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Post by liechtenstein on Jul 16, 2012 23:37:32 GMT -6
She was no longer able to differentiate between who was a friend and who was not; what was memory and what was the present; what was tangible and what was simply in her head. Liechtenstein, naive of the harsh, relentless ways of the world and innocent in every sense of the word, was never trained to withstand mental, physical, or emotional strain and never subjected to war to the fullest extent like most nations. Many of her more experienced colleagues would have certainly been able to ignore the false information and proceed with their particular task, but the small nation was plagued with self-doubt and confusion.
In addition to her mental strife, Lili did not have the faintest idea of where she was within the manor. That was not a new development, by any means, but it was a great inconvenience upon all of her other worries. By this point, she had all but given up on trying to find her brother. The image of him in her mind was blurry and vague, and his voice in her memory did not sound any different from her own. She was beginning to wonder if he was truly real, or just another figment of her imagination brought to life under the extreme stress she was being exposed to on a daily basis. Not that she even knew how long she'd been in the manor, or had any sense of time at all.
Eva didn't know what kept her going, if it wasn't her possibly-existent brother. She supposed she did have a will to escape, but it would be so much easier for her to give in, like she tried to before... When she first met him. Or was that a fabricated memory, too? It was one of her favorites, so she hoped it wasn't.
Possibly it was her quest for the truth that made her persevere, though what was real would probably not be as nice as what was in her head. Despite the darker corners of her mind, the ones warning her of monsters and doubting the presence of a long-lost family member somewhere in the great house, there were parts of her that were positive the whole thing was a dream. She would wake up in no time and then she would laugh over tea and breakfast with her brother as she tells him about her silly nightmare.
And suddenly she was there; Eva couldn't see his face fully, because of course she did not remember him completely, but she was in what she assumed was their own home with a small painted teacup sitting in front of her. Everything appeared to glow, almost, or it seemed like she had tears in her eyes. The sunlight was too bright, Then she was running down a rolling green hill towards the outskirts of a forest before she was yanked from the daydream and back into the dark, eerie interior of the manor.
Liechtenstein took a deep breath, even more out of sorts after going back and forth between the two "worlds" within her brain. Maybe she could control the abrupt switches? Even if it was the fake one, she would much rather be in the sunny, colorful meadow. She could almost feel the light breeze brush against her fair cheeks, and hear a light chirping and in moments she was back in her personal paradise.
There was a quick flash of blue and red from above before it disappeared into the wooded area before her; she didn't know why, though she was naturally curious, but she just wanted to follow the little bird. Maybe it was the vibrant coloring or distinct call, but it was just too intriguing to her to let escape. As she took a step or two into the forest, however, there was a warning yelled out from behind her, but unlike other imaginary scenarios the voice was familiar but not identical to hers. Eva turned around, but the moment she did the cheerful atmosphere faded and she only saw a dark, seemingly endless hallway.
With a sigh, she continued to march along as she had before, knowing the world she had just visited was too good to be true. But after a minute or two, there was the same tweet from behind her and a familiar flutter of wings as a bird flew overhead up close to the tall ceiling. Much like in her dream, Lili had the undeniable urge to chase it, so she did, eyes in the rafters and stumbling every so often in the bulky footwear.
Finally, at the end of the passageway, the little airborne creature slipped out of a broken window and into the night. Liechtenstein hastily threw open the door and was greeted with the sight of an overgrown, wild garden. Even still, the placement of every plant seemed orchestrated and artistically chosen, the flowers bidding her come closer so she could smell them. Lili took a moment to stoop down and pluck a pretty white asphodel and tuck it behind her ear before beginning to explore some more. Her curiosity concerning the bird instantly flew from her mind, only to be replaced with the endless stream of questions about the garden, her new discovery.
Kneeling near a bed of anemones and lilies, she failed to notice the echoing click of the door from the house being closed once more. Eva was no longer alone...
