NaNoWriMo: "Dolly" Day 2 2388 Words
Title: Dolly
Author: spaceprincess18
Genre: Fantasy/Scifi
Rating: PG15-ish?
Warnings: Possible adult themes and violence in future sections. Nothing graphic.
After everything was tidied and the dishes were done, the two women made their way to the living room area. They sat together on the large overstuffed suede couch that looked well loved. Dolly nervously ran her hand over a worn spot in the suede as Kaida picked up a remote and turned on a large stereo in the corner of the room. Soft flute music filled the room, reinforcing the calm atmosphere.
“Where are we, anyway?” Dolly asked, suddenly curious as to where the little safe haven was located. Kaida grinned and walked over to the large window that was covered by deep red curtains. She pulled the curtains back to reveal a foggy city skyline. The studio must have been fairly far up in the building, because they were looking down over many of the buildings surrounding it.
“Welcome to Shanghai.” Kaida whispered as Dolly approached the window in awe. It was probably about 8PM and the city was dark, but it was alive. People moved hurriedly along the streets, trying to get from here to there. Occasionally, there would be people moving more leisurely, pointing to the tall buildings and taking photos. A night market could be seen bustling with activity on one of the streets below.
“What am I doing here?” Dolly asked in surprise and awe, “I may not remember much, but I’m pretty sure this is not where you found me.”
“No, you were not found here,” Kaida confirmed, “But this is a safe place, and that’s where you needed to be.”
“Where did you find me?” Dolly asked, meekly
“We found you in a very rural mountain area in the US,” Kaida explained gently, “You had been attacked, by what we don’t know, but it was brutal. It’s amazing that you survived.”
“Earlier you said it looked like a werewolf attacked me, and now you say something, not someone. Do you really believe some fairytale creature attacked me? Those things don’t really exist, do they?” Dolly was beginning to question the sanity of her rescuer.
“As far as the fairytale creatures, I will let Asthore explain that to you,” Kaida began, “But I will warn you, everything you have come to know as the truth will be changed quite abruptly over the next few days. Prepare yourself.”
Dolly could only stare at Kaida in shock. It seemed as if a thousand questions had suddenly popped into her head, but she had no idea where to start.
“It’s best if you save all of your questions for Asthore,” Kaida said, before Dolly could begin and interrogation, “He is much more versed in all of… this.”
“What are you trying so hard to not tell me?” Dolly accused.
“Something that is better told by someone with more patience than me.” Kaida responded, trying to not sound short with the confused girl. “Now, you probably aren’t tired, but we both need our rest before Asthore arrives, you know where the bed is. Help yourself to some books; I am going to rest here on the couch.”
“I understand.” said Dolly, suddenly afraid to speak any further, “Goodnight, Kaida.”
“Goodnight, child.” Kaida replied, sounding tired as she curled up into a ball on the couch, “Please keep an open mind tomorrow, you are going to need it now more than ever.”
With that, Kaida’s eyes closed and Dolly stepped past the screen to find a book and rest.
___
Dolly had eventually fallen asleep. It wasn’t particularly restful, though. She kept dreaming of a hazel eyed man crying. She didn’t know who he was, or why he was crying, but something told her this man was important to her.
When Dolly awoke, she was sure it had to be late morning due to the slight change in the lighting of the studio. She could hear a male voice speaking in a soft tone. Unsure, Dolly slipped quietly from the bed and crept up to the screen.
“You foolish woman,” The man, whom Dolly recognized from the voice on the phone to be Asthore, scolded softly, “You wont do anyone any favors by scaring them away looking like this.”
Dolly was stunned when the only reply to the statement was a loud huff. Asthore had to be talking to Kaida and although Dolly didn’t know Kaida all that well, she knew that Kaida would not take such an insult with silence. Curious, Dolly peeked around the screen to look at the back of the couch.
