Rei had worn herself out eventually, getting tired from all the crying and fighting. She was given a set of dry clothes and set down for a nap. The small girl seemed to sink into the bed despite feeling so afraid. When the caretaker in the room seemed satisfied, they left, shutting the door quietly. It was then that another roll of thunder echoed through the room, causing another whimper to escape her lips. She began crying once again into the pillow of the small bed. Her sleep wasn’t good during that time nor later that evening. Her mind was only full of thoughts of the family she would apparently never get back again. And the fact that she was given up twice in a sense.
Days passed and the girl wasn’t doing well emotionally. She stayed by herself a lot, seeming to exclude herself. The other kids tried getting her to play, but she never seemed interested. Everyone was concerned as her parents had described in her papers that she was often cheery and very social. The Rei the were watching over now seemed quite the opposite. She watched at the windows, seeming only interested in looking for her parents that way. The girl ate for meals, but didn’t say hardly a word to anyone. A lot of the children stopped attempting to include her as she wouldn’t respond to their invitations. A child her age was not supposed to act so depressed this way. A few of the employees were considering sending her to another unit that helped with troubled children specifically. As for now, if her mood didn’t improve, they might hold off on letting her attempt adoption meet ups.
Despite her attempts, Fale just couldnt forget Rei, the little girl she'd found in the alley. She was doing her best to try to fix a meal, silent. Serna walked into the room, leaning against Fale.
"Dear, I think the carrots are chopped enough…" at this point, they looked like mush.
"A-Ah… sorry, sweetheart, I'm… distracted."
"I can tell. What's wrong?" Fale paused, letting out a soft breath.
"Do you… remember that little girl I told you about?" Serna nodded some, starting to understand.
"You got attached."
"I… I think so. I… haven't been able to get her out of my mind. I just…"
"Fale. If you've gotten attached, you know how bad it can get for you if you don't go see her, at the very least. I'll make dinner, okay?" Fale listened, nodding as she let Serna kiss her cheek.
"I'll be back soon, love."
"I'll make extra, just in case." Fale stepped back, moving to walk out the front door.
She found herself in an alley close to the orphanage, in her human form again. She hadn't meant to get attached, she really hadn't, but here she was, ready to at least try to see Rei again. She walked passed the picket fence that had upset Rei so much, hands folded in front of her as she came up to the door and stepped inside.
The woman at the front desk, Angelina Pierce, as the name tag read, smiled happily as Fale entered the building. It was then that she recognized her and got a small feeling she was interested in Rei. She hoped she wouldn’t have to disappoint the woman with how Rei wasn’t doing well with interaction in general the past few days. “Ah, hello again, ma’am. How can I help you?”
"Hello," Fale said in greeting, offering a faint smile that quickly fell.
"I was wondering how Rei was doing…" she knew it wasn't very conventional. Still, she had to see Rei, and quite possibly take her home. If not this way, then another. She knew she'd be able to get in to the child secretly, with her status as a god.
Oh god, how would Rei react though? She wasn't the… prettiest looking of goddesses. She wouldn't be surprised if Rei thought she was like an evil creature from a fairy tale.
The woman frowned lightly. “Ah… I apologize beforehand before saying not well. She’s been quite sad and not handling things well,” she stated. The orphanage secretary sighed before stepping out from behind the desk. “We’ve never had a child so young develop such depressed like symptoms,” the woman added.
As for how Rei would react to Fale’s true form, she would probably be startled and a bit intimidated at her height. If Fale could soothe her and reassure her of who she was, then it would probably be easier. It would mostly be because she would appear like a stranger to Rei.
"A-Ah…" Fale shouldn't really have expected any less. Rei hadn't been doing so good when she left. "Is it… alright if I see her?" Fale kept her hands folded in front of her, looking at the secretary. She was worried, for Rei, and deeply so. She couldn't help but think she had caused some of this herself, with her actions just days prior.
The woman hummed a moment before looking towards the door that lead to the rooms in the back. She frowned lightly. “I suppose you could try. She’s not very responsive and we’re running out of options,” the secretary replied, her lips forming a grim smile. The woman led Fale to the door, letting her through. Some of the kids stopped what they were doing, surprised to see a new person. The other employees got their attention again, quickly with starting a game of Simon says. One of them walked over to talk to the secretary. “Here for an adoption?” they asked.
“She’s here for Rei, actually…” came the response.
The employee looked at Fale sadly. “I wish you luck,” they hummed, moving down the hall where Rei’s temporary room was. “I’ll let her know she has a visitor,” they said.
Rei was sitting in her room, not feeling like playing. She didn’t know why nothing looked fun anymore. Even quiet activities weren’t as fun as they used to be. Her eyes were glued to the window when she heard a small knock before the door opened. Was it time to go out and eat already?
“Rei, dear. The nice lady from a few days ago came back to see you,” one of the people working in the orphanage said. Rei’s face twisted into confusion. She didn’t understand why the pretty lady would want to come back. The little girl scooted to the edge of the bed. “Okay…” came Rei’s soft reply.
"I'm glad I came when I did, then," Fale said, voice soft. "Hopefully I'll be able to help some…" The goddess noticed how the children looked at her, turning away some. She was just here for Rei, she wouldn't let herself bond with anyone else. Especially not another child. She watched at the employee left to tell Rei, hands still in front of her.
"I am worried for her…"
The secretary sighed softly, leading Fale down the hallway. “We are as well. If she cooperates well with you and you’re considering giving her a home… that’d be more than appreciated. Otherwise we may have to send her somewhere meant for more troubled of children. Most don’t get adopted there, and I’d hate to see her get any worse,” the woman explained. They stopped at the door, the other employee giving them the okay. “Would you prefer some privacy…?”
