Story of a Doll

celeste • 27 January 2012 at 1:20 AM

@pastelfeathers
That's ok! ^^

Doll
Name: Patricia
Age: 16
Gender: F
Appearance: Mildly pink hair, done in a ponytail, long enough to reach her waist, and semi-gloves (those with the fingers free) up to her elbow, with a white shirt (starting at neck, no sleeves) and a white skirt. Also has short-ish boots, without high-heels.
Personality: Let us develop this! (L8r...)
Special Quality: Has a nice smile and looks quite modern.

pastelfeathers • 27 January 2012 at 1:23 AM

@celeste
Sounds good, definitely accepted. 😊
If no one else joins as your Owner in a few days, perhaps I can ask if anyone else would consider adding another character. XD

celeste • 27 January 2012 at 1:24 AM

@pastelfeathers
Awesome! ^^ I changed her hair from cotton-candy pink to mild pink, if that's alright ^^ So, do I start RPing now? ^^;

pastelfeathers • 27 January 2012 at 1:27 AM

@celeste
Ahaha, no worries, you can always change how your Doll/Owner looks, as long as you let the people roleplaying with you know. 😃
And yeah, if you'd like, you can join the party at the Doll Maker's house lolll. 😊

celeste • 27 January 2012 at 1:38 AM

@pastelfeathers
Party? 😱 There's a party? 😱 I think I'll just put asleep Patricia in her room. 😋

--

Patricia had fallen asleep hours ago, and wondered what had changed since she left. She thought she had heard the calling of a quiet voice across the hallway from her room, but, it could have been something else, right? It sounded too much like a child's voice to be a serious customer, anyway. She yawned sleepily, and thought "Wonder what's the racket out there..." It DID disturb her sleep...

pastelfeathers • 27 January 2012 at 1:54 AM

@celeste
Ahahaa, seems like it, since most of us are somewhere in the house. 😃

Bloop, sorry I'm tired so I'm kinda easily confused, but is Patricia hearing Charlotte or Joshua? :S

celeste • 27 January 2012 at 1:56 AM

@pastelfeathers
It was Alicia before, since she was trying to find Cam 😋

pastelfeathers • 27 January 2012 at 2:09 AM

@celeste
Ohhh, got it ahahaa, sorry, was wondering about that. XD

Is Patricia just going to back to bed then or will she be waking up? 😊

celeste • 27 January 2012 at 2:12 AM

@pastelfeathers
I'd say she'll walk out of the room 😋

--

With a shrug, Patricia got up, changed out of her bed clothes, and into her normal clothes, and decided to go out and see what all the hubub was about - somebody DID need beauty sleep, after all, to 'cleanse pores'... whatever that meant. It just sounded fancy, and was an excuse to sleep.

pastelfeathers • 27 January 2012 at 3:06 AM

@celeste
The Doll Maker hummed quietly to himself as he waited for Charlotte to unlock her door.

'Oh dear', he thought to himself, 'I hope all the noise downstairs hasn't woken anyone up.' He glanced around the empty hallway briefly, suddenly, the old man felt a wave of sadness come over him.

'Seems like all my children are leaving,' he thought ruefully.

(( Teehee, good idea. 😃 ))

celeste • 27 January 2012 at 3:14 AM

@pastelfeathers
Patricia yawned, and saw the party going on downstairs. "Hey, is there are party... or am I just seeing things? I think I'll go... do something now..." With a zombie-like pace, she walked towards the kitchen, to cook something - it was, indeed, one of her hobbies, though she never really found time for it.

((She's still half-asleep 😋)

pastelfeathers • 27 January 2012 at 6:06 PM

@celeste
@duchess
Joshua momentarily paused as yet another female Doll walked by him. He inwardly flinched, preparing himself for yet another speech, if not outright rant, on the subject of his treatment towards his Doll.

'Though', he thought sourly, 'the Doll's in a big surprise when he meets the Grand Duke...'

But instead, the Doll simply walked past him, seemingly absorbed in her own thoughts.

Joshua favoured her with an odd stare.

"Just how many of you guys are there?" he blurted out incredulously.