There was really no explanation for what Dolly was seeing. On the couch was a tall man with chin-length reddish-brown hair that was styled very deliberately in messy layers. His head was turned to his left side, so Dolly could see that his features were smooth and rounded like someone of Asian descent. It wasn’t Asthore who had Dolly stunned though. At Asthore’s left side was something that Dolly could only describe as a beast. It was the size of a very large dog, but it was very lizard-like in its appearance. It was onyx black and the scales that covered its body shimmered when they caught the light. The creature’s icy blue eyes stood out alarmingly against the black scales. The creature and Asthore were locked in what seemed to be a stare-down competition. Dolly watched with baited breath. It was Asthore who gave in first.
“I’m sorry,” Asthore muttered before leaning over to press a light kiss to the creature’s snout, “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen. It’s just a very inconvenient timing. We can’t afford to wait until you have the strength to turn to normal, and how in the world am I going to be able to convincingly transport a dragon?”
The creature -dragon- gave a snort and released what looked to be smoke through its nostrils.
“You are coming with us. I will not allow any arguments,” Asthore said with authority, “I don’t care how safe your safe haven is, your body is too tired to stay human, much less defend its self.”
The dragon gave another snort and began to leave the couch. Dolly took this opportunity to step from behind the screen. As Dolly walked forward, the beast rounded the couch and met her straight on.
“I must be in shock,” Dolly said, sounding euphoric and catching Asthore’s attention, “I should be terrified, right now.”
“There’s no reason to be afraid,” Asthore replied as he stood and faced Dolly, “She’s only slightly more dangerous like this, but she likes you so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Dolly turned back to the dragon, who was now sitting in front of her. She examined the beast, marveling over its smooth, shiny scales. It had a set of large membrane covered wings folded up to its back. The thing that stood out the most, though, was its eyes. That familiar blue with an overwhelming amount of intelligence behind them spoke to Dolly.
“Wait…” Doll said, not believing what she was seeing and stepping closer to the dragon, “Kaida?”
The dragon gave a huff through its nose and something like a nod before standing back up and moving into the kitchen. Its claws scraped gently against the hardwood floor as it moved. Asthore followed the creature form of Kaida into the kitchen area, and Dolly was not long after. In the kitchen Asthore was pulling items out of the fridge, compiling what looked to be ingredients for omelettes. Kaida pulled her large frame up onto a chair by the table. Dolly sat gingerly across the table from Kaida. She watched Asthore as he moved around the kitchen. He was familiar with the space, moving as if he had spent quite a few hours in that very kitchen. Dolly turned her attention to the creature across from her. Kaida was looking directly at her, obviously trying to decide if Dolly was going to freak out.
“What is going on here!?” Dolly cried, suddenly no longer able to take the silence. Kaida let out a little huff of surprise. “This isn’t possible! Tell me I’m still dreaming!”
“I wish you were still sleeping,” Asthore replied, still working on breakfast, undeterred, “It’s way too soon to be introducing you to this mess.”
“I just…” Dolly was speechless for a moment, “I wake up in a strange place, I don’t know my name, I can’t remember the last few years of my life and I’m missing huge chunks of time before that, and now I’m facing a…Dragon? That I’m supposed to believe is the woman who was caring for me yesterday.”
“I know, child,” Asthore began, still cooking, “I’m not sure how you got into this situation, but you are going to have a very fast lesson in everything you’ve been led to believe to be just fairytales.”
Dolly stared at Asthore’s back as he finished preparing the meal, unable to speak. Kaida rested her scaly head on the table and closed her eyes while Asthore plated everyone’s food and brought it to the table like he’d been serving for decades. Kaida sniffed delicately at the omelet, but kept her eyes closed for the time being. Asthore gestured for Dolly to begin eating as he began to cut into his own omelet. Dolly cut off a piece and bit into it. She was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. It was very simple, just eggs and cheese, but it was well cooked and comforting.
“So, what kind of fairytale creature are you?” Dolly finally asked as the meal began to dwindle down to the last few bites.
Asthore gave a laugh before replying.
“Let’s just stick with dragons for now.” He began, “We’ll get to me another time.”
