[Atoli01]

"A happy family..." The phrase sounded foreign on her tongue, as she'd never attribute it to her biological family. In hearing Sam phrase it in such a way, however... It made sense. Yes, they really were like a family. "Mm. It would be nice it everyone would keep smiling like this all the time. I suppose some of us will eventually outgrow the whole circus thing though, huh? Sometimes I think it would be nice if time would just stop," Dolly continued, almost wistfully. It was rare to see anything other than her smiling face. She wasn't sad or troubled per say, but more lost in thought, as her mind only barely registered the now thinning crowd the two of them were wading through.

[Baconwizard]

"A beautiful wish," Samael murmured, watching Dolly's wistful expression with an expression that almost mirrored hers. It was, truly, a beautiful wish on the surface. Until the people she had frozen in place desired for began to rebel against such a selfish wish. He let out a small sigh, picturing the horrible disaster such a wish would create. It would paint such a picture.

Samael looked around, realizing that they were drawing close to the circus. "I am afraid I will have to leave you here, Miss Dolly," he said, bowing his head in apology and extending the bag he was carrying to her. "Will you be able to manage this for a few steps?" Samael's eyes glittered for a moment, and the demon leaned forward turning his head to whisper in Dolly's ear. "If you need anything at all... call my name. I'll hear you." In a swift movement, Samael leaned away, a knowing look in his eyes. "I look forward to meeting again."

[In which I try to make Sam not sound like such a drama queen, and fail lolol]

[Atoli01]

Samael's sudden need to leave came as a bit of a shock to Dolly. And here she was going to take the time to introduce him to everyone back home! But alas, such a thing wasn't meant to be. Dolly was grateful for his assistance either way. "I'll be fine, Sam! Thank you very much," the girl replied with a cheerful bow, before adjusting the bag she held in her hands and took the second from Sam. However, what came as even more of a shock to her was the young man whispering in her ear. She nearly jumped out of her skin, though she couldn't say she quite minded it. Rather, his voice was unpleasant. Dolly took his words to heart however, and she promised that she would do as instructed before waving off the man who she considered to be her new friend.

---

The rest of Dolly's day didn't find itself to be as pleasant, however. Elliot, once again today, had locked himself up in his room, and Dolly again, tried to comfort him, and then found herself in Horatio's arms when her efforts had failed. The groceries were safely back in their place, and she had managed to get more practice in for the upcoming show, but her performance was shoddy at best, and a thing that would elicit not a single chuckle from her audience, she was certain.

So, as usual, Dolly found herself in her pajamas, curled into ball of tears and sorrow on the middle of her bed. She was so dispirited that she couldn't even make the effort to crawl under her blankets on this particular night. Between her sobs were familiar names, like Elliot, Horatio, and those of some of her family or friends. However, on one particular occasion, it was Sam's name that slipped from her lips. With a start, she covered her mouth and continued her sobbing.

Oh, what was wrong with her?

[Baconwizard]

Samael felt a tug, that one hair on the back of his neck pulling him to some unknown location. Someone had called for him. Was it Dolly? So soon? Samael smiled to himself, and he allowed himself to be pulled back, into his shadow. He found himself in a strange room. He stood in the dark corner, getting his bearings. It... seemed to be a girls room, to be sure. It certainly was small. Oh, and there was Dolly, crying on the bed. Samael drew himself up, then stepped into the small square of moonlight coming from the window. The silver in his hair seemed to glow white in the dim light, his eyes cast in shadow, and Samael clicked his heels together, and gave a deep bow to the girl curled up on the bed. "You called for me?" Samael straightened up, his dark eyes filled with concern. "You're crying..."

[Atoli01]

Dolly must have been dreaming. She certainly had been dreaming... right? Upon catching sight of the silver-haired man, she slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position, he knees curled under her. "Sam?" she asked tentatively, wiping all that unsightly snot and tears away from her face with her sleeves. Dolly blibked a couple of times, able to do little more than stare at him in fascination like one would an alien. Finally, though, Dolly concluded that he had in fact been standing there, in her room, long enough for it not to be a dream.

"Sam!" she squeaked, a hollow hiccup following it. Dolly crawled out of her bed, pulling her nightgown to her knees, as she ran over to the man. Without hesitation this time, it was her who hugged him. "Sam! You came! How did you...? Sam..." she was stifle her tears and she sniffled into his shirt, not wanting to let go of the man.

[Baconwizard]

Admittedly, Samael was just a little surprised when Dolly hugged him. He usually didn't illicit that sort of reaction from people. Carefully, as if unsure of whether Dolly was going to pull a knife on him, Samael wrapped an arm around the girl, and gently petted the top of her head with his other hand. Oh, she was crying on his jacket. Samael actually liked that jacket. But it didn't seem like Dolly had any ill-intent. She was just an over-emotional girl. Lovely.

