InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "The light! She buurrrnnnsss!!"

riddick (riddickr) wrote in madisonvalley,
@ 2019-06-03 02:40:00

Entry tags:

!closed, !complete, !log, ~2019 june, ~25 points, ~~ariel (losthervoice), ~~riddick (riddickr)

Who: Riddick riddickr & Ariel losthervoice
What: Meeting a Lost Mermaid
When: Sunday, June 2, around 3 AM or very, very early morning
Where: Downtown Madison Valley
Rating: Reader Discretion is Advised
Warnings: Riddick has a tendency toward crude language, violence, and lack of social graces.
Status: Closed/Complete

~*~

Darkness was an old friend to Riddick. Madison Valley became more tolerable the darker the streets got; he was roaming from rooftop to rooftop when he noticed the girl wandering lost on the street below. She was young. His eyes were sharp enough to pick up she wasn't a child, but she definitely wasn't an adult either.

Teenager?

Riddick had never had the luxury of differentiating between stages of his life. He'd always been alone. Even as a child, Riddick had been independent because there was no one there for him to lean on or call to his side. The parents who'd come together to make him had apparently also gotten together to throw him in the trash. Literally. This girl looked as if someone had let her out of a cage after a long period of inactivity. She was staggering everywhere and he had no idea what to call the thing she was wearing.

Jumping from the roof to the fire escape then down to the alley, Riddick moved cautiously into the light of the streetlamp, hesitating on the sidewalk as he asked, "You lost? Need some help?"

No one -except possibly Ella who was known to be unstable in her world views- would ever call him a hero, but Riddick wasn't heartless either.

(Post a new comment)

losthervoice
2019-06-03 10:07 pm UTC (link)

Ariel wasn't really sure what to do or where to go. She had her things which someone new provided to her, but that person hadn't been particularly helpful. Eric was who she needed. Once she found him, everything else would be perfect and she'd be human with her voice and the love of her life and it would be great. She just had to find him.

Her optimism was waning as night fell and there were less and less people around for her to check if they were Eric. So far, no one even came close and most people wouldn't even pay her any attention! It was very rude and it put her in a bit of a bad mood as a result. Who would just ignore someone who clearly needed something? Ariel just couldn't even fathom it and as the people slowly disappeared into their homes, she was able to dwell on the fact that she was possibly in a whole lot of trouble now. Her dad was going to kill her for sure.

It was getting cold out now and her feet hurt and everything was kind of awful in the sense that she missed her family and her friends and the comforts of home. She was very, very close to tears when someone came out of the alleyway. He scared her so badly that she jumped, only to lose her balance and fall. Her legs were worn out and her feet hurt - bare as they were, walking around hadn't been particularly easy.

She just sat there and looked up at him and nodded miserably.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

riddickr
2019-06-08 04:40 am UTC (link)

"I'll help you. Can't talk, huh?"

Riddick approached her with the kind of caution one normally reserved for venomous animals, offering her a hand to help her back on her feet. They were bare and looked dirty from the sidewalks. She had stumbled hard before losing her balance. It was almost as if she weren't used to walking. There were stranger things to be unaccustomed to in the universe. Riddick filed it into his mind as a curiosity to be explored later. She was holding all the things the fucking Welcoming Committee gave to new people.

Gesturing to her arms, he asked, "Welcoming Committee? You just got here? Nodding is fine."

Words were overrated in Riddick's opinion. He'd lived in slams for months without using any and it hadn't hurt him a bit. There was a softness to the girl which made him feel strange near her. Riddick released her hand as soon as he got her back onto her feet. She would need some shoes for sure. He didn't need to ask her that to know it based on how she winced as she moved. He could take shoes or clothes or leave them himself. Riddick was more animal than man when it came to such things.

"You don't have shoes?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

losthervoice
2019-06-08 01:00 pm UTC (link)

Ariel shook her head 'no'. She used to be able to talk, could do so for hours and hours on end, but now she was without her voice and her family and pretty much everything forever. At least until she found Eric. She really, really hoped she could find Eric sooner rather than later. Time was slipping by already and she'd made that deal with the Sea Witch. She just had to kiss him before the sun set twice more.

She took his hand carefully so that she could get to her feet without dropping her things and nodded to answer his question. It was helpful that he could ask yes or no questions so that they could easily communicate. He was the only other person since the man from the fountain except this man seemed nicer. Or at least, more willing to work with her. Ariel wanted to ask what these items were, who Frank Castle was and why he was assigned to be her guardian. She wanted to ask where Eric was and why she couldn't find the castle. There were so many things about this world that even Scuttle probably hadn't ever seen before, which was fascinating and terrifying in turns.

