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Post by Fell on Apr 24, 2021 2:12:51 GMT
There was a small coffee shop on the corner of the street in one of the ritziest parts of town. It boasted the best fresh-ground coffee beans and "world famous" treats like bear claws and muffins, and plenty of Telluride's rich and famous frequented it as often as every morning. In the middle of the afternoon, it was a bit less busy, with only a few customers and two workers behind the counter. A young girl sat at a table, all alone, with freshly dried tears on her face. Both hands were folded in her lap, her hoodie dirty and a bit worn, her hair limp and bordering on greasy. She was staring down at the empty table when one of the workers came over, placing a small cup of steaming, fresh-brewed coffee in front of her. She jumped slightly at looked up at her, eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "Don't worry, sweetheart," she said softly. "It's on the house." With that, the employee returned to the counter, and the girl returned to staring at her coffee. She raised a hand, grasping the end of her sleeve tight, and wiped at her face, as if to keep more tears from falling. Nobody else seemed to pay any attention to her.
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on Apr 24, 2021 2:38:38 GMT
Janiya hummed a shallow tune as she walked the street corner, dressed to impress herself, her shoes making that lovely sound she's grown to appreciate before walking into the coffee shop for some much needed refreshments. "Good evening Telluride!" she exclaimed happily before noticing a not so happy sight.
Something inside Janiya tugged at her heart and soul, and before she knew it she was walking over to the girl at the table. "Hey," she said softly as to not startle her further, "Why're you here by your lonesome?" Janiya would then pull up a chair to sit down near her, noticing the tears. "What happened, did something happen to you?" Now, she was bothered. Who on this already terrible world would hurt a kid? Well.. a lot of people, but she wasn't going to turn a blind eye.
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Post by Fell on Apr 24, 2021 2:47:38 GMT
The young girl jumped, despite Janiya's attempts not to startle her. As soon as the girl pulled up, she flinched away, showing the classic symptoms of the abused or the neglected. So close to her, the woman would notice that the small girl looked malnourished, and that she was quivering. Her oversized hoodie did a good job at hiding those facts, but proximity was her enemy. Quickly, she looked up at the door Janiya had just walked through, as if expecting to see somebody there, but when nobody followed her in, her tear-filled eyes returned to the woman before her.
"N-no!" she said quickly... a little too quickly. "N-no. Nothing happened to me..."
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on Apr 24, 2021 3:07:13 GMT
Whatever happiness and flaring spark she had earlier was now gone, a serious, yet gentle undertone left behind. Janiya took a moment to watch the girl's actions carefully, taking note of every slight movement before shaking her head. "I don't believe you, but that's okay," she said simply, quietly. It was way too obvious something heinous took place not too long ago, and knowing that left her blood boiling for reasons that weren't so obvious. This girl was now hers to protect.
"You're safe with me." She would take off her blazer and set it aside, placing both of her hands neatly on the table in clear view. "I'm not going to hurt you! My name is Janiya Isgrim. What's yours?"
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Post by Fell on Apr 24, 2021 3:09:55 GMT
"R-r-r.... Rabbit..." she whispered, her voice quiet. She was staring at Janiya's hands, as if she had to watch them. Not once did she look the woman in the eye, nor did she lean towards her. She spoke softly, as if she were whispering, or as if her throat was sore. There was a slight rasp to her voice as she leaned a bit further back in the seat. "M-my name is Rabbit..."
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on Apr 24, 2021 3:36:21 GMT
"Rabbit...?" Janiya had to repeat the name and listen very closely for it, it wasn't like the girl was speaking too audibly. Rabbit was like a street name, cute and simple, like Glasses. It was definitely something she appreciated. "Rabbit, nice to meet you. You should drink something for your raspiness. I'll order you some food, okay?" Janiya beckoned for someone to come over with her head, keeping her hands on the table. Anything would do, as long as Rabbit ate. "When you're ready, we can talk about how you ended up like this."
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Post by Fell on Apr 24, 2021 4:24:35 GMT
Rabbit nodded almost idly at what she said, continuing to stare at her hands. Her breathing was a bit uneven and she made no move to try to grab at the coffee that was placed right in front of her.
One of the employees - the same one from before - came over as soon as she saw Janiya's movement, a pen and piece of paper in hand. She was smiling slightly, but her gaze remained on Rabbit for a moment.
"Yes, ma'am? What can I do for you two?"
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on Apr 24, 2021 4:53:56 GMT
"Hello yes anything that's warm but nothing too big, maybe a breakfast sandwich or something," Janiya took another look at Rabbit and this time her gaze didn't falter. "Will that be fine, Rabbit?"
While inquiring about the food, her mind was racing. This girl most likely wasn't being given the treatment she both needed and deserved wherever she lived. Worse case scenario, she didn't have anywhere to live and let others abuse her. All of which was fine by Janiya, both were things she could deal with, especially the former. For now, she'd play things passively and not startle her guest. "Please drink something, is it too hot?"
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Post by Fell on Apr 27, 2021 19:42:16 GMT
The employee nodded and was quick to head back to the counter, leaving Janiya and Rabbit alone at the table again. The little girl's breathing was labored, her heart racing, and a cold sweat touching her forehead. She gave a fierce shake of her head from side to side and reached out to delicately cup the mug in front of her.
