Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
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Post by Kosovo on Dec 11, 2012 23:30:14 GMT -6
Astrit had been wandering for a while; how long, he had somehow managed to lose track. It didn't feel like very long, though. A few hallways, a staircase up, and he hadn't really seen anybody. Deciding that he wanted to sate his curiosity, he opened a door at random and poked his head through.
High bookshelves rose up before him, filled with dozens and dozens of books. So this was the library. Astrit considered moving on to the next room, but he wanted to see what kind of books this place had. Like almost all his people, he was good at reading. Besides, something in here might be of use. The boy plunged into the maze of bookcases.
There wasn't much light between the shelves, but as Astrit ran his finger down a row of books he found it was enough that he could read the titles. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling... Hard Times by Charles Dickens... Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper... The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne... Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë... Flowers of Evil by... wait... Flowers of Evil?!
Intrigued by the extraordinary title, which seemed so out of place, Astrit pulled the book down. Sure enough, emblazoned across the front cover of the thin volume was the title Flowers of Evil, and its attribution was to the author Charles Baudelaire. He opened the front cover, intending to just read a little bit, to see what it was all about.
It was a book of poetry--dark, terrible, beautiful poetry, meditations on a bleak world, and the more he read, the more fascinated he found himself.
So he read on, and forgot to listen.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2012 13:44:39 GMT -6
Snezana often wondered why things were so silent. Everyone clearly knew that there was a great danger, though the extents of the dire situation were impossibly difficult to understand, even for those who had found out what made the dragging sounds that rarely, yet faintly, would echo around the manor. The level of paranoia in the others' eyes could sometimes feel like a dagger in the heart; once proud pacifist nations being forced to undergo a new cycle of eclipsing morals or being forced to work with long-time enemies. While mildly refreshing, the nostalgic feelings that could emerge, Snezana didn't really know what to make of the situation.
Nights were sleepless, not that this affected her, but some side effects began to show in the others. The softly spreading rumors of sanctuary seemed to have been silenced, and the only thing people seemed to hope for was survival. Had they given up? Or were they simply hardened by tough circumstance, reaching a dark precipice of which nothing else in their short histories seemed to compare. Complex thoughts, leading to complex actions. Each of these would yield dire consequences, however the magnitude of such seemingly petty decisions couldn't be known.
In this particular moment, Snezana had decided the best course of action was to take some time to herself, hopefully not making too much noise, as she paced the maze of halls on the second floor, looking for a place to relax that wasn't completely in the open. She contemplated the music room, as well as the billiard room, before she discovered the library. It was perfect. She entered the oddly open door, paying this minor development no attention as she crept in silently.
Taking a quick glance around, she couldn't see any imminent threat. Mountains of books, and even more importantly, many bookshelves. Many of them towered over towards the ceiling, and most seemed stuck in place. This development, however, was an unexpected and unfortunate discovery. She sighed softly, remembering the location of the manor, and thus the language on which the book must have been printed. English wasn't most of the resident's strongest points, but it could have been something as unbearable as Mandarin.
Sighing softly, Snezana removed the books from a couple of shelves, and used her resourceful tennis racquet to pry off some of the older shelves from their hinges. It wasn't the most ideal plan, as only a few of the shelves would come off, even after exhausting a lot of her precious energy. Using a good four shelves of the attempted seven, she managed to make a weak barrier, keeping her inside, and giving a brief warning in case someone, or more importantly, something worse outside decided to come in.
She worked hastily, yet silently. Only after she finished making her minor barrier did she have time to idly wander the room, examining a lot of reading material. There was decent enough light, and with the only major entrance sealed off, she decided she'd take some time for reading. Only after a few minutes of wandering did she sense that she wasn't alone. It was a very faint sound, almost like pages turning. Even so, she had no idea if it were friend or foe, much less if the abominations within the manor could even read anymore in their seemingly feral states.
Her mind raced, and she wanted to call out to the other that she hoped she wasn't imagining, but she hesitated. What if it were a monster? What if it weren't something that she could so easily escape from. She had, in fact, locked herself in the room with the other. But what if she were just hearing things? Finally, she'd stopped herself from thinking so much, clearing her cluttering notions, and she decided to confront whatever else was trapped inside with her.
