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 Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:39 pm
.Chance Meetings. Panic coursed through the child's body. Time itself seemed slightly blurred, as were a few of her memories. Where was she? A forest, that much was absolutely certain, but where was the tree that led back to Etansel? If she could make it there, surely the Clarius could help her find her way and her guardian, as well.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she wandered, lost amongst the looming, tall trees. She sniffled quietly before beginning to cry in earnest when she stumbled and fell. She scraped her knee and in the process tore her skirt. The damage to her dress and the hurt on her knee served only to upset her even more. She stumbled forward blindly once she pulled herself to her feet only to come to an abrupt halt.
Before her was the rather impressive tree that led to Etansel. She had found her way to the city, but lying beneath at the base of the trunk was a person. She fell silent and edged forward hesitantly. Her eyes widened slightly as she stood close enough to gaze down upon the figure. It was a young man, and he appeared to be sound asleep.
The child couldn't help but stare. He was the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. He looked very much like a porcelain doll with his flawless skin and perfectly groomed hair that ended in wavy curls.
She gasped and stumbled backwards when his eyes filtered open. She'd been caught staring! How embarrassing! Once more she tumbled to the ground as she tripped over a loose branch that had been hidden in the underbrush. Her already skinned up knee singed with a white hot pain as the bruising was worsened.
Tears streamed steadily down her face. How awful! Her hands were scratched up from bracing her fall, her knee was banged up, her dress was torn, and she was hungry and tired to boot. Things seemed positively rotten in every respect possible.
"Sweetling, are you okay?"
The sound of someone else's voice startled her enough that she jumped up off the ground to her feet without so much as a thought to the pain the movement caused. Her lower lip trembled as she fought back tears while staring up at the man from before with a classic dear-in-headlights look.
"Come now,” he murmured gently as he bent down so that he was eye level with her, “Tears aren't meant for pretty little girls." The man offered her a small smile before reaching out gingerly to wipe away a few stray tears with a handkerchief from his pocket.
She swallowed thickly as she gazed over at him silently. He had warm, kind eyes that were just a few shades darker than her own.
"Do you have a name?" he asked gently.
"Mesmerelda." Quite the mouthful for a little lady as young as she, but even through her hiccuping and sniffles her enunciation was close to flawless.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Mesmerelda," he replied as he reached to take one of her small hands in his, "My name is Dismas Sterling, but you may simply call me Di or Sterling." He paused for a moment as he took in her rather worn appearance with a small frown.
"My dear, you seem a bit ... distressed," he stated softly, "Do you need some help?"
Mes gazed up at him with tear brimmed eyes as he stood from where he was kneeling. "Y-y-yessss!" she wailed loudly before flinging herself bodily towards Di and clung to one of his legs.
It took a great deal of composure to keep from laughing outright at her dramatics, but he managed to keep a straight face. Obviously her plight was quite serious, at least to her, and he ought to take it serious as well. He bent down to lift her up into his arms and offered her a charming smile.
"And what is it I may do to help, dear Lady?"
Mesmerelda paused with a faint sniff as she rubbed at her eyes. Her brow furrowed in worried lines before she buried her face against his neck. "I don't knoooooooooow....!"
He chuckled quietly and idly rubbed her back in soothing circles. "There, there," he whispered softly, "I'm sure we can figure something out." He fell silent as he swayed slightly, rocking her in his arms before he began to hum a quiet song under his breath.
His voice seemed to carry more than just a simple tune. The fatigue and small hurts she felt from her apparent bout of clumsiness seemed to fade away. She felt calm and utterly at peace for the time being. She raised her head to meet his gaze after a long moment before declaring with a sniff, "I... need to go see the Clarius."
"Who..?" he queried.
"Miss Crystal!" she declared almost defensively as though she were offended that he somehow didn't know whom she was referring to. "She can help me find my guardian. So.. we need to go to Etansel." She gazed over at Di with bright eyes, one hand on either shoulder. A long, slightly awkward moment passed before the child cleared her throat. "Put me down, please."
Di's dark eyes widened slightly as he obliged the little girl with a faint blush and a small chuckle. She was in fact a lady, that much was absolutely certain.
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:57 pm
.Into Etansel.
