Merciless Medic
Walking Pokemon Dictionary
Maria & Sara
Maria's Apartment, Death City
April 4, 2067
April 4, 2067
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Making New Friends
It was quite the day training under Starwulf and realizing she couldn’t just brute force her way through her issue. Sara needed another way around it. But for now, she wanted to treat herself to food. Walking into the apartment, she smelled something familiar, but it was far more potent now. The smell of magic.
For a while, she’s always smelled tiny bits of magic here or there, but today was especially strong. Curiosity got the best of her and she followed the scent until she was under the apartment. Another scent graced her nose and she realized someone was living down here. Thinking they needed food, she quickly ran to the elevator to go up to her floor, grab a nice bento box in the fridge, poured out the contents on her wok to heat it up without getting that weird awful aftertaste from the microwave, threw it back in the box, and then ran back out.
She found herself by the door this time, warm box of food in hand. Sighing, she decided to use the rest of this day just to relax and possibly make a friend. Cradling the box in an arm, she knocked on the door, speaking through it with a happy tone that many happy service delivery people held in media. “Your friendly neighborhood werewolf here~. I got food and wondered if you needed some.”
From within the room and through its metal door with all the warning signs to keep out and away Sara would hear the sounds of wood being cut and metal being hammered, a flurry of activity laid within. While the floor was the subject of much in the way of urban legend with its nearby tornado shelter and former wine cellar, the dim lights of the vending machine and spaced lighting flickered as all movement and activity within stopped.
Soon after the sounds of locks being released and the stiff hinges began to open, rollers aiding the bulkhead door in clearing the space between them, opening towards the inside, as suddenly a girl with a smooth face, yellow eyes and blonde hair looked at her, a shadowy warrior behind her back, in a cloak that faintly carried the scent of one Sara would know.
“Hmm…” Studying the girl in front of her, the craftsman notices the tails and ears on the one before her, as well as the collar, eyeing the bento box and then the collar, she seems to ponder for a bit, then reaches up and pats Sara on top of the head, and scratches behind her ears as she hand the faint outline of a smile.
“Ah, food for me? Heheheh… Hmm… A nice meal would do me some good, plus a little side project…yes… Ah, do come inside.” She says moving out of the way, the shadowy figure walking away as a brief glint of wires seemed to stretch from the girl's left hand, connecting briefly then vanishing from view.
“Ah yes, manners, I am Maria “The marionette” Mayer, judging by that collar, would you happen to be with the FATE program?”
The eerie silence followed by the creepy noises only lended to further Sara’s own curiosity about the person behind the door. So when it finally opened up, it was surprising to see such a cute blondie on the other side. The scent definitely belonged to her, of wood, metal, and magic. She didn’t know if the first two parts were a part of her soul or if it was just what she was working on, but she didn’t really care.
Because she got headpats. Her eyes became huge, ears falling to the sides, and a dopey smile spread across her face as her tail wagged quickly. Pulling the bento box up to her face to hide the dopey smile, she giggled. “I haven’t had headpats in a long while…” She mused more to herself than anything. She noticed Maria had eyed her, probably identifying her as a Fate agent. The collar kind of gave it away. Her hair was incredibly soft, too. Perfect headpatting experience.
She tilted her head at the mention of a side project, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? A side project?” She followed obediently, looking at the shadowy figure and seeing glints of something she assumed were spider webbing or strings before disappearing. What was that? The doll began moving though, and she looked around for a place to sit.
Before she had a chance to sit though, Maria introduced herself, and Sara smiled eagerly to return the favor. “I’m Sara Middleton. I’m the resident werewolf here and a part of Fate. Been here for eight years~. I’m a Meister, too.” The lingering thought of what she could have been if she could transform into a full human had her wondering how better of a Meister she would be, but she didn’t let that bother her for right now. What mattered right now was a brief distraction to make her feel better and tackle the problem head on later.
