[open] You're lost, little girl

[petitfairy]

Date & Time: January 19th-31st
Location: The housing complex, the Hold, some random alleyways, etc.
Characters: kid!Sheryl Nome and YOU
Summary: A little girl wanders around Exsilium and gets lost a lot. Spoilers: she turns into a pop star ten years later.
Warnings: SO MUCH SAD

OPTION A: January 19th, right outside the Hold and alleyways
[Sheryl Nome is no stranger to murky skies and dark buildings towering over her like creepy monsters from nightmares; in fact, she can describe what they look like even as she closes her eyes. Lifeless, dull, dreary, unsettling. This place may not be Galaxy, but the similarities are too apparent that she might as well be at the slums by now. Heck, it even rains just like back home. To a seven-year-old girl who lived through that, it's jarring.

Clutching a newspaper over her head, she toddles around, eyes shifting from one side to the next as she appears frightened, her jaw tightly clenched. Despite how hard she's shivering and how unhealthily skinny she looked, she keeps walking across the sidewalk, trying her best to fight back tears. Dark smudges are all over her cheeks and legs, and her dress looks ragged from constant wear. Under close inspection, bruises can be seen on her knees. As for her hair, it's no longer a vibrant shade of pink — like she's been trapped in ash.

To anyone who once met her as a teenage idol singer with a confident stride, they may be able to spot similarities in appearances, mainly from the face and hairstyle. Don't mind her as she eventually bumps into someone without looking, causing her to fall on her back and yelp out loud. Shielding herself with both arms, she squirms to back away.]

Ah! I-I'm sorry...! Please don't hurt me!

OPTION B: January 20th-beyond, inside the apartment and the Hold
[After finally becoming accustomed to indoors, little Sheryl takes her time to explore her surroundings. Eyes widened, she winds up sneaking inside various rooms unsupervised, curiosity getting the best of her. As she continues with the tour, she keeps her hand pressed against her stomach, looking worried that she may not find some food on time. She doesn't have any money on hand, and she feels bad asking the people she'd already met for snacks. Additionally, she's still painfully shy around other Transports in general, fearing that she'll stumble upon a dangerous kind.

This girl may be little, but she thinks she can fend for herself for a while. No big deal, right?

Sheryl can also be seen at the training room/makeshift daycare center either A) painting some pictures, B) playing with a huge teddy bear, or C) making a mess. Bother/play with her?]

OPTION C: January 21st-beyond, wherever
[Feel free to make up any scenario! She could be wherever your character is located.]

(OOC: Action or prose is fine by me!)

Comments

a;

[lepetitvoleur]

_{( He's walking with his head down, trying not to be noticed, and so doesn't see her in time to get out of the way. His reflexes are good, though, and he reaches out immediately to grab her arm and try and stop her from falling. )}

Woah, calm down, fille-- no one's gonna hurt you.

[petitfairy]

[There's a tiny gasp out of her once she feels a hand grabbing her upright, both feet somehow still on the ground despite how ungainly she shifted. Her head shots up as she's about to scream for help, but the moment the man talks calmly to her, she blinks.]

Huh? You mean... you're not? I mean, no one is?

[It's right then when she recalls her conversation with Lelouch over the network; how there are actually nice adults. Perhaps this man is one of them? Either way, she looks unsure for a moment, brows knitted tightly.]

[lepetitvoleur]

'Course not.

_{( He nods, and tries to look as convincing as possible. He's let go of her, by this point, but he kneels down so he's at her level and offers her his most reassuring smile. Boyish as it is, it's a rather charming expression. )}

Why would they?

A! Poor bitty...

[kungfublackfrog]

No no, it's ok. It was just an accident.

[The poor thing looks so scared right now. Adam will kneel down to her and smile to keep her from being sad.]

Where do you live? Maybe I can help you get there.

:(

[petitfairy]

[When she realizes that Adam won't be attempting to pick her up or anything, Sheryl visibly relaxes once she sees the smile on his face. She seems to be getting better luck with bumping into nice adults during her stay.]

Where I live?

[And here is where she misinterprets his question to mean where she lived back home.]

Umm... I live in Galaxy. Over there.

[Looking downcast, she points over to an alleyway just a block away from the building she's close to.]

