Stands a Chance
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Post by Germany on Jan 22, 2013 18:48:15 GMT -6
"A costume party!" they had said.
"It'll be fun!" they had said.
"Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud!" they had said.
Ludwig didn't even remember why he'd caved to the pressure. Parties ranked rather low on his calendar of important events. He could have easily spent the night catching up on some extra preparations for the next meeting, or reading a book in the comfort of his home, or literally anything besides this. But somehow he'd been swayed to the side of irresponsibility and after his idea of just showing up in a suit had been vetoed, he'd borrowed an old police uniform from the law enforcement bureau. As much as he now hated to admit it, that had been the turning point, and Ludwig had started to look forward to the gathering. He'd fixed up the rips in the uniform, dusted off one of his old guns, and made the trip to the Baudeau Manor hoping for at least a modestly fun night of conversation and drinking.
And now he was walking down an unfamiliar hallway, alone.
To be honest, he hadn't liked the house to begin with. Upon seeing the outside, he'd vocally declared it a dump, and it came as a complete shock that the interior had been kept in such good condition. Ludwig had an excellent eye for regularity, and something here just didn't fit. He would have sworn that from the outside, the brief glimpse he'd caught of the inside of the manor had been just as run down.
But the problem with that promise was that Ludwig had begun to doubt his eyes.
This hallway seemed impossibly long and twisted; the house can't have been this large. None of the doors unlocked, despite all indications that they should. And without a doubt, there had been other people -- other nations -- that had entered the manor with him. So where had they gone? The place had just gotten dark all of a sudden, and then --
Ludwig suppressed a shudder. He didn't want to think about the screams. People had just been frightened. Voices could sound truly inhuman at times of great stress, of course.
And the lights had come back on, and he'd been standing in this hallway, lost. He didn't remember walking here.
Ludwig recalled that Arthur had bragged before about knowing magic. Perhaps this had just been an elaborate trick. Someone in a costume would jump out and scare him, then, and he'd find his way back to the others.
Clearing his throat loudly in the silence to distract himself, Ludwig raised his voice.
"Hallo?"
No answer. Not even an echo. Sighing, Ludwig set a hand on the next doorknob in front of him and twisted; the door didn't even budge a centimeter. Glancing surreptitiously around, Ludwig yanked the knob harder, wrenching it violently, and got exactly the same effect. Giving up, he moved on to the next door, his hopes not very high.
"Bruder?" he called out, looking around the hallway. "Feli? Kiku? Roderich?" Silence. "Anyone? Is anybody here at all? If you can hear me, answer me." Nothing. Ludwig stared out a narrow window set in the wall; the misty grounds outside looked just as empty and silent as the house felt. It wasn't that Ludwig minded being alone. He could get on just fine by himself, in most cases. But this… this was a different kind of quiet. The wood of the house hardly even creaked, and in a house this old, that made absolutely no sense. Every so often a weird scratching sound found his ears, but Ludwig quickly wrote that off as mice. At least something was normal about this strange old house.
However, standing here feeling confused and jilted wouldn't get Ludwig answers. Maybe he just needed to try all of the doorknobs; the hallway clearly went on a ways further. Rolling his eyes in slight exasperation, Ludwig re-shouldered his blue police jacket and moved to the next door.
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Survivor
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Played by Hat.
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Post by Prussia on Jan 27, 2013 15:25:01 GMT -6
Though he considered himself a navigational genius, Gilbert had a feeling that he was lost. It didn't help that every hall looked the same, and every door was locked that he attempted to open. Breaking in would have taken too much energy; plus, the Prussian didn't feel his usual curiosity about discovering the mysteries behind the doors. Everything about this place gave off a vibe that Gilbert didn't like. If he did happen to force open a door to look behind them he had a feeling that he wouldn't enjoy what was on the other side. So, in a tactful move, he just let them remain a mystery.