“I guess…”Dolly accepted with a frown.
“As you can see, dragons are all their cracked up to be in the fairytales,” Asthore began, earning a low growl from the still half-asleep Kaida, “Don’t get me wrong, they are very, very powerful creatures. They’re just a little smaller than legend would have you believe.
“Dragons come in many different shapes and colors, like the one’s that decorate the rooms around us. Each dragon has its own set of skills and abilities that grow as they age. Kaida, here is very unique in her ability to keep human form. She is also one of the oldest living dragons on Earth.
“Most dragons are very solitary creatures, hiding deep in caves and only coming out when absolutely necessary. Accounts of their existence and their behavior are greatly exaggerated simply because they are so very rarely seen.
“Like our dear Kaida, most dragons are actually a very kind and helpful lot. Stories of dragons wreaking havoc amongst villages are completely fabricated. Believe me, if a dragon ever got incensed enough to attack a village, nobody would survive to pass on a warning.”
At this, Kaida let out another smoke-filled snort. Deliberately, Kaida reached a claw over to poke Asthore in the side. Laughing, Asthore caught the scaled limb in his had and pressed a kiss to the back of the hand-like appendage. Kaida shook his hand off and sat back up.
“How did you meet Kaida?” Dolly asked, feeling comforted slightly by the signs of affection between the two.
“She saved my hide a long time ago.” Asthore explained, “It’s a long story, but I was so grateful that I pledged eternal service to her afterwards. Of course, she didn’t want anything to do with me once it was all said and done, but I stuck around anyway. It wasn’t too long before she quit slamming the door in my face.”
“Is that true, Kaida?” Dolly jokingly asked the woman in dragon form. Kaida looked up from where she was licking the remainder of her breakfast from the plate and gave a nod of her head.
“Since then, we have built a very unique relationship,” Asthore continued, “I have certain talents that can help her, and she can help me in return. We’ve become very close over the last century or so.”
Dolly found that she was only slightly surprised about the word century when it was spoken. Something about the untold amounts of history that seemed to linger behind both Asthore and Kaida’s eyes made centuries of lifetime very believable.
“Speaking of helping each other,” Asthore addressed Kaida, “Let me take over your wards so that you have enough strength to change form.”
“Wards?” Dolly asked her attention on Asthore.
“Yes,” Kaida’s voice startled Dolly, “Like I said last night, I’m not sure what exactly is going on here, so I’m taking every precaution to keep you safe.”
Kaida was once again in human form, sitting at the table as if this was something that happened daily.
“Good, your reserves weren’t too low,” Asthore said with a relieved sigh, “I will help you replenish a bit more, and then we must be leaving.”
“No,” Kaida said “I feel it would be much wiser to stay here until tomorrow.”
“You’ve seen something?” Asthore asked, suddenly concerned.
“No, it’s just a feeling,” Kaida answered, “Besides, I think it would be in our best interest to make sure our new friend has as much knowledge as she can handle before we start introducing her to more ‘unreality’,”
Asthore seemed to contemplate Kaida’s request quite seriously for a moment before nodding in agreement.
“We will stay here until tomorrow afternoon,” Asthore acquiesced, “But if we are to keep the wards at this strength until tomorrow, I fear we will be rather weak when it comes time to leave.”
“Dolce lives nearby, he will help us.” Kaida said with assurance. Asthore frowned.
“Are you sure you want to involve that crazy family?” He asked.
“Nothing better than a little crazy in a situation like this, right?” Kaida asked with a cheeky grin. Asthore gave a little shrug, recognizing that he would not be changing Kaida’s mind any time soon.
“Now,” Asthore addressed Dolly, “Shall we move back to the living room and makes ourselves comfortable for story time?”
“That sounds great!” Dolly exclaimed, standing quickly and gathering plates.
“We’ll save washing for later,” Kaida told the younger girl, “Just put everything in the sink.”
Dolly nodded and finished clearing the table before taking the dishes to the sink and joining Asthore and Kaida in the living room.
