the village

who: cheyenne and maya
where: the woods/the village
when: early day

Maya did a whole lot of delegation in her life. She liked to have a finger in every pie, but she was far from averse to getting other people to do the running for her. That said, when it was needed, she could be hands on. And that included when she felt let down by the people she assigned to do jobs for her.

Like Danny. She had heard nothing from him of late. And she'd already brought the guy in once to talk to him, so this time she would take a different approach to the issue. And so it was that she had set out to see Cheyenne herself. She hadn't seen much of the girl recently, but that had been purposeful - she knew that Cheyenne had been trying to establish at least some independence, and so Maya had stepped back to give her that illusion. Whatever made her little girl happy. But that didn't mean that she couldn't visit from time to time.

Cheyenne had been getting ready to go help with the searches going on. Which meant her big fur coat, her fur lined boots, and pretty much everything else she could manage to keep herself warm. She was looking for her mittens when the knock came on the door, and she hurried over, pulling it open after she glanced through the peep hole to see who it was.

She was definitely a little shocked to see Maya, but not unpleasantly so. "Hi!" she said, smiling. However, even if she was smiling there was something about Cheyenne that screamed 'tired'. She'd not been sleeping, she'd been overwhelmingly stressed out for a long time now--it was wearing the girl down. So try as she might to cover that, some things just weren't coverable.

Maya, on the other hand, looked like she'd come straight from the beauty parlour, which wasn't far off course - she'd been there first thing this morning. She had, however, been home in between and changed, thinking that she would ask Cheyenne to take a walk with her, so she was dressed rather sensibly, with nicely worked, flat black boots, a pair of flattering tailored trousers and a fur that was rather more functional than some of the ones which she wore over her outfit. "Darling - how are you? Oh good, you're dressed for going out, that'll save us some time!" she said, scanning her eyes over Cheyenne's attire approvingly. "You look tired, darling - some fresh air will do you the world of good."

"I'm--" Cheyenne started, hesitating, but she spotted her mittens finally and went to nab them. It was a nice enough excuse to not answer right away. "I'm fine. Just...I'm fine. I had been about to go help with the search parties, did you want to go do that with me?" she asked, not sure if Maya would, but at the same time, having Walkers present at something like that would probably be good press. And she hated herself a little even knowing that. She'd been going to go because she felt like it was the right thing to do.

Maya considered that, then smiled. "What a charming little idea - why not," she agreed. It hadn't been on her list of things to do, tramping about in the woods looking for who knew what. Oh yes, bodies and escaped possible psychos. In Maya's opinion, if they hadn't found anyone in two days and there had been no more murders related to the bodies they'd already found, then it would definitely be a corpse-hunt. The patients would have frozen to death by now. "Well, lead the way dear..."

Cheyenne smiled again, then headed out. "We might as well take a cab there. We'll be walking through snow enough, walking through the wind to get there isn't my favorite plan ever." she said. It was hard for her not to take her camera, and she had looked at it for a long moment before opting to leave it where it was. It would be in poor taste, at the very least, outwardly offensive at most.

Maya laughed a little. "Darling - I have my driver downstairs. Though - if you really would prefer to take a city cab..." she said, trailing off with a tone that suggested that she'd lower herself to it, simply for the benefit of family and for no other reason. It was the kind of tone that came with the idea that she'd feel the need to place a clean handkerchief on the seat first.

"I should have known, really. No, let's take your car." Cheyenne said. The cabs in the city weren't exactly top notch a lot of the time, and a hell of a lot of them recognized her for her modeling. Which meant she got a lot of starstruck reactions, or really inappropriate ones. Neither of which she was happy for Maya to see.

"It means that I don't have to carry cash," Maya told her as they headed out. "You can never tell when you might be a target in this city," she added - as if a few notes would tip the balance over the furs and pearls that she wore on a daily basis. Maya didn't do 'low key' in her day to day life, though she was more than capable of it when the need arose.

"I know." Cheyenne said, voice distant, and it had dropped any cheer she'd gained from seeing Maya. She knew quite well about being a target. And even if she hadn't wanted to get into it, since she'd tried telling her family ages ago about the stalker and they'd poo pooed it, she couldn't fake any reaction that wasn't genuine on that note. Her voice lost animation, her face dropped and that full force of all the strain she'd been under was clear in her entire demeanor right then, just as she got into the car.

