Home Sweet Home? [Open]

Charla sweatdropped. Not exactly the response she had been hoping for, but it would suffice.

At Lucy's question, Charla froze for a second. She couldn't exactly say "I escaped from my father and wanted to avoid the crazed bounty hunters he sent after me." Guess she had to go with the other reason.

"I wanted to go on adventures," she decided, "but everywhere else has already been explored, so... I guess I wandered here."

They finished up their bath, and Charla wrapped a towel around herself to dry off. "Oh shoot! I don't have any spare clothes!" She turned to Lucy, making another request. "Do you have any spare clothes I could borrow?"

Lucy heard the question, and then started grinning.
"Spare clothes, haha don't make me laugh.!" she said as she lead her to the door, opening it to reveal the largest room in the house, The closet.

"Behold! I got dresses, cute clothes, cool clothes, you name it, i have it." The room was filled with clothes, and not just a litle, it was a really big room, with lots and lots of clothes.

"I'm gonna need you to try as many clothes as possible." She said with a somewhat devilish looking grin. This was gonna be a long night, unless charla could talk her way out of it.

I don't like that look on her face... Lucy seemed a little TOO interested in clothing.

Charla waved her hands in defense. "Ah! Wait! I don't need all that! I just need something to wear while I wash my other clothes!"

She pointed to the window. "Besides, it's getting late!" Charla uttered hastily, "Pajamas will be just fine!"

Lucy looked dissapointed, and sad, she then sat down with one of the dresses she was holding.

"I see... you don't want to wear any of my clothes, i guess have no sense of style, even my new friend doesn't want to try on the clothes i bought."

She held her hands in front of her face, and it looked like she was sobbing.
"I'm such a terrible person, i can't even take a hint, i'm just useless."

She looked really sad, and on the verge of crying, was it really such a bad thing charla said, or was lcuy overeacting.

Ah, nuts.

"No! Wait! Don't cry!" The last thing Charla wanted to do was make the person who had been so kind to her cry. "I'm sure you have a great fashion sense! I just-"

Lucy really looked like she was going to cry. Time to bite the bullet...

"Okay..." Charla sighed. "You win... but nothing that I'd have to cut up to wear, okay?" If these really were Lucy's clothes, she doubted there were wing holes in them.

Lucy jumped up, smiling. Her sudden change in attitude was quite frightening, or maybe she wasn't sad at all, anyway, she was happy now, and that was good... maybe.

"Well then let's get started." She said happily, she then ran towards a one of the many closets, and started looking through some clothes to choose, but she did want to respect her choice not to try too many.

She came back with a red dress, which had the back open, so that charla's wings would fit through them.

"Here try this!" She said to her.

(OOC: I really wish I could draw. I bet Charla looks really good in this!)

Was she acting? Something clicked in the fire type's head. That would explain it. Her parents must be actors, a skill they had passed on to their daughter. She'd been had.

The dress, albiet fancy, fit surprisingly well. Perhaps a little tight in the chest (these were Lucy's dresses, after all), but otherwise, the red worked really well with Charla's orange hair, and there was room enough for her tail to fit through the back.

Now, wearing something girly for the first time in a long time felt strange, but oddly comfortable to Charla. She'd never had any good memories while wearing dresses- tedious parties, difficult training, having to act "womanly"- but now, she was actually enjoying this. Maybe it was because she wasn't being molded to the dress, more like the dress was being molded to her.

"It's a little tight up top," she admitted to Lucy, "but it looks wonderful!"

Lucy looked at charla, she looked great in that dress, she didn't want to admit it, but it probably looked even better then if she would wear it.

She then heard her comment about it being a little tight near the chest. She was a little maddened.

"Ok, that was it, let's stop trying stuff out, i'll give you some loose pajamas." She said, obviously pouting about it being too "Tight".

She gave charla some normal pajama's 'A red nightgown' And started getting ready for bed.

"It's getting late anyway."

Charla raised an eyebrow at Lucy's sudden reluctance to dress her up, but didn't complain. With great care, she shed the red dress, carefully returning it to the closet Lucy had drawn it from before sliding the red nightgown over her head. Thankfully, this one had slits in the back, preventing her from needing to rip or cut it open. The two girls bid each other adieu and turned in for the night.

Charla entered the room she was borrowing. It was a very simple and plain room, although it was indeed, well furnished. The bed was a twin-size mattress, with white sheets and a blue blanket over the top of them. A single window sat across from the bed, revealing the pitter-patter of rain that fell over the town of Dawnn. Charla praised her good fortune in having found shelter from the storm as she stepped into the bed, pulling the covers over herself.