NEXT
Author: spaceprincess18
Genre: Fantasy/Scifi
Rating: PG15-ish?
Warnings: Possible adult themes and violence in future sections. Nothing graphic.
After everything was tidied and the dishes were done, the two women made their way to the living room area. They sat together on the large overstuffed suede couch that looked well loved. Dolly nervously ran her hand over a worn spot in the suede as Kaida picked up a remote and turned on a large stereo in the corner of the room. Soft flute music filled the room, reinforcing the calm atmosphere.
“Where are we, anyway?” Dolly asked, suddenly curious as to where the little safe haven was located. Kaida grinned and walked over to the large window that was covered by deep red curtains. She pulled the curtains back to reveal a foggy city skyline. The studio must have been fairly far up in the building, because they were looking down over many of the buildings surrounding it.
“Welcome to Shanghai.” Kaida whispered as Dolly approached the window in awe. It was probably about 8PM and the city was dark, but it was alive. People moved hurriedly along the streets, trying to get from here to there. Occasionally, there would be people moving more leisurely, pointing to the tall buildings and taking photos. A night market could be seen bustling with activity on one of the streets below.
“What am I doing here?” Dolly asked in surprise and awe, “I may not remember much, but I’m pretty sure this is not where you found me.”
“No, you were not found here,” Kaida confirmed, “But this is a safe place, and that’s where you needed to be.”
“Where did you find me?” Dolly asked, meekly
“We found you in a very rural mountain area in the US,” Kaida explained gently, “You had been attacked, by what we don’t know, but it was brutal. It’s amazing that you survived.”
“Earlier you said it looked like a werewolf attacked me, and now you say something, not someone. Do you really believe some fairytale creature attacked me? Those things don’t really exist, do they?” Dolly was beginning to question the sanity of her rescuer.
“As far as the fairytale creatures, I will let Asthore explain that to you,” Kaida began, “But I will warn you, everything you have come to know as the truth will be changed quite abruptly over the next few days. Prepare yourself.”
Dolly could only stare at Kaida in shock. It seemed as if a thousand questions had suddenly popped into her head, but she had no idea where to start.
“It’s best if you save all of your questions for Asthore,” Kaida said, before Dolly could begin and interrogation, “He is much more versed in all of… this.”
“What are you trying so hard to not tell me?” Dolly accused.
“Something that is better told by someone with more patience than me.” Kaida responded, trying to not sound short with the confused girl. “Now, you probably aren’t tired, but we both need our rest before Asthore arrives, you know where the bed is. Help yourself to some books; I am going to rest here on the couch.”
“I understand.” said Dolly, suddenly afraid to speak any further, “Goodnight, Kaida.”
“Goodnight, child.” Kaida replied, sounding tired as she curled up into a ball on the couch, “Please keep an open mind tomorrow, you are going to need it now more than ever.”
With that, Kaida’s eyes closed and Dolly stepped past the screen to find a book and rest.
___
Dolly had eventually fallen asleep. It wasn’t particularly restful, though. She kept dreaming of a hazel eyed man crying. She didn’t know who he was, or why he was crying, but something told her this man was important to her.
When Dolly awoke, she was sure it had to be late morning due to the slight change in the lighting of the studio. She could hear a male voice speaking in a soft tone. Unsure, Dolly slipped quietly from the bed and crept up to the screen.
“You foolish woman,” The man, whom Dolly recognized from the voice on the phone to be Asthore, scolded softly, “You wont do anyone any favors by scaring them away looking like this.”
Dolly was stunned when the only reply to the statement was a loud huff. Asthore had to be talking to Kaida and although Dolly didn’t know Kaida all that well, she knew that Kaida would not take such an insult with silence. Curious, Dolly peeked around the screen to look at the back of the couch.