“So, if you ask if I’m in Fate, then you must also be a part of Fate. Nice to meet you. Uh…” She looked around again, noticing all the dolls and doll parts, but not really paying it much mind at the moment. “Where do I sit?”
“Ah.” Looking around the room at the request, Maria had her one chair at the workbench and the assorted, if limited furniture for her day to day living, amongst the raw materials, doll parts and piles of weapons, there was a chair or two buried beneath her things, so she set about moving them. “Yes, I am a sorcerer, or sorceress, if you prefer, of the FATE program. I’ll get you a chair, Sara.” After a few moments of carefully moving and stacking things, a new looking chair with padded cushion and wooden frame was procured.
“This is for a friend that lives in the building, Nadia Semyonov. Normally I visit her or one other and rarely have company here.”
It was then she recalled that the wolf girl had asked about the side project. “You seem pleasant and I like to try making friends. You were kind enough to bring me a meal, so I shall make you a, hmm, a covering collar, something a bit more fashionable to slip over the one you have. Do you have a color or a material you like?”
Smiling at her hospitality, she sat down on the offered chair, only to pause at the mention of Nadia. “Oh, you know Nadia? That means you must know Dani, too. They sometimes talk about you.” She grinned widely, eyes glinting with curiosity. She eventually sat down, and when Maria spoke of a collar, her eyes widened. “Ohhhhhh, please please. Um… Blue! Er, no, red! Er… Wait..” She huffed as she looked around for some color inspirations. “Well, my hair is blue, my eyes are pastel yellow… So what would work for color? I don’t mind, just as long as it looks good.” She grinned wide, her tail practically becoming a mini-fan.
”Hmm…” Thinking on the request, Maria gives a nod at what was said at the start. “Indeed, Dani was a guest here as well, Nadia a time or two, but her room is much more suited to it.” Studying Sara and noting the excitement that she was showing, it made her happy, even if she did not show it, taking the bento box in tow, the sorceress, sit it down atop her work table and returns to a small stove and its cabinet space to retrieve a cup and saucer, before stopping her hand over another.
”Would you like some tea? It’s Earl Grey. As to a color, your hair is more of an off blue, I would say it depends on your normal clothing, but Red or Black would work best. Though I could get outside the box and oxidize the material a little bit for a metallic hue… No.. that would be stupid…” As if to consider the options, she turns back to face her. ”No, Red or Black would be best, and if I mixed the two into a pattern it would detract attention from those pretty eyes… Hmm, a tough decision. An accessory should enhance rather than draw away.”
Sara tilted her head in slight confusion. Maria was kind of all over the place, but so was Sara sometimes, so that was okay! Hearing that she was good friends with them both was amazing! How come she hadn’t known she existed until now??? “Oooh, I don’t mind Earl Grey. Thank you.” She beamed, happy to have some tea. As Maria spoke of having a collar cover and the colors and possible patterns and-... Man, she was serious, huh? The pretty eyes comment had her beaming even more, her tail practically a blur. “Then, let’s do a softer red. Like uhhh…The color of a dark ripe cherry… Or blood.” She said the last part nonchalantly with a shrug. Moving on, she starts asking questions, her eyes practically turning into sponges as she stared at Maria with great interest. “I’ve never really talked to a Sorceress before. How does your magic work? Is it dolls?” She looked around all the little dolls, now fully realizing where she was. It reminded her of those men who had their walls in their shop covered in clocks. It spoke of either an obsession or a passion… Or maybe both, but Sara still found it all to be cool, if not a little unnerving but that was what made it so cool to her.
Listening to this series of responses and questions, Maria pours the tea into a cup complete with a saucer as Sara continues to talk. Though something seemed to change at the mention of cherries and blood, her left hand ran up alongside her face, the cook of her thumb and hand spreading out just beneath her nose. ”Heheh, hmm, not a softer red technically, but yes, that may do… I think we’ll go with a thick and layered cloth, something that is stretchable or keeps form with the movements of a Meister… And ah, no, my magic is within me. The dolls are just my chosen medium of expressing it. A sorcerer, or in my case a sorceress is in some forms the same as a witch minus two exceptions…” With that she removed her left hand from over her face and held up her index finger.
