Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

[madcuriosity]

Who: Alice Liddell and Yukina /Alice Liddell, Yukina, and You!
What: Prayer 31
Where: A small village on the near shore/heavens later on
When: July 10th early morning and late afternoon
Warnings: Talk of animal death, but otherwise the cavity warning that is Yukina and Alice together.


A: Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at! (Closed to Yukina)

It was Alice's very first prayer she was answering. She was still getting a hang of being... well, a goddess, and Yukina was kind enough to be beside her the entire time, even living with her at the Temple of Idunna. She had looked at the prayers and thought, well, since she was able to talk to animals, and Yukina was able to heal, then they most certainly could help the poor soul keep the animals in the pen! So, taking Yukina with her onto the near shore, Alice politely asked here and there for directions for the farmer in question. Wondering what sort of animals they might be dealing with. It was a pretty little Swiss village, nothing like the grand cities she saw in pictures of London. It almost seemed untouched by time!

"It's like in a picture book!" she smiled up to Yukina as they headed up the hill to the farm, the animals in questions, goats and sheep, some chickens, and strangely enough butterflies! She didn't know you could farm butterflies. But as they walked up closer and closer to the farm mountain clouded yellow butterflies were flying all around. The farm house was a bit more modern with their devices than the picturesque landscape would suggest, a satellite sat on the roof of the main house, one car and one truck sitting in the driveway, but otherwise it was like a farm Alice would have found back in 1865.

She kept a hold of Yukina's hand as they finally made their way to the house.

"I do hope they're home!" she said as she went to go knock on the door.

B: Up above the world you fly, like a tea tray in the sky. (Open to all/The Far Shore)

A successful prayer should be rewarded! And what better way to reward one's self than with tea!

But everywhere she went was green tea! She frowned and put a hand on her hip as she continued to roam.

"It should not be this hard to find proper English tea!" she said out loud though she was speaking to herself. "Green tea is lovely, truly, but sometimes it's nice to just have a Grey's Tea." And a nice scone with clotted cream sounded quite nice as well.

"Well, before I get so horribly lost, I best ask," she nodded at her very good advice, and this time she was going to follow it, after all, tea was on the line!

"Excuse me! I do beg your pardon!" she shuffled over to the nearest person to her.

Comments

a

[glacierflower]

With her free hand, Yukina extended a finger to tempt the butterfly. "All of this sunshine is like a special occasion," she said thoughtfully. "Moreso with butterflies."

She doesn't wonder about her life, of course, not when she's happy to be Miss Alice's shinki. But there are things that are stranger to her, and they get commented on occasionally.

"Even if they aren't, you can ask the animals themselves," Yukina reasoned, smiling at her goddess. She was fortunate. Miss Orihime told her about gods who treated their shinki like objects, but this little girl treated even the animals in the dirt like honored guests. "They may even know where their keeper went."

[madcuriosity]

"I wonder why you would farm butterflies, do you think they're going... oh um... the e-word," she whispered, not wanting to say "extinct" in front of all the animals.

"Well, alright, it's our first prayer, Yukina!" she smiled as she knocked on the door, having never let go of Yukina's hand the entire time.

Several minutes went by and Alice looked back to Yukina, there was no answer.

"It... should we go talk to the animals or should I try again?"

[glacierflower]

"E...?" Yukina blinks innocently. "You might have to tell me later," she says softly, grasping that Alice is trying not to be heard saying it, but otherwise unsure.

"They don't seem like they would be good to..." Was 'eat' the e-word? Yukina shook her head, letting Alice lead her to the door.

"Unless you think there's an animal on the other side of the door," Yukina said, after thinking for a moment. She reached for the doorknob pensively.

"If it's absolutely necessary for us to go inside, I might be able to freeze the lock, which would make it brittle and easy to break," she explained. "I can do that to the door, too, but I think the lock would be easier to replace."

[madcuriosity]

Alice wondered if it would be alright to just enter like that. There was suddenly a "hello" by their feet. Or rather, a hello to Alice and a loud "REOW" at Yukina. Alice looked down and instantly brightened up as she looked at the massive, fluffy ginger tom cat.

