The Marionette's Journey

Robyn was told to dress nicely and wait for her boyfriend, Raelic, outside her team's dorm. It was a warm, late summer afternoon, and the rays of the sun poured in like liquid gold, making patches of solid gold on the floor. The blond male had promised her he'd be there within five minutes of four thirty, for they had to get to the old theater and set up for the show. He was, after all, her puppeteer and she was merely a special doll. She held a purse in her hands with a gift for her love; it was their five month anniversary. Not only had the wizard given her the pocket watch to give to the most important person in her life, he'd given her another thing to give to that same person. It was a pendant on a black chain, and on the pendant was an opal in the shape of a heart, being 'held' up by tiny silver strings. It was meant for men or women of all ages and styles. Soon, Robyn grew the slightest bit impatient. It had been twenty minutes of waiting, and a cloud covered the liquid sunshine that filled the halls. She leaned on the wall with a gentle sigh, hoping Raelic would arrive soon and rescue her from her boredom of waiting for what felt like an eternity.

"Rae... Please, I beg, come soon..." She whispered in her light voice, shutting her robin's egg eyes and waiting for his telltale steps down the hall. Suddenly, there came an insistent knocking on the glass of the window beside the marionette. The cloud on passed by, its gloomy shadow vanishing, the gold coming unstopped and flowing through like a shining torrent; it also silhouetted a figure, marked male by its build, who stood upon the sill as though it was completely natural. Well, perhaps not completely natural: he was hanging on with what looked to be a white knuckle grip. Raelic knocked urgently on the window once again, though it didn't seem like the thick was allowing any sound to penetrate into the corridor within. He pounded on the pane with the flat of his palm- and to his amazement it swung inwards. He had always thought all the windows swung outwards. Stepping calmly back on to safe ground (for which he was vastly grateful for) the blonde gave his girlfriend a sheepish grin. His girlfriend jumped with a squeak when she heard the window beside her open up, backing up a few steps. Her eyes had flown open as a reaction, the sea of blue wide and shocked as she looked him over.

"I'm... I'm so sorry. They were cleaning the corridor, and they wouldn't let me through. So I... uh..." the boy indicated the open window with a thumb, "I climbed." After listening to Raelic's voice, Robyn immediately calmed down and let off one of her smiles. "It's alright, if I had known it was time for them to clean around here, I would've waited in a different spot. So, hello." She walked toward him in small, balanced steps and curtseyed, lifting her long dress off the floor slightly. "Happy anniversary." She said simply, eyes that were so wide just moments before closing lightly. The boy's gleaming green eyes flew open wide, and he pulled the girl immediately into a tight embrace, that she might not notice his shamefully vermilion cheeks. He had totally forgotten. How was it that Robyn remembered every single month, but he never failed to forget? "A-Ah... Thanks. You too! But... Don't you think that perhaps we should just stick to one anniversary a year? Because, you know, well, anniversaries are meant to... annual..." He tailed off nervously, wondering if he had managed to cover for himself. Though what he said was true; whilst he thought that celebrating their relationship was a nice thing to do, having a monthly anniversary was overdoing it maybe just a little. "Ah, sorry... I just get excited I guess. I do tend to do things such as that, over exaggerating..." She glanced to the hem of her long dress, blinking her eyes slowly. "My fault." She murmured as another cloud passed in front of the brilliant sun, dimming the halls and making their surroundings temporarily cool. All other dorms had their air conditioners on full blast except her teams', for she couldn't feel the temperature around her and her teammates enjoyed the heat... Most of the time. As soon as the temperature crossed her mind, she could hear the cooling device being turned on from inside the door beside her. She gave a gentle sigh, looking up to her boyfriend. Releasing his girlfriend and holding her at arm's length, he offered a wan smile. "Shall... shall we go?" He asked, looking down to the beautiful living marionette he was proud to call his girlfriend. "Give me a moment." She turned and went back into the dorm, putting her bag down. No need to give him the necklace if it was too much monthly, right? Raelic blinked, watching as the marionette girl went back into her dorm. He wondered what she had had in that bag of hers that she no longer needed it. Perhaps some form of extra makeup? He found girls to be like that. Anyway, the blonde had decided not to dwell on it too much, by the time Robyn had excited back into the corridor. If it concerned him, he would be told. He had found that was easier, too; on the whole, if you just didn't question anything, you could keep your life peaceful. Well, as peaceful as a Hunter's life could be. Robyn came back out after fixing her chestnut hair, and then went back to him. "Now we can go."

