As She's Walking With Strangers || Little Sister Catchall Post!!

[screeee]

Who: Traveler screeee as a little sister and YOU! (and at various points, Agent Washington notthesecondworstfighter and Mark Meltzerpaper_knight)
Where: Playground, mansion halls.
When: 20th and a few days after it. Conceivably any time though, because Traveler loves reliving the good years.
Rating: PG
Summary:

There's a new little girl in Wonderland. There's lots of little girls in Wonderland now, of course, but this one's features are unfamiliar. Which is too bad, because it looks like she could use a familiar face. Her dress is ripped and bloody and dirty, though the girl herself is uninjured despite being barefoot, and the green and red stains on her lips. Her hair is dirty and short, and maybe was a dark blonde once. It's hard to make out her age. Even under the grime, she doesn't look like she's lived the healthiest life. She could be between eight and ten.

Another important detail:



Her skin is pale, greenish-grey, and clammy, and her eyes glow a cold yellow. She doesn't smell all that great, either, like salt, and rust, and blood - which is a scent that may be familiar for some, though in slightly different concentrations...


The Playground:

She's at the top of the playset, as high as she can climb, and she clings desperately with a doll and a strange device pressed between herself and the set. Tears are running down her face as she scans the grounds, but she can't find the one person who would make this big scary sunny world okay again:

"MISTER BUBBLES! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Even while shouting, something wrong can be heard in her voice - something distorted, underneath it, somehow.

---
In The Mansion Halls:

She makes a slightly less alarming first impression in the Mansion. Here, she's either sitting in front of, or poking her head out of a finely decorated hole in the wall. She may even be drawing in crayon around and beside it, singing little nonsense verses to herself in that weird, echoing voice. Don't approach too quickly, now! You wouldn't want to scare her!

((Replies will come from wheresmrb!))

Comments

playground!

[notthesecondworstfighter]

It's not hard to hear the shouting that's coming from the newly installed playground, especially while taking a walk around outside, observing all of these strange new changes. Upon hearing it, however, Wash stops in his tracks and looks off in the direction of the yell. Never one to ignore the sound of someone in distress, he takes off running in the direction of the playground and hopes that nothing is too terribly wrong, or that whatever it is, he can help to fix it.

Chest tight with concern, the space marine comes to a skidding halt just at the bottom of the playground and gazes upward. His eyes flit around, trying to locate the source. It doesn't take long to spot the little girl, way up high, who was no doubt the one who called out. For a...Mister Bubbles, if he'd heard that right? Man, that...sounds familiar, for some reason...

"Are you okay?!" He shouts up to her, his helmeted head cocking to one side in an expression of worried curiosity. "Are you looking for someone? Or do you need help getting down?"

:D

[wheresmrb]

It's all too bright, it's all too bright! Her eyes hurt and Mr. Bubbles is nowhere to be found! Why was he gone? Where did he go? She was a good girl, honest! She followed the rules, she found angels and gathered, and Mr. B wouldn't leave a good girl alone, would he?!

Someone else's voice reaches her, and that clams her up. She holds the playset tighter and just stares at the man, who is not Mr. B, who...

Who... He's in suit like Mr. B, though. It's more silver than gold, and blocky, none of the fun wires and circles and curls on any of Mr. B's plates, and no lights. No safe green or yellow lights, not even angry red!

She comes to the clear conclusion:

"You're NOT Mr. B!!"

... Although, she had never seen a bad man in armour at all - let alone shiny armour.

[notthesecondworstfighter]

"No. --No, I'm not." Shaking his head, Wash continues to stare up at the little girl, a tiny bit less worried since she doesn't look hurt or anything. But she's still looking for this Mr. B guy who must be her dad or something? A quick glance around the area, however, tells him that there's no one else in sight. Is the guy even here in Wonderland to look after her?

"I'm not Mr. B, but I can still help you!" He calls up to her again, trying to get a better view of her, just to make sure she's alright, but she's just too damn high. Pursing his lips, Wash takes a step back, does some more surveying, and then shouts up again. "Is something wrong? Are you lost? Or hurt?"

The last thing he wants is a hurt kid up on some ridiculously high jungle-gym only hurting themselves more trying to get down, so if he has to, he's prepared to climb up himself. He just. Hopes that's not a necessary step.

[wheresmrb]

She draws up her shoulders and shouts:

"Mr. Bubbles is supposed to come get me! He's not supposed to leave! He promised!"

She squints, and then loosens up her grip on the playset just enough to get a better look at him.

"Do you know Mr. Bubbles?" This time her volume is more to get her voice to reach him. Also, it's a little suspicious. Even if his armour is really nice and silver, and looks sturdy.

[notthesecondworstfighter]

When she shouts at him like that, sounding almost angry, Wash takes another half-step back and raises his hands in apology. He hadn't meant offence or...to make her upset! All he wanted to do here was help. While he's pretty sure there's no Mr. Bubbles here, he'd at least be willing to help her look for him...

"Uhm no, I--" Clearing his throat, realizing he's speaking too quietly, Wash shakes his head and tries again. "No, I don't know him." But that name still sounds really familiar... Someone had told it to him before, maybe? But who...? "But I can help you, if you want! To find him!"

[wheresmrb]

The way he's moving is certainly non-threatening. She hasn't even seen Mr. B move like that, and he was the nicest ever!

But he doesn't know Mr. B. He doesn't seem mean, though, and he hasn't tried to get her, and his armour is shiny and noble-looking, even with its hard lines and the light it reflected.

