[Welcome Center] A Child Alone (Fherasoone)

by **Dusk** on April 19th, 2010, 9:32 pm

As Fherasoone stepped through the gates, the guard that had checked her out turned to give a signal to one of the people standing just inside.

A young woman, more of a girl really, nodding and bounced forward. She had bright chestnut hair and eyes the same shade, pale skin smattered with freckles. She wore a simple scarlet dress with a symbol embroidered on the left shoulder, a circle with four vertical lines through it. A small wooden box was curled in one hand and tucked against her chest.

"Hello, and welcome to Stormhold!" she piped up, smiling down at Fherasoone with all evidence of friendliness. There was something disarmingly easy about her, as if she was everyone's boisterous sister. "I'm Aenysa, with the Welcome Center here. It's sort of my job to say hello to all the first-timers to Syliras," she said with a bright laugh. "Are you by yourself? Do you know anyone here?" she asked, brows denting just a bit in polite concern.

by **Fherasoone** on April 19th, 2010, 11:26 pm

Fhera looked down, her mood being that of slight depression. "Alone..." she said with a poor tone. However she then looked up at the lady who was showing her so much kindness and returned the favor with a great haste. Her depressed mood disappearing with a large smile. Suddenly, with little warning, she lept at Aenysa with her small arms holding close in an embrace. It was very evident that the little one was very affectionate, even to strangers. It was also evident that this might pose trouble, her affectionate nature also being one of quickly guided trust which could easily get her into trouble with the wrong people.

Even with this though, you could hear a slight purr coming from the little girl, her embrace seeming to be more to reassure herself then to reassure others. Then she looks up at you, with large cat like eyes that could easily be noticed as eyes of a Kelvic bloodline, and both the eyes and the purring, to be of a cat of some sort. This too might pose trouble, history of Kelvics being ones of shapeshifters who were very free about their bodies and powers.

by **Dusk** on April 20th, 2010, 12:21 am

Aenysa let out a little huff of air as she caught the girl, a bewildered laugh surprised out of her as she hugged her back. Poor little thing, the gods alone knew what would have happened to her if she hadn't made it to the safety of Syliras.

"Goodness!" she laughed, pressing a kiss to the girl's hair. "Well, you're an excitable little thing, aren't you?" She set the girl back on her feet, but made sure to keep an arm around her shoulders. "You haven't answered any of my questions, though," she chuckled, peering down at her with another smile. "Come now, what's your name? Have you anyone here, or did you arrive by yourself?" She was careful not to say she was alone, for she was in Syliras now, and there were too many people for her to be alone.

by **Fherasoone** on April 20th, 2010, 12:32 am

"Ah!" she exclaimed, backing away a bit, straightening her robes and pulling her long hair out of her face. She smiled with a bow, "I'm sorry, m-my name's Fherasoone_Ryoko. People used to call me Fhera and Fai though. Also..." she paused for a moment looking a bit hurt, "I was alone..." she added, slowly peering up at Aensya from her long bow with a light layer of tears in her eyes. "Mom... and dad... everyone... they got sick... everyone died... and..." she looked now like she was suddenly in pain. Before she could even be reached she began sobbing, crying into the sleeve of her robes as she went to her knees on the ground.

She wasn't only affectionate... she was also very emotional. Though anyone would be if something like that happened to them. She was crying in one arm, but you took notice of the other hand, firmly grasping the robes, hanging onto them as if for dear life, her frail arms shaking from her feelings, or perhaps her memories.

by **Dusk** on April 20th, 2010, 1:39 am

Aenysa just blinked down at the sobbing mess at her feet, glancing around as the people filing by stared and mumbled to themselves.

"Sweet gods, child, it's all right," she murmured, patting her awkwardly on the head. "You've had a tough time of it, but we'll get you settled now. Stormhold is a city of orphans," she said gently. "You are not alone here anymore. Now," she said, drawing the girl up by her arms and taking her hand. "We will walk, and I will bring you somewhere you can be taken care of. And while we do, tell me more about yourself. What are some of your favorite things?" she asked, smiling again as she led the girl down the lane and into the great, towering citadel of Stormhold Castle.

by **Fherasoone** on April 20th, 2010, 1:51 am

"T-...Thank you..." she said with a sniff as she got up, still shaking from her feelings. She seemed to stumble a bit, her crying setting her off balance. As you asked her about her favorite things, she seemed to think for but a single second before perking up, "Mom and I...We liked singing a lot..." she said with a smile. "I like it when she held me...and...I like people." she seemed to be shortening her pauses, her mind coming back to being one at peace. "I like animals too. I like it when people are nice. I also like helping people." she started listing off things she liked.

