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Post by America on Apr 19, 2013 12:27:00 GMT -6
Alfred was on the move, exploring the manor once more. As much as he wanted to stay put in a place that he knew was safe, the simple fact was that nowhere in the manor seemed 100% safe. If you stayed in one place for too long, you were like sitting prey. The last thing Alfred wanted was to be prey.
Another reason Alfred didn't want to stay put in any one place for too long? He wasn't very well going to find a way out of this hellhole if he just stayed where he was, and he felt that it was his duty to do so.
Especially when he was the one who got everyone tangled up in this in the first place.
In his defense, he had no idea that something like this was going to happen. How could he? He heard rumors, but doubted there was much substance to them. He figured it would just be a fun haunted house themed costume party. Maybe he could play a few pranks on the guests provided nothing else went bump in the night, spook them, and they'd all be on their way the next day. This was far, far more than a damned 'bump in the night'.
And it was really starting to weigh on him.
He couldn't just stand around and do nothing. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. He had to get out. Not only was his own guilt weighing on him, but he was starting to get stir crazy. Staying put in any one place for too long resulted in him pacing around whatever room he was in. It wasn't so bad if he was with someone, as that offered a distraction, but on his own his worries weighed on him.
His journey eventually lead him to a large ballroom. He rested his hand instantly on his gun, knowing better than to enter a room without his guard up if he happened to be alone. His eyes darted around. Once he deemed the coast to be clear, he ventured forth. Every footstep he made seemed to echo impossibly loud. He paused, listening for anything else that might be in the room. He could swear that he heard soft music.
"Well played, manor, well played." He chuckled before taking a deep breath.
"Is that all you got?!" Alfred suddenly shouted out to empty room. "Oh, scary music! Look at me, I'm shaking! Whatever will I do? Oh no! Not the piano! Anything but the piano! Oh the humanity!"
He removed gun from the holster on his belt and looked around the room, an almost wild look in his eyes. "You want me? I'm right here! Come and get me!" He waved one of his arms in the air, almost as if he was waving at some unseen force, while the other hand clutched his weapon tightly. If there was something else in here, it better have the damn guts to face him.
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on Apr 20, 2013 0:02:54 GMT -6
Astrit had spent far too long in the Manor, he judged; he was beginning to forget what his normal life had been like. He remembered, as in a dream, that he had been a nation all too briefly--he wasn't sure he could claim, anymore, to be representative of a people. The Manor had changed him, stripped away that side of his identity, leaving only a lone, terrifyingly vulnerable boy who had never been fully human before.
But he had been a nation on his own, the Republic of Kosovo, if only for a few years. He had had a sister... she had been killed in here, and it was a miracle that he had not. They had fought often, he seemed to recall, though he didn't perfectly remember why. He had been... protected but controlled by her, until he got tired of it? Yes, and then he had found a new friend who had helped him get free...
He remembered that friend's voice very clearly. In fact, much too clearly...
Hold on, that wasn't a memory. He was hearing Alfred's voice right now.
The Kosovan boy, if he could still even claim to be part of the nation he had embodied, had been walking through the halls, forever on the move even when he didn't know where he was going, but now he had a direction to go. He wanted company, and if that company were the hero who had helped him in the past, then so much the better!
The boy ran, following the sound of a young man's voice that got clearer. Soon he could distinguish words: "Not the piano! Anything but the piano! Oh, the humanity!"
Though he was mostly preoccupied with trying to decide which door the voice was coming from, a long-unused part of Astrit's mind observed that Alfred's words made no sense at all. He found himself laughing, for the first time in quite a while: what on earth could be happening that involved a piano?
Ha, it must be these large doors. The hinges creaked when he pushed the one on the right open just enough to let him peer through.
Sure enough, behind that door was Alfred, waving a pistol and yelling, "You want me? I'm right here! Come and get me!" A familiar, welcome face and voice at last. It was tempting to run to his friend and hero right then, but Astrit's better judgment pointed out that this was really not a situation where surprising people was a good idea. Instead, he pushed the door open a little further--creeeeeeeeeeeeepppkkk--and walked slowly into the room.
"Alfred," he called, "is that you? Who are you talking to?"
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Post by America on Apr 20, 2013 11:27:35 GMT -6
A small creaking noise made Alfred tense up immediately. He was challenging the manor, yes, but he was hoping that the manor wouldn't answer that challenge. He clutched at his gun tighter, like a small child hanging on to a security blanket for comfort. He just hoped that if something was coming to attack him it wasn't impervious to bullets - or a good old punch in the gut. Either would work, so long as it got the job done.
