TFS psl master post /o/

[death_glare]

Set within the world of thefarshore, William's daughter from his mortal life, Abigail, has suddenly arrived. Assigned as Grell's new shinki, the 4 year old girl has no recollection of her former life, her passing, or her father.

This will serve as the master post for all threads related to this plot.

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[death_glare]

[ Almost immediately, William's head lifts to look back to Grell. ]

What?

[ Maybe he misheard. His mind just morphing whatever Grell had actually said into what he wanted to hear. Or... or perhaps it was merely a coincidence. But that familiar pitch to the girl's voice is now unmistakable to him. ]

[untodeath]

[ Grell perks, with a tilt to her head. She doesn't understand the reaction, not one bit. ]

Her name is Abigail, William.

[ Hearing her name twice now, the girl whimpers, pulling the blankets tighter against herself-- although, she's also curious enough that she'll raise the blankets to take a peek at them both. Abigail thinks she's being stealthy about it, but when she meets Grell's gaze, she realizes that isn't the case! With a gasp, she pulls a pillow over her head to hide herself further!! ]

[death_glare]

[ That reaction - it's something she'd do whenever she'd been frightened. Of a stranger, or a bad dream, or a loud clap of thunder. Though sad, it's endearing in an odd way. It has the corner of William's mouth twitching upwards, ever so slightly. ]

Abigail.

[ He finally finds his voice and reaches out to slowly lift up the pillow. ]

You don't need to be afraid. Nothing here is going to hurt you.

[untodeath]

[ That fraction of a smile nearly has Grell going white.

Meanwhile, those little eyes, widened and wet, are staring up at William - but, however weary she may be, Abigail seems to have listened. Her whimpers have quieted to sniffles, and she's resolved to wipe away at her tears with balled hands. With a tired frown, she extends her arms to him! ]

[death_glare]

[ Finally seeing his little girl's face, and seeing her trust him almost immediately...It's taking every ounce of his willpower not to lose himself to tears the way she'd been moments before. That would hardly be reassuring to her.

Ever so gently, William lifts Abigail up into his lap, where she quickly wraps her tiny arms around his shoulders as far as they will go. As she buries her damp face against his chest, he places a kiss atop her head. ]

I won't allow anything to hurt you. And neither will Grell.

[untodeath]

[ With the mention of that name, his daughter hesitantly pulls away just enough to glance the redhead's way. It's wordlessly questioning the validity of that statement, and Grell can somehow sense that.

It may be the only thing that snaps her to, even. Seeing William act this way with a child has left her head spinning! She's somewhere between fantasy and horrific jealousy, completely incapable of comprehension.

With a breath, she-- smiles. Not a grin, but the softest, most normal smile she can manage. It's entirely awkward, but she's trying. ]

That's right, darling. [ She attempts to step closer, but falters when the girl flinches. ] You-- you know, I might seem frightening, but that's... so I scare away monsters and things, so they'll never get you!

[death_glare]

[ Still unsure, Abigail wordlessly looks to William. ]

Yes, he is very good at sneaking off and causing distractions.

[ He could have been more colourful with his wording but he won't do so where his daughter can hear. ]

[untodeath]

She.

[ Grell has never once corrected William on this particular issue, and never had she thought that she would - but, she's never been responsible for a child before, either. This is a relationship that will require many things of her that she's unaccustomed to; patience, guidance, and establishing respect.

At the very least, she's always wanted to be a mother, so this would be the opportunity to prove to herself that she could! ]

I'm going to take care of you, little one, I promise.

[ With a breath, she stands herself up tall to approach the bedside, and settle herself down beside the two of them. When Abigail doesn't pull away to hide this time, it brightens her smile, the redhead meeting William's eyes with delight! ]

[death_glare]

Sorry, I misspoke.

[ Likewise, this is the first time William's willingly given Grell that respect. Or even simply used her first name on its own. But if he's going to trust Grell to care for his daughter, especially when he's not able to be there himself, respect is something that will need to go along side that.

With Abigail now calm and seemingly okay with Grell being beside them, he shifts her on his lap so she's closer to the redhead. ]

I am sure Grell would like to hold you, if you are okay with that.

[ In truth, aside from wanting her to feel comfortable around Grell, William is finding it harder to keep himself calm. If he can just step out into the hallway for a few moments and pull himself together, perhaps they could explain some things about this world to the young girl. Grell would have to name her, after all.

Abigail seems to think about it for a moment before giving a quiet and shy 'okay'. ]

[untodeath]

[ The apology comes with a lopsided smile. Grell hadn't taken notice to the use of her name, at first, but once he's said this much, it dawns upon her; a realization that makes her heart flutter, although she tells herself that it's superficial, for the child. Even so--... Oh, again, she's torn!

The child's agreement will do well to pull her away from her thoughts, however; again, she's grinning, albeit unintentionally, as she offers her hands to Abigail. It makes the girl grip onto William's sleeves with a gasp!! ]

Oh-- no, Abigail, it's okay!! [ Grell's expression slacks with fret, her upturned brows pressed together and hands tensing, terrified that the girl might start crying again! But, to her surprise, Abigail manages to overcome her fears and raise her arms to be taken.

With something of a sob of joy, the redhead wastes no time in scooping her up! ]

[death_glare]

[ Relieved at Abigail's compliance, William places her into Grell's lap, making sure the redhead is holding her the way she should be, as it's fairly obvious Grell has no experience with this. ]

I'm going to use the restroom. I will be back shortly, so don't worry.

