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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2014 18:22:07 GMT -6
The pod that grew from the damp earth was a tangled mess of contorted colors, of red and greens that meshed together to form improper browns in spots where brown looked uninvited. The rims of the petals that enclosed the nucleus were of deep purple which twisted across the new plant’s guardian leaves. Various other colors flecked the pod, each shimmering like a jewel in what little sunlight could manage to reach.
Lili’s hand reached out, curious. The petal s guided her- no… they beckoned. They beckoned her forward, calling silently for her to come closer and see what lay within. Such a pod with colors as brilliant as the ones she could see would surely conceal a most gorgeous flower, the likes of which she had never seen before. She initial impression of this plant was that, indeed, she had never seen this type of plant before, and the mental encyclopedia she held within her brain could not discern which flower it could be from any of the entries.
Much too large to be a lily, of course. It had not yet bloomed, but it smelt of rot and decay and stood taller than herself. Immediately brought to mind then was Amorphophallus titanum, or “Corpse Flower” as she recalled. There was nothing inherently dangerous about the flowers, but their repellent stench was enough for anyone to accept the name. Without her book, however, there was no making sure that this was the flower she thought it was. Her assumption was compromised by the fact that ground below it was bulbous, and from it sprouted towering branches, each studded with spines that, were they to suddenly grow outward, could impale her upon the tip.
For a brief moment she was tempted to test the sharpness of those points. If she were to do so, what would happen? Was there poison is those barbs? Perhaps a lethal poison? She held her hand up and scooted in closer – not to the barbs, but towards the pod. Logic won over curiosity, but quickly lost in the second round. Since when was it wise to touch anything strange in this place? Never, but Lili failed to see how something so beautiful could be at all evil.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2014 22:00:10 GMT -6
The garden was not the place it used to be. The roots here had once drank from his pool of misery and confusion. Shriveled and half rotten, the flowers had swayed with laughter when Emil stood there, staring at the green eyes of a girl who once loved him. It was her expression of bewilderment that hurt him, and it tightened his chest with a vine of thorns. The manor had taken away her memories, and was cruel enough to keep his in-tact.
Yet it had been too long since then. Memories of her were as quiet and dormant as the shadows that skulk his steps; he never thought of her, but the thought of her was always trailing behind him.
In silent musing, Emil looked out at the garden from the pavilion. The tendrils and overgrown foliage still looked the same. The night was still the safe, with its low white breath of a cold kiss lingering around the base of the plants. It was a bit overdone--the whole atmosphere. It was probably supposed to have a scary effect. Whatever. He had seen much more than that. Come to think of it, he had been pretty numb to the Manor's scare-factors for quite some time now. Emil swallowed and banished the thought. He didn't want to jinx it. God forbid that some creature hurls himself at him.
There was a churning feeling in his stomach and a pit in the apple of his throat. Why was he here again? Surely, he had something better to do--like maybe lock himself up in a room. But no, of all places, he had to take a leisurely walk out here in the wide open. Emil inwardly cursed his fickleness and random impulses. It was becoming more and more evident that he didn't fear death.
Couldn't fear death.
Why bother?
Everything else was either dead or dying. They are trapped for a supposed eternity. What other escape is there? If only if he was like the others, those other Nordics. They had it in them. The essence of survival flourished in their veins, the steel of battle in their bones. Yet Emil was different, and he was always different since birth. When it snowed, it snowed for days. There was no use fighting; one could only curl up and hide underneath the sheen of white frost. His eyelids lowered as he stopped in his tracks. Should he... do the same? Surely, there were poisonous flowers around here... The consumption of lilies were poisonous, he remembered.
A shudder took his body. His heart raced at the thought of this--of these dark and poisonous thoughts. His face flushed as he stood by a lone, marble column. He rested his shoulder against its vine-entwined surface. The coldness of it felt so real, and further confirmed how lonely he was.
He had been trudging about in this life for too damn long. The shadows and ghosts had beckoned him to a straight way path to hell. Nothing made sense since day one, and every since day one, living had been such a chest clenching pain. Emil slid his hand to his gilded hilt, wrapping his fingers around it. The blade sighed when he pulled it away from the sheathe. It would take one simple move, a thrust to the flesh, to spill out as a chasm of red roses. It would be fitting in this garden--no.