Another creak echoed through the room, sounding as though it came from the direction of the door. Alfred spun around at once, taking aim - only to see a familiar face staring back at him. Certainly not the monster that he was expecting, much to his relief.
"Alfred? Is that you? Who are you talking to?"
"Kosovo?" He blurted out in surprise, his gun still pointed at the boy in question. Hope swelled in his chest, but he was still uneasy. Alfred slowly approached Astrit, gun still pointed at the younger country. "Don't make any funny moves." He demanded, just in case. What if this was the manor creating some sort of illusion for him, to give him false hope? No, he needed to verify that Astrit was really there before he made any sudden moves. Gun still aimed at the other, Alfred slowly extended a hand and let it brush over the top of the other nation's head.
Astrit was there. He was solid. He was real. And Alfred's face broke out into a huge grin. He had company! Granted, he would have preferred if the younger nation weren't in the manor at all owing to a certain feeling of protection over him - but there was little he could do now.
"Astrit!" He called out, scooping the boy into an almost suffocating bear hug. In his excitement, he very nearly missed the second part of Astrit's question. Catching himself, Alfred gazed around the room once more. "Listen," Alfred informed him, as he made a shushing motion consisting of a finger over his lips. "Do you hear music?"
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on Apr 23, 2013 11:15:01 GMT -6
Luckily, Astrit had predicted Alfred's reaction well enough to keep himself safe. The American was still alarmed enough to aim a gun at him, making the boy freeze in place, but quick recognition saved him. Astrit stayed as still as he could as Alfred approached him; the warning not to make any funny moves was unnecessary. He knew what to do.
He couldn't have said that he expected exactly what Alfred proceeded to do, though he had been in the Manor long enough to predict that the other would want to make some sort of check to ensure that this wasn't just a trick.
Still, Astrit couldn't recall any previous time that this had led anyone to pet his hair.
Whatever his hair felt like, it seemed to be confirmation enough for Alfred. "Astrit!" the man yelled, and the next thing the owner of that name knew, he was being swept up into a bone-crushing hug. The boy could scarcely breathe for a second, but breathing almost didn't matter in his relief. He hadn't even realized how much he missed ordinary human contact, nor how much he had wanted to see the perpetually optimistic, heroic American. Alfred was always so sure that everything would be all right that you couldn't help but believe it too.
Once the first delirium of being sure of one another's identity passed and Astrit's suddenly sore ribs were able to expand again, the boy saw the taller nation put a finger to his lips. "Listen."
The boy closed his eyes to listen. For a moment, he could hear nothing except Alfred's breathing and a creak from the house, but then...
"Do you hear music?"
"Yes," he breathed, unwilling to speak louder because the sound was so quiet. The music sounded lovely, but as he opened his eyes he saw no source. If he had encountered this phenomenon in any other place, the sound of a quiet piano without such an instrument anywhere visible, he would have suggested that they go see if Austria was in one of the rooms nearby. Here, though, he suspected that it had an altogether more otherworldly origin. It seemed to be harmless, being nothing more than some music, but around here there were very few things that were harmless. Still, there didn't seem to be any immediate threat,
"Alfred..."
Astrit had been looking for Alfred for a long time, since his conversation with Indonesia shortly after arriving. He had thought it was just a game, back then. How naive he had been. So much had happened since then--so very, very much--and he had learned a few things about how this twisted place worked in that time.
Like that time didn't pass the same way for everyone. If Alfred hadn't known about the manor's true nature before the party--and, honestly, how could he have? And surely he wouldn't have thrown the party here if he had--then he was as likely as anyone to be unaware still.
"How much do you know about this place?"
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Post by America on Apr 23, 2013 15:27:36 GMT -6
Alfred still had the gun in his grasp, though he was less likely to put it to use now that Kosovo was in the room. Just having someone there helped to soothe Alfred's nerves. This was partially owing to another presence to distract him, but also because he was determined to remain strong in the face of others. Someone had to stand strong, especially to defend younger nations like Kosovo.
Perpetually optimitic. Yeah right. Even Alfred's seemingly endless optimism was starting to falter in the dreary manor. That didn't mean the others had to realize that.
Alfred wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried when Astrit revealed that he could hear the music as well. On the bright side, the fact that another could hear it meant that it wasn't a hallucination. On the other hand? The fact that another could hear it meant that it was real. Actual music, with no identifiable physical source. Not much of a comfort.
