Forever Young (for cripmeister)

[justmedk]

Daniella smiled shyly when Guiliana called her an angel, and she eagerly accepted the hug, feeling the woman's embrace. She WAS very proud of her confirmation dress - it looked exactly as it had done that day, to the point where she could almost hear her father's speech and the sermon at the church.



Showing her the rest of what she'd managed was less fun, but she took the praise happily, that it was impressive how much she'd managed.

"It's not like I had much else to do", she said softly, "but...like...now I can do stuff. That's something, right?", she asked rhetorically, then looked away when the woman mentioned underwear - a little embarrassed.

"I....I tried", she said. "But...but the only thing I could manage apart from...you know...the one from yesterday", she said, rubbing her behind which was still slightly sore, but healing, "is yeah...what I wore when I wore this. I....I mean....in time I hope to think up something else, but...th...that's not really what I notice the most, you know?", she explained her lack of abitliy to think up underwear. "Look...I...I'll show you", she said, and held up a failed experiment to create a normal pair of panties. It was obviously an attempt at that, but failied one, and the attempt looked almost as skimpy as the thong she'd worn yesterday.

"M...maybe yeah....maybe I just need to...like....at gym class", she said, "of course I just...you know...wore the underwear I wore that day...which changed all the time", she said, now thinking out loud more than explaining a normal thought stream. "So...yeah, that wouldn't work...but...", she looked embarrassed. "The only ones I remember well are...well...not appropriate...they....they're....when I was little I do remember I had a favorite pair...like... yeah, back then I thought it was cute, but...yeah, it was stupid", she said apologetically. "And...and not appropriate for a woman.", she gestured to herself, thinking of herself as a woman, and not the child she was now forever stuck as.

[cripmeister]

'It is definitely something, and a pretty big something' Giuliana smiled. 'Hopefully you can find plenty to work on now you have got started on the process. And once you are exploring and seeing new people and things you will find other things you want to try and recreate, as you grow more comfortable with it.'

'Of course you only need to be able to manifest things that you particularly want to wear, it is not as if we must change our clothes regularly for hygiene - but I find I enjoy the ability to change my appearance regularly, just for variety and my own piece of mind. As well as appearing so as to fit in with any other residents I may encounter or associate with, or in whose worlds I may choose to pass the time. But I do not think there are many places you could go where you would not be accepted in your lovely white dress.'

'Is there any problem with what you wore with your confirmation dress?' she asked, 'Would it not be something you had worn any other time, that you could use as a starting point?' There was a slightly ulterior line to her questioning, in that she hoped whatever the girl had worn for the sacred occasion of her confirmation might, like the dress itself, be a little more appropriate by the standards of the palazzo than what seemed to be the norm.

She laughed when Daniella mentioned her favourite childhood pair. 'Well yes, I understand you there. It might be useful for you as an excercise to create an outfit from that starting point, and from that time in your life, but you are right that such a thing would not really be in keeping and not something you would actually wear as a young woman.' she saw no harm in soothing Daniella's ego in that fashion, although of course as a young woman she was in Giuliana's eyes still a long way from an adult. 'As I say it may be a useful exercise, if nothing more.'

[justmedk]

Daniella nodded when she was asked about the undewear she'd worn with the confirmation dress.


"Well, yeah, it....it goes well with this", she gestures to herself in her present outfit, "But...like....not with....everyday clothes, you know? Average clothes. Like....it'd just be weird. But...yeah....I know", she said. "Better than nothing, right?"

When the topic drifted to her childhood favorite, she looked away embarrassed again, but took in what Guililana said. It was good practise. So she hesitated for a moment, before realizing that the woman had already seen - and smacked - her bare butt. Those panties were not as embarrassing as that. So she focused, and suddenly in her hand were a pair of bright pink panties with disney princesses on them.

"As I said", she said as she shrugged and stuffed them down the front of her dress to get them out of sight as soon as she knew Guiliana had seen them, "not really appropriate. But...yeah....as you can see....the memory is...you know...clear", she explained.

Then she stopped and looked up at her, realizing Guiliana'd said something she hadn't noticed until now

"O...other worlds?", she asked "Like....what? Other planets or something? I mean...can we go there? I thought we were stuck to this house? Or do you mean like in those weird movies where there's alternate dimensions or something?", she asked further, her mind full of possibilities.
If her life hadn't been cut short, she might have made an excellent scientist one day. As things stood, Guiliana had a curious child on her hands, asking a million different questions at once.

[cripmeister]

'Other worlds indeed Daniella' Giuliana smiled. 'But no, not other planets - perhaps worlds is not the best word to use in your language, but think about it. The worlds you and I lived our entire lives in were totally different; we never shared the planet together, and think about how much is different between them.'

'I mean that we can travel between the worlds that this house has been over its long life, to all of the people who have lived in it. What I meant when I spoke was that if I were to visit the east wing, to the salons there, as they were four centuries ago, I would be going into a world totally different from the one I know. But I have done so, more than once, and enjoyed the experience, and the exploration. And now I feel a little more at home there than I did at first, and able to fit into that world and mix with the people who inhabit it, that space and that time. With practice, you will be able to as well.'

