Blue's Ideation Dreamland

by Blue Horizon

Live to Learn Again - Prologue - Sold

The first thing the girl noticed was the soft leather she was resting on. She curled up tightly into the velvety blankets she was wrapped around and released a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She smiled. It was much more comfortable compare to the leather jacket she usually used for a pseudo blanket. In fact she hasn't slept this peaceful since before the month began, when she could stay over at one of her friends', former friends', houses.

Her eyes shot open. Sunlight shined through the sky-blue curtains on a large window. She held a hand up to block the light and get a better look around the room. In front of the couch she lay on, there was a small table with two cups of steaming tea. For a brief moment, the floral patterns on the cup flashed a violet light.

"Ah, the tea is done." A young man said. black suit with a navy vest. Adjusting his tie, he leaned forward off the leather chair he was seated on and picked up the tea. "You were in a rough shape the other night, I hope you don't mind that I took you in. You were... unruly. And your place was on fire."

The girl cringed and sat up. "Yeah," her voice trailed off as she looked around. The room itself was fairly plan, the walls were a soft blue, the floor was simple tile, a few more windows with semi closed curtains were spread out along the wall behind her. She honed in onto to the man who leaned back into his chair, taking random sips from his tea. He folded and sat the newspaper he had been reading back onto the table and offered a smile. "I'm gonna need you to tell me who you are, and where I am."

"That is... quite complicated." He set his tea onto the empty saucer. "Let me just state that I know who, and more importantly what, you are. And I have an offer to give you."

The girl moved her hair away from her face and undid the bandage covering her cheek. She ran her finger around the indentation that crossed from under her right eye to near her lip. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Why should I trust you, or even listen to you? What's stopping me from busting out of the window right now."

"You have no where to go, no money, no food and water. And no friends to help you out. You're all-"

"That didn't stop me before. I've made a life for myself here once. And I can do it again." She set the blankets to the side and stood up. The tea looked delicious and she could feel the dryness in her throat. But she didn't trust this man, and why should she? If there is one thing her friendships taught her, it's to never trust anyone. She walked toward the door, ignoring the gaze the man looked at her with, and the coldness in her feet. She wrapped her hand around the bronze handle and pulled it downward.

"You'd be without your journal." That got her attention. How did he know about the journal? How did he know about her. She walked back to the couch in silence and sat cross-legged.

"Start talking, now."

---

Alone. Several lights bore into her from atop the hardwood stage. Her cyan eyes focused downward, on the sole blemish across the floor. Just me and my shadow, she thought to herself trying to ignore the several conversations about their previous purchases or their hope on making the final one. Or is it my shadow and I?. The girl inwardly chuckled. Grammar didn't matter. She didn't matter. Not anymore.

A gavel slammed onto a wooden podium. "Ladies and gentlemen," the voice was from a young male; raspy but clear, rehearsed, "let us begin with the final auction." The voices in the audience went silence, with the exception of a stray whisper here or there. "What we have for you now is a rare, one-of-a-kind, prize even for this venerable auction house!"

Hundreds of excited or intrigued eyes bore into her. She flinched. The silence, and their attention, was deafening. The yellow-skinned teenage girl wished her steal collar or locks of golden and crimson hair would cover the scar lined across her neck. She wished the white robes and hood would hide her bruised face. She wished... was this the right idea? Would it have been better if I... she paused and looked up. Back at everyone who looked down on her from their cushioned seats with their faceless masked. From left to right, she scanned the crowd then she shook her head and laughed. From prized pupil to prized goods, oh how the mighty have fallen.

"Opening bids start at five million pounds." the voice bellowed into the auditorium.

"Five point six!"

"Six point one!"

"Six and a quarter!"

In the back of the auditorium, old wooden doors located underneath a stylized depiction of the North Star slowly creaked open. A tall, burly man wearing a three-piece suit stepped forward. The girl watched as he walked past aisle and aisle, ignoring the increasing amount of attention and light. The man put his gloved hands onto the stage and lept upwards until he stood face to face with the yellow girl. She tried to ignore him when he grabbed her chin with a soft velvety care, and moved it from side to side. She tried to ignore the cloth that was tied to his long tapered horns that covered his face but not his examining gaze.

"Sir, you can't be-"

"Fifteen million," the man said. His voice was deep, strong. He lifted the vale off the girl and ran a finger along her cheek. Leaning in, "yes, you'll do quite nicely," he whispered into her ear, "you'll make an excellent apprentice, familiar even, for the sleigh buggy."

"Sold! Fifteen million pounds!" The loud banging of the gavel went ignored to the girl. She couldn't help but smile. Finally, she thought to herself I have a home.

---

"Thank you kindly for your payment." The girl watched as a young man wearing a black suit and an ivory vest grab the piece of paper. She lifted her arms and scratched around the burn mark along her cheek, ignoring the rattling of her chains. "Even though the girl appears to be a sixteen-year-old girl, our research shows she's actually twenty-two. And while she has a history of pride and aggression, she is known to be extraordinarily malleable after traumatic experiences. Such as the one she experienced over this previous Christmas. Hopefully she isn't too hard to train."

The girl snorted and brushed a lock of her crimson and yellow hair to the side. "Things change and that was weeks ago." Cyan eyes glanced at the piece of paper. "Fifteen million pounds, huh? That's quite an investment in little ol' me."

"And I intend to make back said investment." A deep voice bellowed. The girl looked at the leather sofa where a tall man sat. Along with his immaculate suit with fitting gloves, he wore a white cloth, tied to his long tapered horns, that covered his elongated, and inhuman, face.

"Yes, well," the young man continued, "while I was pleasantly surprised to see you today Mr. Ainsworth, I must remind you to please refrain from stepping on the stage during an auction. This is the second time."

Ainsworth grunted, stood up, "I require neither a lecture nor small talk, thank you." and walked towards the girl. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back, or tried too. With a strong yank on the chain attached to her steel collar, she fell forward. Her white hood falling off the top of her hair. "You, with me."

Author's Note:

This was my true first attempt at writing Sunset. Which means that this was the first Sunset crossover I ever started (before Yu Yu Hakusho). I love the world of Ancient Magus Bride, and felt Sunset could slide right into it at any point. I chose the AaM route because I wanted to see how a broken Sunset, who rebounds with rage/anger, would grow with Chise who has already started to mature under Elias' care.

I may very well continue this at somepoint.

Comments

[luckyboys121]

Always fun to see an anthology piece, especially one like this. We all have stories we can't get off the ground after all and it would be a shame to let them go to waste.

Anyway enjoying this so far (probably helps that you started with a Magus Bride crossover) and can't wait to see what other ideas you post

[The Voice in the Water]

Interesting. Should be fun to see how your muse worked Blue.