”One, our mana needs another tool or a medium to activate it, in my case I use Demon Tools and a Grimoire, where as a Witch can cast from natural abilities alone and does not need a medium.” Then she held up her middle finger alongside the index. ”Two, many sorcerers have a much more limited mana pull than a Witch and whereas a Witch knows how to use magic just as you know how to walk, a sorcerer must be trained. I fortunately have a large mana pool. Though in a way the fact a sorcerer must learn has some advantages over those born with it. As I recall from your battles while we were away, the Witches in it became their own enemies in a manner of speaking, so sure of their own superiority. What is superior? The person who knows musical scores and formulates pieces, or the person who must study and learns to compose?” With that Maria spins away, lowering her hands to the side before opening the bento box.
”They both are of equal value, hubris can end both.” While unknown to Sara, this line of thought could and did make Maria and her Master a lot of enemies within the Witch realm.
Sara watched Maria’s odd reaction to her saying blood? Was she okay…? Though, that all went away as Maria continued about the cloth, and she nodded in anticipation. “That would be nice.” As Maria went on to explain her magic and how Sorcerers used it, her eyes just lit up. Demon Tools and Grimoires? It was like straight out of a fantasy movie? Or… Maybe they were based on that.
Either way, Maria was really cool. She heard of Raphael’s magic, but he talked as if she knew how it all worked out. This just made everything so much easier to understand. Hearing of how Maria was talking about the Witches the meisters and weapons fought had her eyes widening. “That’s sooo coooooool… It kinda sucks that not all witches are as cool as you are though. I don’t fully understand why they’re like that. If you say it’s all hubris, how many of the witches are controlled by their own hubris? Hopefully not too many. I heard from Raphael that he got bullied by a bunch of witches when he tried to use magic like them, but he was a Sorcerer, so he couldn’t without a Grimoire. Are… Sorcerers subjugated?” Realizing how touchy that subject was, she quickly added on. “Er, I don’t mean to upset anyone with that question, haha, you don’t need to answer that if you don’t want to. I understand.”
”Hmm, a lot of questions. To explain, there are many elements in Witch Society that do not take kindly to us. My Master is one of the first that stepped up to the new initiative. To put it another way, those three Witches you all killed split off when the Maba made her peace with the DWMA, they ran wild in South America and while a lot of people may have died here in this city, you have laid to rest more souls than you may realize.”
Thinking on the rest as she dug through her materials, she seemed to have found what she needed. ”As to the relationship of Witches and Sorcerers, it is rather complicated. Today we are taught magic at the Guild which is partnered up with the DWMA, so nearly all of us end up in the DWMA. There are more than a few witches not pleased by this, but most get in line and do as the Maba told. And there are, like my Master, some who really want to make this work and take a nice interest in us… To be clear, I am not a slave, I recall but the faintest of memories but my parents were killed by the DWMA… Ah, don’t worry, I hold no grudges, they were turned and nearly turned our home into a hotspot… Either way, my Master goes simply by Mirai, she uses no fancy titles and took care of me, I love her as a child would their mother. For to me that is what she is…” Seemingly a bit down, there was no reason to share with her guest that those feelings were totally rejected, it was better to concentrate on other things.
”As to how Sorcerers were treated in the past, it varies widely, some were pawns or minions, others were turned into weapons to fight fire with fire, and yet more so as these traits are usually only found in males, they were taken as a greater odds chance for families and clans to father more daughter witches if they could not get a male witch. Such treatment is still commonly done by some of those clans towards Male Witches, or expected of them. In the case of a female like me I would also likely have been used for such purposes, though I cannot say. The simple fact is for far too many of them we are just above humans in the hierarchy, but we will never be equals.” With that she threw her arms wide and laughed, slamming the materials into her work bench as she carried out a brief monologue.
