Running around like a clown on purpose.

[pontmercyfriend]

Awakening beneath a jumbled pile of sheets, Marius doesn't register that anything is off, at first. He yawns as he blinks awake, staring at the mostly unadorned wall across from his bed. His first thought follows the loud, rumbling noise of his stomach. Suddenly, he doesn't remember if he actually, in fact, had dinner last night at all. He'd spent almost all of yesterday reading; he must have forgotten to eat, his head too much wrapped up in both the clouds and his past week in general.

"Mrow?"

Courfeyrcat mews before pouncing on him, landing clean on the middle of his stomach. Marius winces, surprised by how much heavier his cat seems, before he blinks again and gets a good look at himself.

Most of the sheets he finds himself entangled in are his own pajamas; he is all but drowning in his own shirt, and his tiny legs are tangled in just one side of his pants. He blanches before flailing, much to his cat's dismay, and falls off the side of his bed. He makes his way to the mirror above his dresser, which, he realizes, he can't see unless he stands on the tops of his toes.

"Dieu," he exclaims, clamping his hands over his mouth at the high pitch of his voice. His hair is a brighter shade of red, longer, and even more out of control than usual; his eyes are widened, trying to take in the sight of himself. He looks exactly as he did back in Paris when he was 8. And still, Marius; stomach grumbles. How on God's green earth did he suddenly become younger again?

That's when his pajama pants slide off him completely, and Marius knows his first order of business; as much as he wants to freak out right now, he requires clothes that actually fit; and then he can have a proper cry, or whatever it is young children do these days.

"Right," he tells himself, glancing around. He owns absolutely nothing that will possibly fit him, so he'll have to go out and purchase a new outfit for himself. In the mean time...

He runs over to his bed again, crawling back up and grabbing one of the pillows. He shakes it out of the dark brown case, and takes said case with him to the kitchen; he grabs one of his belts, too, before he goes. By the time he finishes, Marius feels relatively accomplished; he's managed to fashion himself an outfit, not entirely unlike a toga - he's cut holes in the case for sleeves, and wrapped the belt around the middle to keep it up. He lacks shoes, so he'll just have to go barefoot for the time being. Inexplicably, he giggles at thought.

With all that said and done, and a mournful Courfeyrcat glaring at him, Marius grabs some cash from his wallet and makes his way to his door. Forgetting, of course, his apartment keys.

"Damn it!" He shouts, banging his tiny fist against the door after it falls shut. He groans; he'll just have to convince someone he is actually himself, he supposes. Or learn how to pick locks, whichever proves the easier option.

Still, there's nothing that can be done now; Marius needs new clothes so he looks less ridiculous. His stomach interrupts the thought with another growl. Okay, after breakfast.

He makes his way to one of his favorite cafes close to Dimera apartments. The pavement hurts his bare feet, especially with the morning chill, but he finds he doesn't mind; oddly, Marius grins at the sensation. There's something oddly freeing about being this small and having only the ground beneath him. He's tempted to run, the way he's seen gamins weaving in and out on the streets of Paris.

"Hold it, kid."

He approaches the cafe, only to be stopped by a nearby police officer he failed to notice. His shoulders tense and scowls at being called a 'kid.' He is a twenty-three old man, thank you very much. Currently trapped inside the body of an eight year old, but still. The indignity of it all.

"Yes, sir?" He says, trying to stay polite. He doesn't want to cause any trouble if he can help it. "I'm just trying to get something to eat."

"Where are your parents?" The officer asks him, peering down at him over a pair of sunglasses. He looks like a monster, Marius petulantly thinks. But then he realizes: he has to lie. He has to think of some convincing lie, just to get the officer off his back.

He is a terrible liar, even as child.

"Dead," he says, plainly, as if he were answering a simple question such as 'what's your favorite color.'

The officer stares at him, clearly taken aback by the answer. "Alright kid, I'm going to need you to come with me."

Marius glares; he really, really dislikes being called 'kid.'

But then, the policeman is reaching for him. He recoils and ducks, grateful in that moment for his small size as he turns to run as fast as he can.

"Kid, come back here!" The officer huffs, though, unfortunately for Marius, he is not the sort of police uninspired by running. Indeed, as Marius glances back, he finds the other man keeping up with him, nearly overtaking him.

Shit, he thinks, wincing as his feet stumble over debris on the sidewalk. He only barely manages to swerve and avoid a shard of broken glass; bouncing off a nearby brick building as he runs, grinning at the thrill of it. He feels like he could fly, if he just set his mind to it.

This is, of course, the moment when the officer grabs Marius by the arm.

