Dolly

I'd watch it all, yet knowing I almost could cry {Affiliated with Orchid Valley}

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

{A Fleeting Feeling} Dolce & Open

Dolce walked down the cobblestone streets of the town she had recently became quite familiar with. She had been spending a lot more time outside now that the weather was getting cooler. She didn’t ever have many spare hours in a day, but she did her best to walk around by herself. Though the town wasn’t incredibly populated, there were numerous nooks and crannies to be discovered.

Her boots made rhythmic clicking noises on the stone beneath her as she walked at a brisk pace. She found the wind to be so refreshing. It blew through the trees, sending leaves off the branches only to scatter and dance around each other near the ground before finally coming to a halt. Before long, they were thrown about aimlessly again, over and over. Autumn was almost hypnotic in that way. Although the trees were nearing the end of their beautiful days, Dolce thought the season brought an air of renewal with it. There was a sort of incredible feeling of motivation that coerced through her when the weather cooled down, and it brought her out of the house more often.

Lost in thought, Dolce continued walking until the wind she previously admired swept itself beneath her. She reached up, though her reflexes were not fast enough as Mother Nature stole her top hat. With an audible gasp, Dolce brushed the pink hair out of her eyes as she watched the hat dance about, a few leaves getting caught on it before continuing on their path. Her eyes widened as the hat finally dropped to the ground, landing only inches in front of another person on the sidewalk ahead of her. Her heartbeat was nearly audible as she hoped the person would pick it up before it was blown away again.

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

{A Faulty Display} Dolce & Marco

[stealme-seizeme]

Marco rubbed the dirt from his eyes as he stumbled out of his house. He didn’t go out often and whenever he did, especially during daylight, he got really disoriented. But Marco was getting sick of being cooped up and not seeing the sun. He walked down the road to the town square. There wasn’t much of a town to see, but Marco went anyway, shoulders slouched.

He hadn’t been to many small businesses before. Marco was a little nervous to go someplace he may be tempted, but he had convinced himself he’d just go and look from outside. Most of the buildings were closed, anyway. It was okay. Yeah…

He looked up at the window of the first shop as he passed by. Dahlia Tailoring was a quaint building that looked quite like the others, except much more well kept. There was a young lady standing in front of it, adjusting the display. Marco leaned to the side to see it, feeling a bit awkward in his pathetic garb.

It was then the woman stepped back and right into Marco. He staggered backwards and his feet jumbled around. Once he saved himself from falling and hitting a lamp post, he got back up, a bit unnerved having been sitting in his house only a short time before.

Marco was about to just carry on, but he looked up at the girl, surprised she called out to him. It was definitely a normal thing to do, but he couldn’t help but feel shocked she bothered to say anything. Were all people this far out so nice?

He reached deep into his stomach for his voice. “Ah – I,” he stammered. “Please. It – it’s my… no big deal.” She was looking away. Marco added softly and sheepishly, “I like those clothes…”

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

Dolce looked up at the man as he finally replied. She hadn’t expected a response, really. People weren’t always as kind as others made them out to be sometimes, or, at the very least, they often didn’t express common courtesies. Dolce was quiet, reserved, but she still forced herself to be polite when the situation called for it. She supposed some people weren’t fortunate enough to have parents that bothered to teach them any manners, but she wouldn’t know.

She finally brought her eyes to look at the man’s face as he steadied himself. She was a bit surprised by how he appeared. He had rather handsome features, but he looked somewhat disheveled. Dolce could tell it wasn’t simply due to a poor night’s rest. He appeared to be, at least at a glance, in need of some finer clothes- if not more than that.

Dolce immediately felt a sort of connection to him. She, herself, was homeless for nearly her entire life. She knew exactly what it was like to only have pathetic rags to clothe herself in; she was simply fortunate to have taken up sewing as a child. It was a lot easier to afford fabric than it was to buy the clothing outright, so her hobby developed into quite the boon. She sewed things so intricate that people had no idea she was living on the streets at one point. That was part of her goal, after all.

