Perry and Christian

Perry was sitting directly in front of his door, waiting for Christian to come by and let him out, almost bouncing in place with eagerness. He hasn't felt so happy and willing to leave his room in...a long time, and the thought no longer terrifies him.

The sound of Christian's boots in the hallway is very distinctive. Though the man tries to walk light, it's hard to be quiet in combat boots on wooden floors. He unlocks the door and opens it.

Perry is on his feet when he hears the boots, flinging himself at his friend/companion. "Christian! What're we going to do today?"

"Hello Perry." Christian smiled down at the shorter boy. "You're excitable today."

The poet nods, clinging to the guard, nodding furiously. "Where's Dog? I saved him a present!" Perry rushes back into the room, bringing back a plate covered in some sort of...fuzz...

Christian made a face. "You know, normally when Dog eats fuzzy things, they're squirrels." he hurriedly adds, "but I'm sure Dog would love this. I'll make sure he gets it when he's done his run." he puts it on one of the nearby tables, knowing Yves would take care of it. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"...you're sure he'll find it there?" he asks suspiciously. "Yes," he says, firmly.

"Yves will bring it down to him later." Christian nodded knowingly. "Where do you want to go?"

"Good," Perry says, satisfied. He shrugs, distracted by a bright piece of carpet lint.

"Do you want to stay inside, or go out...?"

"Out."

"Alright, let's get you dressed." Christian shoos the naked boy towards his wardrobe, picking out some warm clothes for him.

Perry keeps trying to wander off, but is eventually wrangled by the larger, stronger man. As soon as he's dressed, he materializes by the door, waiting impatiently for Christian to follow.

Christian grabs an overcoat for Perry just in case he gets cold, then follows the impatient boy ... man. "You lead the way." he chuckled.

Having been given his sanction, Perry rushes out of his room like an eager puppy only checking to make sure Christian is following when he reaches the stairs. Satisfied, he zooms down and out a side door that leads to a disused orchard that's been made into a small, private garden for him.

Christian follows at a run, trying not to laugh. "Damn, that boy can move." he mutters, not used to Perry taking off like this. Generally he tired quickly and had to be carried back up the stairs or carted back home in the dog cart. He follows the poet outside, closing the door behind him.

Perry rushes over to a very ordinary looking shrub, staring at it intently. He suddenly turns and looks back at Christian, looking despondent.

"What's wrong? Is the shrub being rude?"

Perry shakes his head, looking bewildered at the guard's statement. "What? No, don't be...I can't find him!" the poet wails, dropping to his knees on the damp grass.

"Find who?" Christian frowns, quickly kneeling next to Perry.

"...my caterpillar!" Perry says, his tone implying that this should be totally obvious. "I've been feeding him every day, and I told him to meet me here. What if he got lost? What if a bird...!" He looks up, squinting, for marauding caterpillar thieves, voice quite shrill.

Christian looked puzzled for a moment, then joined Perry in his search for his caterpillar friend. "I'm sure he just lost track of time. Caterpillars don't own watches, you know." he assured Perry.

Perry nods, calming. "...that's true," he says, nodding at this very reasonable observation. "I'll go get some lettuce. You call out for him and let him know we're here." He starts toward the kitchen, forgetting that he's not allowed, supervised or not, within fifty feet.

"Perry, wait." Christian grabbed his arm gently. "I'll get the lettuce. I'm sure he knows your voice better. You stay here." Christian whistled for Dog and once he could see the mastiff, took off for the kitchen.

Perry nods again, laying full length on the ground, heedless of the damp soaking his clothes, his face just above the grass. "Caterpillar," he says, conversationally, "it's lunch time. I know you don't have a watch, but I'm here, so you don't need one."

***

Jess, having finally put Flour's apron out, is rather frazzled. "...why do you want lettuce, Christian?" he says, a hint of warning in his voice. "...is Yves on a new diet or something?"

"It's for Perry." he sighed. "Please hurry, I think he's probably still laying in the dirt."

