Andlátkyn; Vandr Sanses unin Alagaësia

A Surprise

Nightmare was having a silent staredown with Kin across the pavilion, said skeleton staring back without moving so much an inch. Error was idly watching the strange interaction in amusement, Dream sighing into his hands, leaves fluttering in mild annoyance.

The crowd around them went largely unnoticed by the pair, though most of everyone had their eyes and lights upon them.
They likely would have gone on for an hour or more if it weren't for a sudden interruption.
"What are you doing to him?"

Nightmare blinked, both breaking out of their respective trance as he turned to the one that spoke. "Hmm?"
Omega was glaring suspiciously, tense. "What were you doing?"
"Staring." The Guardian of Negativity deadpanned, no longer interested in the conversation as he glanced at the entrance.

He was distracted by a sudden poke to his legs, glancing behind himself as Omega gasped, blinking at the form of a small child taking off.
Dream snorted slightly nearby.
"Did he just poke me?" He questioned rhetorically.
"Yes." Error replied bluntly.

Nightmare just sighed, waving him off as he turned to follow the child. "Someone explain what I was 'doing to him'." He ordered vaguely to the others while Omega scoffed at being cast aside.

He managed to make his way through the crowd easily, finding the corner where the children were playing.
There wasn't really any reason why he followed the youngling, he just did. Now that he'd found them, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do next.
The boy from before spotted him and squeaked, hiding behind an older child. He felt his face twitch in amusement before noticing a piercing gaze upon him.

Nightmare glanced over, seeing Dance a few meters away stare intensely at him. Was he worried for the children?
Human children?
Odd. Typically Sanses were more distant and apathetic to human kids because of the genocides.

Either way, he didn't get much longer to ponder this, as the entrance to the tent opened, revealing Eragon and Nasuada. All activity stopped so that the boy's village could shout "Surprise!"

He couldn't stop his grin as Eragon stood there, dumbfounded. A good chunk of the village was there, as well as pretty much all of the Wyrdaí Islingrya, Angela and Sinead, Jeod and his wife, and several sailors that had helped Carvahall sail to Surda. All the kids had stopped in their activities to gape at the arrivals.

Then Angela raised her mug and announced. "Well, don't just stand there gaping! Come in, sit down. I'm hungry!"
Everyone laughed, Nasuada tugging the Rider towards the table.

Nightmare grinned, peering back down at a young boy who was poking his kneecap. "What are you doing?" He asked in the softest tone he could muster.
"Are you a swamp monster?" The child asked ignorantly, rubbing his finger in the dark, viscous tar.

Nightmare chuckled, squatting to the child's level. "I'm afraid not. I stay away from swamps."
"Do you come from the Spine?"
"No, I come from worlds far away."
"What does that mean?"
"Something you'll know when you're older."

The boy scowled, before jumping forward and grabbing one of Nightmare's branches. "I know! You're a night tree spirit!"
The Guardian of Negativity hesitated, Dream hurrying over.

"You're half right." He murmured, picking the child up with the same tendril, much to the boy's surprise.
The kid lay limp for a moment, then kicked in the air. "Put me down! I can walk."

Nightmare shrugged, sitting down and letting the boy go as well. The child immediately grabbed his retreating tendril to study it. He chuckled, letting Dream sit close by, just as intrigued by the conversation.

"Do you have tree parents? What's it like? Are they oak or beeches?" Nightmare paused, the questions bringing back a few old, old memories. The kid continued his barrage, unaware of the intrusiveness of his questions.
"I heard that trees can live to be two centuries old. Are you really old too? Older than Galbatorix? What was Alagaësia like before Galbatorix?"