Dolce gave a small smile, now glancing away again. “I’m glad you like them… I made most of them myself.”

Despite knowing that even she herself had trouble affording clothing at the store she worked in, she decided it would still be logical to show the man around. After all, perhaps they could work something out.

“Ah…” Dolce struggled a bit, voice catching in her throat. “Would you like to come inside? You could try on anything you’d like to.”

She stepped over and held the door open, wondering if he’d accept. She wasn’t trying to make a sale; she didn’t even get paid extra to sell the existing clothing. More than anything, she was just interested in letting him look around and hopefully even pick out an item or two. She could tell a lot about a person through their choice in clothing, and she enjoyed doing so.

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

{All for You} Dolce & Pico

[my-dearest-dolly-blog]

Pico wasn’t surprised to find that there was only one bedroom but she was still disappointed, her Dolly deserved a room too. After all the hard work Dolce had put in just for her, it seemed unfair that she didn’t get to share it as well.

“We can share it if you want! Where are you going to sleep if we don’t?” She frowned and turned to look inside the room. It was everything that she had wanted, since she could remember. It was all perfect, the colours, the shape. Her sister had put so much effort into it.

She walked into the room, ready to jump on the bed. It seemed big enough for maybe two people if Pico squished to the wall. She threw herself down onto it, giving a sigh. She didn’t want Dolly to think she was ungrateful but she was being unfair. Dolce deserved all of this much more than Pico, she was the one who had worked for everything.

The bed was soft at least, for once in her memory she’d have somewhere warm to sleep. At least Dolly would as well, even if it was just on the sofa. She rose up, sitting on the bed and looking around for the perfect place. “If we save up and get another bed… we can put yours…. There! In the corner!” She gave a wide grin, pleased with her idea. They could both share it, Pico really didn’t mind at all.

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

Dolce shook her head slowly, still gazing at the room. “It’s alright, Pico. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

It wasn’t that she had an issue sharing a bed with her younger sister, but she knew it would defeat the purpose of the room being hers. It would simply destroy everything she had begged for and finally brought to fruition. She couldn’t bear the idea. As Pico mentioned the thought of putting another bed in the room, Dolce shook her head yet again. This was Pico’s room, and Dolce wasn’t prepared to take no for an answer.

If nothing else, Pico had to realize through the years that Dolce was incredibly stubborn. Stubborn never meant what often first comes to mind for people. Stubbornness isn’t firm or loud. It’s quiet, sometimes even volatile, and it only ever hurts the perpetrator in question. Dolly would say things, and she’d certainly mean them, but there’d always be a part of her that was frustrated by her actions. She wasn’t a martyr; she simply found it difficult to let someone else do the work. Really, it was impossible.

“I’m glad you like your room, Pico,” Dolce finally said, emphasizing the fact that it was her room. “You haven’t seen the rest of the house yet, though.” Dolce turned to step out of the room and suddenly stopped. “Well, actually… I suppose you have seen the entire house.”

She put a hand to her forehead briefly, staring at the living-area. It certainly was small and dim, but it really wasn’t terrible. Perhaps she simply thought anything was better than nothing, but she felt that gratefulness was an important value regardless. She was never ungrateful- far from it, but, if nothing else, she had become even more grateful over the years for everything she had. Pico was more important to her than any of it, though. Of that, she was positive.

[starlitfracture-blog]

Steady Hands || Wizard & ?

Gale was relieved to leave his old home in some respects: the people of the city wouldn’t understand his magic, much less those of a small town he once resided in. Orchid Valley was so deserted he felt he could finally let loose a little bit.

Moving didn’t come cheaply, however, and the little money he had saved up from fortune telling and love readings was all spent in the process of finding a new place to live. The centuries old wizard found himself trapped. He had to get a job if he wanted to get his coffee fix.

Wizard found himself working in a jewelry shop, which wasn’t complete hell for him at least- he liked crystals and gems a great deal, due to the way they conducted healing energy and heightened senses for psychic ability. It paid okay considering how deserted the location was, just enough to scrape by on rent. He was satisfied.

