Ivan Braginsky
Stands a Chance
Homosexual. Biromantic..
Lonesome.
23.
Played by Jen.
Offline.
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
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Post by Russia on Mar 30, 2014 9:02:40 GMT -6
Ivan wondered whether there was a reason he hadn't yet been up in the attic. He had been in the basement (albeit against his conscious will), but never to the Manor's very peak. If anything, he should want to be as far from the basement as possible. There wasn't any telling whether the attic would prove better or worse than that, but he wasn't one to miss the opportunity of stumbling upon a newly-found room.
Making his way through three floors of the Manor had already been trialing enough; not that that really ever slowed him. The risk of getting lost or running into something that lurked on any floor level was high at the very start, but it seemed to dwindle as time went on. The building was grand and expansive, and not only on the inside - but it had harbored many of these nations for long enough that they could begin to tackle its elements. Remember where things were, figure out which rooms might be safer than others. Save for unpredictable monsters and a few abrasions here and there, he thought he was doing fairly well so far.
But now there was a true obstacle standing in his way. The ladder that led up to the attic was likely a good reason as to why he hasn't been up there yet. It expelled dust when he pulled it from its coiled position, looking falsely sturdy. The Russian's hand wrapped around one wooden rung to tug it experimentally, feeling a small shift and hearing it creak. This would be a noisy and potentially terrible climb for his weight, but... now he was all the more determined to see what the attic had in store. There could be anything up there. Maybe even someone. If they had made it up the ladder, then he should be fine, right? Not thinking about the fact that he was probably the heaviest person so far, he mended to that optimism.
After taking a look back over his shoulder, he began to climb up. Each wooden rung seemed to whine under the weight of his boots, making him wary of anything that might be in range to hear it. Once his head was poking through the opening, his palms laid down on the floor of the attic to aid himself for the final climb. As hasty as it was, he managed to make his ascent. The ladder made it free of damage, and now he was free to pursue whatever it was that had lured him about the attic. He shifted to get to his feet again, hands clapping together and then brushing against his knees to chase the dirt away.
A dim light seemed to filter in from somewhere, not too different from the dull illumination each other room had to offer. While getting himself adjusted to that as well as the claustrophobic space up here, he moved away from the ladder space and toward one corner of the room. Dust and cobwebs clustered around each box and other antique that was stored away, casting a shadow on any significance they might have had before. The floorboards were nearly as creaky as the ladder was, though Ivan was now much less careful about making too much noise. There were too many things to snoop through up here, and it so far did not seem like there was anyone around to stop him.
Tired legs led the Russian to one stack of boxes, and his hands dropped down to begin sifting through every one of them. Little hums sounded out at each discovery he made, even if they weren't much. There wasn't any treasure in these boxes, but old items that likely belonged to those that lived here before. That just made him wonder what else they had stored, like things that could provide information if anyone cared enough to look into them. Maybe they had some heirlooms or weapons or old skeletons lying around somewhere.
Though in this particular situation, cloth and old paper were useless. He let them be where they were meant to rest, head turning to give another curious scope around the darker areas of the room. It was lonesome up here, but perhaps a good place to hide or rest. Violet eyes landed on another ladder that was situated against one far wall, stretching toward an opening from which cool air drafted. The roof? Ivan straightened from his crouched position to head over in that direction, looking up to check. Lit from above was the night sky, the natural light dimmed behind each cloud that hung in the late hours. His hand went to rest on this ladder now, testing whether it was the same as the last. Maybe he shouldn't be so hasty to move on just yet. It was pretty to look up there, though...
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Vasile Ionescu
Survivor
Played by Roma.
Offline.
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players"
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Post by Romania on Jul 3, 2014 9:15:34 GMT -6
Truth be told, the Manor's attic had turned out to be a pretty big letdown.
