[The Welcome Home] Looking to Work (Stitch et Alistair pls)

[Hana]

27th of Spring, 510

Where Ha’na had gotten it into her head that she would like a secondary job was rather questionable, though the real question was why she even wanted another job. She seemed to work rather hard at her pottery, after all. Sometimes perhaps a little too much and too stubbornly. Whether Alistair had realized it or not, this was the type of situation he’d find her getting into from time-to-time. She would get something into her mind, and then she would go to it without trying to explain herself.

“I’ve never actually solicited for a job before,” she said quietly. Her arm was wrapped about Alistair’s arm, and she stayed as close to him as possible without seeming obscene. “Is… Well, is there anything I should do? Anything special?”

As they got up to the building, Ha’na’s veil-covered face tipped up to take in the building. She, of course, appreciated the tiles that were used. There seemed to be a bit of hesitation that cropped up, however. It could easily be blamed on her timid nature; she tried her hardest to hide it, but now she was comfortable enough around deGrey that it seemed he saw it more than others did.

She cleared her throat, turning her head towards him. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea…”

[Alistair deGrey]

Anxiety in the social theater is not uncommon. Though I often find, one will become too caught up in the discoveries and intricacies to be had even when assaulted by the various stenches of the city's beating heart, to stay worried.

The two had struck out from Mechanical Marvels during the early afternoon, when the sun refused Syliras shade, and when deGrey's eyes were least at home. Light seemed to bounce off of everything, stabbing at his sensitive, grey eyes. Regardless, Alistair found the trip bearable if he retired his eyes to only the ground or Ha'na, the latter being far more preferable.

Ha'na's anxiety was palpable, and Alistair was ready with an answer, "No my lovely, not with Stitch." The inventor recalled memories of the blind man, who was absurdly polite as well as genuinely kind hearted. He is an interesting acquaintance."

The building that loomed before them was familiar to Alistair. The first time he had arrived at the orphanage, it had been with five small automata toys. A gardener, in fact the same one that he had seen on his first visit, now came around the corner, this time though she did not eye him as if he were a wizard. Rather, it was a look of affection, as if the two were endearing or somehow charming. deGrey pursed his lips in an effort not to smile at the situation.

As Alistair and Ha'na moved toward the door to "The Welcome Home", the inventor answered her second statement. "There is nothing to worry about Ha'na, Stitch will be delighted to see you." deGrey brought his free hand up to knock on the door, "Everything is fine."

[Stitch]

Two seconds before Alistair's hand made contact with the door, the great wooden barrier would be flung open on it's own accord, and a young girl with light blond curls would come streaking out. Completely naked and giggling up a storm, she ran fully into Alistair, bounced off, and stared up at him in surprise. She had a little dress in her small hands, which looked as if it fit her well, and she had just decided to take it off. Now however, in her nude state, she was quite shocked to find there had been someone to cut off her escape route. An escape it was, for if Alistair and Ha'na were to listen carefully, they would hear another girl deep within the house. A young one, but one who sounded quite dangerous.

"I swear, Trish! If you don't get back here right this instant, I am going to find you, I am going to shackle your legs to the floor, chain your hands to the wall, and sew a new dress onto your body!" The little blond-headed girl, our darling Trish, winced at the threat, although still stunned and staring up at Alistair. An older male voice, gentle, somewhat hesitant, definitely scared; spoke out from deeper within the house. "Now Fentya, this one doesn't think that you should be threatening Trish with shackles and chains, this one thinks that might be a bit overkill..."

For as gentle voiced as the man was, it somehow had an impact on Fentya, who paused before speaking in a sweet tone. "Trish, would you please come back? If you get dressed in your dress for the play, I will make you some treats."

The little girl's eyes went wide, and she hopped up, still quite unaware that her nudity was inappropriate. "Treats? For Trish?" She bolted back inside the house, giggling up a storm again. The room beyond the entrance was a small office, Alistair had been in it before. Stopping at the door to the next room, she glanced back at Ha'na and Alistair, her eyes growing wide once more. "Stitch!" She shrieked the word, and scurried further into the house, finally vanishing from sight. "Alistair's betrothed is here with him! And she is pretty!"

A few moments of silence would allow the pair a chance to rest, before Stitch finally presented himself. Striding through the far office door, to approach Alistair and Ha'na at the door, he would offer them a wide smile. Like normal, the warmth, love, and care in the air was quite palpable, as if Stitch somehow emitted warm and fuzzy feelings. The mystery of how he moved so easily was still in the air, as bandages were still tied around his eyes, like always.