"I do hope I'll be able to give her a home," Fale admitted. She was troubled at the thought of Rei being sent somewhere like that, not having a real chance for a family…
"Ah, yes, please," Fale said softly. She moved forward when she was given the okay, looking in.
"Hey, Rei," she said softly, ducking her head some out of instinct. "How are you doing..?"
The employees stepped away, allowing Fale to have some time to attempt what she could. They wanted what was best for all the children, after all. Even if Rei didn't see it that way.
The little girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees. Her eyes looked sad, staring up at Fale. Rei blinked at her a moment before remembering her manners. "Hello…" she greeted softly. "What are you doing here…? I thought you didn't… want to help me," she asked, seeming genuinely confused. Rei never liked to ignore questions, but the little girl didn't think she wanted to admit that she was so scared.
Fale took a few steps forward, moving to sit on the bed with Rei.
"I made a mistake," Fale admitted, "And I'm sorry. I want to help you, in the ways I can. I truly am so sorry I just… left you here." Fale felt horrible, knowing Rei had been abandoned here not once, but twice. This time, though, she came back. She'd be the one to take Rei away from here, if she could.
One way or another.
Rei sat there a moment, trying to push the sad thoughts away. Mommy and daddy made mistakes too. The nice lady wanted to help. She frowned again, reminding herself of what she had been told. “That’s okay, miss… Mommy and daddy aren’t coming…” she told Fale sadly. Her eyes looked teary again, thinking about the fact. Rei hadn’t let it sink in yet, in denial despite knowing better.
Fale couldn't stand to see Rei sad like this. She opened her arms in an offer of a hug, wishing she could make all the sadness go away.
"I… I know…" she admitted softly. "I still want to help, Rei." The goddess would make things right. She'd give Rei a good home, a place she could be happy. She'd never ask to replace Rei's mommy, but… she could raise the child. She could give her love, and safety, and she could keep the darkness away.
“B-but…” she started, eyes tearing up again. She wiped at her eyes before giving up. She couldn’t take it anymore and leaned forward into Fale’s arms. Surprisingly, she felt warmth soak into her in a comforting way. She liked the way it made her feel. That it was okay to feel sad… The little girl cried openly, shoulders shaking some. “W-why didn’t they w-want me anym-more…?”
Fale wrapped her arms around Rei, pulling the small girl close. She gently ran her hand over Rei's head, head tilting down to her.
"They still want you," Fale said softly. "They just… they knew that they weren't going to be able to give you the things you need. It broke their hearts to give you up, but they don't want you to be hurt. I know it might not seem like that, that it hurts right now, but it's going to help you. I'm so sorry you have to go through this all…"
Rei now sat in her lap, hands full of Fale’s shirt fabric. She snuggled closer to the woman, still very confused. “H-how do you k-know that, miss…?” the little girl asked. Her parents had never told her why they were leaving, hoping she wouldn’t get upset while they were there. They wouldn’t have been able to leave if they told Rei before hand.
Fale continued to gently rub Rei's back and head, holding the small girl close to herself.
"I know, because your mommy and daddy must have loved you so much to raise such a nice girl as you. And when you love someone that much, you're willing to do anything to help them, even if it hurts." She was the goddess of Eternity, after all. She had seen it time and again, when ones she had blessed had to be taken apart, no matter how much they were loved. It hurt her heart…
Rei buried her face in Fale’s shirt, seeming to feel safe in the embrace. Her tense form relaxed at the gentle touches. She really missed this. The small child continued to cry, but softer now. “But I d-don’t care about t-things…” she managed to protest.
Fale was glad to feel Rei relaxing more in her hold, not stopping with her gentle comforts.
"There are some things people can't go without," Fale explained softly. "Food, and clothes, and warmth… These are all things that you need, Rei. I'm sure that if it hadn't been bad, they would have kept you with them. They must love you so much to admit they couldn't give you those things…" Fale hummed softly, holding Rei closer.
Rei didn’t reply, instead trying to see things the way Fale was explaining them. It made sense this way. It sounded less harsh than the fact that her parents weren’t coming back. She snuggled into the woman holding her, just enjoying the physical touch. It felt so good after isolating herself for a few days.
Fale stopped talking as Rei didn't reply. She continued her humming, though, a calming lullaby everyone who was associated with the pantheon knew oh so well. She gently rubbed Rei's back as she did, rocking the small girl in her arms. Fale hesitated, then started talking again.
"How are you feeling..?"
Rei felt so tired at this point, and the lullaby wasn't helping her stay awake. It was strange how she was letting herself nearly fall asleep in a stranger's arms. A familiar stranger, but still a stranger. Her breathing was completely back to normal, her body feeling warm and secure. The only tears left were the ones already dry on her cheeks. "Mmm… warm," she replied sleepily. Rei blinked up at Fale, doing her best to stay awake for the visit.
Fale smiled some as Rei looked up at her, giving the girl a hug and pulling her a bit closer.
"I see," she said, doing her best to hold the chuckle in her tone back. Rei was just so sweet… Fale wiped away the remnants of the tears on Rei's cheeks, starting to hum again. Hopefully, this was a good sign. Fale hoped to bring Rei home that day. She continued to gently rub Rei's back, picking the lullaby back up.
Rei attempted to smile back. It felt good to do that. She blinked tiredly, still trying to keep herself from falling asleep. "That song's pretty… making me sleepy…" she said before rubbing at her eyes again. The small girl seemed to be a completely different person than in the past few days. She looked tired emotionally as well as half asleep, but there was something different in the air now that her tiny face wasn't frowning anymore.