For as long as the Romanian could remember, he had always loved attics. He could remember himself as a little kid, going through the possessions, the history of his predecessors, sometimes with them, sometimes alone. He could remember how excited he was, small fingers pulling into view treasure after treasure from among dust and dirt. Some of his findings had scared him, some had made him uncomfortable and some had even sparked a quick escape-reaction, but all of them had been equally fascinating once he got past the initial shock. Morbid things had always been his favorites, and the stories attached to some of the items he'd found had been horror gold. And it wasn't just that particular attic he liked so much, either; during his years he'd had the opportunity to visit regular people's homes as well, and although their tales were much more recent and not as shocking to be sure, he had enjoyed them all the same. A person's entire family history could be dug up at times, if you just looked hard enough.
As such, one would have expected that the attic of such an old and mysterious manor would have been home to countless secrets, discoveries - and most importantly, answers to questions both voiced and yet unknown,yet all the Romanian had found was dust and a plethora of items he dared call useless. It wasn't a matter of thoroughness either, as Vasile had made sure no nook or cranny was left unexplored during his two hour (or what felt like it, anyway) stay. He might not have been that big fan of work, but if he set his mind to something that intrigued him, he did seek perfection to a degree - particularly here, where the smallest thing left overlooked could prove to be an important clue. Survival did not befit the half-assed. And such.
Alas, all he'd gotten from his search was a sore throat full of dust and a particularly sour mood, both which he'd sought to remedy by taking the ladder up to the roof for a welcome breath of fresh air instead. It had been windy up there from the moment he'd emerged from within the safety of the Manor, so he'd decided it best to explore the place some other time, and had settled to just lying down on the roof next to the hatch instead. If nothing else, the wind cleared his throat rather effectively. Fresh air, even if it came with the screams of the dead, was welcome after such a long while of being locked inside, particularly to someone who exhibited signs of claustrophobia like he did.
The problem with such an ideal place was just that time was even more difficult to keep track of, and before the Romanian'd noticed, he'd already wasted an hour on his stay, tired eyes attempting to close every time the wailing of the dead ceased for long enough to allow him a breather in between. The only thing keeping Vasile awake was the simple knowledge of the fact that should he fall asleep here, he would most likely never awake again; the manor would not let a foolish, reckless deed like that go unpunished. The wind would push him off, or a monster would emerge from the shadows of the rooftop to devour an easy prey.
And yet, if it wasn't for the sudden sounds from inside the attic, Vasile most likely would have succumbed to sleep eventually. Alas, the unmistakable sound of footsteps, heavy, slow ones, echoing from inside the manor woke Vasile up rather effectively. The man sat up, one hand pressed against his hat to keep the wind from claiming it as he moved to peek inside the building. His heart had grown agitated from anticipation of what was to come and his curiosity beckoned him to reach further down to properly see what moved among the dust below. Crimson eyes scanned the room, and it wasn't long after that Vasile found the source of the sounds; a large, heavily built man was standing with his back turned, only to be about to turn around any second now. It took a second for the man's frame and the side of his face to register and as it did, Vasile immediately pulled himself back into hiding on the roof, lips forming a silent whisper in the form of the man's name; Ivan.
Russia was there, right below him, and judging by the sounds of it, he was headed towards the roof's ladders as well.
A sour expression visited Vasile's face for a moment, before a quick shake of his head chased it away. The guy wasn't the same as he was before. Much like Turkey, he'd changed.... right? Right, and be whoever they may, the manor was a common enemy to all nations alike. There was no room for hate among those who wished to survive.
That didn't mean he wasn't up for pulling a little prank, though. For old times' sake, you know?
Grin climbing onto his lips at the prospect of scaring the giant, Vasile edged away from the attic's entrance to wait for the man's footsteps to stop. He didn't want to be seen prematurely, not before he was certain the Russian was as close to the attic as he planned to be. Ideally, that would be the man already a few steps up the ladder, but he'd take what he was given.
