The Willow Tree

Sakuda cleared her throat, keeping her emotions back. Thought she didn't say anything, she smiled gently at Lenore, her head leaning into the hand that held her face so gently. She saw Lenore's expressions pass her face, wondering what they were even doing like this. Sakuda glanced down at the baby, seeing Lenore place her blanket over it. With a low hum, Sakuda tucked the blanket around the baby, making sure it was properly wrapped before meeting eyes with Lenore. "Len takes care of the baby, right? He looked like he was attached to 'em." Saku gestured to the baby with a lift of her arms, her head looking down to the baby once more. She was silent for a few moments, her lips pressed together in thought.

Lenore tilted her head slightly as she watched Sakuda tuck the baby in. She glanced up once more, blinking slightly when Sakuda's gaze met her own. Her lips pressed into a thin line at Sakuda's question. After a moment of silence she simply stated one word, "Sometimes." She reached a hand down to caress the doll's face carefully, even more so than she had been with Sakuda's face before. "We both take care of it sometimes." She pulled her hand away suddenly and turned walking over to the mannequin that sat on the ground before sitting herself down in front of it, staring at it intently before reaching a hand out to fix its hair carefully then doing the same for the clothes that it wore. She glanced over her shoulder towards Sakuda, "How long has it been here...? It's filthy..." Her voice was soft as she turned her gaze back to the mannequin that was made by her mother in likeness of her aunt.

Sakuda smiled softly, watching Lenore act with the baby as if it was a real child. She kept the child close, making sure it was well protected before turning to watch Lenore fix the doll, seeming to try and restore it to its former glory. "Well," she hummed, thinking back, "Rosaline rid herself of all her mannequins when I started living at her place. That one I believe was left here when Rose ..." She trailed off, clearing her throat again. Her eyes glanced down, memories unfolding. "A long time," she ended up saying, staring a the mannequin. She remembered that's how they met, how they first encountered. She glanced towards the tree Len had jumped into, the same one she had rested on awhile ago. This place was like a whole déjà vu scene.

"They're in the closet...." Her voice was soft as she spoke to Sakuda, before adding "I found them...In the closet. She must have put them there so they were out of the way...The baby was there too." She reached out to brush her fingers over the mannequin's cheek before speaking once more, "In case you want to go through them...You know...For keepsake." She pulled her hand away from the mannequin and placed it into her lap as she sat silently, staring at it, her face once more moving back to the more apathetic side as she stood up slowly and turned to face Sakuda, though she didn't look at the woman. She had nothing else to say to her until a few moments later when she stated "I think...I want to fix her up." She was referring to the mannequin that represented her aunt.

"Yeah, she put them away," Sakuda recalled, nodding with thought. "Though I think I'll leave them be." Saku didnt want to disturb anything of Rose's, for she might break down in tears. Her eyes scanned over Lenore, then the doll, clicking her tongue. She missed Rose. It upsetted her just looking at the mannequin, so Sakuda turned to face the tree, her arms shifting to adjust the wooden baby a bit better. The wind was blowing now, shifting Sakuda's hair to her eyes. She huffed and pushed the locks out of the way with a single hand. "Fix her up," she repeated, eyes closing for a moment. "That sounds like a good idea." Saku sighed, her eyes opening to gaze at the sky. "A good idea."

Lenore didn't once look back to Sakuda, she simply stared at the mannequin in front of her, and after a few moments she moved herself so that she lay in its lap, curling herself up in it before grabbing at the fabric that made up its clothing. It really was similar to her mother, excluding the few features that made it distinct, and to look like her aunt, but it was still there. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against the 'stomach' of the doll, allowing her stony features to break only then since she didn't face Sakuda. She didn't cry though...She never wanted to truly cry on her own, let alone with someone else around.

Sakuda hummed slightly, not exactly having a tune but rather just making noise. She swayed the baby out of habit of taking care of a child, fingers curling around the blanket to hold the baby secure. Maybe Sakuda was loosing her mind bit by bit, but she was okay with that. A sigh exited her mouth again, eyes trained on the scenery. She didn't want to know what was going on behind her, but she heard movement. Maybe Lenore was trying to fix the doll up, but Saku didn't wanna look at it, not until she could come to terms. Instead, she walked the few steps to the tree, and sat down at the trunk, letting the wooden baby sit in her lap carefully. She didn't know why she was here, what the purpose of her being here was. Sakuda stared blankly at the ground, trying to figure out what was her purpose now that everything has happened.