(( loll, it's kk, Joshua's pretty confused at this point, he's been yelled at, thrown pie at, and now random dolls are walking around sleepily. XD ))

celeste • 27 January 2012 at 6:13 PM

@pastelfeathers

Patricia continued cooking, ignoring the funny stares in her direction. Soon, she was staring at a cake she proudly made, complete with frosting, small flowers placed at some points, and icing. It had several different flavors, and a delicious crust. Smiling, she walked out at a zombie-like pace, and set the cake onto the table.

duchess • 28 January 2012 at 12:49 AM

@pastelfeathers Aw, Joshua just makes me want to laugh 😃 Benjamin will definitely stick around ❤️

Benjamin flushed as attention was brought to his informal speech. He was not entirely used to using formal speech, and knowing which title to use and when, made his head spin.

He was starting to feel like he had made an irreparably bad impression on his new owner. He really wanted to impress him somehow, and make him feel as if he wasn't a complete waste of money.

"Sorry, Master," he murmured politely whilst he waited for him to finish cleaning his face.

pastelfeathers • 28 January 2012 at 4:09 AM

@celeste
Joshua quickly wiped the rather unpleasant pieces of pie from his face, feeling rather dismayed at the knowledge that the blueberry filling would forever stain his white shirt and informal blazer.

He sighed and exited the washroom in time to see the strange girl from before carrying, more or less, a ridiculously ornate cake from what, he assumed, to be the kitchen and into the parlour.

'This place is crazy,' he thought incredulously to himself, 'how on Earth did she manage to bake that cake in the time that I was in the washroom?'

@duchess
(( Loll, that's good to hear, Joshua's such a hyprocrite really, he acts all tough but has the soft spongy heart made of marshmallows. ❤️ ))
It was the softly spoken apology from his Doll, 'Benjamin' he reminded himself, that brought Joshua's attention back from his curious ponderings on the unnamed female Doll.

He stared at his Doll.

Then looked away, a sharp look of irritation and guilt flashing across his face before he could control it. Joshua frowned defensively and grumbled half-heartedly, "go retrieve your stuff already. We've kept my butler waiting long enough."

He did feel bad for treating Benjamin as he had, but it was for the Doll's own good. Joshua scowled at the floor, he had to toughen and train the Doll properly.

'Otherwise the Grand Duke will eat him alive,' he though darkly to himself.

celeste • 28 January 2012 at 4:12 AM

@pastelfeathers

Patricia looked sleepily at Joshua, who she just noticed was standing there observing her. "Oh.. hello sir... Fancy cake?" she gestured at the cake, which was just sitting there "Nobody's going to eat it, anyway. I think I'll go make another one... making that one was fun... Should I?"

pastelfeathers • 28 January 2012 at 4:15 AM

@celeste
Joshua stared, then simultaneously tried to grimace and smirk, the expression coming off as rather...constipated.

He frowned, "what? Wait, you're making another one? Don't tell me all your guys eat is sweets?"

At that, he looked vaguely horrified, "am I going to have to hire a patissier just to feed this guy?" He pointed rather rudely at Benjamin.

celeste • 28 January 2012 at 4:21 AM

@pastelfeathers

Patricia grimaced back at him. "No, we don't eat cake all the time. Cake's just easier to make, stupid. What do you think we are, anyway? And just feed him normal food. That's what we ALL eat." The words came out slightly harsher than she had intended, but, whatever. What was the Dollmaker thinking? Why would this guy be capable of owning a DOLL? He didn't even sound like he could have a pet rock!

pastelfeathers • 28 January 2012 at 4:44 AM

@celeste
Joshua bristled and bit back the reflexive snarky retort.

'What was with the Doll Maker and all his insolent Dolls!?' he thought angrily to himself, casting a glance at Benjamin, he certainly hoped that his Doll would not dare do something as atrocious as calling a human "stupid".

Nevertheless, he turned his attention back to the female Doll, "pray tell, how is a cake easier to make than a sandwich?"

"And watch your manners," he sneered out of habit, "I can break this little dream life of yours if you don't bite your audacious tongue!"

"Besides," Joshua looked away, a hint of defensiveness coming into his voice, "how am I supposed to know what to feed you guys, this is the first time I've ever been near one of you..."

celeste • 28 January 2012 at 4:51 AM

@pastelfeathers

Patricia shrugged nonchalantly "'Cause a cake is creative. A sandwich? Not so much. You just slap a few things between two pieces of bread, and you're done. You can't have fun with it, you can't decorate it, and it's... bah. A cake? You can let your creativity soar, with beautiful patterns and etched designed no mere sandwich can bring you. Besides, a sandwich is cliched."

