01 | Saying Goodbye Is Never Easy | Aug 27th – 31st

[allineedisyou]

Grace was running towards the arrival bay the moment she heard that more people were appearing on the platform. She didn’t know if her father might be there but she hoped. He would be there and she’d be there to greet him with a smile. She didn’t know why or how he had left. She woke up one morning and found him gone.

He would never leave without saying goodbye. Grace was sure of it.

She can be found at the arrival platform for the next few days. She took up a post by the door wearing a new dress but the same red hood. Depending on the time of day she can be found sleeping in the same spot and after a few days she’s trying her best not to cry. Her father wouldn’t want her to cry but she missed him so much.

He’d been here, for a few weeks, they had been together and they were happy. Was she a bad girl? Why would he keep leaving? Did something happen to him? Was he okay? Why couldn’t she protect him? Was she too weak? She was only just a child.

As the arrivals stopped appearing she realized that her father was really gone and she was alone again. She curled up on the floor and cried on that final day not caring who saw her.

Comments

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[thedeadguy]

Joey had been keeping himself busy, just taking in the sites, would have made Red proud how often he visited the library, and was just generally trying to get a feel both for the place and the idea of being alive in it. It was happenstance that took him by the receiving room that day, and he heard the girl's sobs before he rounded the corner. He approached, frowning at the sight. Normally he got annoyed by kids, crying all the time, scared, nosy, but Grace...well, Grace was a sweetheart.

He moved to her side, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Hey...kiddo. What's wrong, huh? Dry it up. It ain't so bad."

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[allineedisyou]

Grace had her head bent, her face obscured by her hood. It's the only shield she has as her fingers quickly try to wipe away the liquid staining her cheeks. She sniffles once before trying to speak.

"Papa, he's gone." She didn't know what happened. One day he was here and the next he vanished, she'd asked but no one had seen him. "I-I thought..." Her voice stammered and spiked as she tried to stop herself from crying. Good girls don't cry. "I thought he'd be here."

Her head remained bent and her small frame unmoving. "But he didn't arrive."

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[thedeadguy]

"Hey, now. Don't do that." He reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder, something he couldn't have done a month ago. It was a nice touch, and it was a connection he hadn't felt in a long time. He smiled gently. "I bet he'll be back, and in the meantime, you're gonna be just fine, alright?"

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[allineedisyou]

Grace snuffled and tried once again to stop her tears. She turned and looked up at Joey. Her eyes were puffy and red and her cheeks stained with the remnants of her crying but the tears were trapped within her watery hazel eyes. She snuffed once using the back of her hand to wipe at her eyes.

She knew that he'd be back. She had to have hope.

"Yeah and when he comes back I'll be here with a smile because he deserves that." She didn't think it was his fault but it hurt so much for him to be gone again. She wanted to find him. "Do you think I might be able to find him if I look?"

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[thedeadguy]

His heart went out to the kid. If he was honest, he wouldn't mind looking for someone himself, but he knew, just deep down in his gut he knew, he wouldn't find her. He smiled that same, somewhat comforting smile at the girl and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Sure, kid, we can take a look around, but dry those eyes, alright? You wouldn't want your dad to see you sad, would you?"

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[allineedisyou]

Grace nodded her head quickly. "I don't." It was difficult to stop crying but Grace put all her effort into the task. She wiped her palms on her cloak and then wiped her cheeks again. It took a few minutes but she eventually began to look more like herself. There was no getting rid of the puffy and red around her eyes.

"Do you think what Professor Rieben said was true? That my dad turned into something we can't see? He said essence that coalesce. Is he just essence again or is he back home?" She wondered if her father was looking for her.

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[thedeadguy]

Truth be told, that vampire guy had said a lot of things Joey didn't understand. Like the being a vampire part. While he'd been a spook for the better part of 70 years, and while he'd also been a spirit guild for the better part of 40, he'd never met anything that wasn't human. Now there were people left and right telling him they were this or that or the other thing, and he really didn't know what to think of it.

He offered the kid a gentle shrug. "I don't know, kid. All I know is none of this is simple, but if your dad's around, we'll find him, alright?"

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[allineedisyou]

The shrug did little to calm Graces nerves but she knew that he didn't want to say anything that would upset her further. He was honest and in his own way kind. She was thankful though there weren't many ways that she could show that.

Grace nodded her head before looking back up at Joey. "And he's still looking for me." She said this as if she knew it was true. "We'll find each other again."

She continued to look more like herself though after a few seconds a loud grumble echoed from her stomach. She'd been standing near the arrival bay for the last week and while people have brought her food she didn't remember the last time that she ate.

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[thedeadguy]

Joey smiled again, reaching out to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze before standing and holding a hand down to her to help her to her feet.

"That's the spirit, kid. Come on, let's go get something to eat, okay?"

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[allineedisyou]

Grace took his hand and rose shakily to her feet. She felt exhausted but too hungry to think about anything other than food. She nodded in confirmation before falling in step beside him. She occasionally stumbled into him but she was to small to do any real damage.

"Do you think I could ask Gus to make me soup with mushrooms?" It reminded her of home and what little her and her father lived off of. They would eat the common mushrooms or vegetables from the garden and then sell anything that was more rare. Things were tight but Grace never minded. She had her father, that was all she needed.

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[thedeadguy]

Joey wasn't one who commonly looked after kids. He'd never had any of his own, life just hadn't had that in the cards for him, but they were alright. He wasn't exactly great with them, but they were...innocent, something like pure.

He smiles down at the kid before nodding. "I bet he will if you ask nice."

