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Babysitting [Quest]

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#1Ulyssia 

Babysitting [Quest] Empty Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:12 pm

Ulyssia

Babysitting

This was not exactly the quest Ulyssia had in mind when she came to Hargeon City. The lord needs assistance, she had been told, which to her mind meant guarding him from some threat--perhaps an ambush on the city walls, or rogue mercenaries threatening peace. Instead, she found herself standing in the marble-floored hall of the lord's mansion, staring down at a child half her height with a pout as pronounced as a warrior's scowl.

"Are you really here to watch me?" the girl asked, her nose wrinkling in disdain. This was Lord Reign's niece, an utterly spoiled, tiny tyrant who eyed Ulyssia as though she'd just rolled in mud and trampled all over her favorite dolls.

Ulyssia shifted uncomfortably, ill at ease beneath the child's intent gaze, and nodded. "Y-yes...?" Babysitting a sick noble child wasn't quite in her skillset, but a job was a job. Besides, Reign really did seem in need.

#2Ulyssia 

Babysitting [Quest] Empty Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:16 pm

Ulyssia

Babysitting

"Right. I'm Lady Mariel. Uncle Reign told you to obey me. That means you have to do everything I say," Mariel said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes, as if in challenge to Ulyssia.

Ulyssia watched her, that spark of defiance and mischief in her face. For all she was dangerous on a battlefield, for all she might wrestle monsters or go toe-to-toe with warriors, there was something about this girl's pint-sized authority which made her almost anxious.

"Very well, Lady Mariel," Ulyssia said finally, hoping she sounded composed and respectful despite her alarm. "What would you like?" The girl gave a considering tilt of the head and a wicked glint in her eye. "First," she declared, "I want all the seashells. All of them. All from all the seashore. The great big shiny ones. Now."

Ulyssia's eyebrows shot upwards. The whole seashore? This really ranked as one of the strangest requests she'd ever gotten. Suppressing a sigh, she nodded. "I will try my best, Lady Mariel."

#3Ulyssia 

Babysitting [Quest] Empty Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:18 pm

Ulyssia

Babysitting

The child didn't seem to consider the effort involved, waving her hand dismissively and pointing imperiously toward the beach. "Get to it, then!"

Ulyssia walked along the beach, while Mariel trailed behind her, half-vacillating between being tired. During the next hour, Ulyssia marched up and down the shoreline, gathering seashells in each color and of any size. Mariel found herself a boulder to sit on, commentating now and then. The little girl refused to let any shell that Ulyssia found escape her own review, often choosing to reject whatever Ulyssia had found as "not shiny enough" or "too boring."

At one point, Ulyssia held up a shell that she thought was rather beautiful--a swirled blue and white with a faint iridescent sheen. "This one is quite rare," she remarked, trying to get a hint of approval from her little critic.

Mariel scrunched her nose. "That one looks like an old man's toenail."

#4Ulyssia 

Babysitting [Quest] Empty Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:22 pm

Ulyssia

Babysitting

Ulyssia had to fight back a laugh as her lips curled. If she'd heard that kind of taunt from anyone but him, it might have sounded like an insult, but somehow from this little scrap of lace and ruffles, it was almost endearing.

At last, when Mariel had decided she had "enough shells," she sprang to her feet, dusting dramatically at her skirt. "Now it's hot. I want shade." She gave a peremptory glance at Ulyssia. "You stand out there in the sun and hold something over me."

Ulyssia's eyebrow quivered upward. "I could find you some shade under those trees." She gestured toward the copse that was but a mere hundred feet distant.

"No," Mariel returned with a stubborn stomp of her foot. "You hold it."

For a moment, Ulyssia thought to offer another alternative, but something in the set of Mariel's gaze made her let out a resigned sigh. She found a large palm leaf nearby, holding it above Mariel's head as the sun beat down on her own back. Ulyssia was immune to most temperatures, but standing there, creating shade for a child while she stood in the sun herself was an exercise in humility. It was also just way too cold for this.