"Alright now, kid, come on. It's alright, we'll take care of you - Jesus Christ!"

Marius doesn't think; he elbows the man where he knows it will hurt the most on instinct. And then he's off running again, making himself move as fast as he can possibly go. His stomach starts to cramp, though, as it reminds him that he still hasn't had breakfast, and suddenly, as he turns into an alley, searching for a place to hide, the dumpster, perhaps, he is actually flying, for a few, brief moments.

"Ow!" He grimaces, glancing down to find his knee cut up and bloody. Damn it all.

"Don't cry, don't cry," he mumbles to himself, chewing on his lip as though that might stop his tears. Grandfather disapproved of him crying.

He manages to right himself, clinging to the wall for support as he keeps his tears in check. He eyes the dumpster, even as the thought repulses him. Better than letting that awful man take him away.

Comments

[propertool]

Dorian adores children. There is something about them that is, if not innocent, then at least incorruptible. It is a breath of fresh air to Dorian, who had spent too long embroiled in all of his father's politics, in the shady power struggles in the Minrathous Circle of Magi. There is no such thing as a bad child. Only bad parents.

When he catches sight of the scraggly thing in bare feet escaping a police officer with a firm blow to his bits, Dorian can't help the bright chuckle of surprise that leaves his mouth. It's a simple enough task to just Fade step past the the officer, finding the boy hiding behind a giant trash receptacle in the back of an alley.

Lifting a finger to his mouth cheekily, Dorian asks him not to shout, before wrapping one of his hands in a handkerchief from his pocket. He gives the dumpster a firm slap on the side.

"Follow me," he says, breaking for the opposite end of the alley. He's careful not to outpace shorter legs.

Behind him, the garbage contents of the dumpster leap into flames and thick, black, stinky smoke. It was a more dire emergency by far than an unattended boy, however naughty.

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius turns when he catches the noise of a familiar voice. Dorian stands behind him as though he appeared out of thin air. He starts to wonder what's become of the officer when the other man beckons for him to follow. He's tempted to alert Dorian to the fact that he is himself, but he can hear the echoed footsteps and cursing of an irate policeman behind him.

He follows Dorian across the ally, running as fast as his little legs will carry him. Which, as it turns out, is pretty damn fast.

"Dieu!" He exclaims, once he glances back and catches sight of the dumpster exploding. "Do you always just...casually set things on fire like that, Dorian?"

[propertool]

Dorian turns a look over his shoulder to the bold little man with his striking hair. There is something about the tone, and the exclamation, that strikes Dorian as familiar, though he is not certain enough to decide to put his finger on it. The situation will reveal itself on its own eventually, without Dorian making any wrongheaded presuppositions.

He narrows his eyes in good-natured suspicion, puzzling the boy out. He gives a throaty laugh.

"Oh, of course not. Sometimes I also zap them to bits with lightning or freeze them in a block of ice. One has got to use the proper tool for the proper task, of course. There's a lot to be said for a little variety in a diet!"

[pontmercyfriend]

"I don't suppose you could use some of that magic to turn me back into an adult again, could you?" He asks ruefully, and no, he absolutely isn't pouting. He is an adult, age twenty-three. He doesn't pout, he tells himself as his lips curve downward and begin to tremble slightly. "It's Marius. I...woke up like this."

He runs a hand through his hair, shuffling awkwardly on his feet as he tries to avoid pressure on his scraped knee.

"I feel like a bag of potatoes," he adds, scrunching his nose.

[propertool]

"I could," Dorian says. He is all humor and deep apology, now that he realizes what sort of thing he's dealing with. He's heard that Darrow can do things like this, odd feats of strange magic. "If I wanted to punch a hole in time, ball it up and toss it in the privy. Some things are forbidden and not worth the cost. Even for someone as rare as you, castus."

He shakes his head, unable to avoid giving in to the urge to crouch down beside Marius, arms resting tabled on his knees.

"I am truly sorry this happened to you. And I will do anything I can do to help get it fixed. Starting with taking you to get some things to wear. There's no excuse for wearing a big brown sack."

[pontmercyfriend]

"Ugh," Marius replies, shoulders slouching at Dorian's response. (And he can hear his grandfather as clear as if he were standing beside him now: "Marius, a gentleman does not slouch!") He supposes he ought not to be entirely surprised; magic always does seem to come with rules and consequences, especially the sort of magic that suddenly changed him into a child again. "Well, it was worth asking, at least."

He doesn't know whether he feels grateful or condescended to when Dorian kneels next to him, but he appreciates being able to speak face-to-face with the other man.