”That is why I strive to perfect my Magic, to build constructs that will turn this world and the Witch world upon its head! I will make them notice me. And then…ah.. I have work to do. I’ve not had a chance to talk to many Meisters you know, much less a werewolf. Would you tell me more of yourself and your people? I don’t recall seeing any in my text books that had features like yours.”
The level of knowledge Maria possessed about the witch realm was fascinating! But it also worried her. Was that how Sorcerers looked upon? She at least knew male witches were a rarity, if they weren’t downright a myth. Raphael spoke of Rand, but she wasn’t sure if the man was embellishing their mentor and if he really was just some girl or if all he said was true. She did at least pay enough attention in history class about witches. Something about how they lived in a different realm than everyone else did and that they came together with the DWMA some odd years ago as some truce. She didn’t fully know the details on the subject matter though, it was still something she struggled to remember considering all the things she was trying to remember for her werewolf clan’s history. While she could remember lots of people and a lot of things about them - like cataloging - she couldn’t remember history to save her life if it wasn’t directly affected by her own. Though, the whole thing about her family was a bit sad. She wouldn’t know what it would be like to lose both of her parents, and the very thought only saddened her, so she didn’t say much on the matter.
“Well, luckily Sorcerers have it better than they did then. It’s a little weird though, I can’t imagine an entire race having such animosity or apathy for a whole race or more… Their hubris must run strong then.” She mused to herself.
Although, Maria’s monologue had Sara worry for her a bit more. Either this was a passion to do better or… Something else and she didn’t know what that was. That was when Maria realized she had another person there and asked a question. Giggling, Sara waved her hand nonchalantly. “It’s okay, I can handle a bit of venting. Now, as for your question~.” Better rip out that disappointment like a bandaid when she came to it. “We werewolves have two forms, except one clan. We either look human or like a humanoid wolf. The other clan I mentioned has an in-between form that allows them to look like something like me, but the clan I come from is about tracking, so all of our senses are extremely heightened, though are dulled if I’m more human in appearance. I think this is why my soul perception comes out as smelling the soul rather than seeing it, though not everyone in our clan can smell souls like me. Like, magic smells like candles and antique books.” She chuckled.
“As for us werewolves, we have instincts and the like. If a werewolf is born as a demon weapon though, most biomes tend to ostracize them for not being able to transform into a werewolf despite being one. However, because us werewolves have heightened body abilities when we transform into our wolf form, our soul shifts to reflect that. Since I’m a meister, I do better wavelength control when I’m more human, and trying to do the same as a werewolf usually causes an immediate soul rejection and uh… Haha, that kinda hurts.” She scratched the back of her head a bit sheepishly. “By the time I should have been able to transform into my werewolf form, I was struck with MIBVI. I ended up being so sick that it stunted my growth. My height, I think, was a part of that, too. But it made me stuck like this. When I sleep, my ears and tail disappear, but uh… My collar incapacitates me if I turn into my werewolf form. I could hurt everyone around me and I can’t control myself, so that’s definitely a ‘no good’ situation right there, haha.” More nervous chuckling.
“The werewolf clan in my biome were the first to join forces with the DWMA. I’d like to say we spearheaded the others into joining, but I don’t want to brag about that, heh. Anyway, we were the most progressive in terms of change, but some werewolves didn’t like that. The only way we were able to appease some of them were having traditional hunting parties to hunt big game, or use DWMA-issued missions as a way to do our traditional hunt parties. However, we have our own little dissenters, but they’re pretty few and far between in my clan. At least, I hope so.” Her tone shifted as worry came in, realizing that might not be accurate. “Anyway, because us werewolves are a monster race, madness can really hurt us, so our biomes were made by Maba and our security aids in protecting any sort of madness outbreak. Because uh… Hehe, I don’t think anybody wants a whole biome of werewolves to go mad because I’m sure that’s enough to give DWMA a run for their money, no matter how many monster hunters they have.”