"Hello." His voice was slightly deep, delighted to see them, and overflowing with enthusiasm. And amusement. Definitely some amusement in there.

"Shopping for children already?"

[Hana]

She gave a slow nod to all that Alistair said to her, taking in a deep breath. There was a glance to him with her pretty blue eyes. She said quietly, “No, you’re right. I want to do-“

She was cut off by the door opening and the young girl spilling out of the building. Really she seemed unfazed by it as she looked down. It didn’t even get the typical shocked Ha’na blink that she sometimes did. Instead she tried to hide a little amused smirk, attention turning towards the inside of the home. Even the voice of the girl didn’t seem to bother her.

She’d come from a very large family. She was the ninth child of her parents and not the last. She’d lived in a tent with people that were equally as… Expansive.

The giggle that Ha’na let out as the girl ran off only got a little more nervous as she was called both betrothed and pretty. She glanced up at the man standing next to her and smiled. She bent in to put her forehead against his arm to hide her face for a moment, glancing still at the door like some shy child. As she saw Stitch approaching, she kissed deGrey’s arm and righted herself.

The question, of course, threw her off. Instead of saying anything, she’d let Alistair do the talking. She just stood there blinking.

[Alistair deGrey]

That child was bent on embarrassment

The naked child that opened the door for them was, to put is frankly, a little more than disconcerting for deGrey. What was a little more off putting was the child's disregard for their presence as she proceeded to run into deGrey's legs. His face grew a little red at the unabashed child's nudity, unaccustomed to such sights. He had grown in Zeltiva, and in one of the more refined areas at that. Added to the fact that he was an only child, and one would quickly realize Alistair had rarely seen children let alone naked specimens that shouted. Though it was a small comfort that Ha'na, still on his arm, was unfazed. Still deGrey averted his eyes, only mildly wishing to identify the child from his last visit.

The voice of another girl, Fentya was it?, intermingled with Stitch's in deGrey's ears. The door stood open, but still Alistair waited on the stoop, waited for Stitch. A few more seconds of verbal debate over whether Fentya's threat was a tad bit harsh, which it was, and Stitch appeared before them.

While deGrey had anticipated Stitch's arrival, the words that accompanied him were anything but. Alistair's eyes widened slightly, and he blinked several times. The topic of children, while obviously looming, had not yet come up. Stitch had decided to be a catalyst. "I... I mean we... We are just looking for a bit of work, for now." Now he wished he could bury his face in Ha'na's arm. Alistair cleared his throat, "Might you have a job opening, good sir Stitch?"

Yes, that sounds alright. deGrey was hoping he had not put off Ha'na, or went against her mind. She seemed content to allow him to speak in social situations, but Alistair wished she would speak up, he was not apt at representing others. Petch, deGrey hardly represented himself. Regardless, the inventor had made his best guess regarding the topic of children. If Ha'na wished to correct Alistair, he hoped she would.

[Stitch]

A smile played on the corners of Stitch's lips, but the blind man tried to contain it, lifting a hand to cough into. When the hand lowered, the smile was barely held, but the corners still twitched time and time again. He took his time to answer, and instead studied them for a moment. His version of sizing someone up, studying them; it was much different than most other people. He let his own unique sight was over them, let his eyes seek out their aura, and let his very own aura mingle with theirs. It was a unique way for him to seek out the true nature of a person, to see beyond their skin, and deep within them. Into something that explained the very essence of who they were, and sometimes revealed details that he was not comfortable touching.

He worked his art very carefully, his own golden aura reaching out with soft stroking strands, to meld with that of Ha'na and Alistair. That was one thing that already stood out to him, and made his job a bit easier. When he had first laid eyes on them, their auras had been melded. Alistair's, an aura that resembled thousands of tiny steel gears, that left a metallic taste in Stitch's mouth. And Ha'nas, something that resembled clay, easily melding with Alistair's gears, and linking perfectly. Their auras complimented each other, and were glowing quite brightly. They were happy, shy, supporting and depending on one another. Each in their own little way.

Stitch focused a bit more on Ha'na, and she would physically feel some sort of gaze switch to her. Impossible, since the man was blind. Perhaps creepy, perhaps comforting. His head cocked, and his smile twitched again. Stepping aside to let them into the house, he gave Alistair a sly smile. "This one believes you are in for quite the adventure, milord." Her aura gave him a very distinct sensation. The Benshira was going to be a delightful, loving handful for Alistair.

Chuckling a bit, he gestured for them to follow him, and led them to a desk in the first room. Pulling up two chairs for them to sit in, he picked up a small bowl of candy from the desktop, a little container of peppermints, and offered it to the two.