His ears registered the audible sound of someone (or something?) testing the doorknobs just around the corner. Considering the glimpse that he'd caught of unnatural things milling around out of the peripheral of his vision, Gilbert reached directly for the pitchfork strapped to his back. There was no knowing if he'd need to defend himself in a pinch or not. He decided to get as low to the ground as he could, to peek around the corner with less visibility of his person, and investigate in as safe a manner as possible. The albino melted himself to the floor to stretch out, edging his face forward until crimson eyes could jut out around the wall to see what was making that racket further down the way.
It was fortunate that Ludwig was distracted by the doors. He missed the sight of Gilbert come worming his way along the floor of the hallway to close in on the German. Of course, it wasn't long before there were slim arms wrapping themselves around Ludwig's ankles, to cling hold of him securely. And then there was a definite coo that escaped the Prussian's chest when he started to rub his cheek on the man's trouser leg, nuzzling at a calf. It wasn't the coolest way to present himself to his younger sibling, true. Gilbert was just too elated to feel concerned about this detail right now.
His arms tightened around Ludwig's legs to squeeze them as he spoke up to the German currently towering above where his remained on the floor. "West! There you are. You don't have to be afraid anymore -- I'm here now!"
It didn't cross his mind that Ludwig would be completely lacking in fear. Or that his current grip on the German might be more embarrassing than reassuring. Seeing Ludwig here was the best thing he'd laid eyes on since the last best thing he'd laid eyes on. He just couldn't remember at that second what that had been. So, for now, Ludwig trumped all.
Gilbert managed to locate his dignity somewhere there on the floor. He released the German to haul his lean figure upright without any attempt to brush the dust and debris off his devil's costume. A grin split his pale face from ear to ear, openly pleased as he clapped the younger man upon a broad shoulder in a less strange gesture of familiarity. "I'm surprised that you didn't smash through a wall and head back home already. Couldn't find a hammer, little Westen?"
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Stands a Chance
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Post by Germany on Jan 29, 2013 20:16:52 GMT -6
While the entire mansion had put him on high alert and his guard was raised, the fact that Ludwig currently had a mission provided him with a small distraction. Focused on finding at least one working, unlocked door, he glanced up every so often to scan the hallway ahead of him, but no more than that. He had been unable to shake the unsettling feeling that someone was watching him, however, and the occasional shadows that hovered at the corners of his vision only made him feel less at ease. The atmosphere of the place felt far too tense; the air hung uncomfortably heavy around him. Ludwig had just finished testing another doorknob and his fingertips had just left the metal when suddenly something warm and strong wrapped around his legs.
"GAAAH!"
Craning around, Ludwig didn't know what to expect, but was prepared for anything, which is why he was caught momentarily out of his element when he saw the culprit who'd trapped his legs was his elder brother.
"West! There you are. You don't have to be afraid anymore -- I'm here now!"
For a moment, Ludwig was too surprised and baffled to speak. Then his expression slid back to a familiar scowl.
"I'm not afraid!" he defended, reaching down to try and detach Gilbert's arms from his ankles. "You just startled me. What the hell are you doing sneaking around on the floor?" Now that he knew he hadn't been attacked by some odd clingy animal, however, Ludwig couldn't help feeling relieved. He'd been so abruptly separated and had spent an uncomfortable amount of time wandering the seemingly deserted mansion, and whether or not he'd noticed it, the stress of being alone and worried had started to eat at him. And of all the people to show up, Ludwig couldn't have picked a better companion than his elder brother -- even if he had a penchant for pranking him as opposed to just saying hello. His irritation faded nearly as quickly as it had appeared.
"Where have you been all this time?" he asked curiously, helping Gilbert to his feet. Seeing the dirt and debris that Gilbert had collected while scooting across the floor, Ludwig gave a quiet tsk and promptly started dusting him off, swatting the costume none too gently and sending transparent clouds floating towards the floor. "You're going to ruin this if you keep wiggling around on the ground," he scolded, before relenting a little; the smile on his brother's face and the hand on his shoulder felt almost blessedly reassuring. If Gilbert wasn't bothered by this place… maybe Ludwig was just overreacting.
