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 Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:13 pm
It was a few days before Christmas... Senri had done some last minute work in the main district of town. It merely happened that across the street was the City Hall. Every year, the city hall was one of the main attractions of Destiny City. It was already an impressive sight from the outside, decorated with bright lights that gave the building an appearance of a small castle. Like one you saw in Disney Films. There was a large, towering tree outside brightly lit. They always decorated the inside of the large City Hall with multiple smaller but still very large trees, decorated with ornaments that varied from simply to delicately intrinsic. They also decorated it with large displays of presents and small houses that could be mistaken for doll houses.
Ah, they had gone with a castle theme for the outside this year?
However, each of these doll houses were impressively decorated down to miniature details of snow, reindeer, and whatever else that occupied Christmas. They included lights, rotating mechanisms, and dozens of other inventive prodecures for such a small scale project. Why, there was even a display of Santa's house with Miss Claus sitting inside, apparently knitting what appears to be a sweater for Mr. Claus.
And admission was free. It had been a long time since he was in Destiny City.. and his first Christmas. Christmas had never been particularly memorable to him, finding it to be another date on the calender. And a commercial opportunity for companies and stores to take advantage of to produce seasonal items. Either way,it wasn't something that Senri participated in frequently.
But it wouldn't hurt to take a look inside, Senri realized as he stared at the large building. And he stepped inside, the city hall already filled with bustling crowds. he had been in here before, a usually nice but bare interior. It was impressive in how they managed to decorate the building in such a short time.
His gaze riveted to the upstairs, which provided a sort of balcony that overlooked the decorations. A few people remained upstairs, but a large majority was sifting about downstairs. It was by no means off limit, but merely overlooked since there were no entertainments up there, and most people didn't bother to go up.
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Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 2:25 pm
With just a few days left before Christmas, Ainsley was working hard to find the jolly old man named Santa. She had to find him before Christmas! She just had to! She was getting used to the downtown area that her sister and her lived in, and was happily walking down the sidewalk with Octavian Oswald dangling in her arms when she seen something... something in the distance! It looked like a castle! A castle that brought Ainsley's eyes wide open with excitement. She had no choice but to chase after the castle in the distance and sedate her curiosity.
After having found a nice old lady to help her cross the street and politely thanking her, Ainsley was not disappointed when she finally got to the City Hall. She couldn't help but hold up her white plush bunny with one arm and point and wave around with the other as she exclaimed, "Look, look Octavian look!"
Various ohhs and ahhs later and Ainsley was kneeling over and looking at all the miniature statues and pieces with all their impressive details. It was so pretty out here, but the castle was slowly tempting the small child. It was so beautiful here, she could only imagine what it was like inside. It seemed like a good idea and according to her logic, if there were miniature santas out here perhaps there was a bigger one inside!
Not giving her prince Octavian Oswald a chance to object to them going inside from the cold, she stood back up and hurried towards the entrance of the City Hall. She took a moment to look at the decorations covering the building itself for just a little bit before she finally went inside.
Immediately upon entering, she held on tightly to her white plush bunny as the amount of people seemed to grow larger and larger the further she went inside. There were so many legs, so many legs. It was so hard for her at her height to see the decorations that gave the interior of the "castle" such a beautiful look. It was a great disappointment but the small child could only see legs, and some hands, and some necks and chins if she looked up.
"E-excuse me..." She said as she tried to push her way through until she finally got out of the large crowd of people and landing on the stairs. It was probably not a surprise that no one lingered on the stairs as much as they did the large ground floor due to it being a possible safety hazard, but the small child was relieved nonetheless. She couldn't see anything from downstairs, perhaps she could see things from upstairs! With hope in her thoughts, and the idea of heading up the stairs to the next level -- that's exactly what the child did.
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 12:18 am
Senri leaned against the oak railing, his form half-bent while his arms and elbow rested on the broad expanse of the wood. The older male was content with observing the festivities from a higher vantage point, at least for now -- it seemed. By the time the little girl, unnoticed by everybody else, made her way to the stairs, Senri had already turned away from the festivities to wander the large corridor of the upper floor. It was a grand corridor, pleasant in appearance and evoking a rather comfortable and aged feel then that of its grandeur.