Lenore moved her arms so that they wrapped tightly around the doll's waist, clinging tighter now to the fabric at the back of it. She no longer felt any concern for the wooden child, and not just because Sakuda had her, she just had no care for it at that moment, she was rather distracted with her own feelings herself. She felt it again. Sadness...and still yet, she was confused as to why she felt it. She knew emotions rather clearly, yet she couldn't understand them, or make sense of when and why they came to her. It made them sort of a nuisance to her, but it was a nuisance that she couldn't stop. She could only keep the emotions from reaching her face, giving off an air of apathy. She felt herself shake slightly as quiet sobs hit her, and then after moments she actually began to sob, quietly, but still it was there. How frustrating...and hindering.

Sakuda's mind can be broken away from deep thoughts if it's something worth tuning in to. Saku had sat there, almost mind numbingly so, thinking to herself about this place. The wooden baby was still, of course, but Sakuda held it so long she felt like it should move. She knew what this was, the growing loneliness that hit her when she received news of Rose's passing. A frown creased her features, and her lip trembled again. No, stop it, she told herself, glancing over to the mannequin to check on Lenore.

Sakuda stared, her throat tightening. From the shake of her shoulders, Sakuda could tell Lenore was showing her sadness. A strong peg of panic rose in her chest. She stood, being careful to put the baby between two strong "legs" of the stump, before quietly approaching Lenore, her body really not comprehending what she was doing. She just hated seeing Lenore upset. A few steps away, Saku paused, her eyes downcasted. Would Lenore get upset with Saku for trying?

Lenore clawed tighter at the clothing on the mannequin in front of her, trying to pull herself even closer, but the pressure from her body nearly caused the thing to tip from its sitting position, her arms being the only thing that kept it upright. The action of the mannequin caused her sobs to grow somewhat louder and more distressed when she was reminded that the thing she clung to so dearly was fake. What was wrong with her? She held to an object and cried like a small child...yet, she technically was still only a small child, wasn't she? Sure...She looked to be older, and was mentally older, but after all, she'd only been around for two years. That left plenty of inexperience for her, including this...What she found to be an irrational need to get closer and closer to something that was fake, and growing even more upset when the inanimate object acted just like that...an inanimate object.

Sakuda bit her lip, her heart breaking for Lenore. She went through a similar fit when she heard the news. With this being Rosaline's child, Saku knew Lenore was having a tougher time adjusting. She stepped a few feet over, kneeling down to be a decent height with the girl. Being slow and gentle, Saku reached over, her hand softly touching Lenore's back, rubbing circles in it to comfort her. "Lenore, cry it out. It's okay to feel this way," she murmured. Her eyesbrows rose in a furrow, realizing that Lenore was acting as if the mannequin was Rosaline. Sakuda wished she was a magician of sort, just to reanimate the doll to please Lenore. It was different with her; it always will be. For that, Saku felt miserable. Lenore didn't ask, or deserve, any of this.

Lenore flinched some when she felt a hand touch her back, and almost immediately her sobbing cut off, as if Sakuda now being so close was an off switch to her. Her grip slowly loosened up on the mannequin's clothes before finally her arms fell from around its waist to the ground. She slowly sat herself up, looking towards Sakuda, her face only holding her emotions for a split second longer before hardening up into stone. She stared at Sakuda a moment, blinking a few times before stating "I apologize...That was irrational of me." Her voice was quiet, but still it held some strength and a sense of finality to it. That's how she found her actions to be. Irrational. She didn't move away from Sakuda at all, simply sat there, looking at her.

Sakuda frowned. She thought it'd be a bad idea. With a sad smile, Saku kept her hand against Lenore's shoulder. "Jus because I'm here, doesn't meant you need to put on that mask, Lenore." Just like your mother, she thought. "I don't want you to think of me as someone you can't be personal with. If you need to cry, I want you to. Don't shut yourself up," she murmured, eyes confused as she gazed over Lenore's face, seeing the hard set and lack of emotion. "I know you don't know me that well..." But I knew your mother. There was so many things she wanted to say to Lenore, but didn't know if it'd be right in her place. So she just offered a kind smile.

