Little Lissa

Little Lissa

Postby Dulcie » Wed Jul 17, 2013 10:34 am

Shoes. Her father had never let her touch the shoes he was cobbling. There were always critiques, "Don't touch little Lissa those aren't for you." "Nails are sharp little Lissa", "Go help your Mother Lissa, these things aren't for children." Now it didn't seem that she could resist them.

She was supposed to go somewhere, she knew that much. The monster's jaws had clamped around her, had gobbled her right up. She knew that it should have hurt, but now she couldn't remember it so much. There had been light then after, so much light and the singing of something wondrous. She had started to follow, and she knew that she should have. She wasn't supposed to stay here, but still she had walked away from it.

For days she had tried calling to her Mother, trying to get her to see her. She had screamed in her face, she had stomped her feet and she had wept like a babe, but nothing could make her mother see her. And so she had come to the workshop instead. If she couldn't play with the shoes in life, she would have her way in her death.

She tried to touch the pretty lady's shoes, recognizing the name on the order as her former headmistress. She was surprised as her hand passed right through them, and as the weeks passed she'd screw up her face in concentration, trying to pick up one of the shoes in vain, her tiny ethereal hand passing through them again and again.

It was morning when she decided that she needed something different to do and she turned to leave the shop, to go watch the lives of one of her friends, when she bumped into one of the shoes. She felt it against her hip, she heard it fall as she turned around, staring at the fallen shoe with amazement.

Swirling about the shoe was a tiny, black tendril. It looked as ghostly as her flesh and as she neared closer to it the thing would pull further away. She giggled and went chasing after it, passing through walls and windows as if they were nothing more than air.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Guppy » Fri Jul 19, 2013 2:56 am

Her connection with the ethereal assembly of ghosts within Mryken's borders was tentative at best these days. When she first arrived, bedraggled wildling that she was, they oft clamored for her attention like misbehaving children. Her sanity had been in question more than once as she argued with empty space. They were selfish, self-serving, but she couldn't really blame them. Death had a way of stripping one down to the basest aspects. Certainly, there was some mild interest in watching the living, trying to catch fragments of life, the essence of vitality. Then, when they became aware that they could do very little to affect their own destinies, they tended to become obsessed with moving on. If not that, obsessed with those who could hear them. And so it had been for the whelp. There were those content with their deaths, but they were few and far between. The beginnings of friendships were forged with the only people who seemed to appreciate her odd gifts.

Eventually, the living had wholly stolen her attention. An irritating and charming rogue, a sweet girl with unyielding principles, a tattooed heroine - who could hope to compete with them? She had learned to ignore the spirits when they bellowed beside her ear, when they plucked at her clothing with their last remnants of energy. Then, there was a conflict. The volatile magic that suffused her being when It had taken purchase in her soul collided with Niall's antagonistic magic. The powerful surge of energy had resulted in beloved Elliot's brain in disarray. The incident laid the groundwork for the Lady Olwak to seep into his skull and make what changes she wished. The dead stood nearby, ever-watchful and drawn to the Spirit-Speaker. They, too, had been caught in the backlash. For beings that barely remembered pain, the agony was overwhelming and exquisite. Things changed that day between the wildling and her ghostly accomplices. No longer did they approach her, preferring to linger and watch with distrust in their lifeless eyes.

Now, trapped within her gilded cage with a jailor she once (still) loved, the lonely young woman dared to hope that the fractures were remediable. Her strongest bond had been with Mary, the girl who found herself on the wrong end of an argument with a jealous husband. She was one of those that did not ask the whelp for assistance. The girl was happy with her lot and content to remain, to watch. The babe she had those years ago sometimes took a drink at the tavern and the unseen ghostly woman liked to sit with him. Remembering how he had clutched chubby fist over her finger and gazed at her with those blue eyes. It was Enough. The wildling had approached her casually, questioned her for news. Begrudgingly but politely, the woman told her of a new ghost. A little girl in town. One of the fallen in that tragic cave. Curiosity overwhelmed.

