All by Myself (Open)

Confused and alone. A small blonde haired boy stepped into the light of the central district. Light blue eyes sparkling with an innocent shine as he looked from one side to the other. His heart started to race as he fumbled to keep going straight. On his own he was frightened at the idea of anyone finding him. Especially after being taken from his home. That beautiful green forest he loved so much. It was gone. All the animals he called friends, gone. The trees, and the rocks, the river and the sky. It was all far away now. Taken from him or rather he was taken from it. Either way the thought that he might not be able to ever return made him sad. Deep down he just wanted to cry and on the surface his eyes could be felt tearing up. As if he could break down at any moment.

Her gentle footsteps on the stone that paved the path seemed to ring with a metallic cling and clang of her boots. The young maiden was still exploring the town, still unknowing of why it felt so familiar. She had been walking the same route for a few hours already, mostly just because she didn't know what else to do.

It was about her fourth time passing the central area, and her feet were already sore. Seeing that the fountain was bare of any people, she walked up to it and sat on the edge. She laid Luna, her sword, against the edge as well, making it stand somewhat upright. For a few minutes, she simply sat there with her hands on her lap, and her eyes pointing straight ahead, staring into space while she waited for her feet to not hurt so much.

Soon though, she spotted a man passing her line of sight with a bow on his back, and it reminded her of something. She remembered she had a bow of her own. Holding her hand out loosely in front of her, a clump of dark, glass-like material appeared in her palm, and it stretched and curved, eventually taking the shape of a bow. Val plucked the string gently, and it gave off a pleasing note. As the sound faded, the bow curved into itself, creating a U-shape frame with a bar closing off the opening. Strings were connected to the bar and the base of the frame.

As if on instinct, Val raised her hand and plucked a few strings in succession with the tips of her fingers, creating a smooth and calming melody. She continued to play, not really knowing what she was playing. Muscle memory was the only thing that made the song sound as beautiful as it was. People said that music was the song of the heart. One thing that the girl didn't have. Nonetheless, her performance was that of a professional. When the song stopped, the bow-turned-lyre vanished, and once again, Val placed her hands upon her lap. She noticed the young child in the area, but didn't yet see a cause for interaction. He looked out of place with the clothes he wore, just like her. Perhaps that would spark the conversation...

Restless tears about roll down his cheeks. The boy was about to let himself fall to his knees in the middle of town. Uncaring about anyone watching as he'd let himself wallow in sorrow. Only something caught his attention as she continued to slump through the square. A beautiful sound. One that was gentle and calming. It was the melody of music that lingered in the air. Though it made him shiver at first in frightful surprise. Sen eventually looked up in the direction he thought it was coming from. When he did all he saw was a woman with an odd instrument. There in that square he stood and watched with intrigue rising inside him. Mumbling out the word; "Strange." in a soft toned voice.

She heard the boy's utterance, and looked around before focusing her soft, yet expressionless gaze at him. "Hmm?" she hummed softly, slightly tilting her head to the side. "Do you mean me?" There didn't seem to be anyone or anything else around that could fit a description such as 'strange', at least not from the girl's perspective. He had to be talking about her, right? Val kept her gaze on the boy, not knowing if she was accidentally intimidating the child or not. It looked like he was interested in the instrument she held a few moments before. But maybe it was something else.

He must of spoken a little too laud because to Sen's surprise the woman with the instrument started to speak. At first he looked in all direction thinking maybe that she was speaking at someone else around him but when he did he realized no one else was there. So far she had been the only person to talk to him since being stranded in this strange new place. Besides from the others that had just watched him from a distance. An okay reaction considering he stuck out against the crowd. Everything from his clothing to the way he spoke different compared to everyone else. While staring at this new person a teardrop finally fell from one of his eyes. Being able to roll down his cheek before he even realized it. When he did he pulled a long sleeve towards his face. His big eyes never leaving the woman before him. At first he was scared to try and go near her so instead he spoke again. His voice shaky and uneasy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you ma'am."

An eyebrow raised, questioningly when she saw the tear roll down the boy's cheek. Did she say or do something bad that would have upset the boy in any way? She did nothing that would have had that effect, she thought, but was it because of that? Maybe she was supposed to give a gesture of acknowledgement, otherwise it would have been considered rude? Some customs were strange, she declared to herself.

When the boy spoke up once again, it was to apologize for disturbing her. His voice suggested that he was a little uneasy in her presence. In response, she softened her gaze and looked at the ground to break eye contact. People didn't like getting stared at for long periods of time, it seemed. She faced forward again, looking towards an empty horizon. "No. You didn't disturb me," she said. "Would you like a seat?"