"Why hello puss!" she smiled as she crouched down and picked up the cat without a single moment of hesitation. The cat made only the slightest noise of discontent but was suddenly purring like a motor when Alice found the secret spot all cats had.

"Excuse me, Mr. Puss, do you know where we might find the farmer?" she asked. The cat made some chittering noises and a few meows. "Oh! Is that so?" another meow. "Well, that is very good to know!" she looked back to Yukina. "They farmers are all with the animals out back!" another meow... "Er... what's left of the animals. Let's go speak with them!" she smiled, not putting down the cat and the cat clearly not wishing to be put down.

[glacierflower]

Yukina hides a giggle behind her hand. She was reluctant to cause property damage, but equally reluctant to see Alice's work thwarted. She offered her free hand to the cat, letting it get a sample of her scent before petting him a little herself.

"I'll let you talk, I think," she said peacefully. "You have a better idea of what you want to do, after all."

[madcuriosity]

The cat sniffed at Yukina and offered a briefer "hello" than before as Alice led Yukina to the farmer, the cat in her arms.

The farmer was crouched by a wounded sheep, gently sighing as he stroked her side, the poor thing lying down and bleating out a small cry of pain. There weren't many sheep and goats left. Alice stepped back into Yukina, biting her lip at the deep, dark, and rusted patches on the ground; some were faded and smaller.

"It... you don't think that's-"

[glacierflower]

Yukina squeezed Alice's shoulders briefly, but didn't linger. She ducked past her goddess and knelt next to the farmer purposefully.

"Give me a moment and some space to breathe!" she commanded, voice soft but with a distinctive force lingering beneath words.

However, it only lasted for a moment. Her lower lip quivered as she raised her hands and a soft blue glow surrounded them, as her she summoned her demonic energy.

"I pray I'm in time..."

[madcuriosity]

The farmer looked shocked to suddenly see Yukina, and when he turned his head to see Alice, he practically fell back onto his hands, not expecting to see them, and certainly not expecting his nasty, ornery tom cat to sit like a content kitten in a little girl's arms.

Alice, however, was much more concerned about the sheep.

"Is she going to be alright, Miss Yukina?" she bit her lip, hugging the cat a bit closer.

But fate would be kind, at least, to this little sheep. There were three long scratches, the wounds were shallow but long, it's wool had been able to prevent the full force of the attack, whatever it was that attacked it.

[glacierflower]

The healthy blue glow spreads and Yukina nods tentatively.

"It's long, not deep," she said softly. She stroked its head. The marks were gone, there was no way to look at them and guess what made them, but Yukina would not have been able to tell, anyway.

"It's lucky you heard this prayer," she said earnestly. She's grateful to be with a goddess who not only hears a plea like this, but answers it.

[handsome_genius]

It's probably because Yoon's carrying groceries in his hand that he's walking slower and is thus also the kind of person who can be flagged down with ease. He's on the short and slight side, but this girl looks like a... girl. A young one, younger than him.

"What's wrong?" He can't be too curt with someone like her on a first meeting, no matter what he's holding. It's not too heavy.

[madcuriosity]

Well she looks like a girl because she is a girl. While shapeshifting is certainly possible here, it is not the power that Alice had been gifted with.

She smiles bright when she catches Yoon, offering a quick curtsy.

"How do you do, sir!" she smiles. "If it isn't too much trouble, could you tell me where I might get some English tea? Green tea is very nice, of course, but English tea would be a very nice taste of home."

[glacierflower]

Yukina catches up to her little goddess quickly. Her smile for Yoon is serene and unruffled, but her fingertips brush across the kanji character at the base of her neck as she contemplates that protecting Alice is her responsibility.

Not that this boy seems like anything other than what he is-- someone in the middle of his routine.

"We've been looking all morning, and if I saw it, I quite missed it."

[handsome_genius]

Yoon mistakenly believes that the young girl is the shinki to the older girl walking up behind her... until she says 'taste of home'. Well that's great, another young goddess. Maybe this one's at least natural to the Far Shore...? No way, that's weird too, then she'd prefer green tea too.

"English tea?" He repeats back, thoroughly confused by the word. "What kind of tea is that, anyway?" He hasn't the faintest idea, but if it's something that tastes good, he might be willing to try it out... once they explain.

