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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 20:54:16 GMT -6
A kitchen that would usually make him feel at home, the inviting warmth of a crackling fire in the living room... here they were only worth a cringe. Knowing that the presence of living nations was only an intrusion was unsettling to think of, and no matter how luring any of the rooms were, Francis made sure not to linger and get himself comfortable in them. Anything Baudeau had to offer was only false comfort. He couldn't think about cooking or going to sleep or anything else that would comfort him at home, and instead he always had to be on the move. He felt that these walls (or perhaps even the floorboards) would swallow him up at any moment, were any other entity not to get him and kill him first. Being on the move meant better chances of finding something useful, something that could feed that little hope inside of him for escape. Looking directly for an escape would be useless, since the Manor already proved a point that it didn't want these nations leaving so quickly and without harm.
Exhausted and weary, Francis had already scoped out most of the second floor. He was trying to think rationally, using his wits rather than succumbing to those more frightful thoughts. The Manor's ambiance was wearing down on any chance of optimism, but something in him strove to not give in. He was cautious when opening doors, bearing his rapier as caution with each step he took. He scoured through various bedrooms, seeking any items that could be put to tactic use as something or other; a weapon of sorts, or something to maintain his health. But the search was as unsuccessful as his search for other nations has been. He didn't know which priority to set straight first... finding someone, or something? So long as he kept on going, any of the two is bound to show up. Something just to prove to him that others are still alive, that he isn't the only one still standing. After all, someone else might be looking for him as well.. right? So many friends and family that could be in danger.
He was making sure he was being quiet, just enough that someone nearby might hear him. He had found a key in one of the rooms, keeping it held in hand in case he might find the door or whichever else it goes to, though none of the rooms he had found so far proved to be locked. It was hard to keep a level head whenever he traversed through the hallways, with all those doors holding who knows what behind them.. while expecting anything to emerge at any moment, he managed to keep himself going without panic.
His heart was in a flutter, but no, he hadn't lost himself just yet. He came upon a larger door than the rest, wasting no time in getting it open - and inside was not a small bedroom as he so often stumbled upon, but a vast library where shelves towered and cast shadows, books dusty and holding answers to things he might not even know he needs.
He had paused there, closing the door behind him for good measure, and began to look around. It was silent, but he was listening - if only for the sound of rustling pages, or even more hopefully, the sound of a voice or two conversing. But if there were someone in here, he wouldn't want to startle them. Perhaps he should just announce himself first. "Allo...? Is.."
His voice trailed off there, suddenly aware of how small he felt in such a large room. He swallowed, moving aside to glimpse down one of the rows of bookshelves, seeing if anyone was in range of sight. He was walking slowly, cautiously, checking down more and more of those rows. "..is anyone in 'ere?"
Assured now that his voice must have reached any possible listener, he began traveling further into the library.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2013 13:00:09 GMT -6
Every step through the poorly lit corridors was gingerly taken, a possible trigger to a fatal trap that would lead to her demise. She had not encountered anyone (or anything) since she had so foolishly chosen to leave her fellow Nations and the party on a trek to satiate her curiosity regarding the history of the Baudeau Manor; her inquiries of the place had fallen upon America's deaf ears previously to their arrival, and so had her searches consulting both books and technology. Nothing except poorly written folklore and wild tales of terrifying encounters some had experienced with the horrendous creatures inhabiting the Manor could be salvaged from the millions of results of her fruitless searching.
Ciel's intention was to find a reliable resource, one in the Manor itself, and with observance of the place, it was easily discerned that there must be a library around somewhere. Besides that, there would surely be offices of some sort containing documented information about the fabled Manor and its legendary history; perhaps about when it was built, who had lived here in the past several decades, and what had happened to it to cause it to descend to such a reputation that it would be a good idea to use as a haunted house for a party.
