It was late in the day. The rays of the setting sun only slightly pierced the cloud. Just enough of them came in from the room's window where Yui sat, alone, on a couch along the wall. It was Old Nanny's office. On her office; an opened letter. Yui's adoption's notice, as well as her legal papers. On any other days, it would be a source of tremendous joy...and it was. Although, that sun was clouded by other, darker clouds.
Her friends death. Luna was
gone.
She did not know her for that long of a time, and yet...her absence left behind a bigger hole than Yui could ever have expected. To someone to whom all lives are precious, to lose a precious friend - her first, ever - was devastating. The grieving was only made worst by the
what if's and the feeling of guilt. That evening had been perfect. Singing, Laughing while she had been...out there. Alone near the grave, after most had been gone, she wiped away tears from her eyes. Her mind had drifted back to Luna, on their last meeting at the Karaoke.
"I will...I will uphold my justice. Just you watch, Luna. And...I will do my best to maintain yours..." The words broke on the end of her sentence, but the promise was there all the same.
Once all were gone, a blossom tree sprouted and grew to full size - and to full bloom, it's petals among the snowflakes. Magically maintained to life by Yui's magic, it would be the only plant she'd infuse strong enough to live through the winter on itself. A token of her promise...and to something more than even Yui may not have had time to realize.
===End of Song Relevance===
Back into the Orphanage's office, the tears were long gone. For now. Yui was instead staring into thing air, thinking about so many things. Mostly, she was stressed out to meet her new adoptive parent or parents. She had read the papers and had only a name to go with...
Tamashi Pandoria. The name was unusual...but it only led to more curiosity.
On this particular thought, the door opened and the orphaned girl heard the old lady invite their guest in the room. Yui immediately sprung up, trying to look on her best behavior...but obviously very tense. Both hands joined at her hips, looking slightly down.
Stepping slowly down the high-street towards the orphanage. A woman wearing a pristine attire. Casual but always with a flair for business. Hair a peculair shade of blue. To which it maintained the same colouration no matter the lighting upon it. Strange but not as strange as the fact that she was feeling quite... happy? it was strange but she felt ecstatic at this concept. Even if she origianlly had done this to logically fit in with the society better, it would not be a lie to say her better half had gotten the best of her. Just this once.
Arriving on the outside of the orphanage her mind was flooded with images of a daughter once lost. It was an old life. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Clutching her hand. The one that had been injured attempting to glean information from that strange girl she had incountered in the allyway. The wounds had certainly healed but it still felt itchy. Such was a byproduct of her healing magic, She'd get used to it, It wasn't like she had to regrow an entire limb. She slowly stepped forward. Feet making tapping noises on the cobblestones as she walked towards the decrypt, but still barely standing building. As if it only stood due to constant repairs. To call the allegory to herself slight. She could certainly feel a kinship with such a building.
Stepping up to the door she knocked twice. Certainly a good thing she had learnt. She couldn't just walk into someones home or even a public building without announcing her entrance. She was greeted by such a youthful child... She shook her head for a moment. No she was greated by what this society called an old lady. Still they seemed nice as they lead her towards the guest room. Pandoria smiling softly and calmly at them. Feigning normalcy. Watching the Nanny turn the turnknob she slowly walked inside the room. Moving into the office.
Her eyes softly glancing around looking at the ornaments on display. Curious artifacts, of bygone memories that people held attachment to and yet she didn't care for the bygone memories as her eyes softly moved again gently pacing the room before glancing down at Yui. Almost immediately. Any stony inquesitive look was replaced with a soft look of care. She wouldn't make the same mistake again. She wouldn't fail to be a mother again...
"Hello there Yui." Pandoria said smiling gently. Her voice calm, and her mannerisms gentle.
Yui was barely done straightening her clothes - an attempt to look pristine, possibly due to accumulating stress - when the pair got inside the room. The girl's eyes locked with Pandoria's at about the same moment...and at the same moment, her stress seemed to have dispersed into thin air. There was some sort of aura around the woman that had presented herself, yet Yui could not put a finger on what it was, nor what it meant. All she knew was what was before her; a woman who looked down on her like she never had been looked at before.
This thought alone may have brought some tears up to her eyes, but Yui fought it.
"Hello, Miss Tamashi." the girl managed to say, bowing down politely, but still too shy to walk forward. The orphanage lady, as for her, waited at some respectable distance knowing full well what it meant to Yui, and not wanted to force things nor accelerate a first encounter.
Yui was bright red, not directly looking at Pandoria.
Pandoria's eyes focused on Yui's expression, looking at her gently as she felt something well up within her, she wanted to hug the girl close and she wanted to protect them. Call it a motherly instinct amplified by what her existance had become. She couldn't put a finger on just how erratic her emotions were feeling.
"Oh come now Yui, you don't need to be so formal. We're family." Pandoria said softly , taking a step forward towards the girl, gently and slowly of course to as to not intimadate them. She then reached out a hand, and gently placed it on Yui's head softly combing her fingers through their hair.
"Now come on, keep your chin up. Your Nanny has told me just how much you dreamed of this." Pandoria said smiling at the girl. She wanted them to feel comfortable to approach her. Nothing hurt her more then to see a child recoil away from her in disgust. Thus she was being extra gentle with the girl. She wanted to be the best possible mother for them after all.
Seeing other kids at the orphanage being picked off by their adopted parents. Imagining the day that she would...Yui never imagined it to be like this. She always pictured herself happily running into the loving arms of the ones who would accept her. She was wondering why she was not, and what was stopping her...shyness? Surely. Emotions were...complicated. As she felt Pandoria's hand through her air, a strange feeling rocketed through her body. It was like a shiver, but...warm. Recomforting. It might be due to Pandoria's magic - of which the girl was unaware - but it just as well might be something more pure.
After what Pandoria teased her with, Yui wanted to look away yet again but she did not. Briefly looking up at Pandoria, tears finally rolled down her cheek yet she was not sad. At the breaking point, when she burst in tears, she took the remaining step forward and properly hugged her new Mother, closely clinging to her. While it was awkward, to some degree, the good far outweighed the rest and Yui abandoned herself to it.
Pandoria stumbled back slightly at the sudden hug. It had caught her off guard this feeling, of the girl holding her close. Still she could only respond in kind as she wrapped her arms around them and hugged back. Quietly and succinctly to as to not break the moment. She knew this was likely exactly what Yui wanted, and who was she to trample on her daughters dreams. She smiled softly holding them. Certainly Pandoria even in her ancient wisdom... she couldn't help but feel a connection to the girl. Like that of a mother to a daughter. For a few minutes more of the hug, Pandoria held her.
"You really are sweet." Pandoria said softly. gently patting the head of the young girl.
"S-sorry..." she said as she finally let go, taking a step back. Then, Pandoria finally got to do the final paperwork needed while Yui was off to gather what few possessions she had. Those would fit entirely in about one suitcase only, as she only had some clothes to her name. Taking the suitcase back to the office, Yui arrived just as the adults were about done. She let the suit case by the door and walked up to Old Nan Yuri. She hugged her dearly, while also bowing and thanking her profusely for all the years and time she accorded to her.
"I will come visit...! I promise !" Yui said as she finally gathered the necessary will power to walk over to the door, where Pandoria was waiting.
She grabbed her suit case and looked back at Yuri and the inside of the orphanage one last time before looking up at Pandoria and, slowly, grabbing her hand as they would walk out of the building.
