A bright-eyed child glanced about the meadow in a rather confused, no, lost, manner. As she walked, the coat she wore dragged behind her, the entire place seeming mystical. Nice. Comforting, even. It was such a verdant glade, she couldn't help but feel at home, as she carefully took a seat beneath a tree. She stared out at the people, rubbing at her eye, tiredly. Cara had come a long, long, way and had been lost for a long, long, while. She deserved some rest. Perhaps it was time to sleep.
"Are you lost, child?" A soft voice inquired, a shade looming over the small child. A woman clad heavy lamellar armour stood before her. Rin's blades were absent, stripped from her before she reached the meeting place, after all, she wasn't looking for conflict.
The former bodygaurd slumped down to her knees to level her face with Cara's, the armour rustling and clunking, she offered a soft smile, awaiting an answer.
Cara stared up at Rin, eyes wide in awe. Or was that fear? She slumped backwards into the tree, mumbling. "Idunno...justabit...canyoutellmewhereIam?" In a rather small, weakened voice. Cara glanced about the area, as if looking for someplace to go. "Whyareyouamonster?"
The woman frowned slowly, before shaking her head with a soft chuckle. "What makes you think that I'm a monster?" She inquired, keeping the same gentle smile. "You're.. I'm not sure how to call it.. Yumi called it the Meeting place.. You can leave whenever you want," she answered with a smile.
"You'remadeofthebadmaterial." Cara replied, pushing herself back into the tree, as if trying to get away. "Wh-where...can I go? " She then asked. "...what's a meeting place?"
Rin frowned again. "Take a deep breath, I won't hurt you," she advised, still donning the same soft smile. "What do you mean by the bad material?" She inquired, holding her hand out as she adjusted the straps on her gquntlet, before pulling it off, revealing her rather normal looking hand.
"Underneath this armour, I'm still human," she added, still smiling softly. "Where you can go depends on where you were before you got here.. It is difficult.. I can't explain it properly."
Cara's eye widens, blinking rapidly. "I don't understand...what's armour?" She mumbles, staring at the gauntlet as if it's some sort of alien object. "I-I don't...I don't remember where...I was before...I came here. The green...just took me here..." She mumbles, toying with one of the ends of her far-too-large coat. "W-where can I...go, then?"
"Armour.. Makes sure bad people can't hurt me easily," she answered easily. "Do your parents know you're here, child?"
Cara tilts her head, as if the very question confuses her. "No...the trees lead me here. They know I'm here."
"I.. See," Rin answered with a frown as she pushed herself up again. "Where are they? I can bring you back if you wish?"
"I-F-Father is off in a forest. He's far away, but...I c-can't go back." Cara mumbles, vaguely. "Th-there's a place I gotta go to..." She continued, apparently growing more nervous, seemingly sinking into her seat and shrinking away from Rin.
Rin kneeled down again. "Oh. And where is that?" She inquired with a warm smile. "Perhaps I can help you get there?"
"A forest...somewhere...I don't know where. I'm just...stopping here...because I'm tired...I've been walking for a long time..." Cara mumbled. She did seem rather tired.
Rin sat down next to her with a soft clunk and a soft sigh. "Then sleep, child," she answered with a warm smile. "I will protect you."
Cara pauses, as if considering this, before nodding. She lies down, after a moment, shutting her eyes and appearing to sleep. As she does so, the tree she sleeps under moves, as if some breeze had gone through the area. Of course, there was none.
Rin didn't know what happened, she glanced up at the tree as it swayed, but left it at that. She had no idea in the matter. The meeting place was safe, so the mysterious movement phase her much.
Cara slept, then, for a very long while, curling up into her coat and resting peacefully. She seemed to sleep quite deeply.
And Rin made no move to wake the girl, instead, she sat up on her knees, hands resting atop those. She was now clearly gaursing the girl, her cold gaze on their surroundings unwavering.
It would take some time, but eventually Cara would wake up, refreshed from her journey. She glanced about the area as she pushed herself up, before fixing her eyes on Rin, saying nothing.
"Slept well?" Rin inquired with a soft smile, looking up at Cara.
