[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

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.]

[petitfairy]

[Oh no, oh no, why is the door suddenly wide open?! This is scary, oh no—]

Aaaah!

[There's a loud scream to go along with her frightened glance, and the abrupt surprise at seeing someone there behind the door causes her to fall on her bottom, her arms and feet flailing. Even her skin is starting to turn pale from the sudden fright, that poor girl. At least that'll show her not to wander into strangers' rooms.]

W-Who is that?!

[Oh, it's a boy with a pillow. Once she finally takes full notice of what he looks like, Sheryl clutches both hands to her chest with her eyes wide open.]

[sodden]

[Oh no, oh no, the ghost is screeching in triumph. It's found him; now it'll have him; and all he can muster is a pathetic yelp as he skedaddles for cover.

It doesn't go so well.

Already hobbling, he literally falls splat over himself. Sheryl gets to see him scooting backwards on his butt, skinny arms clamped around the pillow for dear life—until she speaks, and he's pulling up short, a face that's more hat than boy sloooowly peeking over the pillow to study her.

Some very serious consideration later:]

You... You're not a ghost?

[petitfairy]

[Scurrying back to her feet, Sheryl peers at the boy huddled behind the pillow, her hands still clutched to her chest like her heart's about to burst from fright at any minute. If it helps, she's just as dumbstruck at his presence as he is at hers.

After a moment, she blinks, tilting her head to one side.]

Um, why would I be a ghost? I'm not dead!

[sodden]

But you, um—

[—and he swallows the rest of it, suddenly remembering it might be rude to tell a girl she looked like one, genuine mistake or not. Instead, he'll lower the pillow enough to mumble around it.]

...Sorry. Sis always says they'll get me if I come home too late.

[petitfairy]

I'm not a ghost!

[Hands balled into tiny fists, she puffs her cheeks out like a balloon, repeating her words in an insistent tone out loud so he can hear them. Not like it'll be necessary, but hey.]

... I-it's okay.

[Hearing the apology placates the girl eventually, though, and she lowers her hands to unclench them as she carefully approaches the boy.]

[sodden]

[Right, enough of this! He scrambles to his feet when she approaches, back straight, the pillow he'd just been cowering behind tossed out of sight and hopefully out of mind. No scaredy cats in here, nope.]

So who're you? You lost or something?

I'M SORRY D|

[petitfairy]

[Once she sees the boy fully (yay, she can now see his face!), Sheryl lets out a gentle sigh of relief, deflating her cheeks with a light pat.]

I'm just looking around. This place is so new... and I'm Sheryl.

[Clasping her hands loosely together, she bows her head, quite shy-looking there.]

It's okay! I just came off slowiatus myself, sorry for the wait too!

[sodden]

[Oh right, manners are a thing. The promptness with which he ducks into a bow after her is almost tragic.]

Mikura Kazuma—everyone calls me 'Kazu'. [ It's said just a bit too fast before he carries on, quite proper: ] S'nice to meet you.

—but um! S'it really safe to go looking around...?