Description: A mysterious note delievered while Alice is alone leads the normally reclusive girl to meet with a representative of Seijyun High School for Girls. Kurenai under direction from Yurika Kirishima has come to offer the orphan girl a chance to join their illustrious school, while the lonely girl debates if she is even has the right to attend...but not for the obvious reasons. Kurenai makes a impassioned case and convinces her to at least consider it.
TWO DAYS EARLIER
The summons was made via a little note, addressed to one Alice Carroll, arrived at the orphanage in the mail. A plain postcard, with blocky, precise writing, not feminine or masculine. "Dear Alice, please come to the Temple at 3pm, two days from now." It's simple, blue ballpoint pen, and the signature at the end reads, "--A Friend <3". And there's a P.S. "I want to offer you a shining future!"
NOW
The Temple is, in fact, deserted, or so it seems, at the appointed time--though there's a bike out front that isn't part of the temple's usual accoutrements. If Alice is here, and entering the temple, then she might be able to tell that someone's been there recently...
... in fact, there she is now, a riot of bubblegum-pink hair topping the head of a young woman in a Seijyun outfit, swinging her legs back and forth as she sits on some high perch.
Alice had received the note two days ago, the girl would have normally gone to Father Elias and asked his advice on what to do, but he was gone. She would've also spoken with Amy as well, but she was gone too. Thus the young lady had no one to turn to and fretted over what to do for the next two days. The other her, refused to comment at all on it only causing the girl greater distress as normally it loved tormenting her.
It was nearly time to go and Alice was at the door with her hand on the nob unsure of what to do, with a thick swallow and a deep breath she finally decides to go. Stepping outside the shelter the hurries along towards the temple, her steps quick and light as she moves, her expression blank as usual not even hinting at the unsettled feeling that was sweeping over her.
Reaching the entrance to the temple her eyes lock onto the bike for a moment, well that was comforting that they'd come via bike instead of a kiddnapping van of some variety. Slowly but surely making her way into the temple proper, the first thing Kurenai might is a bit of violet hair and a blue ribbon pop into view then slowly and cautiously a expressionless face looking around the temple before shyly entering before she finally catches sight of the bubblegum-pink haired girl, "You...wanted...to see me?" The blankness of her features not letting up at all as her quiet voice breaks the silence.
Kurenai smiles warmly, putting her gloved hands on the edge of the wall that she's sitting on and pushing off with hands and feet, propelling herself up and forward. Rather theatrically, she starts spinning, once, twice, and landing in a perfect gymnast's pose, though she's not arching quite as much as a gymnast would. She is all smiles. "Yep, that's me! I'm Kurenai. You're Alice, right? I love the ribbon, it's very cute." Not much about Alice can really be called 'very cute', really, but she -tries-.
"So, yeah. I guess you got the note," she says, turning and walking away from Alice, leading her a bit further into the temple. Her hands clasp behind her back and, from this position, Alice can see the straight length of wood strapped to her back, a cloth-wrapped grip sticking up over one shoulder--a weapon of some sort.
"And I really do want to extend to you the promise of a brighter future. You see this uniform? It's for Seijyun High, the premier girls' academy in Southtown. I've been sent to see if I can convince you to join us."
Kurenai's leap and spin ending in a gymnast pose, gains Alice's attention in spite of all that has happened to her she is still at her core a gymnast. She quickly notes it's not quite a proper gymnast pose, which leads the girl to believe that Kurenai has a great deal of skill in agility and tumbling but not from a formal gymnastics background. "Yes...I am." Alice's response is very quiet as she nods her head, as her ribbon is complimented she reaches up and touches it nervously, "Thank you."
Alice nods her head slowly, "I did." Blinking slightly as her head cants to the side as she looks at the weapon on Kurenai's back and swallows slightly before taking a small step backwards, "W-why did you want to see me?" That quiet voice again rings out in the empty temple, 'Because she wants to hurt you of course~.' Alice suddenly goes completely ridged as the voice in her head speaks to her.
Violet eyes slowly regard Kurenai's uniform as she shivers for just a moment and a slightly relieved looks passes over her features before they return to a blank expression, "You want me to go to a...school?" A thoughtful expression crosses the blankness again for a moment before she shakes her head, "T-thank you but I must decline, that would not be good." Taking another step back she starts to turn to leave...
Kurenai stops, turns, and pouts. "Whaaaaat? But this is a -special- school! I know what you're thinking," she says, though she clearly -doesn't-, "that I'm trying to take advantage of you or want to do something nefarious to you. There's nothing that could be further from the truth! I--"
Her voice falters, and she says, in a quieter, more earnest tone, "I was an orphan, too, Alice... I know what it's like. Even when your foster parents love you..." She shakes her head, sadly.
"But I promise you at Seijyun..." She smiles, whether Alice turns to leave or not. "My benefactor, Yurika Kirishima... she kind of has this... habit... of taking in stray girls. You'd be her new protege, her new... project. Even in the Sunshine City Orphanage, it's not just you, right? At Seijyun Yurika would be taking care of you."