She had stumbled around with a single flashlight for what felt like hours, searching through every door with hope she could encounter the library, but it seemed to intend on remaining evasive. All the doors had led to what appeared to be guest rooms, with dusty and worn beds, peeling wallpaper which had once been beautifully kept, and ratty carpets and rotting wood. She also found a barren kitchen, with some questionable supplies stored in the cabinets and refrigerator, and a anything but welcoming living room. There had even been a large and what had once been a brilliant ballroom, the floor made of smooth marble and Ciel had quickly left after a perusal of the leering room, feeling far too small and isolated in the room for her liking.
There were skitters of little creatures running along the walls, and Ciel deduced they were only rats or mice. But sometimes she heard sounds that had to belong to a large animal – or rather, creature – and she slowly grew more and more wary. The thoughts of all her searches online began to surface, and she did her best to push him away to the oblivion of memories she wished not to remember, but it was a difficult task and she soon gave up and decided to focus on finding her destination.
She found it on the second floor, following a few more colorless bedrooms and a music room containing most noticeably a grand piano – she would have thought it would be dusty, but it strangely seemed like it had been recently played – perhaps by one of the other Nations, she presumed, and didn't search too meticulously out of fear she would run out of time, since the party must be ending rather soon, and continued on. The library was not as large as the ballroom, but could possibly begin to rival its size if its collection was ever to be expanded; there must have been thousands upon thousands of books occupying the very tall shelves, and she noticed a ladder leaning comfortably upon one of them. It looked to be rickety and past its time, and Ciel doubted she would be using it anytime soon.
With careful, searching eyes, Ciel began to inspect the small bookshelves, and would run her finger across each book's spine as she read the title with piqued interest. Many of the books in this particular section were from the time of when America was still a colony, under the rule of the British, and when people began immigrating to the New World. As she continued on, the books seemed to progress as history went on, going from the Salem Witch Trials, moving to the beginning stirrings of the American Revolution, the time during and following the Revolution and how America was beginning as an independent country on his own, and then proceeding on to the American Civil War. She wasn't an expert on knowing every single specific of America's past, but she recognized a good majority of the events.
She was nearly in the back by this time, and although she still felt uncomfortable in the dank, mustiness of the overbearing room, Ciel was more relaxed being surrounded by the books than anywhere else she had been in the Manor so far. Yet she had not found quite what she was looking for in the first place, and she had already gone through a good portion of the library's contents –
The sound of rusty hinges screeching in the agony of being used echoed throughout the grand spaciousness of the room, and Ciel couldn't help but cringe at the unpleasant noise. It reminded her exactly where she was, when just for a few moments, she had managed to be just a little bit ignorant.
The door creaked to a undignified close, and there was a pause. Ciel wondered for a moment if it was a Nation who had entered, or if maybe – mind you, this was just a paranoid thought – but a something else. She pointed her flashlight down, hiding it for now until she could figure out what it was, and her other hand reaching for her hidden revolver, when she heard a familiar voice tentatively call out.
"Allo...? Is.." Francis's became inaudible, uncertainly becoming silent, and the familiar sound of the groaning floorboards could be heard as he unknowingly approached Ciel's location, before speaking up once more. "..is anyone in 'ere?"
Relief swept over her with the knowledge that Francis, the one who takes care of her country's defense and protection, was here. She was no longer alone, there was company to be with. It was only now that she was realizing exactly how lonely she was genuinely feeling in the Manor without having a single companion to converse with, and she her troubled moment of epiphany was placated with his presence. Not wanting to startle the other Nation or to cause a misunderstanding by being too abrupt or insensitive in replying, Ciel just as tentatively returned his call with a quiet, steady voice. She spoke in his native language to be more of a comfort, as she stepped out from her place in between the shelves to greet him with the smallest of smiles. “Bonjour, Francis. C'est moi, Ciel.”
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2013 19:05:22 GMT -6
Although Ciel executed a quiet entrance which, in all her usual gentle mannerisms, was meant to lower Francis's guard, the revelation of her figure still managed to startle him. That was one of the Manor's most skilled and lethal attributes: making its wandering visitors so on guard, aware and paranoid of their surroundings that even the merest figments of a person, object or sound can frighten them. And, unfortunately, wandering through the halls of the Manor for so long nearly had Francis forget what it was like to find human comfort again.
