Private - The Girl in White

She'd promised to bring her brother when they planned out this trip, but she'd forgotten an important part: her father's approval. To the eldest of the Richardson family, or at least of Kelly's direct kin, bringing a five year old to another state with you wasn't exactly 'proper childcare'. Especially when he couldn't keep an eye on them. If he had his say, Kelly wouldn't be going either...But she was! She was going to see someone she considered a good friend, whether he liked it or not.

It was just too bad Frankie couldn't come with her. She'd been really interested to see how he'd interact with Eldhi.

In one of the nicer parts of New York, a part Kelly admittedly had yet to be in, the brown-haired maiden walked idly along a sidewalk, glancing at a variety of ornate houses. This was definitely a part of the state full of rich people- and her friend apparently lived here?! Sure, she'd seen big houses up in Massachussetts too- even in her little hometown of Concord- but wasn't this a bit much?

Still, it was oddly easy to find thanks to the address she'd been given, and the rather carefully marked houses. Finding an intercom of some sort attached to a labeled gate, she pressed the button with a bright smile on her face. Would Eldhi recognize her when she opened the door? And better yet...Would she recognize Eldhi?

"Um, hi! This is Kelly Richardson. May I come in?"


@Eldhi

 

​

It was a fine sunny day in New York, the clouds were few, skies blue, and birds chirping. In the upper-class Residential area of Hampton, part of the East End of Long Island was a manor belonging by the Smiths, a family of the entrepreneurs and investors. Every member of the family was out at the moment except for one, the youngest child, Elleanor Regina Smith. Fortunately, she was the one the nurse would be seeing. The ornate gates leading into the front garden and driveway were closed, however, Eldhi already sent a message to Kelly beforehand that she already told the house staffs regarding her visit. Just say her name and everything would be fine.

"Yes, who am I speaking with?" A masculine voice answered the intercom, likely a security personnel. A brief pause fell after the young brunette spoke her full name, then a little static, "Kelly Richardson, yes, the young lady is expecting you. I will send someone to escort you, thank you for the patience."

True enough, not a few minutes later, one of the housemaids, clad in a modernized version of the Victorian maid uniform, arrived before Kelly as the gate slid open. "Good day, Miss Richardson," She bowed elegantly, "Forgive me if you wait long. Please follow me."

---

The maid would take her into the manor proper through the main entrance, the lobby, and into the living room. Sofas were set up around a wide table, facing a huge curved-screen TV, a family photograph framed on one side of the wall. Said television was on, displaying a game being played on the console just on the counter underneath it. Kelly could see the player in question though her back was facing her, someone with very familiar white hair though much shorter compared to a certain Paladin.

"Young mistress, Miss Richardson is here to visit you." The maid announced.

"Ah?" The game was paused then the girl turned around, revealing she was indeed a younger version of Eldhi, albeit instead of having tanned skin, she possessed a much too pale complexion. Everything else, her alabaster locks, red irises, and the way she grinned, she was no other than Eldhi. "Solly! Is that you? Yaaaay!" Ellie practically jumped up from the sofa then glomped the brunette enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, the maid politely excused herself, going to the kitchen to serve the young mistress and her guest beverages and snacks.

"You really came! Hehe~" Ellie looked up at the brunette, "How was the trip? Did you have fun? Tell me all about it~ then oh! We can play together! I have lots of games!" The albino practically jumped up and down, genuinely curious to hear about trips. It must be so fun to travel that far!

 

Having never seen a picture of Eldhi's real form, the fact that this girl was so clearly the person she'd planned to see was awkwardly clear. As she found Eldhi- or rather, Eleanor- excited to see her, she couldn't help smiling herself. However, the was a pained part of her deep in her brain.

Eleanor was paler than her mother had been on her death bed.

Still, it was starting to explain a lot. She'd noticed at one point or another that her friend online was fairly housebound- she did, after all, basically say it at one point or another. Albinism, though rare, was a pretty good reason not to leave the house most of the time. It was dangerous, especially with the very real threat of skin cancer if she got burnt enough times.

A hug, however, felt strongly needed. So, once basically tackled, she giggled and hugged the small girl back. "I'm sorry you had to wait so long. The trip wasn't bad, but finding my way around this part of the state took some time. I go to Manhattan a lot for study trips, but can't say I've been to long island until today."

When she let go, she found her arms digging into her messenger bag- a bag she found all too easy to carry, but filled with useful little things. When her hand was digging, it looked like it was sucked into an abyss- but when it was done, she pulled out a card- a hand-drawn card on computer paper, but clearly a card. It had random doodles of anything and everything you might expect from a child's mind, with the words "I MISS YOU" awkwardly written on the front.