There was really no explanation for what Dolly was seeing. On the couch was a tall man with chin-length reddish-brown hair that was styled very deliberately in messy layers. His head was turned to his left side, so Dolly could see that his features were smooth and rounded like someone of Asian descent. It wasn’t Asthore who had Dolly stunned though. At Asthore’s left side was something that Dolly could only describe as a beast. It was the size of a very large dog, but it was very lizard-like in its appearance. It was onyx black and the scales that covered its body shimmered when they caught the light. The creature’s icy blue eyes stood out alarmingly against the black scales. The creature and Asthore were locked in what seemed to be a stare-down competition. Dolly watched with baited breath. It was Asthore who gave in first.
“I’m sorry,” Asthore muttered before leaning over to press a light kiss to the creature’s snout, “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen. It’s just a very inconvenient timing. We can’t afford to wait until you have the strength to turn to normal, and how in the world am I going to be able to convincingly transport a dragon?”
The creature -dragon- gave a snort and released what looked to be smoke through its nostrils.
“You are coming with us. I will not allow any arguments,” Asthore said with authority, “I don’t care how safe your safe haven is, your body is too tired to stay human, much less defend its self.”
The dragon gave another snort and began to leave the couch. Dolly took this opportunity to step from behind the screen. As Dolly walked forward, the beast rounded the couch and met her straight on.
“I must be in shock,” Dolly said, sounding euphoric and catching Asthore’s attention, “I should be terrified, right now.”
“There’s no reason to be afraid,” Asthore replied as he stood and faced Dolly, “She’s only slightly more dangerous like this, but she likes you so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Dolly turned back to the dragon, who was now sitting in front of her. She examined the beast, marveling over its smooth, shiny scales. It had a set of large membrane covered wings folded up to its back. The thing that stood out the most, though, was its eyes. That familiar blue with an overwhelming amount of intelligence behind them spoke to Dolly.
“Wait…” Doll said, not believing what she was seeing and stepping closer to the dragon, “Kaida?”
The dragon gave a huff through its nose and something like a nod before standing back up and moving into the kitchen. Its claws scraped gently against the hardwood floor as it moved. Asthore followed the creature form of Kaida into the kitchen area, and Dolly was not long after. In the kitchen Asthore was pulling items out of the fridge, compiling what looked to be ingredients for omelettes. Kaida pulled her large frame up onto a chair by the table. Dolly sat gingerly across the table from Kaida. She watched Asthore as he moved around the kitchen. He was familiar with the space, moving as if he had spent quite a few hours in that very kitchen. Dolly turned her attention to the creature across from her. Kaida was looking directly at her, obviously trying to decide if Dolly was going to freak out.
“What is going on here!?” Dolly cried, suddenly no longer able to take the silence. Kaida let out a little huff of surprise. “This isn’t possible! Tell me I’m still dreaming!”
“I wish you were still sleeping,” Asthore replied, still working on breakfast, undeterred, “It’s way too soon to be introducing you to this mess.”
“I just…” Dolly was speechless for a moment, “I wake up in a strange place, I don’t know my name, I can’t remember the last few years of my life and I’m missing huge chunks of time before that, and now I’m facing a…Dragon? That I’m supposed to believe is the woman who was caring for me yesterday.”
“I know, child,” Asthore began, still cooking, “I’m not sure how you got into this situation, but you are going to have a very fast lesson in everything you’ve been led to believe to be just fairytales.”
Dolly stared at Asthore’s back as he finished preparing the meal, unable to speak. Kaida rested her scaly head on the table and closed her eyes while Asthore plated everyone’s food and brought it to the table like he’d been serving for decades. Kaida sniffed delicately at the omelet, but kept her eyes closed for the time being. Asthore gestured for Dolly to begin eating as he began to cut into his own omelet. Dolly cut off a piece and bit into it. She was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. It was very simple, just eggs and cheese, but it was well cooked and comforting.
“So, what kind of fairytale creature are you?” Dolly finally asked as the meal began to dwindle down to the last few bites.
Asthore gave a laugh before replying.
“Let’s just stick with dragons for now.” He began, “We’ll get to me another time.”