.RP feat. Kira & her jumi, Em. "This way, Mister Sterling," the child chimed as she led Di along the gem encrusted path into the heart of Etansel itself. If anyone could help her it was Crystal. Surely she'd know how to help her find her guardian. Her expression brightened slightly at that thought and she walked a little quicker, practically dragging the grown man behind her as she made a bee line for the Clarius chambers.
He chuckled quietly at her enthusiasm. Mesmerelda was quite the character. Such personality for someone so young in their years!
He nearly toppled over when the child came to abrupt halt as they came to their destination. He paused and looked towards the little girl who had a blank, almost unreadable look on her face before it melted into absolute HORROR.
"OH Noooooo~ooooo!!" she wailed, tears brimming her eyes as her hands shot up to her face before she skittered over towards the stone statue of Crystal. What had happened to her? This was terrible! Beyond horrific! In fact, it was the most horrible thing her mind could possibly supply her with. Crystal was nothing more than a statue, and, well... who was going to help her now??
Di looked rather taken aback by Mesmerelda's sudden change in demeanor. He moved to stand next to her before crouching near her side so that they were eye level. "My dear, whatever is wrong?"
"C-c-crystal is... is... !" she choked out between hitched sobs, "STONE!"
The emerald Jumi sighed softly into her scarf as she huddled within her jacket. Any attempts she made to at the very least get Kameko out of the study room was a complete and total failure. Her friend would only remain silent with books shoved in front of her face only coming out for necessities such as food. Em clearly knew well the intentions of her friend in her diligent research quest about Knight Hood ceremonies, yet she could not feel anything but sadness from this all. It was all supposed to turn out less melodramatic and more happy, but instead it flip-flopped on each other creating unforeseen circumstances.
Her chocolate eyes gazed intently on the road as she walked, her head dipped down showing her obvious feelings within. Why was all this such a mess? Wasn't Knight Choosing Ceremonies--or whatever the proper term was, supposed to be a grand event? Probably not the most joyous, but not the most depressing either? Honestly now, it was to choose a partner in which to trust and depend on at times of need. Even though much of their magic (or so they're told) lay too dormant to remember, at the very least they can still depend on their partner, right?
That's what she thought, at least. And as much as her calm exterior attempted not to crack, all the swirling unanswered questions kept taunting her head.
Without even noticing her arrival within Etansel, let alone in front of the Clarius chamber, her eyes kept on the road until she nearly bumped into the tall human. Apologetic eyes swiftly lifted her head up as she gazed at the situation at hand. Her long time no see old friend Mes, whom she last saw at the Caves was in front of her--still in child form. Not just that, but the person who accompanied her was no longer the chipper, pink-haired previous guardian of Mes in which she recalled. Who was this man? And why was Mes crying?
The sight of a statue-fied Crystal was no pretty sight, and the girl was known for her melodramatic spazzisms, yet was there more than meets the eye?
"Mes?" She called out with disbelief.
Mes hiccuped and sniffed melodramatically with one hand pressed against her face as though simply aghast with horror and grief. She scrubbed her face with her hands as she turned to face the other Jumi. She was fairly certain she recognized her. Em, wasn't it? Her memories seemed a bit fuzzy, which was frustrating in itself.
"H-hello," she managed with a weak smile as she tried to steady herself with what little composure she could manage. Really, it was bad enough Mister Sterling had born witness to her unlady-like wailing. She was not about to embarrass herself before a comrade.
"You... d-don't per chance... know what's going on with C-crystal, DO YOU?" the child spoke up as she did her best to hold back her tears.
At Mes' reply, she smiled as gently as one could manage in situations such as this. She stood there in silent thought for a moment, thinking of the best way to break it to her friend "softly" as they say. Though technically her friend was actually older than her, Em couldn't help but feel the need to treat her appropriately. Anyone with a heart regardless of age couldn't honestly stand by to hear the painful truth about his/her friends.
Gazing into the girl's soft pink eyes with a forced smile, she replied softly, "C-Crystal-san is...well..." She hesitated, still a little unsure of how to say it correctly without making it seem ten times worse than it really was. "A Knight choosing ceremony, I believe it's called. I don't know much about it...But apparently during this time a Guardian is supposed to close her or his heart until a proper Knight comes along and finds all the keys to his or her heart," She paused briefly again, only this time to inhale a much needed breath, "And Crystal-san is trying to find her Knight. She'll be ok, really." Her soft, tender voice tried to assure her friend as best she could.