"What was I supposed to do, walk around naked? I don't own any clothes this size!" His voice is verging on petulant now, and Marius finds he kind of doesn't care, at this point. "And also, I locked myself out of my apartment."

[propertool]

"It's always worth asking," Dorian agrees. "I may not be able to do much for your current stature. But I could see about that knee. Or unlocking your apartment door."

When Marius criticizes Dorian's own criticism of his outfit, Dorian gives a bark of laughter and runs a hand over the well-shaped curls of the hair on his temple.

"You've got me on the nudity thing, though. There's even less of an excuse for children to be running around barefoot and naked like we're barbarians. We should find you something civilized."

[spirit_of_vitriol]

Flavia catches only the very end of the scuffle, seeing the constable double over as the boy strikes at him--Right in the Casanovas, good show! she thinks, approvingly--then the orange flash of his hair as he scurries off into the alleyway.

Just as she's about to set her feet back on Gladys' pedals and push off, she hears the boy's sharp shout of pain; and moreover, sees she isn't the only one who's heard it. The constable, too, has turned his attention to the mouth of the alley, and though his gait is still a little staggered, he's closing in. Checking for traffic and finding none, she speeds Gladys across the street, pulling up to where the boy's hiding, crouched in the shadow of a garbage bin.

"Hop on and hang on if you don't want to get caught," she hisses, but before either of them can move, the policeman is there, blocking the way to the street.

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius barely has time to recognize Flavia before she demands he hop on her bike. He blinks, about to accept her offer, when the damned police officer appears again. He grimaces, even as he holds tight to the back of Flavia, as though her presence could shield him from the officer's steely gaze.

"For God's sake, now there are two of you?" He rolls his eyes. "Come on, Oliver and little orphan Annie. I'm going to need the both of you to come with me."

Beneath his breath, all Marius can do is pray, repeatedly, in French.

[spirit_of_vitriol]

Flavia quite nearly swears as the man addresses them both; and, after a moment, is rather glad she hadn't, hearing the terrified whispers from the boy now clinging to her shirttail. Whoever he is, he's French--or from Gaul, she allows, it does look like he's wearing an odd sort of ancient tunic--and it's likely the policeman isn't.

"Yes, my name is Anne," she says, hoping her French at least sounds fluid and conversational enough to be believable. And that the boy doesn't idiotically destroy their entire facade, trying to correct any mistakes she might make. "And this, he is my brother--who are you, then? A policeman? I do not known you; you have the face of a monkey, and the mind maybe of the crazy person." As she speaks, she starts wheeling Gladys closer towards the front of the alley, trusting the boy will follow behind.

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius' eyes widen at Flavia's sudden use of French; it takes everything in him not to correct her pronunciation. He settles for burying his nose in his hand briefly, instead. Because, of course, the officer is still before them, and Marius really doesn't fancy being forced into foster care when he is fully capable of taking care of himself.

He almost misses the way she begins to wheel the bicycle towards the alley opening; thankfully, he catches on quick, and decides to help her by further insulting the officer.

"What she means to say is that you look like a monkey, sir, and you live in a zoo." He can't help but stick his tongue out, for good measure.

[spirit_of_vitriol]

“Yes, it’s true,” Flavia says, pausing Gladys in her slow roll towards the exit just briefly enough for the boy to situate himself more securely on the bicycle seat. Once the chance for escape came, there wouldn’t be a moment to waste. “And the cat is at the train station, with a rubber tomato.” She didn’t care if it made no sense; the policeman hadn’t any idea what they were saying, anyway.

As if to confirm her point, he let out an aggrieved sigh, reaching for his radio. “Neither one of you speak English? Par-less anglaze?”

Flavia blinked up at him, trying to make her expression as innocently stupid as she could. “The duck is our friend,” she says, sorrowfully. “What time is my biology class?”

“Yeah, I’m going to need some—” he starts saying into his radio, and as he moves just enough to one side, Flavia decides to take the chance. Breaking into a run to build up momentum, she pushes past the policeman and leaps astride Gladys, pedaling furiously.

The angry, spluttered Hey! that reaches her ears as she and the boy speed away sounds utterly wonderful.

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius nearly falls on his ass trying to get onto the bicycle, which he manages to cover up with a sudden coughing fit. He's never ridden such a vehicle before, and truthfully, the prospect frightens him almost as much as the officer. But being younger makes him bolder; he finds himself grinning at the prospect of such a getaway.

He does have to actually facepalm at the rest of Flavia's French; he makes a mental note to offer her lessons, whenever this mess is over.