Why couldn't she look at him? Maybe he had done something to upset her already and she was just pretending to be nice. This place was weird enough without people getting angry with him. The idea of strangers not liking him for whatever reason made him want to run away and hide but he didn't. When she offered him a seat he was unsure of what to do. A part of him wanted to go over while another said stay  away. The sword leaning at her side didn't help his choice either.

Pulling his hands up to his chest together he thought maybe to back away. "I don't know..." He said, his eyes becoming glossy from wetness. It was all getting to him. "Do you know where I am?" A question he had been meaning to ask ever since he was lost in the strange place.

Valerie blinked and turned her head slightly back to the child. He didn't know if he wanted a seat or not? Hmm... Maybe he took that literally, as in he wasn't sure a seat would be needed in his predicament. He must be confused as there wasn't any proper furniture close by. Must be why he looked about to cry. Strange.

When asked about where he was, all Val could do was blink then look up to the sky. "I don't know. I never asked anyone..." she said plainly before setting her eyes back to the child. Perhaps asking the ferryman would have been a wise move before she went out and about and stumbling upon the store that got ransacked. She still didn't get her honey, and the shop was closed for a few weeks for repairs. There was bound to be other stores there. She could just take a look around.

As soon as her legs weren't aching anymore.

"Are you new here too?" she asked the young boy. If he was new here, then the two of them could go together and ask someone where they were. That is, if the boy's legs didn't hurt by the time Val had recovered.

The boy was unsure how to answer her questions at first but soon enough gave a nod as he understood what she was saying. "I think so." He mumbled as he started to walk a little closer to her. "All I remember was chasing after some weird animals and then the forest went black." The more he talked about his home the more his heart ached. It made him begin to sob as he kept going. "And then I ended up here... In this strange place..." The sobbing only kept getting louder and more noticeable as he kept speaking. "I just... I just want to go home!"

Val hummed at the boy's story. So he found himself there after chasing after some animals and the whole place went dark? He could have fallen into a portal, much like the ones she herself makes constantly to get from one spot to another. But, hers didn't make anything go black. It was like a door way if one would think about it. Another possibility would be if he fell into a corridor of darkness, a phenomena that allowed Heartless to--

Val blinked at her thoughts. Why did she know that? And... what were Heartless? Great, now she was confused. When she heard the boy sobbing as he continued to speak however, all her thoughts were pulled back to the dark reaches of her mind to be pondered upon later. A small bell seemed to ring in her ear when she saw the troubled expression on the boy's face. And something pulled her to her feet, walk to the boy and held out her hand to him openly.

"Don't cry. I'm lost too, but I'll help you get home. What is your place called?"

(ooc: I am so sorry! I didn't know what to say for the longest time! T_T )

At first all Sen could do was stare at her hand with his teary eyes. No idea whether it was good or bad to take her hand. After a while though it didn't matter. The more he waited the more the sad feelings inside overwhelmed him. So much that when he did take her hand all he felt like doing was hugging her and sure enough he did. Without a warning Sen forced himself against the lady. His sobbing very loud as her voice became the only thing that he wanted to hear. In some small way it made her seem like she would keep him safe. Even if it was only for now. "Please! Please! Help me! I just want to go home!" His body shook as he held her tight. "Please help me get back to my forest! You can keep me safe right?" Without letting go Sen looked up at her. Streams of tears rolling down his rosy cheeks.

((Oh, don't worry about it. We all get that from time to time.))

After a while of holding her hand out to the boy, she had begun to think of withdrawing it, as it didn't seem as if he was interested in accepting her help, and only seemed to become even sadder. Perhaps she did something wrong and just wasn't aware of it. Maybe the words she spoke sounded a little creepy, and sent the wrong message across. Whatever the case, she let her hand drop back to her side. However, it was quickly taken before any of her muscles even started to pull her back, and she was suddenly hugged, causing her to stagger a little bit back.

At first, she thought it was an attack, and stiffened a little, conflicted on whether or not she should push him back or turn intangible. But... was that sobbing she heard? She looked down and saw the boy wrapping his arms around her, keeping a strong grip as if she was a lifeline. He then pleaded for her help, crying as he did so. There was a little spark in the girl's chest, one that seemed to make it harder to breath, as if something was choking her. Yet at the same time, it didn't cause her to worry about it. Instead, she placed her hand on the boy's head and gently stroked his head.

"I'll keep you safe, I promise." Her hand went down to the boy's back, joined with her other hand, and pulled the boy closer into her own embrace. How strange. It felt as if she had done this before. Perhaps her body remembered something her mind forgot. "Do you remember where you lived?" she asked, hoping to get something to narrow down her search.