To move on to something lighthearted, she rocked side to side on her seat, swaying in time with her tail that was swaying the opposite way. “Anyway, the people we have now are pretty peaceful. Well, most of the time. Fighting’s still in our blood, of course. But because we also have insane pack loyalties, we take families and friends very seriously. Oh!” She paused in her swaying and then giggled. “I should probably let you know, but anything that makes a werewolf seem more like a dog or a housepet is incredibly demeaning and being referred to as mutts or given dog items makes some of them rather violently angry as it was used as a slur against us. I don’t care about those slurs though, they got nothing on me. Hell, I wear this collar like a fashion statement, aside from it not being able to be taken off, heh. Though, because of that, some of my werewolf buddies think I’m demeaning myself because I’m not letting it bother me, but I don’t want to give other people ammo against me. The attention I get if I don’t is amazing anyway! Headpats are my favorite, hehe…” She chuckled, going back to her normal swaying.
Listening to the story, she found it rather interesting, so Sara was a unique being among her kind and of a different temperament, was that because of her current form or was she just good natured? It was nothing to ask about here and now, not even from Maria, though the mentions of the DWMA and the changes that had been shoved before the clans, she gave a chuckle.
“We live in a time of great change, it is upon us to build something better with it, or write it off as a failed experiment and be as we were. Though hearts may wish for other things… Hmmm…” Trailing off at that she nods. ”I see, so you must get on well enough with Nadia then? I like her refinement, she is pleasant company, but her blood is violent as yours, or so I think.”
At mention of the collar and its problems in her society and for it to not make her seem like a dog, she gave a nod to that request in response. ”Hmm. A dog huh? While it may be interesting to make it look like a mongrel collar, I think I have something else in mind. Do you have another color you like, a preference for any stones? I could also go the route of marking it with a Death Skull or the like.”
Pausing at that, she looks at the girl and then her materials, tapping her jaw she turns her head to directly look at Sara, “In place of a color would you like a hair pin, a ribbon or two to go behind the ears, or an earring?”
Maria’s astute ramblings were interesting, though Sara couldn’t help but wonder if she was just parroting what she said in a different way. Glad to know she agreed though. Still, it did provide insight into how she thought, only for her to trail off and talk about Nadia. Getting along well with Nadia was at least something she could do, and that was just listening to her and doing as she said.
Hearing something about a mongrel collar had her giggling. “Oh, that would be cool.” With her first question, Sara was going to answer, only for Maria to change her mind and think of something to accentuate her ears. Her eyes lit up and she nodded. “Ooh, yeah, I love that idea!” She bounced in the seat, eyeing her workbench. “Maybe something that can attach to an earring. I have a loop earring we can use.”
With her forefinger and thumb, she pulled out a loop from her pocket, it being made of a sturdy material and thick. It was hidden in her hair, but her wolf ear had a hole near the base. “Maybe we can have a ribbon that’s attached to it.” Remembering skulls, she smiled sadly and pulled out something else. It sat at her palm, a skull with coffee mugs behind it instead of cross bones. “This is merch from a cafe a good friend of mine worked in… Before she uh… Yeah. The place is called Cafe of Skulls. Is it possible to put these two together and put a nice deep red and black ribbon on it? Here.” She showed how the earring was put in, twisting it so it opened up more before inserting it near the base of her wolf ear, and then pointing around her right ear. “Around here for a ribbon and have it attached to the earring so it doesn’t get lost would be a good idea.” She then twisted the earring again and held it out in her outstretched hand.
“Can I watch you make it?” Her jubilant smile from earlier held a lot more melancholy now, but she still held strong despite her want to cry.
Listening to the request, Maria eyed the three, or rather two items and what she had as well, she wanted them all to be combined in such a way they would not get lost or misplaced. “Far too many people died that day. But you all saved many more. I will take care of your memories.”
