Children's Stories [Isolde]

[Alice]

Alice walked along the streets of Kanehira's shopping district. Her golden eyes flit back and forth amongst the shops, looking at all the signs and the words on windows. There was a lot of neat places here! Places that didn't exist on the other side of the looking glass. It was new, it was wondrous. But finally one particular store managed to capture her attention far better than anything else. For it was a store that sold books! And Alice really really loved books. She entered the store, beginning to look through the shelves and see just what the store had to offer. As one may expect, she primarily stayed near the kiddie section of the store. Eventually she picked out a fun looking storybook and walked to the front of the store. She had to wait behind another person, but at last she reached the counter and placed the book on the counter, looking up at the cashier with a smile while the adult woman gave her a little grin in return.

"Ah, I remember reading this to my kids. I think you'll like it." She winked to the little girl before ringing up the price. "That'll be 300 yen, dear." Alice began to root around in the pockets of her dresscoat, she could have sworn that she'd had some of that stuff that adults used to pay for things. But as she was quickly finding out, she didn't after all. Alice began to frown.

"Umm... Alice lost it..."

[Isolde Spencer]

This bookstore seemed to have some books that she would get for her siblings though she wasn’t sure what kind of books they would like. Perhaps a simple cookbook would suffice for her older sister though Isolde wasn't sure if her sister really loved to cook dishes for the family anyway. As she skimmed a section for the most interesting book that she could buy for her siblings, there was one particular book that had Japanese myths and legends. Perhaps this book would capture her brother’s attention as he had a liking to local folklore from the around the world and that those legends must have meant something to the locals here. She would take the book from its shelf and proceed to the front of the store where she would have to wait behind a little girl clad in a dresscoat where the little girl seemed to be struggling to find her money. It was apparent that the little girl may have lost her money which Isolde couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor girl that just wanted to buy her coveted book. “Oh, did you lose your money? If so, I may pay for your book. It is the least I can do for you.” Most likely, someone would have chastised her for helping out some mere stranger, but this little girl probably needed to buy the book for herself anyway. tag: Alice ▪ words: 252 ▪ ooc: None.

made by kei at GS

[Alice]

The cashier frowned slightly at Alice's words. She didn't want to have to tell the child to put her book back, but... And then another voice piped up and Alice looked at the older girl behind her. She wore a smile on her face and she seemed like a good person to Alice, something inside her said that much. "Thank you!" Alice's frown turned upside down and her golden eyes sparkled with her eager happiness. She'd need to get more money though! She didn't want others paying for her often. After the girl paid for her book, Alice stepped aside and watched the nice girl. "Alice is Alice! Who are you?" Her voice was filled with sweetness as she wished to know the name of the girl that helped her.

---
Tags: Isolde Spencer

[Isolde Spencer]

After she would pay for both books, they would go outside of the store where the little girl would watch her and introduce herself in an odd way apparently. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Alice. You may call me Isolde.” She would smile at the little girl while she said so though she found the little girl to be like the cutest little sister she would have. Oddly, the little girl didn’t seem to be her parents waiting for her or something which this oddity probably didn’t concern the child at all. It actually seemed like the child would enjoy having some company while her parents were away though she wouldn't exactly be sure whether or not Alice’s parents would come by.  Nobody ever concerned themselves with trying to find some little girl's parents who were most likely gone for vacation or some other business somewhere else. “I see you like books, Alice. I quite like to read myself rather than going outside in the sun all day.” The book that Isolde purchased herself would probably make a fine gift for her brother though she would take the time to read it herself if he didn’t mind it. Her own friends would probably chastise her for staying inside the house rather than going outside, but there was probably a reason why she had to mostly stay inside. tag: Alice ▪ words: 252 ▪ ooc: None.

made by kei at GS

[Alice]

"Isolde is Isolde! Alice will remember." She nodded confidently after speaking those words. Her speech pattern certainly sounded odd, though her voice was filled with cheer all the same. As Isolde started to speak once more, it seemed like she wanted to talk some more with Alice. And Alice didn't mind! She liked talking to people. "Books are the best! Momma and the nurse who took care of Alice would always read Alice stories!" She seemed to do the impossible and perk up even further as she talked about the subject. "Alice really likes stories with happy endings and fairy tales! What does Isolde like?" Though now that Alice thought about it, she had never really gone outside much before.

Not until Alice was Alice.

