⋆ NEVER TO PART // joining

[guts]

It was never a good sign when a child was out wandering on their own.

Well, in Florence's mind, she wasn't alone. She had her doll, which was currently riding on her back as usual, bobbing with each step the young feline took. It's glass eyes stared ahead, unseeing. Obviously this wasn't much of a companion, but she didn't know any better, despite being six months already. Despite it all, she still had a childish outlook of the world, a rosy tint that kept her naive to what the world truly was.

The jingling of bells accompanied her arrival at the border. She probably would have kept on walking if it weren't for her mother's voice telling her to stop and wait here, instead sitting down as she was told. She didn't know why, or what she was waiting for, but her mother always knew best. Catching the doll before it slid off her back, she held it gently in her paws, making sure not to allow any of the mud that covered the ground to taint it.

She didn't like this place very much, her nose wrinkling at the smells in the air. The ground was yucky, too, but she wanted to be good and do as her mom told her. She was reassuring her now, whispering that this would be a good place to stay. Florence had never doubted her before, and she could only hope she was right.

[toboggan]

A faint ringing melody squirmed its way into those folded ears of his, birthing an irritated grimace on his unpleasant mug.

The playful, childlike callowness that the chimes conveyed brought forth memories of impoverished parents, desperately doing all they could for the good of their children, all the while the innocent tykes sat back and giggled, cried, and shat. Kids were like that; they could never truly understand the volume of a situation, rendering them deaf in a way. And ultimately, as Leroy would come to understand from experience, there just was not room for the deaf on life’s conveyor belt of tragedy and triumph. Bundled of joy? More like bunches of stress.

That’s not to say Leroy detested children, oh no. In his opinion, they could be pretty chill. It’s just that they were obstacles. Hurdles. Banana peels in your way, preventing one from crossing the finish line in time.

A moist nose led the guardsman down a path, guiding him towards the disturbance. It took a whiles, but he made it, and came face-to-face with an abandoned offspring, it seems. One with... a doll. Well, if horror ever taught him one thing, it’s that small individuals with dolls should not be trusted.

He’d sniff a hearty sniff, momentarily satisfying a runny snout, before kindly turning his amber gaze towards the child. Or, at least he thought his movements were kind. It’s kinda been a while since Leroy interacted with kids.

"Well, errrr- hello there,” the male greeted serenely, the height difference between the two at fault for causing a pain in his neck whilst he glared downwards towards the offspring. ”What is someone you doing so far from home? Uhhhh- where’s your mama?”

[guts]

She was pretty sure her daddy didn't like kids, which was probably why he was always so mean. That, and because of her mom. They loved each other a lot, before she got sick. But that was in the past. Now, she was here, away from her daddy and looking up at this other male. She was a bit hesitant to speak to him, considering she had always been taught not to speak to strangers, but her mother's voice reassured her.

"Hi, mister!" she chirps. "I dunno, I ran away and I ended up here. Is there any place I can stay? I'm awful tired." she frowns then, giving him a look as if he had just asked the stupidest question she had ever heard. "My mama? She's right here!" she holds up the doll, thinking maybe he just hadn't noticed her. But it didn't occur to her that he couldn't hear or see her--most people weren't able to interact with ghosts. Oops.

[Character Graveyard.]

Lunafreya N.F.

"I WILL COME ALIVE UNDER YOUR BREWING STORM."

Children.

Oh how Lunafreya missed both of her children, Pele and Sylvia (who was named after Luna's deceased mother). Pele hated her guts, because she'd disappeared for a few weeks & Sylvia had disappeared suddenly. As for their father, Luna couldn't really remember the last time she'd seen him. A heavy guilt still hung over the winged-female's head every time she thought of her two daughters. Wherever they were, she prayed that they were safe and sound and living their lives as best as they possibly could.

Approaching the scene, right after Leroy had, Lunafreya glanced down at the young female with a look of concern. The poor thing was alone. It reminded Luna of her own childhood. Her mother had been murdered without any mercy, her father had never been present in her life ever and her brother had joined the army that had killed their mother. Softly, the winged-female decided to speak to Florence.

"Hello, little one." She greeted. "If you happen to need a place to rest, you can come with me. I don't have a very big place, but there's enough space for the both of us." The female decided to offer, still glancing downward at the small feline, though her look of concern had changed to a friendly look in her sky-blue irises.

© LEXASPERATED

[guts]

The next person to approach was pretty and, in her opinion, looked a lot more friendly. Nothing against Leroy, of course. But when she spoke gently to her, offering her a place to stay like she had asked, she nodded eagerly. "Thank you, miss!" she exclaims, deciding that these two were trustworthy. Why wouldn't they be? "Oh, my name's Florence. What's yours?" she asks both of them, glancing between the two.

[beck.]

[align=center]

    At first sight, Beck loathed the beady-eyed doll the girl foolishly clutched so close. Or rather, he loathed the presence of another spirit, one specifically attached to the said doll. The scowling ghost naturally was territorial in nature, be it because of his upbringing in the streets or the type of entity he could be identified as -- poltergeists were bitter and volatile bastards, weren't they? Nevertheless, he slunk out of the shadows and took a begrudging seat behind his living peers, luminous eyes narrowed and glued to the little girl's doll.

    He ignored most of the pleasantries exchanged in typical silence, but his notched ear flicked back at the prompt for their names. Chemical drool beginning to roll down the mutilated side of his jaw, Beck turned his glare to Florence herself, scanning over her face for a beat. A pale tongue lapped the blue-tinged strand back into his half-exposed mouth and he offered a clipped snort. "Beck." Then he was instantly back to the staring contest with the glass-eyed doll, just as unblinking as the plastic plaything itself. Stumpy tail lashing as best as it could, the boy suddenly curled back his lips into a snarl, a wild glint in his stare. "C'mon out, ya coward," he hissed to the doll, rising to stand with an arched back, "Or are ya so pathetic ya gotta hide in a toy?"

[Character Graveyard.]

Lunafreya N.F.

"I WILL COME ALIVE UNDER YOUR BREWING STORM."

As the young female accepted her request, a small smile forming on her maw. Florence was quite the cute child, she reminded Luna of Pele. A feeling of loneliness ached in the winged-female's chest, pulling at her heartstrings. It didn't take her much to fight back the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks- she didn't want to concern anyone if she wept. She walked over to the young female's side, lowering her body to the ground. She moved one of her large wings, which were bigger then Luna, and placed it at her side, gesturing Florence to climb onto her back, so they could head to the older female's home. It wasn't exactly safe for a young child in the swamps, with all of the predators around.

Once another scent hit her nostrils, Lunafreya turned her attention to Beck as the poltergeist arrived on the scene. She knew him, though she felt no hatred towards him for his actions. Tanglewood must've been desperate back than. Hearing the brown-pelted male's venomous tone, she wrapped her tail around Florence's tiny body in a protective, motherly manner. "Leave her and her mother alone. I'm sure that her mother is no threat to you." Calmly, she spoke, though her eyes narrowed slightly. The last thing she wanted, was to fight with one of the others, but she would try her best to protect Florence and her doll (and mother).

© LEXASPERATED