Knight ceremony. A knight ceremony. Mes stared blankly up at Em. Dammit she hated being short. And a child. It was frustrating! "B-but... I.. need to find my g-guardian..!"
Oh no. What was she going to do? She had come to seek advice of the Clarius, but there was no Clarius available to give said advice. WHAT was she going to DO? The only thing that ran through her mind at that very moment was absolute panic and one singular phrase on repeat: ohmygodohymygodohmygod.
"This is AWFUL," she wailed, all but abandoning her efforts to retain what little composure she had grasped onto not but moments before Em's explanation.
Dismas cleared his throat to casually announce his presence. He didn't want to interrupt the two girls, and he certainly wasn't completely clear on the situation at hand, but it was obviously dire.
"Whom, may I ask, is this ... guardian ... you are searcing for?" he asked gently.
Mesmerelda's tears began anew and whatever explanation she attempted to give was lost in warbled, nonsensical cries of frustration.
Em's expression dropped slightly at her words. A Guardian? Em could clearly not imagine that lovely girl as a knight, but then who else would fit into this description? Curious brown eyes stared blankly at the child before her. Her Guardian? Wait, she couldn't possibly...? She didn't mean her just as lovely pink-haired guardian, right? Surely this man with her now is an aquantience or friend of that lady, right?
She could do nothing more but smile hesitantly at her friend as she cried and wailed as if the world ended right before her eyes. The gentle voice from the man in front of her helped ease the tension a little, though Mes seemed to took it off tangent completely.
"Mes?" She asked with hesitation. "Is this guardian that you're searching for..." She hoped she wasn't right. Honest to God she hoped she was wrong, "Is she the lovely pink haired lady I remember you always being with and lived with?" Em's last words choked out of her mouth as she asked.
"Y-y-yessssssssss!" Mes managed between ragged cries before simply throwing herself at Dismas to hide her face which was now reddened from all her crying and upset. "A-and n-now .. I.. just... d-don't know w-what to dooooo~ooooo..."
Sterling frowned. He couldn't let the poor child be all by herself! How terrible. He knew what it was like to be alone as a child (though he did have the benefit of an older brother), and knew for a fact it wasn't pleasant.
"Well. Perhaps... we can look for her together? I do a great deal of traveling and, well," he paused, looking rather nervous, "I wouldn't mind your company if you wouldn't mind mine."
At Mes' desperate cries, Em could almost feel the heartbreak echoing out from within the small girl's heart. How could anyone explain to her what happened even if they knew the truth? Her emerald core flickered a green light in sympathy. If only she knew of the truth. She couldn't have just...left Mes there, could she? Em recalled her to be a generally warm hearted person, though very much similar to the rose colored girl, they were both very warm and pleasant people.
"I'm sure..." She hesitated briefly, unsure if these were the correct way to phrase the words within her heart, "I'm sure that you'll find her someday. And even if not...We're always here, Mes. We'll always be your friends, and we'll always be here for you if you need us in desperate times such as these. Dry up your tears..." Her expression softened as she smiled.
Dismas smiled charmingly as he moved to stand on one knee so he could look Mes in the eye. "Sweetling, didn't I tell you once today already that tears are not meant for pretty little girls like yourself?" he said in a playful, warm manner as he once more offered her his handkerchief to dry her tears.
She accepted it graciously and daintily dabbed away her tears with quiet sniffles as she tried to at least smile. Her core reflected in response to Em's and she sighed. She at least had her friends, and an interesting new one.
"W-well. If... you don't mind," she started in hesitantly, "I.. would greatly appreciate your assistance, kind sir."
Di chuckled quietly, a rich, melodic sound. "My Lady," he bowed formally as though before a countess with a handsome grin, "It would be my pleasure."
Mes beamed brightly, tears no longer brimming her lovely eyes. Her own grin mirrored Sterling's and she launched herself at Em in a hug. "And I will be seeing you again, soon, I hope?"
The teenager stood there silently with a smile as she watched the gentleman help cheer her beloved friend up. She knew well enough Mes was definitely a sucker for compliments and would do almost anything for a young, handsome man who could easily melt a young girl's heart. A polite one, too. How nice of the two to meet at this chance meeting.
