[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

[notyetwonderwoman]

( Sakura's heart is speeding fast in her chest, a bird fluttering in her ribcage trying to break free. She swallows, looking around -- but as Sheryl says, whoever it was seems to be gone.

Her shoulders relax a tiny fraction. This whole place is scary, scarier than anything she's lived through before. She tries not to let that show when she turns back to Sheryl, catching sight of that hand.

Sakura reaches out with equal slowness, afraid of both startling this little girl, and of perhaps being part of some bigger trap. Girls could be mean. She knows what bullying is like, and part of her is afraid of that even now. )

Are you sure? I know someone who's really good at healing if you're hurt at all.

( She offers a tentative smile. )

I'm Haruno Sakura. What's your name?

[petitfairy]

[Out of fear that she'll be left to her own defenses, Sheryl clenches the hand she's holding firmly, gritting her teeth to restrain the hisses while she carefully rises from the ground, wobbly feet now planted on it. Reaching out to someone so quickly isn't what she usually does, but in a world different from Galaxy — yet so similar — and with another girl her age looking just as distraught, sticking together is better than being alone.]

Really? They can heal me...?

[She sounds unsure as she asks, gaze flickering down at her bruised feet before she looks back up at Sakura again. The introduction evokes a light smile of her own, just as tentative.]

I— I'm Sheryl.

[notyetwonderwoman]

Ino can heal anyone.

( Said with absolute certainty... and another small smile for Sheryl. There's something about her that reminds Sakura of herself.

She's glad, even if it's a little unsettling. This is someone she can help. Someone she can help a little like Ino had helped her. )

It's nice to meet you, Sheryl. Can you walk okay?

( She glances down at her own feet. )

Um... I can lend you my sandals for a while, until we get to where Ino is.

[petitfairy]

[Just seeing the reassurance in Sakura is enough for Sheryl to smile more — just a tad, for a little bit. Lifting her feet one at a time, she wobbles with an ungainly movement of her outstretched arms to retain some balance, but she nods firmly at the question.]

I'm really sure! My feet are okay, they just look funny.

[Well, no, the tops of her feet have stains and bruises, but somehow she's able to walk just fine. Somehow.]

Are you sure? [An uncertain expression mars her features.] Um, I don't want your feet to get dirty.

[notyetwonderwoman]

( Sakura is already removing her sandals, picking them up and offering them to her new friend. )

Dirt washes away. I think you can use these better than I can, right now.

[petitfairy]

[Keeping the uncertainty on her face but with added concern, Sheryl slowly dips her feet inside the sandals, one foot and then the other. Hmm... the material doesn't feel so bad.]

If you're okay. Your feet might get caught on glass.