selkiesaoirse | (no subject)

Saoirse is small, but she likes to wander a lot, and it's easier now that she has Cu. He doesn't need a leash to stay with her, but she's learned that people like it better if she has one in her hand. One of the caretakers from Green Gardens is close behind her, making sure she stays safe. She doesn't mind so much. Baz and Simon know that she can take care of herself, for the most part, and that Cu will keep her safe, so the caretaker is kind and attentive, but keeps her distance.

She finds the shop by accident, and only stops because there's a clockwork seal in the window. She perks when she sees it, and she reaches up to tug the door open. It's heavier than she'd hoped, but with some effort, and a little help from Cu's heavy frame, she gets it open and steps inside with him. He stays close beside her, careful not to bump into anything despite how fluffy he is.

There's a clerk behind the counter where she can buy things, and all over are fun little trinkets that she can imagine Greta, Baz, or Magnus might like.

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Her silence was strange, and he wondered if she was shy or if she didn't talk. She didn't seem shy. He smiled when she gestured at the seal in the window and he went to get it.

When he came back, Thomas crouched down and set the seal on the floor. "Why don't you turn that key there?" he said, gesturing at the little key on the seal's side.

Once the girl wound it up and let go, the seal's front flippers moved, moving it across the floor. A bit awkward, but endearing - like a seal.

Saoirse brightens and hops in place, raising her hands to her mouth like she's trying to muffle her laughter: but still, no sound comes out. She looks up at the man, eyes delighted with the trinket he's shown her. Cu barks at it and hops his front paws on the floor.

Her excitement made him smile, and even if her silence was strange, he smiled none the less. He considered a moment, then pulled out a small notebook and his pen, and he opened it to a blank page.

"Do you write, by any chance?"

She nods, reaching with small hands when she sees the pen and paper. She writes down her name, and Cu's name, and then follows this with, I love seals! That is the best seal that isn't real!

Thomas was delighted to see how articulate she was. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Saoirse. I'm Thomas, and I rather like them, too. Here, let me show you another one."

He rose and gestured for her to follow; the seal would be fine on the floor. He brought her over to the toys at were built more for children, made of smooth wood and painted bright colors. He took down a seal and set it on the floor, then gave Saoirse the rope. "Go on, pull it," he urged.

The seal bobbed its head as it rolled along and made a sound almost like the real thing.

She jumps in place and runs around Cu in a circle. She presses her fingers to her mouth and slows, then tugs more carefully on the rope. It's so cute! She grins up at him, then crouches to look at the seal more closely, like she can figure out how it works.

"There's something in it, wood that rubs together when you pull it. That makes the barking sound," he said with a smile. "Once or twice I went to the shore and I saw them and I always wanted one to live in my bathtub," he admitted. "But that wouldn't be very kind. So I made little ones like this instead."

Granted, the ones he used to make weren't as well thought out or designed as this one.

She nods, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. She pulls the pen and paper close again and writes, How much does it cost? I wish to by it. She's still working on her spelling, and her letters are sometimes wobbly, but she's still learning, too.

"The one you have right now is twenty, and I have smaller ones too." Thomas didn't know if she had her own means, but it certainly sounded like she did. He hesitated, then said, "I feel like I have to ask... you have adults that take care of you, right?"

She writes, I live at green gardens with Simon and Baz and other children and I spent time with Greta. She looks at the door, and adds, And there are grownups that make sure that me and Cu are safe when we are out.

"Well, that's very lovely then. I just wanted to make sure," he said with a small smile. "You're awfully little, after all. I was hardly so good at getting around as you are."

Thomas gently picked the toy up so he could ring her up. "Here, let's take care of this, shall we? Then you'll have something lovely to show them."