Count Bluemiere Bleck had never intended to become a parent. It had snuck up on him. Well, perhaps that was not entirely true. He had thought about it, but in the way everyone thinks about it. As if it was a far off possibility, an attainable dream. A dream that was shattered after the death of his fiancé.
Despite his intentions, though, it seemed he was destined to be a father.
It had all started out innocently enough. He had been walking through town with Nastasia, headed to a meeting or something along those lines, when he heard sniffling sounds coming out of an alley. Turning around, he saw a young girl stuffed inside a cardboard box, quietly crying her eyes out.
He approached the girl softly, ignoring his secretary's protests. "Excuse Count Bleck, but are you alright miss?"
The girl's head snapped up, fear evident in her dark brown eyes. Her blonde hair was filthy, and her dress was in tatters. It was evident she had been without shelter for a good long while now.
The Count kneeled down next to her, making sure to sweep his cloak out of the way. Nastasia hated having to go to the tailor's.
"Are you alright miss?" He asked.
Slowly, the small girl shook her head. "M-my sisters are all gone. I tried dancing like they do, but I couldn't do it. Nobody would toss m-me even a penny. I thought I could be okay on m-my own, I promised I would be! But I-I just can't!"
She burst into tears again, these much louder. Bluemiere felt his heart melt. There was no way he could just leave her here. He beckoned to Nastasia.
"Cancel all of Count Bleck's appointments for the rest of the day." He told her.
Nastasia didn't say anything, which was probably some form of protest, but he heard her pencil scratching, which was all he really needed.
Focusing back on the young girl, he decided then and there that he would do anything he could to make sure she was alright.
"What is your name, little one?" He asked.
She raised her head again. "M-Mimi. M-my sisters called m-me m-Mimi."
He smiled in a way that he hoped was reassuring. "Well, Mimi. Why don't you come with Count Bleck? We can get you cleaned up and give you some food to eat. How does that sound?"
The girl blinked at him several times before leaping into his arms. Her tears continued flowing, but now he was a bit less sure what emotion they were communicating.
He scooped the small girl into his arms and started back for his mansion.
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"What do you mean it is not that easy?" Bluemeire shouted into the receiver. "Just give the paperwork to Count Bleck!"
"I'm sorry sir," The woman on the other end apologized. "But there are some reasons why I can't do that."
"And what are those?" the Count growled.
"Well for starters it's against the law." The woman told him, sounding rather non-plussed.
Bluemeire dragged his hand down his face. "Of course it is."
He had been trying for days to get his hands on some adoption papers. He had taken initially tried to take Mimi to the nearby orphanage, but the seven year old had flat out refused to leave him. Not only that, but one look at the condition the small building was in and the Count himself refused to leave her there.
So now, here he was, trying to get the paper work to adopt a child he scarcely knew. It was ridiculous, really. Nastasia had already told him he wasn't thinking this through, and she was right. However, something deep inside him absolutely refused to let this poor girl go on suffering. And if that meant she would have to be taken in under his wing and live under his roof, so be it.
"There is one possibility, though." Bluemeire straitened. "You could become one of our listed foster parents. After we go about this properly, I can give you the paperwork and you can adopt her. Assuming, of course, that you are capable-"
"Yes, yes. Count Bleck is more than capable of such things." He mused on the idea for a while. "Exactly how does one become a foster parent?"
Not a lot to say here, but this chapter is actually probably my least favorite of the four introductory chapters. I wanted to give Mimi some backstory, but also show how much of a softie Bleck really is. Not sure if I really did a good job on that. The other chapters will be a lot longer, promise.
((In case it isn't clear, Mimi and her sisters were street dancers. Her sisters didn't leave her, though. They...um... I killed them off. -_-; ))
Also, I'm pretty sure this is not how the adoption system works, so don't quote me on any of this.