[Anyone passing by the Fountain will be treated to a strange sight -- a young girl playing in the fountain. Sometimes doing cartwheels, other times just splashing about, giggling wildly
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[Justin is walking home from work, case files in tow and eyes fixed firmly on the ground. He is, naturally, rather surprised when a splash from the fountain douses the front of his shirt. Surprised enough, in fact, to look for the source.
Odd. There aren't usually girls playing in the fountain.]
[Zia rolls her eyes, just a bit. How many times has she heard that before?]
I don't feel the cold like you humans do. A little water can't hurt me.
[The implication of her words occurs to her. This boy being a human, he probably feels the cold a lot more. Of course, a little splash like that wouldn't make anybody sick, human or not, but it was much more of a concern for him.
She jumps off the ledge and reaches to grab his hand earnestly.]
But we should get you somewhere warm! Where's a place with hot chocolate?
Well that's silly. You're the one who knows where the cafe is!
[And then she's tugging him in another direction.]
What were you staring at the ground for? Were you looking for something? I can help you find it! I'm veryvery good at finding things. Especially if they're shiny or sparkly or sweet.
[She frowns just a bit, but it doesn't detract from the merriment in her eyes.]
But I can't find the door. It's quite annoying. The most annoyingnest.
[And she looks at him with big, wide, innocent eyes.]
[So many words all at once! Regardless, Justin tries to keep up with the girl's chatter. She seems harmless enough, if a little... excitable.]
I wasn't--I just look at the ground when I walk. Nothing's lost.
[Except the door, apparently.]
There isn't a door--not if the door's a way home. ...And the cafe is actually this way.
[Justin gives her arm a gentle tug in the proper direction. Shilo will forgive him for being home late if he's helping someone, surely, and this girl clearly needs help.]
Oh. This is one of those places. Well that's annoying.
[She pouts. She can't remember the last time she was actually STUCK somewhere. Humans got lost all the time in the spirit world and couldn't get out, of course, but she knew her way around there, where all the doors and windows and gates and little cracks were, so that didn't happen to her.
But she quickly brightens. That just means she'll have to explore! She loves exploring. Though it won't be the same without Maida. She's never been without Maida. Never ever ever ever.
She gently puts the thoughts of Maida away, in a colorful little box in her mind. Not the same box that she puts the memories of the Time Before, of course -- Maida is veryvery special and gets her own box. But if she thinks too much about her forever friend, the sadness will make her heart stop beating, and then how will she get home?]
Zia! It is a wonderful pleasure to meet you!
[She grins and shakes their linked hands in a strange pantomime of a handshake.]
[The thought alone is utterly confounding. Justin has, of course, accepted the fact that there are numerous--infinitely numerous, perhaps--universes and that moving between them isn't impossible, but surely being stuck in one is more than annoying.
He extricates his hand from the bizarre handshake to open the cafe's door for the girl. Zia. Zia the corbae, whatever a corbae is.]
Zia... I'm Justin. It's nice to meet you, too.
[And, in spite of Zia's oddness, it kind of is. Justin isn't in the habit of meeting people--not willingly, anyway--and it's somewhat refreshing after a day spent slogging through paperwork and sending Dean and Ray stern memos concerning their complete disregard for protocol.
The inside of the cafe is cool and silver--one of the smaller cafes around the square, modeled after a fifties diner. It's more of a sweet shop than a diner, in truth, but it will do.]
Not a lot. Most of the time it's pretty easy to find the door. But some places are very big and don't have a lot of doors. And the doors don't always stay in the same place.
[She smiles 'thank you' as Justin holds open the door and bounces inside the cafe. Her eyes go wide and she twirls around. It's so shiny! Zia loves the way the surfaces catch her reflection, making weird pantomimes of her figure.
And then she spots the sweets display and she flies over, her face immediately plastered against the glass. Her eyes are wide with desire and longing.
She completely ignores Justin's question and looks up at the man behind the counter.]
Odd. There aren't usually girls playing in the fountain.]
What are you doing?
[This is said out of genuine curiosity.]
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Splashing and sloshing and spraying! What are you doing?
