Yasashii nihon no joochan yo...

[therealrisette]

Who: Rise Kujikawa and OPEN
What: A possibly familiar little girl, barely old enough for grade school, is wandering around the castle unsupervised. What do?
When: Today!
Where: The castle grounds, lobby, Four Seasons beach, Music Room - any of Rise's favorite places!
Rating: PG-ish?

[Well, it's been a few days now. Rise hoped she'd only be this small for her birthday and the castle would give up on its latest little prank. But after a day or two of going back and forth between sticking close to a convenient friend (new or otherwise) or sulking alone somewhere, it's getting really boring not going out when she wants just because she's not as big as she should be. She's even been a fairy before, and that never stopped her!

... Though, at least she could fly then. Having to run around everywhere makes the castle somehow seem even bigger now, against all logic. And no matter where she goes, everything looks different.

Before she knows it, a quick trip outside of her own room has become a full-blown exploration of the entire castle. From the hallways, to the grounds, to some of her favorite rooms to visit. She's not exactly alone, but not everyone notices such a small child running around.

... Of course, someone probably will sooner or later.]

Comments

[heloise]

[ Occasionally, she stops by her brother's old room to see that it is still well and empty. Today proved different, with a new name replacing the once blank plate. Levi. He doesn't deserve the honor, no one does. So it is with the sourest mood that she makes her way down the tower and toward the entrance, only to find a familiar-looking girl running about.

The name comes to her slowly. ]

Shiori?

[therealrisette]

[It's not her name, but it gets Rise's attention just the same.]

Huh?

[Finding the source of the vaguely familiar voice, she looks up at Lucrezia curiously. She doesn't have time to be mildly disconcerted at the sudden size difference (at least, it feels sudden seeing her again for the first time). Instead, she turns and looks around the hall. Did she see Shiori somewhere?! But... she's supposed to be back in her own world with... the other Rise, right?]

[heloise]

[ It's only when she comes closer that she notices something a little different about the girl. The mother's name comes a little later. ]

Is it you, Rise?

[therealrisette]

[Oh, right! She'd look really different now from the last time they saw each other.

She looks back up at Lucrezia and nods.]

Yeah, it's me...

[Now she's a bit confused. Did she mistake her for Shiori? She probably isn't that much bigger than her daughter was... as weird as that is to think about. And they'd only met the one time on the beach.

She gives a curious tilt of her head.]

Is something wrong, Lucrezia-san?

[heloise]

No.

[ She won't share his memory with anyone or even say his name. It's too sacred, the only thing still so for her. ]

How-- Was it the castle's doing?

[therealrisette]

I guess... I woke up like this a few days ago...

[She doesn't mention the whole thing about being snuggled up to some strange guy in the library. The less she thinks about that the better. But at least she does seem to realize something's different.

Even if she does still pretty much look like a lost little girl.]

[heloise]

[ She nods slowly, thoughts far away. ]

Are you in need of help?

[therealrisette]

N-no...

[She's just so tiny she can't read the nameplates on the doors, has to reach over her head for the doorknobs, and every counter and table in this place is about as tall as she is if not taller. What would she need help with?]

Um... where are you going?

I mean... if you don't mind...

[She wouldn't want to pry! It does look like she might have a lot on her mind, too...]

[heloise]

Home. [ Which should be a person, not a place. Which should be Cesare. She makes a move to leave, turning over her shoulder to see if she means to follow. ]

I could help you find your room.

[therealrisette]

[She thinks nothing of the odd usage of "home", assuming Lucrezia is just going to her room. But Rise doesn't want to be left alone, so she quickly steps forward to follow. Only to freeze for a moment, a blush creeping over her cheeks, when Lucrezia looks over her shoulder.

It'd be pointless to bluster about how she can find her own room or anything now. And Lucrezia looked like she could maybe use some company?

So she just sheepishly nods, agreeing.]

O-okay...

[Ugh, she must look so helpless right now...]

[heloise]

[ She can use the company but she doesn't want it, if only because the company she wants is someone else's. Rise might be able to easily guess. But Lucrezia stops and reaches out a hand for her to hold, if she wants to. ]

[therealrisette]

[Rise obediently accepts the offered hand. If there's one thing she's learned in the last few days, it's that small children can be easily lost track of. Even a teenager in a small child's body.

She looks up at Lucrezia curiously... she says nothing's bothering her, but she's obviously upset about something. But she still doesn't know her very well yet, so she's not sure if she can guess what.

