5 min read
What’s in a Name
March 12, 2017
The first moments in the car were rather quiet. Reuben kept glancing at his charge sitting shotgun, who kept himself busy by looking at the world outside.
"So...ummm..." Reuben mumbled to try and get the frei's attention.
The toadstool ignored the request for attention completely, staring out the window. Everything that passed by was beautiful to him. His imagination went wild. He imagined himself walking on the pavement as the passerby's did, not even knowing what it would feel like whatsoever. He looked down at his ribbon, which was draped gently beneath him on the seat and became discouraged. He then glanced at Reuben's legs as he drove.
"What are those?" The frei asked, pointing down at Reuben's legs. "Alice has them too. What are they for and why don't I have them?"
Reuben's face lit up as he heard the frei's voice, but nerves overcame him instantly. Glancing at his charge's finger to figure out what "those" were referring to which, in turn, led Reuben's eyesight up into his charge's face and then back to the road quickly. "Uh...umm...well, they're called legs," he began, slowly, looking at the frei as he spoke the word 'legs' to really get the point across. "They're used to move about. Like your wings help you move. So, I guess you could say, your wings are your legs," he concluded. That sounded like a good enough answer, right?
The raevan simply nodded. "Huh...okay."
Reuben smirked and his heart leapt into his throat. The first question in the real world and the kid was receptive to it. This wouldn't be so bad after all, right?
"So...ummm..." Reuben mumbled to try and get the frei's attention.
The toadstool ignored the request for attention completely, staring out the window. Everything that passed by was beautiful to him. His imagination went wild. He imagined himself walking on the pavement as the passerby's did, not even knowing what it would feel like whatsoever. He looked down at his ribbon, which was draped gently beneath him on the seat and became discouraged. He then glanced at Reuben's legs as he drove.
"What are those?" The frei asked, pointing down at Reuben's legs. "Alice has them too. What are they for and why don't I have them?"
Reuben's face lit up as he heard the frei's voice, but nerves overcame him instantly. Glancing at his charge's finger to figure out what "those" were referring to which, in turn, led Reuben's eyesight up into his charge's face and then back to the road quickly. "Uh...umm...well, they're called legs," he began, slowly, looking at the frei as he spoke the word 'legs' to really get the point across. "They're used to move about. Like your wings help you move. So, I guess you could say, your wings are your legs," he concluded. That sounded like a good enough answer, right?
The raevan simply nodded. "Huh...okay."
Reuben smirked and his heart leapt into his throat. The first question in the real world and the kid was receptive to it. This wouldn't be so bad after all, right?
Reuben pulled up in front of the house and a bright smile grew upon his face. "So, this is our home. Where you will live with me."
The toadstool looked out the window and gave a half smile at the sight. "Cool," he stated quietly. It was a nice place, definitely not as nice as the building they had just left to come here, and not as nice as some of the buildings they passed on their way, but it would definitely do for now.
Reuben ran around the Prius and opened the passenger door for the toadstool to get out. With wings outstretched, the frei floated up into the air, his ribbon dangling below him. Reuben closed the car door and ran up the short path to the front door, unlocking it and opening it up for the raevan to enter.
The toadstool entered the house, and it was as if out of a movie. A scene where the main character enters a darkened house on a windy day with an ominous "hello" echoing before removing their hood and closing the door behind them. Only this wasn't a movie scene. The frei entered the home and floated about the living room, curious to see what he could find out about this new place he was supposed to call "home".
"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable and look around. I'll be right back with some tea," Reuben stated with a smile as he half-jogged into the kitchen to whip up a quick pot of tea.
Tea. Now that was a familiar word to the frei. After all, Alice drank tea at the party. It didn't take the toadstool long at all to find a seat on the couch, staring down at some tarot cards that were left out on the coffee table.
The raevan tapped the side of the deck, causing the cards to slide a bit. With curious eyes, he picked it up and began to thumb through the cards a bit, taking the time to really look at each one. As he did so, Reuben returned with tea.
A smile on his face, Reuben looked down at his charge. "So, you found the tarot cards."
"Tarot?" the toadstool questioned, looking up from the cards into his guardian's eyes.