Maya had been watching her, out of the corner of her eye, and had actually been waiting for a reaction such as that as an opener to the conversation. She stepped into the car behind Cheyenne, her face serious with a touch of concern as the driver closed the door behind them. "Darling - Cheyenne - what is it?" she asked, reaching over to take one of the girl's hands in hers.

Cheyenne looked down at her hand in Maya's, and while she didn't try and remove it, she did gaze out the window instead of at the woman. "You're not going to believe me anyways. No one did before." she said, voice quiet. And while there wasn't actually much in the way of accusation in her tone, it was too laced with despondence to really achieve anything so sharp, there was something that betrayed that she felt that way somewhere deep down. It just wasn't even near the top of her emotional scale at the moment. She was far too drowned in everything else.

"Try me," Maya told her as the car pulled away from the curb. "I don't want you to feel like you can't come to me with your problems, Cheyenne. I never want you to feel like that and I'm sorry that you do. Please, talk to me about this..." She didn't mention any of the other right now. Not the doll, or the cop, none of it. She didn't want to worry her girl any further.

It took a good minute or two before Cheyenne drew in a breath, and let it out slowly, looking back over for a heartbeat, but then her eyes were back out the window. "It's the same thing it was before. I'm being followed. And everyone just kept telling me I was imagining things, but I'm not. I was developing pictures, and realized that shots I'd take around, just random landscapes I do sometimes, I kept picking up the same guy. Some...man, who's just...there." she said, voice getting steadily more strained as she spoke. "But I don't have a good enough picture of him to even show anyone, and even then, if I went to the cops it would do no good, because apparently some dick from the department's been following me too, and he just--I don't know, Maya, but--" she stopped, because she could feel herself tearing up, and she didn't want to burst into tears. Usually she was better controlled than this but the strain meant it was all so close to the surface.

"Let me have copies of the photographs, Cheyenne," Maya said, quietly. There was no undertone in her voice, just a straightforward request - the only thing that was really missing was that usually Maya's tone was more commanding than requesting. "And what man from the department?" she asked, fairly sure that she knew who that would be - and it didn't sound good.

"There's nothing there. There isn't a good enough shot to even get a face." Cheyenne said. "But if you want copies, fine, they're back at the apartment." she said. They wouldn't do any good. If she'd thought she had anything she could use, she would have, but she really didn't. All she had was enough evidence to truly drive her mad over it. She looked back when she asked about Danny. "Some cop. Danny. I met him a few times, and then at the last party, he got all...." she shuddered a little. "Creepy. And his wife was there! At the party, even! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, when I'd been talking to him another night, we were talking, and he just totally lied about his wife. I don't even think he noticed. But y'know, I don't need to keep that kind of company, any man who does that is a jerk, end of story. But then he saw me at the party, and came up to me, and then he started going on about how he was breaking department rules because he wanted....jesus, I don't even remember anymore, all I know is that it turns out he was following me too. Last time I saw him it was even worse. I just don't know what to do anymore. I don't know where to go, I don't think there's anywhere to turn, and no one believes me, and the cops are assholes who're just as bad." She was crying by the end of it, shaking as she let it all come tumbling out.

Maya put her arm around Cheyenne and made a very firm decision in that moment. She wouldn't have her family crying, she didn't ever want them hurt - that had never been her intention. "Don't worry about the Officer, dear - I'll make some calls. He won't bother you again," she assured the younger girl. Danny clearly wasn't working, so he would be discharged from that particular role. Maya wasn't at all happy about how things had gone there, but her priority was Cheyenne, not some faceless cop who could be discarded. "And yes, let me have the pictures - maybe one of my friends will recognise something - if you don't mind me discreetly showing them about, of course." She would anyway, but she always tried to play nice.

Cheyenne then leaned against Maya, turning towards her finally, taking the comfort. "Promise he'll leave me alone?" she asked. Even if she knew that Maya more than had the influence to do something like that. "And you can have the pictures. I just don't think they'll be useful." Not in the slightest. Faceless people generally weren't helpful for identifying anyone.

"The Officer will leave you alone. This other man, I'll do what I can - and you know, if you want to move home, you're always welcome. Or if you want me to hire you a bodyguard, just say the word. I'll even be with you whilst we pick someone suitable," she promised, knowing she was feeling guilty right now for setting up the situation with Danny in the first place. She also didn't make a thing about the fact that she hadn't believed Cheyenne's reports of a stalker before, thinking that the girl was imagining things. Matters had changed since then.

