Quest: Love Me [Kazifel] [Finished OMG FINALLY]

[The Jenn]

Femi looked down at him, tears dripping from her pointed nose, dropping onto his shirt and soaking into the fabric. She pet his hair slowly, her fingers just taking in the softness, how very smooth it was. How anyone could bear to break this beautiful, amazing, wonderful doll man and leave him for broken... she just didn't understand.

It didn't matter that she had met him ten minutes before with every intent to hurt or chase him from her Woods. It didn't matter that he had held her back, was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, broke so easily beneath her hands. She loved him all the more for it. So this was what True Love felt like... the stories had always said she would know it when she found it, and here it was, cuddled in her arms and asking her the most beautiful questions. Question she could answer without a moment's thought.

"I love you so very much," she whimpered, voice quavering. She had only mended her own damage... hadn't been able to muster more, not today. "And I can fix you. I can fix anything about you, anything at all, whatever you need me to fix. Whatever's broken. I can only do it once per day... so that means you need to come with me, and talk to me, and tell me what's wrong back at my home. And then, tomorrow, after we've gotten to know one another better, I can start to fix more of you. I'll bet there's an awful lot to fix, isn't there? Beautiful Kazifel. Oh, you're mine now, and I love you so, and I won't let anyone else hurt you. No one else."

She swallowed her tears and smiled at him, full of such heart-breaking happiness. "Only me. And only when I need to, and show you how much I love you by mending you anew. Oh, Kazifel. I've been waiting so long for this day. You have... no idea." She choked on a small, happy sob and stood, encouraging him to stand as well. "Home is half a day's journey from here," she whispered against his face, holding him in a tight hug. "We can make it before dusk. Come home with me."

[The Jenn]

Jenn and Kari both receive 1 token each, to be redeemed in Ashwin's Shoppe. This will automatically be added to your recorded totals in the shoppe. Congratulations, and keep up the good RP!

[Kari Muffin]

Home? He had a home didn't he. Back in Corvistowne where Cassiel used to be. But he couldn't go home could he? He had nowhere to go home. He couldn't get in. He was locked out. Kazifel looked up at her. All the things she said. She meant them. She was telling the truth wasn't she?

He had a reason to trust her. Even if he didn't he couldn't get away while he was like this. He followed her lead and stood up. He looked at her with a curious expression. Femi. That was a pretty name. "Your home? You mean I can actually go to someone's home and be welcome? You won't refuse me because I'm a Club or...because..." He just couldn't bear to finish the sentence. He was a freak. They called him a monster. But this girl didn't say a word of that. Love? Was it real? Was she telling the truth?

This was real. It had to be real. He would break if it weren't.

[The Jenn]

"You belong in my home," Femi hiccuped fiercely. If that was even possible. She nuzzled at his cheek before stepping back and taking both of his hands, bringing them up to her mouth to kiss the wooden fingers. They felt so cool and smooth against her furry muzzle, seemingly lifeless but with a hidden vitality. So much more alive than any of her other lovely dolls, and ten times more Real. Twenty. A hundred. There wasn't a number high enough. He was So Real.

Whoever had left him for broken, they had given her such a wonderful gift and she would rend them limb from cruel limb before she ever let them touch her Kazifel again. "I don't care if you're a Club, a Spade, a Heart, a Joker... nothing... you're you, aren't you? You're so very you, and so very mine now, and oh I can't believe how happy I am right now!" She giggled against his hands, muzzle turned down and eyes peeking up at him, still misty but now so full of joy.

She gently let go of one of his hands, grasping the other in both of her own, holding it gently. "You belong wherever I am, Kazifel, and that's all there is to it. My home... it's your home now, too. Come home with me?"

[Kari Muffin]

Kazifel didn't know if he could actually smile a real smile. If he could he was doing it right now. He still wished to feel it. He knew it was so impossible but Femi said she could fix him. Maybe she could do something about this? There was hope. There was hope.

The look she gave him. Her mannerisms. Everything. Others would have seen it as terrifying, but it was accepting. It was something that Kazifel had been looking for for so long. So very long he had finally found someone.

"A-all right. Home. I'll go home with you." He looked at her misty eyes. She meant it. She meant all of it. "Thank you." He said in a whisper. "Thank you so much." Even if she did claim to own him, he couldn't help but go with her. This was what he had been searching for. Someone who could fix him. Someone who could help him. Someone who would accepted him like Cassiel and Mili did. He twitched at the last thought. Her name hurt. He was still guilty of that crime.

[The Jenn]

Femi smiled like she had never smiled before, felt her eyes crinkling at the corners and the new tears leaking down the sides. She had offered, and he had said yes. Of his own free will. He... he had free will! And he decided, decided to go home with her. Maybe if she showed him how wonderful home was and how happy she could make him, he would stay with her forever in that home, the place she so desperately hoped she could make their home. She just needed to figure out what was broken and how to fix it, and he was hers forever.

A slow nod, and that smile faded to something less painful to hold, something that let her blink away the tears and giggle again. "Of course!" she said happily. "Of course, my Kazifel... my love, you will always be home with me. Always, for as long as forever. Come on." She took a step back and turned, one hand clasping his in a comfortable grip. Once he was beside her, she began walking back to the path and towards home. She found what she was looking for.