"Right." He agreed, a soft smile forming itself to his lips as he gazed at the blue eyed girl that he had become so inseparably attached to these past months. She was undeniably beautiful, with hair like soft velvet, and features so clean and delicate they could have been crafted. Which, of course, they had. Sometimes the boy found himself wishing the girl was human. But he always changed his mind in seconds; he loved Robyn for everything, and that meant he would love her whether she was human, doll, or anything else. That in mind, he gently offered his hand, properly ready to leave now. And funny he'd think about the fact she wasn't human, for she constantly thought about it. She had considered, time and time again, going back to the wizard and having him make her human. Of course, if she did that, a few things would obviously happen. One, she wouldn't be able to be a ball joint doll again. Two, she wouldn't be able to do one of their favorite activities: shows. Three, she wouldn't be immortal. As soon as she ran through the reasons and the word 'show' popped up, her head snapped up to him and his warm hand extended to her. A soft smile spread on her lips, her mechanical hand reaching up to clasp his, wanting to have something to fill the emptiness that was present when he was gone.

Happily, the blonde grasped his girlfriend's hand, giving it a soft squeeze- though, of course, all he felt was hard, cool wood. That, however, didn't make him feel unhappy- that was the Robyn he knew, and the one he loved, so it was okay. Obviously, it had been a little strange to start off with but, to that at least, the boy was suitably open minded, and he had become used to it in a surprisingly short amount of time. Shifting his grip slightly, Raelic intertwined his fingers with those of the doll, pulling them quite close as they walked. Robyn smiled softly and walked close to his side, wood on human flesh. Yet again, her mind wandered to the thought of being human and what that could mean for them, finally being the same species. She was too timid and shy to bring it up in conversation, even though they were as close as they were and they had agreed to keep no secrets. So she looked to the ground, a smile still on her perfect lips on her perfect face on her 'perfect' body. Her mind became nearly immersed in that thought, not paying attention to either where she was going nor if he was speaking, which would convey her as a bad girlfriend and listener. But everyone's minds wander at times, right?

Raelic knew his girlfriend had begun to daydream, because she immediately began to drift off to one side, walking as though she intended to pull him straight into the corridor wall. He corrected their path, keeping to the middle by gently pulling her in the other direction so that they were walking properly- though it no doubt looked as though they were having a difference in directional choices; one wall or the other. He knew to keep his silence, as he would simply look as though he was trying to strike up conversation with a mute to passers by; the girl was about as likely to hear him as pigs were to be found making bacon sandwiches on Mars. Which was pretty unlikely. So, instead of trying to speak to her, the blonde simply walked with her, enjoying her company, which still provided for him deep run happiness, for all its wordlessness. The marionette soon snapped out of it, realizing she was being rude to the one she loved. "I-I am so sorry..." She murmured, kicking her slip-on shoes to the floor. "I got lost in a complicated thought that should not even be in my mind." She said as quietly as a mouse, looking up to him with her big eyes. She squeezed his hand softly, knowing how fragile human skin was and not knowing the strength of her grips. So instead of trying to say anything more, she kissed his cheek gently, knowing she'd be blushing if she was human... She slapped herself internally. 'Stop it, Robyn! Be happy!' She yelled at herself in her head, letting out a sigh.

The Hunter in training gazed down at his girlfriend, worry plain in his orbs. His brow furrowed slightly as he listened to her, weighing up what she had said, and wondering what she had been thinking about to make her look and act so incredibly worried. Her delicate features were crinkled into genuine nervousness. By now, they were out in Beacon's vast grounds, but there Raelic stopped. He turned to the marionette, looking het dead in the eye, a stern but obviously concerned expression upon his face. Robyn looked up to him with startled eyes, blinking for a few minutes.

"You understand that if there's anything wrong, anything at all, no matter how stupid or worrisome you think it is, you can tell me. Right?" For a moment, the boy stared down at her, gnawing indecisively on his lower lip. Her huge blue were as entrancing as usual, and he briefly forgot what he was meant to be thinking about staring into them.

"Yes, I understand... Here isn't the best place for a discussion such as what is on my mind. Let us get to the show, I will tell you after." She said slowly, not moving until he let her go... But she didn't want him to let her go. 'Never ever let me go,' she thought. He pulled the beautiful living marionette into a tight hug. "Alright," he agreed uncomfortably, releasing the girl after almost a full minute (and still being reluctant to do so). "Let's get there quickly, then. There are a lot of people, and I think we'd both hate to disappoint them." This time, when he began walking, instead of holding her hand, the blonde wrapped a protective arm around Robyn, as though to keep such thoughts away- though of course they were in her mind.