---
Tags: Isolde Spencer

[Isolde Spencer]

Her mother and the nurse that took care of Alice used to read her stories which those stories must have made Alice really happy to hear them. The little girl would ask her what kind of books she liked to read after Alice had told her that she loved to read fairy tales and stories with happy endings. Stories with happy endings always seemed like the kind of stories that Isolde would like rather than the stories that had very sad endings which always made everyone feel sad just by reading them. “When I was younger, I used to like fairy tales so…I suppose I still love to read fairy tales. Sleeping Beauty was my favorite.” She could still remember reading that story as a child and that her mother would read it to her every night, so perhaps fairy tales might have made Isolde feel a bit nostalgic. “Do you have any favorite fairy tales, Alice?” She would ask the little girl politely as if she felt happy to have company since she always had the only company of her siblings. Although she had to wonder where was Alice’s mother though she didn’t want to make Alice upset by asking where her mother was. It actually seemed like Alice liked talking to people whenever she can which the little girl probably didn’t mind talking with someone Alice just met. tag: Alice ▪ words: 252 ▪ ooc: None.

made by kei at GS

[Alice]

Alice continued to smile and nod eagerly as Isolde asked what fairy tale was Alice's favorite. "Alice in Wonderland! It's Alice's favorite!" Probably not a big surprise to the older girl. Of course a child like Alice would love a story that had her own name in it. She also seemed to practically bounce in place as she spoke, excited to talk about the story. "The White Rabbit is really cute! The Red Queen is scary... But the Mad Hatter is funny!" Alice giggled a little as she stalked about the various characters. "Sleeping Beauty is good too though! Alice likes that one as well!"

She began to hum with a bit of thoughtfulness, placing a finger on her chin as Alice began to think. "Does Isolde have any other good stories to recommend to Alice?"

---
Tags: Isolde Spencer

[Isolde Spencer]

Alice in Wonderland was a very famous story that she had read about which had its themes of a world that was nonsensical as possible. “Alice in Wonderland was a favorite story of mine when I was growing up as well. I am glad you liked the characters, Alice.” The little girl seemed to think that the Red Queen was a scary woman though she loved the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. Come to think of it, the other world itself had some kind of strange tie to Lewis Carroll’s stories or so she thought as it was a bit strange to think about some world that had some kind of nonsensical monsters or something. ”I do believe the Red Queen did scare me quite a bit when I was a child and that my mother always acted out the part whenever the Red Queen was introduced.” Nowadays, many children today had to rely on technology instead of reading classical books like other old-fashioned children would do. “Beauty and the Beast is a particular story that my mother would read to me as well as The Little Mermaid. Although the latter has an ending I am certain you would dislike, Alice.” The story about a mermaid princess always made her feel a bit sad which it had a moral that many children would understand. Perhaps a child like Alice would actually understand the morals behind those fairy tales that Isolde would recommend to her. tag: Alice ▪ words: 252 ▪ ooc: None.

made by kei at GS

[Alice]

Beauty and The Beast was another really good one! Isolde was definitely right! The latter didn't really ring any bells for Alice though. Maybe she shouldn't read it though if what Isolde said about the ending was true though. The child would have loved to continue their conversation too. But a little tingle at the back of her mind told Alice it was time to go. She looked a little sad as the sensation tickled in her mind. "Alice has to go now. But it was nice meeting Isolde!" The black-clad youth turned around and began to walk away before abruptly turning a corner into what Isolde would normally recognize as a dead-end. But what lay in front of Alice's vision was a shimmering portal. The "Looking Glass" as she liked to call it. And so Alice went through the looking glass. Back to a world of ruin that was cold and barren.

---
Tags: Isolde Spencer

[Isolde Spencer]

It would seem like Alice wanted to talk more, but she had to go somewhere which was understandable. "Okay, I’ll see you…” She would trail off as the child would walk away before abruptly turning to a corner which would normally be a dead end. It was very odd though since a child like Alice would probably know this was a dead end, but nonetheless Isolde had to see what really went on from the way that the child would go to a dead end rather than just head back to her house or something. She would go after the little girl where she would turn to where the little girl had made an abrupt turn and her suspicions were basically confirmed as she saw a portal where Alice most likely entered through it. She would approach the portal and enter through it as the familiar vertigo would set in for a bit which she hadn’t been to the Inverse World for a while anyway. Honestly, this place was enough for a child to be scared of with creepy monsters and generally dangerous Shadows roaming about which was no surprise for anyone that didn’t live to tell the tale of this place. As she stepped through the portal, the dead barren landscape was enough for her to have chills sent down her spine though this was the empty streets the rumors were talking about. The first priority would be to find the little girl, but where could Alice be at this rate? tag: Alice ▪ words: 252 ▪ ooc: None.

made by kei at GS

[Alice]

Alice hummed a little song as she walked around the ruined streets and amongst the decaying buildings. The other world had been nice, but home simply felt better. Alice was not yet aware that Isolde had followed her though. Instead, she was simply focused on going back to the bunker that she lived in. The older girl would briefly catch glimpses of Alice as she rounded a corner to where she was staying. But otherwise, it almost seemed like Alice was moving faster than a normal person walked. On her own end, Alice had arrived at the doors of the bunker, located in a former residential area as the dilapidated remains of apartments and blasted out cars could be seen. Though everything seemed a touch more... advanced, for lack of a better term. Even after it had all been left to rot by the conquering monstrous horde. Isolde would arrive in time to notice a nearby blurble that alerted Alice to a blue mask wearing Maya. Slowly, the inky blob-like creature crawled closer and... then came to a halt? Alice walked over to the creature with all the calm in the world and sat down in front of the creature upon her knees.