Leaning on the glass topped counter, Gale focused on a small ring. One of the smaller gemstones had become loose. Lifting up a pair of minute tweezers he fumbled for a couple seconds, eventually resorting to using magic to get a magnifying glass to stay in front of his eye. This was successful for a couple minutes until he heard someone come through the door and let it fall.

“….Welcome…um…to Narcissus Jewelry Boutique…?”

He could only pray they hadn’t seen him do that.

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

Dolce had passed a jewelry boutique a few times on her way to work, and, every time, she found her pace slowing as she passed its display windows. She wasn’t one to be interested in jewelry for the frivolousness of it- she couldn’t afford to be frivolous in any aspect of her life. More than any of the ordinary reasons, she wanted to pick up some crystals or other stones. She was well-aware of their uses in magic, which she was interested in. Not only that, but she wanted to have some in her first home. Cleansing a home was crucial; it was really important to her that she didn’t lose this one.

Finally, she found herself at the doorstep with the intention of entering. A few small thoughts crossed her mind. She knew she couldn’t afford anything extravagant, and stones or gems were often incredibly expensive. She decided she’d have a budget, and she’d simply look if the prices weren’t affordable. She never had a problem doing that, but she was getting rather tired of it now that she was an adult.

She closed the door behind her and heard a small tapping noise. She didn’t think much of it; it sounded like a small bead that had made its way to the floor. With a bit of hesitation, she looked towards the man at the counter.

“Hm?”

She watched as his expression became something confused. Well, perhaps it was like that before she entered. Was he that surprised to have business? She was sure no one came in here looking for crystals, but people certainly bought jewelry, didn’t they?

“I’m just looking,” Dolce added quickly, seeing him still staring.

She knew it would be easier to simply ask him outright if he had crystals or stones, but she found it difficult to even do that. She carefully looked around the store, trying not to make it too obvious that she was looking for something specific rather than browsing for rings or necklaces.

Dolce took a deep breath. “Well, do you have any crystals or stones in particular? Large ones, I mean.” She glanced away, a bit relieved that she managed to get that out.

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

{All for You} Dolce & Pico

[my-dearest-dolly-blog]

Pico was rather confused, There was an atmosphere of suspense around her sister, one that made her just as excited, if nor more so. The two had hardly been in town for long, so the child was curious about what her sister was leading her to.

She got an inkling when her sister began to walk up the steps to a house, making Pico’s excitement nearly triple. She followed her sister in, nearly shaking from what was happening. She followed her sisters gaze to a little box on the table. She automatically recognised what was inside. Her few toys, her clothes and the small amount of books she owned were all stacked up inside. 

Pico turned to her sister, her face twisted up with pure joy. “Really Dolly!? You mean it!” She tried not to jump on the spot, running over to her sister to drag her into an embrace.

“I love it!” Pico, tried not to cry as she clung around her sister. The two had been on the run for so long, and now they finally didn’t have to run. They had a home now, they could stay here for as long as they wanted.

“Oh oh OH! Which room is mine!? Do we have separate rooms!? I don’t care if we don’t but… Oh Dolly! I love it, I love it, I love it!”

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

Dolce was dragged down into a bending position as Pico grabbed her neck. She gave a small laugh and put a hand on the girl’s head, glancing towards the living space. It was rather drab, with dark walls and equally dark flooring that were insufficiently lit by the lamps. She minded less than most people, though. She liked the dark, or, at the very least, she didn’t mind it terribly. The house would be bright during the day anyhow.

“No, Pico. There’s only one bedroom.” Dolly set the girl down on the floor and walked to the right. She opened the door and stepped aside to show Pico the bedroom. The room was already modestly decorated; there was a small bed with purple blankets that resembled the same hue as the curtains. There was even a small closet off to the side and a few shelves along with a chair, clearly on the small side and intended for a child.

“Here, Pico. This is your room.”

