Post by Dollface on Jul 2, 2014 12:35:46 GMT -5
Strolling through the expansive garden with the dapper gentleman at her side, Kelli's wide green eyes reflect a childlike joy and wonder at her surroundings. As she crouches down to investigate a patch of buttercups (each one with several petals of Grade A USDA sweet cream butter), she's oblivious to Nathan's watchful gaze.
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Of course I am. I'm in... well, I'm not sure where we are, but I do know that everything is made of candy!" Kelli smiles brightly up at Nathan, taking his offered hand and rising to continue their walk. "Plus, I'm here with you." She grins across to her companion, cheeks coloring a delicate pink.
"Nathan?"
"Yes, Kelli?"
"Why - why are you so sad?" She gets the words out in a rush, biting her lip and glancing at him worriedly, waiting for his reaction. He blinks in confusion, taking in the colorful surroundings and sweet scented breeze, neither comparing to his regard for the woman at his side. "Sad" just didn't figure into it.
"I'm sorry, dove, but sad? I don't feel sad at all. What on earth would give you that idea?"
A dull flush rises in her cheeks as she struggles to articulate a vague feeling of unease into words. "I'm strange, and maybe a bit childlike, but I'm not stupid. There's... something heavy in you. Behind your eyes, like an ancient sadness." Her pretty face falls into a frown as she stares at her feet. "I'm sorry, nevermind. I shouldn't have asked, it was probably rude of me. I'm not used to this whole ultra-manners thing."
Nathan tips her head up with a gentle finger under her chin, a soft expression on his face. "You're doing just fine. I've told you, Kelli... I'm old. Far older than anyone thinks. The longer you live, the longer you experience things, both good and bad..." His words trail off as he retreats into his own mind for a moment, but only a moment. Shaking himself free of his thoughts, he smiles encouragingly at her. "But enough of this talk! I have something very special to show you."
Kelli allows the subject to be dropped, curiosity getting the better of her pensive contemplation of Nathan's past. "Special? We're in a world made of CANDY. I just saw a tree that had fruit-shaped yellow candy falling from it!"
Nathan deftly links his arm with hers, leading her down the path towards a quiet burbling noise. "Ah, yes, the lemondrops. They do grow on trees, or didn't you know that?"
"See?! This is what I mean. We're in this amazing place, and - wait, is that a RIVER?" Kelli's eyes widen as they approach the wide body of... water? "Why's it so brown?" She pauses as the sweet, rich, familiar scent reaches her. "No WAY. This - is this CHOCOLATE?"
"Indeed it is. Shall we, my dear?"
Nathan offers his hand to help her aboard, but she just smiles and takes a few steps back. Kelli crouches down before taking a few running strides and lunging forward, Nathan watching appreciatively as she boards the boat in a single leap of impressive but not particularly ladylike athleticism. She turns to find him suddenly standing behind her in the boat
"Thank you for bringing me here, Nathan. I want to learn more about your world - your worlds? And I want to learn more about you." Kelli grins up at him, shrugging her shoulders as the candy vessel begins to float downstream. "I don't understand everything about you yet, but I think you're freaky, and I like you a lot."
"I do not know nor care where Kelli has spent her time over the last couple of days, but I need you to speak with her. In a matter of hours, Kelli will be again teaming up with Nathan Saniti against the combined forces of Andy D. and the newcomer Derek Cosmos."
"It's professional wrestling, not a war. 'Combined forces' is a bit melodramatic, don't you think?"
Iska glares at the towering form of Mark Harris, the security guard seeming to take no notice of her severe expression.
"Andy D. is a storied member of Pure Class Wrestling. Former World Champion, former North American Champion, even former Genesis Champion. The fact that he appears to be languishing in some ambiguous non-position in the company is irrelevant. He has faced and defeated former Champions that Kelli has never faced, let alone beaten herself. There are those who may feel he is just a vague constant in the company's history, but I refuse to underestimate his potential as a threat to Kelli's momentum."