At his question, she glanced down at her feet. Was that what those coverings were called? Shoes? Ariel made a sort of thoughtful face with pursed lips as she considered his question. After a few moments, she nodded. She didn't have shoes. Maybe she needed shoes and that would make her feet hurt less from walking around everywhere. It would be nice to sit down for a bit, maybe even lay down because she was tired. The man from the Welcoming Committee had mentioned an apartment but she didn't know where that was. The information was in the folder though so she held it out to the man. Maybe he could help her find where she needed to go for tonight.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

riddickr
2019-06-09 01:59 am UTC (link)

Speech was an irritation to Riddick, but he could see how it would be hard to live without it entirely. He had never met a mute girl before though he had known plenty of men who'd lost their tongues in some slam or other. People were always looking for ways to hurt each other. People who were trapped inside the same Hell together? Their only form of entertainment was hurting each other which meant they got pretty creative.

Taking the folder, he raised his goggles, glad she wouldn't be able to say anything about his strange eyes even if she noticed them, "Literally fresh off the boat, huh? I got your apartment number here. Guardian is a guy by the name of Frank Castle. Don't know him. He has to be a good guy though. They don't put anyone with a guardian who ain't good."

Madison Valley wanted its residents which meant they weren't nearly as tortured as they could have been. Riddick wasn't sure what the criteria were for being a guardian or having a ward. He was sure he was telling the girl the truth about Castle being a good guy. No one had ever said anything about a ward being abused by their guardian which meant it didn't happen. People talked about each other as much as they hurt each other and they loved talking about the bad things. If he hadn't heard anything bad, it was because it didn't happen or hadn't happened.

"Can you walk the distance to the apartments or you want me to carry you? Makes no difference to me. I got armor weighs more than you."

Her name was Ariel according to the papers she carried. She was sixteen and a princess. That was new for Riddick. Royals weren't something common in his era. Monarchies had all been almost eliminated throughout the galaxy. Riddick didn't think the girl looked much like a princess. Weren't royals supposed to drip gold and jewels and treat other people as if they were lower than the dirt under their feet? That couldn't all be because she had no voice, could it?

"This says you're a princess. Your name is Ariel. You don't seem much like a princess to me, Ariel. You used to giving orders? I don't get that feeling from you."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

losthervoice
2019-06-09 05:39 am UTC (link)

She thought his eyes were actually pretty cool, but she was too tired to be too in his face about it. Ariel instead smiled softly at him to show her appreciation for his reassurances. She'd really, really needed that in this moment because she felt so tired, so down and out. Even though he didn't know Frank, he still was confident that her guardian would be okay and that made her slightly less nervous to meet him. Only slightly though.

It was surprising to her that the documents said she was a princess and she to look over his shoulder to read the paper for herself. Huh. It did say she was a princess. Hopefully that wouldn't be a bad thing to anyone who came across the documents. Ariel shook her head to answer his question about orders. She never gave orders, just shirked them sometimes. She reached up to tuck some of her bright red hair behind her ear and looked up at him kind of curiously. He was nice for someone who literally had just sort of appeared out of nowhere. Certainly nicer than just about anyone she'd me so far.

He'd asked her about the apartments. While the offer to be carried certainly seemed appealing, Ariel didn't want to be more of a burden than she likely already was no matter what he said. She pointed to the address listed and then held her palm face up and used her other hand to mime walking across it with her fore and middle fingers to ask how far away the apartments were. There was hope that she could walk it, though they might have to go a little more slowly.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

riddickr
2019-06-10 02:48 am UTC (link)

"I could get used to this silent communication thing."

Riddick chuckled as he watched the girl mime walking. She had shot down the theory she was a bitchy princess who tossed out orders. There was no mistaking the innocent confusion in her eyes as she shook her head 'no' to his question. It was odd to watch someone's face without any sound to explain their changing expressions. He thought they were both lucky she had a very expressive face and he was good with details. Otherwise? They might have both wound up a lot more lost during this encounter which wouldn't have helped either of them with their nights.

Handing her the folder back, Riddick said, "It's that way to the apartments. See where this light is on the corner of the blocks? That's a streetlight and it marks a street corner. Every streetlight is one block from the street corner before it and after it. That's how they're spaced out. To get to the apartments where you're living, we'll have to pass three streetlights and a bit so nearly four blocks. It shouldn't be too much of a walk, but you look worn out."

There was no shame in admitting when one was too tired to carry on. Riddick had to rest the same as anyone else. He had higher tolerance levels for pain or exhaustion, but he wasn't some kind of immortal. Sleep was something he needed as much as any other man; Riddick had stopped fighting for his life to catch an hour of shut-eye more than once. If the girl needed him to carry her, he would do it without complaint. She was being brave about being in a strange place where she couldn't speak and no one was treating her like royalty.

"We'll go slow. If you need to stop? Tap me. Or if you want me to carry you? You can tell me that too. Everyone needs a little help now and again. No shame in that."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

losthervoice
2019-06-10 11:53 pm UTC (link)

Ariel accepted the folder back and looked where he directed. That seemed like an awfully long walk but she was game to try for at least a little while longer. She nodded to show that she understood and gamely started forward. It wasn't easy. Her feet were sore from walking so much and the sidewalks were coarse against her skin. Her poor brand new feet were certainly getting more than they should have given everything.