That said, his observations were along the same lines of Astrit's. There seemed to be no immediate danger. He was still on guard, the faint music whenever Alfred and Astrit reached a lull in the conversation an ever-present reminder of where they were, but there was no concrete danger in sight. Small comfort, but something.
"Alfred..."
"Hmm?"
"How much do you know about this place?"
Alfred frowned, though not entirely because he was upset. Astrit's question was a good one, and it made him think. The more information they had on this manor, the better a chance they had of beating the monsters within and/or escaping. Hopefully both. He also realized that out of everyone, he had the most information about the manor. It was on his land, after all. Good thinking on Astrit's part!
"Well, I figured that most of the stories I heard were just that - Stories. You know how it goes." Alfred shrugged. He was a bit nervous when choosing this manor as the location for his costume party, but doubted there was much to the rumors. Oh how wrong he'd turned out to be!
"Apparently this manor's been like this since the 1800s. Don't know how many of the rumors are true, but knowing what we know of the manor now? I wouldn't be surprised. Anyway, they also say that once the owners died, that's when 'ghosts' and stuff started moving in. I think ghosts is putting it pretty nicely though. Clearly the people spreading the rumors haven't actually been inside." And that made him wonder - Did anyone who ventured inside the manor ever escape? If so, they had their work cut out for them.
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on Apr 29, 2013 23:41:26 GMT -6
"Well, I figured that most of the stories I heard were just that--stories. You know how it goes. Apparently this manor's been like this since the 1800s."
Astrit nodded; he did know how that went. Stories abounded about places like this all over the world, but usually they were magnified by time and retelling, and whatever truth they had was eventually obscured. He would have expected that the past two hundred years or so would have been enough time for stories surrounding a creepy old house to be embellished enough that a stray spirit or some collapsing beams would have metamorphosed into "monsters everywhere." The boy may never have discounted the possibility of the supernatural entirely, but he had plenty of reason to believe that most of the stories had wandered away from their bases, and usually into territory more frightening than the truth. It helped that, having been the incarnation of a region for a few hundred years, he had had plenty of opportunities to watch that process come to life before his eyes. A new generation's version of an old story would quite often be scarier and more detailed than the last.
"Don't know how many of the rumors are true, but knowing what we know of the manor now? I wouldn't be surprised. Anyway, they also say that once the owners died, that's when 'ghosts' and stuff started moving in. I think ghosts is putting it pretty nicely though. Clearly the people spreading the rumors haven't actually been inside."
This would be the inverse of the usual rule, but given what he had seen so far, the Kosovan boy couldn't have said he was surprised. He doubted that most people who wandered in here (if any others ever had) would be able to wander back out both sane and alive. Only whispers would remain, if that were the case... and, unsettlingly, he wondered if people might not be too frightened to speculate about what lay inside.
This confirmed what he had already been certain of: Alfred had known nothing of what they were going to face when he had chosen this as the place for their costume party. It had seemed a safe guess before--the American was reckless and overly optimistic, but hardly the sort of person who would want to die, and so he would not be likely to knowingly lock himself and many he cared about into a deathtrap like this--and this was corroboration enough for Astrit.
It didn't answer the question he had meant to ask, though, and so he rephrased it, a little bit more pointedly.
"What do you know of the manor now? How much have you seen? How long has it been for you? What do you know of how the nations have been doing?"
The boy thought of saying more, of explaining what he himself had seen, but he wasn't sure he dared yet. Not until he knew how much his companion already understood.
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Post by America on Apr 30, 2013 11:25:07 GMT -6
He certainly hadn't expected this upon first scouting out the manor. He thought they'd maybe encounter a few odd noises, maybe some lights flickering, and that would be that. He was by no means expecting them to end up trapped in the manor, let alone under these circumstances. He was thankful that he'd chosen a costume that allowed him to carry around his gun. He didn't feel quite so helpless when he at least had his weapon at his side.
Astrit appeared to be considering what Alfred was saying. He wished he could come out and say 'haha, just getting, you fell for it!', but he couldn't. It might have started off as a hilarious prank idea, but now it was way out of his control.
No, Astrit was correct. It was his recklessness that left him in this situation, in addition to his reluctance to believe that there was really anything to the rumors surrounding the dark nature of his manor. Any doubts he'd had prior to entering the manor he'd reasoned off as 'safety in numbers'. Even if the manor was haunted, they'd probably be find because there were so many people. Instead, he'd simply given the denizens of the manor more toys to play with. Himself included.