"I haven't been able to find anything here -- people, tools, an unlocked door--" he shot a glare at the useless hallway. "So… no, I haven't been able to break down any walls. Sorry to disappoint you, bruder." The uneasy feeling of being watched prickled up his spine again, and reflexively, Ludwig whirled around to check the hall. Completely empty. Embarrassed, he turned back to Gilbert and cleared his throat. "I'm surprised to see you alone, honestly. Where's everyone else?"
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Survivor
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Played by Hat.
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Post by Prussia on Feb 1, 2013 5:03:38 GMT -6
"Why not the floor? Getting up on the ceiling would have been harder. You should have seen your face, bruderlein." It took everything in Gilbert's power not to laugh in the face of his brother's reaction. The bellow out of the normally reserved German was worth the effort it had taken to slither all the way over across the floor. Of course, the words that followed nearly had him in stitches. Gilbert just knew better than to erupt into that laughter. Otherwise, for all he knew, Ludwig might put him into stitches in a literal sense. And medical grade stitches itched. He settled for that wild, rogue grin that split his face, flashing teeth as white as his skin, as if to indicate to his brother that he had heard those lecturing words yet they meant nothing.
Getting pulled up to his feet, the Prussian found his balance even while large hands were knocking against his clothes to get them dusted off. He countered them with paler ones, attempting to cast off those efforts to get him groomed and tidy. Ludwig's obsession with cleanliness was something that Gilbert could appreciate as well, just at times when it was practical. The odds were high that he'd just get dirty again soon. This wasn't an occasion that qualified. So he tried to dismiss those actions to conserve potentially wasted energy from the other man. "I've been looking for you, of course. This place is intense. Intense, with a capital 'I' and everything. I might have gotten lost a couple of times. Everything looks the same. Like a funhouse."
His hands tugged at his hoodie once Ludwig seemed satisfied. Well, the other man had turned away, so Gilbert took that as a sign that his grooming was no longer a priority. He lifted a hand to the back of his skull, ruffling through snowy white strands that were in severe disarray. Ludwig's paranoia was making him uneasy; if the German's instincts were operating at optimal conditions (and Ludwig was rarely wrong on his instincts, which Gilbert always felt pride about) then the albino felt that he should be on the alert as well. He echoed Ludwig's motion to twist in the opposite direction, red eyes sent to view down the corridor where he had come from. "I just didn't get a chance to find anyone else. Heard a few people shouting. Saw some stuff out of the corner of my eye. And I'm pretty sure that something wants to devour me. Us. This reminds me of all those horror movies that you tell me not to watch on my laptop in the dark."
Gilbert found it all to be more exciting than scary. Sure, there were rules to be obeyed: Like no having sex, or going swimming in lakes, or telling legends about axe murderers because that always summoned them. The Prussian figured that navigating through this was something he'd be an expert at. Getting Ludwig through it unscathed felt like a higher priority than dwelling in any kind of enjoyment over being in a badass horror tale. His gaze directed back askance at the German. "What's the word, West? You want to try and find a way out? Or look for your little friends? Just say the word, bruderlein, and we'll play it however you'd like. My awesome skills will guarantee our success no matter what!"
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Post by Germany on Feb 8, 2013 15:30:31 GMT -6
Ludwig ran a slightly dusty hand over his blond hair, flattening it down in a nervous habit he'd picked up over the years. At least Gilbert didn't seem all too bothered by the place; as much as the older man enjoyed pranking and harassing people, if Ludwig had inadvertently been letting this place eat at him, it would be nice to have someone he could trust by his side. He'd just have to keep a better eye on his surroundings.
"You know exactly what I mean!" he shot back in response to Gilbert's quip about the ceiling, his cheeks turning faintly pink. He hadn't been expecting the sneak attack at all, so… points to Gilbert for stealth, and if he did it again Ludwig would step on him. The blond still felt a little embarrassed at being caught so off guard. On the bright side, his brother had been looking for him, just as Ludwig had been looking for any familiar face. Gilbert's description of what he'd seen, however, proved less reassuring.