/hugs

[kungfublackfrog]

[He's never heard of Galaxy before so when she pointed in the direction of an alleyway, Adam starts to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He went through some of those alleyways while training on his own time but he never noticed someone living in any of the ones he used.

Didn't mean there were but someone so young he would spot immediately.

And she must be freezing in those clothes. It's like second nature but Adam will take off his jacket and put it over Sheryl's shoulders. She could use it more than him right now.]

Is there anyone with you...?

[Like a parent or a sibling maybe?]

A

[werycherk]

[She isn't the only seven year old running around, and little Isaac is literally running. He's in a panic, occasionally shouting "Mom! Dad!" in both English and Yurok. He doesn't care that he's wet from the rain, only that he's all alone, and so it's no surprise that when he careens into her, he's knocked down too.]

I'm sorry--

[Her own apology makes him stop and he stares for a moment.]

Why would I...? Are you lost too?

[petitfairy]

[It's not everyday that Sheryl bumps into someone around the same age as her, lost and upset just like she is; naturally the surprise is very apparent in her small expression, eyes widening at the boy in front of her. Her shoulders droop down as she brings her knees closer to her chest, shifting so she's seated on the ground.]

Yeah... everything looks so dark in here.

[There's a nod to go along with her statement. She pauses briefly, tilting her head as she peers over the boy.]

I didn't know you're lost just like me.

[werycherk]

I can't-- find anyone.

[This is a very upsetting thing, and he hiccups on the sob that wants to come out. He's a very sheltered boy, and just wants to find his family and curl up loved and safe and warm. After a moment he decides sitting down is a good idea too. His feet are bare, but he doesn't seem to mind the wet much.]

Nothing's right here. It all smells wrong.

B; apartments; let's say 28th if that's okay!

[sodden]

[Things seven-year-old boys ought to do when their big sisters aren't around: remember to lock the front door.

List of seven-year-old boys due for a good chiding: Kazu, if he can survive this mysterious intruder in the apartment. Oh, they're very good at sneaking around, but he knows they're there.

(He can see your feet through the crack under his room's door, Sheryl. He's onto you.)

Grabbing a pillow for self-defence—don't judge him, there's nothing better in here—he eeeeeases the door open and peeks through the tiny sliver of space, hoping the dim evening light'll cover for him.

She'd better not be standing right there.]

That's fine by me!

[petitfairy]

[Tap, tap, tap. Those are faint sounds of Sheryl's sock-clad footsteps approaching, small as they can be. Why is she not wearing shoes? Because she lost them somewhere during her trek down to random rooms. She should really know better than to wander around without anyone to watch over her, but she's just adventurous like that.

Watch out, Kazu. She's coming for you.

The small opening catches Sheryl by surprise, causing her to emit an "eeep" sound. Wait, is the door open all along?

Knock, knock, knock.]

Hellooooo...!

[sodden]

[Well, it's certainly not staying open now. It's getting dark and he can't see well through a crack this small, so all he glimpses is her raggedy dress, her shaggy long hair, her skin greyed out by a trick of the fading light; and oh my god this is how people die in the movies. Help.

There's a matching squeak right as he starts fumbling the door shut, you door-knocking fiend—

Right on his toe.]

OW!

[Seems the door'll be staying open after all, swinging wide to expose some kid hopping around with a pillow.]

B- the daycare center

[babykastel]

[ A small blue-haired girl notices Sheryl painting some pictures nearby. Rika's a little younger, looking only about four-years-old. Curious, she's scoots a little closer to take a better look. ]

Mii. What are you painting?

[petitfairy]

[Sheryl is already filled with colorful paint splotches, some smudges on her cheeks and fingertips, when she lifts one of the finished pictures to show it to Rika.]

Ehehe... these are flowers. Don't they look pretty?

[With a kiddy picture of roses and daisies, she's practically beaming right now.]

[babykastel]

[ Her mouth gapes slightly in awe. They do look pretty to her! Being slightly younger, she wants to copy her and do the same thing. ]

Mii! I want to paint flowers too!

:|a

[supitslilith]

Ah shit.

[Lilith wonders why it is that all the children she's run into so far seem to have this crippling fear of everything around them. She isn't just going to ask them that, though. Even she has better manners than that.

Instead, she crouches down to put herself at eye-level with Sheryl. All these shenanigans were, at least, giving Lilith some experience in dealing with kids. She rests one arm on her knee, the other holding her umbrella over Sheryl. She looks at the girl with some mix of sympathy and exasperation. Her words are tired, having been spoken before, but there is no less meaning to them.]

