Viyo Marie's Story

After her wrath had been completely expelled on the sorry excuses for dolls, Raine found that she had a smile resting on her porcelain face. Ah, it always was a slight hobby of hers to put people where they should belong - especially if they were so forward with their faults that she really couldn’t help but seeing it. Hearing a clacking sound, she turned towards the child, who - to her greatest delight, was much shorter than she was, and less perfect as well.

In her hand, she held a red, dripping rag of paper, and Raine nearly turned away with a haughty sniff. There was no way that such a piece of trash would be useful in finding the keykeeper. He had just gotten scared of his heavy responsibility and ran. Well, it was just up to her to fetch him back again, giving him a short lesson while she was at it. “Look here, sweetling - ah, do not touch it, for your dress and skin are so fine-” The doll with the luxuriously brushed black tresses looked more closely at the piece of what she just realized was paper, as her glass eyes caught many of the details that had been inscribed.

The child amused her greatly, and there was a inkling of like for the language used. As the… Raine just noticed that despite all that she knew about the doll - she really couldn’t tell what gender the doll was… Maybe her overly sweet honorifics grated on her ears slightly, as it made her feel younger, when she was obviously younger, but she was much better than the rest of the companions she had been saddled with. “...Don’t you think, perhaps, Sagen may be of some interest?”

Without looking at the faded texts, she could have told the doll that much already. Sagen was her home, and therefore, it was obvious that it would become important. But as Raine really found within her a kernel of burning dislike for the cowardly keykeeper, she forced herself to focus more intently on it. Yes, there was the ‘Sage’ and scanning it quickly, she noticed something alarming. Despite the fact that the system of straight lines appeared to be a map, Sagen was not organized in such a manner. Instead of a grid-like system, it was arranged in a wheel - so there must be something wrong with it. Neither did she recognize the plaza in the center.

She was just about to speak when yet another doll arrived. This one was jointless, yes, but pale like a blank canvas. Without a startling use of color, the newcomer was nothing more than a doll who was waiting to be finished. Raine blinked her golden eyes in sheer arrogance - waiting for the doll to draw her attention to her exquisitely-formed appearance. The doll herself wasn’t that badly made, but once again, she could only say that she was far more brilliant than she was. The glistening form of snow in no way could attempt to touch the light produced by the sun. “Hello, I’m guessing that something’s happened to the doll maker… Have you found anything that may lead us to the information on what happened here?”

Raine was planning on ignoring her, but she couldn’t help but reach out with a statement, delivered with spite. “Well, I would tell you, but you’re jointless. I have found that throughout my entire existence, none of your generation are worth my time. If you would remain in the corner there, I would be very much obliged. I, personally, do not need anyone to get in my way. If you can prove that you have been gifted with a mind, be my guest.”

Then, turning back towards the child, she spoke in a slightly softer tone, although the volume of it was still loud enough to be heard… “So he has decided to run to Sagen in fear, is it? How impolite of him. I had spent so much time and effort commuting here for him, and now he decides to make my previous efforts useless.” The porcelain fingertips on her hands clacked together as she pressed them together in thought. “We’ll have to find him quickly - so there is no time to be wasting here.” Then, with a turn towards the doorway, she called back over her shoulder at the younger doll. “If you’d bring that and any other points of interests, we might as well make our way to the beautiful port city of Sagen.”

Raine took a brief glance around the building for one final time. Overcome with shock from the pigsty inside and her missing key, she had previously not been able to look around herself. There was really nothing of interest beyond those two pieces of paper that the genderless child had already shown her - but there was no way that Raine would idly follow someone else’s opinion. She was going to have to take a look herself. Paying no real attention to the ground, she walked towards the chair that lay on its side. Peering at the ruined brown wood carefully, she ran one hand against it - although she could literally feel nothing. One more fearless step later, she let out her breath with a harsh sound as her flawless feet stepped on something hard and pointy. The black-haired doll carefully stepped backwards before picking up a twisted silver glasses frame.

A face flashed in front of her face - that of the keykeeper himself. Watery brown eyes obscured by glasses along with cropped dark hair. His features were the same as any other human, and at least to Raine, there was no way that one would be able to recognize him in a crowd. He was unremarkable in every way… But that wasn’t important. At the very least, she would recognize her key anywhere. The jointed doll twisted the glasses between her hands before tossing it into the fire without sparing it a backwards glance.

It was then that she was distracted by her mindless meandering through the area by a sound. So, someone was speaking, were they? The … jointless one. She looked extremely demure, which, while pleasing Raine greatly, seemed to be at odds with her slightly revealing clothing. Still, it seemed as though the jointless one realized exactly the gap between the two beings. “I’m sorry if I might sound foolish…” she spoke in a similarly timid voice, while Raine’s glass eyes flashed with amusement. Watching those inferior to her making fools out of their foolish selves was ever so funny. “but, h-how do you plan on traveling to Sagen? I have never been to that … place and I heard that it’s a town that also serves as a port. What if there were pirates? Or drunkards?”

Listening to the idiot insult her precious home had Raine momentarily clenching her fists. But she quickly relaxed. Such a human display of emotion was beneath her, being a doll and all, so instead she faced the jointless doll with a patronizing smile. “Now, now, you. I don’t recall inviting you in any way. I wouldn’t want your jointless self to contaminate my belongings, you see. It’s nothing personal - just a complaint about how completely marred you are. Your imperfect might mar myself, jointless.” But maybe she would need a porter. Raine was ever so conscious of the ticking clock inside herself as she slowly unravelled. She only had two days left to chase down that cowardly keykeeper, and well - having some extra hands would be helpful.

“Don’t speak of Sagen that way,” she admonished the younger being. “It’s absolutely safe. I had thought that was common sense even amongst those who knew nothing, such as yourself.” She coughed gently for emphasis before continuing. Once again, Raine was not going to stop talking even if anyone dared interrupt. Her voice was loud enough to carry even should someone speak. “The more … unsavory members you have mentioned stick to their own districts - there is nothing to fear. If you’re going to come as well, you may as well walk there; it’ll take you perhaps two days if you have the willpower to continue. That is, unless you have something to offer me?...Can you carry heavy loads? Wash clothing? Do you have a way to pay for your passage? I don’t usually take on extra weight, but I’ll make you an exception - coin will do if you can’t do anything else.”