"Intense, with a capital 'I' and everything. I might have gotten lost a couple of times. Everything looks the same. Like a funhouse."
"It is a little odd," Ludwig replied, taking another long look around the hallway he'd been exploring. Aside from the occasional old painting hanging on the wall, the area seemed oddly uniform: the doors and wallpaper and even the carpets over the wooden floor appeared identical. It was why Ludwig had devised his careful method of examining one door at a time, crossing back and forth and trying out handles exactly once. Now that he'd been distracted, he'd lost track of the last door he tried, but at the moment, he could hardly care less. He had his older brother with him, and they made a good team, no matter the circumstances. "Maybe the builders were just trying to save money?" he guessed.
The news that Gilbert hadn't found anyone else wasn't really welcoming; Ludwig had hoped that the other had been covering different ground -- or at least had gotten luckier. But he didn't let his disappointment show on his face. Shaking himself just a little, the taller man folded his arms across his chest, "I heard the shouts too. But there's a reason why I told you not to watch those movies. You're letting this place get to you." If Gilbert was going to be more easily scared, Ludwig would just have to be the voice of reason, no matter how uneasy he felt. "Nothing's going to devour us," he reassured his brother, shaking his head just a bit. "You're letting your imagination run away, bruder." He'd be hiding those movies next time he got home.
"What's the word, West? You want to try and find a way out? Or look for your little friends? Just say the word, bruderlein, and we'll play it however you'd like. My awesome skills will guarantee our success no matter what!"
Ludwig opened his mouth to retort at the bragging, then shrugged, "You got this far, I guess, so that counts for something. Let's find the others before we look for the way out. It wouldn't make sense to sneak out and leave everyone else wandering around." Beckoning to his brother, he started off down the hall once more, "Hey, maybe one of them's found the way out already, and they're looking for us right now. They can't have just vanished." He shot a hopeful look at the other man and beckoned again. "You can tell me what you've been up to as we look, ja?"
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Survivor
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Played by Hat.
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Post by Prussia on Feb 12, 2013 15:04:41 GMT -6
Having a flustered Ludwig was always a treat. Getting the normally reserved German to slip that iron control enough to win that blush felt like a victory. And most of the time it was worth a suplex, a punch, or whatever other method of retaliation Ludwig decided to launch at him. Most of the time. Gilbert took all of his sibling's reflexive violence in stride. He could take pride in it, considering that he'd been the one to teach Ludwig how to throw a punch. This just meant that he'd successfully trained the German into a powerful soldier.
Plus it was adorable when Ludwig got huffy. Glaring at him halfway between a look of rage and a sulk. Gilbert's inner mental capacities were always pulled to reflect upon how the fist coming at him used to be so little, and chubby, and kind of girly. The pain tended to jar him out those nostalgic thoughts. It was hard to dwell on memories when he was seeing stars or trying to pick his jaw up from the floor.
He was grinning right then, in fact, as he stared at Ludwig with a blank gaze. That trademark laugh was just starting to leak through his teeth when the German spoke. Gilbert's grin vanished in a heartbeat as he pulled his face into a more composed expression. Listening to Ludwig's logic about the structure of the Manor. "The builders? You think so? I dunno, bruderlein. Whatever this place was when it was built, it's about as natural now as one of Ameribrat's neon cakes. If you've been traveling non-stop and I've been traveling non-stop, then maybe we're stuck in one of those... uh... neverending staircases. Except it's not a staircase. One of those... paradise-ical loops?"
Okay, so he wasn't the smartest when it came to those fancy words. Give him a map and troop numbers, then he could navigate in that spectrum with superior confidence. The albino had also begun to pout from Ludwig's disparaging words about his movie selections and suggestions about their possible fate. "Maybe we won't get devoured. We could just get hacked to pieces with a chainsaw. Or abducted by aliens. Pulled into black holes that suck our flesh away from our bones. There's all kinds of ways besides just getting eaten, Ludwig." Gilbert undoubtedly looked as excited as he shouldn't have felt while considering all the possible means of their demise. He had always found fascination in the strangest things.
