7 A Funny Meeting

A year and half passed, I'm now three years old. I accepted Astris's proposition and became a part of his group at one condition : that I follow him only when I'll be at least 6 years old. He seemed to be satisfied with that.

Well, I would be if I was in his shoes, no matter how smart I am, I'm just a baby from his perspective, he sees in me as a valuable resource, and he certainly don't want to play the caretaker with me, that's fine.

So for the past year, he visited me at least once a week, giving me some news about the training and the arrival of the Knight.

As always, I'm outside, but this time on the child's playground. Other kids are playing with a deformed ball, and I'm actually playing with them at a game similar to handball. The reason for that is that I figured that it would be better for me that I start to socialize with the other kids, since they are probably the persons I'm going deal and support all my life.

After all, if I don't success in my plan, they're going to be my buddies for life...

Beside, playing with them is also a form of training, playing the ball enhance my agility, my reflex and my stamina. And to be honest, I'm actually having fun here, it's been a while since the last time I was having this much fun. I can only "blame" my three years old body for that.

"Varos, you meanie ! You always take the ball for yourself"

"Varos, next time play in our team or it's not fun"

"Why does he have to play in your team, he's good here don't you think so ?"

The kids start to arguing between them for me. I guess I'm popular, except it's with kids, how great I guess...

Well, it's gonna be easier for me to manipulate them when they will be adult if I leave a strong impression on them now, so it's good thing for me for now.

"Hey, let's take a break" I said smiling while leaving the playground.

Well, I changed a bit since the day I was reborn, I'm not as a snubbed as I was before, I adapted myself from my environment. I can't move on if I keep thinking about the past, at least, that was the only reasonable conclusion I had after three years.

I'm going to a remote place, it's near my home but it's usually empty of people there. It was a ground that my father bought for my mother since she liked to cultivate plant before, but since I was born and she started to take care of me, she stopped going there. In any case, even if she had the time for that, she became too weak to continue her favorite activity.

The ground is not completely dead, but the vegetable all died since a long time, the only things here are a few flowers and some grass there.

I was about to lie down on the ground but I caught a glimpse from the corner of my eye a figure.

What is it ? A thief ? No, there's literally nothing to steal here. The silhouette was also too small to be an adult, it was about ten centimeters or so longer than me but that's all. It should be a kid then.

I lowered my guard and then asked "Who is it ?" With a firm voice. Well, I'm three and half years old, so I did my best to make my voice firm.

A few seconds later, the figure stopped hiding near the wall and finally shows up to me.

It's a young girl around five years old, taller than me that showed up. Her hair is brown, her body seems healthy, but I can't see properly her face, it's hidden through the bang of her hair. Her head is also tilted down, as if she was trying to hide herself.

Nothing was heard for a while, I was waiting for her to react but she's playing shyly with her fingers or something, it seems she doesn't want to talk first, well then...

"Hey hello ? What are you doing"

"..."

"Do you hear me ?"

"..."

No response hum ? Well, I'll try another approach then.

"Ah I see, you're a thief right, you wanted to steal what I have on me ? Too bad for you, I saw your little play, wait a minute here I'm going to report it to Astris" I said angrily while walking off the ground. Of course, I don't believe she's a thief, it's obvious I have nothing on me, a young kid, but I just want her to react and say something. With her mindset of a kid, she's probably going to take that, a "danger", at an honest value. A response is all I need.

"N-N-No p-p-please, it-it's just you...."

"I what ?" I asked impatiently.

"You-You-You...are the... thief..." she said while stuttering.

"I am a thief, you're framing me now ?"

"No-No-No-No, I mean... yes, you-you sto-stole it..." she said on the verge of tears.

I look at her with even more doubt, what is she talking about ? Is she crazy or something ? I reviewed in my mind everything I've done recently but nothing came in my mind that could lead me to this situation...

Well, let's relax, she's not gonna explain herself properly if she doesn't calm down.

