Completed [Bronze Woods] Soul of a Doll Part 1 (Klaus)

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri 21st of Bell, 52nd of Spring, 513 AV "..........." "..........." "..........." "*Squeak!" "Ahahaha~ I won!" The haunting voice of a little girl echoed in the woods that night. Kouri watched in glee as the rabbit in front her scrammed for its life. She was in a one-sided staring contest with the poor animal. At first, the bunny merely trembled in fear but when Kouri narrowed her pupils into reptillian-like slits and flashed a grin full of fangs at it, it ran away with all its might. "Fueh... I'm bored..." Kouri sat down on the ground in her favorite clearing. Madame Azcadelia huh... she sure is a lovely woman... Yesterday, Kouri was introduced to the scarlet-haired Reimancer by her Master, Cyrus Blackfire. Kouri saw her as a threat at first, but knowing that Cyrus knew her, she immediately relaxed and became Azcadelia's acquaintance. Nothing interesting happened today... As a child, Kouri was in a constant need to have fun and experienced interesting things, but nothing of note had happened so far. No kelvics to be found, no interesting explorers to prank... nothing. She huffed a sigh as her mind turned to think of activities to relieve her boredom. Oh... I'll just sing then... Kouri started to do her favorite activity, singing. It was one of the few things she kept clinging on to remind herself that she's a Snowsong Vantha who still has her humanity. It was to differentiate herself from the utterly insane and mindless ghosts out there, but... something sinister had been gnawing in the back of Kouri's mind, like a tempting dark voice who told her to just let go of her humanity and became a rampaging phantom like some ghosts are... Kouri shook her head to get rid of that thought, no... it was not true, there's no dark voice in her head... I'm not going insane... I'm not going insane... I'm not going insane... She reassured herself and prepared her voice. A chime later, a haunting beautiful singing voice echoed in the area courtesy of the white-haired translucent little girl singing in the middle of a clearing illuminated by the moonlight, her very long silvery white hair flowed behind her back and gleaming.

[Klaus]

Klaus startled awake. At first, he was disoriented. It was dark. When did it get so dark?" he thought. The smell of trees and grass permeated the air. As he began to sit up a searing pain shot through his back. His face twisted in pain and he put his hand on his back. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light, he remembered.

He had been out for a walk earlier in the day through the woods. Since it was such a nice day, he decided to just relax by a tree near a clearing. He must have dosed off for that was around mid-afternoon. Then, he noticed something was off. He couldn't quite pinpoint how he knew it. But he knew he was not a lone. He froze, standing in the shadow of a great oak, staring around the silver forest, illuminated by Leths light.

He heard her first. A quiet, haunting sound. Yet it was still the voice of a girl singing. It was both beautiful and terrifying at once. The hair on the back of his neck stood on ends. When he caught sight of her, he gasped. It was just a little girl. Yet there was still something wrong about her. It wasn't untill he realized he could still see the trees behind her that he knew she was a ghost.

After a few minutes he realized the spirit must not have seen him yet. So he relaxed slightly, leaning against the tree. A lone man in the audience of a ghostly entertainer. He admired her ability to sing, for he was not a very good one himself. It was relaxing and chilling to behold. He laughed quietly to himself, amused by the number of contradictions he had experienced in such a short time. After he was finished listening to the young ghosts song, he turned to leave.

Perhaps, she would not have noticed him had it not been for the small manikin he had on him. As he turned, it turned and fell from his pocket, clanking about on the ground, sending echoes through the emptiness of Akajias realm.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri "La la... la~♪" Kouri finished singing the song her mother used to sang her to sleep and opened her eyes. She exhaled a long unneeded breath, her heart was filled with comfort and melancholy at the same time. I miss you, Mama... Papa... She looked up to the sky. Perhaps one day we will meet again... but for now, I'm still have some things to do... She still needed to kill that tiger and achieve her vengeance, she also still need to realize her Master's ambitions before she could consider moving on from the ghostly state. "Hm hm hm~♪" She lightly hummed a more cheerful song and swung her legs back and forth, perhaps today was a really peaceful day after all. Uninteresting, but peaceful. Fate had another opinion on the matter as the rather loud sound of something moderately heavy crashing the ground echoed in the clearing. "Who's there?!" Kouri quickly stood up and observe her surroundings. The ghost was spooked, kind of ironic really. "W-who?!" Kouri kept searching until her crimson eyes locked on into two figures near a tree, one was standing and one was lying on the ground. There you are... Kouri finally found the intruder and vanished from the location, appearing near the two figures. "........." Kouri went silent when she saw the young man with raven black hair, black as the night itself and piercing bright blue eyes. His physical traits... especially his hair and eyes reminded Kouri of her human self. She had black hair and sapphire blue eyes much like this young man. But now... it had been inverted, her black hair was replaced with silvery white and her sapphire was replaced with crimson ruby. Kouri shook her head, now it's not the time to waddle in memories. Eyeing the other figure... "Wha?" She couldn't help but voiced her bewilderment, the other 'figure' was a... doll, a giant doll. Much much bigger than Kouri's doll back at her home in Avanthal. "Huh? W-who are you? What exactly do you want?" Seeing that strange giant doll raised Kouri's suspicion. She narrowed her eyes and locked them with the young man's. Crimson Red facing off with Sapphire Blue.

