Carl in Wellington

[piwakawaka]

Carl's lucky, its not raining at the moment in Wellington when Tiwa takes him through a door and into Civic Square then says with a grin,

"Haere Mai Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara."

Comments

[one_man_army]

"Alright, alright."

He's laughing - and she doesn't have to pull him very much, he's very good at following - and weaving through the people as they make their way towards the museum.

[piwakawaka]

Once they get inside, she starts up the stairs where a few people wave at them. Inside things are brighter and more now that he's Enchanted, Maori carving shift and move for a moment,

"Welcome to Te Papa."

[one_man_army]

It's like being buzzed, but without the loss of focus and he's finding he likes seeing the world this way - the details that not everyone can see (they're useful and he's committing them to memory) and the feeling that comes with it.

No wonder she's always so damn happy.

"Thank you," he replies.

[piwakawaka]

Every once in a while there's a spot of dark around a person, usually someone who's grumpy but its more than made up for the light of a child. She's moving quickly up and up the building until they're walking up a long flight of stairs,

"Now this is the Marae here and its a different sort of one than other places but just as powerful as the one up in Kelburn."

Ever so quietly, she starts singing under her breath, she's introducing him to all those spirits listening who are just glimmers in the air.

[one_man_army]

"What's 'Marae' mean?"

She doesn't have to answer him right away, especially since she's singing at the moment - he's more than happy to just watch the glimmers and be 'introduced' to the spirits.

The logical part of his brain is telling him this is ridiculous, but he's managed to ignore it in favor of believing in magic again.

[piwakawaka]

She grins and just lead hims up to the top of the stairs and turns to show him the marae.

Once he's facing it, she just beams at him as the colors shift and change as a group of dancers and audience fill the space.

[one_man_army]

This is nothing like anything he's ever seen before, so you can bet that he's going to soak it all in as best he can.

[piwakawaka]

On the stage, a door keeps shifting in and out, showing a way to another world that's even More somehow. Tiwa slips in front of him and on the tips of her toes meets forehead to forehead and nose to nose as she says,

"Means meeting place but its also the Freehold, can find your way to another world here if you know how to look."

[one_man_army]

"That how you get around?"

He doesn't shy from the contact and it's almost surprising since he rarely allows anyone that close into his personal space.

[piwakawaka]

"Depends where we're going. Now do you prefer history or giant skeletons?"

She bounces back down off her toes and applauds as the performance ends.

[one_man_army]

"Giant skeletons," he says, as he applauds the group of dancers and they take their bows.

[piwakawaka]

"Sweet, we'll see those next. Maybe later, I'll even show you the way to the Dreaming."

He gets another huge grin as one of the creatures on the carving waves to Tiwa and she waves back.

[one_man_army]

"So they can just...see you and you can see them."

That's interesting.

[piwakawaka]

"They're chimera course they can see me."

[one_man_army]

"What's a chimera?"

[piwakawaka]

"Creature of the Dreaming, come on, giant skeletons are this way."

Now Carl is being moved past the Marae and onto one of the main floors of the museum, they pass through the Maori history exhibit.

[one_man_army]

"The giant skeletons were always my favorite things in museums when I was a kid," he tells her. "I had a thing for dinosaurs."

[piwakawaka]

"No dinosaurs here but we've got giant eagles, moas and huge whales."

[one_man_army]

"Whales are cool too," he says. "They're just giant."

[piwakawaka]

"Course they are."

There's a busy cafe and Tiwa heads down some stairs where they pass a cannon,

"That's from Cook's ship."