"Zdravo*? Is... Is someone here? I'm not going to partake in this... Apsurdnost** anymore... Answer me now or I'll have to consider you neprijateljska***." *Zdravo = Hello **Apsurdnost = Absurdism ***Neprijateljska = Hostile/Foe
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Astrit Zupan
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Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on Dec 14, 2012 14:48:46 GMT -6
Astrit was jerked back to reality by a familiar, if less than perfectly welcome, voice.
"Zdravo? Is... is someone here?"
That voice. That language. He knew exactly who it was. As his sister kept talking, Astrit snapped the book shut and turned towards the sound, considering whether or not to reveal himself. She sounded awfully nervous; he wondered, innocently (as by his own reckoning he had not been there long; for all the varying lengths of days and weeks that had passed for others, Astrit had been lucky enough to experience only a few hours so far), what it was that had her on edge so greatly.
"I'm not going to partake in this... Apsurdnost anymore."
This perturbed him. What, exactly, was it that she had been doing? It was true, as Astrit quickly reminded himself, that the place was strange and unsettling, frightening even, and this was part of the point. But his sister was surely not so easily shaken--was she?
"Answer me now or I'll have to consider you neprijateljska."
That decided him; as irritating as he found her sometimes, Astrit expected that making an outright enemy of his own sister was a poor choice, particularly when she was so clearly nervous already. He walked quickly towards her, putting down his hood so his face was clearly visible. "Snezana?" he called. His voice came out sounding far more childish than he had intended; with a grimace, he cleared his throat and tried again, a little deeper, slightly more belligerent. "It's me. Astrit. I was reading." Flowers of Evil dangled from his hand, forgotten but not let go.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2012 15:09:48 GMT -6
Snezana was reasonably concerned. She hadn't the sense to have secured her perimeter before deciding to barricade herself inside of the library. Upon a hastily done further inspection, the library was much larger than she'd originally thought. The massive labyrinth of books and shelves was perfectly aligned, creating the optical illusion of a much smaller room upon a first inspection alone. The room was reasonably old, though oddly well-kept. Nothing in this place seemed to make any sense. Hearing a foreign noise was enough to put her on edge. She was within the bowels of a potential death trap. She'd learned since the party, which seemed to have happened in another lifetime all together, that nowhere was truly safe. Be it the alluring knowledge of an entrancingly well-stocked library, or the false sense of solace one would get when hiding in one of the manor's bathrooms; making an amateur mistake due to such minor temptations upon such a critical moment as this could very well be lethal.
It reminded her, in a way, of the past. She always had to listen to others who barked unconscionable orders, and had been forced to ally with those who she didn't care for, as well as being forced into many wars with her former friends, mostly now deceased counties. Their voices, as all deceased acquainted people's after enough time passing, escaped her. Their figures and notable features could be recalled easily enough, however these things weren't all that important. Not anymore. Their actions, good and bad, their chivalry, their disgrace and their honor, and their bittersweet memoies. stayed with her. Are they, perhaps, watching over her? It was one of the few transpiring thoughts that allowed her any sense of comfort, knowing any moment could be her last. Getting her bearings was much more easily said than done, however.
This manor was a manifestation of hatred and sin, ruled by caprice and selfishness. The pure horrors of the residence: the fact that for the first real time their lives were on the line in such an unsuspecting place were enough to block out any hopes of providence. Looking down, Snezana prepared for the worst case scenario, that she would die and never reach her desired point of repentance. It felt like a cold winter's dusk, cold like her past. It was the first time in a long time that she could answer for herself, that she could prove herself worthy to be the nation she long-since dreamt of blooming into. How could she show the world that had doubted her ability that she was worthy if she was just going to make careless mistakes? How could she show Kosovo?
Oh...Astrit. She'd heard that he may have been at the party, although he was very hard to spot, much less talk to a crowd, quite often being much too curt and also physically meager. She'd prayed to herself since having arrived that he'd be spared the fiendish trials of this dammed place. He was a young and troubled youth. He was confused about his place and didn't yet realize their destiny was ultimately entwined; the strings of fate weaving them together in a harmonious unification in the near-future. At very least, if the world got off her back about the issue.
