Assistant Captain's Log 4 | dictated;

[minicaptain]

Assistant Captain's Log Four:

[ yes, she is up at this awful hour of the night. guess who can't sleep? guess who's missing her mother and godfather? yep. this little one. naomi's just spent an hour trying to sleep and being too worried and afraid to, so now she's up to address the random people who are awake -- or who might wake up later and decide to answer. who knows. she might be up the rest of the night. ]

Someone mentioned something called a potluck dinner recently. I was wondering... are there any other food traditions in your worlds? I don't really know many. Neelix was telling me about some of the Talaxian ones, but I don't remember all of them.

[ there's a pause here, as though she doesn't really want to ask this but she's afraid not to. or she's afraid to ask. or she's just afraid of being alone right now. ]

Does anyone have a good bedtime story they could tell me? Mom and Neelix aren't here. [ and yes, she misses them. fear preys on little kids, too. this place is still foreign, despite the nearly two months she's been here. ]

Comments

[ichy]

You should be regenerating. Biological functions are impeded by lack of rest.

[Just ask Seven. :| But maybe she's aware of that already; Icheb isn't overly familiar with the idea of the 'bedtime story,' but he can guess its purpose from its name.]

What kind of story would you like to hear?

[minicaptain]

I can't sleep.

[ bypassing the "i don't regenerate" part because she does, just not in the same way. and who really wants to argue word choice? not this one. ]

Anything. Something happy. Or something I can learn.

[ give her something else to focus on, really, something that isn't how much she misses people. ]

[ichy]

Ah.

[Sleeping, regeneration. Close enough. If only Icheb was a better storyteller.]

I don't know many stories. But I could read to you from a PADD.

[minicaptain]

Okay. I have some on my shelf. [ assuming he doesn't have any where he is and doesn't object to finding her room. ]

[ichy]

[He doesn't have any storybooks, certainly. Icheb is a man of non-fictional tastes.] Where is your room?

[minicaptain]

Third floor. Room 315!

[ichy]

Room 315.

[He repeats as confirmation and then heads down from his tower room to the main floors of the castle. At Naomi's door, he raps gently.]

Naomi?

dictated;

[bravelittlegirl]

[Ib can't sleep either, although in her case she just had a bad dream. She's been having quite a few of those lately. But as she thumbs idly through her "journal" (so-called; it's more like reading everybody else's journal at once), she's surprised to hear the voice of another young girl. Without having a pen nearby, she experimentally speaks back:]

Hello? Can you hear me?

dictated;

[minicaptain]

[ it's an unfamiliar voice, so naomi is friendly but cautious. ]

I can hear you.

[bravelittlegirl]

[!! It worked!]

My name's Ib... I'm new here. Who are you?

[minicaptain]

I'm Naomi. Did you just arrive?

[bravelittlegirl]

Mm, not just now. I've been here for a week. You?

[minicaptain]

A month... I think? Maybe a month and a half. Not very long, either.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

I can tell you a story if you like.

[minicaptain]

I'd like that.

[ awww a story from bunnymund. yes please! ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

Okay. What sort of story would you like?

[minicaptain]

Something happy, like Flotter and Trevis.

[ she doesn't expect him to know who they are, but it's... something, the first thing that comes to her mind. ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

...Can't say I know that one. [He considers] How about Nicholas St North?

[minicaptain]

I don't know that one. I'll listen to it!

[fantasies]

Do you know Earth fairy tales? Because I've got a bunch of those.

[minicaptain]

I don't know any. Will you tell me some?

[fantasies]

Sure! Let's see.... How about Little Red Riding Hood? That one's pretty much the fairy tale of all fairy tales.

[minicaptain]

Okay! That one sounds fun.

[fantasies]

Okay, once upon a time, there was a little girl whose grandma lived deep in the woods. One day, the little girl decided that she wanted to bring her grandma some food, since she was sick and couldn't get it herself.

So, she packs her basket, puts on her red hood, and starts the walk through the woods.

But inside the woods, there's a wolf.

[minicaptain]

[ she's a good audience, listening with rapt attention. ]

Oh no...

[ keep going, henry! she's all ears. ]