Realistic or Modern To Those On The Streets IC

[Kyon]

To Those On The Streets...


...and those with the ability to help.





"Welcome to the city of Kagura, the land of opportunity!"


Or at least, that's the crap they fed you when you came here. In reality, it's just a trashy city meant for two types of people: the rich that live in the upper class and the poor that can't even afford a place to live in. This awfully governed city meant only for those with money is greatly divided with no middle ground. Thus, people either live in a box or in a mansion. Those who live in the street are forced to take odd jobs or even steal just to be able to get the money to survive. The rich just laze around all day with no regard toward those that cannot find a way to live.





You have the ability to make a difference!


That's right. You can change the ways of those stingy rich people. RP as one of the rich yourself, whether you want help those without anything or be selfish. Or you can RP as one of the homeless, struggling to eat and not having the money to even afford proper clothes. But even as the homeless, you can find a way to help out others in your situation. Whether it is pleading to the rich, showing them that you are important too, or making public acts of testimony against the unfair ways of the social classes.





Sidenote: This was all thought of off the top of my head and written down almost immediately. Nothing is final. I am always accepting ideas and advice on how I can improve this.

CS: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/to-those-on-the-streets-cs.341645/

 

[Agni Blackheart]

Artwaltz Manor

Veronica's Theme: Dyed in Your Color
It was a beautiful morning. She woke up from her bed, feeling as if this would be the best day ever. Jumping out to her closet, she picked her blue top, her favorite jacket, her torn jeans and her black boots. Oh, last but not least, her rainbow belt. Two slaps at her cheeks and she was ready for another day. Soon, the door opened and a maid came to tidy her room. "Oh, g-good morning, milady." She spoke, shy. Veronica beamed a smile and giggled. "Oh, so you're new here. Nice to meet you. I'm Veronica." She spoke, extending her arm for a handshake. The maid, a little scared, responded. "My room is always messy when I wake up. Here, let me help you!" She said, making her bed. "O-Oh no, milady, please... let me do it for you." The maid responded. "Please, a little work won't kill me. Besides, no need of formalities. You can just call me by my name or as Vivi!" Veronica answered. Her friendliness make the new maid a little calmer. They were instructed to be professional as possible, but that was impossible around the little "lady." Her happiness was so contagious, it made everyone's day feel better. "OK, I'm going to the garden and then I'll get some breakfast. Do you want to come?" Veronica said, after finishing the bed. "N-No, Lady Vivi, I really must refuse this time..." The maid spoke. "Aww... that's bad. But hey, let's go shopping anytime soon!" She spoke, smiling while she left.

Many maids and butlers were in the corridors, checking all the rooms. Even if you were far away, you could hear her from wherever you were. "Hi Jason! How's it going, Lucia? Looking good, Maro!" She spoke, saying hi to all of the staff. Veronica was good at remembering names and she made sure to never forget them. After all, those people who worked for her were her friends as well. As soon as she got to the main hall, her grandfather greeted her. "My dear Vivi, how is it going?" He asked. "Everything's superb, grandpa! And how about you?" She spoke. "You know, my back is starting to hurt. But other than it, everything is fine." He answered. "Really? Thank goodness. Well, I'm heading to the garden." She spoke and kissed his forehead while leaving. However, before she truly left outside, she looked back to her grandfather. "Hey, grandpa. About that thing I asked to you..." Veronica commented. "You mean the apartments near the manor? Do not worry, I will see if I can arrange it so the servants can live there." He spoke. "Alright! Thanks, grandpa!!" She spoke and finally left.

