Theia (Planet) - Younger Days

Theia doesn’t remember how or when she came to be. Her memory was rather fuzzy as a tabula rasa, and all she knew was wandering the streets of Sermos, searching for… “something”. She wasn’t sure what she sought, exactly, but she’d seen other Paralogos around town. Larger dinosaurs, with more distinct colors and features. Some flitting about on an errand, others accompanying their caretakers, all of them expressing an air of purpose. Surely they found what they were looking for.

Traversing the large city on her own was a bit unnerving. Though not afraid of the loud noises or even the figures hiding in the alleys at night, Theia felt rather small in the maze of streets and buildings. Finding her “something” by herself in this sprawling metropolis seemed near impossible, which was quite demoralizing. It seemed like she searched for weeks, maybe even months, but she was determined not to give up.

She suppressed a sigh as she stared at one particular art sculpture by the sidewalk. The statue was large and impressive, with lots of little things to look at. She gazed at it for a long time, but nothing about it made her feel any different. (The search continues,) she thought.

“Mommy, look!”

A girl’s shriek and the stomping of footsteps were Theia’s only warning before she was suddenly picked up off the ground and held in a vice-like grip.

“It’s just a baby! I want it, I want it, I want it!” The girl squealed, hugging Theia to her chest. The Paralogos flailed helplessly in the girl’s arms and struggled to free her tail that was trapped painfully between their bodies.

A taller woman dressed in a blouse and pencil skirt approached the two. She was very well manicured and eyed Theia with a look that made her a little nervous.

“Yes, alright,” the woman sighed. “But you need to make it behave this time. And make sure it picks a good word. I won’t be seen with a servant associated with something unbecoming like ‘swamp’.”

“YAY!!” The girl screeched, hugging Theia tighter. This time the Paralogos was too distracted to mind.

A word ! That’s what she’s looking for. Once she found her special word, she’d have her purpose. She could finally belong somewhere. Her days of getting lost in the city were over. The girl was a bit overly enthusiastic, particularly when it came to crushing Theia’s ribcage, but it couldn’t be that bad, right?

Before she knew it, Theia found herself in a grandiose mansion. At least, she thought it was probably very big and impressive-looking, but every time she tried to take in her surroundings the little girl shoved something in front of Theia’s snout.

“How about THIS!” The girl squealed, waving a piece of satin cloth in the Paralogos’ face.

After the twentieth object interrupted her thoughts, Theia wondered if this really was the life for her.

From dawn ‘til dusk, Theia was subjected to a barrage of fancy and intricate clothing, items, and even books. While the allure to real paper books was strong, their contents did nothing to pique her interest. The mansion’s enormous private library held mostly books on etiquette, fashion, and biographies of wealthy and powerful people.

When not stuffed into frilly outfits by the girl, gazing upon expensive decor for inspiration, or reading tales of rich people’s accomplishments, the girl’s mother would expect Theia to do a variety of menial tasks to upkeep the household. Though they were repetitive and did nothing to help her find her word focus, Theia enjoyed these tasks as her new caretaker usually left her alone while she worked.

While washing the kitchen floors one day, she rounded the corner to soak her mop when she came face-to-face with another Paralogos. Theia squeaked in surprise, dropping her mop with a clatter.

“Careful, now,” the other dinosaur whispered. “The masters don’t like mistakes.”

Theia looked over her new acquaintance as he bent down to retrieve her dropped handle. He was grey, a tabula rasa like her, though he stood a few centimeters taller than her. He had one simple circle light on each side of his tail segments, just like she did, but the entire segment on the tip of his tail glowed brightly like a lightbulb.

He smiled as he handed the mop back to her. “You’re a new face. The masters call me Clyde, but I’d prefer if you called me Aster.”

“Aster,” Theia echoed. “That’s a nice name. Is the young girl also your caretaker?”

“Who, Miss Emmaline? No, no, her mother, Ms. Brookshire is actually my caretaker. She runs the place, you see.” Aster glanced around, then leaned in close and whispered, “How are you holding up?”

Theia sighed. "Is this how all adult Paralogos live?"

"I think we're just unlucky," Aster chuckled. "I'm sorry you got roped into this, but I have to admit I'm a little happy to no longer be the only Paralogos in this giant mansion. I was starting to forget what we looked like."

"You mean you can't see yourself in the countless mirrors in here? Surely you've been here longer than I have, and I lost track how many of those I've had to polish."

The taller Paralogos let out a hearty guffaw. "I like you. What's your name?"

Heeled footsteps echoed through the hallway, signaling the approach of the matriarch of the household.

“We’ll talk later,” Aster winked. He scurried off as Theia resumed her mopping.

A friend! One that was a Paralogos like her, that didn’t expect her to conform to high standards or know which fork to use for dessert. She desperately wanted to talk more with him. She’d felt so lonely, only having had contact with the girl and her mother ever since they picked her up off the street.

(Aster seems nice,) Theia thought to herself as she worked. (Maybe he can help me find my word, my purpose. And maybe I can help him find his, too.)

She glanced up at the woman - Ms. Brookshire - as she scrutinized Theia’s work with a disapproving glare.

(But first, we need to get out of here.)