Alert ran cold through Francis's bloodstream once Ciel made her appearance, and for a moment his reaction was stalled; perhaps just from disbelief that he had actually found someone he was looking for, someone who appeared very well alive and sane. Luck was a rarity for him now, and it was probably too soon to hope that the tables were beginning to turn for him. Francis broke from his stupor to step closer to Ciel, quick to make sure that she was well in health - his gaze strayed from her face down to her form, checking that there were no visible injuries nor any pooling spots of dark red. One of his hands rose to rest itself on the Monegasque's shoulder, the other touching gentle fingers against the woman's cheek. "Ciel, Dieu merci. Tu es bien, n'est-ce pas?" His words were rushed, quiet, not wanting to sound too hopeful just yet. He had no intention to come off as overbearing, only that he had been driven by the one torturous notion of being alone - or the possibility that those he cared for had become victim to the tyranny that is Baudeau.
Francis lowered his hands, just barely managing to return that small smile to the blonde woman. "I am 'appy I found you 'ere, really.. two 'eads is always better zan one in anyzing like zis." No matter the company he ended up with, he wouldn't exactly want to share the fact that being on his own was one of his greatest fears, under this particular roof or not. If anything, now was his time to act composed in front of who he considered his family - in other words, pretend his cowardice doesn't exist and let his protective nature take the reins.
He sent another glance over his shoulder, checking that the door behind him had been closed and there was nothing, no figure nor sound, that had followed him in here. Despite the fact that the library had a false sense of security compared to the other rooms of the Manor, he was still rather on edge from being out in the open like that. He began ushering Ciel toward the center of the library, further away from the door and to a more secluded space where they would hopefully stray themselves from danger for the time being.
"'ave you found anyzing useful in 'ere yet?" He wasn't sure himself what sort of assistance all these books would do them, unless there were any to be found on the Manor itself... but that didn't quite seem like a priority right now. In any case, this library was rather sizable, and perhaps they would be able to find something handy to exit with.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2013 16:12:47 GMT -6
Although besides being so obviously anxious and wary, Francis seemed to be physically fine. He had no apparent injuries, his clothes weren't stained red, nor was he displaying any signs of being hurt. That was a relief, she thought –
Wait a moment. Ciel caught herself, puzzled at her train of thought. Why would she think he was possibly injured by something? Despite there being an intense off-putting feeling throughout the entire Manor, there was no sign there was something stalking through the dank corridors. She noted this and tucked the gut reaction into her mind for future reference; instinctive reactions were not based on factual knowledge, but the natural instinct of the mind itself. Ciel had learned not to always rely on her gut feeling, but certainly to trust it in times of need when there was no other source of information.
"Yes, I'm fine," she took care to sound as calm as she always did, not allowing any of her confusion to seep into her voice. It was all too obvious the Frenchman was scared of something, but he was pushing his fear away for her. This was not too strange of an occasion for her to see; she'd noticed Francis's self-sacrificing ways for at least a century or two for now.
Francis's words echoed in her ears, and she glanced up to him (the way she had done for decades, always looking up) with mild confusion as he began to not so subtly guide her to the library's center which was surrounded by the towering shelves. Not only was the Monegasque baffled on the way he was acting, but also how he was phrasing his sentences; "two heads are better than one" and "have you found anything useful in here yet". Two heads are better than one for what, exactly? It seemed as though he was searching for the remedy of a problem. Issues with England, perhaps? That didn't seem likely, however – Francis had been managing just fine on his own with the former empire for several centuries now. And the words "useful" and "yet" implied he was searching for something physical, or knowledge of some sort – and he had been looking in multiple other rooms for whatever it was. In that case, it appeared he wasn't originally intending to seek out the library like she was so it was more likely he was trying to find something physical.
As far as she could tell, though, he would have no reason to be searching for something... Unless America was having a scavenger hunt of some sort? It honestly wouldn't surprise her, and she took care not to sigh or roll her eyes. But it seemed hours had already passed, and Ciel doubted a game would last for that long – in fact, she should have returned a while ago. Yet here Francis was, something obviously plaguing him, and with frayed nerves.