Unfortunately, the seconds seemed to pass like long years. Time itself had become a corrupted concept, and the planned brief respite here could have lasted an hour, or even a whole day elsewhere. She let out a soft sigh, thinking too much. She didn't have the nerve to imagine her brother, that her other half would be alone and afraid, or something much worse. The concept was an unfortunate possibility that she couldn't render implausible, but it would be most unsatisfactory, knowing he was here at all. Thinking of those horrid wars, and gripping her Wilson K-Factor Six-One tennis racquet tighter, she dismissed all of her thoughts, having slowly wandered around this whole time, careful to not make any further noises as to let whatever else get the jump on her easily.
"Snezana?"
That voice... That dammed voice. It pierced her ears sharply, and a lone tear had fallen down her right eye. She was now convinced that she'd gone absolutely insane. The inescapable, maddening tension of this entire hell-hole had finally caused her hallucinations. She was exhausted, and felt as though she was likely suffering from dehydration. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted before they could form together clearly.
"It's me. Astrit. I was reading."
Was she dreaming already? There was little chance that she would remain conscious so long, if she were dehydrated. Perhaps, it was a change in her fortunes for the first time since she'd entered the manor. Perhaps she'd finally found her brother-in-arms. What if... What if he were ready to work with her, rather than against her? Nonetheless, the situation was still unclear. The future was unclear.
She edged her was around the shelves, trying to find him.
"What a relief... Astrit. Why are you here? This isn't a place for... Well... For anyone. Much less decu*. You have to stay by me from now on, okay? That's an order I intend on making sure you follow."
Disregarding finding Astrit for a moment, Snezana's eyes were drawn to a particular book of her own homeland. Encyclopedia of the Dead, by author Danilo Kiš. The title alone was enough to make her smile, the ironic situation being enhanced by literature from her own homeland. Of course, the book itself was about relationships and the human itself deciphered internally. It was a good read, and given the circumstances of the current situation, it would likely provide her a new understanding of herself so long as she was within the perimeter of these forsaken grounds.
That's when she reached her idea, internally. She would attempt an escape from this hell. She would retreat with Astrit, and find a weak point for everyone else to embark upon as well. Pocketing the book, and continuing to look for Astrit, Snezana kept a level of silence about herself. She'd decided to watch her words very carefully. There was no telling who, or what, could possibly be overhearing their conversation... *Decu = Children
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on Dec 16, 2012 19:47:51 GMT -6
It was hard to tell where Snezana was in relation to him, Astrit realized. He could hear her footsteps, but they were irregular and quiet, and what sound they did make echoed strangely off the bookcases. All he could do was look around and trust his eyes, since his ears were doing so little good. He turned a corner--come to think of it, which way was the door?--and looked both ways to see if his sister chanced to be in either direction. She wasn't there, but she spoke again and he tried to follow the sound of her voice.
"What a relief..."
There she went again, making it sound like something terrible had happened, or she had expected something terrible to happen. Astrit was on the point of asking what was going on when she continued.
"Astrit. Why are you here? This isn't a place for... well... for anyone. Much less decu."
That last word irritated Astrit immensely, and he began muttering darkly about how it did not apply to him. Still, despite his anger at Snezana's description of him, he was still worried by the rest of what she had said. Why would it be not a place for anyone? What had she seen that was so bad? She had never been such a coward as to speak like this over the sorts of jokes Alfred might come up with to scare them. Had she changed so drastically overnight, or had she a genuine reason for what she was saying?
Then she concluded, "You have to stay by me from now on, okay? That's an order I intend on making sure you follow."
Astrit's better judgment was momentarily overwhelmed by his pique at being treated like a child and his frustration with his sister's inscrutable behavior. "Why should I?" he shouted, wincing internally at the whiny tone that had crept into his voice. "I don't even know what's going on! Tell me why I should stay with you! What's happening?"
Then he came to himself a bit. Realizing that his hands were balled up into fists, he dropped them to his sides and let out an outright growl of frustration. The words were hard to get out, but he forced himself to say, "I'm... sorry. But... really... what's happening?" There was a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he did need Snezana now, or at least that he needed to be with someone and she was the one present. He hated himself for violating his own pride this way, but he suspected that needed information and company more urgently than he needed to be right.
