Theme: Introduction

Coming from a higher social standing, Ib was taught that a good first impression was key in making acquaintances. Slouching made one seem weak. Untidy hair was a sign of a disoriented person. Introductions were fundamental. So on that one spring day, when she and her family decided to visit the art gallery, she made sure to be well-groomed and ready. If someone asked her what her name was, she'd reply, "My name is Ib, pleased to meet you." If one were to question how old she was, she'd respond with, "I am nine years old and currently in third grade."

What she wasn't expecting was to be trapped in another dimension with demonic paintings chasing after her.

Of course, she was as relieved as one could be when she ran into the lavender haired man. He was a good 10 years older than she was and seemed half-dead when she first approached him. Even if her mother told her countless times not to talk to strangers, she was sure her mother didn't consider inanimate objects coming to life and chasing her. Concluding that he was breathing, she took the key that was in his hand and set out to find something that may wake him up. Maybe a cup of coffee would do?

Determined to find a kitchen, she slipped the key in one of her front pockets and clutched onto the rose tightly, perplexed with its sharp thorns that failed to give her the slightest cut. She still didn't understand why she had picked this up. It wasn't much use, but it was something pretty. At times like these, pointless yet pretty items could come in handy afterall.

She stopped a trail of blue petals that led around a corner. She picked them up and studied them, something slick covered their surface. Was that… slobber? Her eyes widened in alarm as she threw the petal down in disgust. With slight resentment, she decided to follow the trail, which stopped at the front of a door. Trying the knob, the door wouldn't open. An idea struck her as she fished out the key from her pocket. Could it possibly…? She heard a silent click that confirmed her thoughts. Smirking to herself, she swung the door open expecting to find a kitchen of some sort.

She was horribly wrong.

The eyes of the Lady in Blue immediately landed on her and the demon woman dropped what she was holding in her hands. She lunged towards her as Ib slammed the door shut and held the door knob, knowing well that the monster couldn't open doors. She gave a small sigh of relief before the window of the room crashed, letting the beast loose. The woman/painting/monster/something(?) turned her head and spotted the small girl frantically opening the door and stumbling into the small study again. She flung it behind her and prayed that the woman couldn't come back in, or this would be a very long chase. Prayers answered, she finally gave her heart a rest and inspected the area where the painting was before, busy with something in its hands.

There in the middle of debris from the broken window was a stalk of an almost petal-less blue rose. Her eyebrows furrowed together, creating a crease in her forehead. Why would something like this be here? There were blue petals scattered around the room. She picked up the gently, mindful of its remaining petals, and placed it into her pocket. Another rose to add to her collection.

Deciding she was sick of hiding, she peeked out the door to see the painting busy playing with something in the far off corner. Taking a deep breath, the small girl sprinted out of the room and towards the door at the end of the hall. Behind the door promised safety and reassurance. She heard the painting let out a screech as it too started to dash after her, but she did not dare to turn back. How could a painting with no feet move so quickly?

Passing the door and slamming it behind her, she slid to the floor and took deep gulps of air, trying to catch her breath. While doing so, something in the middle of the room caught her eye. Why hadn't she noticed the vase earlier? She got up on her feet once more and stumbled towards the vase, analyzing it. She grabbed her two roses, red and blue, and placed them inside the vase. She was flabbergasted at how quickly they grew new petals. Once they stopped growing, she took them out and placed them once more into her pocket. She made a mental note. Vase = flowers become prettier = good.

She continued her way back to where the man would be. A bit sorry for not getting him coffee, she trudged back to hear a groan.

"…"

She bent down and stared at him. He continued to groan and she noticed that a couple strands of his hair were a darker purple. How peculiar. He slowly opened his eyes and squinted at her, still not fully awake.

"Mister, are you alright?" His eyes widened as he quickly got up and stumbled backwards.

"AHH. I don't have anything else! Please don't hurt me!" He yelled as he cowered in fear. Ib cocked her head to one side, clearly puzzled. The man peeked from behind his arms as he started to grasp the situation. A sheepish expression climbed onto his face as he lowered his arms. "Oh, are you a person from the art gallery as well?" Ib nodded, immediately straightening her back and fixing her hair.

"Yes! My name is Ib and I am nine years old. I am in 3rd grade." She recited perfectly, content that she got to use her practiced line at least once that day. The man chuckled and Ib felt her ears get warmer.

"Well then, nice to meet you, Ib. My name is Garry." Ib took note of his appearance. His coat seemed a bit worn out and his hair was far from tidy. His back was slouched but maybe it was just because he was tired. His introduction was mediocre and a bit too relaxed. He wasn't too informed on his manners, she thought.

And yet, throughout the time they spent together, when he grabbed her hand and immediately ran away when they spotted a monster, she didn't particularly dislike him.

He was a very kind gentleman, in fact, even if a bit lacking on his fundamentals. His outer appearance was a bit drab, but he still knew how to treat others with class. He kept a straight face and kept on going, even if he was a complete coward. He treated Ib like a young lady and was very considerate of her feelings.

He went against everything Ib was taught, yet, why did she feel so safe with him?

She could only smile when she thought that.

I guess that's just something I'll find out a bit later!

Thank y'all for reading! It's my first Ib based story so I still need to get a tighter grasp on the characters. I know Ib really isn't a prissy kind of girl and she's actually very humble and sweet. I have no idea why I wrote her like this, but this is fanfiction, I can do whatever I want, right? :D -hit-

Anyway, I'll try to get them more into character next time /o/ This writing was a bit of a whim thing since I wanted to avoid doing prep work. Yes, I am a good student.

I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Comments and constructive criticism are highly appreciated~ Thank you once again! Please come visit my blog, I also post things there as well!

- xSunni (sleepyinsomniac blog*com)