"Iska, Kelli HAS no momentum right now. This is the second tag match she's been put into in almost as many weeks, and she isn't a tag team competitor. It's clear that her former distractions and struggle to regain her focus have been an uphill battle. Her elimination from the Icemann Invitational can't be helping matters, either - especially being as she almost WON the last one."
Iska frowns, rubbing at her forehead. "That is not the point. She HAS momentum, they love her there. I do not know why, but they do. On to her other opponent, Derek Cosmos. I know next to nothing about him, only that I cannot tell if he aims to help or hinder Andy D. We can only hope he intends to sabotage his partner, it may very well give Kelli the edge she will need to come out of this without another tally in her loss bracket."
"Iska -"
"No, Harris. She came into that company and rocketed up through the ranks like a shooting star, apt enough considering her chosen stage name. I refuse to believe she has reached the end of her run."
"Shooting stars burn out when they run out of fuel. Maybe her association with Nathan will help give her that sparkle and fire back?"
"NO. In fact, I need you to talk to her about him. She will not listen to me, thinking it only petty envy, but she will listen to you."
Sighing, Mark rubs at the back of his neck with one large hand. He'd spent entirely too long at this job to not care about his employer(s?), but sometimes he'd just as soon walk and save himself the headache.
"Alright, Iska. What is it you want me to say?"
"I need you to remind her not to get too close to her partner."
"That's her business, not yours."
"It IS my business, everything she DOES is my business because it can impact OUR business - or did you forget how it is you get your paychecks?" Ignoring the clench of his jaw, she continues her tirade. "I WILL not have her consorting openly with that - that ABERRATION. There is something distinctly unnatural about the man."
"What do you suggest I say to her?"
"Remind her of Q. How she grew to care for him and depend on him, and how he left her like all the rest. He was the first to truly see her, truly begin to heal her - and she meant nothing to him. She must remember that she is ultimately alone." The icy blue of Iska's eyes deepen towards a flat, glazed grey, a disconnected look crossing her face. "All we have is each other. No one else can be trusted, no one else can be allowed in." She blinks, looking over to Harris. "I apologize, Mark, what were you saying?"
"You... nothing, Ms. Staronova. I'll finish those security reports up for you and have them on your desk tomorrow as promised."
"Thank you, Harris. You may go."
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Of course I am. I'm in... well, I'm not sure where we are, but I do know that everything is made of candy!" Kelli smiles brightly up at Nathan, taking his offered hand and rising to continue their walk. "Plus, I'm here with you." She grins across to her companion, cheeks coloring a delicate pink.
"Nathan?"
"Yes, Kelli?"
"Why - why are you so sad?" She gets the words out in a rush, biting her lip and glancing at him worriedly, waiting for his reaction. He blinks in confusion, taking in the colorful surroundings and sweet scented breeze, neither comparing to his regard for the woman at his side. "Sad" just didn't figure into it.
"I'm sorry, dove, but sad? I don't feel sad at all. What on earth would give you that idea?"
A dull flush rises in her cheeks as she struggles to articulate a vague feeling of unease into words. "I'm strange, and maybe a bit childlike, but I'm not stupid. There's... something heavy in you. Behind your eyes, like an ancient sadness." Her pretty face falls into a frown as she stares at her feet. "I'm sorry, nevermind. I shouldn't have asked, it was probably rude of me. I'm not used to this whole ultra-manners thing."
Nathan tips her head up with a gentle finger under her chin, a soft expression on his face. "You're doing just fine. I've told you, Kelli... I'm old. Far older than anyone thinks. The longer you live, the longer you experience things, both good and bad..." His words trail off as he retreats into his own mind for a moment, but only a moment. Shaking himself free of his thoughts, he smiles encouragingly at her. "But enough of this talk! I have something very special to show you."
Kelli allows the subject to be dropped, curiosity getting the better of her pensive contemplation of Nathan's past. "Special? We're in a world made of CANDY. I just saw a tree that had fruit-shaped yellow candy falling from it!"
Nathan deftly links his arm with hers, leading her down the path towards a quiet burbling noise. "Ah, yes, the lemondrops. They do grow on trees, or didn't you know that?"