By the end of the first block, she'd looped her arm in his just to have something to keep her steady. It helped some to concentrate only on putting one foot in front of the other, to take it all one step at a time, but that only went so far. Ariel had to stop when she stepped on a small rock, which caused quite a dent on her heel but luckily didn't break skin. It had hurt quite a lot, to the point where tears started to gather in her eyes and her lower lip quivered.

She looked absolutely defeated as she held her arms up, asking to be carried the rest of the way. She hoped Riddick wouldn't think less of her because of it, or think she was a baby. She'd just totally hit her breaking point and it sucked a lot and there wasn't anyone else and he'd offered. Really, what she waned right now was to go home and tell her father she was sorry and that she'd never leave again because so far? The human world sucked.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

riddickr
2019-06-12 08:19 am UTC (link)

Riddick made a tsking sound as the girl seemed to crumble from exhaustion before his eyes. He bent lightly to sweep her into his arms, left arm under her knees, right arm behind her back to steady her against his chest. There was no judgement in the action for him. Riddick had walked until he couldn't before. No one had been there to carry him, but he'd wanted someone when he was young. She was too young to give up on expecting some help when she needed it.

"Don't worry. You've done your best and no one can ask for more from you. Not even yourself. You keep thinking about how you didn't give up, okay? That's the important part. You got taken. No one asked you if you wanted to be here. You knew you needed help. You asked for it. You got to where you were going. That's all what matters."

No one would blame the girl for needing some help given how she'd begun hobbling on her bare feet from the sidewalk. She was a princess according to her paperwork; Riddick knew she had to be accustomed to some level of comfort. It was possible she'd never had to walk barefoot a day in her life. He remembered the first time he'd woken up with bare feet as his shoes had been stolen while he slept. His soles had bled for a long time before they got tough enough to take the pain of carrying him all the time.

It was only after his feet were used to the punishment Riddick gave in to the desire to get shoes for himself again.

"Took me a while to get used to walking without shoes. This Frank guy will help you get some. You'll be able to walk a lot easier with something to cushion you. Guess I don't really have to tell you that, but sometimes it helps to hear it. These people here? They're good for the most part. They'll help you. Don't stop asking for help. Don't cry over it either. You want to cry about something? Cry for the ones who think there's no help for them. Those are the ones suffering and don't need to be. You're a smart one. You'll do just fine here."

Riddick paused in front of the vast apartment complex where most refugees started their lives in Madison Valley. He let Ariel get a good look before asking her permission to carry on.

"This is your new palace, princess. You ready to go in?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

losthervoice
2019-06-12 10:05 am UTC (link)

Ariel didn't even hesitate as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She didn't cry, but she certainly wanted to. His words of encouragement helped her feel less ashamed for not being able to walk the whole way to the apartments. He was right, too. She'd done an awful lot for her first day as a human and it had maybe been too much to expect that everything would turn out perfectly.

She nodded into his neck though, to let him know that she understood. There really wasn't anything else she could do since she couldn't talk. It was better to listen to him, though. He was a lot nicer than she'd initially expected and that was going to be something that stuck with her for a long time. Humans were sometimes like merfolk in the sense that they could be good or bad no matter what they looked like.

Ariel didn't look up again until he said they were at the apartment building. She took it all in and then looked at him with a small smile. If he was with her, she could definitely face whatever was inside the huge building. It definitely was as big as a palace but it didn't seem quite as nice. She was too tired to think too hard on the differences. Instead, she just rested her head back on his shoulder and watched as he carried her inside.

[ooc: wrap on yours?]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

riddickr
2019-06-14 06:51 am UTC (link)

"I'm going to take the elevator up so you can get used to the idea. It's a box which goes up and down to take you from different levels of a building. You live on level five. We push the button which says '5' and we wait for it to take us there."

Carrying pretty princesses wasn't something Riddick had ever seen himself doing, but he hadn't ever imagined he'd accept being trapped inside a civilized city either.

Madison Valley was responsible for making plenty of people plenty different from their homes. People had families with others who didn't even share a world with them. Some took jobs when they were the most wicked of criminals in their own homes. Riddick had met more than a few who confessed to changing based solely on the experiences they'd had under the dome. The life in Madison Valley was not a life any of them could have anticipated.

Riddick chuckled, "I don't usually take the elevator myself. Prefer to do my own moving. Never much trusted any kind of automated ride. I figure this is training for both of us. I got a place on the floor up from you. The number '6' button will take you to my apartment. The letter on my door is 'D.' I say it's for 'Don't Plan on Seeing Me' since I only show up to use the facilities and duck back out. I like open air. Here's hoping you like apartments."

The elevator ride was fast and they only bounced once when they reached the floor. Riddick considered it a smooth enough ride.

"Bounce is usual. We only got one. That's good. Usually you get two. One taking off and one stopping. I'm gonna put you on your feet in front of the door, okay? You just stand there with your stuff and look pretty. I'll knock for Frank Castle."

Riddick ensured Ariel was stable on her feet before pounding on the door. He gave it two rounds just to make sure Castle was heading for it and then he headed for the stairs, getting out of the place before he had to hear whether or not the lost princess had found a new prince to protect her.

[wrap!]

(Reply to this) (Parent)