Around another corner, he saw a flash of silver hair and a corner of a dress just turning down another row of shelves. "Snezana? Is that you there?" he called, quickening his pace to see if he could catch up.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2013 19:55:37 GMT -6
The boy seemed to be oblivious to their surroundings. He seemed unaware, as if foreign to the dangers that were so blatantly present. Was it possible that he didn't know what was going on? Had he decided to sneak in, well after she had left for the party herself? That was a clue, that he may very well have wanted to see her again. This alone was something that reassured Serbia. Had he been blessed with a spot of luck throughout this ordeal? It was truly a blessing, in the darkest of hours, and some illumination within the most ominous of corridors. She continued to examine her surroundings, reassured that she could let her guard down. Reassured that there was still a hint of innocence, throughout it all. Loosening her grip on her tennis racquet, she continued to navigate the mini-labyrinth that this library had actually turned out to be. "Why should I?" The familiar tone was very comforting. Serbia wanted nothing more than to drop her racquet, and rush to hug her brother. But she didn't. There was no time for pleasantries, not with dangers seemingly lurking at every which corner. Disregarding her emotions, she only could whisper at the bottom of her breath: '...how I've missed you'. She was all the more disciplined, able to conceal her true thoughts. Showing her weakness would be something that would make him even more uncomfortable than necessary. Moments before, she was convinced that she was finally going to lose it, despite that being something she wanted nothing in the world to do with. "I don't even know what's going on! Tell me why I should stay with you! What's happening? I'm... sorry. But... really... what's happening?" Snezana looked down, eyeing the floor. A reasonably beautiful tiling, tiny details that could easily go unnoticed. She wanted to ignore his questions. There was no happy answer, there was nothing comforting with their surroundings. The urge to hug him, now for her own sake, kept resurfacing. But she refused to give into such childish notions. She was afraid, but she had to lead. Leaders were supposed to take responsibility, and get the job done. They weren't supposed to feel weakness and express their fears. She was terrified, and she knew deep down that he knew it too. As a gesture to try and shake off feelings of inner-repression and fear, she gave herself a punch, and lifted her head. No more, would she give off the aura of weakness. If she stood as the pillar of strength, Kosovo wouldn't have to worry. "It was kind of chilly, don't you think? There's just some things here that aren't right. But you know I'll get you through all of this. No time for details, I feel refreshed knowing that you're here. Look for anything that could be used as a projectile, would you?" She was revitalized, and had reassured herself that she was doing the right thing. Rushing forward, she scurried trying to find anything that she could hit with her racquet. For a weapon? No, merely a facade, the feigning of a weapon. A well timed bluff could save lives, after all. As she was rushing ahead, she heard his voice, now closer than ever. "Snezana? Is that you there?" Looking behind her, she noticed her brother rushing towards her. Onlooking, only halfway believing this was happening at all, Serbia nodded in silence, both pained in her inability to express her satisfaction, and relieved to see such a familiar face, even if the whole idea in itself of wanting him to be here, of all places, seemed more than slightly selfish of her. Her demeanor was noticeably different, as she was much less tense. Even so, another farce preformed just his sake. "Da, I'm here. I'm here..."
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on Mar 17, 2013 0:41:57 GMT -6
"It was kind of chilly, don't you think? There's just some things here that aren't right. But you know I'll get you through all of this. No time for details, I feel refreshed knowing that you're here. Look for anything that could be used as a projectile, would you?"
Those words confused Astrit. Kind of chilly? Clearly something wasn't right, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Either something had happened that his sister had seen, or she had lost her mind. She was talking about the weather on one hand, and requesting projectiles (for what?) on the other. What was one to make of that? Certainly it didn't answer the question that he had asked.
But there she was, dressed in clothes like she used to wear many years ago, turning around to greet him when he called to her. Something was a little bit off about her demeanor--he hadn't lived with her for his formative centuries without figuring out what were and were not normal patterns of behavior for her--that told him that she was trying not to show him how much she was bothered by something. She had been talking about this being a dangerous place, and then backtracked when he wanted to know what was wrong, started trying to hide it. He couldn't be certain of where all that pointed, though he might be able to puzzle it out with some thinking, but it didn't seem to be any direction that was good. What kind of danger could it be, that she told him that this was a place for no one and asked for projectiles?