"I'm pleased to see you here as well," the Monegasque returned tentatively, eyes watching him carefully to decipher his words and actions. "However, I'm not quite certain what you mean. Are you searching for something in particular?"
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2013 17:18:55 GMT -6
Francis hesitated, recognizing that Ciel noted his behavior with uncertainty. The confusion was evident on her expression, centered on him in a way that, in turn, had him feeling uncertain. He had been trying all this time not to make it obvious that he wasn't faring well here. Nowhere in the Manor had he felt confident on his own, but he was using his skills to the best of his ability to get him through everything so far. It was a little daunting to know that she seemed more calm than he was. The way her eyes scrutinized him was brushed off, not something he'd let get to him too much. For now, he'd prioritize the underlying relief he felt that she seemed to be managing herself just fine.
His throat cleared, head turning to sweep a sapphire gaze over a shelf nearby. "Bien. I 'aven't zought of exactly what we are supposed to be finding 'ere, so non. No one will get far at all if zey are just standing around, so I figured ze place wants us to wander around and look for anyzing we can to 'elp us. Even if zere is nozing zat can do zat, it is more productive zan being idle."
That smile twitched, refusing to give up, eyes lowering to fixate themselves ahead. "As for two 'eads, zere is probably a better chance of making it if we are not so alone." Words like these were not so often heard from him, but perhaps it was that sole fear of being alone in here of all places that was driving him. That was he didn't want to be made obvious, but it didn't appear, even to him, that he was good at hiding it. But that wouldn't keep him from continuing to try.
Whether he had another thought in mind to express, their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a sound coming from the other side of the door. He turned again to peer down the path from which he had came, eyebrows furrowing in an effort to focus on what it is he's hearing. It sounded like a deep although distant rumbling, followed by trickling water. Francis looked back to Ciel again, and that's when he felt something around his feet. Water had begun to envelope his and Ciel's feet, puzzling him as to where it could have come from. Escaped rainwater, or did someone leave a faucet running? Knowing the Manor, it could have been seeping from the walls or something - but the way it was leaking in hinted that it must be coming from the crack under the door.
He took a step back, briefly praising himself for having shut that door when he first came in. Though now this was an entirely new problem and hindrance to have to deal with, and it didn't feel as if they had a lot of time to think now. "W-well, isn't zis lovely. Zere is no ozer door to get us out of 'ere, is zere?"
Almost unconsciously, Francis reached out to take hold of Ciel's arm. Just in the case that they are to be separated... and for the fact that it made him feel better to make physical contact. Books were now out of the question. "If we go now, per'aps we can make it upstairs."
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2013 16:17:47 GMT -6
Francis's words were making no sense, none at all. Ciel frowned, unable to understand or decipher what he was getting at, if he was getting at anything. He was speaking in rhymes -- not very surprising for Francis, but these rhymes were twisting together to form ambiguous riddles about what she inferred as death of all things. It was becoming quite ridiculous; she knew Francis not to be the morbid type, but he was beginning to set alarms off in her head.
He was personifying the Manor, first of all, as if it were alive and could function and think for itself. Second, he was talking as if they were fighting for their life -- from what? There was clearly something going on here that Ciel wasn't aware of, and she didn't like it. She was ignorant, thrown in the dark, unable to comprehend anything. It was starting to grow increasingly irritating, and she greatly wanted to know what she was missing. Ciel doubted Francis would be playing a joke on her, especially one at such lengths; which meant there was something truthful to this. But what? It wasn't at all reasonable for this to be happening -- well, whatever Francis was continuing to go on about.
But before she could question what exactly he meant, the sound of something approaching the other side of the door could be heard. Muffled originally, but it quickly intensified only moments later. It began to leak from the crack of the door: water.
Ciel stared at it, as it continued to pour through and soon it started to fill up. It was easily becoming more and more rapid. Her first thought was immediately concern for what would happen to this expansive and wonderful collection of books -- and her initial instinct was to attempt to save some of the bound treasures, but she knew it would be impossible. There were far too many books in here, and there was nothing she could do to preserve them.