She carefully scooted the girl forward into the room. This was the first time she had her own real bedroom since they were children. Dolce always imagined that, when she’d finally entered her own room, she’d make friends and invite them over to spend time there. Now, though, she wondered if Pico would be too embarrassed to invite potential friends over. Children didn’t usually think in that way, but she was mature. What if she was already at the age where she could decide she didn’t care for their situation or even for her? Dolce closed her eyes briefly. She was simply overthinking things, but it was hard to accept anything less than the perfect vision that haunted her for so many years.

[chef-dylas-blog]

The Horse & the Seamstress || Dolce & Dylas

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

chef-dylas:

Chef Dylas. Chef. Dylas. 

Dylas smirked to himself as he repeated the title over and over again in his head. After years of being a waiter and more years as a sous chef, he finally had the opportunity to be a head chef at the local restaurant. Sure, he had to start from scratch with the place, but now that clean-up was done, he could actually open it up to customers and do what he loved most. Cook.

But before that could happen, he wanted to look the part. He’d spent most of the early morning imagining what his chef’s jacket would look like on him. When he had enough of dreaming, he got up and headed straight for town.

When the sign for Dhalia Tailoring came into view, Dylas forced himself from rushing into the store. With a steady hand and calm expression, he walked in. 

“Hey…” 

Dolce had arrived to work at Dahlia Tailoring rather early in the morning, and everything was as quiet as usual. After checking over some of the inventory, she had sat herself down at the table to begin putting together a new design she worked on. Due to the quiet nature of the town, she never really expected a whole lot of customers. Most of her days at work were spent sewing, stitching, and stocking. She didn’t really mind it, though.

Oddly enough, she heard a bell chime from the storefront. Her long, pointed ears perked up as she lifted her head from her work. A rather exotic-looking person, much like herself, stood in the doorway. Upon seeing him, the look in her eyes softened as she put the fabric down on the table before her.

“Hello.”

She carefully stood up, making sure none of the fabric was hanging off the edge of the table. Her hands rested at the front of her skirt, and she stood rather politely before him. She took a breath, doing her best to get her words out properly.

“Is there… anything I can help you with?”

She had trouble talking to people, but she was surprisingly in-tune with feelings and emotions. Not only that, but she knew clothing. She felt confident enough in her knowledge that she pushed through the awkward formalities in order to prove that she could do it.

For some reason, though, the man came across as rather peculiar. She was somewhat interested as to why he had stopped by. Perhaps it was because she had never seen him before, but she was rather new to town, after all. There were many people she hadn’t seen yet. Regardless, most of them didn’t share strange physical qualities the way she and the man before her did.

[imprisonedpriest]

Blank Pages | Leon & Dolce

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

imprisonedpriest:

The moment their eyes met, Leon’s brow furrowed. There was certainly something strange about this girl, but he didn’t bother with it for the time being. He was on work hours, and decided that he’d do his job properly… For now… … Maybe. Really, it would depend on his mood actually.

When the paper was put before him, the fox stared at it curiously. Textbooks. He vaguely remembered being told where those were. He lifted the paper and examined it. He recognized a few of the ones listed. Most of the textbooks were kept in the same area, but finding them without being told where they were was a bit of a hassle.

“Hm.” Leon mused out loud for a moment. He could just point her in the direction, but without specific instructions she would likely get lost, and Leon didn’t know the layout of the building well enough to describe the way to her. So, the best course of action was to guide her.

“They’re a bit tricky to find. It would be easier if I showed you the way.” He explained, standing from his chair. It was fine, leaving his translations. They could wait. Customers were supposed to take priority anyways. He noticed her eyeing his work and simply smiled in response. Most people, especially in this day and age. Wouldn’t be able to read it. Even in his time it was considered an aging language.

“Please, follow me.” Leon said with a light nod, tail swaying lightly behind him as he began to walk towards one of the aisles.