That was a tennis racket in her hand. Projectiles, she had said. The request sounded a little bit less odd now, though he still didn't know what she might propel things at.
"Da, I'm here. I'm here..."
Astrit skidded to a stop just a short ways away from his sister. His feet slipped on the tiles, putting him a little closer than he'd strictly meant to get. He did, of course, suspect that if Snezana's fears were justified they would need to work together again, for both their survival. She had said as much, too, hadn't she? That she would protect him? He didn't want to need protecting, but if things were as bad as she seemed to think... then at least he wanted to protect her in return. To prove himself. And that would be harder if they were all standoffish and quarreling.
"Now I'm here, too," he informed her needlessly, before moving on to actually useful words. "I didn't see anything that would work as a projectile, except a lot of books. I didn't really see anything at all except a lot of books. Are you sure it's so dangerous?"
The suspicion still remained, at the back of his mind, that perhaps this was all a trick, to pull him in again. Or that perhaps Snezana really had gone crazy. Or that Alfred had just been far, far too creative and convincing with his scary tricks. He could prove or disprove the first two, at any rate, and so he watched his sister's face closely to see if she truly meant what she was saying.
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Post by The Riddler on Mar 20, 2013 19:46:49 GMT -6
Closing his book, the Riddler sighed. He knew it was going to happen, but he had hoped that he saw the future wrong, though he knew he hadn’t. There were fixed points that could not be changed, and sadily this was one of them. It was meant to bring his full attention to the two in his residence, and it did. All in all, it was disrespectful. They didn't even ask. Putting the book in her pocket without asking to borrow it, did none of the Nations have manners anymore? Shaking his head, he put the book he was back in the shelves he was standing in front of and moved to stand in the middle of the alcove he was in. They would find him eventually, for he had seen it and this alcove that he had claimed as his own is where they were fated to meet and converse. Moving over to his chair, and yes it was his chair, he sat in it and curled himself up comfortably and listened to their worry and panic stricken voices and sighed. Mortals were so very interesting sometimes. There was nothing in the library except for him right now, and they acted like the HellHound that roamed the grounds was on their tails. Silly children, panicking at the least little thing. Proping his head up on one of his hands, he grinned, this could possibly be fun, and he could already tell what was in these two futures, and knowing them, at least one of them would want to know, for that’s how it always went. Most people didn’t realize that three eyes served a purpose. The third eye in lore was commonly used for clairvoyance. His went beyond that. His eyes were different. The first saw the past. He could see everything these Nations went through from their founding up until it reached the here and now. That’s where his second eye came in, it saw the present. His third eye saw the future. He could see everything that was going too happened and knew how everything progressed. In reality, if he still had the emotion to feel upset over what he saw, he would feel sorry for the two in the library in front of him. Shaking his head, he knew it was time to draw their attention to him.
“Theft is not permitted, and neither is running or loud talking in the library. Really now, where did you two learn your manners? But then again, what should I expect from Nations that are out to prove themselves any way they can?”
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2013 20:05:46 GMT -6
"Now I'm here, too. I didn't see anything that would work as a projectile, except a lot of books. I didn't really see anything at all except a lot of books. Are you sure it's so dangerous?"
Serbia let out a softly escaping sigh, before remembering he was unaware of what was going on. How could this compare to the brutal history they both struggled to endure, in his unaware and innocent eyes? He had done nothing wrong, and so he had no reason to believe that anything could be wrong. She had merely glanced the horrors of this manor, but she knew the threat they possessed was real. Things were different, somehow. Though she couldn't quite decipher why. The everlasting curiosity that she had possessed, which had gotten the better of her exposed her to the real behemoths and other vile wretches which wandered the mansion.
Serbia would have nothing to do with this. Seeing that there was still a shred of innocence in the boy, she had realized that resistance to the inevitable was not foolish. No, she would be free again. Whatever she caught a glimpse of couldn't possibly be an issue, as it seemed that everyone was okay. Maybe her eyes had played tricks on her. She thought she knew what she had seen, but the boy made a valid point. There was nothing else in the room with them. Even if it wasn't just a prank or other form of mischief, there seemed to be a finite amount of whatever could potentially have been chasing them. Even though the image of a stag head could not escape her mind, she was willing to put aside her fears for the sake of the boy at her side.