He watched Ludwig head off down the hallway, going into motion to trail after the taller man when the German beckoned. Gilbert slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans, shoulders relaxed as he ambled unguardedly behind Ludwig. Nothing had come across their path yet that put any kind of alarm in the Prussian; working up enough concern to be tense was too much effort. Ludwig would give him a signal if it were time to shift into a mode of action. Until then Gilbert was going to treat this all like an interesting adventure. "Maybe someone got out. You might be right, West. If they did, then they should at least have honked the horn of their automobile. Some way to give us a hint that there's a way out of here. Most people aren't as polite as you strive to be."
Gilbert turned as he walked, twisting in slow circles to take in the place. Some of his steps even when backwards. With Ludwig in the lead it's not like the Prussian had anything to fear. The German had his back and he had his brother's. That's just how things worked. Woe to anything that attempted to get the better of them. "What I've been up to? Mainly just wandering. I saw Hungary briefly; she's just as much of a bi--...charming lady as ever. Something huge had chased her down to the room where I ended up. She wanted to attack it. After I got fed up with her, I came to this part of the Manor. It really felt like I was walking in circles. Do you think it's a riddle that we have to solve in order to get out?"
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Post by Germany on May 13, 2013 16:52:37 GMT -6
How appropriate, Ludwig mused, that he's decided to compare this place to one of those horrible cakes. Yes, perhaps subconsciously, Ludwig had been making excuses for the unsettling uniformity and emptiness of the house, trying to keep himself calm and focused. But just like America's horrifying cakes, a sense of wrongness persisted here, one deeper and more ominous than that of bright blue icing. As ridiculous as Ludwig felt comparing the manor to cakes, the lightheartedness made his mouth twitch towards a smile just a little.
"Paradoxical loops," he corrected helpfully. "This is about as far from paradise as you could get." The manor might have been nice, once, but certainly not now. "If it were a paradoxical loop," he went on, "that would mean time and space don't function normally here. But creating that kind of event would require science that we haven't discovered yet. It's safer just to assume that this place is really, really large and that everyone else is either lost or has found their way out by now." If this was some kind of a trick created by Alfred, it wasn't a very good one. Gilbert obviously found a bit more entertainment from the whole mess, however.
"I swear, Gilbert, when we get back home I am blocking the horror movie channel for a month," Ludwig retorted humorlessly. "The worst we'll get from this place is hantavirus or tetanus." The manor was almost too suspiciously clean for that, but Ludwig had an obligation to stay realistic. As a child, he'd let his imagination run away from him plenty of times, spending hours daydreaming about fantastic things that might have been. But that habit had been crushed by his own history, and Ludwig had precious little patience for it right now. Conversation from his brother was fine, but they should be talking about escape plans, or strategy, not serial killers. Honestly…
As Ludwig continued to check doorknobs, Gilbert seemed to have subconsciously picked up on his irritation: the conversation slid back to the manor and all its peculiarities. "Not everyone's as polite as me, yes," he granted, abandoning yet another locked door, "but there are people that would still have helped out. England, probably, or Austria. Maybe even Hungary, if she's in a good mood." The knowledge that Gilbert had seen the woman briefly intrigued Ludwig; as much as Gilbert seemed to fight with Hungary, Ludwig knew that the two had somewhat of a history. His next words, however, confused the blond.
"What do you mean, 'something huge'?" he asked, frowning. "Are there wild animals here?" He knew some American stories about monstrous pigs that roamed the swamps of the south -- perhaps some had gotten in. If that were the case, Ludwig felt like an idiot for not bringing bullets for his gun. A pristine weapon rendered completely useless… but Ludwig had been expecting to go to a party, and people tended to get drunk and fight at those. He thought he'd made the right choice, and evidently he'd been wrong.
"It might be a riddle," he returned, chewing thoughtfully for a moment on his lower lip. "But you would think it would be more obvious, though… with some words or clues to give us hints. America's a lot of things, but I'm not sure he's ever been clever enough to come up with a riddle this…." Ludwig searched for the word for a moment. "Unique."