Collecting the three items in her hand, Maria pondered how best to go about this task, just snipping the two onto the ring like a keychain ornament, offended her sensibilities and if the ring ever got knocked loose it was possible for the attachments to become lost altogether. Yet she wanted the items hanging off… Not all she wanted could be done, least not in that order. Turning back around she reached into her desk and pulled out a couple boxes that had an assortment of metallic parts, a soldering iron and a needle and thread kit.
“I have an idea, but it is not fully what you wanted, you may watch, but do not hover behind my shoulder too much. Off to the side is fine.”
Examining the metal and material, Maria starts with cutting the clipping part out, then selecting the appropriate sterling silver from within her box of materials, she wielded into a solid single loop, keeping the needle and lock from the original earring, she proceeded to wield a shaped carrier fashioned to lock around the ring, following that up she checked the needle lock and satisfied with that she start to piece together another traverse, this one was in kind wielded to the back of skull pendant, making sure it could rock and slide with the main ring, she pulled on it.
“Hmm… Why does a werewolf have silver?” She asks absentmindedly, or maybe even half expecting an answer as she got to work with the blood red material and some black she pulled from some material to her left side. Fashioning both into an interlocking ribbon she then threaded the locking mechanism into the material, At the top was a ribbon of black and red, the sterling silver interlocking into it akin to a christmas decoration, with the skull with mugs down below it secured to the bottom rung. All in all the bow hid the topmost portion of the sterling earring, which could rotate all the way through, which then at the bottom almost akin to a keychain decoration sat the skull mug. She was satisfied with it.
Handing it back over, the whole process had taken half an hour.
“Hmm.. It may go better in the upper half of the ear than the bottom. Try it on… Ah, the food.” Turning her attention to that she kept an eye on Sara to see if she approved or would be angry with what she had done.
Hearing Maria willing to take care of her memories, even if she could smell the slight irritation at how to do this, had Sara nearly crying with joy. But she kept herself from being too emotional, standing off to the side and not to close as she observed Maria work her craft. It was astounding, and she did it quickly and efficiently, too!
Hearing Maria’s question, she chuckled. “Silver doesn’t really hurt us. But this earring had another, and it was given to Allie, the friend I was talking about.” Seeing it be finished, she gingerly held it in her hands like it was a fragile baby animal, her eyes sparkling with awe and forming tears. “It-... It’s so beautiful…” Sniffling, she gingerly put it up to her wolf ear, noting that she’d have to get her ear pierced up more. She lightly tapped it with her fingers once it was in place, the charm bouncing. Sniffling more now, she looked at Maria and bowed deeply by her hip, only to pop back up with tears streaming down her face. “It’s so gorgeous, thank you so so so much…! Can I hug you? I wanna hug.” She held out her arms, though if Maria let her she would just softly tackle her into a hug and probably start crying more.
Watching how she reacted, it was not the reaction she expected. That friend must have meant a lot to her, it was a shame she couldn’t do more, still it did some good to see something she made so treasured. At first she thought she was sad till she got to talking, a hug? Maria had rarely been hugged, well, had rarely done much, in truth it felt odd to her, but still, Sara was a good girl.
“Okay.” Standing up out of her chair, Maria just stood there, waiting for the expected hug, reaching up with her left arm. She said the first thing that came to mind. “There, there, shhh, no more tears, just dreams now.”
Sara practically jumped towards her before squeezing her into a sweet hug, burying her sniffling face into her shoulder as she sobbed despite her happiness. Hearing Maria say her silly phrase made her chuckle though, and she pulled away after a moment or so of giving her a nice warm squeeze. Wiping away her tears, her tail was practically making gusts behind her. “Thank you so much. I don’t know how I could repay you. Probably with lots of food.” She chuckled, looking over at her bento and realized she barely touched it. “Oh, you need to eat. Haha, sorry.” She chuckled, scratching the back of her head.