I ain't gonna hurt you.

[Sheryl does look considerably worse than most of the other children she'd run into, though.]

You wanna get somewhere warm, kid?

[petitfairy]

[A pair of blue eyes slowly flicker up at Lilith, noticing the umbrella over her head, and Sheryl subconsciously squirms closer with her hands propped behind her, after taking a moment to realize that she won't be in any danger. While she's not used to strangers helping her, it's a risk worth taking it if means obtaining a shelter from the rain. Or possibly some food.

Shoulders shivering from the cold, she brings up her hands to grasp them as though she's hugging herself. Even though she looks scared now, she manages to speak after a moment of silence, her voice hushed and pitchy.]

O-Okay... I'd like that.

a

[ex_symbioses706]

( bumping into such a small child only makes ranka take a single step backwards, but the exclamation almost makes her jump. she opens her mouth to apologize herself, before the meaning of those words sink in and make her pause )

Hurt you?

[petitfairy]

[From her crouched position at the ground, Sheryl immediately wipes the tears from her eyes in an attempt to hide them from Ranka. It'd be one thing if she bumped into an adult, but a teenager? She slowly tilts her head up to gaze upon the girl in front of her, nodding while she rubs her cheeks.]

Y-Yeah.

[This person doesn't seem intimidating somehow, and it's enough for Sheryl to droop her shoulders and relax.]

But... you don't look scary at all.

a;

[notyetwonderwoman]

( Sakura whirls around when Sheryl bumps into her, thinking for all the world someone may have just shoved another little girl around. She should do something about that, but the thought terrifies her -- her voice comes out as a high, thin, pitchy cry: )

Don't hurt her! I'll -- I'll tell Ino on you!

( She blinks in confusion as it appears there's no one looming over either of them. Glancing at Sheryl, she opens her mouth to ask where they went. )

[petitfairy]

[As Sheryl changes position so she's sitting on her knees, wincing at the throbbing pain in that area, she cranes her head up just in time to spot Sakura next to her. Her mouth gapes in surprise for a second, then shakes her head with a scared look as she looks towards the alleyways, then back at girl.]

I think they're gone now!

[Her senses may have gone haywire due to conflicting emotions within herself, but a look of gratitude settles across her face, her hand slowly reaching out to Sakura.]

But I'm okay.

B, The 25th

[have_hat_will_travel]

*A kid with a bow in her hair points at the teddy bear Sheryl is playing with.*

That's awesome! Where'd you get that?!

[petitfairy]

[Sheryl may be used to being surrounded by kids her age now, after receiving a warm welcome from fellow Transports who helped her get settled in, but she still retains some old habits.

One of which is becoming easily startled by excitable people. She lets out a small "eep!" noise and turns around immediately, hugging the teddy bear close to her chest with her cheeks puffed out.]

D-Don't scare me like that!

[After a while, she relaxes, seeing as it's just a fellow Transport asking for the bear. Resting her chin on top of the bear's head, she replies with her cheeks now partially deflated.]

I got it over there. [She lifts a small hand to point at a nearby shelf.] It's where all the toys are around.

B; The 22nd or later;

[strategic_guile]

[Inside the Hold Blaine sees lots of children scurrying and running and playing. He likes the activity and the happy screams, but those noises fade as he gets further away from the impromptu daycare center and closer to the weapons room. His steps are silent, if not by design then simply out of habit, which is probably how he catches site of a small child, a little girl, sneaking along the wall.

He stops and watches her out of curiosity, seeing which direction she plans on going before determining when he'll intervene and guide her back towards the other children.]

[petitfairy]

[Speaking of the weapons room, Sheryl happens to stop just a few feet away from that area, tilting her head from one to the next in awe. As someone who likes to explore her surroundings, she's very tempted to head inside, eyes widening in sheer wonder at the length. In fact, she starts to take her small steps towards the room, one foot already over the boundaries...

Only for her to be suddenly coaxed away from the room and towards the daycare center, various screams and laughter slowly filling her ears. Sheryl quickly tilts her head up at the man, a look of bafflement all over her face. Just like typical behavior of a possibly too curious child, she pouts.]

H-Hey...! I was just exploring.