[ As he stands to leave, he gives the girl a reassuring pat on the head. The small, disappointed whimper she responds with breaks that stoic demeanor of his for the slightest moment and he adjusts his glasses to distract himself.

Although Grell's bedroom has that elaborate bathroom attached to it, William instead moves to exit the room entirely, making sure to close the door behind him. And it's only a moment before he has to remove his frames to avoid getting them smudged and wet with the stream of tears that run down his face. ]

[untodeath]

[ Although she will allow William to guide her in proper holding, Grell nearly immediately wraps her arms around the girl to settle a cheek atop her head. It leaves Abigail looking up to her father with some amount of dread in her eyes. ]

--Oh? Yes, surely.

[ But when she catches sight of the other going the opposite direction, she'll watch after him as it goes, her elevated mood giving way to concern.

Shoulders slumping with a quiet sigh, her gaze returns to Abigail. Forcing a softer smile, she affectionately brushes her fingertips along the child's fringe to right it. ]

Alright, beautiful, why don't we talk about things that make you happy? If I'm to give you a proper name, it should be something you like, hm?

[death_glare]

Noooo!

[ Just as Grell spends a great deal of time on her own hair, Abigail apparently likes hers a certain way, too. Because right after Grell shifts her brunette bangs, she's pressing both of her tiny hands to her forehead to muss it up again.

Though, the sudden questions, and maybe being called beautiful, gets her to look back up at Grell with wider and more comfortable eyes than before. ]

But my name's Abigail! [ Why would she need a new name when she likes hers just fine! ] And I like birdies cause they can fly! And they eat gross things like bread. And then I don't have to eat it.

[ She sticks her tongue out, because obviously Grell needs to fully understand just how gross bread crust is. ]

[untodeath]

[ Grell must draw a breath because GOOD LORD THIS CHILD IS CUTE.

Grinning with utter delight and amusement altogether, she breathes a soft laugh at Abigail's antics. ]

That is a very good reason to like birds, I think! They're adorable, besides - just like you.

[ She taps a finger to the tiny girl's nose. ]

And don't worry, my darling, Abigail is a fine name, and you shan't lose it! What I'm speaking of is a secret nickname that only you and I will use. That sounds fun, doesn't it?

[death_glare]

[ There's a short giggle at being booped on the nose. Maybe that other guy was right and this person really isn't that scary at all. ]

Kinda...

[ Which, along with the shy smile she's giving, actually translates to 'Yes!' ]

Do you get a secret one too?

[untodeath]

[ Receiving a smile has Grell sitting up just a bit taller! She's certainly proud of herself for it. ]

You can give me one, too, if you'd like. Certainly.

[death_glare]

What about...um...

[ She has to think a moment cause they only really introduced themselves to her once. ]

...the other person? Is it secret from him too?

[untodeath]

Only if you want it to be.

[ There's certainly endearment in Grell's eyes, at that. It seems obvious to her that Abigail has taken to "the other person" quite well already! Good taste, she thinks. ]

William is a good man, though. I trust him, and you can, too.

[death_glare]

He's nice.

[ She suddenly gets a mischevious look in her eyes and hushes her voice just in case William could hear them. ]

Can we give him one and not tell him?

[untodeath]

Oh.

[ Grell pulls her in a little more securely, having leaned in to listen to her whispers - and now, she snickers! With a devious streak like that, perhaps they'll get along! ]

Now, that's a fantastic idea. What would you like to call him? [ Because all the names she has in mind aren't appropriate for a little girl to repeat. ]

[death_glare]

Um...

[ She hums to herself. Not knowing too much about either of them yet has her a bit stumped. Doesn't help that all she's seen of William so far is that uncharacteristically gentle side. And obviously, this has to be a really good name that they can giggle about together. ]

I dunno yet.

[ Which she sounds a bit disappointed at. But she'll definitely come up with something good for both of them! ]

You tell me mine first.

[untodeath]

[ With an airy chuckle, Grell reassuring rubs at the girl's back. Softly, she shushes her. ]

It's alright, little one. I'll gladly think of yours.

[ With a tilt of the head, she hums. Abigail adores birds - and so does William, which she also seems to like. If memory serves her right, the man particularly has a fondness for one breed, in particular. One she'd recently heard a Japanese lullaby about! That had reminded her of him, at the time, but certainly would suit this darling little angel, even more... ]

I think I know. Hatoki.

[death_glare]

[ Despite suddenly being able to understand Japanese, being so young still has the little four year old unsure of many words. She looks up to Grell with wide and curious eyes. ]

Ha-to-ki? [ She attempts to repeat it as best she can. ] What's that mean?

[untodeath]

Hato means pigeon! Ki, because you're my little spirit!

[ Leaning forward to rest her forehead atop the little girl's, Grell peers over her glasses and into the girl's eyes. There's an undeniable familiarity to them-- is it because they've been drawn to one another? ]

If you like it, I'll make it yours.

[death_glare]

[ Though obviously not the classic reaper yellow-green color, her blue eyes share a similarity to her fathers. But, perhaps her excitement over the mention of pigeons makes it a bit hard to tell. She giggles, clapping her hands together before suddenly latching them around Grell's neck and hugging her tightly. ]

I wanna be a pigeon!