[ After the storm, there was nothing. There was neither light nor dark. Warmth or cold. It was just a never-ending eternity that stretched seemingly a millennia. Who could retain their sense of self through that? And yet, bits and pieces remained with her.
The whisper of a name. A glimmer of the purest white. The brush of something feathersoft against her skin. A strange yearning hunger. Gnawing regrets. But mostly it was exhaustion.
Don't forget...
She wanted to let go.
Don't forget...
It began with a flicker of light. Bright. Warm. But coming into being could not remain pleasant for long. Reality was like plunging into the Chicago River in the middle of winter, an icy cold touch that bit into your skin with a thousand little knives. She gasped, coughing and spluttering.
Then it all came back to her. Hunger. Greed. Despair. Love.
It was all too much. She was barely aware of the chattering of arcanists and scientists around her, in this cold, white room. She was naked and someone took the moment to drape a thin white sheet over her as if to protect whatever modesty she had left. But she barely registered it.
In this dizzying world, pounding with words, and images and feelings, a greeting sank into her bones and reminded her of another feeling that burned brighter than anything else:
"Hello, Miss Grecco. Welcome to the Foundation."
And dazed on the floor, through the chill, and the dizzying confusion, anger flickered to life.]
(eventually, there came a surprise for the timekeeper. vertin herself had been on the tail end of a seven week coma; her body was exhausted from being forced to lay there no matter the care applied to ensure that her limbs did not suffer atrophic reactions to her state of slumber. word had gotten around the foundation about it, that the timekeeper was held in bed for "treatment" which she willingly took no matter knowing it was a trap. that had been her choice. those she cared for were at risk were she to not show compliance and she must admit, it was painful in the way they tried to force her dreams in to their ideas of how she must behave.
each time they tried, words played about, the soft sultry tone and the scent of oranges in the air mixed with that dreadful rain. a simple yet powerful statement "don't forget me", as it stung about her heart in all it's places. messmer had been confused, wondering why it wasn't working and how vertin could hold on so strongly over letting go.
unfortunately, she didn't understand how the hearts of her fellow teenagers can work when it comes to something, someone, they never want to let go of.
by this point she was on her way down to what most would dub "prison"; something which was true, to those around them, vertin however saw it more in these suffocating white walls that the true prison was by no means below ground or even that guard house she was confined to so often as a hellraising child.
the news she received that not only was schneider, somehow, miraculously at that, alive had been what caught her off guard. the way her trial went from what sonetto mentioned, not so much before this offer came about from the dreaded chess master herself. that vertin must be mindful of her steps under her watchful eye for the release of schneider, but also under the condition that this can change with ease were she to not stay ahead and succeed by all accounts in keeping her happy.
whenever the doors opened, the guards pause as they lead her toward one cell in particular. those gray eyes of hers, widening in disbelief as she stands quiet yet trying not to show too much in her expression. they didn't need to know fully how far down this affair between them was.
"Miss Grecco, we will be releasing you into the care of the Timekeeper, do behave now, please."
the words were spoken dully, not even something vertin registers as she watches them enter this cell and began next to unchain her. some being watchful under the assumption that schneider might pull something even if vertin would half agree to not underestimate schneider. she knows that too well by then.
that time together had taught her too well once the jingle of chains being removed pauses for them to leave. not a word else, not another stare whilst vertin stood within the open cell door as if trying to find the words to say. what even can she say? she thought she died, she saw it and yet she held on to that glimmer of hope that one day she'd see her again. this old soul who can read her, know her down to her mannerisms with such ease after what had only been a day and a night.)
[Impulse throbs within her veins, and beats hard in her chest. She had spent her days wiling away and watching. Testing.
How can I be so dangerous without my arcanum-blessed guns? You must know now, don't you? I am only human.
But the Foundation guards had been unyielding, guns pointed to the ground when they delivered her meals. But she could see it written in every line of their bodies.
Give us hell and-- Ah. Ah. Ah.
Not yet. Anger pulses through her, but it does not consume.
She has always been very good at holding her most treacherous desires close to her chest.
Then Vertin is brought down to see her and she feels the impulse burning at her throat, at her finger tips.
She notices first the beautiful hair, reminiscent of a doves feathers. Her favourite. Always. The shackles on her ankles are gone and she stands, clad in a plain white dress, so dull, so empty. But she carries herself tall, crossing the cell with slow, careful steps]
Shhh. My lord. [A finger pressed to Vertin's lips] You don't need to say such bold things for people to hear.
(she was read with ease, bolder words which wished to rise to the surface. questions as her finger presses against her lips; it only reminds her of that kiss under the rain. the impulse that rests there in her clumsiness to kiss her breathless as payback for making her heart ache so, but she wasn't that brave in such a place and schneider was right. all it would do is give them more to report back to constantine. more on their relationship, more on how to use schneider to force vertin to behave.
she only relaxes, that dull white dress doesn't suit her, is her first thought about it. not the way that feather dress did and how it fit her; how it caught her attention with the familiar scent of oranges for vertin. she won't say anything, not yet, she wants to if ever while they're alone as her eyes settle on schneider's own red ones.)
T-true. Are you alright, at least? Whenever I was told, I had just woken up.
(she isn't certain if that reached schneider's ears, it could have. that they tried to in a sense, wipe away vertin as a person in her own rebellious heart and her own selfless yet selfish desires. though she did idly realize after a moment that her lips brushed against her fingertip as she spoke.
enough that she found herself almost blushing before she held back from that.
as of now they were together and "alone" in one sense, this meant that vertin would need to explain everything. the fact they would be paired together in her travels throughout time and this world; that she has a team in which schneider was being added into no matter her status as a human who somehow was able to use arcanum. something vertin felt better at than leaving her in the clutches of those that would use it.)