Despite being nobles, both Veronica's and her grandfather's hearts were open to the "filth of the town" as the other members of Kagura's nobility describe them. They leave it as a secret, but all of their servants are from the other region of the town. Most of it was thanks to the girl, who insisted to help all the people as possible. Every day that passes, from morning to night, Veronica tries her best to make of those people a part of Kagura's society as well, arranging homes, food and clothing for them. Because her actions are separated from her grandfather's, which would involve the name of her late family's company, other nobles tend to criticize and judge her. She loses her nerve, so whenever there's a meeting, she'll stay at home if there's any possibility... or away from it, if the event would eventually happen there. After all, her wish is to change the whole cognition of this whole "societal organization" and she profoundly wants to be a part of that change, even if it's just a little.

Kyon

 

[Kyon]

Howard woke up early in the morning from his recliner which he slept on most nights. Beams of sunlight shone in through the windows and onto his extremely clean floors. Everything was extremely tidy and clean; not even a spec of dust lied on his furniture. Howard was a neat freak and he would allow no filth to go unaccounted for in his household. He wanted every bit of his life to be clean, and that meant avoiding "the filth of the city" or the homeless. He was disgusted by them, knowing that they lived on the muddy streets and fed off of people's trash. At least, that was the image created in his mind when thinking about the homeless.

Howard stood from his recliner and walked to the door to grab the newspaper at his doorstep as he did every morning. He brought it into his kitchen and set it on the counter, just like every morning. Howie was a man of habit and absolutely dreaded change as it would often throw him off the flow of things. He unrolled the paper and added the rubber band to a large rubber band ball that he had been making for over a year now. After making two pieces of toast, he proceeded to read the paper, skimming over headlines and reading articles thoroughly until he finished the entire thing.

Upon reading the last word, he neatly folded the day's issue in a very particular fashion and set it in a cardboard box with issues from months before. He had planned to maybe have a fire one night and use them to start it, but he never got around to it and ended up just collecting them out of habit. Howard's day was off to a good start so far, and he still had time before he would go to work at his law firm. So he decided that he would take a short walk and enjoy the weather.

 

[Error404RealityFailed]

The day seemed to be very warm, which was good for Echo. She wasn't very fond of cold and it only made things much harder to deal with. For example, Laury got very grumpy on those days and went off on her own to leave her lackeys to do whatever they wanted. That usually meant getting everyone in trouble. Echo didn't leave her blankets on those days. Those days she'd simply stay in the corner of her little alley (Not her's, she shared it, but no one seemed bothered by her anyways)

Thankfully, today was not one of those days. Today was a day she could hide her coat where none of the others would find it and go skipping around. Her hat was still on her head, hiding most of her hair, but that never came off. That was the one item she would never give away. Today was also a day for her only light shirt. Instead of wearing her black shirt again, since it was warm, she had put on a pale blue tee shirt and a pair of jeans that had been cut off a little above the knee. Sure, they were dirty a bit, but they were probably the cleanest out of her three outfits. She normally didn't get to wear them and kept them very well hidden.

Echo looked very happy today, skipping along and singing as she went. She went rather far today, even heading into the Rich area. Not usually good, but Echo was sure no one would mind her today. She could be very quiet in her singing unless someone asked to hear her.

The houses were huge on this side and she stopped to marvel at them for a few minutes. Her favorite was a bright yellow one with white siding. It looked nice and warm and inviting to her, almost like the sun calling for you to come out on a nice day. Echo stood there for several minutes with a smile just looking at it and dreaming about a future where she got to have a family and a nice house like this. She was sure it would happen, despite what the other kids said. It had to happen.

She sung a bit as began to walk with her eyes closed. Of course, they opened within a moment and she noticed a grumpy looking man walking as well. She honestly couldn't tell if he looked friendly or not. Only one way to find out. "H-Hello sir! How are you today?" She asked as she fiddled with her hat strings.
Kyon

 

[Kyon]

Howard took a short glance at the kid making an attempt to speak to him. She seemed a bit dirty, and her clothes appeared cheaply sewn. His face went from a content look to a frown, however the slight wrinkles on his face made him always appear to be frowning. Howie looked away from he and kept walking, mumbling "dirtball" under his breath. He had seen the girl before walking around and knew that she definitely did not belong in this part of town. "Who do you think you are, girl? You don't belong here." He continued walking, the good start to his morning ruined by the girl, although she really hadn't done anything wrong. His opinion on people like her were just strongly biased.