She thinks it over for a long time. A man in shiny armour looking for her? He had to be, that's how he ended up here, wasn't it? (Everyone was always looking for her and her Sisters because of how special they were)

Shiny armour had always come from School and Home, where skeletons flew and needles poked and machines zapped anyone who didn't choose to stay with daddy. Sometimes the grown ups in their clean coats showed them Mr. Bubbles and said he was a new one, but he was just in different clothes, obviously. But she had also seen other metal knights that looked like her Mr. B, and those had to be friends, or his version of sisters.

This was a new suit, and obviously it wasn't Mr. B, but maybe this new metal friend was from the same house as Mr. B? A new friend for him?

After puzzling this out in her head, she actually steps away from bars she was holding onto, and tilts her head.

"Are you looking for him, too?"

[notthesecondworstfighter]

While she's quiet, seemingly pondering what he's said, Wash simply waits patiently. He keeps staring up at her, waiting expectantly, hoping she'll let him help her, because he always feels awful when kids are stuck here in Wonderland. If there's anything he can do to help her, and even better, keep her safe, then he will.

The question perks him up at bit, but he doesn't answer right away. Which is the best way to go? He could tell the truth and say no, but he's willing to look for him, or he could just say that yes he is. ...Which has the better chance of her letting him help her so she's not left on her own?

"Uh-- Yeah, I am." He decides with a nod. Besides, it's not a huge lie--he'll be looking for this guy if he's helping her out, right? Totally counts as the truth and can't be held against him. He hopes. "We can look together, if you'd like."

[wheresmrb]

Aha! She knew it! And no wonder he's lost, looking for someone he didn't know!

She seems to relax, finally, and nods.

"Okay!" She says happily, and starts to scamper and clamber down the large playset.

Once her feet are on the ground, she runs over to Wash, but stops just out of reach. She eyes him, up and down, staring at his bright, square-covered armour. He was different, but this close he looked big and strong like her Protector was supposed to be! So he had to be a new friend they made, like how she sometimes had new Sisters.

She squints, and tilts her head.

"What's your name?"

[notthesecondworstfighter]

Oh, good, it worked! Releasing a relieved breath as he watches her climb her way down the playground, Wash relaxes. This is good, this means he can get her to this Mr. B who must be her dad or a guardian of some kind. ...So long as he's here. If he's not...well, at least he can look after her, for the time being.

Once she's on the ground, he smiles down at her from behind his visor, letting her take her time to look him over carefully. Hey, he'd be wary of a strange dude in a suit of armour too, it's good that she's at least somewhat cautious about it.

"I'm Washington." He answers as he lowers himself carefully, crouching down in front of her so they're more at face-level. This... This is how you talk to kids, right? He's never been very good with them, but it's better to try and keep her safe than to not, right? Mimicking the tilt of her head, he folds his arms over his knees and watches her curiously. "What's yours?"

help they're cute

[wheresmrb]

She couldn't see his eyes, and he didn't have lights like her Mr. Bubbles, but one like one of his other friends, this one had a single plate for his eyes. Not a light, though, it didn't glow like one, but it was still brighter. A shiny gold, instead of the friendly glow, but that was all right, it was still pretty, even it hurt when he turned wrong.

Already smiling, she giggles when she hears his name.

"Washington? That's silly!"

He's crouching though, which is an obvious sign that she's supposed to climb up on him! That's what it means when her other armoured friends did that! She quickly gets her hands on his shoulder, her foot on his arm (on his knee), and in seconds she's hauled herself up to sit on his shoulders.

"It's a secret!" she says, still giggling, though a little more mischievously.

way too cute omfg

[notthesecondworstfighter]

"You think so?" He asks, admittedly amused by the fact that she thinks his name is silly. To a child, he supposes, it might be. He might take a little offence if it were anyone but a kid, but as it is, he just laughs a little himself.

Buuuut... Then he grows confused as, before he knows what's happening, she's...climbing him. Crawling up over him until she's sitting on his shoulders. Stunned and rather befuddled, Wash just sort of sits there for a long moment, crouched, unsure of what to do. Seriously, how do you kids.

"A secret?" He asks, a bit of uncertainty in his voice now, if only because of the whole she's sitting on his shoulders out of nowhere thing. For the time being though, he decides to just...try rolling with it. Kids do kid things, and if they're going to go looking for her Mr. Bubbles, he supposes he can give her a piggyback ride while they do so. "Why's that?"

[wheresmrb]

"It's too long!"

She giggles as she settles in on his shoulders, and then leans her arms against his flat, blocky head.

"Only Mr. B knows it! But," adds conspiratorially "if you pass, I'll tell you!"

Mr. Washington here is a new Protector, and he obviously doesn't know how things work yet, which means he hasn't passed the obstacle course yet! When he does and he's in the club, then things will be different!

[notthesecondworstfighter]

"Oh. Well, I guess it is pretty long." He can agree with that, he's always thought Washington is kind of a mouthful to say every time. "That's why most people just call me Wash. You can too, if you want."

Smiling a little in spite of himself, Wash uncurls himself and stands up carefully, doing his best to keep her balanced on his shoulders. He would officially be the worst babysitter ever if he let her fall off and crack her skull open, or something.

"Pass?" He asks then, frowning slightly. Yep, she's officially confusing him some more. "Pass what?"

[wheresmrb]

She stays firmly in place as he stands up - she's ridden on shoulders before! In fact, his are easier to stay on, he's small enough that she's sitting comfortably behind his head, when she normally had to stand or sit on Mr. B's big round head or shoulders!

"Wash?" she laughs again, "Like laundry? That's boring!"

She looks at his head, and thinks intently. She's able to keep musing about whatever she's thinking, even as she answers Wash:

"Pass the test! Mr. B and all of his friends did it! You prove how big and strong and tough you are, and how good you are at protecting me, and then they give you new toys and we get to look for the angels!"

Clear enough, right?