Cara blinked, blearily staring up at Rin. "I-I dunno...aren't you dead...?" She asked, going to rub her eyes. The look on her face shifts, blinking and going to one of utter shock and surprise.
"I'm not," she answered with a soft smile. "Why would I be?"
"I-uh...I don't...I don't know." Cara mumbled, before blinking. "Wait...h-have you been...standing there...this whole time?"
Still kneeling down, resting next to Cara, she nodded. "I've been here the entire time," she answered.
"I-I..." Cara appears rather conflicted about this. She pauses, before asking. "...why?"
Rin shook her head softly, chuckling ever so gently. "Because I promised, child. I intend to keep those."
Cara nodded, pausing. She then mulled over something, for a rather short while before asking one simple question. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because you're a small child," she answered. "Lost and without guardian," she added, chuckling softly. "It's my duty to."
"Your...duty?" Cara asks, as she slowly rises to her feet. "...why's it your duty?" She seems honestly confused, tilting her head.
Rin nodded slowly. "Because I was trained for it to be," she answered, before shrugging. "And even if it weren't, I wouldn't leave a child all alone without their parents."
"Oh...I...okay, then." Cara mumbled, nodding. She stretched, for a moment, rubbing at her eye and blinking as she glanced about. She seemed to be rather lost, now, as if deciding what to do. It seemed, however, she had no clue what to begin with.
Rin only smiled, pushing herself to her feet and adjusting one of the massive lamellar shoulder plates, glancing around the same way Cara did. "You have no idea where your parents are?"
"I-uh-I...no. I can't...I mean...I..." It seems Cara does not have a proper answer.
Rin frowned softly, resting her hands on a piece of armour on her waist, waiting for Cara to formulate a proper answer.
"I-I don't...I don't...why do you care? 'sfine." Cara mumbles, rubbing at her good eye and going dead silent.
"As I told, you're a lost child," she answered with a soft shake of her head. "I'll keep you safe until we find your parents."
"I-uh..." Cara pauses, frowning. "...okay." She replied, wearily. She seemed at a loss of what to do, once more, not truly expecting this. Cara rather swiftly went silent.
Rin nodded once, before turning to inspect the horizon. "Where are you from?"
"The forest!" Cara replied, rather happily. "It's big and green. There's lots of plants and animals there. I like it there."
Rin nodded slowly. There were a lot of forests on the continent. "And.. Are your parents in that forest?" She inquired with a soft smile.
Cara nodded. "Father lives there." She gave no further explanation, perhaps unable. Perhaps unwilling.
Rin nodded once again. "Does he know you're here? Can you lead us to him?" She inquired, still wearing the same soft smile.
"No. He's sleeping. He's been sleeping for so long, I think he's really tired." Cara said, rather bluntly, blankly staring up at Rin.
She frowned softly. "Oh.. For how long has he been sleeping?" She inquired, "how about your mother?"
Cara paused, for a very long while. She then spoke, her voice containing nothing but pure and utter confusion, her question entirely serious. "What's a mother?"
Rin frowned softly. "Your female parent," she answered with a soft frown. "You don't have one?"
"Oh, no. I just have father, but he's sleeping." Cara explained, again, ignoring the fact she had already told Rin this.
"I see," Rin tutted her lips, thinking. "Can you take me to him? Perhaps we need to wake him?"
"He's a long, long way away..." Cara mumbled, wearily. "I-It'll take a while to-to get there..." She replied. "B-But I could."
Rin nodded again. "If you're sure we can make the trip," she smiled softly. "Then we can."
Cara tilted her her head, thinking about this for a very long while. After some time, she nodded, going to grab at Rin's hand as she hopped up. "Let's go, then." She explained, moving to begin leading Rin away.
Her eyes widened as Cara suddenly jumped up and started to pull on her hand. A soft chuckle left her as she nodded, following the child along. "Alright," she chirped with the same soft smile.
Cara marched off, ready to travel. She knew it'd be a long journey to the forest, but that would be rather easy. No, the difficult part would be when they reached the grove...
...but that wouldn't be for a long time, now! Nothing to worry about.
(Continued in The Verdant Dreamer (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=22626/))