"See?! This is what I mean. We're in this amazing place, and - wait, is that a RIVER?" Kelli's eyes widen as they approach the wide body of... water? "Why's it so brown?" She pauses as the sweet, rich, familiar scent reaches her. "No WAY. This - is this CHOCOLATE?"
"Indeed it is. Shall we, my dear?"
Nathan offers his hand to help her aboard, but she just smiles and takes a few steps back. Kelli crouches down before taking a few running strides and lunging forward, Nathan watching appreciatively as she boards the boat in a single leap of impressive but not particularly ladylike athleticism. She turns to find him suddenly standing behind her in the boat
"Thank you for bringing me here, Nathan. I want to learn more about your world - your worlds? And I want to learn more about you." Kelli grins up at him, shrugging her shoulders as the candy vessel begins to float downstream. "I don't understand everything about you yet, but I think you're freaky, and I like you a lot."
*~*~*~*~*~*
"I do not know nor care where Kelli has spent her time over the last couple of days, but I need you to speak with her. In a matter of hours, Kelli will be again teaming up with Nathan Saniti against the combined forces of Andy D. and the newcomer Derek Cosmos."
"It's professional wrestling, not a war. 'Combined forces' is a bit melodramatic, don't you think?"
Iska glares at the towering form of Mark Harris, the security guard seeming to take no notice of her severe expression.
"Andy D. is a storied member of Pure Class Wrestling. Former World Champion, former North American Champion, even former Genesis Champion. The fact that he appears to be languishing in some ambiguous non-position in the company is irrelevant. He has faced and defeated former Champions that Kelli has never faced, let alone beaten herself. There are those who may feel he is just a vague constant in the company's history, but I refuse to underestimate his potential as a threat to Kelli's momentum."
"Iska, Kelli HAS no momentum right now. This is the second tag match she's been put into in almost as many weeks, and she isn't a tag team competitor. It's clear that her former distractions and struggle to regain her focus have been an uphill battle. Her elimination from the Icemann Invitational can't be helping matters, either - especially being as she almost WON the last one."
Iska frowns, rubbing at her forehead. "That is not the point. She HAS momentum, they love her there. I do not know why, but they do. On to her other opponent, Derek Cosmos. I know next to nothing about him, only that I cannot tell if he aims to help or hinder Andy D. We can only hope he intends to sabotage his partner, it may very well give Kelli the edge she will need to come out of this without another tally in her loss bracket."
"Iska -"
"No, Harris. She came into that company and rocketed up through the ranks like a shooting star, apt enough considering her chosen stage name. I refuse to believe she has reached the end of her run."
"Shooting stars burn out when they run out of fuel. Maybe her association with Nathan will help give her that sparkle and fire back?"
"NO. In fact, I need you to talk to her about him. She will not listen to me, thinking it only petty envy, but she will listen to you."
Sighing, Mark rubs at the back of his neck with one large hand. He'd spent entirely too long at this job to not care about his employer(s?), but sometimes he'd just as soon walk and save himself the headache.
"Alright, Iska. What is it you want me to say?"
"I need you to remind her not to get too close to her partner."
"That's her business, not yours."
"It IS my business, everything she DOES is my business because it can impact OUR business - or did you forget how it is you get your paychecks?" Ignoring the clench of his jaw, she continues her tirade. "I WILL not have her consorting openly with that - that ABERRATION. There is something distinctly unnatural about the man."
"What do you suggest I say to her?"
"Remind her of Q. How she grew to care for him and depend on him, and how he left her like all the rest. He was the first to truly see her, truly begin to heal her - and she meant nothing to him. She must remember that she is ultimately alone." The icy blue of Iska's eyes deepen towards a flat, glazed grey, a disconnected look crossing her face. "All we have is each other. No one else can be trusted, no one else can be allowed in." She blinks, looking over to Harris. "I apologize, Mark, what were you saying?"
"You... nothing, Ms. Staronova. I'll finish those security reports up for you and have them on your desk tomorrow as promised."
"Thank you, Harris. You may go."
[Character Nathan Saniti used with handler permission.]