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Survivor
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Played by Hat.
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Post by Prussia on Jul 17, 2013 4:15:13 GMT -6
Ludwig's threat to overtake his television viewing for the future caused Gilbert's jaw to drop open in horror. He believed it. When the German got it into his mind to lay down the rules he did so with a heavy iron hammer or a punch that left the Prussian's head spinning. His form skipped forward to reposition himself near Ludwig's arm with a pliant whine. "You can't do that, West. What else am I gonna do late at night when there's nothing else to watch? Do you seriously want me to start watching shopping channels and infomercials? I will buy every single thing they offer if you take away my horror movies. You won't even know what to do with it all."
When the German directed their conversation back to the topic of the Manor the Prussian's short attention span was already forgetting about that empty threat. He nodded quickly. "Beasties and monsters. I could hear them shuffling around the place. Smell them too. I'm sure that they probably are roaming freely around here just waiting to gobble us up. You'd make a better meal than me. More meat on your bones. Not that I'd let anything eat you, Luddie. They couldn't defeat me if they tried."
His hand lifted to ruffle the blond's hair. Sending those perfectly aligned strands out of order was a familiar gesture. Gilbert needed to take comfort in anything and everything familiar; all the rest bent too heavily towards the surreal. The action always earned him a lecture or at least exasperation. He'd take it like a soldier. "Maybe we need more people to solve the riddle? I'm not sure. Were there windows visible from where we parked the car? The easiest thing would be to find a room with a window facing the road and break our way through it. Unless we end up having to face some Ultimate Final Boss before the path is cleared. There's always a final boss that you have to fight for any game. That's how the formula always works for America and Japan's videogames."
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Post by Germany on Aug 10, 2013 3:55:42 GMT -6
Ludwig paused in his fruitless work with the doors just in time to hear Gilbert's hurried footsteps behind him. His expression remained impassive as his elder brother pleaded for mercy with regard to the TV. Honestly, if anything, Gilbert's words just provided Ludwig with more fuel for his side of the argument, although when his brother threatened to buy out the shopping channel, it was Ludwig's turn to be open-mouthed in shock.
"You wouldn't dare," he gaped. "I've seen the kind of junk they try to sell to people! And- wait a moment-" Ludwig paused before a fresh realization appeared to him, and his shock began to slip into irritation, "I lend you money so you can buy normal things, not… not lawn gnomes or juicers or Snuggles or whatever those ridiculous things are called. Honestly, why don't you just try sleeping? That's what people usually do at night." Ludwig took a deep breath and gave a short huff; he couldn't stay mad at Gilbert, not in a place like this over so silly a threat, but he now had to reconsider the wisdom of his original idea.
Continuing along the hall at a leisurely pace, Ludwig paused at the next untested door before hesitating. Perhaps he was wasting time here - not with his brother, certainly, but with the doors. Maybe he and Gilbert should be just exploring the building, and the rooms could be left for later. Gilbert's warnings about 'beasties and monsters', of course, bounced right off of Ludwig's shell of rationality. "Mm-hmm," Ludwig replied, clearly disbelieving, although he humored Gilbert nonetheless: the silly conversation remained a pleasant distraction from the strange and uncomfortable surroundings. "If any monsters are feeling hungry they ought to go for America first. I'd be too stringy." The serious man flashed a fond half-smile as Gilbert swore to protect him.
"I don't doubt tha-- ach, hey!!" he protested as the other man stretched a hand up to muss his hair. Blushing automatically, Ludwig tried to comb the strands back in place with his fingers, feeling younger than his actual years. As much as he protested the gesture, it was undeniably nostalgic, and served to both lighten the mood and make Ludwig feel safer. Gilbert was right here: ergo, he had nothing to worry about. After the blond succeeded in pushing most of the strands back into place (a few refused to cooperate), he gave the nearest door a quick test - locked - before turning back to his brother, undaunted by his latest failure.