[glacierflower]

"That's something Miss Alice will have to explain," Yukina answered cheerfully. "I believe it denotes tea from a place called England, somewhere in this realm."

Otherwise, she's as clueless as Yoon. Hi.

[madcuriosity]

"Well, perhaps you know it as English Grey? See, English tea is with black tea leaves with oil of bergamot added in. It's a wonderful taste. But no one seems to have it! Not at any of the cafes we've visited so far."

[handsome_genius]

"I've never even heard of England," Yoon responded honestly. "And 'somewhere in this realm' is a really big area too - do you mean the Near Shore or the Far Shore?" England could be the name of a god's temple for all he knows, a god of tea.

[glacierflower]

"Truthfully, neither have I, except from Miss Alice," said Yukina. "Is the Near Shore the same as the Human World? I'd assume it's there, since Miss Alice is rather human-looking."

Then again, so was Yukina herself, and that meant very little.

With Nanako; July 10th midday

[pure_radiantics]

Kairi picks Nanako up from the Izanagi temple after having flown around earlier, looking for Alice's temple. "Are you ready to go, Nanako? Do you want to take anything when we meet Alice? I think you'll like her."

[welcome_home]

Nanako looks uncertain at the question, head tipped slightly to the side as she considers.

"Should I bring something? What would be okay?" The question is asked with a hint of uncertainty. She's feeling a little shy about meeting someone new like this.

[pure_radiantics]

"Well I didn't mean like a hostess gift, more like... a jump rope, or some other activity you like." That might make things easier for her and help her be less shy.

"But if you're thinking some kind of food or present, we could always get those first too. Whatever you'd like." And Nanako gets a brief hug of reassurance too. Kairi's already met Alice and they're both lovely girls. She's sure it'll be fine once they get there.

[glacierflower]

As they approach the Temple of Idunna, beyond its tunnel, Yukina happens to be out of doors. She's found a pinafore to wear over her yukata, and has a pile of birdseed and breadcrumbs to feed both to the birds in the trees and the fish in the pond.

It's hard to hear over the swelling birdsong, but she's explaining to a pair of robins why they can't be pecking at Idunna's golden apples.

"They're sacred, but even if they weren't, I don't think it would be polite..."

[welcome_home]

When they arrive, it's to see another girl Nanako doesn't know yet. Unsure if this is Alice or not, she gets hit by a bout of shyness and quickly ducks behind Kairi, peeking out from beneath her arm.

[madcuriosity]

It isn't Alice, in fact, said little goddess is coming out of the temple, standing at the top of the stairs within the massive tree.

"All the kitties and rabbits have been fed inside, Miss Yukina! Don't believe them if they whine for more!" she smiled as she came down the stairs, dusting off her hands. The little blonde smiled even wider as she saw Kairi, not yet noticing Nanako.

"Miss Kairi! You're just in time for tea!" Alice hurried down the stairs and over to Kairi. As she got closer, she noticed Nanako and blinked owlishly, tilting her head to match Nanako's peeking.

"Hello! Are you Miss Nanako?"

[pure_radiantics]

"There's Alice!" Kairi smiles brightly past Yukina for a moment as she greets her new friend on Nanako's behalf with a wave. Then she looks back down at Nanako. "You like tea, don't you Nanako?" She's trying to be as open as possible so that Nanako will follow suit.

Either way, she starts walking forward slowly enough that Nanako can hide at the same time. "It's nice to see you again, Yukina! Are you a friend of Alice's?" She even gives a little wave since they'd seen each other at Tanabata briefly.

[welcome_home]

At the sight of the other girl appearing to join them, Nanako transfers her gaze to her before she realizes she's being a little silly, hiding behind Kairi like this. Taking a deep breath, she shyly steps out beside the other girl instead and offers a timid smile in greeting.

"Hello, Alice! Yes, I'm Nanako. Kairi invited me, I hope that's okay? And yeah, I like tea." Doesn't everyone like tea? She's pretty sure, anyway. And Yukina, that is the other girl's name. She commits that to memory, eyeing all the animals about with pleased surprise.