Reuben got lost a moment looking into the large green eyes his charge possessed. Shaking himself from it, he sat the platter of tea and cups down on the table and took a seat next to the frei. "Yeah. They're called tarot cards. They provide some answers to willing querents. They are a fortune telling tool. There are many decks as well. This is the Rider-Waite deck."
The raevan kept his eyes on his guardian the entire time he spoke. "They're pretty," he said as he looked down at the cards in front of him.
Reuben smiled and nodded, pouring himself a small cup of green tea.
"Rider-Waite. That sounds nice."
Reuben's eyes widened. "Yeah? It's one of the most well known decks."
"I see. You said earlier that I could pick my own name. Can I be called Rider?"
Reuben's eyes lit up and a smile grew upon his face instantaneously. "Well, of course, if that's what you'd like. But, see, Rider is spelled with an "I", which is oftentimes a last name. But if you change that "I" to a "Y", it becomes more like a first name," Reuben stated, taking a pen to his tarot journal he had sitting on the coffee table and drawing out the names to make it more visual for the frei.
The raevan raised a brow and shrugged, a slight smile growing on his face. "That's fine. I prefer the way it looks better with a 'y' anyway."
Reuben chuckled. "Well, I'm glad. Welcome home, Ryder."
A smile grew upon Ryder's face as he heard his guardian say his name for the first time. This was to be the beginning of a beautiful life.
The toadstool looked out the window and gave a half smile at the sight. "Cool," he stated quietly. It was a nice place, definitely not as nice as the building they had just left to come here, and not as nice as some of the buildings they passed on their way, but it would definitely do for now.
Reuben ran around the Prius and opened the passenger door for the toadstool to get out. With wings outstretched, the frei floated up into the air, his ribbon dangling below him. Reuben closed the car door and ran up the short path to the front door, unlocking it and opening it up for the raevan to enter.
The toadstool entered the house, and it was as if out of a movie. A scene where the main character enters a darkened house on a windy day with an ominous "hello" echoing before removing their hood and closing the door behind them. Only this wasn't a movie scene. The frei entered the home and floated about the living room, curious to see what he could find out about this new place he was supposed to call "home".
"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable and look around. I'll be right back with some tea," Reuben stated with a smile as he half-jogged into the kitchen to whip up a quick pot of tea.
Tea. Now that was a familiar word to the frei. After all, Alice drank tea at the party. It didn't take the toadstool long at all to find a seat on the couch, staring down at some tarot cards that were left out on the coffee table.
The raevan tapped the side of the deck, causing the cards to slide a bit. With curious eyes, he picked it up and began to thumb through the cards a bit, taking the time to really look at each one. As he did so, Reuben returned with tea.
A smile on his face, Reuben looked down at his charge. "So, you found the tarot cards."
"Tarot?" the toadstool questioned, looking up from the cards into his guardian's eyes.
Reuben got lost a moment looking into the large green eyes his charge possessed. Shaking himself from it, he sat the platter of tea and cups down on the table and took a seat next to the frei. "Yeah. They're called tarot cards. They provide some answers to willing querents. They are a fortune telling tool. There are many decks as well. This is the Rider-Waite deck."
The raevan kept his eyes on his guardian the entire time he spoke. "They're pretty," he said as he looked down at the cards in front of him.
Reuben smiled and nodded, pouring himself a small cup of green tea.
"Rider-Waite. That sounds nice."
Reuben's eyes widened. "Yeah? It's one of the most well known decks."
"I see. You said earlier that I could pick my own name. Can I be called Rider?"
Reuben's eyes lit up and a smile grew upon his face instantaneously. "Well, of course, if that's what you'd like. But, see, Rider is spelled with an "I", which is oftentimes a last name. But if you change that "I" to a "Y", it becomes more like a first name," Reuben stated, taking a pen to his tarot journal he had sitting on the coffee table and drawing out the names to make it more visual for the frei.
The raevan raised a brow and shrugged, a slight smile growing on his face. "That's fine. I prefer the way it looks better with a 'y' anyway."
Reuben chuckled. "Well, I'm glad. Welcome home, Ryder."
A smile grew upon Ryder's face as he heard his guardian say his name for the first time. This was to be the beginning of a beautiful life.