Now alone, in a bed for the first time in years, the young girl took a moment to reflect upon this new friend of hers. Although ditzy indeed, she was much smarter than she looked. Perhaps it was also just fate that brought them together, but Lucy was also much kinder than the others she had met while traveling. To not only talk to her, but to invite Charla into her home? That girl was nieve, perhaps, but very kind and accepting of others.

As the gentle rain began to patter against the window pane, Charla slowly closed her eyes, drifting off to slumberland...





*BOOM!*

If Charla had been asleep, she was wide awake now, body trembling. It's okay, she told herself. It's not that bad. Just go to sleep, and the storm will-

*BOOM!*

She couldn't stop shaking. Ever since that night, she hadn't been able to stand thunderstorms. Images started to flow back in her head, the shadow in the dark, the swing of the knife, the scream she would not realize until later was hers...

*BOOM!*

...no. She needed someone. Anyone.

-------------

Quietly, Charla tiptoed down the hallway to the room where Lucy had likely already fallen asleep.

No! This is insane! she berated herself, Lucy thinks you're some kinda tomboyish brave girl who can take on the world by herself. If she sees you like this...

She'll be just fine. another voice in her mind assured her. Lucy is a very accepting person, yes? Besides, you were already girly when you tried on that dress earlier.

Lucy didn't quite trust the second voice. Had she shown weakness when being chased by bounty hunters, would she have been free this long?

Reluctantly, she pried open the door and peeked inside. "Lucy?" she asked nervously, "Sorry if I woke you. I just wanted to make sure you were o-"

*BOOM*

As the lightning cut her off, Charla felt her body reflexively curl into a fetal position, body trembling all over. Had she not been too frightened to think straight, her inner voice would likely have told her No going back now.

After she got back to her room, it seemed like the day was finally over.
The rain was hitting hard against the window, so she closed her drapes, and went to the bathroom, she brushed her teeth, and then looked into the mirror.

"It's a lot less lonely now, even though she is a bit tomboyish i think i can get along just fine with her, well, goodnight mama, papa." She said, altough there was no one else in the room.

She had a tear in her eye, and wiped it away. She then headed back to her room, when she was in the hallway the thunder suddenly struck.

*BOOM*

Lucy sighed, this would make it a lot harder to go to bed.
She was walking to her bedroom, while wondering who's idea it was to make the bathroom so far away from her bedroom.

When she was nearing her room, she saw a shadow near the door.
Upon closer inspection she could see that it was was charla, who looked very frightened about something.

She ran towards her and hugged her, she didn't quite now what she was frightened about, but she thought it had to do something with the thunder.

Before she even knew she was singing a lullaby, the one her mother always sang for her when she was scared.

"Little flame, you are so bright, i believe in you.
Little flame, show us your light, i know you do too.
Little flame, please don't cry, i know you'll be warm.
Little flame, i do no lie, i mean you no harm.

Big flame, i looked at you, now you look at me.
Big flame, i think too, that you want to be.
Big flame, just like him, just like her, you want to be small.
Big flame, i know that, you can have it all.

Now we surround the cold, and we make it hot.
Let's stay together now, i love you a lot."

She was hoping it had calmed her down, as it looked like the thunder was just temporary, and had already stopped.
"Are you okay?"

Suddenly, Charla felt an embrace around her. It was... surprisingly warm and gentle, and it held her tight.

Although her frozen muscles would not let her look up, a soothing female voice floated through the air. A song floated through the air, one that is common among gijinka mothers. One that had been sung by hers.

As the last of the song ended, Charla looked up. "M-mom?" Her vision, blurred by tears, she reached up with one hand to wipe her eyes clean. No, it was... Lucy.

"Are you okay?" the wobuffet gijinka inquired, arms still around her.

The thunder had stopped, and only the pitter-patter of rain filled the silence. With a deep breath, Charla nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay... thanks." The shaking, for the most part, had stopped, and she was still a little nervous, but at least she wasn't paralyzed with fear anymore.

"You poor girl." Lucy said, and after thinking for a second what to do, she came up with a solution.

"Want to sleep together?" She asked, it would beat sleeping alone, and charla wouldn't be all too scared with lucy near her, or at least she hoped.

She waited for charla to answer, but she had already opened her door wider, signing her to come in.

"Come on inside, let's sleep together tonight."

"Want to sleep together?"

With all the overflowing emotion, Charla wasn't sure what to think about Lucy's kindness. Food, clothing, shelter... and even friendship. Now she was even offering to share her own bed. They barely knew each other, and yet-

"Come on inside, let's sleep together tonight."

Begrudgingly, Charla managed a smile and got to her feet. "A-alright," she replied, "but... just for tonight."

In a minute or two, the pair got into the bed and pulled up the covers. They laid there for a moment, then Charla gave Lucy a hug. "Thanks for everything..." her eyes fell shut, and soon, a soft breathing could be heard as Charla, for the first time in three years, had a truly good dream.