Stealing away from her lessons a little early, feigning headache, the woman began to search for the little ghostling.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Dulcie » Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:01 am

Lissa laughed as she chased after the blackness, her form passing through buildings, through people. There was no control that she had felt over the shoe not that long ago, but she didn't care either. She wanted to chase the swirling black thing that moved through buildings like she did.

She had made it a long ways through the town. Oh she was so much faster now than she had been when she had a body! She'd be able to show all the boys and girls how fast she was now if only they could see her. Maybe if she could get to the thing that had let her move the shoe they could see her.

She was very near to the dagger when suddenly the black trail seemed to move faster than she could imagine, yanked away like a person who quickly reeled in a fishing line, leaving Lissa chasing after nothing. She frowned to herself and spun about, looking to see if it was hiding anywhere, and when she found it truly gone she sat back down on the ground and pouted.

There was a woman approaching and Lissa looked up to watch her. This one would be no different than the others. She would walk right by or right through her just like everyone else. Lissa stopped paying attention to her and looked at the ground, trying in vain to pinch a pebble between her fingers.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Guppy » Wed Jul 24, 2013 1:40 pm

The young woman, still upon the path towards town, was distracted when the torrent of energy rushed by her. Dazed, she glanced upward and the hair raised upon the back of her neck. There, within the path was the object of her searching. It was like fate, destiny. The child was a ghost. That was clear to the wildling, well-used to identifying them, conversing with them, ignoring them. For the moment, her steps stilled and she peered at the young creature trying very hard to pinch the pebble upon the ground. Gallant effort. That was something that most spirits found very difficult, but this child still had the energy of the living clinging to her freshly-deceased aura. The longer they existed, the more they forgot, the more they drifted. Forgot their humanity. New ghosts were like new coins. Bright and shiny.

Lissa might be surprise when the woman approached. When the woman crouched in front of her and ducked her head to seek her eyes. Whelp was looking at the child. Not through, not past. She was tempted to nudge the pebble towards the ghost, but she smiled instead. "Hello. Are you lost, little one?," she asked, her voice kind and her expression soft. There was something darker, though. Something ancient and malevolent about her energy, mingled with her soul.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Dulcie » Thu Jul 25, 2013 12:18 pm

The woman was ignored all the while she approached, dismissing her as all the other people that might have passed. At least until she crouched in front of her and looked right at her. Still, as if upon instinct she turned her head over her shoulder to see what the woman might be looking at behind her. It wasn't until the woman spoke, and spoke to her that the child heard her attention back.

She studied Whelp for a good long while. She had that wary look that children often did when they met a stranger, especially when it was a stranger who gave them a funny feeling of caution and warning like this woman did.

The question was asked and Lissa shook her head emphatically.

"No.. no. I was just at my Pa's shop and then there was this--" There wasn't a word for it and she paused and just shrugged her shoulder. "And then I chased it and now it's gone. I'm not lost. I know how to get home." She said resolutely, though after another moment she leaned forward and looked at Whelp curiously. "How come you can see me? Nobody else can see me."
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Guppy » Fri Jul 26, 2013 6:08 am

The ghostling gazed at her with a wary, sidelong look when it became clear that Whelp did not mean to pass her by. Others did, and their glances were leveled solely upon the young woman crouched in front of Lissa. Their expressions were odd. Noura's lips lifted in a smile as the girl glanced behind her before accepting that she was being spoken to.

She spoke of the energy that had passed by and Whelp's lips pursed thoughtfully. "Magic? Energy? I felt it pass me by," she admitted, shifting to drop down to her backside and sit with legs crossed in front of the spirit. Her fingers scooped up a handful of dirt and let it fall through parted fingers to the ground once more. The dust stained her pale skin. Relief showed upon her features when the girl asked why no one else could see her. That made things a little easier. At least she had already noticed that something was amiss. "Do you remember? Are you aware that you are living no more?," asked with a note of distress in her voice. Whelp hated telling the ghosts that they were dead. It created such chaos, such anger.