"My brother was really upset dad wouldn't let him come- he was really excited to meet you, you see- so he asked me to give you this. He spent a good few hours drawing it. It was so cute when he begged me to make sure you got it. I'll have to take a picture of you so he can feel like he came. Think that'd be okay? I like having pictures of my friends anyway, too. And then, we'll play any game you want to play. I may not look it, but I definitely know my way around a controller!"

 

With a happy giggle, Ellie basked in the warm embrace of her online friend, well, she could scratch the 'online' part now. "It's okay~ I'm just glad you can make it." Ellie wished she could give more comments regarding trips and such but alas, her traveling experience was little to none. She saw more about the world of Terrasphere than the real one, all she knew about Earth was gathered through her studies.

After a moment, the albino girl drew back, red eyes noticing the bag slung over Kelly's shoulder. Oh, what was it? Did she bring a souvenir for her? Making miniature jumps excitedly, she waited with baited breath as Kelly pulled out a card. "Oooh!" She examined the hand-drawings on it but most importantly the big bold letters at the front. Ellie was about to ask if Kelly drew it herself but as it turned out, it was made by her brother! The little brother Solaria told her in the 'Observing King' tavern when they last met in Terrasphere.

"I see! Aww... it's alright." Ellie was all too used of not being allowed to go out much, even then, she wasn't that eager after she felt how the sun seared her pale skin. "It's cute~ thank you! Tell him I said hello!" However, the nurse-in-training had a better idea, "Aaah~ then alright, a picture it is! Do you have a camera then?"

The white-haired girl took a post with a happy grin while holding up the card with one hand as Kelly took their selfie. "Nice~ hope he likes it. Now then, let's play some games!" She practically pulled the nurse towards the sofa, sitting near the center facing the curved screen which was currently displaying a paused fighting game.

"Here you go!" She offered Kelly a controller as Ellie exited her current match, back to the character select screen so her friend could join in. It was one of those fantasy fighting games with various characters such as a Knight, a Viking warrior, a demonic monster, etc. Obviously, Ellie picked Sir Galahad, the aforementioned Knight.

While Kelly was choosing her character, the albino gave a glance to the brunette with matching eyes. "Hmmm, by the way, Solly, you look pretty different in-game." Ellie asked innocently with no malicious intention or sarcasm behind them, "Well... I know elves don't exist here, but you had long green hair! ...don't tell, do some people actually have green hair?" Ellie herself had white hair even though she wasn't an old person so... maybe?

 

"I'll make sure to do just that when I get back!" Though it would be quite a time before she actually got back to her hometown, she had time to play and more time to visit her folks again before going back to classes later in the week. Surely, she'd be able to play enough with Ellie for both herself and her baby brother, who'd been so excited to join.

As Ellie took the picture, Kelly purposely made a silly face that she knew would entertain both her brother and young friend if she was lucky. She'd opted to use her phone, which had a camera embedded into it, to take the picture together. "I can mail you the picture too, if you want. It'll be a perfect commemoration of our first proper meeting. Though, it won't be the last, I'm sure!"

To Kelly, this was the 'start' of a beautiful friendship- even if her friend was housebound, she was sure she could find ways to treat her to some fun otherwise! Ellie was young, but she was also a sweetheart- and for Kelly, there was nothing quite like such a mix. And it wasn't like Ellie was the first person she knew that couldn't go out.

That award had gone to her late mother around the day she was born, or not too long after.

"It's been a while since I've played one of the games in this series," She soon mused, taking a look at the screen the game was on, her body plopping right next to her pale friend with a pristine smile on her face. Her hands gripped the controller as if it was a long lost friend she'd been dying to see, face glued to the screen as she switched between options a few times. "Hrm..."

Selecting the demon for fun, she giggled a bit remembering one of the manga she'd read lately about the knight and the demon king fighting over a princess. "I've seen some people with green hair, but it's usually from using hair dye. Generally, real people don't have such colorful hair. I've seen some pretty heavy reds that were regular, though."

 

"Yes please~ I'll print the picture and frame it in my room! So I can remember this moment, yup, we'll see each other again in the... 'other' place, won't we?" The girl gave a mischievous wink. It was their seeeecret after all.

"Young Lady, Miss Richardson, I've brought refreshments." A maid arrived, carrying a silver platter then knelt beside the living room table, serving some biscuits and tea for the two girls. Then she stood up and bowed, "Hope you enjoy yourselves." before taking her leave.

