//woke up at 4am thinking of thistle

Thistle leaned his head on Mike’s shoulder, smiling softly. “You’re warm.” Thistle was cold but hadn’t cared to do anything about it and was shivering slightly, elf ears quivering.

“Oh. so he has elf slaves that he punishes by trapping them in other people’s houses?”

“Yes.” :)

“Oh.”

“Why do people speak of an elf on a shelf? Are you keeping them hostage?”

“You can get a new one. I have Mike now. He adopted me. He even got me a birth certificate.”

“Hm. True.“ he looked up, “Oh. I think it is about to rain.” Sure enough, rain began to patter down.

“Ha. Is it?”

i cannot fill you. i am hollow too.

He stumbled over the notes a bit, but the melody was soothing and warm despite it.

//pssst follow my little kid thustle account hes baby . just a little guy

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ 𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 , ⠀⠀ ⠀ 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒆 .ᐟ ⠀⠀ ⠀ #BSKYRP x #CHRISTMAS ⠀⠀

Thistle was playing his flute. He was not as skilled as he used to be, but for now that was okay. He was in a good mood after what Mike had said.

“Why are people talking about ’nice’ and ‘naughty’ lists?”

congratulations! you have survived the war. now live with the trauma.

“…Oh.” his eyes widened, feeling a surprising wave of emotion that had him tearing up, and he hugged Mike back. … “Yes. Who is Santa?”

He blinked, dangling limply as he was lifted up, almost like a surprised cat. “Santa Claus…?Who is that? What was your first best day?”

“You are happy.” he smiled.

“I am Thistle. I do not have a surname.”

“...Mm.” he hummed, staring off imto the distance for a while before turning to stare blankly at Tomio. “Who are you?”

Thistle watched them descend, hesitating before slowly and awkwardly climbing onto their back with cold thin limbs. It took a lot of effort. He leaned his head on their shoulder, panting a little. Dizzy.

“…It’s okay. You don’t have to.” a long pause as he watched them rummage around, “But you can if you want.” He wasn’t shivering, but his lips were a little blue and he had goosebumps along his scarred arms.

The small elf blinked up at them. “Hm…I suppose. But I am stuck.” a long pause, “I cannot feel my toes and fingers. I think I am cold.”

“I did not leave by choice. But thank you, I suppose. It is an improvement not to be a mass murdering dungeon lord anymore.”

Thistle was lying down in a hole underneath a tree. He had been there for several hours now and was stuck but didn’t care enough to call out for help.

He mumbled to himself, still gnawing on his finger and rocking. It took him so long to respond that it seemed as though he wouldn’t at all. A long, tense silence. “No.” another pause, “…I do not like to think of that.”

Unfortunately, Thistle did not particularly care that he was stuck, so did not ask for help and instead just laid there. A servant came looking for him, “Have you seen a small elf anywhere? He has brown skin and white hair and purple eyes.”

His ears twitched as he began to chew on his finger until it bled, gaze distant and haunted . “It ate me. It said I tasted delicious and that there was nothing left. I should be dead.” he pulled his knees tighter to his chest, rocking back and forth, “Dead.”

Thistle just laid there in the hole.

“No, it isn’t. You can just take it.”

“Trees are strong.” he crawled under the tree and sat in the hole.

“There is a hole under that tree trunk.” he pointed.

i'm not a good person， i'm barely a person at all. but someday i'll be perfect， and i'll make up for it all.

“Any old hole, then.”

“Mhm…I used to be empty like this when I was very small. I would be empty and far away so I would not remember the bad things. I completely forgot about them for years, but now that I am empty again…I remember bits and pieces. I still don’t want to, but I also no longer have the energy to suppress -

“Go in a cave.”

i'm either empty inside or bursting at the seams with every emotion known to humanity there is no in between

”…Do you not have curtains?”

Thistle had started staring off into space, but jolted a little as Tomio spoke, turning to him. He stared blankly for a little while, processing. “…I mostly feel empty but at least once a day I will suddenly feel everything at once and then I will scream and scratch. I used to feel +

“Hm...Are you alright?”

Let's go in the garden — You'll find something waiting .. Right there where you left it , lying upside down 𓈒 When you finally find it , you'll see how it's faded ..

but grief compels me, maybe even more than sleep. i am waiting for something to last -- i know nothing will.

thistle and delgal sketch

“How? Are you going to prepare a teleportation spell?”

Thistle blinked. ”…Who? What? The North Pole? Wouldn’t that take months to get to…?”

Thistle was also sleeping. Sleeping time

“Where?“