"...Ok, ok, I'm not sure what you're talking about but come, I'm not angry anymore, sit down and explain it to me" I said while sitting down on the grass and tapping the ground in front of me.

She hesitated for a while but finally she decided to act and sit down in front of me.

"What's your name" I said calmly.

"Eh ?"

"Well, we can't discuss properly if I don't know your name"

"...Mina...Salanoss..." she said quietly.

"Ok Mina, I'm Varos Freyley, nice to meet you"

"O-Oh...ni-ni-ce... meet...you..."

"Don't worry Mina, I'm not mad anymore but I really want to understand you, so I will just ask one thing, what did I stole from you ?" I said in my nicest voice.

"...thief...you-you stole...my...play ground..." she said, almost whispering.

"This playground ? What do you mea_oh" I said finally understanding the situation.

I came to know this playground only a few months ago. Before that, I knew that my mother was cultivating on it before but I didn't know where it was. By curiosity one day, I asked about that, and she told me the emplacement of it.

She never sold it because she was too attached to it for some reasons, and she didn't like to see me go out before everywhere in the village, so she told me its location and in exchange, I promised to only play on this ground or at some other playgrounds monitored by an adult.

The thing is that after I was born, she never visited it and hence, I suppose that this kid, who seems to be extremely socially awkward, found her heaven on this land. A land known by no one and watched by no one too. It was her turf in another words.

And so, she sees me for the first time, since a few months, as someone who stole her propriety. But she was too shy to come to see me about that anyway. I see now.

While I was thinking of the whole situation, she is staring deeply at me and at my face, without blinking of moving her head. Well, she seems to be an odd one, I thought.

"Well Mina, the thing is that this land is a propriety of my mother, Ceila Freylay. But for years, she never took care of it, and since this piece of land is her own, no one except her, her family or someone with her authorization can put a foot in here."

"Wh-wh-wha-"

"If you don't believe me, you can ask to the providential chief who owns this piece of land. Now that I think about it, you trespassed illegally in here, you could be arrest for that..."

Well, I doubt anyone is going to arrest her, a five years old kid, for staying in an abandoned place, but her reactions are entertaining.

"No No No please, do-do-don't do...don't do that or father wi-wi-wi-will pu-punish me !" she begged loudly.

"Don't worry, as I said I'm not mad anymore, in fact, you can keep playing here as long as you don't make too much noise." I said calmly.

"Re-Really ?" she asked with doubt.

"Yeah, I'm not that nasty, I just wanted you to learn today to always be doubtful where you put your step in." I said while standing up and leaving the ground, in front of the speechless Mina.

Now, I need to think for a moment, her behavior was a bit too strange. The way of how she was stuttering wasn't the only problem, but rather it was her facial expression.

She almost didn't blinked at all during the whole conversation. After my introduction, she kept staring deeply at me without shame. I didn't see any signs of affection or something, but rather, it was like a puppy waiting for the approbation of its master...

This analogy might seems cute, but in that situation, in front of a stranger who stole what was hers, I can only describe it as abnormal.

Furthermore, when she mentioned her father, she seemed extremely afraid, or rather...obsessed ?It make no senses. I saw no signs of physical abuse too...

And to add to that, I never saw her in the village before, nor heard of her either, that piece of land is a perfect place for an outcast like her, but even in summer, it's quite chilly outside so the best place would be simply at her home, or maybe she does stay in her home but just come to this place sometimes....

It's getting interesting here, I might have found something that will shine my boring everyday. I thought Astris and his plans was the only thing that might entertain me here within my reach, but I might be wrong.

"...you wish for change but you never think of your current actions, like before...."

I turned around in surprise in response to this mysterious voice. It seemed very febrile, but deeply grave in the same time. What was that ?

I checked my surroundings but there's nothing. Was it someone talking aloud ? No, the voice seemed like it was speaking just beside my ears. And there's no one here too.

...I must have dreamed yeah, I need to get back with the other kids quickly or they're gonna report my absence to the others, it might become problematic if I don't go there quickly....