"This one would be correct in assuming the beautiful Benshira seeks to work here?" How did he know she was a Benshira? He had seen a Benshira before. Their auras were much like normal humans, with a minor amount of difference. He was just able to sense it now, for some reason. He was slowly getting used to this Aurism thing.

He leaned forward, over the desk, a warm smile on his face as he offered her his hand. "This one is known as Stitch, milady. It is lovely to meet you." Once again, a warm feeling assaulted the senses of the couple, pulsing in great waves from Stitch. He mulled Alistairs former question, still offering them the candy. "There is always work to be done around here, for certain. This one has another employee, a girl named Malia... But she could always use some help. Babysitting the children, cooking, cleaning, all sorts of tasks. Did you two have anything in mind...?"

[Hana]

For a woman that spent much of her time covering her hair and face in an attempt to hold to some ideal of modesty, Ha’na was genuinely uncomfortable with anyone looking at her as Stitch did. She did indeed feel the full shift of the attention onto her. It seemed to make her tremble the smallest bit, and she leaned in to deGrey all the more.

Someone at some point, somewhere, some how had taught her that being looked at was a bad thing. Dangerous even. She was quick to lock her gaze to the ground in some sort of strange habit as she sat. Her fingers fidgeted with the cloth of her veil as the man identified her as Benshira. She seemed to simply crawl into herself for a long moment.

The movement of him leaning over the desk caused her to watch him cautiously. She lifted a shaking hand to place it in his. Typically she would not allow for this, but it seemed an important gesture in this meeting.

She sucked in a tiny breath as she realized that Alistair wouldn’t be able to speak for her anymore. She glanced to him all the same as if wanting permission to say something as if she’d forgotten who he was. Her eyes turned to Stitch.

“I-“ She took another breath in, her soft little voice sounding as sweet as ever. “Yes, sir. I am. I can do a little bit of everything… Though I don’t think Alistair cares much for my cooking.”

She tended to burn things, after all.

[Alistair deGrey]

The art of cooking, I think, is something that is easily learned over the course of a few months or so. People develop tastes, and unless you cater to many different tastes, it becomes habit to suit one or two. This makes the culinary arts a particularly easy field to master. I, for example, have mastered the art of eating a pear. Grasp, bite, chew, enjoy.

That odd concoction of despair and protectiveness swirled inside deGrey. It severely bothered Alistair that Ha'na veritably imploded with self doubt so often. The side of Ha'na that he saw vanished into blinding fog. Alistair wished she would be more confident, hoped to bolster her courage, even when he himself was not. It was sort of hypocritical, deGrey wanted Ha'na to be what he so clearly was not.

So he tried to encourage her, brighten the prospects. He quietly whispered to Ha'na, loud enough for Stitch to hear, "I find your cooking lovely, dearest." His tone was shooting for comforting, as far from reprimanding as he could put it. He knew Ha'na might well take it as such if it was not emphasized. She was quick to take the blame, deGrey walked on this ground carefully.

Addressing Ha'na once more, Alistair calmly asked, "What of your pottery?" deGrey found himself wishing he had brought a sample of her work with him, but alas he lacked the foresight. After his query to Ha'na, deGrey took her hand in his and calmly ran his thumb along his knuckle, silently pleading her to be calm. Of course there was nothing to worry about in front of Stitch, but hopefully if Ha'na could be easier around more people, she would eventually flourish.

[Stitch]

Stitch chuckled, shaking his head at the cute pair. After a few moments of short silence, in which the two of them traded whispers and touches, he stood aside, allowing them entry into the Welcome Home.

"Come inside. He can talk about what she can do around the home."

He gave them both a gentle smile, allowed them inside, and closed the door behind them. There were always people coming to the Welcome Home, looking for everything but children, it seemed.

[Archon]

Illumination of Development Hana Lores: Joys of rambunctious kids, You can't always stay silent Care to see more? : Sadly no experience due to the short thread, but some Lores for your trouble. Alistair deGray +1 Rhetoric Lores: Rambunctious kids are shocking, Gentle Encouragement Care to see more? : Your bit of loving conversation results in a bit of Rhetoric experience. Stitch +1 Rhetoric +1 Auristics Lores: Embarrassing a young couple, Sensing a Benshira, Not everyone wants candy apparently Care to see more? : A bit of Rhetoric experience for a bit of fun conversation, and a touch of Auristics for touching their auras. Notes:Sugary sweet all around, a shame it had to end.