[Klaus]

Klaus held his breath as the girl suddenly reappear before him. If he reached out, he could probably have touched her, if there were anything to touch. His mind was a whirlwind of action. Ghosts were very unpredictable. Who is she? Why is she here? Is she dangerous? Should I run? No, that may agitate her. Klaus quickly deduced that the safest route was to keep calm untill he could find a way to escape.

It was a short while before he realized that the ghost had asked him a question.

"Wh-who am I?" he asked in return. He realized it was silly of him to repeat the question, but he was still rather on edge from talking to a Ghost. After stuttering over his words a few times he finally was able to speak coherently.

"My name is Klaus. Klaus Gar'mon." Starred back at the girl. Her blood soaked eyes were disturbing, but bearable. Eyes locked, he bowed while he introduced himself, his right arm going across his stomach and his left arm down his side. Ghost or not, Klaus was still a gentleman, and she was still a woman, albeit a child as well.

Before rising he reached out and picked up the manikin. It was a simple thing. Featureless and wooden, clothed in little more than rags, it was no bigger than a small child. Cradling the thing, he answered her second question.

"I apologize if I startled you," he laughed to himself. He was the scared one here. Not this ethereal girl who so boldly rushed to him at first sight. No, this girl wasn't scared at all.

"I merely dozed off by this tree. Your song woke me." Suddenly, his curiosity was piqued. "Where did you learn that song, if I may ask? It was beautiful."

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri "Eeeeeeh~" Kouri floated up to the young man's eye level and examined him from head to toe. Oh... Kouri couldn't help but to find his facial features to be handsome. The dark hair and sapphire blue eyes also reminded of her own family physical traits. Eheehehe~ I have to know him more~ Judging by his facial features alone, Kouri deducted that he's a kind man and could be trusted. It was a rather childish move on Kouris act, but she was an actual little girl. Then the young man introduced himself in a gesture much like a noble. Woah... d-did his mother taught him like my mother did? It was refreshing to see a man who were awere of nobility etiquette among those drunkards, grunts, and unkempt people of Syliras city. Klaus... Gar'mon, Sir Klaus~ Ehehe~ Such a gentleman His gentlemanly demeanor increased Kouri's fascination with the young man. Kouri felt she must return his gesture in the nobility etiquette her mother taught her. She floated for some distance from Klaus. She slowly lifted the hem of her dress and bowed politely. "My name is Fubuki Kouri, Sir Klaus. It honors me to be your acquaintance" She elegantly lifted her head and beamed him with a smile. Then he picked up his giant faceless doll and cradled it. Why is he carrying that doll around? Does he likes to play dolls too? Ehehe~ But that one is too big for me... That doll was half the size of her, perhaps bigger. "Ohohoho~ I accept your apology, Sir" She put the upper part of her right hand near her chin in a manner that noblewoman used to do. She couldn't help but accept it as Klaus was so polite in his act it was absurd for her not to accept it. Then he explained why he was here and the reason for him waking up, he also asked her where did she learn the song and complimented it. "Oh~ Ahaha~ Thank you, Sir Klaus" Kouri bowed a bit in gratitude. Being a singer, hearing praises for her singing talent meant a lot to her. "Well... the song.. Lilium... I..." It was rather painful to recall her memories, but with this gentleman, Kouri must adhere to his questions with a clear answer. She approached him, materialized herself and took hold of Klaus' left hand with her right hand, she slowly rubbed it to ease her sadness. "It's the song my mother often sang me to sleep with... it's a very beautiful song, isn't it? Mama said it's the song Papa composed for her on their wedding day... T-they loved each other very much, I was their greatest treasure, Sir Klaus." A tear of blood slowly fell down from the corner of her right eye. She locked her eyes with Klaus'. "This way... with singing, I can remind myself that inside... I'm still a human, I'm still 'Papa's most beautiful sapphire'..." Kouri looked down to the ground, very long ethereal white locks fell down upon her face, slightly covering it. Then it magically moved by itself from her face as if an invisible hand brushed them away, she looked back up to Klaus' piercing blue eyes. "I don't mean to sound rude, but... do you still have your parents, Sir? I... I don't why I ask... I'm just curious, you don't have to answer if you don't want to..."