She sounds as earnest as can be, serious and entreating. "You should at least take a look at the place. It's..." She looks around.
"I know this is your home but Seijyun is just a better place to live..."
'She doesn't know, she doesn't know, she doesn't /know/~ that you're a monster' The voice sing songs in Alice's head as Kurenai responds unexpectedly. The violet haired girl stops in her tracks and looks down at the ground as she tries to suppress the voice. Taking a couple deep breaths she turns back around to look at the other girl. "I don't think that."
Looking up so that her eyes meet Kurenai as she mentions the she is an orphan too, Alice's expression is momentarily apologetic before it goes back to being expressionless, "I didn't know, it is not a pleasant thing." A small sad smile forms on her lips, "That's not why I'm saying no either."
"I think I would accept if...I wasn't me." Alice looks to be on the brink of tears as she says that, "It does sound like it could change my life for the ...better." She shakes her head, "And Ms. Kirishima sounds like a kind person but....I do not deserve it." Her eyes drop to the ground again, 'No you do not you'll just hurt people and have more blood on your dirty dirty hands.' The voice hisses inside her head.
"...I....would like to but, I just can't." Those violet eyes look up to meet Kurenai's, showing a great deal of conflict a part of her wants to go but something big is preventing her from doing it.
"Father Elias protects a lot of people, I...can't leave him."
This is probably the most difficult thing Yurika's asked Kurenai to do. Recruiting like this is -not- her forte. But she's the most trusted assistant and so it falls to her to do it... Taking a chance, Kurenai steps forward, towards Alice, those pink puffballls of hair bouncing as she does so--just a few steps to cross the distance between the psychic and herself.
"Do you think Father Elias would say no? I'm sure he only wants the best for you, Alice. Yurika... she's done so much for me." That much is true, for certain. Kurenai reaches out for Alice's hands, intending to grasp them gently.
"She can do as much for you, I'm sure. It isn't that we'd be separating you from Father Elias at all. In fact we'd love for him to visit the school--to see you or to give talks or just bring the orphans out to see..." She seems very impassioned about this, about bringing you to Seijyun.
"If you won't, though... will you at least consider it? Talk to Father Elias about it, or... Yurika can talk to him about it..."
Alice is surprised as Kurenai closes this distance and takes her hands, she doesn't struggle she just shiver slight at first then her body settles. The representative from Seijyun isn't quite picking up on what Alice is trying to tell her, "Father Elias....would not mind if I were anyone but me." Gently squeezing Kurenai's hands back, "I don't doubt that she has but...I'm not good like other people." Those almost tearful sad eyes show up again as she looks at Kurenai.
"I would dearly love to go and take Ms. Kirishima up on her offer, but I can't allow myself to do that." A small frown forms on her face, "I do not want to turn you down, I just have to."
'Let me have control Alice~, I can make this situation go away and you won't have to deal with it.' The voice sing songs at her and Alice tenses up and shakes her head, "N-no...." her hands squeeze Kurenai's desperately as she struggles for control, "...I..." A couple deep breaths are taken, her violet eyes a slightly fearful as she regards to Seijyun girl again.
"I'll consider it and...talk to the Father when I can. But please, understand I...am...unique and have some...issues the Father helps me with."
Kurenai senses that something is happening in Alice, when the girl squeezes her hands--she squeezes back, her brow furrowing as Alice struggles with whatever it is that's tormenting her, and she frowns a little. "We're -all- unique, Alice. I'm sure that Yurika can help you too. Maybe not in the same way but... I'm also sure that Yurika and Father Elias can work together."
She smiles. "And you'll have plenty of friends there, I promise. Seijyun is full of wonderful people, from students to teachers." Gently, she disengages her hands from Alice's, then wraps the girl in a brief hug--nothing too strong or too long in duration.
"I'll ask Yurika to talk to Father Elias as well, if it will help. We can all meet together and talk about it. I really think that moving to Seijyun will help you so much..."
Kurenai steps back and smiles. "I suppose you'd better get back to the orphanage before Elias starts missing you. I need to get back to Seijyun as well..."
Opening her mouth to explain, Alice just slowly closes it and lets Kurenai assume what she wants as explaining the details would be shameful for the violet haired girl, she did not like people thinking she was a monster if she could help it. "I suppose that is true." Her soft unsure response though the fact Kurenai comforts her by squeezing her hands and then drawing her into a hug helps ease her even more and lets her put down the voice inside her.
"Friends?" Looking up Alice actually looks hopeful for a moment, looking like a typical girl her age emotionally alive and expressive, then it's replaced with her usual look, "That would be nice, but I have those at the shelter too." Stepping back from the older girl as the hug is broken Alice folds her hands behind her back.
"We can discuss it when we all can get together...thank you for coming and please give Ms. Kirishima my thanks for taking an interest in me and offering me this."
A swift nod is given, "I should or else people will start to worry, I don't like people having to worry about me." The fact it makes her feel guilty is left unspoken, "Have a good day. I think we will talk again soon." A small wave is offered before she turns to leave.
Log created on 16:22:09 04/10/2011 by Alice, and last modified on 19:54:38 04/10/2011.