All the raindrops are gumdrops (Therru)

[Sophie-Rosaline St.John]

Peeking out from under her large, blue umbrella, Sophie turned her smile up to the clouds. The rain she had been waiting for had just started pouring down, and now everything was set to go. Her umbrella's handle was dug into the ground a bit, making a shelter to keep her jacket, bag, and Amber all dry. Amber's bright yellow rain slicker and matching hat and boots would have kept all her moving doll parts dry, but Sophie had different plans for today. With the forecast of rain, most people seemed to be staying indoors, and that left her plenty of space to play.

Pulling her hair back into a braid, she stood in the rain for a minute to get over the shock of the wetness. Her bare feet squelched in the mud, and she soaked up all the good feelings. She hated being cooped up in school all day, always had. She loved learning, but little that was taught in a classroom interested her. She would much rather drag a library out into the woods with her than sit in a hermetically sealed room for two hours.

She walked in small circles, splashing her feet through the puddles as she talked out loud, mostly to herself. "So, rain falls, and we know I can't make it not fall, just by pretending it's a sunny day. So, trying to make your spot dry, that ain't gonna happen." She pointed at Amber, who's serene gaze seemed to be listening intently. "But what if, what if I could change the rain? Well not all the rain, obviously, cause there are millions and millions of rain drops, but just a couple. What if it rained candy?" Tilting her head back she opened her mouth to taste the rain. It tasted like... rain. She focused hard on raining gummy bears, thinking they would be soft and squishy.

She waited. She focused, and waited some more. Nothing. Frustrated, she closed her mouth and sat down with a wet plop in the mud. "If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops, oh what a rain it would be." Looking around, she waited. Nothing. She tried again, louder, but still nothing fell but water and leaves. She let out a groan of frustration and threw herself backwards onto the wet ground. "Come on, just one? Just one little raindrop shaped gummy bear?" She pleaded with the sky, as if that had anything to do with it, ignoring the world around her. "If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops... I would have a face full of sticky."

[Therru Simmons]

She just couldn't stand being cooped up inside that place, with those people. She didn't understand them, didn't know what to say to them. And lately she had taken notice of people in a different way, one she wasn't sure how to deal with quite yet. And she knew it was going to rain. So what could be better for her as people all wanted to stay snug in their little fake little lives. A sigh misted from her, long and slow and sad. People who had lived closed in these little places didn't know what they were missing. They never spent hours in a tree observing the silent world around them or learning how to track a deer. They didn't learn appreciation for all things because, well, everything was handed to them from birth. All this technology and complex lives that were as real as her chances of becoming president.

Of course, no world was complete without people who were similar. That's why Therru was surprised when she went to the pond. She had expected no one to be there when it was raining. But sitting blocking the rain was a lovely little umbrella with a doll under it. Therru didn't notice the girl, as she tended not to notice most people who were outside. They were just people who were there. Getting wet, complaining. Things like that. She let herself be strung out along with the water, falling across the earth in a long cloud. She loved when she became part of the water.

She walked over to the little doll and examined it closely. It was a fair little thing with funny colored eyes and a face that was just so innocent. The precious little creature had a yellow raincoat and looked quite warm in her space under the umbrella. A few drops of water had hit her, but the girl pointed her finger and told them to be off on their merry way. There was just no reason to ruin such a pretty creature. Therru checked to make sure the ground around was quite dry. She didn't care if she was wet since her outfit was really simple. In fact, it looked just like almost eveything she wore. Jeans, a tank, and a flannel just hanging there getting drenched. She had had flip flops earlier but they were lost somewhere now. The girl only turned once she heard someone singing about gumdrops.

" What?" She half spoke, not understanding she wasn't being spoken to. It didn't seem to click with her.She watched the other girl for a moment, then looked at the doll next to her. " Is this your doll?"

[Sophie-Rosaline St.John]

The clouds were giving her nothing, despite her focus and determination. She ignored the mud that began to soak through her braided hair, knowing that the warm shower she would take when she got back to the dorm would fix everything. When she heard a noise other than the far away hum of air conditioners and people, she was startled to say the least. Sophie turned her head to face the sound of a girl's voice. A girl who was crouched rather closely to Amber. She sat up quickly, getting her muddy legs under her in a flash and quickly half jogging the short distance to them both. She bit back the fear that this girl was going to break Amber, and she bit back the impulse to grab her doll and hold her close in an protective embrace. She was far too muddy right now to touch Amber, and only if things became desperate would she lash out. Instead, she stood in the rain and said, "Yes, she's mine."