[Klaus]

Fubuki Kouri. What an odd little ghost, he thought as the girls demeanor changed in an instant from one of suspicion to cheerfulness and glee. It would seem her state of being hadn't altered her childishness. Klaus smiled and tilted his head as she introduced herself. The genuine smile faded into a forced one however as he realize this was still a ghost he was talking to. Though he was comforted by the girls friendliness, he was still a little on edge.

It warmed his heart to some degree to hear the way she spoke fondly of her parents. Yet at the same time, it made him terribly sad. It was odd. Klaus never really cried much, but when he heard the story, the way her voice became so solemn and how she stuttered halfway through, he couldn't help but tear up a little. This girl has suffered a great deal of pain. As she began to cry, Klaus knelt down on one knee to eye level with her.

He wasn't sure what to do. Had the girl been living, he would have handed her a handkerchief, stroked her hair and told her everything would be all right. But this girl, he couldn't touch. He couldn't do anything to console her. And that fact merely increased his sadness for her, which was obvious on his face. Then, without warning...

"My parents?" a brief smile flickered across his face, and then he looked down.

"My mother has always been there for me. Whenever I needed help of any kind, she was there. She was the one who taught me everything I know about magic." His voice was calm and happy as he spoke of her. Neither overly excited nor nonchalant. He didn't want to brag about having his mother with him, as that may upset the girl even more. But then his voice became more solemn.

"But my father, well, I never really knew him. He left my mother, my brother, sister, and me. He just walked out. To be with some tramp." As he spoke, this time his eyes grew darker, yet his voice echoed with a very different kind of sadness than Fubukis. While her sadness was from loss, Klaus's voice resounded with longing and pain. He tried to mask it with a smile, but to no avail. He looked up into the eyes of this ghostly girl.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kouri. I should not be getting so upset."

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri OOC : Where Kouri activates Materialization that means she could touch and be touched by corporeal objects and beings. So, feel free to touch Kouri when I state that she's materialized, Klaus. And oh, Klaus would feel a chilling uncomfortable touch if you touch or be touched by Kouri as with all ghosts. Kouri noticed that Klaus shed a tear when Kouri told him about her history. She felt that Klaus cared for her. She beamed him a sad smile and she slowly hugged him. "Uuun..." Cooing like a little girl, Kouri comforted herself by sucking Klaus' body warmth. This feeling... so warm... I like it... I want to feel warm... Being a ghost, she was like a void sucking every warmth near her endlessly. Klaus then told her about his parents, about his mother. Oh... you still have a mother... how lucky of you... I... I don't like it... I don't want you to be happy, I want you to suf- Hi?! Kouri shuddered and terrified at her own thoughts. Hearing that Klaus still had a loving mother filled her with illogical envy and jealousy. Kouri often felt that way everytime she saw someone else being shown paternal affection whether directly or indirectly. She shook her head, getting that evil thoughts out of her mind. "O-oh?! Y-you are a mage?! Y-you won't hurt me, r-right?" She stuttered, she was now a bit terrified by Klaus knowing he's a mage. The ghost girl was terrified of magic, especially Reimancy and Spiritism as it could hurt her even though she was unmaterialized. A couple of days ago, she met a spiritist... everything that man did completely rewired Kouri's understanding of how magic affect ghosts. Klaus then continued his story, this time about his neglecting father. "Oh... I..." Kouri cut herself and kept silent, she was afraid she would hurt Klaus' feelings if she commented about his father. Kouri didn't thought that such a horrible parent could exist. Both of her father and mother were very loving and kind parents. She truly wished she could see them again... but alas, fate cruelly wrenched them from her. "N-no... don't be sorry... a-anyway!" Kouri released Klaus and in her still materialized state, floated to his manikin and caressed its face. She wanted to change the somber topic to something more cheerful and interesting. "What kind of mage are you, Sir Klaus? Is it connected to this giant doll?" She tilted her head in curiosity. Not many people cradle around a giant wooden doll and knowing that he's a mage, Kouri bet the doll had something to do with his abilities.