Error404RealityFailed
(I already hate my character for being mean XD)

 

[Error404RealityFailed]

Echo looked a bit upset by this, but she quickly brushed it off. "U-Um, sir, I'm looking for work. Would you possibly know where I can find some?" She asked as she scrambled after him a bit. A safe distance was five feet, and she kept it to be respectful. This was certainly not one of the nicer in this town, but Echo could at least try and charm him a bit. She wasn't Laury, so charming older citizens was her job in the group. She was the one who had to beg and try and plead to get money or food. Not that she actually got any of it, since the rest decided it was theirs, but she had her skills. Her voice was as sweet as possible, and she looked a bit nervous as she fiddled with her hat strings. That wasn't really acting, she was nervous of this man. He was one of her only hopes of possibly keeping some money or something for herself. Something that she could have outside the little group of kids.
Kyon
(XD Sometimes it's necessary.)

 

[Agni Blackheart]

Outside the Manor

*Veronica's Theme still playing*

There she was, taking care of the plants. Carefully placing the right amount of fertilizer, she began irrigating the earth. The flowers and vegetables seemed really happy and so did she. Veronica smiled upon seeing the good work she has been doing so far. Undoubtedly, her garden would win an award. Even if she wouldn't win, she would be still proud of her garden. "Whoo! That's it for the morning! Now, before breakfast, I think I'm going out for a little walk. I won't die from prolonging my hunger a tad bit, anyway." She spoke, removing her gloves, her apron and her bandanna. The garden wasn't that away from the street, so with two or three hops, she was already at the sidewalk.

She hadn't almost began to walk and she saw a tall man and a little girl. She seemed a little saddened and frightened, while he looked really annoyed and angry. Without a doubt, he was a noble and she was a homeless. That kind of scene was present in Veronica's life more than once. It reminded her of her uncle, who is now in jail being tried by law. She wasn't comfortable with the scene, walking a little faster to reach them. Once she did, she crouched to talk with the cute little girl. "Hey, are you lost? Do you need any help?"

Kyon Error404RealityFailed

 

[Kyon]

"U-Um, sir, I'm looking for work. Would you possibly know where I can find some?"

"Hmph!" Howard grunted at the girl's request. "If you want work, then you can work on stepping away from me." He really didn't want to be bothered, and he was annoyed that the girl didn't get the hint. He was just relieved that she hadn't touched him. He really didn't have the time left to take a shower to rinse off the street's filth.

She wasn't comfortable with the scene, walking a little faster to reach them. Once she did, she crouched to talk with the cute little girl. "Hey, are you lost? Do you need any help?"

Howie watched as the young lady offered help. "Please keep her under control! She needs to get a sense of space." He continued walking with his arms crossed in front of him. He looped around another street and made his way home. He dressed in his work suit and got into his car. However it wouldn't start. Every time he would turn the keys the engine started to hum then abruptly stopped. "DAMN IT!!!!" he cursed, slamming his hands on the horn. He would be late to work, and that would not bode well for him.[/QUOTE]

 

[Error404RealityFailed]

Echo was left standing there with what seemed to be a nice young lady. She seemed happy to see Echo, but the girl wasn't very comfortable with her crouching down to meet her. It made her feel like this woman thought she was needed to be looked down upon, but maybe she was just looking too far into this.

"I-I'm not lost, ma'am..." She whispered and took several steps frantically back to be about five feet away. That was her favorite distance. Far enough away that they couldn't touch you and you couldn't be considered too close, but near enough that you could talk. She liked that distance and tried to keep it with everyone, unless it was for a hug. But hugs were saved for the older kinder people, never those of her age group. Usually it had been with the old man who had given her the hat, but he'd disappeared one day and Echo feared the worst.

