pandoraheartsdr

[Shelly is out on her daily walk when she notices the boy by the lake. Bundling her shawl--lighter than usual, as warm as its been--a little closer, she makes her way down to the shore, curious to see what the boy's doing.]

[Covering the little threads of worry about how close he's getting to the water, she keeps her tone light when she calls out to him.]

What are you up to, Mr. Lunettes?

[Bitty!Liam looks up at her with a surprised blink. There's no recognition in his face. How does she know his surname?]

Oh, um... I'm looking for frogs, ma'am.

[This is said a bit sheepishly, and he realizes suddenly how messy he's become.]

I... I'm sorry for my appearance!

[Shelly couldn't repress a smile. Of course Liam would do what no other young boy would do and apologize for getting muddy catching frogs.]

It's alright, dear! Getting muddy is what little boys do! Only, be careful that you don't fall in.

[She notes the lack of recognition, but thinks little of it. After all, Liam wasn't sent to stay with them until he'd grown a bit more than this.]

Have you only just arrived here?

[Liam blushes and looks down.]

I'm being really careful. B-but I'm a servant. Servants aren't suppose to get muddy.

[He looks back up at her and shakes his head.]

M-Master Rufus says the Mansion put a spell on me and made me get little again.

[Shelly gave a shocked blink at this, but quickly covered it. The idea of the Mansion playing with Liam's age this way is exceedingly troubling, but she doesn't want to upset him. Instead, she gives him a smile and a conspirational wink.]

I think we can make exceptions for little boy servants. They should be allowed to play, just like any other little boys, sometimes, don't you think?

Liam didn't notice the boy approach and nearly slips in the mud again when he speaks.

Once he regains his balance, he replies.

"I'm looking for frogs. Or maybe a turtle. A turtle would be nice, too."

Liam takes the hand to steady himself and get out of the mud. The question flusters him a bit.

"Um, well... I found a frog in the Mansion. I was going to keep it as a pet, and make a nice home for it, but it was really a person turned into a frog.

"S-so I thought I'd find a real one instead."

Break's parental senses are tingling. Break does not know why. So Break tracks down and peers at all the children in the mansion, assuring himself of their continued serene and carefree existences, and the last one he finds is Liam. He spots him from the kitchen window, and the little kid-radar in his head beeps a confirmation.

His own Liam can't swim for crap, and this little one is out by a great big lake. Unsupervised.

No.

So Break trudges out to join him, muttering under his breath. The kid is obviously looking for something. The problem, he supposes, with a Liam being allowed to play instead of be a servant, is that Liams are all clever enough to get into potential trouble regardless of how big they are.

Well, not on Break's watch. >.|

Liam does not notice Break's approach, instead tracking some croaking into reeds.

This is likely not a smart idea, since reeds disguise how deep water is sometimes.

To that end, Break will be coming up behind Liam and easily plucking the boy from the reeds, hands under Liam's arms -- and holding him far away from his own person, just in case Liam decides to go flaily on him.

"Careful. It's deeper than it looks, 'round here. What you need is a good stick."

So saying, Break places Liam down safely on the grass and picks up a long, thin tree branch that has fallen nearby. Then he commences prodding at the bank. For the most part, the water is only a few inches deep, but in one place -- a few steps ahead of where Liam had been wandering -- the branch suddenly sinks into the water. It's only six inches deeper at the most, but the unexpected step down would have been enough to send the boy flying, knowing him.

Liam's been picked up enough times in his life that even though it startles him he doesn't fight.

"Mister Break!"

He watches him with curiosity and then his eyes widen when it sinks.

"Oh. It didn't look deep."

"Lots of fings look different than they really are," Break tells him, handing him the stick. "If you don't have an adult wiv you, best do more than just look before you walk into fings.

"What are you doing out here, anyhow?"