'In fact...' she paused, a smile spreading on her face, 'why do we not go there now, and you can see for yourself. If you stick by me closely you will not have any trouble making sure you are in the right place and time. And you need not worry that your attire is not quite what would pass for ordinary. You will not draw any notice for that, but with practice you may be able to blend in even better. What do you say?'

Once it was agreed, she led Daniella out of the rooms they were in and towards a part of the palazzo Daniella had not seen since her first tour of the place, an indeterminable slice of time before. To ensure the girl did not get separated from her on their travels, and because it seemed perfectly natural, she took the girl's hand in hers.

They moved through room after room, space after space, and as they went things changed almost imperceptibly around them. Snatches of voices and other sounds could be heard through doors as they passed, enough to be heard but give next to no clue about what lay on the other side.

At last they came to a set of rooms that by the present day were almost completely ruined, the ceilings caved in and only bare stone remaining of the walls. That was very far from the sight Giuliana and Daniella were presented with, which was this part of the palazzo in its prime: the ceilings were in place, and weighed down by a mass of carving and gilding; the walls were plastered and adorned with masterful frescoes, or covered by rich tapestries. Through the space drifted the sound of a lute, above the noise of chatter from a hundred spirits who lived eternally in this moment, the evening of celebration which the two had walked into.

Giuliana was not unchanged herself. As they had stepped across the threshold of this world, she had focused her mind and with practiced ease, her skirts had lengthened, filled, and her 20th century outfit had shifted into a dress suited to the setting - nothing overly luxurious, which would not fit her character, but not at all out of place among the others.

[justmedk]

Daniella listened to the woman's explanations, and her eyes grew wide, both with shock, but also exitement as the prospects of almost infinite worlds appeared to her, and suddenly existence seemed a lot less horrible and a lot more full of hope!
She followed the woman eagerly, not minding holding her hand at all. In fact, there was something about it that she rather liked - the feeling of the human touch, and the knowledge that as long as she kept a hold of the woman's hand, she wouldn't get lost.

She tried to take in all the surroundings, but nothing really mattered to her.....until they landed at their destination, and it took her breath - so to speak - away.

"My God....", she let out in astonishment, not quite realizing that the current times - judged by the time period they were currently existing in - did not share her own time's lax attitude towards taking God's name in vain. She hand't meant offense, though, and merely marveled at the surroundings. There was something magical about it. Obviously supernatural, as she herself was, but this was not just ghosts drifting about endlessly in an eternal ennui. This seemed to be a place which was alive. There were musicians playing dance music - or what she knew to be dance music because people were dancing to it, though she would never have known how to dance to that herself.
The closest equivalent she could think of, was that one strange archaic dance which was done at the annual Christmas party at her high school. The origins of the tradition was lost in the mists of history, but it was fun, though weird as well.

She didn't have time to ponder this further, though, before her attention was drawn back to her present, with the introduction of a new voice. The voice of a young man, seeming to be in his mid-20s, dresed in a fine silken suit. And for the first time, she became aware of her clothes. She was still wearing her confirmation dress, with all of its accessories, and unlikely as it would seem to modern audiences, she did feel a little bit underdressed. She tried to keep up appearances, though, and pretend it didn't bother her as the man spoke. Though now she couldn't take her eyes off HIM. He was very handsome, that much was certain.


"Signora Guiliana!", he greeted her heartily. "It has been too long since we've seen you here, we'd almost thought you'd forgotten us", he smiled heartily, before he noticed Daniella and smiled at HER instead....and Daniella felt her knees going wobbly.

"Oh, signorina, forgive me. I was so wrapped up in my joy at Signora Guiliana's return, that I had not noticed you. That is a stain upon my honor as a gentleman", he said, and he did seem genuinely sorry for the imagined slight. Daniella could not help blushing a bit. He did a polite bow of greeting to her, after having in vain waited for her to hold out a hand for him to kiss in greeting. That she hadn't known that this was common hadn't occured to him. He thought he had offended her in some way.

"My name is Iacobo Moretti", he began politely. "Might I have the honor of knowing the name of the young lady I have unfortunately offended, that I might get a chance to make amends?", he asked, and he looked genuinely concerned now.


"M....My name's Daniella", she said, puzzled at his choice of words. "B...but....you didn't offend me, Señor", she said, mistaking the Spanish and the Italian.
His relief at having misunderstood her, however, was much stronger than his confusion at this mistake, however, and he smiled heartily.


"That pleases me greatly to hear", he said. "I have not seen you before, Signorina", he said. "Nor have any of the other signori here", he discreetly brought her attention to her mistake before, in a way that wouldn't cause her embarassment. "Have you....recently arrived?"


Daniella nodded, then looked to Guiliana for guidance - she didn't know how much she could say...if people here even knew they were dead, and things like that.



"Oh, forgive me", he said, realizing that his exitement of a new arrival had left his manners somewhat to be desired, "where are my manners. I neglect the signora for the signorina, the mother for the daughter. My heartfelt apologies, Signora Guiliana. I must have left my manners somewhere where I cannot find them again.", he apologized to Guiliana.....though Daniella was already swooning.