"...Forget it, I suppose."
She took a moment to close her eyes and collect herself. This wasn't a dream, it was real. Something surely was within the confines of this place, and she didn't intend to just sit there and find out what it was. Escape was still the priority. If she ran into any of the others along the way, she would evacuate them as well, but foremost was Kosovo's well being.
"Yo, I think I'm just a little unwell today. None the less, the sooner we leave, the better." Even though she feigned confidence in her words, there was an eerie unsettling factor that she couldn't shake. "I'm sure you're hungry... Anyway. If you come with me now, I'll bake something nice for you."
“Theft is not permitted, and neither is running or loud talking in the library. Really now, where did you two learn your manners? But then again, what should I expect from Nations that are out to prove themselves any way they can?”
Snezana had begun to shake. Her heart rate turned into a terrible crescendo. The foreign voice that echoed the roomed was no ally. The cockles of her heart quickly escalated from being warm, to being on fire. She couldn't necessarily make out the words being said, more importantly was that they weren't alone, with no means of escape. It seemed as though they were in a tight spot. The voice was peculiar. It was nothing she had heard before. But she didn't know, if it was friend or foe.
"Astrit... Stay behind me. No matter what happens, don't underestimate me. We're going to be fine."
Giving a forced smile to him, a symbol of artificial reassurance, she pushed him back before turning to face whatever it was that addressed them. It was a smaller, but terrifying monster. Almost resembling a snake, or something else all together. It had a mouth that resembled something out of a hippo, and the long snakelike body could very well likely wrap around and crush her. Dropping her racquet in terror, she simply fell to her knees. Unable to move, she looked down in shame. Her worries and fears were confirmed. And they were locked in a room with something inhuman. It wasn't what she saw before, but that only served to make her even more afraid. There were more than one of those things around and about. The possibility of being unable to protect Astrit crushed her heart.
"Hey... Astrit... You need to hurry... And get out of here... I can handle this... We're going to go outside, right..?"
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on May 17, 2013 2:08:14 GMT -6
Astrit knew his sister very well, perhaps better than anyone else in the world, but she had managed to throw him for a loop this time. She seemed to be aware and responding reasonably to things that happened, but there was something so strange in how she looked at him when he asked if it was so dangerous. After a pause, she responded to his question, "Forget it, I suppose."
That certainly didn't satisfy his curiosity, but the look on her face told him that she wasn't going to be saying anything more about it for a while. He did his best to put it aside and think of the present matters instead; luckily for that intention, Snezana had something else to say.
"Yo, I think I'm just a little unwell today."
A lie. As strange as it seemed, she did believe there was something wrong. What was Astrit to make of that?
"Nonetheless, the sooner we leave, the better."
The desire to leave seemed to be real--well, if she believed that there was real danger here, of course she would want to get out. That was what one did when one found oneself in a strange place that wasn't safe. Nothing mysterious about that, except for the nagging problem of what, exactly, was unsafe.
"I'm sure you're hungry... Anyway. If you come with me now, I'll bake something nice for you."
She was right about his being hungry; of course, that was about as safe a bet as anyone ever could make. He was opening his mouth to ask what sort of nice baked something was on offer when he caught sight of a creature coming up behind his sister. The first thing he noticed was that it looked like a half-naked man with three yellow eyes, a strange scaly stripe on its head, and an excessively large mouth. Then he realized that the thing's belly appeared to have been copied over four times one above the next, and below that it turned into a snake. Instead of comprehensible words, Astrit's breath came out in a shocked squeak. But the monster opened its mouth and spoke to them: “Theft is not permitted, and neither is running or loud talking in the library. Really now, where did you two learn your manners? But then again, what should I expect from Nations that are out to prove themselves any way they can?”
The boy could think of nothing to say at all. He had expected that he had seen everything, but obviously he had never seen this before. Was it dangerous? Was it a joke of some kind? How did one act when confronted with such a bizarre thing? He was so astonished by its appearance that he didn't even understand what it said.
