Okay, so one cool thing about Lina is that she remembers things. And I mean, she has a good memory normally, and remembers all kinds of names and games and funny facts, and things people said or did that even they don't remember.
But, when she's dreamwalking, she can remember way, way more than when she's awake. I think it's because her subconscious is closer to the surface, so her already-good memory is like, CRAZY now.
So, since she has this newfound depth of memory, she's recalling all kinds of stories about her family, and all their fun little traditions and family rituals, and talking about them to Mr. Guardian as they go along on their journey.
That... ends up being really important, actually. I didn't realize that when I was developing it, but it kinda is a big deal. Thematically and literally.
It also sets her apart from some of my other little kid characters! In "Prometheus Curse", for example, I have Ruth, who's a few years older. And she notices things, picks up on what people are feeling, even when nobody else sees anything. She can tell if someone is nice, even if they seem scary, and she can tell if someone's not telling the truth.
And that's not Lina! She can't always tell if somebody is bad or good, and she can be fooled, and she can struggle over whether somebody should be trusted or not.
But where you can't fool her is memory. She'll remember how the real person acts, and that's how she'll see through the disguise. She'll remember the stories she's heard all her life, and that's how she'll realize this is not a good situation. She'll remember the words you said, the promise you made, and that's how she'll decide to trust you.
She's a little like her mother, I think. The familiar is where she gets her strength.
