Wonderment of a New World

Arjean stood by, feeling horrible as they watched Remi try to comfort Gabbi. They didn't want to leave behind their bag and sketchpad, but they also didn't want to cause so much trouble. Seeing her cry and how worried Remi was, Arjean began to cry too. "I'm sorry," they kept repeating, only stopping when Remi combed through their hair with her hands.

"It's okay, you two. I need to keep a closer eye next time. How about we get something to eat? I think there's ice cream around here," said Remi, seemingly trying to add a bit more emotion to her voice. Arjean assumed that was mostly to make Gabbi happier.

Arjean lightened up when ice cream was mentioned. Rubbing away the tears from their face, they grabbed Remi's hand and began swinging it back and forth excitedly. "I want sprinkle vanilla!" they chirped a bit too loudly.

Remi backed away from the two, giving herself enough space to turn into a golden form, then coming out with her lower body being that of a four-legged deer, instead of her usual two-legged one. Arjean knew what they were supposed to do next. She always turned into that form to give Arjean and Junchi back rides when babysitting and playing with them. Flying onto her back and getting themself comfortable, they waited for Gabbi to do the same thing. "Come on."

"Is it alright if I sit you on my back? It'll be easier to keep track of you guys that way," Remi explained, lowering her body so Gabbi could have an easier time climbing on.

Arjean would have hugged Gabbi, but they still didn't feel comfortable enough to touch her yet. It also wouldn't do any good if they hugged her and they both fell off of Remi's back. Remi was always good at keeping Arjean on her back and not allowing them to fall, but she made it clear that it was possible if they didn't hold on tightly.

"You're welcome," Arjean responded, hoping that was a good reply. It was embarrassing seeing how good Gabbi was at communicating when they themself were still having trouble. This could be a good chance to practice. When they got back to their mommies, they could show off how many words they learned from her, like "commemorate" and "irresponsible." They weren't completely sure what those words meant, but they could repeat them.

"Ummm, what ice cream you like?" they asked her, wondering if they made sense. "I like sprinkle vanilla."

Arjean got most of that. "What are states and marble?" they asked, leaning their body onto Remi's back to relax. They had an idea of what marble was, remembering Remi and their mommy speaking about it.

"It's a rock, Arjean," Remi responded. "A pretty rock that shines." She turned her arm into marble to explain what she was talking about, then returned it back to her normal state. "And states are, uh, land owned by people. You'll learn more when you're older."

Arjean never liked to wait until they were older, they wanted to do everything now. It always felt unfair that they couldn't do stuff because they were so young. At least their maman Béatrice always liked to teach Arjean almost everything they wanted.

"I'm having lotsa fun!" Arjean said in response to Gabbi. "Are you?"

Right then Remi stopped to grab them some ice cream. "Large, medium, or small?" she asked the two.

"Large." Arjean always got large. Sometimes the large was too small, so they got two or three, but then they had to stop so they wouldn't get sick.

Arjean tried to hold back shooting a glare at Gabbi. She may talk fast and in a complex manner, but they could understand what she was getting at most of the time. Despite not being that much older, she was still a big kid, and they deserved respect. Arjean always tried to be nicer and more polite towards those older than them, but sometimes it was hard to prevent themself from pulling at their hair, or biting them, or throwing something at them. They were getting better... slowly.

They stayed quiet, not responding to Gabbi's first comment. Rather, they responded to the second thing she said. "Yay! You can meet Junchi then. And Maman and Mommy and Grandy."

After they all got their ice cream Remi walked over towards a nearby table and allowed the two kids to get off her back so they could find their seats. Arjean didn't move for a bit, surprised by how smart Gabby was at speaking. It gave them a bad feeling in their chest: jealously. They wanted to be as smart as her; it made Arjean both admire and feel threatened by Gabbi. They tried to keep their feelings hidden though, still acting cheerful and happy as usual.

Remi sat down once the two got into their seats. She sat quietly, texting on her phone and occasionally looking up to check on the two kids. Then she remembered a question she should have asked earlier. "Where did you come from? Like, your family or group? You couldn't have gotten in here alone." She hoped dearly she didn't accidentally kidnap a child.

Arjean only understood half of that, but that was because Gabbi was speaking so fast. They looked up at their older sister, wondering how she would respond. She looked stunned but sat there thinking while she chewed her ice cream sandwich. When she swallowed, she finally spoke. "Oh... So you were abandoned here. But where are your guardians now? They must be so worried, with you gone and all. If you came here on the school trip we should find your teacher."

"I wanna help," Arjean suggested timidly. "Please? I got good senses." They looked at Remi and Gabbi, hoping to be approved. If they flew high enough they could find whoever was taking care of Gabbi, or they could smell out the teacher.