She might have glimpsed his coat tail if she was quick enough, but the older male didn't seem to stay inclined in one place. There was only several rooms open, the other rooms locked. In one room were opened boxes, cushioning and packaging materials laid in array. Perhaps it was for the decorations outside? The next few rooms were of no interest .. at least until Senri happened to come across a beautiful grand piano lying untouched within the corner of the room. The room was bit dusty, but with the arched window at the top center of a wall, light filtered into the solitary room.
Senri recognized the piano. The piano normally resided in the midst of city hall to be used by any performer or musician. Even average musicians were encouraged to use it, as it had been donated by a kind patron of Destiny City who encouraged its use and not its display. He doubted that anyone would mind if Senri decided to use it.
He lifted the cover sending a thin layer of dust flying.Senri took a seat upon the piano chair, his fingers wandering lightly over the keys. The piano was maintained well. Senri's mouth curved into a rare and genuine smile.
The song, Ave Maris rang softly in the silent air of the second floor. It was still a bit difficult to hear it over the commotion and bustling of the crowds below, but as one wandered farther into the corridor - the sound became louder. It was not necessarily a Christmas song, but often played around Christmas season. It wasn't as festive or well-known as 'Jingle Bells' or 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' but it was a pretty song on its own.
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 10:27 pm
With hopes of seeing all the beautifully wonderful decorations better with a higher vantage point, Ainsley pushed her way up the long staircase. She didn't see the tail of the older male's coat as she slowly and carefully climbed the stairs by holding onto the oak railing just as everyone should always do when they climb the steps. She didn't rush it, she took every step one step a time. Nothing fancy like doing two steps at a time or anything! To make it a little more fun, the small child began to sing as she walked each step.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white.
She finished her song and she was almost disappointed to see she had reached the top of the stairs. She turned around carefully, keeping herself a good distance from the end of the step as she looked at the span of her horizon. She could see so much from up here! No one could see her, but no one had even noticed her when she was down there. She was enjoying the view when she heard the sound of something as beautiful as the view she was looking at.
Slowly her feet turned back around and she held up her plushie, and half sung, "Do you hear what I hear?" to Octavian Oswald. Not waiting to listen for his response, the child loosely held her friend in her hand and walked towards the sound. As she walked, she passed many rooms but upon listening none of them were where the sound was coming from until finally she stumbled on the room with Senri and the piano in it. At first she just stood there in awe, a small blush forming on her face as she walked the older male play. It sounded so heavenly! But soon she crept a little closer until she was in the doorway, hanging off the side of the door frame , trying to watch him play. She hoped she wouldn't disturb him.
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:36 pm
It had turned out all right for a song that Senri hadn't played in a while. He sighed, a little disappointed by his own inadequacy. "Guess I shouldn't have expected much." After all, it wasn't a song that he had played in a while considering the holidays. He rested his elbow on the side of the piano, his chin cradled in the palm of his gloved hand, looking very much like a regular guy then the playboy he normally was.
It seemed that his eyes caught notice of a small movement from the door. His mildly curious blue eyes looked to the source of the movement, tilting his head backwards to catch a better glimpse. "Who are you?" He asked as if addressing someone of his age rather then to consider a child. His tone wasn't exactly welcoming, but it didn't sound like Senri disliked her either.
"Don't tell me you're lost?" .. And was Senri supposed to guide her back? Senri avoided her gaze, trying to remember what people usually did in these scenarios. For all his finesse with woman, Senri didn't really know how to deal with children. They were always so bothersome that Senri normally tended to avoid them. Not that that was hard to do either considering that the places he went and the people he visited were not the type to have kids.
This would be hell of alot easier if Kaatje or Jada was here.. Maybe they might know what to do. But since Senri was here by himself, he was left to deal with it.