“I guess…”Dolly accepted with a frown.
“As you can see, dragons are all their cracked up to be in the fairytales,” Asthore began, earning a low growl from the still half-asleep Kaida, “Don’t get me wrong, they are very, very powerful creatures. They’re just a little smaller than legend would have you believe.
“Dragons come in many different shapes and colors, like the one’s that decorate the rooms around us. Each dragon has its own set of skills and abilities that grow as they age. Kaida, here is very unique in her ability to keep human form. She is also one of the oldest living dragons on Earth.
“Most dragons are very solitary creatures, hiding deep in caves and only coming out when absolutely necessary. Accounts of their existence and their behavior are greatly exaggerated simply because they are so very rarely seen.
“Like our dear Kaida, most dragons are actually a very kind and helpful lot. Stories of dragons wreaking havoc amongst villages are completely fabricated. Believe me, if a dragon ever got incensed enough to attack a village, nobody would survive to pass on a warning.”
At this, Kaida let out another smoke-filled snort. Deliberately, Kaida reached a claw over to poke Asthore in the side. Laughing, Asthore caught the scaled limb in his had and pressed a kiss to the back of the hand-like appendage. Kaida shook his hand off and sat back up.
“How did you meet Kaida?” Dolly asked, feeling comforted slightly by the signs of affection between the two.
“She saved my hide a long time ago.” Asthore explained, “It’s a long story, but I was so grateful that I pledged eternal service to her afterwards. Of course, she didn’t want anything to do with me once it was all said and done, but I stuck around anyway. It wasn’t too long before she quit slamming the door in my face.”
“Is that true, Kaida?” Dolly jokingly asked the woman in dragon form. Kaida looked up from where she was licking the remainder of her breakfast from the plate and gave a nod of her head.
“Since then, we have built a very unique relationship,” Asthore continued, “I have certain talents that can help her, and she can help me in return. We’ve become very close over the last century or so.”
Dolly found that she was only slightly surprised about the word century when it was spoken. Something about the untold amounts of history that seemed to linger behind both Asthore and Kaida’s eyes made centuries of lifetime very believable.
“Speaking of helping each other,” Asthore addressed Kaida, “Let me take over your wards so that you have enough strength to change form.”
“Wards?” Dolly asked her attention on Asthore.
“Yes,” Kaida’s voice startled Dolly, “Like I said last night, I’m not sure what exactly is going on here, so I’m taking every precaution to keep you safe.”
Kaida was once again in human form, sitting at the table as if this was something that happened daily.
“Good, your reserves weren’t too low,” Asthore said with a relieved sigh, “I will help you replenish a bit more, and then we must be leaving.”
“No,” Kaida said “I feel it would be much wiser to stay here until tomorrow.”
“You’ve seen something?” Asthore asked, suddenly concerned.
“No, it’s just a feeling,” Kaida answered, “Besides, I think it would be in our best interest to make sure our new friend has as much knowledge as she can handle before we start introducing her to more ‘unreality’,”
Asthore seemed to contemplate Kaida’s request quite seriously for a moment before nodding in agreement.
“We will stay here until tomorrow afternoon,” Asthore acquiesced, “But if we are to keep the wards at this strength until tomorrow, I fear we will be rather weak when it comes time to leave.”
“Dolce lives nearby, he will help us.” Kaida said with assurance. Asthore frowned.
“Are you sure you want to involve that crazy family?” He asked.
“Nothing better than a little crazy in a situation like this, right?” Kaida asked with a cheeky grin. Asthore gave a little shrug, recognizing that he would not be changing Kaida’s mind any time soon.
“Now,” Asthore addressed Dolly, “Shall we move back to the living room and makes ourselves comfortable for story time?”
“That sounds great!” Dolly exclaimed, standing quickly and gathering plates.
“We’ll save washing for later,” Kaida told the younger girl, “Just put everything in the sink.”
Dolly nodded and finished clearing the table before taking the dishes to the sink and joining Asthore and Kaida in the living room.
NEXT