That didn't quite work out the way he wanted it to.
"What do you know of the manor now? How much have you seen? How long has it been for you? What do you know of how the nations have been doing?" Another good question on Astrit's part.
"Still haven't found a way out, but I'm gonna keep looking." Again, if he stopped looking, he would essentially be giving up and letting the manor have him. Searching for an exit also gave Alfred a purpose, and helped him to stay sane. So long as he had something to do, some sort of goal, he found it easier to keep going despite what the manor had to throw at him.
Everyone had a breaking point, though, no matter how stubborn.
"Well, I'm pretty sure the creatures that live here want to keep us here for good. That's why it's important we find a way out, because I don't think it's just gonna present itself. We have to be actively looking for it." He frowned as another thought occurred to him, though did he want to voice it out loud? He scarcely wanted to acknowledge it mentally.
Just because one nation found an exit didn't mean anyone would be able to go with them, especially if they were traveling alone. The act of going back to get others might result in one losing their way and never finding that exit again - Or perhaps that exit disappearing entirely. Alfred wouldn't put it past the manor to pull something like that. He refused to leave the manor on his own, though, at least in his current state of mind. As a hero, it was his duty to rescue the others first.
Kosovo asked him how the other nations were faring. Alfred didn't know about all of the nations, but there were a few others he'd bumped into in his journey. He still wished he hadn't gotten separated from them. Even Vietnam, as frustrating as her presence was. It was better than the monsters. "Toris and I saw each other in the kitchens. We had some coffee and soup. We ended up getting separated though, and I bumped into Vietnam in the billiard room." Once upon a time he might have addressed Vietnam as Kim-Ly, but it felt too strange to do so now. "Let's just say she wasn't too happy about our situation." He decided he'd let Astrit fill in the blanks with that one.
"What about you? What do you know about the manor? We need as much info as we can get." They both did. Anyone did. The more information they knew about the manor they better prepared they were for the forces it unleashed against them. "I might have fucked up by taking us here." Alfred said under his breath with a chuckle. "So it's my duty to make things right."
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on May 4, 2013 23:58:37 GMT -6
Alfred's response to Astrit's question seemed thoughtful, if not entirely unexpected.
"Still haven't found a way out, but I'm gonna keep looking."
The boy nodded. Everyone he had met so far had been looking for the same. If any of them had found one yet, he had not heard of it.
"Well, I'm pretty sure the creatures that live here want to keep us here for good. That's why it's important we find a way out, because I don't think it's just gonna present itself. We have to be actively looking for it."
Again, nothing that the boy could argue with. The American's frown along with those words might have been considering what a daunting task that would probably be.
"Toris and I saw each other in the kitchens. We had some coffee and soup. We ended up getting separated though, and I bumped into Vietnam in the billiard room. Let's just say she wasn't too happy about our situation."
The kitchens, Astrit had been in the kitchens... long ago, before the events that had changed everything, when he still thought it was all a game. And he had seen Toris much more recently, still alive and well if frightened. Perhaps Astrit hadn't done much to improve that, but he had tried his best.
"What about you? What do you know about the manor? We need as much info as we can get."
The Kosovan boy laughed bitterly, almost missing Alfred's comment about making things right. "What do I know about the manor?" he asked rhetorically. "Too much, far too much."
He took a deep breath. If he was going to say this, even to his friend, he would have to hide how badly the manor had hurt him. He would have to keep up a cold, hard, impersonal front just to keep from breaking down.
"At first I thought it was all a game. I met Nesia in the kitchens, we talked about finding you to find out more. I think Vasile might have joined us... but that was a long time ago.
"After that, my sister found me in the library. We were found by a monster that spoke in riddles and claimed to know everything. Then there's a point where my memories just... stop--I think we were knocked out by something acting for the Manor itself--and the next thing I remember, I woke up in a huge empty room, tied up and with a flying skeleton-thing explaining that I'd been chosen to play a little game against another nation. Only one of us would be allowed to survive.
"My opponent was Gilbert. He had lost his mind, but he was still... a lot stronger than I was. Strong enough that I couldn't have killed him... except that he stopped fighting and let me. I'd like to think he was back in his right mind when he did that. I'd like to think he actually meant to let me live."
Astrit's composure was slipping. He took another deep breath to calm himself and stared down at his shoes.