But wasn't this the isolated upstairs area? "Why are you here in the first place?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:01 pm
The white plush hung carefully in Ainsley's arms as she seemed to stand there a bit starstruck. It had been a combination of the song, and the melody and then finally the finishing blow when the older boy had turned his head more towards her and her blue eyes caught his own... she didn't know what to do. She wasn't threatened, or scared, but she didn't seem to know what to do. If anyone could see what had been going through the child's head it would have been similiar to a shoujo moment when the young girl meets the handsome young man, complete with roses highlighting the background and sparkles accenting the foreground.
"I'm Ainsley." She announced to him in a rather soft voice. "Yourself?"
Her body didn't stand there any longer, and her feet softly shuffled over to the older boy. Her long hair laid carefully over her shoulders and if it weren't for the plush bunny in the child's arm she might have even looked older than she was. Her eyes didn't leave the older boy other than to look from him to the piano and then back to him before she shook her head.
"I am not lost..." She said before she thought about why she had been up here in the first place. She wanted a better view of the whole set up of the place, didn't she? Whatever happened to that plan? Ainsley was not sure. One moment she was at the stairs and the next moment she was standing in the door way a little bit starstruck.
"I was admiring the decorations..." She said, carefully picking her words.
"I must have wandered over here when I heard the wonderful song you were playing. I could hear it all the way from the stairs..."
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Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:05 pm
As the unsuspecting other half of the shoujo scene, Senri didn't know how to react. But shoujo scenes like that were typically one-sided on the female's part. "My name is Senri." He answered, unwrapping a lollipop and sticking it inside of his mouth. When Senri didn't smoke, his mouth often felt lonely.
As she began to approach him, Senri remained in his seat. He didn't seem bothered by her undue attention towards him, used to being stared at. It didn't bother him. Senri returned his observations with his own, still at a loss of how to deal with the unexpected occurance. Cerulean blue eyes glanced over the little girl, noting the little details about her. She was well-dressed if not a bit odd with her plush, he would have ventured her age to be ten or eleven. But aside from that, Senri didn't attach any significance to her. He held no interest in children, and unless they were regarded as woman, which assuredly Ainsley was not, he didn't pay attention to them otherwise.
"Ah." That explanation made sense. Typical. It was that time of the season, wasn't it? Where families would take their children along to see the Christmas sights. Her words brought a brief smile to his lips. "It wasn't that great." There was no false modesty, merely a factual manner. Senri brushed off the compliment, feeling undeserving of the praise. "So what do you plan on doing now?" Continue wandering? Becoming lost while not-lost? Encountering strangers who weren't as safe as Senri? While Senri wasn't guilty, there were some people that liked to target children. All of these suggestions were unspoken, Senri trying to find a common ground in which they could communicate upon. Despite their language being English, there was little common ground. Finally, he asked, "Where are your parents?"
"Hm. Are you hungry?" Senri had some candy left .. digging into his pockets to emerge with a lollipop similar to his own. He extended his hand to Ainsley with the lollipop in his palm, inviting her to take it.
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Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:02 pm
Senri... Senri... His name was Senri. She child looked at him. A shoujo scene pretty much said it all.
Ainsley didn't understand why Senri thought the beautiful melody he had played wasn't that great though. It was definitely better than great, surely more beautiful than even a siren's song that allured sailors to their deaths: it lured in a little girl. Ainsley herself didn't know very much about pianos, but she knew a bit about music from singing herself. She knew that the sound made by an instrument or her singing was a note and there were many different notes out there that combined to make sounds. She was looking at the piano keys as he asked that question. The question about her parents. She didn't say anything for a long moment until he then offered her candy.
"Oh," she said, accepting the candy from him. "Thank you."
She looked down, and then back to the piano. She took a moment, but her eyes finally went back to Senri. There was a small moment and if someone looked carefully enough there was an emptiness that appeared in the child's eyes before it quickly went away like the stroke of a brush.