Lenore nearly cracked then and burst into tears, but caught herself, simply blinking some at Sakuda's statement before making her own, "I find crying to be irrational...What good does it do?" She was speaking her thoughts to the woman she was with, it was exactly how she felt, so it wasn't entirely that she had stopped crying because Sakuda was there, but because Sakuda had brought her back to her senses and she was now looking at her personal values once more. She had nothing more to say, but again she felt herself wanting something she considered to be irrational. She moved herself a bit closer to Sakuda, slowly at first, and with a scowl, before finally moving herself so that she gently hit against one side of Sakuda, moving her face to hide in the crook of the woman's neck, though she didn't move her arms to make an action of going to hold Sakuda.

You say that, Saku thought to herself, and yet you cried because you missed Rose. Saku frowned, but didn't say anything, merely frozen and trying to understand Lenore. Her lips parted, forming an encouraging smile. "Whatever you say, Lenore. But I'll let you know that crying is good for you," she said matter-of-fact-like, shaking her head with a goofy facial expression. With a blink, Saku was watching as Lenore actually huddled to her side, make Sakuda surprised. Though she saw Lenore's scowl and smirked, the facial expression reminding her of when she and Rosaline first met. Her mother always scowled like she was now. With a movement of her arm, Sakuda wrapped her hand around some of Lenore's arm in a loose grip. She tilted her head a bit, smiling down at her. This was a quick step in a new direction, Saku told herself.

Lenore blinked slightly when Sakuda's hand loosely wrapped around her arm. It made her think slightly, back to the mannequin. Was this the contact her body had actually wanted? She seemed to be contemplating things some before she moved herself so that she could curl up in front of Sakuda, moving her arms around Sakuda's waits before pulling herself in close to hide her face away in Sakuda's stomach, much like she had with the mannequin before. Her hands found the fabric of the back of Sakuda's shirt and clung to it. She didn't sob or anything this time, just lay there, holding tightly onto Sakuda, still somewhat confused at herself.

Sakuda used the hand on Lenore's arm to pat her shoulder, trying to soothe the girl despite her emotionless face. Saku knew she must be hurting, and didn't want her to begin crying again, even though earlier she was encouraging it before. Shock turned into amazement. Saku allowed Lenore to come close to herself, arms clutching. Sakuda noticed this was the exact way she held the mannequin. With a click of her tongue, Saku was running her fingers along Lenore's hair, being light and careful as to not startle her. She was happy Lenore was trusting her this much, and couldn't help but to smile, her free hand coming behind her to support her body. She was still a child, Sakuda reminded herself, and she needed to be cared for. Sakuda didn't want to throw herself into it, seeing how Lenore had reacted before. This made Saku bite the corner of her lip, wanting to help Lenore since they had something major in common; Rosaline. Saku reached over with her hand supporting her, touching the other side of her throat where She was bitten for the bond to Rosaline. She wondered if it had broken, but didn't feel any pain with it.

Lenore made a small noise as she felt Sakuda's fingers brush against her hair, just a small "Mn..." Nothing major, neither confirming or denying Sakuda's actions, it was simply a noise. She nuzzled her face against Sakuda once before allowing her eyes to slowly fall shut. She gave a small sniffle once, but then made no other sounds. She simply remained curled up with her face hidden against Sakuda. Her fingers played with the fabric of Sakuda's shirt some as she simply listened to whatever sounds she could find, and felt Sakuda's fingers against her hair. She made no sounds herself any longer, and her breathing began to slow as she pushed herself somewhat closer to Sakuda, feeling her warmth and finding it rather enjoyable, before falling asleep, her fingers slowly slipping from Sakuda's shirt as she did, her arms gently dropping to the ground as her body and face relaxed.

Sakuda moved her other hand back to its original place, supporting her body so the two would be comfortable. With her finger running along Lenore's hair, she found herself glancing up to the mannequin, brows furrowed. Lenore and Len were right; Rosaline's sister had several traits that reminded Saku of Rosaline. She pursed her lips, cradling Lenore's head with her hand. The loosened grip on Saku's jacket told her Lenore had either fallen asleep or was resting against her. Either way, it made Saku continue to let Lenore's hair out of fondness. Looking back up to the mannequin, she gave a whimper. "I wish you were here, Rose," she confessed to the lifeless doll. "I shouldn't of been so conflicting before..." Saku sniffled, raising her hand to wipe at her eyes to keep them dry. She didn't need to be crying with Lenore like this. She just shook her head, gazing down at Lenore. "I wonder what is going to happen with you," she murmured. Would she be escorted back to the Human area? Would she be OK? Sakuda paused. Why did she care so much? Then again, this IS Sakuda.