Fortunately, the fact that Snezana's back was to the thing apparently allowed her to retain at least a little more presence of mind. "Astrit..."
The sound of his name snapped him back to his senses, and he plunged his hand into his pocket, reaching for the knife that he knew rested there. He didn't know if it would do any good against this creature, which vaguely resembled a stone statue in some ways, but it made him feel prepared anyway.
His sister continued, "Stay behind me. No matter what happens, don't underestimate me. We're going to be fine."
Her smile was forced, though, and she pushed him backwards so that he stumbled a few steps away. No sooner had she turned away, though, than he was already stepping forward. Part of his reasoning was simply because he hated following orders too closely, but another part was that he genuinely didn't think it qualified as "underestimating" her to think she might have a problem here. He knew very well what his sister was capable of, and that she had seen even more in life than he had, but it seemed a safe bet that this would be well outside her body of knowledge.
It was most certainly outside of his own.
Sure enough, the sight of the mysterious thing bowled her over. Astrit spared a moment to enjoy his flare of pride at having at least stayed on his feet. He was more willing to admit to that than to the worry, for himself and his sister, that also lanced through him.
"Snezana!" he hissed, hoping to snap her out of it in the same way she had, probably by accident, done for him.
It seemed to work, at least insofar as she spoke again. "Hey... Astrit... You need to hurry... And get out of here... I can handle this... We're going to go outside, right...?"
There was no way the boy would admit to the way it hurt, hearing the thinly disguised fear in his perpetually tough sister's voice. It was as if there really was something to be frightened of. He cursed, trying to hide his mounting terror behind harsh words and a defensively brave front. "I can take care of myself! And you--you used to be an [expletive] empire; you can handle yourself. And there is no reason for us to be in [expletive] trouble!"
He stared at the monster. It was a hideous, unworldly thing, warranting comparisons to an elaborate gargoyle but nothing more realistic. At least it didn't appear to be attacking them, exactly, though there was a look on its deformed face (was he imagining that look?) that suggested it did not like them.
"You, three-eyes. What do you want with us?"
It had spoken; surely it was intelligent enough to understand speech. Maybe a wiser nation would have tried to gain by some measure of courtesy, but Kosovo was not that nation. Politeness resembled weakness in his eyes right now, and the last thing he wanted was to seem weak.
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Post by The Riddler on May 19, 2013 22:51:07 GMT -6
"Astrit... Stay behind me. No matter what happens, don't underestimate me. We're going to be fine. Astrit... You need to hurry... And get out of here... I can handle this... We're going to go outside, right..?"
He stayed where he was and just watched the two. She acted like he was going to spring towards her and go for her throat at any moment, and really, for all she knew he could have. But this was not the way he saw this going. There were multiple futures at work here now, multiple pathways this could go. Each was as likely as the other, it all depended on one moment that would come soon. As far as the creatures went, he considered himself the fairest of them all. He gave them a change to escape if they took up his game. If they undertook his ‘challenge’ they would either survive and win, or loose and become his meal. It had been far too long since he had heard the nice crunch of bones between his teeth. One of them could play, or both. It didn’t matter to him.
"I can take care of myself! And you--you used to be an [expletive] empire; you can handle yourself. And there is no reason for us to be in [expletive] trouble!"
And the smaller male turned to look at him fully while his sister was on her knees. It amused him, how these nations reacted. He wanted the knowledge they possessed. He could feel the desire for it deep inside of him. He would make sure the riddle was extra hard for them, if they chose to play.
"You, three-eyes. What do you want with us?"
“Such language, and how very rude. I had though you nations were more cultured than that. It is not I who wants anything with you per say, but you who want something with me. If you didn’t have things you wanted, you wouldn’t have found me. Serbia and Kosovo, both out to prove themselves, to show that they can survive just as well as the older nations, if not better.”
The Riddler slithered closer to them both, hands clasped in front of him. He kept an eye on both of them, his grin wide the whole time. “I’m sure you have heard myths about me, every Nation has a few. The man with all the answers, who can tell you anything.”
Moving closer, he moved his tail around and used the end of it to lift the woman’s head up to keep her looking in his main eye. “Question is, are you willing to pay the price?”
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