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Post by swiss on Jan 2, 2013 2:06:44 GMT -6
He clicked the door open that would lead him to the outside. A breath of fresh air but obviously the sun wasn't going to welcome him. However, he would find his own ray of light here in the Garden, where the flowers only mask a darker reality. The Garden sung to him like a siren, beautiful, but he would ultimately crash into the rocks and sink deeper and deeper into an awful fate and be trapped here. Well he wasn't going to let his guard down. And Vash Zwingli is not afraid of flowers, that's silly.
This place was the sort of place that he probably would have wasted the day away with his sister on those calm Sundays. With a cup of tea and the refreshing breeze, the garden back home was the jewel of his days. The sun would shine brightly upon the siblings and they would just contemplate everything. There would also perhaps be a sweet snack, usually made by his sister, though Vash himself would be able to whip up something probably just as delicious and maybe even a bit more sweet if it dealt with chocolate. But this garden... well, despite the flowers, he wasn't so sure he would want to waste his day away here having tea and pastries.
Still though, this garden made him think "Is it even possible to have such fond memories in a garden? Did I really have that relaxing moment with my sister?" And then the garden posed the question... "Do you really have a sister?" He swore he did. You can't just forget you had a sister, now can you? Maybe you can, maybe you can't, but still. He was pretty sure that he had a sister. That he found her when the clouds were dark like right now, or there was smoke, or there was rain or there was just poverty everywhere. He had trouble recalling the facts, it was fuzzy, but he knew that he had a sister. Doubtful but he knew. Or else, would he have been spending those days in the garden alone? And those baked goods? He could have sworn he hadn't made them. But it was very possible that he did... No, he had a sister. No, more correction. He has a sister. No more argument, Vash.
Not having a sister would have been problematic. He had been searching the Manor for her. He wasn't going to leave the Manor alone. If he didn't have one, he probably would have tried to figure out a way to break out of the Manor. He'd try to search for certain rooms, or he'd be on the search for the Sanctuary. The first thing on his mind was to find his sister. Because he had to. It was his duty, and he wasn't going to ignore that. She was probably defenseless, no she was defenseless as his mind decided, and she needed someone to protect her. He wanted her alive. No, scratch that, he needed her alive. He wasn't going to let go of that. And seeing her dead body would be awful and he wouldn't have a reason to escape this Manor.
He walked amongst the azaleas and the morning glories, feeling just as lost as the Alice in Wonderland he was portraying in his both badass and embarrassing costume. It was just strangely quiet and it definitely didn't feel good. The aromas felt oddly normal, it was just... just a garden? No, the Manor was not just a Manor, and so the garden can't be just a garden. So why did he... He had to keep his guard up then.
This garden was mocking him. Reminding him too much of the garden back home where the Alpine Rose and the Edelweiss would grow. Home was paradise, here was wasteland. It was just wasteland too him despite how neatly arranged and nice this place seemed. He gripped onto his rifle, ready to shoot at whatever rosebush decided to attack him.
...Rosebush, really now? He couldn't have become this silly and paranoid over a rosebush. He expected something to jump at him any moment.
The lost Alice continued walking through the garden, rifle raised and ready like a soldier ready to barge through a door and shoot down the enemy. He had his finger to the trigger, ready to aim and fire, though with great caution. This was no video game, there was no room for error or button mashing. He only had a couple rounds, and shooting it at a rosebush wasn't going to be helpful unless the rosebush was out to get him and consume him.
The rustle of the garden told him... he wasn't alone. He tensed, tightening his grip on the rifle.
"Who goes there?" he said defensively, his aim not shaking. He wasn't frightened just yet... He aimed towards a bed of lilies. He slowly walked, relieved that nothing jumped right at him with his remark... relieved he hasn't been jumped at for entering the garden.
He slowly walked until he finally caught sight... of a golden head of hair near the bed of lilies, a girl on her knees. He lowered the rifle. With a quiet voice, he said "Eva, is that really you?"
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