"And, um, I'm just looking around... You, uh, h-have a v-v-ve-verry pretty house!" Echo squeaked, struggling to get a word out. This girl looked like Laury, and Echo was honestly scared to death of Laury. That made this woman terrifying in her opinion and the girl tensed as though preparing to run. Which she was of course, but Veronica probably figured it out anyways. "You-You garden?" She asked, taking small shuffles backwards. She'd moved less than a foot now, probably afraid to offend the Noble.
Kyon Agni Blackheart

 

[Agni Blackheart]

Noble District Streets

Veronica could notice that she was scared. Of course she would be... a stranger just comes up and speaks so casually like that? And in this country, where there's the social difference, how would a girl like her act like common in front of a noble? That didn't annoy her. In fact, she giggled. "I'm scary, right? But hey, I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanted to know if you were fine." She spoke, getting up. "Oh, and there's no ma'am here. You can call me Veronica. Or Vivi, if you want!" She introduced herself, smiling. Veronica knew she wouldn't get to be trusted so easily, but she would still try her best to be as friendly as possible with her.

Then, she noticed that the girl mentioned about her garden. She looked at it from there. "Oh yeah, I surely do. Flowers, fruits and vegetables... I do it so I don't have to waste too much money buying those things from markets or shops. You'll never know what kind of things they put into those, so I prefer to plant mine." She spoke, proud. Then, she looked back at the girl. "... You know, I hate that people here are separated by their social status. We're all human beings... independent of our lifestyle, we're all the same." she said. With a little sad smile, she looked at the sky. "Well, I'm sorry if I scared you or anything. I know most nobles are insensitive like that jerk from earlier, but it wasn't my intention to make you uncomfortable." She apologized.

Soon, her stomach growled a little. "OK, OK, I got it, I'll go get breakfast. Annoying stomach..." She grumbled. But before she left, Veronica looked at the little girl again. "You'll probably find it, uh, weird... but if you need anything, feel free to come to my mansion. Me and my grandpa will love to have you in. So... see you around!" Vivi spoke, waving her hand and heading back home.

Kyon Error404RealityFailed

 

[MoxxyMoxx]

Kai Clarke

He had gotten used to it mostly, sleeping on the side of the street, but he hadn't gotten used to being woken up so easily. Waking to voices, Kai whined. He checked how bright the sun was to see if there was a point to try and sleep more. There wasn't one so he stood up stretching, putting on his backpack and grabbing his guitar from where he hid it.

He then started to walk only to immediately see a man with a little girl. He swore he recognised her. What was her name? Something beginning with 'E'. He couldn't remember but he did remember that she was homeless. He walked over to them wanting to intervene and protect this little girl from being hurt by people who just don't care.

"Excuse me," he said. "Is there a problem here?" He didn't really know how to start the conversation and that was the best he came up with. He's never really been great with people.

 

[Error404RealityFailed]

Echo stood there staring at Veronica as she walked away. There had been some rumors about a family that took in the Homeless and gave them work, could she have just found them? That would certainly be lucky and happy. Maybe she'd come back tomorrow and try to get work. This Vivi seemed very nice.

Don't get ahead of yourself. You need to be much careful. She thought to herself as she watched Veronica walk away. A slight smile somehow managed to crawl onto her face and she bounced on her feet in delight. She was alone for about a moment before a another person came up. He looked familiar, but Echo couldn't seem to place him.