[She perches on the edge of the fountain and smiles brightly, completely unbothered by the evening chill or the state of her clothes.]
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[It's not warm out and Justin doesn't find the impromptu shower funny. He's also slightly concerned by the girl's complete lack of common sense.]
You're going to catch a cold.
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I don't feel the cold like you humans do. A little water can't hurt me.
[The implication of her words occurs to her. This boy being a human, he probably feels the cold a lot more. Of course, a little splash like that wouldn't make anybody sick, human or not, but it was much more of a concern for him.
She jumps off the ledge and reaches to grab his hand earnestly.]
But we should get you somewhere warm! Where's a place with hot chocolate?
[Zia. She has her priorities.]
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[And then there is a wet girl grabbing his hand. A non-human wet girl. It takes him a good deal of self-control to avoid snatching his hand back.]
I don't--there's a cafe.
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[As if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She starts tugging him in a random direction.]
Do they serve candy at the cafe?
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[As baffled as he is, Justin does know that the cafe is in the other direction.]
They have candy. It's--but the cafe's the other way.
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[Of course this illuminates nothing, but that doesn't occur to Zia.
When Justin points out they're going in the wrong direction, Zia stops and tilts her head curiously.]
Then why are we going this way?
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[Okay. This is incredibly confusing.]
...You started going this way. I followed.
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[And then she's tugging him in another direction.]
What were you staring at the ground for? Were you looking for something? I can help you find it! I'm veryvery good at finding things. Especially if they're shiny or sparkly or sweet.
[She frowns just a bit, but it doesn't detract from the merriment in her eyes.]
But I can't find the door. It's quite annoying. The most annoyingnest.
[And she looks at him with big, wide, innocent eyes.]
Do you know where the door is?
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I wasn't--I just look at the ground when I walk. Nothing's lost.
[Except the door, apparently.]
There isn't a door--not if the door's a way home. ...And the cafe is actually this way.
[Justin gives her arm a gentle tug in the proper direction. Shilo will forgive him for being home late if he's helping someone, surely, and this girl clearly needs help.]
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Is there a window, then? Or a gate? What other things can you pass through?
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...What's your name?
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[She pouts. She can't remember the last time she was actually STUCK somewhere. Humans got lost all the time in the spirit world and couldn't get out, of course, but she knew her way around there, where all the doors and windows and gates and little cracks were, so that didn't happen to her.
But she quickly brightens. That just means she'll have to explore! She loves exploring. Though it won't be the same without Maida. She's never been without Maida. Never ever ever ever.
She gently puts the thoughts of Maida away, in a colorful little box in her mind. Not the same box that she puts the memories of the Time Before, of course -- Maida is veryvery special and gets her own box. But if she thinks too much about her forever friend, the sadness will make her heart stop beating, and then how will she get home?]
Zia! It is a wonderful pleasure to meet you!
[She grins and shakes their linked hands in a strange pantomime of a handshake.]
Reply
[The thought alone is utterly confounding. Justin has, of course, accepted the fact that there are numerous--infinitely numerous, perhaps--universes and that moving between them isn't impossible, but surely being stuck in one is more than annoying.
He extricates his hand from the bizarre handshake to open the cafe's door for the girl. Zia. Zia the corbae, whatever a corbae is.]
Zia... I'm Justin. It's nice to meet you, too.
[And, in spite of Zia's oddness, it kind of is. Justin isn't in the habit of meeting people--not willingly, anyway--and it's somewhat refreshing after a day spent slogging through paperwork and sending Dean and Ray stern memos concerning their complete disregard for protocol.
The inside of the cafe is cool and silver--one of the smaller cafes around the square, modeled after a fifties diner. It's more of a sweet shop than a diner, in truth, but it will do.]
...Do you know how to order, Zia?
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[She smiles 'thank you' as Justin holds open the door and bounces inside the cafe. Her eyes go wide and she twirls around. It's so shiny! Zia loves the way the surfaces catch her reflection, making weird pantomimes of her figure.
And then she spots the sweets display and she flies over, her face immediately plastered against the glass. Her eyes are wide with desire and longing.
She completely ignores Justin's question and looks up at the man behind the counter.]
I'd like them all, please!
Reply
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