---

The small village was uniquely Tulgey in design, everything seeming the slightest bit 'off', beautiful but creepy and unsettling. Things just didn't seem quite 'right' about any of it. None of the inhabitants took any notice. Nothing seemed quite 'right' about any of them, either.

Femi avoided the main streets of the building groupings, instead choosing to skirt around the outside edges and behind them all until she reached a house near the edge made of lumber and roofed with an odd, dark material that shone in the forest's gloom. The sun wasn't out today, almost gone at dusk, and with how thick the trees grew in this particular area, it wouldn't have shone down brightly even if it was. Villages were designed that way sometimes for protection from above. Its residents values their privacy.

She pulled a small key out from the moss beside her back door and opened the lock with a loud creek, pushing open the door before slipping the small brass object back where it belonged. "Home is just in here," she said with a giddy bounce to her step. "Come inside and let me introduce you to your new family. Or if you want to be alone with me for a little while, that's fine too."

[Kari Muffin]

He followed without resistance. There was no need to run anymore. He finally found what he was looking for, it was just in an unexpected package.

___

The Village was certainly different than anything he had ever seen. The residents were all like her, but not quite. There was something with them, he wasn't quite sure what it was. It didn't really matter did it? He shook his head. It didn't.

The house he was lead to was strange. It had been a while since he had seen architecture that wasn't extremely elaborate or falling to bits. It was a nice change. He suddenly perked up at the word 'family.' It had been forever since he had heard it. The only family he had left was his aunt... she hated him. She wold never see him like this. What was her family like?

"Family?" he looked to her with an expression of curiosity to confusion. "That might be nice, Femi." It would be nice to have a family again. It would be nice to know what love was again.

[The Jenn]

The squirrel actually let loose a chitter at the thought of him meeting her family. Well, one of her families. "I have two families, you see," she explained quickly in an excited tone as she led him inside, through a small kitchen that looked like it didn't see much use. "My first one is the one I was born with. They're sweet, I guess, but they don't really... understand. They just nod and smile and help me find and build up my other family. My true family."

Down a short hallway and into a room - a large room, one that combined two rooms by a large doorway that had been forcefully widened. Sitting and standing all about the room, on chairs and on tables and on shelves, were dolls. Hundreds of dolls, of every shape and size and type. Some were as large as people. Others were small, tiny even. They resembled all sorts of things, from animals to bipeds to people to elements. She even had one like a living flame, except that he wasn't Really living. Just doll-living.

She began to point to them and spout off names, some short and sweet and to the point, others long and too complicated to say in one breath with all the titles. After the first dozen she stopped, hand still intertwined with his, and looked over at him curiously. Then she nuzzled at his cheek with her nose and licked it very gently. "I'm sorry. I got excited. Let me start this properly." She took a deep breath. "Everyone, I'm sorry about that. Let's try it this way... this is Kazifel." She squeezed his hand. "He's the newest member of our family. The most important member of our family to date. He, like me, is Real. That makes him special. I love him very much, and none of you are to say anything bad about him or I will become cross. Do you understand? Good." She turned to Kazifel and looked at him expectantly.

[Kari Muffin]

It was shock. So many dolls in one room. Kazifel had never seen so many complete dolls inn one place. Some were like actual people with ranks and forms. Others were creatures from stories and fairy tales. She spouted of the names like clock work, she knew each and everyone of them.

His eyes scanned the rows. Until the fell on the figure of a biped feline. Yarrow Gardens colors. Something seized up in him. He didn't want to see it. He wanted it to disappear with those unpleasant memories. "No..." he choked out as he tried to back away. He wanted it gone! It needed to go away. "GET AWAY!"

His and twitched, the doll slammed against the floor, shattering at the unnatural force. He fell to his knees. It wasn't gone. He still felt the guilt. He still felt the pain from when he had buried her. "Mili..." he said as his body gave an unnatural twitch that was akin to a shiver. It was all falling apart already.

[The Jenn]

Femi stood still in shock for a moment as Kazifel backed away, his hand pulling from her grip. Was... was he saying that to her? Did he want her to get away? Did he want to get away from her?! The thought brought her heart to her mouth and she was about to say something, anything, when the sound of shattering wood snapped her head around in the other direction and she stared at the broken remains of the Gardens feline she had been giving some six years ago.

"Did... did Yanamara say something? Did she hurt you?" The squirrel's eyes were wide, but flew back to him as he said that word. That name? Mili... it sounded like a girl's name. So maybe it wasn't Yanamara at all, but this Mili person instead.

The tremor made her gasp in alarm, moving over to hug him carefully, holding him and trying to get him to still. Maybe even feel what was wrong. Could you feel something like that? One of the people in town could feel another person's mind... could his mind even be felt like that? Of course it could! He was Real, after all. She pet his hair and cradled and rocked back and forth. "I'm so sorry, Kazifel. I... I never meant to make you upset." Her words trembled with emotion, worry at the forefront.

She took a deep breath and looked at his face, into those amazing eyes. "Does Yanamara look like this... this other person, then, this Mili person? Is that why you hurt her? Why you broke her? Is Mili the one who broke you?" She touched her nose to his, trying to understand, to see inside him, what had made him so upset. Would he tell her? Oh please, let him tell her.

And she could figure out what to do about Yanamara after she understood.