Her smile quickly disappeared and she shuffled back a bit with a nervous expression. "H-Hello!" She squeaked and quickly looked down and away with her posture rigid and hunched. "N-Nice day?" That was probably all she was going to say to that, and Echo played with her hat strings while refusing to look at anything but the ground and he bare feet.
MoxxyMoxx

 

[JayBlue]

Snoring, snoring, no more snoring, more snoring, one more snoring, i lied this is the last snoring, psych this is, right, now........, one more snoring. Mo Mo woke up lying across two kids around her age. They didn't seem to mind, in fact they were sleeping rather soundly, one of them with their hand resting on Mo Mo's belly... that is until she raised her hand and whapped one of them on to forehead. She heard a painful 'GUH' which was rather satisfying. "What the hell was that for?" the kid asked with a hushed tone as to not wake up everyone else under the bridge. "You were suppose to wake me up before it got too late!" She yelled in a hushed tone as well, looking at the bright concrete illuminated by the sun that laid lazily outside of their little shelter. "How?! you were on top of me, if i did you would have slapped me!" He said defensively. "Like this?" she asked and hit him again on the forehead, she never hit him hard enough to piss him off, just to make a point or a laugh. She then stood up and began to exit from under the bridge, it was where she could be found throughout the day, that is if she could find a way to get away from the house. The kid she'd slapped was waving her goodbye before going back to sleep and she started to make her way back home, rather hastily too.

She passed multiple places where homeless people sat by fires or huddled at the foot of buildings, hoping for spare change. They didn't scare her but she wasn't buddy buddy with everybody in the area either. As she walked she eventually entered the richer area of things, which gave her a little relief knowing she'd be less likely to be mugged here. It was a shameful feeling to feel but logical as sadly as that sounds, not everyone was happy with the people of her status. She did her best to shrug it off.

Near: Kyon

 

[MoxxyMoxx]

Kai Clarke

He smiled and knelt down in front of her, speaking in a happy and kind voice. "Hey sweet pea. It's been okay so far," he said, "I'm Kai. You look familiar, have we properly met or have I just seen you on the streets," he had to ask. He couldn't just let it go and seem rude. She was a kid and needed to be treated with respect and kindness. He wished he'd bad a sibling but unfortunately his parents never truly got along. He hoped he could with his father but that was a mistake and one he'd never make again.

He looked up at the nobleman and decided straight away that he couldn't be trusted. No noble could. He spoke once more with a slight harshness in his voice, "Who are you then? Have you been treating this cutie pie here kindly? If not then I'm afraid we are going to have some problems here which probably won't end well." It was obvious he was already protective over the young girl. He was with all of the young homeless people he meets. They should all be loyal to each other and the rich should crash and burn.

 

[Error404RealityFailed]

Echo frantically shook her head at Kai, looking terrified. "I-It's okay sir! H-He's ju-just leaving!" She squeaked at him and glanced past to watch Howard walk away. "He didn-didn't do anything bad. Yo-you can't blame him, he w-was raised that way. He-he doesn't know any better..." She told Kai, raising her eyes a bit to meet his.

That was her reason as to why the nobles were so rude. Originally, she guessed that they had been afraid of the homeless and poor, so they shut them out. That got passed down as rudeness towards the less fortunate through generations. Echo was fairly sure that the homeless got treated poorly because the nobles were afraid of them. Maybe afraid to admit a mistake.

"A-and somebody was nice! The-they aren't all bad! One of them gave me a 'at!" She chirped, pointing to her hat. She had missed a letter, but with she small smile on her face as she pointed to the blue thing on her head it was clear what she meant.
MoxxyMoxx

 

[MoxxyMoxx]

Kai Clarke

Kai nodded, understanding. He quickly saw how she was innocent and saw the best in people, even rich folk. He didn't want to knock her down for having good morals. He smiled at her and spoke, "You're a good kid, much kinder than me at your age," He reached his hand inside his left pocket and pulled out a 5 dollar bill, placing it in her hand. "It's my last 5 but you need it more than I do. Go buy yourself something nice, okay?"
Kyon
Error404RealityFailed

 

[Error404RealityFailed]

Echo looked very confused for a moment at Kai. "U-Um, no thank you." She whispered. "I'm going to get a job and a home soon... You need it more than I do." That made her give him a small scared smile. "T-The nic-nice lady said I c-could go to her house... I might just go there. Thank you mister Kai."