"Thank you, Chloe!" Ellie gave a wide grin at the maid then turned her head back at the screen, seeing Kelly was still picking her character. "Oh! You've played this too? Nice~ It's a good game, isn't it?" The albino chirped, so this meant she shouldn't go easy on her brunette friend!

"Oh! You picked Mephisto! It's on now!" By picking the demon character, Kelly had affirmed herself to playing the role of the villain. Very well! As an honorable Knight of Justice and Righteousness, she shall vanquish the infernal creature and restore peace to the lands.

"Sir Galahad will smite you, hellish creature!" Ellie practically jumped up and down on the sofa as the match began. "Hyah!" The warcry would be quite familiar to Kelly's ears, albeit cuter and higher-pitched than the white-haired Paladin on Terrasphere. Eldhi unleashed what combo she knew to Kelly's character, Sir Galahad's claymore slashing, cleaving, and thrusting at Mephisto. The girl wasn't that good in the game, certainly not to the extent of those professional players, she was just having fun, a great one at that.

"Ah, I see~" The young lady pondered while still pressing the buttons on her controller, "So green hair is fake but red hair is real! I know white hair is too, prove? Myself, hehe~ Hmmm... you have brown hair yourself, Solly, so why did you pick green for uh... Solly? I mean, the 'other' Solly. Wink wink~" Was it the same reason why she chose Eldhi to have a tanner complexion? She was curious indeed.

 

Thanking the woman that brought them the snacks, Kelly smiled gently and moved to sip her tea- it was one of those special kinds, she noticed, that she could never quite name. It probably shouldn't have surprised her as she wondered about it, but it was always interesting to get something she didn't quite recognize at all. Then again, she hadn't drank much tea in recent weeks.

"This is tasty. My friend Aylen- and I can say her name now since we're offline- she is always drinking tea that tastes kind of funny to me. It's not nice tasting like this tea. It tastes like medicine for some reason, and I really want to know why."

Laughing, she realized she probably should've brought said girl to join her. Aylen was used to Kelly making friends on the net- they'd made a few together, in fact, in their younger years. "Ah right! Aylen's the friend I told you about that I live with. It was the only way my dad would agree to me going to a school far away. We've known each other since we were babies. Do you have anyone like that? If not, you'll just have to let me be the one that knows you best from now on. Actually...She's the one I used to play this with. Well, her and her brother. Her brother's scary good..."

Shaking off the memories from her childhood, she was excited to print the picture for her friend later, but even more excited as their playful fight began. She hadn't played in a small while, but she'd always enjoyed playing Mephistos for some reason. Perhaps it was just the unusual appearance, or perhaps it was simply that it made her think differently than she usually did with her martyr complex- she honestly wasn't sure.

Giggling as they were getting into character, Kelly grinned much like she would in game. "Alas, sir Knight, I cannot let you defeat me that quickly. I have plans for you yet, I must be alive to fulfill them in full!"

The fight continued, as did their playful banter seem to- but as they began to talk more normally again, Kelly found it took a moment to get into a normal speech pattern. "I started playing MMOs when I was about your age, but I didn't really have a computer of my own at home, so I played at Aylen's house. At the time, we always played together, and she always played an elf healer for some reason, while I always fought people off with swords and daggers to protect her, like a ninja or a knight."

She took a moment to take a bite of a biscuit and another sip of tea, her gentle smile remaining. "Since she and the other person we played with a lot for a while can't play Terra with me...I made my character in a way that would let me feel like I was with them even in a game they weren't part of. I guess it's my way of living nostalgia, you know? And what about you? Why'd you choose the way you did? In game you're cute, but you're even cuter in person, though, if you ask me."

 

"Tea that tastes like medicine, so... herbal tea?" The white-haired girl mused, pondering for a few moments, it certainly made sense. Still, it made her quite curious about this friend of Kelly, Aylen. Ellie briefly wondered why she couldn't say her name when they were online but maybe it was something regarding privacy. "The next time you see her, ask her about the brand of tea she loved, I wanna try it~"

Oh, now she remembered! Aylen was her childhood friend, the one Kelly used to play with ever since they were little but ended up going to different universities. The reason why they weren't playing together in Terrasphere was because of Aylen's lack of interest. "Aaah, so she lives in New York? That's nice~ You can invite her here! We can all play together~"

When asked the question herself, Eldhi hummed, trying to remember any figure similar to Aylen. She couldn't go to public schools because of her condition so... she rarely met others of her age, "Do my older brother and sister count?" The albino curled a cat-like smirk, "There's also Chloe, our head maid! I played with them a lot!"

