forum Under The Painted Sky (O/O CLOSED)

Started March 18, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

Edit topic

"Oh, we could play I spy," Sterling suggested as he followed close behind the pair. "You spot something first, Aiden."

Eden looked at Sterling, a little surprised. She was going to suggest that game, too. Aiden seemed to have liked it because he gave a small smile. It made Eden’s lips twitch. She forced the smile down.

“I… I spy with my little eye…” he squinted his tiny eyes. “Something scary! And with horns.”

A rhinoceros, Eden realized as her eyes flickered to the animal on their right.

Sterling clicked his tongue and looked around before his eyes settled on Eden. He grinned wickedly and looked up at Aiden. “Is it this girl? She’s pretty scary when she wants to be.”

Eden whipped her head to glare at him, snorting and shaking her head afterwards. “You think you’re so funny, don’t you, Ainsley?” She said dryly. “I’m laughing.”

Sterling winked and glanced around. “Well, what else is scary and has horns, hm? Is it the penguins?” he asked, obviously joking to get the kid to laugh.

Eden rolled her eyes, but was a bit grateful because Aidan did let out a small laugh.

“No! Penguins don’t have horns, silly,” he laughed. “And they’re not scary. They’re adorable!”

“Oh, duh! Of course. That was a ridiculous answer,” Sterling laughed, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe himself. “Maybe Eden has a guess?”

He was good with kids, Eden thought to herself begrudgingly. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked like she was contemplating her answer, frowning.

“Elephants, perhaps?” She guessed with a small shrug. “They’re big, quite scary and have horns—“ here, she pointed at her face, making a motion of tusks. “—like this.”

“Those are tusks,” Aidan laughed again. Eden shifted him in her arms. “Man, you guys are bad at this. It’s a rhino!”

Sterling gasped. “Oh! I knew that, pfft. Okay, okay. Do you want to go again or should one of us?”

“You should go next!” The young boy pointed to Sterling. “Think of something hard.”

“Hm… Okay, let’s see…” Sterling hummed, glancing around. “I spy with my little eye, something… furry and yellow…”

Eden furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes, too, skimmed around the area. Furry and yellow? What could it be? A lion? Then she stopped herself. Why was she playing this game?

“Um… is it…” Aiden looked around in confusion. “Is it a duck? But those are feathery…”

“Nope, it’s not a duck~” Sterling sang, glancing over at Eden. “Any guesses?”

“Why don’t we let Aiden try to figure it out?” Eden kept her eyes on the little boy, occasionally looking around to see if there were frantic parents. “One more chance. Then I’ll guess.”

“Sure,” Sterling chuckled. “Any other guesses, dude?”

“Is it a tiger?” Aiden tried again, furrowing his adorable features. “But they’re not very furry…”

“No, it’s not a tiger, either,” Sterling hummed, looking pointedly at Eden. “Eden? Any guesses now?”

“A lion,” Eden guessed, but it was more of a statement than a question, ignoring the look Sterling sent towards her. Where were Aiden’s parents? They were nearly at the giraffes, and there was still no sign of the adults.

“Correct! It was a lion,” Sterling said, smiling as he glanced around the area. “All right, it’s your turn, now.”

Eden ignored Sterling’s statement, instead looking around again. “Do you see your parents anywhere, little one?” she questioned. Aiden, too, twisted in her arms to look around.

“Um… I don’t…”

Sterling sighed quietly, looking around as well. “Okay… Well, do you know where they were going next? Or maybe they went to ask an employee for help…”

“Is there a lost child center around here?” Eden shifted him again in her arms, feeling tired but pretending otherwise. “We should as an employee as well.”

“I’m not sure. It’s been a while since I came here last,” Sterling mused softly. He shifted his gaze to Eden and nudged her. “Here, let me take him. You can go ask someone if there’s a lost child center here.”

He was here before? Eden furrowed at his statement before immediately dispelling the thought. So what if he had? What was it to her?

Then he nudged her and Eden stiffened at the too foreign touch. A kid’s, she was fine with. A grown male… that, she was never able to stand. Still, she handed Sterling the child, who immediately wrapped his tiny arms around the older male. Eden tried not to let her eyes linger at the sight. Just as she turned to find someone to ask for the lost child center, an employee approached them.

“Good morning,” she said to them hurriedly. “Have either of you seen a lost child?”

Sterling blinked at the woman and nodded toward Aiden. “He was looking for his parents and we were trying to help him find them. Where are they?”