he is coming closer

“Spare me? You make it sound so drastic! Like I ain’t interested in everythin’ about you. But I’ll admit, if it’d take a novel and then some to explain it, it could probably wait til lunch at least…”

“My explanation is a lot shorter, though, just a little Utage Fun Fact. It means ‘party!’ Chose it when I was hired. Why? Cuz I just wanna be as happy as if I was having a party every night. Long as I’m happy, things can’t be too bad.”

She stretched and held her hands behind her head, looking somehow both proud and lazy at the same time. Then her tail started swishing as she remembered something she just said.

“Hey, when do places here usually start serving lunch, anyway. Noon?”

     ☾ ‘Interested’ in everything about her? A plain doll? At that, she can’t help but tilt her head in slight confusion at the chimera’s words. She does not understand what exactly may be ‘interesting’ about her but she is touched by the sentiment nonetheless, even if it’s not apparent on her current expression.

     ❝ 'Party’... ❞

     ❝ While I have never attended one, your explanation is a very kind one. From what you say, your name is very much a reflection of your character, ❞ and with that she offers a small, kind smile to the blonde now. Though she doesn’t entirely understand still, the doll is aware of the intent of Utage’s words and the reasoning behind why she picked that name in particular for herself.

Utage nodded along with the Doll’s… explanation? about the sun thing and was silent for a few moments afterwards, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling. Nodding like she was understanding what the Doll meant completely.

“… Babe, I don’t really understand what you just said at all.”

“Unless you mean you live life like it’s all a dream, which is something I can get down with for sure. I tell you yet what my name means?”

     ☾ Ah, she feared this may happen... 

     Well, actually, the doll knew this would happen, rather. Without any basis to fully understand her own world or circumstances, misunderstandings were bound to happen. Of course, the humanoid does not fault Utage for this nor holds any sort of negative emotion for her confusion. How could she, knowing she herself would feel the same if their positions were reversed?

     ❝ No, it is much more complicated than that... But I will spare you the lengthy explanation. All I can tell you, both in confidence and simplicity, is that the sun is something I see very little of, ❞

“It wouldn’t be takin’ them from me if I just gave them away, now would it? But nah I’ll find you a pair that really suits you, mark my words. I’ll keep my eyes peeled,” she says, covering them up again with the pink lenses, but not before lifting and lowering them several times in a row on her face.

“And I mean, these glasses aren’t practical at all, I don’t wear em for—wait, back up. The sun is new? That’s new to me.”

     ☾ The doll can’t quite understand Utage’s determination in trying to find her a pair of sunglasses... But nonetheless, she is touched by the gesture. She has only been given a present less than a handful of times before and thus, still isn’t accustomed to the mere idea of people imparting anything special to her.

     ... Wait, why is the chimera lowering her sunglasses so many times now?

“You’re taller than me, ergo, tall as hell.” That was the baseline. Now, she expected the glasses to look good on the Doll (if she didn’t, why would she wear these glasses?), but was still pleasantly surprised by just how cute they looked. Perhaps it was a mix of how much they contrasted with the rest of the Doll’s attire, and the fact that they were Utage’s glasses specifically?

“And I didn’t insist for nothing! Girl, you’re practically a certified babe magnet now. Certified by me, obviously. If I wasn’t so attached to those glasses I might’ve let you keep ‘em.”

     ☾ Despite her stoic expression, the doll finds it a bit disorienting at first. To suddenly have her field of vision clouded by a veil of pink... It’s a rather strange experience, to say the least. While it provides a small amount of protection of the harsh rays of the sun, the doll also can’t help but wonder what it’s other function could be. Is it purely aesthetic? Or is it something more than that?

     The silver-haired humanoid can’t help but tilt her head curiously at Utage’s words, however. ‘Babe magnet’...? Do these sunglasses attract infants, somehow? Ah, yes; the shape and colour of them must aid in that aspect, so the doll thinks and believes.

     ❝ Even if you did, I would not take them from you, ❞ she now says calmly, slowly taking the glasses off her face now before handing them back to Utage.

It was obvious to Utage that this small crab was bringing more joy to her than Utage expected. Actually, it was incredibly endearing, so much so that Utage’s own tail swished with happiness. After it was moved away to not startle the crab, obviously.

“Well, it can’t be all that hard, right? Just water and sand, and we’ve got plenty of both. I’ve got three buckets here,” one larger one and two tiny ones inside it, which she placed on the sand in front of the Doll.

“When you’re done with your lil crab friend there, you can pack one of these buckets with sand, pat pat pat, flip, repeat. The pats are super important.” Before Utage started filling a tiny bucket of her own, though, she took a big sip of her drink, before holding it out towards the Doll. “Want a sip?”

