'd as they spoke back to Alice and she nodded her head and offered an 'oh yes' or 'oh dear' here and there. The chickens made several clucks and clicks and there was a flurry of feathers as two started arguing and Alice reprimanded all of them, all the while she had the cat in her arms, who was quite content to stay there and be stroked and loved by the little blonde.

After several more minutes, Alice set down the puss and stood up, dusting off the back of her dress as she went over to the farmer and Yukina.

"I've spoken to them and they'll all stay in at night. But since I am here, they asked for a few things for me to tell you."

The farmer blinked but Alice went on.

"The chickens would like it very much if you were to knock before entering the roost to collect their eggs in the morning and that you find some way to warm your hands as they're quite cold. The sheep and goats would like you to go back to the hay you had two months ago as the newest hay upsets their stomach, and that it would be nice if you threw in a tin can or something sweet of the sort every once and a while. But that should be it. They all understand that they are not to leave the pen at night anymore."

It's all very matter-of-fact, and perhaps a little too easy. She doesn't doubt Alice's work, but Alice, perhaps being youthful and innocent... perhaps...

To the farmer, she offers a warm hand on the shoulder.

"They tell you these things because they love you, I am sure," she said. "Miss Alice is just the messenger. But these animals want to stay with you, and that's why they heed you through Miss Alice's intervention. Just like Miss Alice heard your prayer and answered it, because she believed in you. I'm sure she also hears the prayers of all the animals who appreciate your care."

Alice was a bit confused why Yukina would continue to say such a thing. She didn't think much else needed to be said on the matter.

"All the same, sir, we best be on our way. If you do have any further trouble, though, you're welcome to pray again," she smiled as she hopped over to Yukina and grabbed her hand.

"We're going to be going before it gets past tea time, if that's alright. Your pussy cat will let me know if everyone listened to my instructions!" she offered a curtsy before she made to transport Yukina and her back to the Far Shore.

Yukina grasps onto Alice's hand.

"That went well, I think," she says. "But still I wonder what was happening, exactly, out there."

The animals weren't injuring themselves, after all. She was sure one of them would have tattled to Alice if that was the case, if not outright confessed.

"Should we follow up with them in the future, do you think? It's a nice place to visit, and they might have tea similar to your home..."

"We can follow up in a week's time. Like I said to the farmer, Mr. Puss will come and tell me if the animals aren't obeying. He knows how to get a hold of me. Coming back isn't a bad idea. It is, after all a very pretty place, like you said."

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Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

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