Cheyenne seriously considered the offers. "Maybe I'll come home for a few days. Maybe I'll think about a bodyguard." she said, not sure exactly what she might do. But maybe it would make her feel safer. Something needed doing, and if she was being offered anything, right now she was inclined to take it. What else could she do? This whole waiting for the other shoe to drop thing wasn't working out for her in the slightest, now was it? And lately, it had just gotten worse and worse, and she was at the end of her rope. So...yeah. Something different would need to happen.

"Think about it and just let me know what you want to do. I'll have Gertie make up your old room fresh anyway," Maya said as the car pulled over to the curb. She leaned forward and talked quietly to the driver, making sure he knew that that was to be sorted out straight away. How the man was going to achieve that when he would know she would fully expect him to be there and waiting to return her home when she was done, and neither of them knew how long she would be simply wasn't her problem. That done, though, she sat back and waited for the driver to walk round and open the door for them - there could be press out there and Maya Walker would never be seen to open her own doors. She had an image to maintain and she maintained it resolutely.

Cheyenne waited as well, knowing the drill. And just because generally she got her own doors nowadays didn't mean she didn't still know how to behave like a Walker when around her family. Which meant she waited and got out when it was appropriate. There did seem to be a little press, and people milling around, searchers gathering. Vaguely, Cheyenne wondered if Mina were around, knowing it was nearby, but still. She didn't say anything. The family tended not to talk much about Mina. She wasn't even sure why. But she was there with Maya, and felt mildly better for being taken seriously this time.

Maya left the car first, her face suitably serious, given the subject matter at hand, edged with a little concern. It was all show - really, what she wanted was just to go for a walk and have a talk with Cheyenne. She couldn't care less about what was going on here, but a public face was a public face and she'd walk past the cameras in a suitable way. That said, she was planning on heading them deep into the woods at the earliest opportunity, away from prying eyes.

Cheyenne didn't have to play a part she looked somber and like she'd been crying. She tried to get herself together as much as possible, but there was only so much one could do. Either way, though, she headed towards one of the people organizing the search, and she signed her name on one of the sheets, so they could keep track of all of the participants, and she got a direction to go in. She nodded for Maya to head over as well, noting the press taking shots. They seemed much happier now that there was someone of import to photograph.

Maya followed, though she paused at one point to quickly talk to a reporter about how important she felt that this was for the city and what wonderful things it said about community, that everyone would pull together and give their own time over a number of days for this effort. She felt a pang of a missed opportunity as she spoke, wishing she had thought to have someone set up a soup counter dispensing to the people joining in the search, but there was no possibility of that, and since this had been going on for several days now, to decide on that now would just look like they hadn't been prepared - and Maya always tried to make it look like her family knew every turn before it happened. That done, and her name signed, she joined Cheyenne again. "Come on, dear - let's get away from all of these cameras. There must be an area that hasn't been searched yet..."

"They said off that way." Cheyenne said, making a vague gesture as she headed them in that direction. off into the trees. At least she didn't think she'd be followed there. It didn't take long to leave other people behind, and with the trees around, the wind actually felt less wicked. "If I got a bodyguard, would it be a full time one?" she asked, mind still ticking over that sort of thing.

Maya considered this. "Would you want one full time?" she asked. "Or just for... I'm not sure, special occasions? Public events? You said you kept seeing the same figure in your photos - were they photos you took when you were on your own? Or at specific places?" she asked.

"I have sixteen shots of him. And they're just around. At most special events, I don't bring my camera. So I don't know if he's around then, I'd have to look through publicity shots." Cheyenne said honestly. "But, for right now, all I know is that he's there, and it's during my everyday life. At the park, around the library..." she trailed off.

"So, it would suggest that you would be more likely to need someone full time - or, at least, when you go out," Maya said, though she didn't push the point with her tone. She tried to hold in her mind at all times with Cheyenne that the girl was trying to be independent, and Maya wanted to allow her to hold onto some form of a belief that she was. And if that meant managing the girl, then so be it. "That looks like a good direction," she added, spotting what looked to be almost the beginnings of a path through the undergrowth, twisting away from the main area they were walking in. She would imagine that the clearer places had already been searched, and better a path than climbing over fallen and half rotting tree limbs.

"Then I guess I need someone more fulltime." Cheyenne said, resigned to that. But if she had a bodyguard, maybe it would be better, maybe the person would get scared off or something. She didn't know. But it felt like something. Some form of action. Looking where Maya indicated, she nodded, starting in that direction. She realized she should be paying better attention, looking around more, but that wasn't happening. She hadn't expected to find anything in the first place, really, to be honest.