"I can see you because I have died before," she admitted. Giving no details as of yet.

"There are others who will understand. Ghosts. At the Broken Dagger. The journey is not far and Mary would probably love to have you." As if the girl knew who or what this Mary person was.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Dulcie » Sun Jul 28, 2013 7:26 am

The little girl watched with obvious jealousy on her face as she saw the dirt trickling between those living fingers, staining them with their dust. She tried the same motion, trying to scoop up some of the dirt, but nothing stuck and she just frowned again, looking back at Whelp.

The woman asked if she remembered and the girl nodded her head. "There was a big monster. It snap-snapped me all up. And then I was 'sposed to go. There was lots of singing, and I -knew- I was 'sposed to go, but I didn't wanna go yet. So I didn't. I went runnin' back to Ma and Pa, but they couldn't see me anymore." She frowned again, obviously hurt by the fact that her parents couldn't interact with her.

A name of a stranger was offered, and the little girl would volunteer her own. "I'm Lissa. Who's Mary?"
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Guppy » Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:06 pm

Children, even ghostly ones, had not learned how to school their emotions. Whelp smiled at the unabashed jealousy etched within the small ghostling's face. That look turned somewhat impatient as Lissa tried her hand at the task again and came up with nothing. Whelp decided that it was best to allow the dirt to drift free, wiping the excess dust upon her thigh and staining the Lady's colors with grime.

She nodded at the explanation. Simple. The child may regret her actions, in time. It was far more difficult to move on after one had turned it down once. The introduction given yielded a soft smile and she gave a nod in greeting. "Noura. Or Whelp, if you prefer. I go by either," she remarked, seeking to climb to her feet. Hands came to brush at her backside to rid it of the small amount of dirt she had picked up there. "Mary is a ghost. She is a motherly sort and won't allow the others to trouble you." The others. There were a multitude of ghosts who were little more than shades. Inhuman. They would not think twice before pestering the young ghost. They did not like change. They did not like new.

"Would you like for me to come with you, Lissa?," she asked.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Dulcie » Fri Aug 02, 2013 12:01 am

The child pressed her lips together and looked thoughtfully at the offering of names. "I like Noura better. Whelp makes me think of Welt, like what Johnny used to get when his Pa beat him." Obviously one of the little girl's friends. Children talked about everything.

She got up as well, dusting off her own bottom from dirt that wasn't stuck there, mimicking Noura's movements as she began to walk towards her. She reached out her tiny little ghostly hand for one of Noura's forgetting for that moment that it would likely do her no good.

"I'd like that. I haven't had anybody to talk to in a long time. Is Mary nice? Are there many other children?" She was full of questions now. She hadn't met any other ghosts, and the idea of not being alone was at least something of a comfort.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Guppy » Tue Aug 06, 2013 6:58 am

Brows lofted at the conversation about Johnny and his father, but she did not speak on that. She made a mental note to talk to the other ghosts about this Johnny's Pa character. Children should not carry welts not of their own making.

Lips quirked as the ghostling brushed off her backside as Noura did. Mimicking. She turned to face the direction of the tavern and was startled, for a moment, at the hand that was silently and expectantly offered. Eyes closed for a moment, a chill seeping into the air that the small girl would, no doubt, not sense. She would be more likely to feel that Noura was changing, very slightly. Becoming less. Recalling her death and shifting to that aspect of herself. The death that lurked in her soul. Her own hand reached to take Lissa's hand as if it were flesh and bone. It seemed to take most of her concentration and the appendage would sometimes slip through her fingers like smoke, but it happened, all the same.

She could not keep it up for long, and their hands soon parted. The apologetic smile she gave to the child was a sad one.