"After that... I was attacked by another monster, made of sand, that wanted me to sleep. I don't know how I managed that, but I did. I ran across other nations... Kiku and Vasile in the graveyard, which is in the courtyard. Toris in the study--we tried to find useful information in the books, but there didn't seem to be any. Then..." The boy reached into his pocket and showed the American the key he had found. It was more or less useless now, he knew, but he kept it by him anyway as a symbol of hope. "I found this. It was glowing and flying, and it led me to a hidden room that seemed to be safe. Kyle and Ana María joined me there...
"And I learned that my death match wasn't the only one, and my sister was killed that way."
The words sounded so cold, coming out of his mouth. A small, childish voice inside him begged him to cry. No. He stifled the impulse and continued to speak, baldly summarizing the rest of what he knew.
"We planned to get out together, but the room ejected us and we were separated. I know from our discussion then that there isn't any way out from within the building that anyone could find--not that it would have made sense for there to be. And there are a lot of monsters everywhere, of all different kinds, but the skeleton things that ran the death matches seem to be... in charge somehow, at least to some extent. They had the power to gather a whole bunch to enforce their rules, anyway."
Part of Astrit wanted Alfred to ask him for more details, but another part was exhausted from recounting his experiences. He missed his sister and even Ana María, who had been trying to take care of him. Though he wanted to be grown up, and perhaps he would have proven himself equal to ordinary tasks of nationhood, the boy was coming to understand just how unprepared he was for a situation like this, how much he needed some kind of help to keep going.
He wasn't going to cry now, though. He couldn't afford to let himself cry. And that wasn't water in his eyes spilling over his eyelashes, he couldn't be crying...
Dammit...
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Post by America on May 7, 2013 12:25:30 GMT -6
Did Alfred want to admit the truth of how the manor was affecting him? Of course not. No one did, but Alfred especially. As the one who proclaimed himself to be the hero all the time, this was his chance to prove it not only to the other nations but to himself.
"What do I know about the manor? Too much, far too much." Didn't they all?
When Astrit revealed that his initial plan was to find Alfred to find more information, he let out a snort. He could easily tell where that one was going. If it was early on, they likely thought he was pulling a trick on them all. Of course they'd think he had all the answers, even though he hardly had more than they did. He did have a very slight advantage over the fact that the manor was on his land, but that was it. And that just meant he had a bit of extra background information the others didn't. Not much help in the long run, unless he was missing something. "I hate to say that wouldn't have gone well. Bet you expected me to start laughing and say 'just kidding'? That's what Vietnam expected too."
Astrit's explanations did little other than update Alfred on the situation (and what monsters he might come across in the future), until one statement in particular - "And there are a lot of monsters everywhere, of all different kinds, but the skeleton things that ran the death matches seem to be... in charge somehow, at least to some extent. They had the power to gather a whole bunch to enforce their rules, anyway."
"There are dudes in charge here? Alright, now we're getting somewhere!" Well, maybe. Probably not. He couldn't help but think it was worth a shot. Alfred was never one to shy away from taking risks, and it wasn't like they had much left to lose in the manor.
Looking toward Astrit as he waited for the other nation to weigh in, Alfred's triumphant grin faded at once. The kid was crying. Not that he could blame him, but that just cemented in Alfred's mind that something needed to be done. He took the smaller nation into his arms and embraced him, attempting to provide a small semblance of comfort not only to the younger nation but to himself. "We're going to get out of here, alright? We won't have to deal with this much longer. I'll get us out of here." In the silence, he could hear the faint music echoing through the room once more. A chill went down his spine. "I'll get us out of here. I'll get us out of here. I'll get us out of here." He repeated, trying to cover up the noise with his own voice.
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on Jul 6, 2013 0:29:12 GMT -6
"There are dudes in charge here? Alright, now we're getting somewhere!"
Astrit could only shake his head at that. What good did Alfred think that knowledge would do? Even if the Inhabitants had some power over the other monstrosities in the Manor, there was no way the nations could persuade or fight them into doing anything good. They were just too evil and too powerful.
There was no way Astrit could stop himself from crying, no matter how he tried. Tears poured, profuse but silent, down his face, leaving hot tracks that quickly turned cold. The silence was his success, at least. If Alfred didn't look his way...
But of course the man looked, and the next thing Astrit knew, he was in the middle of a warm and comforting hug. "We're going to get out of here, alright? We won't have to deal with this much longer. I'll get us out of here," Alfred's voice assured him.