She gently handed the money back to him and smiled again. "A-And I'm Echo." She smiled before setting off to get her things. It wasn't too far of a walk, but she didn't check to see if Kai was following. She just needed to grab her other bits of clothes and her blankets.

That was a weird sight as she came back... Tiny kid dragging a blanket with another blanket in it and several pieces of clothing along with that. Then she began heading up towards Veronica's house where she really hoped she'd be welcomed. She gave a quick look around and brushed off her shirt to try and look better. "H-Hello?" Echo called as knocked on the door.
MoxxyMoxx Agni Blackheart

 

[Agni Blackheart]

Artwaltz Manor: Dining Hall

Veronica, her grandfather and the rest of the maids and butlers were all eating. It was a must for her to have everyone (including the servants) having breakfast, lunch and dinner together. "You have took a little time to come back from gardening, dear. Has something happened with the plants?" her grandfather asked. "No, I was going out to take a walk. I didn't managed to anyways, had to stop a stubborn, grumpy guy from being harsh with a pretty, cute little girl." She explained. Some of the servants stopped to pay attention since they always wanted to her about some of Veronica's protective attitudes. "Vivi... have I not said it already? You should not pick fights with the rest of the nobles. They will start to hate you and treat you like the homeless." he warned, but she just shrugged. "So what? My flesh isn't any different from theirs. I don't care if those idiots start picking up on me or whatever, nobody should mistreat people because of where they live or how much money they have!" She spoke. "OK, OK... but tell me, who was the person you decided to speak... if I can say it like that." He asked. "Um, let's see... he was a tall man. He had some short, spiky hair that was a little wild... oh, he was wearing a coat too. His eyes were kinda empty, though." She described him. Upon hearing the details, many forks fell.

BGM: Bad Omen (Immaterial and Missing Power)

"Veronica, you have to be more careful. The man who you almost decided to argue with is Howard Lastro. He is one of Kagura's most powerful nobles." Her grandfather spoke. His name sent down a shiver on the servants' spines while she didn't understand why. "Grandpa, it's just another pathetic rich idiot. Why should I get scared of one single man?" Veronica asked. "You cannot be that naïve. He may not look like it, but his word is one of the most heard by the rest. He is really favorable to the separation system and can easily persuade people to his side. If you do get on his bad side, he might be able to put everyone against you." He kept speaking. However, his granddaughter seemed little to not worried about what Howard could do. "Oh, come on. Almost all the nobles already give me their usual disgusted faces whenever I'm helping someone. It's really not like I'm going to be in trouble if another of them decide to put me in their list." Vivi spoke. Her grandfather just sighed and looked down. He was really worried with Veronica. Her impulsive actions could one day bring her ruin. Never it mattered to him if he would go down, but forgiveness was unacceptable if something were to happen to her again. "Vivi, just be careful. I do not wish to have you shattered. I mean, you-"

*BGM fades*

"It's a little late to say that, Grandpa..."

Veronica's 2nd Theme: Marigold
"I'm already shattered. I lost my family, lived under torture... I'm an incomplete jigsaw, trying to autocomplete itself." She spoke. Everyone looked at her. "All flowers have a right to bloom beautifully. If they lost that right, I'll just give it back to them. That's how I'll complete my puzzle, so I can finally fill myself fulfilled... so I can honor his ideals..." Veronica spoke, remembering her late brother. The sadness took the room, her grandfather holding her right hand. Soon, without any restraint, she began to sing.

"Star-la la lah, la la la lah,
Love you always deeply,
Genuinely, immensely,
Steadily with all my heart,
Be strong and all will be alright..."
​

Her beautiful voice echoed the room and possibly outside it, since the windows were open. That song was what she used to hear whenever she had a hard time falling asleep. After that, she got up. "I am the aria. I will shine out! So grandpa and everyone... just leave it to me!" she spoke, sounding like a leader. The servants all nodded. She looked at her grandfather and he smiled at her. "Just remember that I am here, dear. If there is any trouble, just ask me." He said. She smiled back at him, picked her plate and cutlery and left for the kitchen.