But then suddenly they're moving and Marius squeaks, clinging on to Flavia for dear life.

"Flavia, don't you think we're going a little too fast?"

[behindmothersback]

If there's one thing guaranteed to attract my attention, Father, it's a running child. Especially one that appears to be running from someone. Before I've had any time to think, I'm heading off in the direction I saw it running, entering the alleyway cautiously for the last thing I want to do is frighten the poor thing more.

"Hullo, I won't hurt you, are you alright? Do you need help?" I think the child is near the dumpster, but I can't quite see them yet.

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius clings to the back of the dumpster, leaning on it for support even as he winces at the sting of his scrapped knee. He almost withdraws further into the shadows when he hears a familiar voice calling out to him. He tenses for a moment while she speaks, but finally, slowly, starts to emerge once he recognizes that it is Eleanor calling to him.

"Eleanor?" He asks, clutching at his pillow-tunic as he approaches his new friend.

[behindmothersback]

What an odd little boy and what is that he's wearing? What's going on here today? He seems to know my name and I try to remember if I've met him somewhere. He seems familiar, but I can't quite place him.

"Yes, I'm Eleanor. Could you tell me your name, please?" I crouch down so I'm more at his level, knowing it will make him feel more at ease.

[pontmercyfriend]

"Eleanor, it's Marius," he tells her when she kneels close to him. It's a gesture he finds he's adjusting to; after all, most who see him don't know the truth - that he's a grown adult, aged back down to his childhood self - beyond that he is currently a child. "I just sort of...woke up like this."

[behindmothersback]

"Oh, goodness, not you! I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you. You... you remember everything, I'm assuming since you knew me?" It must be nice to remember. I only vaguely remember the time I reverted to my Little Sister self. I remember being so confused by you, Father, but ultimately recognizing you. Something I know I'd do no matter what my circumstance.

"Come on, let me get you somewhere inside so we can take care of your knee, you're bleeding quite a bit. Is your home close, or should I take you to mine?"

[pontmercyfriend]

"I remember everything," Marius affirms with a nod. He remembers everything of Darrow, and he remembers everything of what he felt when he was actually the age that he's trapped in right now. It's a confusing combination, to say the least, and he sometimes feels overwhelmed by such intense awareness. "It's quite the odd experience. Does this place always turn its citizens into smaller versions of themselves?"

"Well, I live in Dimera, so we shouldn't be too far," he says, before he remembers, smacking himself in the face. "But I locked myself out of my apartment, so we probably should go to yours."

[plaguedrat]

If it was one thing Rat knew how to do, it was evade authority. On principle, he hated and distrusted cops, especially when he was trying to keep hands on a kid who clearly wanted out. Smooth as a shadow, Rat inserted himself into the scene, "There you are, kid!"

Putting on the persona of an annoyed baby-sitter, Rat put a hand on top of the kid's head. "Has he been telling lies again> His mother warned me he would. Come on, kid," he said, steering him away.

"Thanks, Officer."

[pontmercyfriend]

The sight of Rat suddenly beside him makes Marius brighten instantly. For a moment, he's too busy grinning up at him, he doesn't catch onto the other man's ruse. Once he does, he blinks and tries to play up the 'cute' nature of his younger self.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," he responds, awkwardly shuffling his feet before letting Rat steer them away.

"Thank you, Rat," he tells him, leaning into to hug the other man's side before he can help himself. "You really helped me out."

[plaguedrat]

"Do I know you?" Rat asked, trying not to consider what the familiar freckles and red hair could indicate, even as the inevitable headache began to build. Whatever was going on, it seemed he'd already signed on for a weird day.

If he were the drinking type, Rat would be looking for something powerful.

[pontmercyfriend]

"It's me, Marius," he says, shuffling his feet awkwardly again as he adjusts his pillow-case-for-a-tunic for warmth against the morning chill. He never considered that he would run into Rat like this; but then, considering this city and its tendency towards oddness, he supposes he shouldn't be surprised.

"I...woke up like this," he explains with a shrug.

[plaguedrat]

There it was, that perfect spear of headache right between his eyes and blooming across his temples. Rat tried not to sigh too obviously. "Happened to me once. I have some clothes that might fit, come on."

Rat couldn't help but long for that bottle of whiskey again.

[pontmercyfriend]

"It happened to you too?" Marius asks, looking up at the other man as they walk. "How long did it last for?" He's trying not to think of Courfeyrac's birthday party tonight. Or work; he has a shift tomorrow night, and he can only imagine trying to explain his current situation to them.

"And thank you, I appreciate it," he says. "I was going to try and buy some but. The police officer stopped me."