"Well, I'll come up with a shortlist of possibilities and mail it over to you to read through. I can include photos and resumes, then maybe we could see the candidates together - I wouldn't want to put you in a position where you were seeing men alone right now," Maya said. Especially since she'd tried letting one loose and that clearly hadn't worked. So, she would supervise the way forward herself.

"Alright." Cheyenne said. "If I'm staying at the house, if I'm still there, I'll just look at the list when you're through." she said, looking around as it really did appear like they had hit a proper path. It didn't look like it had been trod through already either. There was just...a path. Interesting. If she'd had her camera, she would have loved to take a picture.

"Of course," Maya told her, smiling a little more as she realised that Cheyenne was really seriously considering moving home. That suited her well - very well. Exceptionally well. She preferred to have her family around her. Yes, she liked that - and she almost felt as if the news, the very good news, and the mood uplift that came with it for her, was reflected in the path they were walking along - it seemed to be widening out, firming, the trees drawing back a little, so that they could properly walk side by side now.

Cheyenne fell quiet as they kept moving along, walking with Maya and holding onto her arm as she did. As she walked, she started feeling a little strange. More withdrawn. Less like she was being quiet because she didn't have anything to say, and more because she wasn't sure she would say anything even if she did.

Maya didn't push the conversation just now, though she had ideas forming in her head. But, for the present time, she was just glad to have her daughter with her, and safe. That was a good start - and Maya knew she would do everything within her power to keep her safe, and to make sure that everything worked out in just the right way.

As they got farther along, Cheyenne held a little tighter to Maya's arm, knowing that no matter what happened, she'd protect her. No matter what happened. If there were strange men, if other things happened, Maya would be there. It was like Maya had her own special brand of magic, her own charm that ensured it'd all be okay.

The path continued to widen out, and it became cobblestoned. Up ahead, Maya could see that the trees started to thin out, and it looked like there were buildings. It was odd - she'd not known there was anything out here in this part of the wood, yet at the same time, she didn't feel at all surprised. In fact, it lifted her mood rather more, all her worries and concerns fell away, leaving her with an incredible knowledge that everything really was going to be alright, that everything would work out just the way she planned it, simply because she planned it that way.

Cheyenne wasn't surprised either. She was looking around with something akin to wonder, but still, it wasn't really surprise that she was feeling. Ducking her head a touch, letting her hair fall down around her face, she reached up to pull her collar up higher, her hat down lower and she increased her grip on Maya as they walked. By now she didn't even realize that she was being entirely silent, with no desire to speak whatsoever. She had nothing to say. She rarely had anything to say. But maybe there was a story in this place. Maybe.

As they got to the edge of the village - of course it was a village, she couldn't imagine it being anything else - Maya stopped and turned to Cheyenne, tutting slightly. "Come now," she said, reaching up and removing the hat from the girl's head and teasing her hair away from her face, turning down her collar and generally fussing about her appearance. "You've got such a pretty face, don't hide it away. And you're hair... That's better, back like that... At least your clothes look nice. We want you to look your best, don't we?" she said, talking as she worked.

Cheyenne didn't so much stop Maya, but she didn't help, either. Still, this woman would do what was best for her, that was obvious. She'd have her best interests at heart, she'd more than be okay. She wasn't scary. People were scary sometimes. Or all the time. She didn't so much like people. They didn't understand things. Or they wanted things from her, and she didn't know what to give them. When she asked the last bit, she nodded, but didn't say anything, never once even considering opening her mouth. But she could nod. Sure. They wanted her to look her best. Certainly.

Maya frowned slightly as Cheyenne just nodded. "What's wrong - has the cat got your tongue? Never mind, doesn't matter, it'll be your looks that he'll be interested in. When we find him - someone suitable, the perfect man for you. We'll have to see," she said, firmly. A handsome prince that could come and whisk Cheyenne off her feet and take her away from all of her problems. That was exactly what was needed - it was simply a case of finding one. That shouldn't be too hard, it was only a matter of time.

Still saying nothing, Cheyenne gave a meek smile, and glanced around, as if searching for someone who might show up right this second. Of course no one did, but she couldn't quite shake the idea, either, that someone might be watching. That maybe someone was out there, paying attention, watching her. But that might be silly. She wasn't sure, really. She couldn't quite shake the feeling, but at the same time, she couldn't understand why anyone would do that, either. She was just...her. People didn't pay attention to her. She tried to ensure they didn't, even.