At this latest comment, Patricia once again did this nonchalant shrug. "Not sure how... You gonna set fire on me or you gonna get a hammer and somehow manage to kill me? You're actually sadistically pleased by the fact there's no heaven to go to, and I can't be remade in the exact same way once I'm killed? Disgusting, really. And, don't you have a manual? Refer to that."

pastelfeathers • 28 January 2012 at 5:20 AM

@celeste
There is a moment of silence as Joshua contemplated the female Doll's words, her rant seemingly impassioned by something beyond simple programming.

Then the moment passed and any residual awe he had allowed himself to feel was brusquely shoved aside.

"That was a touching speech," he drawled out snidely, "I bet your Owner wanted you as a cook. No, don't object, just embrace the truth."

Joshua found his right eye twitching as the insolent Doll continued with her nonchalant mannerism, 'the sheer nerve of these Dolls!'

He looked away, unwilling to incite another fight, even if his comment regarding the destruction of the Doll Maker and his Dolls was genuine.

He'd rather swallow his pride than have a cake thrown at his head.

'One pie was enough,' he thought sourly to himself, then tacked on, "no, actually, I don't have the manual. Because all the Dolls in this thrice-cursed house seem more preoccupied with insulting guests than retrieving manuals."

He gave both Benjamin and the female Doll a pointed look.

celeste • 28 January 2012 at 5:30 AM

@pastelfeathers

Patricia was still burning with fury - but this momentary glitch passed. She was only a robot, how were feelings such as rage possible to her? Still, she needed to make some cutting remark. So he thought he was somehow more important than her? Eh?

Patricia paused thoughtfully for a moment, and then said "You know what? You think you're much more important than me, do you? Well, reality check, we're just the same. Two lives being played upon by invisible strings. But you wouldn't understand, now, would you?" If he managed to somehow find a retort for that, she could beat it down with her A-material, anyway.

cqpkytty • 28 January 2012 at 9:53 AM

Charlotte was calm by now. She unlocked the door, apologized to Diem ( Diem = D. M. = Doll Maker. It's her nickname for him 😋), and went downstairs. She walked up to Joshua. "I apologize for my...rant earlier. It's just that I don't like being treated like an item, and I can get very worked up about it. I mean, to you and many other owners, we ARE just things, but to me...I feel real. I feel alive. I feel like I'm a person, just like you or the Doll Maker. I can touch, and taste, and smell, and hear, and see. I can think. But what I really think makes the difference between us and robots greater, and makes the difference between us and you smaller...is that we can dream. We have goals accomplished and goals ahead. We have hopes and we have fears. We have wishes and wants. We have desires. We have dreams. Take me, for example," Charlotte told Joshua. "I don't know if this will ever happen...but I want to be the best chef in the world. I want to make a flambe right, so it doesn't explode. I want to make the most beautifully decorated, delicious-tasting cakes. I want to make dishes of all kinds, and make them perfectly."

@pastelfeathers

duchess • 28 January 2012 at 6:15 PM

@pastelfeathers,

Obediently, Benjamin went to retrieve his things. As he stared at his clothes and instruments, he wondered how much he could take. In the end, Benjamin decided that his owner would probably provide clothes for him, so he busied himself filling a suitcase with as many instruments as possible. In went his clarinet, flute and oboe. His violin and trumpet were a bit of a squeeze, but still fit. With a bit creative re-arrangement he managed to fit his saxophone in the suitcase too.

As he turned his gaze towards his larger instruments, namely cello, piano and euphonium, he realised that he would not be able to take them all.
His new owner was rich, and very high-class, so Benjamin decided to assume that he would have a piano (or at least be able to buy one).
It was now between the euphonium and cello. Benjamin favoured the cello, so he put it in its case and wished his euphonium goodbye.

He reached for his manual, before lugging his suitcase and cello down the stairs towards his owner.

pastelfeathers • 28 January 2012 at 9:40 PM

@celeste
Joshua snorted and sent the female Doll a rather pointed glare.

"Look," he began, "I don't know what the Doll Maker has been programming into your systems, but you are comprised of nothing more than circuits. And artificial life is just that, artificial."

