1 Monster Friend [Action]

[wildlittlegirl]

[ It's cold out. It's cold, and Arietta doesn't know where she is. What she does know is she shouldn't be here. This isn't the Isle of Feres, and she's not wearing her clothes anymore. She doesn't have the bandages anymore, and there's a small red spot on the side of her sundress where one of her wounds has reopened.

But it's cold and she showed up near the edge of the village, so at the moment she's tentatively picking her way around the buildings and trying to find one that looks unoccupied so she can head inside and warm up. ]

Comments

[corrinesbell]

'Cause they weren't brought here with you. ...Look, it's kinda cold, d'you wanna go inside? I'll explain stuff to you, I just don't want you to freeze.

[wildlittlegirl]

But they were the ones who brought me here. [ ... Right?

Now that she's thinking about them, she wants to keep looking, but on the other hand it is pretty cold. ] ... We can go inside.

[corrinesbell]

Who, the monsters? ...Not like you're thinking. [Sheena is of the opinion that the Malnosso are an entirely different kind of monster.]

C'mon, we're not too far from the shop. It's really warm in there. [Because Mizuho is warm except for on winter nights and Sheena likes it that way, so all of her buildings are that way too.]

[wildlittlegirl]

[ But all monsters are good monsters! ]

Alright. But I should get home soon.

[corrinesbell]

[All her years of experience keep Sheena from sighing.]

Yeah, we all should. [She's wearing a jacket; Arietta gets it around her shoulders now, and Sheena stops.] Hey, you're hurt. Is it bad?

[wildlittlegirl]

[ Arietta glances to where her wound is quickly. Compared to her dealing with Ion's death, nothing else is bad anymore. ]

No. I'm okay.

[ She pulls the jacket tighter around her shoulders, and it's only the new warmth that makes her finally realize how cold her legs and feet are. Okay fine we can go inside before she asks more questions. ]

[corrinesbell]

[It won't take too long for Sheena to lead her to the tea shop. Considering the stairs, she debates letting Arietta sit in the Welcome Center instead, but it's less...private and could get crowded, who knows?

The tea shop is rarely crowded.

She'll get her choice of seat once they're up there; Sheena tells her to wait a minute while she gets her some tea.]

[wildlittlegirl]

[ Arietta slowly sits down at one of the spots, looking about as she does so. She's never been inside a building that looks like this... ]

[corrinesbell]

D'you like tea? Or do you want something else?

[wildlittlegirl]

I don't mind it.

[ Being raised in the wild has made her not exactly a picky eater. ]

This building looks strange.

[corrinesbell]

I'll get you some then.

[It doesn't take long to heat up some water and come out of the kitchen with hot tea.]

...Gee thanks. I know it's not amazing but I did work pretty hard to decorate the place.

[wildlittlegirl]

It looks a lot different from back home.

[corrinesbell]

Pretty much everything here is gonna be different.

...Look, you're kinda bleeding, are you sure you don't want...anything? I've got a first-aid box in the kitchen.

[wildlittlegirl]

It doesn't hurt at all. I'm alright. I just want to get home soon. [ Even though she's been living with people for years, her first reaction to injuries is still "it will probably heal on its own". ]

[corrinesbell]

[A sigh. Explaining this was always kinda hard but especially with someone who she knew didn't really deserve to go through it.]

It's not gonna be as easy as that.

[wildlittlegirl]

Why not?

[corrinesbell]

Because...this world doesn't work that way. It's kinda complicated at first.

[wildlittlegirl]

If I make new friends, won't they be able to bring me back?

[corrinesbell]

As much as they might want to...no, they can't. You're stuck here until the Malnosso or the world or whatever...decides to send you home.

[wildlittlegirl]

But... But I have to go home! If I don't, I can't avenge Mommy or Ion!

[corrinesbell]

You probably will! Eventually. But you can't just get there yourself.

[wildlittlegirl]

When?

[corrinesbell]

I dunno. Nobody does. Sometimes people're only here for a few months, and sometimes it's...years.

[wildlittlegirl]

I can't wait years. That's too long...

[ Too long to go without being able to get revenge or closure. ]