"It's possible," he ventured, before frowning in thought, "and I think there were windows on either side of the front door when we arrived." Opening his jacket, Ludwig revealed the unloaded gun he'd brought along, before shrugging, "I didn't bring any bullets, but the butt end's solid enough to smash glass." The idea of a final boss only made the man scoff gently with some amusement. He couldn't fault Gilbert for being creative at a time like this, even if his ideas were slightly ridiculous. "You almost sound hopeful, you know? When the ultimate final boss ends up being using a crowbar on the back door to get out, I hope you aren't disappointed." Giving a small but clearly derisive kick to the latest locked door, Ludwig continued onwards, "I'm beginning to hate this hallway."
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Survivor
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Played by Hat.
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Post by Prussia on Aug 18, 2013 5:26:14 GMT -6
Gilbert's grin was becoming permanent. The reactions his brother was providing him was entertainment enough to stave off the ennui that had been threatening the Prussian for the last few doors. Ludwig was too easy to fluster when the right buttons were pushed. And Gilbert knew those buttons better than anyone else much to the detriment of the other Beilschmidt. "Lawn gnomes and juicers are fun, bruderlein. And they're called Snuggies. I have one already. It's the best invention ever. I can sit in it all day without having to get dressed for blogging. I should get one for you too so we can match. Kesese!"
Once Ludwig dismissed his hand from that mussing, Gilbert raised his elbows to lock his fingers together at the base of his skull, assuming a carefree manner as he trailed along behind the German. Even if there were monsters here the Prussian's bravado wasn't showing fear towards the idea. This was all an incredibly exciting game. Except for these constant doors, of course. That was getting old quickly.
He perked when Ludwig pulled that gun into view. His tongue clicked in disapproval at the German when he heard about the missing components for that firearm. "A gun without bullets in it is just a hunk of metal, West. I taught you better than that. If you're gonna carry a weapon then make sure it's one you intend to use." Gilbert's chiding was halfhearted. The other man was too big now to lecture like a child. Those roles had strangely been reversed over the years, considering how often he was the brunt of Ludwig's lectures for his behaviors.
Gilbert dropped his hands down to his sides to gesture around them. "Why shouldn't I be hopeful? This is the most excitement I've had since the internet was invented. It might be annoying right now since all of these doors aren't offering anything fun, sure, but even you have to admit that this is more of a challenge than what we'd be doing back home. You should liven up a little, Wessie, and see this opportunity for what it is. It's a chance to show what we're made of again. Just think about how much you'll have to brag about when this is all over. Big, strong Ludwig using his brains along with his brawn to escape the perils of this Manor! So what if it turns out that all we had to do was break down a door? You would be the one that thought to try it."
A pale hand reached out to grip hold of Ludwig's forearm. He jerked his thumb over a shoulder to indicate the path they'd just walked from. "Let's forget about these doors then. Why don't we go see if we can't find the front door again? It can't be that hard to retrace our steps in this place unless I'm right and there really is a final boss that's making trouble for us. Then you'd have to admit that I was right. And let me buy a lawn gnome because now that you brought it up I really want one."
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Post by Germany on Oct 6, 2013 13:36:12 GMT -6
Ludwig pulled a face at Gilbert's suggestion; he had to end this train of thought now, before he ended up getting infomercial products for Christmas. After a moment of hurried plotting, he replied, "You know, it wouldn't look good on me. Just… get yourself another one, and I'll stick with sweaters or blankets. And I won't complain if you don't get dressed right away in the morning." There, that would hopefully plant some different ideas in his brother's head. Ludwig hoped he wouldn't have to add any more promises onto his offer; even if they were somewhat useful, those Snuggie things looked ridiculous on anyone.