     ☾ Such a small yet fantastic wonder, she thinks. For something to be so small yet so capable and fast is amazing in the doll’s eyes. After observing the creature within her hands for a few moments more, the doll eventually places her hands back onto the ground in order for the crab to go about on its business. Though it is quick to depart from her palms, the smile on the humanoid’s face never fades.

     ❝ ... I see, ❞

     ❝ The pats are a vital part of the sand structures maintaining their shape, ❞ she takes note aloud now, looking over to Utage as the drink is now offered to her.

“I think it’d be worse for your well-being if anything. They like to pinch things. Can you even be pinched enough for it to hurt?” Maybe the Doll was actually the most capable crab-wrangler here just on account of being immune to pinching…

Utage took a few steps around the crab and started using her tail, held down against the sand, to gently prod the crab towards the Doll. Not hard enough to startle it into running, but just enough to encourage it towards her hands.

“I’m probably the fastest girl you’re ever gonna see. Not so fast when it comes to building sandcastles, though, admittedly those ain’t my strong suit. But that’s where you come in, right? You know about castles and things.” …Right?

     ☾ ❝ Perhaps, ❞ the doll is quick to answer.

     ❝ I can bleed and I can feel pain. My threshold isn’t much higher than that of an ordinary human, ❞ which is true. Though she is seemingly ageless, the doll is very capable of being injured. Not only that, but if you were to cut her, then surely she will bleed her odd, silvery blood as well. Just like any other doll, she is surprisingly fragile and can be easily broken.

     ❝ I know of castles, ❞ she now starts, keeping very still as the small crustacean now is prodded into her open hands. Though her smile is small, the delight now appearing on her features is apparent. Slowly does she lift up her hands closer to her face, silver hues getting a better look at the small creature.

Utage mimicked the Doll’s head tilt, more out of endearment than mockery or anything of the sort. She asked what the Doll ‘had’ as if she didn’t know, but she didn’t expect the Doll to actually not know. But, then again:

“You don’t have much experiences with beaches, right? Luckily, you’ve got an expert with you.” Expert in lazing in the sun, perhaps. “That right there is a crab.”

“Pretty damn small one, too. If you move super slow, you might be able to get your hand close enough to try and hold it.” Then, she slowly (so as not to scare the crab) set the bucket down next to the Doll.

“Or you can try and trap it in this bucket to make grabbing it a lot easier, because they’re as fast as they are cute. Almost as fast as me~”

     ☾ A beach expert? Well, Utage has never mentioned such a thing... Yet even some the doll finds herself believing the blonde’s words. For what reason would she have to lie to her, after all? Not only that, but she seems to be quite knowledgeable already about the beach’s environment and what inhabits it.

     ❝ Crab, ❞ she repeats the name, still watching the creature.

     ❝ Perhaps I will try encompassing my hands around it. I don’t think trapping it would be very good on its well-being, ❞ plus... Well, the doll doesn’t really like that idea, anyways.

She’d given tours of the castle before, though tours might be generous as such a word might imply even the most minor level of charisma. She was proud of the space she inhabited, she could be surprisingly particular and the castle was very particular to her, but normally she  didn’t feel anything close to pride or the opposite when showing it off. 

It felt different showing her around though. She didn’t want to skip over anything, she wanted to show  her every hall, every room, every nook. She wanted her to like it. 

“Truth be told, it is still reminiscent of another’s. A homage to her, in some way I suppose.”

“I… I am. It took some time. Learning not to see danger at every corner or a threat in every person. It’s different, but not in a bad way.” She trailed off for a moment, staring at nothing in particular before her gaze returned. “You are of course always welcome here, I would rather you treat this as your home than who knows where in the city.” 

     ☾ ❝ … Yes, ❞ the doll starts, smiling warmly at the hunter still.

     ❝ It can be difficult to accumulate to something so different from what you know... However, it is nice to feel safe, correct? ❞ her smile remains as she looks back at Crow now, tilting her head slightly. Though the doll herself has always been in some sort of danger, that has always been increased tenfold for the good hunter... And as a result, the doll is quite relieved to hear that she is able to let herself be a little more at ease within this place.

     ❝ You have done much for other, good hunter... So I think it is well overdue that you give yourself some time to yourself, ❞ the silver-haired woman now says.

   “Ah, do you really believe so? Or are you just reciting a hopeful dream you’ve been once told?”

     ☾ ❝ If that were the case, would that not mean that this dream is shared by not one, but many? ❞ she tilts her head.