Still, she tries, reaching for what common ground she knows they have.]

... Do you miss Abel-kun?

[She knows other people in the castle who have been missing their temporary children, after all...]

[heloise]

Dearly.

[ Any parent should, but what she loses for having let her son leave yet again is the more painful part. Will he even come back? She squeezes the girl's hand in reassurance. ]

Perhaps they are playing together as we speak. Abel and Shiori.

[therealrisette]

Yeah, maybe.

[Rise smiles. Abel was kind of an unusual boy, but he and Shiori seemed to get along well enough. It's something she's both proud of and kind of envies... Shiori's ability to easily make friends at such a young age.

She does have a feeling she didn't quite hit the mark with her guess, though. But at least it started a conversation.]

Was it your first time? Abel-kun being here, I mean...

[She never asked before, but it's something she's been kinda curious about. Lucrezia seemed to fit the mother role so naturally, and Rise could swear she's not any older than herself. ... Current appearances aside, of course.]

[heloise]

[ Lucrezia moves down the stairs headed for the lobby. Her expression hardly changes at the mention, she knows how to manage her emotions when constancy is so highly prized. ]

He came last year and he will again the next. [ A smile because at least then Joshua would surely come back, for him if not for her. ]

And Shiori?

[therealrisette]

[Rise follows along, not too terribly concerned with where they're going. She just doesn't want to be alone right now.]

Yeah, it was our first year. Both me and Chie-chan.

[She gets a thoughtful look when she mentions Shiori's "father". She wasn't with Rise at the beach, but she's not sure if Lucrezia might have seen her with Shiori at some other time that week.]

[heloise]

[ She has never heard of Chie or even met her, and not during that week when she was so intent on spending every single moment at Abel's side, making sure he is the happiest he can be. ]

Do you miss her?

[therealrisette]

I guess...

[It's weird. Rise thought she'd be glad when Shiori was gone at first. But it really did start to feel like they were a family by the time the week was over.]

... Isn't that kinda weird, though? I mean, I'm way too young to be a mom!

[If she realizes how much more fitting that statement seems with the way she looks now, she doesn't show it.]

[heloise]

I had my first son when I was nearly sixteen.

[ And there were others younger than her, though Shiori's age now would be impossible. She wouldn't have bled yet. ]

Abel would be my second, but he is older than Giovanni. Is that not strange?

[therealrisette]

[Her first...?! Rise's hand unconsciously squeezes Lucrezia's a bit as she tenses up.]

You mean... you had... back on your world...?!

[Oh man, she didn't mean it like that! If Lucrezia even took it that way? She doesn't even know!

Her face turns bright red as she turns slightly away. What's she even supposed to say now?!]

... Yeah, I guess it is kinda strange. Abel-kun being older, I mean!

[Crap. She just can't catch a break on this subject...]

[heloise]

[ She knows how strange it is, having spent more than a year now brushing her shoulders against so-called modern people. The reaction is still amusing. ]

How old should be old enough to have children, I wonder?

[therealrisette]

I dunno... I guess if you were ready...

[Rise can't imagine being ready that young, though. She'd want to at least wait until her twenties, when her career as a teen idol would most likely be over and she could transition into acting or modeling full-time. And that's assuming she could find someone to settle down with...

With a sigh, she continues.]

It won't be anytime soon for me!

[It is kind of weird talking about how she has no plans to have kids anytime soon in the same conversation as she admits to missing her daughter...]

[heloise]

[ There was never the question of being ready for anything, for her. She can't imagine otherwise, though, and sees little reason to complain. But her next husband will be of her own choosing.

They reach near the lobby, and Lucrezia takes the time to look about before continuing on her way. ]

Might I ask how old you are? Commonly, I mean.

[therealrisette]

[That's an unusually complicated question given the nature of Paradisa, but at least she can leave off the part about how she looks now. Lucrezia already knows what she usually looks like...]

I'm supposed to be seventeen now.

[She glances down at herself.]

This... I woke up like this on my birthday...

[Wait... she's not really sure how old Lucrezia is, either, is she? She looks up at the other girl curiously.]

You're close to my age, right?

[She just kind of assumed when they met...]

[heloise]

I should have turned eighteen this year.

[ But of course time in the castle moves strangely, or is that only because she shares a home with Joshua. Does it even matter? ]

Which makes me an adult, does it not?