Using her peripheral vision, she noted that she girl was just as soaking wet as she was, though less muddy. They were both bare footed, and though Sophie's flowery blouse was less tom-boyish than the intruders' flannel shirt, she understood that they were both out enjoying the nice weather. She could only hope that she was curious about Amber, and a good curious at that. Not the bad curious that meant that she would need to go swimming to retrieve her doll from the pond. Though most of the children seemed to be very nice here at Hammel, she had not yet met a bully, and so logical reasoning told her that any stranger could be, and was more and more likely to be a bully.

Cautiously, she asked, "I-Is there a problem?

[Therru Simmons]

She saw the girl when she tensed up, like she thought Therru was going to hurt the doll. In fact, she wanted very much to hold the serene little thing. It was so peaceful and comforting looking. But she didn't. Obvious worry and fear crossed every line of the girls face and body, probably from some past expierience. The hydrokinetic couldn't honestly think why anyone would want to hurt something that was so innocent looking. Or maybe that in itself was the reason. It's endless look of not knowing about the evils of the world were too much for most people to handle. The girls claimed the doll as her own, and caution entered her voice as she asked if there was a problem. Therru smiled, a real genuine smile. This girl seemed like herself, unsure of the people around her. Maybe she was the kind of person Therru wanted to know.

" I see no problem with it. If you had said she was not in your care I would have taken her back to the institute when I decide to go back in. She seems much to fine to be left in the rain alone." Therru smiled kindly, not a flashing smile but a sort of slow steady smile of good will. She as a habit never meant bad towards anyone and did not wish for anyone to think so of her. Her eyes took in the other girls appearance. She was just as wet as Therru herself, but much muddier. Her hair seemed to have been flattened, but she guessed it was a nice brownish color of somekind. While Therru wore her flannel as she so preferred the other girl had a flowery shirt on, one Therru kind of liked. The pattern was indded very nice.

" May I inquire as to what you're doing outside in the rain? Most people think it senseless to be out in weather such as this." She wasn't usually one to talk quite this much upon first meeting someone, but inside she felt this girl was very nice.

" My names Therru by the way. If you come closer I can make you not as wet if you'd like." The girl really did look like she wanted to scoop up that precious doll and was only holding back because of her wet, muddy clothes. The least Therru could do was tell the water to be on its way and to take some of that silly mud and dirt with it so the girl could have her fair companion in her arms.

[Sophie-Rosaline St.John]

"Oh.." Sophie said softly, and relaxed. The girl was merely curious, wanting to care for something that looked like it needed caring. She smiled in return, a wide and bright smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes. She did move closer, sitting down in the grass next to both Therru and Amber, and rubbed her hands on the wet, but clean, front of her jeans. "I'm Sophie, and I don't mind being wet, thought I appreciate the offer. I've got a towel in my bag for later." She waved a hand to the bag that was tucked behind Amber, keeping her upright.

"But, um, yeah. I love the rain, actually. I love the feel of it on my face, in my hair, on my feet. I love sound of it on the windows or the roof. I was surprised that the staff would let me come out any play, I know my mother was always worrying about me catching a cold or something silly." She giggled, happy to have someone who seemed to enjoy the outdoors as well as she did. She didn't bother asking Therru about why she was outside in the weather, instead choosing to assume her way through a dozen questions. She was of the opinion that people liked to talk about themselves, and eventually Therru would mention why she wanted to be wandering around in the rain. And if she didn't, then she didn't want Sophie to know, and that was perfectly acceptable.

"So, do you like ABJDs?" She said each letter, assuming that Therru knew as much as she did about them. "Amber really isn't a special design, but she was always my favorite, despite her many cosmetic surgeries throughout my childhood. Her lavender eyes are rather new, but I think I like them better than most other colors. Mother was going to get her a body with fairy wings before I left, but I think I like her better without. Do you believe in fairies, Therru?" Her gaze was soft, almost motherly, when she looked at at her doll, and her tone was calm and soft. When she looked up to Therru with her question, she watched her companion while she waited for an answer. Most people found it an odd question, and were hesitant to respond, Which Sophie didn't mind. She liked making people think, especially about something considered so abstract by common standards.

((A photo of Amber, if you need.))