*BGM fades*

Then, a knock on the door was heard. "Well, I suppose I shall pick it-" her grandfather spoke, but then Veronica suddenly zipped out to the door. He followed her slowly. She opened and looked who it was. When she looked... "Oh, it's you! Do you need something?" Veronica asked.

Error404RealityFailed

 

[MoxxyMoxx]

Kai Clarke

Kai was a little sad she didn't take the money. She, a little girl, definitely needed it more than him, a runaway teen, but he wouldn't argue. He wouldn't want to scare her. Instead he just waved her goodbye and stood to walk a few blocks in the other direction. He needed to find a good spot to play music.

After a long while of searching he found it and set up everything he needed. He put his beanie on the ground and put the few coins he had inside it. He pushed his glasses up, put his bag behind him and tightened his guitar around him. Pause. Breathe. He needed to make some money. He hadn't done well these past few days, barely scraping by, and he didn't want to have to go to prostitution at this young age. He just had to try and follow this dream without going back to that house. Never again would he go back there.

He took another breath before he started playing a song that meant a lot to him, because the song was him in almost every way. He couldn't be saved from the hell that was these streets and he wasn't truly sure he wanted to be saved either. Music was all he really had, the only constant, so he was going to hold onto the music for as long as he could so he wouldn't loose himself completely. That was all he could do. That was all anyone could do.

Open

 

[Error404RealityFailed]

Echo stood there awkwardly, looking very nervous. "U-Um, misses Veronica, c-can I he-help you ple-please?" She asked without looking up at the woman. Instead Echo chose to hug her blanket mass close to her and shuffle backwards a little bit. "I-I want to be a helper..."

That was what she wanted, some sort of purpose that wasn't just bending to Laury's will. That wasn't really a purpose, and she figured Veronica probably wouldn't steal her bread. Probably because the Nobles had lots of bread too, so Echo could have her own that she earned. "I-I can, um, clean and make music!" She said frantically with tense jerky movements as she tried to step backwards then forward and repeat.
Agni Blackheart

 

[Fazy]

Vanessa Holbrook

The sun shone through the open curtains in Vanessa's room. It was a bright and beautiful morning, but she wanted nothing more than to sleep. The time was 7:30 AM, and though she knew that her mother would be in her room to wake her at any minute, she decided to take in every last second of sleep that she could get. Vanessa disappeared under the covers, snoozing for a while more before her mother entered, telling her that she'd slept for long enough. Sighing, she got herself out of bed. She surveyed her room, which she realized had not been organized for a long time. Developed photos and a few negatives were strewn beneath her cork board, and the items on her dresser were misplaced. Some clothes lay on the floor. Though she did feel the need to clean it up, she decided to put it off. She showered, changing into a nice blue dress that complimented her eyes. Looking out the window on the fine day, she looked towards the ground from the third story of her house, where her room was located. A couple of homeless people seemed to be loitering. Her eyes wandered elsewhere; there was the old man, just across the street, who didn't really seem to be having the best of days. It seemed that his car wasn't working.

It would only be nice to go out and help, even though she knew that he might turn her away. She went downstairs to find the two of her parents eating breakfast together, something of which was a rare sight because one or the other were usually busy. Grinning, she hugged them both, quickly downing a cup of coffee before walking outside to greet the man. "Hi, I'm Vanessa Holbrook. Uh, I noticed you were having trouble with your car. Could there be anything I can do to help?

Kyon

 

[Kyon]

Howard looked to the girl offering so kindly to help. Clearly she didn't seem like the scum of the streets, so he gave her his attention. "My damn car won't start! And I don't know how to use these new phones to call anyone." He put both of his hands on his face, allowing a long sigh. "If you don't mind, could you give the local mechanic a call?" He looked at his watch. "And make it quick. I'm going to be late to work!" he grumbled. Until then, Howie sat in his inoperable car with nothing to do but wait. "This day is just a mess already!" he exclaimed.