She still seemed a bit sad though, her thoughts probably still stuck a bit back in the past, but she also seemed to be trying hard to talk, as though trying to ease the burden in her mind. "I also like this place. I never seen such big buildings before, and a lot of the people seem happy. At least...I think they look happy?..." she said unsure of that answer. "How did they make these buildings? How was this town made? Is there a leader? What about the people? What do they all do?" She started asking a number of questions in rapid fire. Her curious nature was obvious. She seemed like she wanted to learn a lot about how everything worked.

She suddenly went quiet, immediately halting her questions and pausing in place, looking up towards the sky in thought, "I really like this place..." she said with a smile. She then rushed back to your side with a slight bit of laughter, "So...can I really stay here...?" she asked, as if with no care about her previous questions. You knew now that her head was working at a fast pace of thought, to escape what happened.

by **Dusk** on April 20th, 2010, 2:12 am

Aenysa chuckled at all the questions - they reminded her of any other child in a new place, eager to learn and staring around her in wonder.

"Syliras was built by the Knights," she said, "of the kind you met at the gates. There are many, many Knights, and all of them work to keep the city safe. Grandmaster Loren Dyres is in charge of the city, and he is a very wise man," she said with a warm smile. "And of course you can stay here! That's what the city is for - refuge for those who have nowhere else to go."

She led her down lantern-lit hallways, seemingly unending passageways through the castle that was quite literally large enough to house nearly fifty thousand people. Comfortably. It was staggering on first impression, but Aenysa simply smiled and led the way, more than familiar with the many winding paths through Stormhold.

"We have a place especially for children," she said with another bubbling laugh, "and I think you'll like it very much. It's run by a man named Stitch - he might seem strange at first, but he has a wonderful heart. Would that be okay with you?"

by **Fherasoone** on April 20th, 2010, 2:22 am

"Um...Ya..." she said with a whisper, a bit off guard from the passageway. Her body was quaking ever so slightly once more, perhaps by fear of unknown. "Stitch...is a nice person...but how is he strange?" she then asked, with a wandering tone. Though she was asking you a question, her eyes wandered off in every direction of the passage, following each brick, each turn, and each minor detail of the walls. She then asked another question, eyes still wandering, "Would they mind...singing?" she asked. She seemed to enjoy singing, though with her small voice, she didn't seem capable of it. Still, there was a bit to question about the girl, the one who quickly trusted and then obediently followed a stranger on her first day here. However, she held a fairly refreshing innocense about her, the likes of which rarely seen in this world of ours.

by **Dusk** on April 20th, 2010, 2:46 am

"I'm sure they would love singing," she laughed, though it was indulgent and kind instead of at her expense.

When Aenysa noticed the child trembling, she simply looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, guiding her through the crowds to be sure she wasn't jostled or stepped on. Most people saw the brilliant red uniform and smiled, making room for her as it was obvious she was on some sort of official business. Every now and again someone would wave hello, calling her by name, and each time she would take the time to give them a beaming smile and wave back.

"Stitch is... well, how to explain Stitch? He is a great man," she said, and the honesty in her voice was clear - she truly admired the man. "He runs a home for children who've lost their parents, and takes very good care of them. I was an orphan long ago, and the house I grew up in was not nearly so warm as his. My daughter, though, stayed there for a time before I adopted her. He is simply... different," she said with a laugh. "You will see when you meet him. He's blind, though you wouldn't know it by the way he acts. And he has a funny way of speaking, but once you get used to it you'll find it's actually soothing to listen to him talk."

by **Fherasoone** on April 20th, 2010, 2:39 pm

She felt a warm arm wrap gently around her, which caused her to gently move towards where it came from. It seemed to be in her nature to be as affectionate as she was. "He's...blind?" she asked, not in a tone of surprise, but instead curiousity towards the word itself. She must not have had a lot of experience in the outside world, her question bringing up the possibility that she had never met a blind person. In fact, from how it sound, she may also never have interacted with many species other then those of wherever she may have came from.

She seemed pretty comfortable with the people on the way though, most of the people here being human. This made you worry about how she would react to a Akalak, Eypharian, Pycon or maybe even a Jamoura or Charoda. Though it was rare to see them in town, there was always the possibility. Who raised her though? Her manners seemed to say it wasn't Kelvics, so could it be humans? It was tempting to ask, but she seemed a bit sensitive about things still.