Besides, he felt more than a bit ridiculous already. The gentle chiding he'd gotten about his gun caused Ludwig to blush guiltily, and he hastily shut his jacket. "I know that," he protested, although there was a certain weakness in his tone that indicated he knew very well he was in the wrong, "but I was worried things were going to get out of hand. You know how often these parties go straight to hell." Ludwig himself wouldn't have done anything stupid; he believed he was above those kind of actions. But having a loaded gun around a bunch of occasionally drunk and occasionally bitter nations tended to end poorly, even if the culprit wasn't trigger-happy like Switzerland. "I just didn't want anyone getting hurt," Ludwig finished lamely. The two of them might have been grown men, but Germany had always wanted to make his older brother proud, and even the gentlest lectures got to him as long as they were sincere.
Thankfully, Gilbert seemed more than happy to change the subject. Ludwig had to agree: this was more entertaining than sitting at home preparing for the rest of the week. Internally, he shied away from 'the chance to show what we're made of again', as what Gilbert meant by that, he couldn't be entirely sure. But the chance to help people regardless remained, and Ludwig wouldn't spurn that. "You'd better give yourself credit too if this works," he advised, turning around as Gilbert grabbed his arm. "It's your idea, not mine." But Ludwig flashed a small half-smile to the other man, "I think you've got the right idea, though. The doors probably won't help us. Come on." Patting his brother solidly on the back, Ludwig set off back down the hallway at a deliberate pace, trying to make a mental map of the parts of the manor he'd seen thus far. The front door couldn't be far from here, could it?
"If there is a final boss, I will concede you were right," Ludwig promised. "And fine, you can have a lawn gnome if this works out too," he conceded, already formulating a plan to hide bacon under the decoration so his dogs would mess it up. "But you have to earn the gnome. So let's find this door already."
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Survivor
22.
Played by Hat.
Offline.
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Post by Prussia on Nov 2, 2013 17:58:34 GMT -6
Gilbert twisted around to set off with the German, hastily getting his strides in alignment with Ludwig's so they were walking in synch. It was out of habit that the Prussian tended to settle into a pattern of marching when moving beside the younger man like this. He was too much of a soldier at heart and that habitual muscle memory was one time had yet to shake from his muscles or his bones. Granted, he couldn't hold that discipline for long, and turned only after several strides down the hallway to walk backwards so he could view Ludwig's face. His brain was wired strangely enough that it was jumping backwards in their conversation.
"You shouldn't let your image insecurities get to you, Westen. How many times do I have to tell you that you look strong and manly in anything you wear? I am sure you could wear a Snuggie while still looking macho. I could probably find you a really masculine one with camouflage or tanks or some schiesse. You could wear it while doing paperwork at your desk. Just think of how much it would save on our--er, your heating bill."
It probably would have been better if the Prussian was operating more in the present, considering their surroundings. He'd just seen so much, and been through so many tense situations, that this was tame in comparison with his worst moments. Plus he'd been stuck in Russia's house for three decades, so it wasn't entirely foreign to him being trapped in this environment. Speaking of these domestic topics -- and especially teasing Ludwig -- was his way of shaking the twitchy feelings and evading the attempts of memories trying to surface.
He continued that backward striding as they carried along down the hall. "You're good with directions. I mean, if we were relying on Roddy-Face to navigate us, then we'd be doomed. Do you remember where we came in at? We could just try retracing our steps. How hard could that be? It's not like Ameribrat's party was overly entertaining before things went to hell. Just use that logical brain of yours to puzzle us back to the beginning."
Gilbert hummed as he finally twisted his body around to walk correctly, steps not even missing a beat. A vase nearby caught his eye, and the Prussian reached a hand out to place it on its side atop its table. If anything, it would make a good marker in case they got turned around again. His instincts were telling him that things weren't going to be that easy. Nothing ever was. He wasn't going to say that to Ludwig. It was his responsibility to keep the German optimistic. A hopeful Ludwig was better than a discouraged one.
His shoulder nudged his brother's as they proceeded onward, the Prussian's pale face highlighting with a wide grin. "Silly, Lud. I'm not gonna get just one lawn gnome. I am going to get an army of lawn gnomes. And then I'll arrange them all so they look like they're about to march on PrissFace's house. For old time's sake. What do you think? Pretty awesome, right?"
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