[Therru Simmons]

She nodded when the girl said she didn't mind being wet. That was something they both had in common. Therru liked being wet because it made her feel connected to the world. She could feel al the water around her, especially the drops of rain as they joined the koi pond. If she really extended her senses she could even feel the fishes slicing through the water as they moved. Therru was a person who was very happy and comfortable with her power as she learned to use it and control it.

Therru also loved the sound of rain on windows and roofs. She wasn't sure if Sophie was inviting her to explain her own reasons for being outside. She could, but she felt she didn't need to really worry anyone with her silly reasons for doing things. She stayed silent on it. If asked a direct question she would answer, but she didn't like to assume she was to speak about herself. Some people saw it as impolite and self centered. She just continued to listen to Sophie.

So you like A-B-J-D'S? Therru wasn't really sure at all what the girl was talking about until she started to reference to the little doll. What could that stand for though? She didn't know, and decided to save the question for when the Sophie was done talking. The amount of love for the doll was startlingly amazing, and Therru wondered where to get one such doll. Maybe smaller. If it wasn't too expensive she would invest in one that appeared like her mother. It would be something to add to her collection of important belongings in her pouch she carried with her. Then Sophie startled her slightly by asking if she believed in fairies. Her voice was very calm and warm.

" In a way, I think the answer would be yes. Where I used to live I believed there were wood spirits that protected the farm. Fairies don't seem that far fetched to me." She had never seen one, or seen the wood spirits she spoke of, but she had always believed they were there. She decided to go back to talking about the wonderful little doll.

" If you don't mind me asking what does A-B-J-D stand for? I fear I don't know."

[Sophie-Rosaline St.John]

Sophie's childhood had been practically drenched in fairy tales and make-believe. Her grandmother had filled her head with tales of the mermaid princess and the poor cinder girl long before she saw the Disney remakes. To Sophie, the world was alive with spirits and little people, just out of reach of one's peripheral vision. Dragons rested deep in the European mountains, hibernating for centuries to await a time when mankind was more peaceful, and less vengeful. The Fey had long ago moved their courts to far off Pacific islands, venturing out only to snatch a child or two to strengthen their breeding. Therru's answer was very important to Sophie, because if someone couldn't open their minds to the possibilities of the other world, it made it very hard for her to talk to them. Her answer was good though, and Sophie accepted it with a small smile and a nod.

"Oh," she perked up. She loved to talk about dolls almost as much as she loved talking about fairies. "It stands for Asian Ball Jointed Dolls. They are a special design of dolls that are completely customizable, from their clothes and hair, down to interchangeable hands that can point or hold things. They're really popular in Japan and China, and are stupid expensive, but they are incredibly realistic and beautiful." Raising her hand to gesture at Amber, she added, "You can hold her if you like. I notice you're managing to stay pretty dry, so I don't mind if you want to take a closer look." She leaned back and turned her face up to the sky. The clouds were thick and dark, but far away she could see patches of sunlight breaking through. Brushing the back of her hand across her eyes, she wiped the water away before cocking her head to the side to watch Therru.

Feeling the rain in her hair and the mud beneath her, the panic she had felt not but a moment ago felt like hours ago. She imagined sending out feelers underground to feel the ground as it soaked up the refreshing rain, and she wondered if the trees and the earth and the rain were watching the three of them. Were they making the rain the perfect consistency to be enjoyable and sociable in? Were they feeding off the good energy that Sophie felt all around her? She tried to focus on what was going on, but it just felt so incredibly good to be precisely where she was at that exact moment.

[Therru Simmons]

Therru moved closer to the little doll, gently picking it up. It was heavier than she expected, seeing as it looked like it weighed nothing. Therru carefully examined the hands and the wonderful black and white dress. So intricate and lovely! The face was an amazing work of art. It was so realistic that the hydrokinetic could very much believe the little thing would pop out of her hands and laugh and dance around.

She stared at it for a few more moments appreciatively.
" I don't think I could ever own one of these and appreciate it as much as you." She said thoughtfully after a few moments. And it was true. While there was a desire in her to own one of the lovely little creature it would never have the same meaning to her. It would be a thing, not a trusted companion. She just didn't see the world that way. With a slight sigh she set the doll back where it was, under it;s nice dry area, free of all bits of rain or water.

" She truly is a special thin." The girl told Sophie with a straight, honest voice.