#5Ulyssia 

Babysitting [Quest] Empty Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:25 pm

Ulyssia

Babysitting

She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms, and closed her eyes with exaggerated relaxation. "Much better. You're a good servant."

"Th-thank you, I guess..?" Ulyssia replied, fighting to keep her voice even. Truth be told, it took every ounce of patience in her to keep from rolling her eyes. She was Ulyssia Hailstar, warrior of the Hailstar clan, daughter of the Chief, a Dharga Werewolf for crying out loud. But here she was, relegated to the position of human parasol.

An eternity later, Mariel's eyes suddenly opened, ablaze with renewed inspiration. "I want to see the flowers in the forest!" In a wild motion, she flung her arm toward the woods that rose like a giant behind the beach.

Ulyssia bit off a sigh. It was obvious Mariel liked these commands, pushing her to see just how far she could go with this new "servant." Yet, another part of her realized that in all truth, such commands from Mariel hid a deep sorrow, maybe loneliness. Of that, Ulyssia could understand.

#6Ulyssia 

Babysitting [Quest] Empty Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:28 pm

Ulyssia

Babysitting

The two went off to the forest, and Ulyssia dutifully gathered handfuls of bright blossoms for Mariel's inspection. The girl seemed this time not quite so quick to belittle them; she took the flowers and pressed them to her nose, her eyes softening as she twirled the flowers in her fingers.

For a moment, it was as if Ulyssia felt that they could have worked out a peaceful truce. Then, as she looked up to pluck another bloom, Mariel was no longer there.

There was a surge of panic upwards through Ulyssia's chest. This was not the battlefield; it was a forest, and night was beginning to fall, while a child had just wandered off. Instantly, her warrior instincts seemed to kick in. She tuned into her senses, picking up faint traces of Mariel's scents, and the small disturbances of footprints in the soft earth. Weaving through trees, scratch and all from brambles, she followed the trail.

#7Ulyssia 

Babysitting [Quest] Empty Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:30 pm

Ulyssia

Babysitting

As she pressed on, the trees seemed to grow darker, until at last she heard soft, muffled sounds just up ahead. She followed the sounds to a small clearing; there, Mariel sat hugging her knees, her face streaked with tears. The fierce little tyrant was, after all, a frightened child, alone in the dark woods.

Ulyssia knelt beside her, feeling a pang of sympathy. "Lady Mariel," she said quietly. "Are you hurt?"

Mariel shook her head, her lip quivering. "I… I thought I could find my way back. I wanted to show you I didn't need you, but… I got lost." Her little hands were clutching at the flowers, now a little wilted, and her voice threatened to break. "I just wanted to make Uncle proud."

Ulyssia's heart softened as she reached out, gently placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "You do not have to prove anything, Mariel. He already cares for you, deeply. He just wants you to be safe."

#8Ulyssia 

Babysitting [Quest] Empty Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:32 pm

Ulyssia

Babysitting

Mariel sniffled, her tough facade cracking. "Thank you… for coming to find me." She looked up at Ulyssia, a shy sort of gratitude shining in her tearful eyes.

"Let us go back, okay?" Ulyssia's voice was soft and soothing. She held out her hand, and for the first time, Mariel took it willingly, clinging tightly to it as they made their way through the forest once more.

On their way back to the mansion, with the setting sun causing golden rays over the grounds, none of the earlier bratty behavior had remained; little Mariel walked alongside Ulyssia tired but quietly happy, and then at her room leaned in to whisper, "Thank you, Ulyssia. You're one of the nicest people I've ever met."

Ulyssia smiled, her own shyness surfacing momentarily as she gave the girl a gentle nod. "Glad I could help, lady Mariel."

Having tucked Mariel into bed, Ulyssia left the room to one of the mansion's maids, who gave her a small pouch containing her reward. She took it, but she knew the real reward from today was the certainty that she had taken care of this child, despite her discomfort and against her better judgment.

She could have sworn she was pursing her lips, but the tiniest of smiles tugged at her lips as she left the mansion.

1,000+

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