He sent her a rather withering sneer, "and those invisible strings you speak of? News flash, they're controlled by the Grand Duke."

Joshua's tone was reproachful as he continued, as if the idea repulsed him, a spot he could not cleanse out, "and I'll be inheriting them, so I would watch my tongue if I were you."

@cqpkytty
Joshua turned around when the pie throwing Doll suddenly came up, listening quietly as she apologized, he felt a brief twinge of empathy.

He knew all about being treated as an object.

The teen sighed when she finished, feeling rather awkward and when it became obvious she was waiting for a response, he quickly donning on a bored demeanor, "whatever, I really don't care what your dream is."

He felt bad saying that to the Doll, who obviously felt rather passionate about the whole affair, but dreams didn't matter.

Joshua would know.

He's never been able to follow his dreams.

Unable to apologize with the kind of persona Public Joshua was, the boy simply looked away and mumbled a quiet, "your pie was pretty decent."

cqpkytty • 28 January 2012 at 9:51 PM

"I..." Charlotte was embarrassed. She looked down. "I wasn't trying to...that is...I was just using myself as an example." She looked back up. "In case you were wondering...Benjamin had always wanted to be a musician. I'm not telling you this because I think you would care," she threw at him, "but because I have a nagging suspicion," she grinned, "that he will be bringing as many instruments as he can, and will be regularly playing them. He has a clarinet, a flute, an oboe, a trumpet, a violin, a saxophone, a cello, a piano, and a euphonium. I've never been entirely sure what a euphonium is, but it's some sort of instrument, and he has one. You should probably check on him to see what he's bringing, because it will definitely be heavy." She chuckled. "And thanks. You know, I was planning on offering you a slice, but then I got mad." She looked down. "Again, sorry about that."

@pastelfeathers
Public Joshua?
And I think Charlotte is starting to like Joshua 😋
Will the separate doll-owner pairs ever meet each other again?

pastelfeathers • 28 January 2012 at 9:56 PM

@duchess
Joshua looked up when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, a brief look of relief flashing across his face at the sight of Benjamin with his luggage.

Thank the Heavens, he didn't think he could handle any more Dolls.

He observed the Doll briefly, wondering if it would be too out of character for him to offer to help, then, deciding that it would be too nice of an act for Public Joshua, the teen scowled.

"Hurry it up there," he called out, feeling rather ridiculously as he did so, "the car's been idling for too long."

He took a quick glance at the two Dolls beside him and the Doll Maker observing passively by the bottom of the stairs. Joshua looked away from the old man's knowing gaze and sneered, "and say goodbye to your little robot friends."

He started towards the door, pausing briefly as decorum dictated him to stop and turn in order to bow politely towards the Doll Maker. "Thank you for your hospitality," he murmured, eyes downcast, "I apologize for all the commotion I seem to have inadvertently caused."

When the old man merely smiled and bid him a bemused farewell, Joshua started towards the door again. Registering the Doll Maker's quiet 'visit us again soon, Mister Joshua' before he stepped into the rain covered lawn.

cqpkytty • 28 January 2012 at 9:59 PM

@pastelfeathers
Did you see my post?

pastelfeathers • 28 January 2012 at 10:05 PM

@cqpkytty
(( lol, I'm glad! Joshua's a sweetheart on the inside but acts all tough/mean because of his father, that's why he says 'Public Joshua' ahahaha.
And hmm, owners and dolls should come back every 4 months to do maintenance so probably yeah 😃 ))

Joshua paused upon Charlotte's words and cast a critical eye over Benjamin's luggage.

"Don't tell me," he drawled out, "that the suitcase is full of instruments."

He cast Charlotte another glance, "I happen to like music. It was my request for Benjamin to be able to musically gifted." He opened his mouth to say more, then shut it forcibly, he had no idea why he was explaining himself to a Doll of all things.

Joshua shifted uneasily, his brash reputation didn't allow for cheesy moments of understanding and forgiveness, it struck too close to home. And if the Grand Duke ever found out-

He took a sharp breath.

No.

That can never happen.

"Leave it," he snapped at the female Doll, feeling guilty as he did so, "it's not like your apologies will do me any good."

cqpkytty • 28 January 2012 at 10:10 PM

"I...okay." Charlotte could tell he was having some sort of internal argument, or something.