”If you want to thank me, food would be alright, I mostly eat what's in the vending machine or what quick meals I can fix, normally sandwiches… I make sure to take vitamins though, but really, if you just don’t forget to visit me or I come visit you, or you could come with me and we could play games with Dani, or…Ah, I get carried away, but being a friend is payment enough. Though, any future work I may ask for pay… Though ah, there is one more gift I wish to give you, but it will take me a couple of days… I used to make things for people often but ehhh… I was told to stop that.” Looking at the food she gave a nod, reaching for a fork to try some of the meat and rice once the hugging was done.
“This is rather nice, I heard you make these for your team, sadly, my culinary skills do not match my craftsmanship. Meals for me are often simple and with plenty of calories and enough vitamins to offset what the pills will not.”
Hearing Maria’s ideas of payment being rather simple, Sara practically beamed. “Okay, I can do that. I don’t mind being good friends either, you’re really cool and sweet. And I’d like some more friends despite what happened. I also don’t mind if you gush about stuff. I do the same thing.” Hearing her appreciation for her food, she practically bounced on her toes out of happiness. “Thank you so much! It’s easier to cook meals for a group than doing it for only one or two people, so I always make a large batch and then graze on leftovers for a while, or I give them out to people. I’ll make sure to share some of my food with you and make it nutritious and tasty~.” She beamed, only to ask a moment later with a flurry of confused blinking.
“But uh… Why would someone tell you to stop? Craft’s your passion and it’s how you show your care and friendship. What even is it that you tried giving to someone?” She tilted her head in confusion. She rarely had anybody deny eating her food, and those that did were either not hungry or couldn’t eat what she made due to some allergy or incapability to eat what she had given them. To her, she couldn’t think as to why Maria’s gifts would be turned down.
Pausing a bit at that, Maria found herself searching for words, the dollmaker actually showed a bit of emotion to her normally blank face, a wince as if to recall something painful. ”I… Well… I was depressed at the time and a senior staff member here at the DWMA cheered me up. It made me happy, so I kept giving him gifts, pens, plushies, and furniture. I know a lot of craftsmen skills. Either way it creeped him out and he asked me to stop, I was told It was being too excessive… So now, as with Nadia I just make something for the holidays if I feel you could use it, or a plushie of you to mark us as friends.. Or if I’m paid. Oh, I shouldn’t have spoiled the surprise.” With that a hint of anger flashed in her eyes.
”I made a doll for someone and they tore it apart, so I just stayed and cried on the steps… You people are always so complex, and I have never known but one other for most of my life. I am told you give gifts to friends or family, but then I am told there is too much or that someone is just using me to get what they want… It’s all so tiresome, it is part of why I prefer my workshop… There is strength, purity and beauty in the materials here.”
As if Sara had asked the one question that opened the door, the scents her nose received about Maria’s emotions hit her. Pain, frustration, a spark of anger, then more hurt. She sounded a bit socially inept. At least there was something that Sara had in common with her through all of this. She tilted her head in Maria’s point of view so Maria could see her better, a smile on her face. “Hey, it’s okay. We do things with good intentions and the reactions we get can make us feel shame or embarrassment at times, but you learned what you could and tried to move on with it. That takes a special kind of strength. I know a few people who’d find getting hand-crafted gifts special - no matter how weird it would be - and they’d treasure it all the same, while I know others who absolutely detest gifts because they think the opposite of gift-giving’s purpose. Each person is like…” She looked around at the dolls and their parts she had and smiled. “Each person may look similar or alike, like your dolls, but they all were made unique based on the materials they’re made of - them as a person - and the processes it took to get the finished product - the experiences they went through to be that said person. It takes time to learn how people work. They’re complex, yes, but that’s what makes them fascinating in my eyes. So, I began learning how to deal with the hardest people to get along with - people who prefer to be alone or who are assholes.” She giggled a bit at that.