When he was watching her, she could almost feel his eyes looking through her wooden skull into her 'mind' and reading such thoughts she had. But of course, she knew humans did not possess that power, though they could freakishly correctly guess what someone else was thinking. If she was human, her blush would deepen till her whole face was pink. She looked up to him, slowly smiling and resting her head on his chest. She wanted to be able to feel his warmth, to blush, to have her hair grow, to put on makeup, to get married, to have his children, to be a human so bad it almost overtook her for that minute. When he walked off with her, an arm around her shoulder, she gave a tiny sigh of happiness and watched his, assumingly soft, face with her eyes that couldn't possibly convey emotions. She loved him unconditionally, and she knew that she always would love him even if they separated. 'Which of course,' she thought, 'will never happen.' They walked and walked till they reached the theater, him hooking her up to the strings and waiting for the show to begin.

As he sat patiently high above the stage, Raelic felt the familiar nervous apprehension that shivered throughout his entire body at the start of every performance. They had done it so many times now that by this point that feeling was an old friend, and the blonde welcomed it gratefully. It helped him focus, and the more focused he was, the less likely he was to make an embarrassing mistake. As he watched the audience slowly beginning to fill up the dozens of rows, from the extremely early to the 'fashionably' late, the boy wondered what his girlfriend had been so worried about earlier on. He took a glance down at her, suspended a little way below, just to make sure no one had tried to get up on the stage. On more than one occasion, they had gotten people trying to touch her, and even once a man who decide to try and cut her strings. They had... dealt with him. However, he put these thoughts out of his mind for the time being, completely focused, and took up the strings to begin the performance even before the allocated time, so eager was he to start. Normally, Robyn would be thinking about how the show would go and what routine they'd do and where they'd go afterwards and remembering past shows. But today, her mind kept a blank state, almost as if she was truly lifeless and just a doll as she should've been. Machine X was the most retarded machine for dolls, messing them up and giving them odd abilities, even making some living... Like her. Of course she had been the only living doll from that batch, making her about one hundred times as special. There were a hundred to a batch, and the odds of a living doll were one in a hundred thousand, since all characteristics were considered when making dolls from Machine X. Anyhow, she considered herself incredibly lucky as the show began.

Hours later, everyone cleared out of the theaters and all the floors had been cleaned of popcorn, spilt drinks, and other candies. It was time for her to be brought down. Raelic swiftly went to where the ball joint doll was still suspended on her strings. His cerulean eyes searched her face, studying her soft expression with a tender love. She always looked so peaceful when she was up there, whether awake or not, that sometimes he was tempted to leave her up there just a little longer; to let her be where she loved to be a while more. But she wouldn't appreciate that, he knew, and so reaching up, he gently took her by the waist to catch her when she fell, and detached the connections and bindings that held her in place. The wooden maiden came down gradually into his embrace, and for more than a minute he simply stood there, hugging her to him. Robyn had kept her eyes closed, a smile playing on her face as she was held up by strings. She nearly forgot about her earlier worries, she really did, when his arm came around her waist and she slipped towards him. Her toes barely touched the ground when he held her up at first, just further proving how short she was (even though she wasn't that short. She was about 5'4"). "It was a great show." The student Hunter whispered to the girl softly, as he released her from his arms. They were all good; as though the bond the pair shared did no less than improve even the quality of the performances they did together. "It was." She whispered back to his ear, moving her arms to hug his neck with her eyes still shut. She knew that, because of what they shared and how often they did shows, the different elements of the routines flowed incredibly smoothly with no hesitations or mistakes. If he was about to make a wrong move, she could correct it by doing the right one. She continued smiling up at him, opening her eyes slowly to meet his.

Gods, but he did love this girl. The soft smile on her face, the way her blue eyes sparkled like sunlight on clear sapphire water, the lingering sensation of her touch on his skin- they were all wonders to the boy, each and every time they occurred. If he had to choose between her and the world, she would tell him to choose the world. But if, by some horrible mishap, that ever did happen, the blonde wasn't sure that he would be able to. It was a perfect moment; one of those times when the whole world just seemed to pause for you, so that for just a short while, two people could be together with one another in perfect harmony, with not a rustle to interrupt it. Raelic wished he could stay like this, just for a moment more, but knew that if he did, then he would never ask. He had to ruin the moment. She loved the shine of his hair: light always hit it perfectly; and his eyes were always something she looked forward to each and every day they were together. She loved how he would pick her up, carry her on occasion, and just hold her tightly like there was no tomorrow. They lived like every day was their last when they were in each other's presence: asking questions, listening to answers, hugging, kissing, cuddling, going on walks, doing shows, doing everything they could to strengthen their bond. However, she still wished to feel his warmth and age with him and be all he could ever want from her... She still wished to be a human and she still slapped herself internally when she had thoughts like that.

"Robyn..." Raelic murmured, his voice soft and reluctant. "What... What was it that was bothering you, earlier on?"