"Momma sent me to live with daddy," she paused, "because she thought daddy should get some time to take care of me too." It was a lie her mother had told her but the truth was Ainsley's mother abandoned her, tired of taking care of the daughter that not only ruined her figure but prevented her from getting a new husband while being baggage on her life. It took nine years but her mother finally got fed up with it and dropped her off to stay with her father.
"I think daddy is in New York. He couldn't take care of me so he sent me here so I can meet my sister!"
She held onto the lollipop in the same hand she held the white plush bunny Octavian Oswald and with her free hand she gently tapped on one of the piano keys. The sound resonated in the room and after the sound finally dissipated into the air the child looked at the young adult. "What note is that?" She asked curiously.
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 1:37 am
Couldn't take care of? Senri nearly laughed at the irony of such a statement. It wasn't an issue of couldn't but wouldn't. He could read between the lines well enough, even if the circumstances weren't so obvious. Ainsley was nothing more than a burden to her family, passed around, every person hoping that somebody else would take care of the problem for easy convenience. Judging from her sadness, Senri knew that Ainsley must have a semblance knowledge of her situation. Those were the type of people that he always despised.
He shifted the lollipop in his mouth, a sign of his contemplation in his thoughts.
It wasn't as if the male was different, he wouldn't say that he'd gladly take a child -- but he made no appearances about it. He didn't avoid the issue, waiting for somebody else to solve the problem or hoping that it would merely disappear. And at the very least, they should have had enough discretion to hide it from someone as young as Ainsley. But they had screwed that up as well. The model was baffled by their utter incompetence on the subject.
In response to her question, Senri easily switched thoughts to focus on the little girl. "A." It was a high note, innocent and simple. Senri reflected that it was much like the girl standing before him. He took a hold of Ainsley's hands to settle it comfortably on top of the keys. "Are you interested in learning?"
And with a tolerant smile, "Is that all you really want to say?" That entirely stoic manner in which people dealt with their problems was completely useless in Senri's view. Even for a child, Senri really couldn't tolerate that.
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 5:18 pm
Regardless of what Senri might of thought, Ainsley was completely oblivious to any manner of which her parents operated. It might have been that they were good at hidings things, but it was more likely that Ainsley just seen things in a naive manner. She believed they'd come back, that they weren't just throwing her away. In fact, the thought they were just throwing her away hadn't even crossed her mind. There was nothing but sincerity. She was sad that she couldn't stay with her mother, or that she couldn't have stayed with her father longer. She loved them both so much.
With her hands on the keys, the child sat close to Senri. She smiled at him sweetly when he told her what note it was. It was A! She learned a note! She wondered if the notes were similiar to the alphabet. If this was A, was the note next to it B? She looked up at Senri with hopeful eyes, eyes eager for answers. She nodded her head at him, with a shy grin on her face. Her voice was soft as she replied with a simple, "Yes," before she pressed her hand against the C and G keys. She pressed the C key twice, and then the same for the G. It kind of sounded like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She was testing the waters, and when the sounds came off the keys she had the brightest smile around which she promptly looked up to Senri with.
"This sounds right? What keys are these?" She had questioning eyes, looking towards Senri for assistance.
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Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:33 pm
Senri didn't take long to answer, having long memorized the sounds and pitches of the piano. "C and G." Remembering his own basic lessons, Senri began to explain similarly to Ainsley, "The keys are in order. But instead of starting at A, they begin at C and continue until G. Then after G is at A, starting the cycle all over again."
"Like so," Senri pointed out the keys to the young girl as he listed the letters for Ainsley to make it easier to comprehend, "C-D-E-F-G-A-B. From left to right, the pitch goes from low to higher."
"And when you know these notes, any piano teacher can start to teach you the basics." The implication meant that Senri wouldn't be staying around long enough to teach the young girl. But to be honest, looking at Ainsley's smile, Senri had forgotten how innocent children were. 'Really..' He averted his gaze, wondering if he had been this innocent as a child. It was rather frightening at how they easily trusted strangers. It was no wonder child trafficking still existed.