Francis took her arm, and she remembered she wasn't alone. The water was cold, and was consuming more and more of her body. Ciel glanced around, looking for another exit, despite having no idea what on earth was happening. "No, I don't there is." She knew it wasn't the time, but there were questions threatening to burst forth, just like the water beneath the door. "Francis, what's happening? How could this place be flooding?"
Absolutely nothing was making sense anymore, and Ciel didn't like it. There wasn't nearly enough rain that could cause the place to flood this much -- and especially this quickly. It wasn't logical in the least, and she was finding herself more and more frustrated. She didn't want to move without having answers to this whole predicament, but there was no time to spare. Francis was right; they had to reach higher ground and at the rate the water was coming in, they needed to do it as fast as possible. Ciel took a deep breath to calm herself. Right now, she needed to focus on what was important.
"...Alright, let's try. We need to act quickly, or we'll be trapped."
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2013 14:23:10 GMT -6
Now the Frenchman dedicated all his focus unto the uprising task. This was the last course of action he would have expected after entering the library - though that didn't go to say it wasn't exactly a terrible one. Water is as deadly a killer as any a monster patrolling the Manor, but it was something a nation can figure out how to deal with. The floodwater would be swallowing those books now, drenching pages and smearing ink so that any reading material would be rendered useless from this point on. Hopefully one of those books was not something someone was in dire need of obtaining. Francis thought not of their fate but of his and Ciel's, knowing that the safety of their lives was more valuable than any of the million printed pages and words they are leaving behind.
All he needed was the answer he was seeking from Ciel. The rest of her inquiry would have to be saved for a more convenient time. He was silent, a firm nod serving as his response once his attention had drawn away from the onrushing water. Now was a better time than any, so Francis shifted his grasp on Ciel to hold gently around her waist instead. It was none other than a protective and precautious vice with which he would usher her along to where they needed to go - which, first and foremost, was back to the door from which they had entered.
The difficulty of walking against a water current was most inconvenient, more so at this moment than any - but frustration would only slow them. The beat of his heart rose just as the water did, threatening to pull them down as it climbed and lapped at their clothing, pressing against the walls and the door with a force that made them creak in protest. What was worse, the colder temperature posed another reason for him to slow. There was nothing to hold onto were they to be overpowered, for any furniture would also have been carried away with ease.
Now he reached the door, using his free hand to grasp the knob and turn it with little anticipation for what would greet them on the other side. He barely had to crack it open before the water finished the job for him, pushing the door aside as if it were weightless. Another round of flooding surged in, keen on making this a near impossible endeavor for the two nations. "R-right. At least ze stairwell is not too far, I-I don't believe."
His words were not shaken by fear but by how reasonably cold the water was, as freezing as ocean water feels on a hot day before you get used to it. Francis continued to trudge against the heavy flow, turning and setting off in a direction he hoped would lead them to the nearest ascending stairs. As water climbed, their only hopeful solace of advancing anywhere would have to be swimming.
"You know 'ow to swim, don't you?" There was a drop of concern in his voice as his head turned to view Ciel, though that did not hinder the smile that he forced to follow. Even if her answer was a yes, Francis did not seem to want to give up on assisting her. "C-can't 'ave ze water sweeping a delicate lady away when I 'ave to be saving 'er."
If it had not been for a rush of adrenaline, his body would be complaining over this stress due to its previous exhaustion and worn state. But he had grown too skilled at ignoring all of that. He was pushing his way down a corridor until the stairwell was in clear view ahead of them - however, their strength over water was not too diligent and it felt to him that they would never get there. He made sure not to stop or allow the flood to change their direction, face twisted in tense concentration to keep himself going. But he had not forgotten Ciel's question and her confusion, addressing that in a rushed tone: "A flood c-could 'ave been building up ze entire time we were in 'ere, we do not know. Or ze In'abitants conjured some ridiculous spell to m-make it rain cordes - but it doesn't matter, d-do we even know anyzing about 'ow zis place works?"
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