The head chef raises an eyebrow, but jerks his head toward a basket of lettuces. "...later. Explain." he growls, heading off to put out some--thankfully metaphorical--fires. "...Steak!"

"Thank you!" Christian grabs a lettuce leaf, heading back upstairs and out to the garden.

Perry is, indeed, still on the ground, having left a little trail around the bush as he slowly moved around it.

Dog is following Perry, snuffling in his hair from time to time and whining. Christian sighs. "I brought lettuce."

"Sit, Dog," Perry says, his tone making it clear this isn't the first time. "Thanks, Christian!" the poet chirps. "Oh! Wait!" Perry has spotted something on his shrub. "That's a funny leaf."

Christian knelt down next to him. "That's not a leaf, Perry, that's a cocoon."

"...what's that?" Perry asks, all wide-eyed innocence.

Christian stood, picking Perry up, wrapping him in his overcoat and sitting them on the stone bench. "Well, when a caterpillar gets to be a year old, they make a cocoon. They sleep through the winter in their cocoon and then in the spring they turn into a butterfly."

Perry squeaks as he's suddenly airborne, looking down at Dog. "...where's my caterpillar!" he shrieks, eyes looking dangerously close to tears.

Christian calmed him down as best he could. "You know how when you're cold in the winter, you wrap yourself up in a blanket?"

"...yes..." Perry says, giving Christian a look.

"Well, the caterpillar's doing just that. But he's wrapped his blanket around himself and he won't come out until spring."

Perry raises an eyebrow, looking incredulous. Luckily for Christian, the poet had missed the part about butterflies. "...so he's in there." He points back toward the shrub.

"Yes. He's going to stay nice and warm through the winter." Christian nodded. "But if you want, we can take him inside and you can keep him in your room."

Perry's eyes widen with delight, and he nods. "...he's inside that funny leaf?" This all seems vaguely familiar, like something he might have dreamt a long time ago.

"Mhm. I'll read you a story about it later, alright? Do you want to take him in with us? You're getting cold, you should have a bath."

"Yes," he says, imperiously. "Does he need the lettuce?"

"Nope, he'll be asleep all winter." Christian chuckled. "But I'll get him a jar and we'll take the stick he's on inside and you can keep an eye on him, alright?"

The poet nods, looking at Christian expectantly, cuddled into the coat. "I'll have it, then."

"You go back to your room, I'll get his house ready. And you undress and get under the blankets, just like the caterpillar, okay?"

Christian went to the shrub and broke the stick with the cocoon on it, taking it inside and going to bother Jess for a jar.

Perry nods and meanders back to his room, crawling into bed fully dressed, leaving his sheets wet and muddy.

Jess hears the important word 'jar', his hands curled into throttling position, and points to the canning area.

Christian gives Jess a wide berth and goes for the jars, picking one that doesn't look very breakable. He goes back upstairs with his jar and the cocoon nestled into it. "Get out of your bed, Perry, you've gotten it all muddy."

Perry gazes at the caterpillar house approvingly. "Give me the lettuce," he demands. "You told me to get into bed."

"I told you to undress first. Your clothes are filthy." Christian sighed, digging the lettuce out of his pocket and luring Perry out of bed with it.

It works; the poet comes over and eats the lettuce, then stands perfectly still, in a rather odd position.

Christian strips the boy naked and scoops him up, heading to the bath. He rinses him off with warm water, then towels him dry.

"No! I can't move! I want to sleep all winter!" Perry protests, to no avail.

"You're not a caterpillar, Perry." Christian tells him. "Only caterpillars make cocoons." he wraps him up in the towel and brings him to bed. "But I can tell you a story about caterpillars for bed tonight, alright?"

"I want to be," the towel cocoon whines. "I hate winter. Where are you from? Yes. A story would be nice. Give me a kiss."

Christian kissed him, tucking the cocoon into bed. "I'll just run to the library and get a book, then I'll be back."

Perry nods. As soon as Christian is gone, he resumes his laying very still. He smiles across the room at the jar. "Do you glow?" he asks the caterpillar. "...or snore? Christian snores."