Senri stood up, hands in his pocket as he stared down at Ainsley. "Next time, have your sister bring you along." A thoughtful pause. "And oh, don't take candy from strangers. Especially not from old men." That was the limit to Senri's life lessons for a child. Any other life lesson would have him labeled as a b*****d or have him punched out. Frankly, Senri didn't like the latter option. "Especially because you look like a rich kid, so I'm sure that it's more dangerous for you."
Listening to himself, Senri felt a headache coming on. Why the hell was he lecturing a child again?
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Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 2:50 pm
Ainsley was taking in the notes like a sponge, repeating them to herself under her breath as she watched him list them off in their order. It was different, the alphabet started at C instead of A, only went to G and ended at B before it cycled through again. She wondered if she would be able to remember it. She could remember the normal alphabet, surely she could remember a much shorter version of it? She felt confident she could remember them and impress him.
But then just when she was feeling confident and excited to learn the piano notes, her heart sunk. Any teacher could teacher her if she knew these notes? She didn't want any teacher! She wanted him to teach her the beautiful melodies that he had shown her. She had only just got here too! Her eyes suddenly lifted when he said next time, her thoughts immediately assuming he meant the next time she came to see him.
She nodded her head, his lecture started to blend into her thoughts. She could only think of him, a smile on her face as she looked up at his own. If he was leaving, then she would leave too! She held out her hand to him, hoping he would take it and escort her out as he left. Any little bit of time she could spend with him would suffice.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:02 pm
He stared at the hand with a backwards glance. Judging from the unreadable expression on his face, it was possible that the model would decline. But Senri could do much better than holding hands. With a slight bow, finding amusement in humoring the young lady, Senri did another approach. "I apologize for any discourtesy but I prefer this to holding hands." As he emphasized his words, he scooped Ainsley to sit atop of him so that she could see the sights.
"Now you won't get lost. Unless you somehow happen to fall off." He began to walk with the same fluid ease he always had, finding that the young girl wasn't heavy. "Make sure not to let that .. bunny go." There was a certain hesitation when he referred to the bunny. Maybe it was secretly an alien..? No, he preferred not to go there.
As he descended down the stairs, Ainsley would find that the sights were far better taller than at her disadvantageous height amidst a swarm of legs. "I don't do this for all kids so enjoy it while you can."
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:14 pm
Ainsley let out a squeal as she had been scooped up on top of Senri, a small expression of panic covering her face as she tried to hold on. Fall off he suggested? No way, she would not be falling off, not unless Senri's head happened to fall off first. She was hugging it, not too tightly but carefully as she was cautious. She'd never been picked up before, not having a father figure in her life until a couple weeks ago... and he wasn't about to pick her up.
It took a few moments but she loosened up a bit, letting out a sigh of relief as she realized she was quite safe up here and oh my goodness, look at all the decorations! The child's eyes went wide, and her lips parted with a gasp. She could see so much better from up here! She was admiring, but when Senri suggested caution with her bunny she held onto him tighter to make sure that he didn't fall.
Oh, she could see everything so much better on the way down the stairs than she could on the way up. Senri was so tall! So much taller than her, plus her own height? They made a tower of awesome height that allowed Ainsley and Octavian Oswald to see the most of the sights. To top it all off with a cherry on top, Senri told her that she was special. She found herself blushing lightly, hugging around him so she didn't fall. She was enjoying this.
"It's all so beautiful," she whispered to him.
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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:14 pm
"I'm glad that you could enjoy it." Senri calmly smiled, taking care to avoid jostling into the nearby people. It had been a long time since he was accompanied by a child. Her excitement brought to mind his excitement when he was young, although Senri had long left behind childhood. He circled the entire plaza, surveying the many Christmas trees and decorations they offered at least once before finally exiting the building. Finally setting her down, waiting until she stood safety upon the ground, Senri asked, "Did you enjoy this?"
He kneeled down to straighten her clothing, and looked around wondering if there was anybody waiting for the little girl. But all he saw were mingling people hurrying back and forth to their destinations. "Can you get home safely?"
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