Lenore turned her head in her sleep, it was positioned to the side now, facing upward, the side of it pressed against Sakuda, keeping it supported that way. Her face was rather peaceful, one of the only times that she could be caught with such an expression upon it. She didn't awaken when Sakuda spoke at all, and the way she slept left it pretty clear that it had been a while since she had actually slept...Actually, she was an insomniac, not sleeping most of the time, and when she did, it was during the day, throwing off the human side of her. It was odd to have two such conflicting sides placed into one body. After a few moments, her eyes slowly open slightly.

Observing Lenore felt a bit awkward considering the other was sleeping. She didn't think Lenore would be so trusting to sleep in front of Saku, but she must of really said something to prove she was going to harm Lenore. This made Sakuda feel great, since she liked it when people trusted her. "You should see us now," she muttered under her breath, noticing Lenore shifting against Saku, making the wolf pause briefly. The hand that was stroking her hair moved to Lenore's face, stroking her temple a few times before moving back to her hair. Saku blinked, pausing when Lenore opened her eyes. "Did I disturb you," she asked quietly, her hand brushing hair from Lenore's face to see her better, giving a kind smile as the younger girl awoke.

Lenore quietly stared up at Sakuda, one of her eyes was gray with a tinge of red, and the other the opposite, though they were slowly adjusting, trying to meet at a happy medium so both eyes were the same. The process was extremely slow though, as signs of sleep still rested across her features. She blinked a couple of times, seeming to be trying to pus the weariness out of her body, while she shook her head in response to Sakuda, then just like a small child would, she quickly turned her head to the side, hiding it against Sakuda again as she closed her eyes back up, giving a small "Mn..." After a few moments her eyes opened back up and she turned her head once more to look up at Sakuda, the peaceful expression remaining, then almost as if she realized her guard was down, her face slowly hardened back up, hiding away the sleep, though her eyes still hadn't reached the color they were attempting to.

With a soft laugh, Saku smiled down at Lenore, petting her hair softly in affection. With her fingers twirled around the locks, and Lenore acting the way she was, Saku felt calm, almost comforted. Though the atmosphere didn't feel as great, just having someone to get along with helped. Saku was a bit disappointed when she saw Lenore's face turn blank, almost as if she never had been tired, but Sakuda knew better. She didn't know what to say though; should she advise Lenore to get some rest at her own apartment? Saku felt bad if she did that; she'd be leaving Lenore alone. Casting a glance to the mannequin, she thought to herself, deciding what she should do.

When Lenore thought that Sakuda wasn't looking she quickly lifted a hand to rub at her still slowly changing eyes, the one having decided to give up and remain red, forcing the other to make its way to match it in color. She slowly rolled herself over so that she was on her back, looking upward, but then pushed herself closer to Sakuda once more, so that her side of her face didn't have to leave the spot that she decided was really comfortable. She indulged herself, ignoring the slight shame she felt for her new found desire for contact. She didn't say anything, simply rubbed at her face again slightly before going back to looking up at Sakuda

At the feeling of movement, Sakuda looked down, expecting to see Lenore trying to escape her grasp, but ended up grinning when she found Lenore to just be readjusting herself. Leaning over just a bit, Sakuda found herself staring at Lenore, her lips formed an 'o' in thought. "Your eyes," she murmured, perplexed by the color. Just like a Vampire. Saku smiled, her hand brushing more locks of hair from her eyes. "How pretty," she commented, staring at the ruby red orbs. Those weren't there before, but it happened to Rose often. Switching when she was hungry or sleepy. "That mannequin, and the baby," she commented, feeling like she had to ask eventually, "if you need help moving them, I'll gladly help if you need it, hmm?"

Lenore blinked slightly, seeming to be trying to sink back slightly when Sakuda leaned over some, before relaxing slightly.At the mention of her eyes, Lenore turned her head so that her face was turned away from Sakuda. She lifted her arm up to look at the bite mark that still lingered, moving her mouth so that it fit over it perfectly, allowing her teeth to puncture the pre-made wound, sucking on it for a moment before moving her arm away and quickly standing to her feet. She barely glanced towards Sakuda, her eyes having calmed in red just slightly, before turning her gaze to the mannequin. She took what Sakuda said as a hint to it being time to go, and so she said softly, "It's okay...I can take care of it."