Dolce moved to grab her list from the desk as he stood up. As she reached, her eyes glanced back over towards the book. She became even more curious… He was able to work with such a language? She felt as though she may have recognized it from the books she had read on magic. She recalled a number of them making reference to an ancient text, and even providing images of the writing within the pages. Of course, she found herself unable to read the writing, but there were sometimes rather rough translations associated with it. They were sub-optimal, though, and often caused her a good amount of confusion concerning the magic she studied and practiced.

Her thoughts snapped back to the man before her as she folded the paper back up and placed it in her pocket. She walked quietly behind him, eyes trailing down to his tail. He definitely was someone special; Dolce was positive.

She stood next to him when he stopped in front of a shelf. Placing a gloved hand to her chin, Dolce thought for a moment. She always felt rather guilty when people went out of their way for her. She had been forced into an unusually independent lifestyle at a young age, and somehow even the idea of an employee assisting her made her feel a little saddened. She always wanted to return a favor, regardless of how small it was.

Her lips parted slightly as she meant to say thank you. For some reason, she found herself too uneasy to get the words out. Sometimes, she found it difficult to say exactly what she meant. She was quick to freeze up and fear coming off a certain way. Her eyes stared quietly towards the books as she pressed her lips together again. Dolce wanted to do more than thank him; she wanted to ask who exactly he was. It just seemed impossible somehow. Too risky.

“Ah,” she watched as he pulled a book off the shelf, “That seems to be one of them.” Her eyes lit up a bit; she was rather impressed. She felt fortunate that they even had the books to begin with, but more than that… she couldn’t wait to tell Pico that she had seen someone so interesting at the library... Someone like them, perhaps.

[imprisonedpriest]

Blank Pages | Leon & Dolce

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

imprisonedpriest:

It was Leon’s first day on the job at the library. Really, all he needed to do was keep an eye on things, and help others check out books. Since he wasn’t overly familiar with the newer systems of the library, he was allowed to write everything down on paper and deliver it to some who knew more. At least, until he had the time to learn.

The other part of his job was far more interesting. Translating. On occasion the library would acquire books that were in older, no longer used, languages. It was up to him to translate them properly so that copies could be made and used. So, he spent most of the morning doing that.

It took up a great deal of his concentration. So much so that he didn’t even notice someone approaching the counter. He just sat quietly, scribbling meanings to certain words down on a piece of scratch paper. After a moment or so, a sound caught his fox ears. It could have been someone saying something, or coughing to get his attention, he hadn’t been listening.

Leon glanced up quickly to see a girl with long pinkish/purple hair, and pointed ears. He gave her an apologetic smile before speaking. “Forgive me, I was buried in my work. Did you need something?”

A small thought had been nagging at Dolce for days: she needed to go to the library to pick up textbooks for Pico. She hadn’t been to the library in town yet, so she was a bit reluctant to go. Of course, Dolce had hoped to borrow some books for herself along the way, but she was sure she wouldn’t be able to carry so many at once. She’d have to take another trip sometime. With a small sigh, she entered the library. It wasn’t really a huge issue; she simply had to find the correct books...

The young woman’s dark eyes searched around the lobby. She was rather impressed by its size and layout; well-maintained libraries always had a grand sort of atmosphere to them, at least to Dolce. Rows and rows of books stacked upon shelves that lined the walls… She adored it. She had always dreamed of a day when she would have her own library, or even just a modest collection of books. She had none of that, really.

Dolce always found it difficult to know where to start when searching for textbooks. She needed a few very different volumes, and the organization within the shelves was often not easy to figure out. It wasn’t as simple as finding a genre; she had to search for certain titles, editions, authors…

She looked towards the information desk and spotted a man leaning over a book. Dolce quickly noticed that he was rather exotic-looking with long, teal hair and furry ears. His garb was incredibly intriguing as well. She was quite interested in his entire appearance; it was rare to come across someone who seemed as different as she was.

“Um.”

Dolce looked away, realizing she had spoken aloud. Truthfully, she did need his help if she was to find the textbooks before nightfall, but she wasn’t sure she was comfortable simply approaching him. Before she knew it, he had looked up from his book upon hearing her.