At last, she glanced up at Janiya, her eyes full of fear. "Wh... who are you?" She whispered, gaze quickly diverting once more.
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on Apr 28, 2021 5:39:02 GMT
"Just a person called Janiya that's going to help you," she replied back after confirming in her head that's what the girl asked her, waiting patiently for what she asked for, wanting to see if it would soothe Rabbit a tiny bit. "You can trust me, I know that'll be hard to do right now, but I won't lay a finger on you without your permission."
"Want to... talk about what happened?" Janiya asked slowly, trying to hold back her own feelings of sadness and absolute hatred, glancing at the entrance occasionally to case everyone who entered.
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Post by Fell on Apr 28, 2021 6:09:50 GMT
Rabbit was shaking. Somebody who wanted to help her? That seemed hard to believe. The tears started to fall down her cheeks again, but she made no move to try to wipe them away.
"I..." She murmured softly, before giving a fierce shake of her head. "I just... I don't want to... go back there. Please, don't make me go back there..."
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on Apr 28, 2021 6:23:59 GMT
"I'm not, okay?" Noticing the tears, she closed her eyes for a moment, collecting herself. "I take it you aren't gonna let me wipe those away for you and that's okay. Where do you live?"
Janiya raised a hand to her hair and started to absently play with it as she waited for a reply.
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Post by Fell on Apr 28, 2021 6:30:15 GMT
She fell silent again, staring down at the drink. The employee came back with a small croissant, loaded with ham and cheese. She placed the plate in front of the girl before retreating, wordlessly.
"N-nowhere..." She finally murmured. "I... My cousins... They live nearby... but I don't..." She bowed her head, her shaking getting worse. "But I don't remember! I... I tried going there, but I can't find them!"
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on May 1, 2021 22:30:10 GMT
"Do you want to find them? We can look for them together, but before that I want to see if you're badly hurt under that hoodie." Janiya knew all too well that first impressions weren't anything, and children could hide things adults couldn't as easily, with ease, especially under hoods and cloaks.
"Hey... calm down," Janiya then said calmly, folding her hands on top of each other. It still wasn't safe to move then out of the child's view. "Your food's here you know..."
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Post by Fell on May 2, 2021 14:00:32 GMT
"No!" She yelped out the word the moment Janiya mentioned looking under her hoodie, pushing herself back from the table. She was shaking even worse than before, and for a moment, looked up at Janiya. Her eyes were wide with unadulterated fear, the tears finally falling again, and her breathing hitched into overdrive. She looked as if, at any moment, she might try to run.
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on May 2, 2021 14:45:00 GMT
Janiya jumped back in her seat at the sudden outburst, completely off guard. A reaction like that was one she should've expected but for some reason she didn't, and seeing the girl in this state she couldn't help but start to shed a few tears herself. Keeping her hands where they were, she took a few moments to gather her thoughts before speaking in a calm and quiet manner.
"Okay. I'm sorry." She said simply. "Please sit back down." Janiya again eyed the exit before focusing back on her.
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Post by Fell on May 2, 2021 16:17:44 GMT
Rabbit hesitated a moment. She glanced towards the door, as if contemplating whether or not to give in to the woman's request. She couldn't seem to get her shaking under control for a moment before she finally, slowly, slid back into her seat. She returned her watchful, skittish gaze to Janiya's hands.
"They'll... come looking for me soon..." She whispered softly. "And I don't know what to do..."
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on May 2, 2021 16:34:00 GMT
Janiya quietly sighed in relief as Rabbit sat back down, content that at least for now she won't try to bolt. "Sorry for scaring you," she said again. "Don't worry! You'll be safe, I promise. I won't let anyone hurt you... but to protect you I have to know." She leaned in close and shushed her voice to a whisper so no one else could hear, just in case someone was in the shop.
"Who's coming to look for you?" She asked, now resting her head in her hand.
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Post by Fell on May 2, 2021 18:48:55 GMT
"Theres... theres people," Rabbit whispered back, her entire body shaking. "They... grab young Metas. They hold us hostage... and they try to br-break us..." She choked up, the words dying in her throat, and raised a hand to her collarbone, rubbing it beneath her jacket.
"They're coming for me...."
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Janiya Isgrim
Player
Everyone deserves to be protected from the evil in the world. Even if it's in themself.
Posts: 115
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Post by Janiya Isgrim on May 2, 2021 19:03:10 GMT
"They what?" Janiya asked back, her voice getting a little bit louder. There were very little things that made her tick. Kidnapping Metas and using them like weapons was definitely one of them. She'd seen enough of it on the Isgrim run streets, with her family being the main culprits until her and her brother changed all of it. Gritting her teeth as a dormant rage built up inside her she took a deep breath.
"I will not let them lay a finger on you," she said firmly, standing up. How could anyone do that to someone so young? "I swear Rabbit. Let's hit the road." Walking over to Rabbit she would extend her hand, now determined to both find out more and find out how she was going to keep her safe and ensure she was never exploited again.
"Right... do you want this to go?" she asked, pointing towards her unfinished meal.
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