"Alice is back, MayMay. Alice has a new story too!" The little girl held up her book for the Shadow to see, a blurble passing from it's mask that sounded almost... happy? "A nice girl named Isolde told Alice about it! Alice will read it to you too, MayMay!"

---
Tags: Isolde Spencer

[Isolde Spencer]

As she walked further, she could have sworn that she saw a little girl who looked remotely like Alice run past her and turned around to a corner where it would be assumed that it had a dead end or something. She would follow after the girl where she came across an old bunker that wasn’t used in such a long time and that it was puzzling how could a little girl would make her home in an old bunker in the middle of a dead residential area where cars weren’t used in a long time since they seemed to be blasted open. As she entered inside the old bunker, she could hear a child’s voice talking with something and then, the little girl herself seemed to approach a Maya as she…talked with it as if it were a pet which made hostile Shadows seem a bit docile in comparison. As long as the Maya called “MayMay” didn’t intend to harm the girl, Isolde had no need to destroy it seeing as it would make Alice upset. MayMay actually seemed to be quite friendly compared to more hostile Shadows, but perhaps…the Maya may be different than the rest of them. The other people that had Personas probably would not believe such a thing as friendly Shadows, but this proved to be one of the most startling discoveries ever made. Since Alice would be telling a story from her book, the older girl decided to just stay quiet and let the little girl read to her pet. tag: Alice ▪ words: 252 ▪ ooc: None.

made by kei at GS

[Alice]

With no interruptions forthcoming from the unnoticed addition, Alice rose back up to her feet and then opened the doors to the bunker, a cellar-style area with a long set of steps leading down to it. The area had clearly been decorated by Alice herself, though there were things down there that clearly had to have been moved by someone else. A refrigerator, a pair of bookcases, and a desk were in the wide space with a bed outfitted in a mess of girly lace. Alice placed her book on the bed and then hopped up on it herself before sitting upon the edge. The little girl began to kick her feet as she opened up her book and began to read to the Maya that was before her. The book was a whole series of various tales ranging from the usual fair of Fairy Tales to some sillier and lighthearted stories that seemed more like the author's whimsical anecdotes. There were even full colored pictures in the book which Alice eagerly showed to her MayMay. But at last she got to the final pages of her fun stories.

"And they all lived happily ever after! The end!" Alice cheerily looked up from her book to see MayMay staring at something, which Alice herself soon turned her head to see the girl from the bookstore. From the other side of the Looking Glass. "Isolde? Isolde should not be here. It is not safe for Isolde." Rather than ask why Isolde followed her, the little girl began to speak almost sternly. "Isolde needs to go home! Or else Isolde might get hurt!"

---
Tags: Isolde Spencer

[Isolde Spencer]

Oh dear, Alice made it clear that it was rather dangerous for the young lady to even be at the Inverse World and that she was told to go home which was something that she wasn’t always told to unless it got really dangerous at that moment. "It is alright, Alice. I am in no real danger as of now, but I can certainly fend for myself.” It may seem a bit odd to the little girl since Isolde didn’t usually have her weapon since it was broad daylight and that she could get arrested for bringing a real sword along. Perhaps it would have been better if she were to go during the night, but it would be too late to turn back now. Besides, the little girl’s pet Maya might be suspicious of what Isolde was doing in this ruined world rather than doing whatever she would be doing in the real world. She would address the little girl’s pet as if it would probably understand that she meant no harm to it. “I do believe you are harmless too. If anyone else sees you, they would try harming you and I cannot let that happen.” If other Persona Users saw Alice’s pet as of right now, the poor thing would never be able to stand a chance since it would be greatly outnumbered though she had to prevent it from happening. tag: Alice ▪ words: 252 ▪ ooc: None.

made by kei at GS

[Alice]

"No real danger" was one way to put it, Alice supposed. But MayMay blubbered to Alice something that the Human girl would not understand. The little girl shook her head at the simple creature that seemed to lower its 'head' of sorts as the mask looked at the ground. "Whole world is dangerous for Isolde. Would not be good for Isolde to stay long. Alice cannot guarantee Isolde's safety." Weaker Shadows listened to Alice, but someone stronger would be able to overpower Alice and harm Isolde. That was no good. Alice had to make sure that would not happen. She closed her book and sat it beside her on the bed before hopping off and walking over to Isolde.

"Alice will take Isolde back out! But Isolde must not return! Or Isolde will get hurt!" She displayed a stubborn attitude and her face adopted what was a rather adorable looking pout.

---
Tags: Isolde Spencer