"Mary is very nice. I think that she will be good to you. She loves children," the young woman replied as they strolled together. "There are some children, but not many. Perhaps there will be more, now that you have arrived." One child would attract others.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Dulcie » Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:01 am

The child seemed absolutely delighted as she clasped hands with Noura, a bright smile lighting on her face as they walked together. The contact was brief, but every second was cherished until their hands finally parted. Lissa was in such a good mood she began to skip beside Noura, keeping time with her as she walked.

"You think so? Oh I would like other children to play with. Do you think they'll like me?" She asked enthusiastically, heading with the other woman towards the tavern when from the corner of her eye she could see a hint of that black tendril curling about the building they were walking towards.

"You see that Noura?" She asked curiously, pointing in the direction of the energy she saw.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Guppy » Thu Aug 08, 2013 1:26 pm

For a brief moment, the girl was allowed a physical touch and that, that was important. So important to the dead. So important to children. Their clasped hands fell apart after a few moments, but the attempt had been there.

"I can't think of a single reason why they would not like you," the wildling assured the small child. "Mary will care for you." It would give the child someone to confide in, someone who yearned to be a mother just as much as Lissa yearned for her own. Happiness was important, even in ghosts. And if no one else in Myrken could find contentment, at least the ghosts could.

Her attention shifted as the tiny ghost at her side pointed towards the corner of the tavern. Brows knitted with interest and she nodded slowly. "I do. What is that?," she asked, mostly to herself. She tried to steer Lissa towards that corner, seeking a better visualization.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Dulcie » Fri Aug 09, 2013 1:51 am

The dark energy moved and shifted, like a snake that was following after it's prey. It curled around the corner of the building and then shifted away, appearing through another piece of the wall. It would disappear and reappear as if pulled on a string by something.

"I don't know." Lissa said, moving where Noura steered her as she looked at it curiously. Children were so innocent, fascinated only by the presence and wholely unaware of the ominous, almost evil presence of the energy around the tavern. "It was in my Pa's shop too. I'm not 'sposed to play with the ladies shoes, but I couldn't touch them anyhow. And then that stuff was there and I bumped one of them an' it fell. I tried chasing it but it runned off."
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Guppy » Fri Aug 09, 2013 6:25 am

The energy coiled and twisted upon itself, flirted with the edge of the tavern. It was being tugged away, around the corner, and the whelp found herself focused wholly on that wisp of energy. It was as if she, too were attached by string. Lure upon a line. Dimly, did she recognize the dark, foreboding feeling radiating from the energy. Her pale eyes narrowed and she paused in her forward movement to peer again at the young girl at her side. Despite the fact that the girl could not find Death twice in this life, perhaps she should not expose one so innocent to something like this. Not everyone was mired in darkness like she was. Not everyone found comfort in the shadows. Giuseppe's words about her being molded by evil echoed in her mind. About-face did the whelp turn and then moved to the door of the tavern. She would push her way within and search the room briefly. "Stay here and I will return. Call for Mary," she offered, turning and bending down to the little girl's level.

The smile she offered was a kind one, though her eyes were distracted. Her thoughts were already outside with that roiling entity of smoke and shadow. A moment of concentration. Then, she reached out to gently muss the child's hair, her hand alighting briefly upon the child's crown if she allowed the touch. It served as a promise to return, it served as an apology for leaving. It served as comfort.

Then, the slight form of the wildling returned outside to give chase to that darkness. Moth to flame.
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Re: Little Lissa

Postby Dulcie » Sat Aug 10, 2013 11:36 am

The child was so innocent, not even noticing Noura's wariness. She just nodded at the instructions and giggled at the muss to her hair, her ghostly fingers touching the ethereal strands that Noura had just disturbed. She looked around the tavern curiously for a few minutes as Noura left, never having been allowed in a tavern during life. She'd explore for a little while before she called for the motherly spirit, wanting to introduce herself.

Outside the dark energy curled and coiled about the tavern, sometimes thick, and sometimes barely in existance. It would even seem to disappear at times before it'd appear again, pulling and tugging away from the tavern, skittering across the road towards the Rememdium.
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