---

"Your plans shall never see the light of day! Take that, foul demon!" The game proceeded with Ellie being on the advantage for the first few rounds but then, once Kelly adjusted herself, her old muscle memories resurfaced as the brunette's demonic character started to push the Knight into the edge. "Aaah!" Eldhi gasped, "No! Sir Galahad, get up!" Alas, the gallant knight fell as the words 'MEPHISTO WINS!' was printed in big bold letters on the screen. "Awww... hehe, you're very good yourself!" The girl giggled, putting down her controller as she stretched.

"Ah, so you've been playing for uh..." How old was Kelly again? Right, they never told each other's age, but the gap was quite obvious. ""A long time then!" She took a biscuit then munched on the snack, "Mmm... so that's why you made Solly be an elf, a ninja-knight elf!"

"Oh... hehehe~" The white-haired girl rubbed the back of her neck, blush marring her pale cheeks due to the compliments, "Because I love the story of King Arthur and the Round Table Knights! They are so cool, chivalric, and aaah~ I wanna be just like them!" The girl proudly nodded, "I tried to be cool, not cute!" She pouted in minor annoyance, cheeks bulging, which made her statement all the more ironic, "And uh... maybe because Eldhi must go out adventuring and she can't have my skin or she'd get sunburn, so I made her tan!" The albino grinned, sparkles in her eyes, "And it worked just fine!"

---

Thus, the pair of friends spent the day together, talking, gaming, and generally having a wonderful time together. Eldhi even took her on a tour around the house, including her bedroom. Before they knew it, the sun was descending, casting the sky in an orange glow. "Ahaha~ oh." Ellie looked at the clock then at her brunette friend, "I have to study now, so uhm~ will you be staying the night or...? If Kelly would, there were vacant guest rooms for her, if not, then Ellie would say her goodbyes and a little promise they'd see each other again, in the 'other' world.

OOC: Alright! This should be my last post for the thread, unless you want to continue. You can make yours and then go submit it for completion. It's always a pleasure RPing with you, Solar!

 

"Herbal tea is way tastier than that stuff," Kelly mused with a laugh, the taste of the memory on her tongue. "Well, some are anyway. To be fair, it's old custom based tea I think. It's imported from her grandma in Chile. Her grandma's some kind of witch doctor I think...Maybe I should start calling it witch's brew instead of tea."

With a small giggle, she pat Eldhi's head for a moment, smiling. "Aylen and I live in Massachussetts, actually. I just come to New York a lot to play anyway." Sure, each trip was a bit chaotic- after all, going from state to state regularly wasn't the easiest thing, especially with New York's traffic. However, she had regular breaks to do so, and seemed to find it all to easy to find her way around. "I usually come with friends, though, not to visit them. So this is special."

She winked towards her friend, then soon returned to their game. She was interested to learn more about the maid, since Eldhi seemed close to her, but knowing more about her siblings would probably be fun too. When Kelly was Eldhi's age, she hadn't expected to have any herself- but it was that very year, she realized, that her baby brother was born. It was kind of funny as she thought about it, causing her to laugh to herself as they had their fun.

---

As she managed to win their brawl, Kelly ruffled Eldhi's hair. She'd been trying so hard to hide her curiosity about Kelly's age, and pushed to just call it a 'long time'...But somehow, that made her wonder all the more if she should tell the girl or make her guess.

"Long indeed. I'm already nineteen now. Who'd have thought?" With a grin, her internal question was answered. So much for a possible guessing game. "You're pretty good too though. We'll have to have another match soon."

Eldhi then mused her wish to be 'cool'. "Can't you be bother at once? I think you're cool and cute. You're like the whole package that way!" Her words were said with her arms lithely wrapping around her friend's smaller body, giggles coming from her chest. "Same in real life. Adorable and cool. And if you didn't have a weakness- such as the sun- you wouldn't be nearly as cool as a hero, now would you?"

--

It was around the time they were touring the rather large estate that Ellie was watching the clock for a moment, the sun setting a brilliant glow upon the outdoors. "If I could stay the night, that'd be way more fun to me. This way we can play more when you finish your studies, and maybe even have dinner together." She'd probably leave not long after breakfast, but a little more time with a friend was never bad. And this was, after all, truly the start of a beautiful friendship. "Either way though, make sure to let me play with you again, kay?"

--End--