[Klaus]

A cold chill ran down Klaus' back. It was strang, being hugged by a ghost. He felt that she was there, but he could not feel her. Yet all the same, it was comforting to know that she cared.

Klaus wondered, only for a moment why this girl instantly jumped to asking him if he would hurt her. She probably had a bad expirience with magic users. Best thing to do now was to clear up a little misunderstanding on her part.

[color=#0040FF"No Miss Kouri. Why would I ever want to hurt you?"[/color] his eyes were sincere, and so was his tone. Klaus had no reason to wish more pain on this little girl.

"Besides, even if I did want to hurt someone, my magic isn't exactly geared toward that end." He thought itbest to explain everything from the beginning. "You see, firstly, I am not a mage. I am a Wizard. The difference is, I use magic for the purpose of science and personal protection. I use magic to learn, not fight. Mages cast spells like fire and lightning for violent reasons. I personaly, do not like violence. I want peace. Klaus didn't know why, but he loved to explain things. As a child, he never spoke much, so many people believed him to be stupid. So to him, explaining things to others gave him a sence of confidence in his own intellegence.

"My magic does however allow me to place a protective shield on objects and people. I can also see Auras. These auras tell me many things. If something is hot, how a poerson is feeling. Though I'm not the best at those two forms of magic, my real talent is Animation." And with that he held out the doll for her to hold if she wanted to. Then he gave her a large, proud smile.

"I can breath life into objects that have none of their own."

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri "Oooooh... I see I see... y-you... you are W-wizard? Uuun..." When Klaus explained that he was not a mage who used his magics for fighting, she immediately felt relief washed over her and hugged Klaus tighter. "E...ehehe~ yeah, I don't like violence as well..." It's true in a sense, Kouri didn't like violence in her normal state, however when in a battle, her mind was often clouded with intense bloodlust. She will turn into a psychopathic child, cackling like an insane specter and slaughtering foes without mercy. When Klaus explained to her about his type of magic, Kouri was genuinely interested. "Oh?! You can create shields? A-amazing! And read auras? Wow... can you read mind? Ehehe~" She released Klaus from her hug and jumped up and down excitedly. But what intrigued Kouri the most was when Klaus offered her his giant doll and told her he can breath life into a lifeless object. "W-woah... WOAAAAH!" Kouri tried to hold up the doll with her tendrils, but it was too heavy for her, so she merely hold its head and let the rest of its body fell to the ground. "Y-you can make it live?! Show me! Show me! Show me!!" Kouri's eyes figuratively shine and her ethereal white hair swayed up and down excitedly.

[Klaus]

Klaus laughed, his spirits lightened by the young girls enthusiasm. It wasn't often that anyone took such an interest in his magic.

"Well, I can't show you here I'm afraid." He suddenly became quite sad. It was a shame that he required a circle to preform his art. But then suddenly, he was struck with an idea.

"But, I could show you if you came with me." he smiled at her. And his demeanor showed that he was hopeful that she would agree. "I need a flat surface, and my chalk to show you. So if you would follow me back to my home I can show you all that I can do. Please say yes, Miss Kouri."

Klaus reached out to take her ethereal hand in his. It was cold. And her touch was somewhat unnerving. But he didn't mind it at this point. He wanted to show her what he could do.

Klaus was surprised at himself. Typically, he didn't take to others very fast. But then again, other people were alive. They were busy and untrusting and cold. But this girl was a refreshing change of pace for him. She was curious and open and friendly. Klaus soon found himself wishing very much that they could become friends. As a child in Sunberth, Klaus never had many friends. Others disliked and distrusted him. Many suspected the truth, that he was a Wizard. So Klaus has underdeveloped skills in interacting with other people. As such, he still has no friends to this day. He would be sad if he and Miss Kouri had to say goodbye.

What are you doing Klaus. he thought to himself. You just met the girl. Why would she want to be your friend. But he shook these thoughts away from him. No. He had to stay positive. So he waited, a pleading look on his face, for the girls response.