"Rae..." Robyn sighed lightly, looking to the hem of her long-skirted dress, keeping her arms round his neck while she debated telling him. Why should it even be a debate for her? They promised to tell each other all secrets. "Well... I keep thinking about how I'm a doll and you're a human, how I'll never be able to age with you or be everything you want of me... I keep thinking, 'what if I ask the wizard to make me human?' He did say he could do that..."

Slowly, ever so slowly, the morning sun coming up over the mountains and casting its first golden fingers down throughout the kingdoms, a smile broke out onto Raelic's face. It was somehow sad, yet somehow happy, as though some alchemist gaff spilled the contents of two completely opposite potions, and they had mingled together to make pain and love and happiness and sadness and everything in between, all in a little puddle on a workbench. She hadn't realized how late it was, how long the show had lasted and how long they decided to wait to take her down from the strings where she had always appeared to be peaceful. She loved watching sunrises whenever she got the chance, the colors were the part that stuck out the most to her, in all their glittering and changing glory as they cast extremely long shadows across houses and streets, trees and grass, mountains and valleys. "Stupid." He told her, his soft tones laced with love that was completely in contrast with the words they formed. "You... You can be so stupid sometimes. You can be everything I want of you. You ARE everything I want of you. I don't care if you can't age. I don't care if your skin isn't soft, if you're body isn't warm. I love you, and you doesn't just mean your body. Please understand that, and please, don't linger on that question. You'll only make yourself miserable. I think, if you're going to do something, then do it. Don't ponder it, don't think about the consequences. If you want to do it and you don't, then it'll just eat you from the inside. But I want you to know that whatever you choose, I don't mind, and I love you no matter what."

As she listened to his voice, she felt like she could cry if she was able to, and she could just imagine it: her robin's egg eyes filling with the clear, ever so slightly salty-tasting (and of course, she didn't know this for a fact, as she got it out of a book) liquid, then those things called tears gently spilling down each cheek. So instead, she shook lightly and kept her eyes locked on his, then hugging him tightly and hiding her face in his shoulder. "Thank you... Really, thank you. But you see, if I do this, there will be no more shows and I will never be able to be a doll again. I want to know what you'd prefer, or what you would choose if in this situation." The blonde boy sighed, and then was silent for a long while. He gazed up, watching the sun, and it almost appeared that he had forgotten the question completely, or had no intention of replying. She had learned how to wait, so she was patient with waiting for whatever he had to say. It would seem like an art to someone less skilled, like she truly wasn't real and she was just a doll. Which... She kinda was just a doll. She just was somehow the lucky one, or 'lucky' one. Every time she thought of how 'lucky' she was, she asked herself, 'how lucky am I? Am I lucky at all? Do I deserve this life?' She always teetered between the answers of yes and no, always a different reason to consider each time she thought of it. When finally he did deem to reply, each word he spoke was measured, thought out, his voice slow and careful. "If... it was me..." he murmured softly, stopping another moment to consider whilst he gnawed on his lip. "I think that I would leave everything just the way it is. That way, the option is always there. If the need really arises, then you know you can go and become human. But whilst it's not a necessity... You can enjoy being a doll, enjoy doing shows and all the things you couldn't do if you changed." Raelic looked down at the marionette, his slight height advantage quite noticeable. "Think of it this way. If there's a time for everything, and you are definitely going to have to do it at some point, and you can only do it once, then wait until that time, enjoy what you can do now whilst you can, and then enjoy what comes after when you can no longer do the things you do now. Uh... That was less confusing in my head."

"Well, if you say it that way, it does seem like a good option, but you may be years older than me by the time I need to change. Then it would be a bit awkward, don't you think? You'd've grown more, become more mature, probably become a hunter... And I'll just be stuck with my height and age and maturity, even though I do consider myself pretty mature, and I seriously doubt I could make it to being a huntress." Robyn spoke lightly, not looking up to his eyes. "Then we find a way to deal with. We'll get round it. We get round everything. And anyway, I'm almost certain you'll be able to become a Huntress. If you don't, you can always try again: it isn't as though they'll know how old you are." The blonde cracked a slight grin at his own vain attempt to bring a little light into the situation. "It doesn't matter to me how big the age gap is between us. That should be what matters to you, and it isn't something I think you should worry about either. The only thing awkward is other people's opinions, and other people's opinions don't matter so long as you know what you're doing is the right thing. I can't say I do know; I can't claim to be able to see what will happen. Perhaps there isn't a right or wrong thing to do. No one would know. But you can't live out your entire life worrying about consequences, Robyn. You can't plan for anything, it isn't possible. Sometimes you just have to make choice, without thinking about what might happen next, and have faith that what you chose was right."

~To Be Continued~