Maya glanced around the village, then headed for the tavern which she just knew was there. It wasn't very far into the place and she held Cheyenne gently by the crook of her arm, leading the way with a real air of certainty. As they walked in through the door, she nodded to the man behind the bar, giving him a smile and then settling Cheyenne down at a nearby table.

Cheyenne sat, and gazed out the window, tuning out anyone else that happened to be in the tavern. She just watched the snow outside, the flakes falling beautifully to earth, the trees beyond that gorgeous with their coating of ice. She could imagine a world that was like that, a world where there was a princess out there, some terrible beast on her trail, and some hero, searching, trying to find her first. Perhaps her name was Shannah. Maybe Elle. Or Shaelle. That was it. And she had beautiful brown eyes, and long wavy blonde hair. And she didn't speak, but she looked at the world around her like it was all new and shiny. Cheyenne glanced around for a pen, some paper, but there of course wasn't any just lying around somewhere. Noticing her breath against the window, she wrote the name there. Shaelle.

Maya watched her, and watched as she wrote. "Who's Shaelle?" she asked, curiously. She wanted to know - she wanted to know what Cheyenne was thinking about, what her wants and dreams were. She could imagine, and she knew what the girl should want, but dreams worked so much better if they were her dreams. And Maya would work to give her her dreams.

It wasn't immediate when Cheyenne answered, and when she did, her voice was quiet--barely audible, and if it had been louder in the place, it would have gotten lost entirely. "A beautiful girl." she answered. But that was all she said, smiling, though it wasn't at Maya. It was out the window, where she could still picture that princess, still imagine that world.

"Tell me more about this beautiful girl," Maya requested, immediately jumping to the conclusion that the beautiful girl was Cheyenne, but Cheyenne how she wanted to be. She simply assumed that Cheyenne wasn't happy how she was now - hadn't she been crying earlier on? So, there were changes that needed to be made.

It was a good five minutes before Cheyenne answered, long enough that it seemed like she wasn't going to at all, or like she hadn't heared Maya in the first place. But time was a fuzzy thing for Cheyenne. She didn't always recognize it's passage like other people did. "I could write it down for you." she said, feeling far more comfortable with that than telling Maya about her. Even if the story was still unfolding in her head, a battle with the beast, connection with the hero, but some tragic misunderstanding that kept them apart, only to come full circle later and resolve itself. So everyone could live happily ever after. So love would prevail, and darkness would be vanquished.

Maya instantly looked over at the barman and indicated that she wanted paper and a pencil. Nothing that her daughter wanted would be refused, not for a moment. The man hurried over with the request, giving them to Maya, and then she handed them to Cheyenne as though giving a priceless gift. "Here you go, my dear," he said, pleasantly.

Cheyenne smiled shyly, head ducking down especially when the man was near, but she took the paper and pencil, and she started writing her story down. She wrote in very small, pretty script, feeling she needed to write the basics of the story out properly, to be fleshed out later. But the basics, those she could put down. Every story could be boiled down to it's essential parts, this one was no different. It always followed a formula, one that existed in her own head. It took a while, but eventually she quietly slid the paper over to Maya, so she could read the framework of her story.

Maya read through the outline, a small smile forming on her face as she took from it that it came down to the same thing as it always did, in her experience - the girl wanted a handsome prince to come and rescue her. Maya was good at handsome princes. They were, in fact, her speciality. Cheyenne had been trying for her independence, but Maya knew what she really wanted - she just wanted someone to take care of her. "This is lovely, dear," she said, sliding the paper back.

Cheyenne gave a small, meek smile, and blushed, looking down. "it's just a start." she said quietly, and then she was gazing back out the window again. "Are we staying?" she asked, not sure she wanted to leave this place. Not right now, not when she had the story in her mind. She'd need more paper, of course, but she could find some. Or Maya could get her some. Maya would take care of everything.

"We can," Maya told her, reaching over to brush another strand of hair from Cheyenne's face. "We can stay at my house, if you'd like," she added, knowing that she would have a house here. And it would be fabulous - small, neat, compact, but almost magical. There would be frills involved. And possibly a turret - though not necessarily one that you would notice from the outside. it was more about the view. And better that Cheyenne came to her home than went to her own. No - going home would not be good for Cheyenne, though Maya knew that she would have to let the girl go at some point. After all, if she kept her, how could she rescue her. "You can stay for a little while, but you'll have to go home before dark," she landed on, making that decision.

Cheyenne nodded. She didn't verbally accept, but it was clear she was willing to be obedient and all. She could go, write her story, and then go home before dark. It would work just fine. Just fine indeed.