Emil formed a fist and then slammed it against the column. The pain began to trickle to the core of his wrist. He couldn't do that. No---fuck he was such a coward. Heat began to sear in his eyes, warm and wet. There was no way he was going to Valhalla. He couldn't take the thought of the pain of the steel. Shakily he looked up, and saw those flowers--a burst of pink amongst the garden of decay. Those were star lilis. The colors were so livid, so bright. It was deceiving him, murmuring to him to come and taste its fruit. He walked towards it without even thinking, the tip of his sword trailing behind him as he dragged it over.
Lili.
He cut the stem and held it to his face. The aroma was fresh like the sea. Time to go home.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2014 9:17:43 GMT -6
The rustle of grass between unfamiliar feet, that subtle squish of the earth compressing under the pressure of another’s weight… these things alerted the young lady to the presence of another. Immediately she pulled her hand back to her chest and turned around, her eyes meeting those of a stranger she could not remember. Unbeknownst to her, it was this lack of memory that might have been prompting the young man’s strange behavior, as he cut the stem of a poisonous star lily and held it ominously to his face. Her familiarity with plant life and most of the dangers therein – though clearly she was at a lack for knowing the specifics of the Manor’s unique deadly plants – caused her face to light up with worry.
Star lilies, though beautiful beyond measure, were deadly enough to be utterly fatal to anyone who consumed them. She could not expect him to know this, however. Why would he hold the flower to his mouth with the intention of eating it if this was common knowledge? The thought of his desire for death did not once cross her mind, despite the suffering that the Manor guaranteed them. She could not imagine suicide even being a viable course of action. Her personal desire was to escape the Manor alive, and bring as many people with her, but as far as she could tell there were no exits, even outside – short of growing wings and flying away.
She stood quickly, not bothering to brush the clods of dirt and strips of dead leaves from her dress and gardening apron as she leaped towards the nameless newcomer with an outstretched hand. She knocked the flower from his own hand and picked it up protectively, but it wasn’t the flower she was seeking to defend. His life, though she did not know his name, was more important. She did not wish to watch anyone succumb to poison when she was able to help!
“No, these are deadly!” She objected, stepping back to keep the flower out of his reach. There were plenty more where it came from, but she was fully prepared to stop him even if he grabbed another. “Are you so desperate for food that you’ll eat something that can kill you?”
Lili gave the flower a toss back into the lily patch and stood rigid before him, intent on stating the facts of his mistake. “You should identify plants before you try to eat them.” Her voice grew quieter and she fidgeted slightly. She was coming off much too aggressive. It was fully possible that he did not know, and yelling at him would not solve the problem. “L-lilies are poisonous… Star lilies are some of the worst.”
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 22:15:51 GMT -6
He heard the voice from his dreams, one that used to sound so sweet and gentle. It was this voice that had murmured his name through the imagination of a smile. However, in this reality, this voice took form in a sharp and abrasive loudness. In a moment's notice, the flower was gone from his grasp, as his eyes followed the ghost of a dream he had once been able to hold in his arms. It was, to his confusion, that girl of blonde hair, and green eyes standing before him.
It was odd, to say the least. The feelings that circulated within him was complicated and, to an extent, oxymoronic in description. In a way, he was expectant of this, yet surprised all the same. He was elated by her form, yet despaired at the same time. Although he felt love, his love was as empty as the husk of hatred. The tide of this puzzling state left him petrified, frozen. There was no flush of pink oh his face, no tears in his eyes, and no haste of heartbeat. Belying his emotions, he was perfectly calm in this silence.
Yet, his mind continued to desperately rake against the doomed soil to harvest any concepts of logic and reality. This was a cruel trick or a vile coincidence. Emil was ready to take his sword out and bleed to get him out of this twisted bodily and mental purgatory, to end this perpetual consequence.
She spoke more, and each word became more defined in his ears. Desperate--? He had been stripped of any life to have the energy to be desperate. Yet he could not reply to her, for he was still gripped by his disoriented state of mind. She said some more things. Emil made an inappropriate snort, more of being amused by the coincidence than her lasting sheepish behavior. He swallowed, stared at the stargazer lily, and then cleared his mind. After a small intake of air, he closed his eyes for a second to undergo a brief stage of meditation.
That's her. That's Lili. Again, she doesn't remember who you are. Again, you found her at these gardens. It's her. This is real.
Then again, this might just be a suicidal illusion.
Emil counted to five. If she was still there, then he was going to have to delay killing himself.