The Russian's footsteps quieted eventually, and Vasile deduced the man didn't plan to move in a bit, judging by the moment of silence that followed. Was the man hesitating? Weighing his options? Be it either or, Vasile waited for a few seconds more before silencing his breathing and edging back closer, long cape wrapped around his form to conceal him from sight. Okay, it was time. Payback time.
Letting out a screech that could easily be likened to a monster's cry, Vasile suddenly pushed himself into view and towards Ivan, half his body remaining on the attic as half of it bent down the ladder to allow his prank closer proximity. He spread his cape in a dramatic fashion, now mimicking a loud, diabolical laugh that slowly melted into a more amused, more natural one as he fixed his eyes to see whether his jest had succeeded.
"Been a while," he spoke into the chaos, hanging upside down from the hatch, his grin wide-
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Ivan Braginsky
Stands a Chance
Homosexual. Biromantic..
Lonesome.
23.
Played by Jen.
Offline.
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
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Post by Russia on Aug 2, 2014 8:36:50 GMT -6
He decided against visiting the rooftop, fingers parting from the spokes of the ladder with a soft sound. The contents of the attic weren't so climactic on Ivan's end, either, and he didn't suppose he'd try and look through them a second time. There was no heirloom, no weapon, no old and dusty bones in clear sight. If they were hidden, then whoever had stored them away did so expertly. It made him wonder how much time other visitors had spent looking for treasure and goods - considering how orderly everything was, it didn't appear anyone was desperate enough that they tore the place apart. Hm. Ivan did consider what other options he had, seeing as the lethargy of the room did not provide him very many. He hadn't rested in a while, but rest still didn't seem a viable option. The Russian wasn't usually so paranoid, but it was normal that he disapproved of sleep - nightmares were a recurring problem.
He might as well have waited. Wait in utter silence, through which trickled those haunting sounds from above and below the manor - perhaps no room in the building really was silent. If he listened closely enough, perhaps he'd hear someone approaching from below. That was clear indication that Ivan's mind was not considering entities residing above him - he hadn't checked the rooftop yet, no, and merely assumed that all that waited for him up there was a fascinating view and a beautiful canvas above. The sky was one peaceful contrast to the chaos that lies below it.
That, however, was all out of sight. Being obscured by clouds, the moon offered only a weak light which filtered in through the open hatch, spilling shadows around him which he didn't care to notice. His back was turned and the poor Russian had not considered himself oblivious to creatures or people which might have been lurking, watching as he stood there without an idea of what to do. Company would be really nice, but there was no telling whether someone else would be coming that night - if the attic wouldn't provide him with something useful, perhaps he would decide to spend the rest of the night on the roof.
He planned to turn back that way, but there was something that had already jerked the Russian's attention. His body twisted and his heart leaped, watching as a figure 'fell' from that open latch. It answered his question before he could even consider asking it - that sound was, surprisingly, human. Mouth slightly ajar, it took only seconds before Vasile's features (and the sound of his cackling) stirred Ivan's memory. No one else could laugh like that, huh? Manic laughter melted back into normalcy and so did Ivan find playful ruby eyes, lit with amusement and staring at him upside-down. Their shade of red nearly matched that which blossomed over the Russian's pale face.
"Been a while."
It could have been worse. He could have screamed! Maybe there was a little gasp in there, drowned beneath the sound of Vasile's screech, but he wouldn't say so. Anything to save a bit of his pride. Once that initial spook was over, Ivan's hands lowered and he made an effort to smother his reaction by smiling. The laugh that fell from stretched lips was uneasy, though that smile was no different than that which the Russian might always give to cover his troubles. "Oh... da. If you hat not mate that laughter, I might think you were jost killt, cot in half ant then thrown down here." Ivan's head tilted a fraction to the side. "It is great that is not the case, hm?"
Ivan's alarm meant any chance of rest would be further postponed. Not that he minded - he had company now. This perhaps wasn't the most favorable company, but it still was someone. "Somthink is propably goink to look for the source off all that noise. C-come down now, hm?"
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