Astrit wanted to believe those words as badly as he had ever in his life wanted anything. There was nothing in the world he would take over the impossibly tiny luxuries he had taken for granted: a chance to see sunlight, to stand among his own people, to argue for his recognition as a nation--he was frighteningly close to no longer caring when or even if he got it, so long as he could spend his time being almost-a-nation at home, under the sky, without sadistic grim reaper things chasing him around--and yet he struggled to believe that they had any chance at all.
The American was still repeating his last sentence over and over again. Despite the boy's doubts, the rhythm of the words was reassuring to him, a reminder that, at least for the moment, he didn't have to face the manor alone.
A flicker of understanding teased at the back of his mind, in a form connected to the idea that perhaps even Alfred the hero was scared too. There was a conclusion he was drawing close to, something about the shape of adulthood and things he didn't have to be, but he was only mostly ready to understand now. It would be a little bit longer before he could fully express what he was thinking.
There was something important he needed to say, though. The comfort wasn't enough. If anyone could think of a solution to the problem posed by the Inhabitants, Astrit fully expected that it would be Alfred, but he had the dreadful suspicion that no solution even existed.
"How do we do it, though? I mean--how do we fight a thing that can just make things appear and disappear? How do we run away from a thing that can just make us disappear to wherever it wants us? How can we ever get out?"
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Post by America on Jul 8, 2013 13:48:03 GMT -6
Alfred had no intent of seeking out the inhabitants for help. If anything, going to the inhabitants and asking for help would be like walking into the grim reaper's clutches. If they were 'in charge' of the manor, that meant that they were in charge of this nightmare. They were, quite possibly, worse than the other monsters within the manor.
Yet, if they took out the Inhabitants, and the Inhabitants were in charge, it seemed like a good step in turning the tables. Nothing else worked so far. Why not give it a try? "We don't have much else to lose." The young nation murmured to himself.
Alfred's words were just as much to reassure himself as they were to reassure Astrit. He needed to keep up hope. It was just about the only thing keeping him going in the manor. He needed it, even if he had to keep reminding himself over and over again. Astrit's presence helped. Having anyone around helped, if only slightly. Being alone in the manor was like tossing yourself to the dogs.
Forget dogs. Being alone in the manor was like tossing yourself to Cerberus.
"How do we do it, though? I mean--how do we fight a thing that can just make things appear and disappear? How do we run away from a thing that can just make us disappear to wherever it wants us? How can we ever get out?"
"Don't talk like that. We can get away from it, and we will." He was dodging the question and he knew it. How could he offer an answer to the almost-nation when he lacked one himself? Suddenly, something about what Astrit said stood out to him, and he pulled away slightly. "Astrit, do you think the Manor itself is alive?" Did he even want to know the answer?
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Astrit Zupan
Survivor
Pansexual.
Single.
13.
Played by Koso.
Offline.
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Post by Kosovo on Sept 2, 2013 19:42:17 GMT -6
"Astrit, do you think the Manor itself is alive?"
Astrit was silent for a moment, trying to work through his thoughts, before he spoke.
"I don't know about 'alive,' exactly. But if you mean... does it have its own mind that knows things? I think it might, or if it doesn't then something that does is all the way through it. Maybe that's the same thing." They were clumsy words, not at all sufficient to express the idea he was trying to get across, but hopefully Alfred would be able to make sense of them.
Another fragment of memory flitted across his mind. "The things that had some kind of power... they sure seemed to think so. They talked about some kind of 'Master' that was in charge over them, like they got their authority from whatever that was." It was a bit difficult to say it aloud; some very deep part of him feared to mention the Inhabitants or whatever Master they served too much. Everywhere in the world, people were afraid of naming things whose attention they didn't want to attract; in a place like this, you couldn't ignore the eminent possibility that there was a very good reason for that. There really were monsters out there, of unknown capabilities, who could quite plausibly be listening in on your conversations and inspired to attack you for any reason at any moment.
Changing the subject in hopes of dispelling his fears a little, Astrit commented, "I wonder who else we could find to escape with. I bet there are several others who are looking for someone to hunt for an exit with, too." It was probably a safe assumption, since he had seen several such others during his time in the Manor. All they would have to do was find each other--maybe Nesia was still out there, still looking for Alfred; maybe Toris, whom they had both met, would run into them again; or maybe they would encounter Vasile, or Kyle, or Ana Maria, or other guests whom Astrit hadn't seen yet. And then... what? Well, they would have to go looking for a way to get out together... whether there was one or not. The alternative was just too unthinkable.
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