Fazy

 

[Agni Blackheart]

BGM: Believe in Possibilities (Urban Legend in Limbo)

Under those lines of helping, Veronica knew exactly what she wanted: a job. Something for her to do and be rewarded. "Oh, so you want to be a maid? Well, as much as I'd like to let you, there's a problem: you're too young and I'm against child labor. On the other hand, I can't just leave you without anything... I said I would help you, after all." She spoke and began to think. Soon, her grandfather reached them. "Oh my, now who is this beautiful little lady here? Another friend of yours, dear?" He asked. "Uh, not exactly. Grandpa, she's looking for a job and she asked to be a maid. You see, I'm kinda against putting her to the same work as the others but what do you think?" Veronica asked. Maybe her grandfather could think about something to help the little girl. "Hmm... I may have an idea. Vivi, how about letting her help with the garden?" He spoke.

That... was a great idea. It still wasn't an easy task, but at least she wouldn't need to put some maid clothes and eventually get aimed by perverted nobles nor she would be exploited to child labor (at least, she thought that way). "Grandpa, you're a genius!" She gave him a compliment and a hug. "Oh, Vivi... you are such a kid sometimes..." He laughed a little. After that, she looked back at the little girl. "You heard Grandpa. We'll work in the garden together. I'll teach you everything I know. Now, there's the payment issue..." Veronica spoke and started to think again. "Let's do it like this. The vegetables, fruits and flowers that you plant are yours and..." She began explaining and crouched to whisper to her. "I'll give you some little money without Grandpa knowing. But don't tell him! It's our secret!" She whispered and got back up. Her grandfather wondered what she whispered, but decided not to ask. He probably knew that Veronica was up to a little "extra" that she would never tell him. "So what do you say, little one? Are you interested?" He asked her. "Oh, don't call her as 'little one'! Her name is... uh... now that I think about it, what's your name?" Veronica asked.

Error404RealityFailed

 

[Error404RealityFailed]

The little girl giggled a bit at being called 'Beautiful'. She even managed a little 'Thank you' as a whisper to him. Everything was very happy until Veronica told her she couldn't be a maid. Echo's face visibly fell and she nodded sadly. Of course that would have happened. They probably had too many, and a kid working as a maid was classified as child labor.

She hugged her blanket a bit more and continued to look at the rich people shoes. She liked those shoes a bit. Shoes seemed nice, to protect you from rocks, but Echo was very confused as to how they got to feel the grass on their feet with them on. How did they do it? For a moment, the little girl was so engrossed in staring at their shoes that she didn't hear most of what they said. She didn't hear anything until Veronica crouched down and Echo flinched away quickly in start. That hadn't been an expected thing for her.

Why was she getting extra money? She'd zoned out everything they'd said and was now confused. "U-Uh, why do I get money i-if I don't do an'thing?" She asked nervously. Something registered about plants and she tilted her head. "Wh-why do you trus me with plants?" Again, she was missing letters when speaking, but that was just Echo.

"A-And I'm-I'm Ectho (Read like etch-o) I mean Echo!" She squeaked in fear, realizing that she'd been messing up her words again. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" Echo squeaked in terror as she buried her face in the blankets.
Agni Blackheart

 

[Fazy]

Vanessa Holbrook

Vanessa had never really talked to the man, even though she'd been curious about his life. He seemed so calm and orderly, but all she'd ever seen him do was yell at the homeless. Seeing him address her so calmly was rather odd to her. Deciding not to question it, she nodded towards him at his response. "I'll do that in a moment. I'll look up the number and get you help in a second... could I get a name from you, perhaps?" She took out her phone, shuffling her feet awkwardly as she began dialing the area code.

Kyon