When he opened his eyes, his vision entered his thought in a blur. As the details became fine, Lili's expression was processed to him as one of great concern. Emil reached out to her, and brushed his fingers across her cheek. He trailed those fingers down to her jawline. His touch was light and controlled, as though he was afraid her complexion would shatter. Gently, he lifted up her chin as he studied her face. If he could kiss those lips, would that be the death of him? Would it be as poisonous as that flower she holds in her hands?
"Stargazer lilies," Emil murmured. "I know of them, yes. It gives a slow, painful death. It seems, that even the most beautiful and innocent of things in this place can be lethal."
He could probably kiss her right now if he wanted to. Emil could feel her breath, warm with life--with fear, confusion, anxiety? Something lurched forward in his stomach. Emil banished that thought from his head, as he inwardly tried to relinquish himself of emotions. If he caved in to this one, everything would only repeat itself. He was done with suffering because of a touch from the past.
The Icelander removed his hand and then took a step back. He diverted his eyes, turned around, and began to walk.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2014 8:44:56 GMT -6
His delay in action was disarming. Lili hadn’t the ability to move herself when Emil’s fingers touched her skin as gently as they did, as if she was a doll and he was afraid she’d break under the force. He treated her as if she was someone familiar, but for the life of her Lilu could not place name to face. He was familiar, if only because she might have passed him by briefly in the past, as was common among nations. But no… she didn’t know him. Not well enough for this touch to be warranted, but she couldn’t bring herself to push him away. He’d just tried to kill himself with a flower. His entire being seemed groundless and thousands of miles away. Lili was partially afraid that if she pulled away from him he would be lost on a path of no return. In return for her patience, his fingers brushed her skin and trailed down her neck, each inch touched shivering lightly.
“What are you—“ she breathed. His actions had her standing lost and confused, eyes wide as they stared into his, searching for reason.
"Stargazer lilies. I know of them, yes. It gives a slow, painful death. It seems, that even the most beautiful and innocent of things in this place can be lethal."
“And you still tried.” He’d intended to die, and she stopped him…
No response this time. He seemed to now be tired of dealing with her and would seek his peace elsewhere. His hand lowered away from her face and he stepped away from her, turning to leave. She did not know this young man, but felt that it was her responsibility to accompany him lest her attempt to die again.
What business was hers what he wanted to do with himself here?
“Hold on—“ Lili’s hand almosr gripped his arm, trying to stop him, She fell short an inch, as if frightened that she’d push him somehow. “What are you going to do? What was that?”
Lili nudged the lily away and followed after him. She would persist until an explanation was given. His actions were peculiar and now Lili was curious, but not once did she imagine that his appearance marked the resurfacing of bad memories that she couldn’t recall, if indeed there were memories that should be recalled.
“Please, don’t just leave— can I at least get your name?“
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2014 13:26:00 GMT -6
"And you still tried."
Those simple words echoed like a cacophony. He did try, to make of for the times he had wanted to try. As Emil was walking away, she called to him. He didn't expect she would, but he was glad she did. Then again, what normal person wouldn't feel concern over the life of another--or perhaps, that would only apply during normal circumstances. This manor had sullied many to become jaded, and their senses of humanity becomes the rust that deigns to be rubbed off.
"Well, I guess you can say I hate this place," He replied pointedly, and it came out sharper than he had expected. The lad softened his expression and looked at her, as if sorry he had raised such a tone. There was no ill-will towards this girl; she only looked like Lili, and if she really was the Lili he knew, he shouldn't have said that at all.
He hesitated at her request for him to stay. There was no doubt that he wanted to get away from the false filth of this garden, yet or any love he had for Lili, he could not deny her or turn away. Emil swallowed, a bit of himself creeping back to his persona as indicated by the light flush on his cheeks. He was, by no means, blushing due to any of those delicate emotions; rather, it was the curse of his pale complexion and how warm-blooded he was upon complicated emotions.
"Emil... I'm Emil," he said. With that, he stood there awkwardly, his arms limp on his sides. Emil pursed his lips, cursing how bad he was at this--and what a gimmick he was, to be acting like this after trying to commit suicide. He looked over his shoulder briefly, almost hoping for a distraction. Finally, he asked, "Your name?"
It would be no surprise if her name is Lili.
He let out a stiff exhale. "I've been here for a while. It's not a good place. You shouldn't be here either. It isn’t safe for the both of us."
Well, it shouldn't be safe--no, no where was safe. For once, he prayed a short mental prayer that nothing was going to happen. She was here and he would not bear to see any impending harm come her way. Not only that, his faith in himself had eluded him. There was a blade in his hand, but the very same blade he had thought about using on himself.
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