Samael wiped the surprise off of his expression and replaced it with that sympathetic understanding look that he wore so well. Gently prying Dolly off of him, Samael knelt down in front of her. The demon whipped a pure white handkerchief from out of nowhere, and he tenderly wiped Dolly's face of tears. "You called my name, didn't you, Dolly? I'm here to help you."

[Atoli01]

"H-how?" Dolly hiccuped, her red, teary eyes looking straight into Samael's.

Her eyes eventually fluttered themselves shut; she was content to leave Sam to take care of her. Elliot was never gentle with her, and Horatio... never was the best at handling women, especially when they were crying. Sighing, she eventually opened her eyes and stared down at the ground. "I-I'm sorry, Sam. I shouldn't have... called you. I'm fine, I'm fine, see?" Dolly flashed him her best grin, although it was one that carried with it a tinge of sadness coupled with her bloodshot eyes.

[Baconwizard]

Samael's eyebrows raised at that, and he gave Dolly a disbelieving look. He shook his head, a smile on his face. "Don't lie," he murmured, pressing his handkerchief into Dolly's hands. "You're obviously not fine, my dear." Samael stood up, taking Dolly's shoulders and forcibly moving Dolly to the bed, gently setting the girl down and sitting down next to her. He looked straight into Dolly's big, teary eyes, gently squeezing her shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong."

[Atoli01]

Dolly wasn't surprised he saw through her lie. You'd have to be both blind and deaf not to. She was certain he was neither of the two. She only sighed and took the handkerchief from the man's hands and sat with him on her bed. Patting away a few stray tears from her face, she wondered how to explain the situation to Sam. The whole thing would probably seem silly too him. She worried and fretted over Elliot too much, she knew that, but...

"It's... Elliot... It feels like he just keeps getting more and more depressed lately. I don't know what to do. He even refused to practice with us today, or eat dinner with us... I'm... really worried about him. I just wish I wasn't so useless. I wish I could help him..." Dolly quickly shook her head. "Sorry, I'm rambling again, aren't I? I guess I do that a lot, huh...?"

[Baconwizard]

Samael laced his hands together, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees as he listened to Dolly speak. He nodded slowly, then turned back to Dolly, his eyes full of sympathy. "I certainly can't forgive him for making such a nice young girl cry." He smiled, a glimmer of a joke in his eyes. His expression grew a little serious, and he stared at Dolly for a long moment before speaking again. "Do you wish that you could help him?"

[Atoli01]

"I do," Dolly said simply, without even the slightest bit of hesitation. The tone of finality in her voice now was a thing that wasn't typically present. No matter what, she wouldn't take back those words. Because she wanted the man to be happy, because she wanted him to flash a cheerful smile to others, even while he was not on stage. "I feel so useless. I can't do a thing to make him happy..."

[Baconwizard]

"Why, Dolly..." Samael murmured, staring straight into Dolly's eyes, an understanding smile beginning to spread across his face. His eyes glittered in the moonlight streaming from the window, his silver hair shining dimly. Carefully taking hold of Dolly's hand, he squeezed it. "You, of all people, have the most power to make him happy." Samael paused, then continued, his voice growing even lower. "I can help grant your wish, Dolly, if you ask it of me."

[Atoli01]

"Sam... ael?" Dolly didn't know why his full name slipped from her lips. She could do little more than stare at the man with an awestruck look on her face, her eyes almost prompting him to confirm the validity of his words. There was a strange feeling swelling in her chest, she noted, as she stared at her lap and gave the man's hands a gentle squeeze in return. The tears had stopped by this point. "I really do! I... I really do want to help Elliot. Sam... I don't know how, but please..."

[Baconwizard]

Samael smiled at that, his eyes flickering, and he brought his other hand to clasp at Dolly's, sandwiching her hands between his. "I'm here for a reason, Dolly," he murmured, his expression becoming serious. "I'm not a human like you. I am a powerful being, and I can grant your wish. Such a pure, selfless wish should be granted." Samael's hands grew warm in Dolly's, the pressure in the room growing heavier, somehow, as Samael's eyes focused on Dolly. "Dorothy Coppleman... in exchange for granting your wish, would you agree to do me a favor?"

[Atoli01]

If Dolly wasn't taken so aback by Sam's proposition, she'd probably have been amazed by the words which accompanied them. But no, her mind was focused solely on Elliot, and as such, solely on the things which related directly to him. If she could be of help to him... Dolly felt a twinge of pain in her heart, but she nodded anyway, staring straight into Sam's eyes with a determined gaze. The moment the words spilled out, it felt as though she had made a deal with the devil. "I'll do anything, Samael."