Taken back by the sudden hug, Em took a step back in order to prevent from falling backwards. With a fading 'oomf' expression on her pale face, she stared down at the delicate young girl with a gentle smile. Her soft words assured, "Of course. I wish you the best of luck, Mes. Be safe." Softly she rested a hand on the top of the young girl's head, patting it softly a few times before releasing one another from their embrace.
"Thanks, Em!" Mes chimed, "And you as well!"
Sterling smiled at both girls and gave a polite nod towards Em. "Until next we meet, Lady Em," he replied politely before turning towards Mesmerelda, "Shall we be off, then? I dare say you're in desperate need of a change of clothes."
The child stared up at Di with a look of wide-eyed wonder. He... was taking her SHOPPING? Heaven. She was in heaven. All her upset from moments before was gone entirely.
She dipped her head politely at the young man guiding Mes out of the empty city. At the words "clothes", Em could already imaging Mes' beaming face as she exited. No one but that girl could get as excited about shopping than any one else in the world. For that the emerald Jumi was glad, as she was sure it would distract the girl for however many hours they were at the stores.
With one soft glance at the Clarius before her, her core flickered the familiar green light as it always did. Tucking her hands into her pockets, she dipped her head low to cover lower parts of her face with her scarf from the cold.
I-no- We'll be back, Crystal-san...once we find out who is to be your knight.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:45 pm
.A Happy Beginning. Mes bounced merrily upon the bed she was sitting upon. Her guardian was seemingly missing, but she had made an interesting new friend. After leaving Etansel, he had taken her shopping for new clothes (a godsend since the ones she had been wearing were quite ruined), and after their afternoon of shopping they had retreated into a rather cozy little inn.
And now, after having enjoyed a nice meal and a warm bath, it was time for bed. Part of her was still very sad that her mother-figure was gone (along with a few of her memories, it seemed), but now she had Sterling. Her old life was quickly fading from view, but she knew tomorrow would be new and exciting. She was beginning on a new adventure, and while she was a little sad, she was also incredibly invigorated at the prospect.
A quiet knock on th e door disturbed the child from her reverie before she bounded off the bed to answer.
“Miss Mesmerelda,” Di said warmly, “Are you settling in okay?”
“Yes!” she beamed brightly as she twirled in a happy circle before diving back into the overly large bed to snuggle into the down-filled comforter. She was quite tickled that he had insisted she have her own room. She'd have been fine sleeping in the same room, but Di had insisted that it would not be gentlemanly like of him to allow such a thing. And he was SUCH a gentleman! He opened doors for her, referred to her as a Lady, and otherwise treated her with the respect worthy of a princess.
She so wasn't about to complain.
He moved to pull a chair up near her bedside with a charming smile. “I apologize for not having.. well.. a more stable living situation. I've a habit of not staying in one place for too long,” he explained to her quietly as he settled himself into the chair. “But,” he went on tentatively, “Since... you're going to be under my care, and because I wouldn't want to remove you from the company of your friends like Miss Em we met earlier today, I will be looking for a more permanent place for us to live in within this area.”
Mes absorbed everything he said with wide eyes and a quiet nod. He was so sweet! And handsome. Squee!
Sterling cleared his throat and glanced towards the child. He looked a bit flustered, as though a bit unsure of what to really say. “Is that okay with you? I mean, I will gladly continue helping you with your search of your guardian, but I am also concerned for your well-being. So... perhaps tomorrow we might look for a place which we may call home.”
“We're going to buy a HOUSE?” Mesmerelda squealed as she sat upright in bed before launching herself into Di's arms to give him a big hug.
He chuckled quietly as he stood with the child in his arms before settling her back into bed. “Yes, dear one,” he answered sweetly as he tucked her in gently, “But first you must rest. A lady must have her beauty sleep, correct?”
“Right!” she chimed happily before burrowing beneath the covers until just the crown of her pink hair was showing.
Sterling smiled to himself, pausing only briefly to watch the child drift off to sleep before retreating to his own bed chambers. He would need his rest as well if he were to keep up with her. If it was one thing he had learned from their earlier escapades during their shopping spree was that Mes was non-stop as far as energy went when she was excited about something.
It was an endearing trait. In fact, everything about her endeared her to him. It made him... happy. It was something he had not felt in a great while, and he decided that as long as she was happy, there was nothing wrong in his being happy in caring for her.
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