Her cool eyes widened a bit when she saw his face. She could instantly tell there was something rather unique about him beyond his outfit and even his ears. Perhaps he was something similar to whatever it was she happened to be.

“Yes, actually…” Dolce stepped forward a bit, deciding how exactly to express what she needed. “I’m looking for a few textbooks.” She produced a small piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. “I apologize for the trouble; if you could simply point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.” She gently placed the paper on the desk before him, next to his book. Although there wasn’t anyone else in the library at the moment, he did seem to be busy with his writing; she didn’t want to bother him any more than she had to. More than that, though… she hoped to get a better look at the text. It didn’t appear to be written in a commonly-spoken language, but she couldn’t simply stare without it seeming invasive. She averted her eyes.

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

{A Faulty Display} Dolce & Marco

It was a sunny day without a single cloud in the forecast. Because of the good weather, Dolce was selected to be in charge of setting up an outdoor display for some of the featured clothing at Dahlia Tailoring. She had pushed out some displays and was working on arranging the clothes in an eye-appealing fashion.

She didn’t really care for such menial tasks, but she knew someone had to do it. She took a moment to adjust her top hat, finding that her accessories were quickly shifting out of place with the excessive moving she had to do. Again and again she had to bend down to straighten the bottoms of the dresses and slacks only to stand back up again and rearrange their positioning on the display. She thought perhaps she was overthinking it. After all, exactly how many people could pass by in a single day? Probably not more than a handful… Even then, would the display catch their attention?

Dolce decided to take a step backwards to view her work from a potential customer’s perspective on the sidewalk. As she moved, eyes locked on the displays, she felt someone collide with her backside.

Dolce quickly regained her footing and turned around, seeing the person she had carelessly ran into. It wasn’t like her at all to do something of that nature, but she had been so absorbed in her work. Not only that, but she was certain there wouldn’t be anyone around in that short period of time.

She felt a bit better when the figure proceeded to stand up straight. She would have really been put on the spot if she had knocked the person over.

“My apologies,” she said softly, eyes glancing slightly downward rather than looking directly at the person in question.

[dearly-dolly1-blog]

{All for You} Dolce & Pico

“Just a little further.”

Dolce looked straight ahead. Her eyes did not move towards the young girl attached to her hand despite the loud, inhuman noises that were coming from her mouth. Dolce had told her earlier that she had a surprise waiting for her, but they would have to walk to it. She explained that it was too grand to bring to her. In reality, Dolce just wanted to get her little sister excited. She was 12 now, and her name was Pico.

Pico was pretty easily excited, but Dolce wanted to torture her with the suspense of this surprise in particular. She had been saving up money for years, now. She had worked multiple jobs while taking care of, homeschooling, and otherwise completely providing for, Pico. They had no parents to speak of, so Dolce raised her from the time she was only thirteen years old.

Things had been really, incredibly rough during that time. They had been without a home on multiple occasions, and it killed Dolce. She was never upset about the fact that she didn’t have a bed to sleep in, but it wrecked her when Pico didn’t have a suitable roof over her head. The memories of shielding Pico from the wind at night were all she could remember. They stood out so vividly and completely clouded any recollection she had of giving Pico a decent life.

Dolce turned and carefully stepped up to the front door of an unfamiliar house. It was a bit small and rather run-down, but, otherwise, it seemed relatively normal. She looked down at Pico and was greeted with a rather confused expression. Dolce pressed her lips together and carefully reached into her pocket. She pulled out a pair of keys and inserted them into the lock. With a turn of the knob, she carefully opened the door, producing a rather loud squeaking noise.

Pico still looked a bit confused until Dolce pointed to a package on a small table in front of the couch before them. It was a basket containing Pico’s belongings, all carefully folded and stacked on top of each other.

Dolce’s lips turned into a small smile as she pulled the door closed behind them. Sure, it was a rather shabby house, but…

“This is ours, Pico.”