August 31st; Outside the Receiving Room

[allineedisyou]

Grace nodded her head looking very enthusiastically at Joey. "I will and if not I'm sure the menu will be very good too." She had found that she really liked Gus's food even though she wasn't familiar with a lot of it.

"Are you hungry?"

[heavenlyhonour]

Angeal's head was in a tailspin to put it lightly. Nothing looked familiar and he was pretty sure the Lifestream was somehow gone now. He'd wandered around, mako blue eyes missing little as he tried to make sense of everything.

He'd just gotten Zack to the Lifestream after the former student fell in battle against the army. Angeal's and then Zack's sword was now in the hands of a man that Angeal's pup had befriended, and one that he himself had hit..but more important things were going on now.

Somehow someway he was in an unfamiliar place and the former First Class Soldier was sure he was alive again. But the sound of a young person sobbing reached his ears. Even if life returned to his body and limbs, at least his enhanced abilities hadn't left him, which was some small form of comfort.

Not knowing what else to do, Angeal followed the sounds and saw a little girl all curled up, so that's where the sobbing was coming from. His eyes scanned around but no one seemed to be coming to her aid. No adult seemed to be tending to her and that bothered him, having seen many orphans of war. But any time that he could, Angeal would try to see that those left behind were taken care of in some small way.

Stopping a few feet from the little girl, Angeal knelt and tried the gentlest approach that he could think of. Maybe she was new here too? "Are you lost?"

[allineedisyou]

Grace kept her head down and shook her head. Her crying slowly stopped and was replaced by soft sniffles. After another moment, her small hands wiping away tears from her eyes, she lifted her head. Bright watery hazel eyes looked up at Angeal, her cheeks stained from tears and her eyes puffy. She didn't want to cry; good girls don't cry.

"No my..." She bit her lower lip before looking down again. This time her hood didn't hide her face but it was obvious that she was wrestling with a sadness that rooted deep within her. "My father left again."

Grace wondered if it was something that she did. All she needed was him but then maybe that was asking for to much. Fate wasn't on her side and the one person she loved kept being ripped away from her.

[mynameisallen]

Allen wasn't sure why he had wanted to come here, maybe it was just to walk around for the mean time, perhaps he had been a tiny bit curious to see who would come with that smidgen of hope. But no one he knew had arrived and just as he was about to walk away, he couldn't help but over hear the sound of crying.

Turning his head slightly, he could see the girl out of the corner of his eye. He walked on over, going to kneel down, he felt bad for her.

"Hey... Want to talk about why your crying? You don't have to, but it helps."

[allineedisyou]

Grace turned her head slightly and moved her fingers to wipe away the tears. She didn't want to cry but she couldn't stop the hopelessness that settled in her chest. Her eyes shine brightly when she finally turned towards Allen.

"I'm fine." She lied hoping that she could make lie true. This was the second time that Allen had caught her crying and it was for the same reason. She was alone.

"I just..." Grace sniffled trying her best to control her feelings.

[mynameisallen]

"I don't think you are." He had gone to sit down next to her, looking over slightly. He felt bad that she was sad again and he sure it was for very good reason. But he still smile, even if it wasn't genuine.

"You just what? Just hoping for something?"

[allineedisyou]

Grace shook her head and continued the battle against her tears. She didn’t want to make anyone worry. She wanted to be a good girl and help people because then maybe her father would return. She snuffled loudly before looking over at Allen with a stronger expression.

“I’ll be alright. I’m really strong.” If she said it enough it might be true…right?

[mynameisallen]

"I can see that. Tough little solider you are being as I guess they would say." He didn't know why, but he figured he could understand at least.

"But sometimes that will just make people worry more. I know a friend back home who would worry if one hid things."

[allineedisyou]

Graced looked up at Allen, her bright hazel eyes puffy and red. She sniffled once before looking more like herself. She wasn't close to smiling but she felt more comfortable as the conversation veered away from the reasons that she's smiling.

"Your friend? Do you miss them?"

[mynameisallen]

He was quick to simply nodded, there was no need to think of the answer after all. He was worried, he had wanted to fight along them but instead he had found himself here and wondering if they were doing okay. But he really had no way of knowing that answer.

"Of course, it wouldn't be normal I don't think if I didn't. Or I wouldn't be a good friend at least."

[allineedisyou]

“If you don’t think if you didn’t?”

Grace was confused by the way he said it but she got the overall point. She carefully considered a few of his words before turning to look back up at him.

“If I didn’t miss papa, would I be a bad daughter?” Is that why he left? Grace would give anything to be able to see him again.

[mynameisallen]

"It didn't make much sense did it?" He couldn't help but laugh at himself as he scratched his cheek. He looked away slightly, pausing. He didn't want to say something wrong and honestly, he would never know what the good idea was.

"I don't know, I mean if you have a belief they'll be back, then not really because deep down you do think they will return. I guess if it's anything else... Maybe, but that sounds horrible to say."

[allineedisyou]

Grace understood what Allen meant and she knew in her heart that her father wouldn't just leave this place without saying goodbye. However he had left before when all she wanted was to have him close. She knew that there was something strong enough to keep them apart and that fact alone twists painfully in her chest.

She put on a brave face and nodded her head once. As if encouraged by her movements her stomach growled angrily. She'd been brought food by a few people but having not moved for a week means that she hasn't had a full meal.

"Excuse me." Grace felt her cheeks flush a little, now feeling awkward.

[mynameisallen]

He couldn't help but laugh slightly. It was at least a sound he was awfully familiar with. "It's fine. It just means you need to eat something and I know I need to soon. So why don't we get soemthing to eat. It won't be long."

A good ten minutes maybe at best really.