“It takes time, like your craft. It took me about as long as you took on your craft to learn about people, so it’s definitely a skill that’s learned. When I talk to people, I try to read their body and eyes, determine their emotions if I can’t sense it through my sniffing soul perception. Sometimes, I make the wrong calls, or my bubbly, excited nature is too much for those who are a one-track mind to follow along, and I still embarrass myself along the way, but I use it as a learning experience. Sometimes, the whole thing about people is trial and error, like how trying to make dolls without any prior information on how to do so can be. Treat people like unique dolls instead of generalizing them, then get to know those people, and then you can start on learning what is and isn’t okay without causing too much embarrassment. Sometimes, people prefer it if you ask, so don’t worry about asking.” She took a moment to pause and think about what the teacher likely went through before continuing.
“I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m lecturing a little bit, but there’s one thing I want to say first. As for your teacher, depending on the gift you gave him first and if you made it obvious it was you, he probably thought it was a sweet gesture of gratitude and appreciation. But most people find an overabundance of gifts a bit creepy, like you’ve fallen for them and how often they must come across your mind to be thought of so often. As for making dolls of those you like, some may find that a bit creepy too because not very many people do that and horror movies and TV shows kind of ruined dolls made in someone’s likeness, but I find dolls adorable, so go ahead.” She giggled again. “If you want to give someone a gift, yet you’re unsure if they’ll like it, ask them first. I know it ruins the surprise, but it helps save you from a crushing experience later. Hope that helps with your future endeavors with people, but I totally understand wanting to curl up in a safe space and just do what you want. Less stressful.” Finally, she ended her little lecture, her tail wagging.
”I… No, I do not hold it against her, but my Master and person that was the closest to me, no, likely still is the closest to me is a Witch. She came to the tournament and has been helping with the rebuilding. She apologized to me, saying there were lessons she never taught me. Neither of us know humans that well. Still, she asked me to be the bridge between the Guild and the DWMA. So I must try.” With that she reached up and gave Sara another pet. ”Hmm… Dani and Nadia liked the ones I made, fear not, it is not a wooden or even an actual doll, I already have the design in mind for you.”
With that said she had a lot to think on. ”Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, a girl as sweet as you likely has other people to check in on. Do feel free to visit any time you like, or maybe I’ll seek you out here. I’ll leave the doll at your door. Thank you.”
Hearing that she didn’t hold it against her teacher, Sara sort of knew that. Still, it was an emotional experience that hurt. Hearing that she - including her teacher - didn’t know much about humans said a lot about how often they stayed in their comfort spaces. She beamed upon getting another pet, bowing her head so she’d reach easier, her tail practically a blur now. When she heard Dani and Nadia had these doll gifts from her, she grinned wide. Ohhh, she was gonna be a good friend of hers! She couldn’t wait to spend more time with her when they weren’t too busy!
When Maria said those fateful parting words, she grinned a bit somberly. “Just my weapon partner. Still has a wound in her shoulder. But we live in the same apartment complex, just on the third floor, number 303. And I definitely will! I hope you don’t mind if I drag you out of your workshop for a little stroll through Death City. I love hanging out with people in cool places, and I know the place like the back of my hand. You’re weeeelcome~.” With a sing-song voice, she wrapped Maria’s shoulders into another hug before skipping out through the door, and closing it behind her, retreating to her apartment room.
Two days later, true to form and promise, Sara would open her door to find a small plushie, with two button eyes and blue hued hair, two pointy ears and an oversized toothy smile, wearing a small depiction of what she had on that day a hoop earring with a close, if not wonky scale version of her earring was on it, though constructed of wood and carved. Her clothing of the day or rather a white track suit that was divided up into the style Sara wore was on display, and curiously there were a couple plushie hearts affixed to five to scale bento boxes, that even had removable lids and little bits of wood and fabric made to take on the appearance of the food Sara would kindly give others.