If you'd like to get changed, also, your dress is in my suitcase with your jacket.
(that shouldn't be bold, not too bold for them. it had been confirmed and mentioned that schneider's clothes had been left in there after she disappeared. vertin of course folded them and made sure that they were tended to with care when she did her laundry at the time.
they might still smell pleasant, she hopes, she wasn't sure how that might go after her unfortunate extended sleep.)
[ Schneider smiles, letting her hands drop down to brush over the lapels of Vertin's jacket]
You were asleep for a long time. They told me that much.
[Between the gentle interrogations and subtle threats, they had let little things slip. Schneider kept catalogue of all of it. Every scrap reminded her she was real. This was real. She steps out of the cell after Vertin and feels colour bleed back into her world. Glimmers of light, the brightness of Vertin's eyes]
(that was hardly a surprise even to vertin, it must have been quite the topic about her "sleep". seven weeks, obviously she was more fortunate that she was able to move and to walk after without too many issues. the way that it hit her and more whenever vertin finds it more difficult to keep her eyes off her. it is real. that touch, the brush of her jacket, she felt it truly the way she had the moment her finger pressed into her lips.
this is if she could ever wonder if this was a dream she was being tormented by or not, a moment in which she wishes it to be one she may never awaken from if she isn't careful. no matter those conditions set about, she doubts she could ever care as long as they figure out something to prevent constantine from having her own victory in that persistent game she plays with others.)
I couldn't forget.
(such simple and powerful words again, the hushed whispers of it something meant to be a prize for schneider. her eyes even looking away briefly to see if those guards are close by. they weren't, but she wouldn't put it past anyone in the foundation to have their own ideas. this never was a place that she could feel at ease with, but for the sake of those around her among friends, vertin desired most for their safety and by extension, schneider's own.
right now, she cracks a tiny smile and allows herself this much no matter the impassive expression she'd hold. it's genuine. how could it not be when this was the greatest gift she could have upon waking? her heart feels it in those selfish demands it carries, though vertin knows not how to label such things and their intensity. she can almost be consumed by it.)
I will answer anything you'd like to ask whether it's about that or anything else as best as I can.
(any other questions can be after they arrive in her suitcase, she muses, there wouldn't be prying eyes and ears there.)
[The question lingers in Schneider's heart, desperately yearning.
My sisters. My mother. My people. Could they too...?
But she keeps those words buried in her heart. It was mere luck that a piece of Schneider had survived the storm, enough that a memory and a small blessing from an arcanist could let her reform.
Greed would ruin her, as it ruined the people of her era.
She is lucky enough.]
Ah? Then, I'll need some time to think. I did not get much in the way of news in that place.
(that was a given, she thinks to herself. they did keep information under lock and key tightly. there were some things that could be obtained if fortunate enough to have people with loose lips murmuring about, or like she's done with eavesdropping as a child in the midst of her education while playing pretend she heard nothing. her teachers would have had plenty to say more on the matter whenever vertin can take some things in stride.
at the moment she motions to be followed, her suitcase wasn't too far away. far away enough to provide time to think over things carefully for their conversation, it isn't as though she'd ignore such questions if asked. even if vertin can tell that this in itself is nothing short of a miracle for schneider to be there with her again.
together.
however, she did blink, puppy? who....then it clicks, sonetto. she recalled the comments about her being an old lady and how unamused she had been in turn at being called such things by schneider. it almost made vertin wonder if that was how they would get along as time ticked on by during their meetings and more than this.)
Sonetto? She's at the moment helping process the paperwork, so I came alone.
(and....maybe she realizes a little sonetto might not be so thrilled vertin came alone. she was the one that interrupted them when schneider kissed her that night in the rain, under her umbrella. although vertin isn't certain how much she saw of it; she likely saw everything had been a thought she held on the matter of that.
something else to deal with were there to be any strife between them.)
The others are resting at the moment as well, Druvis wore herself out heavily with removing the forest she made in retaliation to my being "asleep" and Sotherby is due to her assistance.
(....not to mention lilya got heavily penalized for breaking in there to retrieve vertin on the last day when the bill passed.)
[The last name doesn't bring to mind any faces, until she remembers that little girl with the potions. Ah. That was right. Schneider plays with the ends of her hair and looks around as they move into the upper levels of the foundation. How strange was it to be walking around the halls of a place she had once desperately begged protection from...only to no longer want it now that she was here.]
Mmm...Miss Puppy...she'll be quite upset wont she? She was rather protective from memory.
[Druvis is maybe the only one in that list of names that brings to mind positive feelings. Maybe it was because Druvis had been in a similar position to her. And in the end, they both had survived that night because Druvis made it happen.
She's careful not to touch on anything important or serious or incriminating. She was defenceless here and she felt naked without her guns...Vertin had mentioned her dress, but not her guns. She supposed that meant the guns were lost to the void.
Would it be too much to get a different pair? She wonders.]
....let's just say that I'm prepared to be lectured over it.
(not that it'd do anything. vertin has always been this way, reckless as much as she is able to make quick judgments and ideas. cautious too when she must be, but that recklessness is there. an interesting contrast for someone so impassive, so stoic as she thinks it over more. druvis would be pleased to see them both in contrast to sonetto. her soft spot toward vertin did stem from that night all due to that kindness she has, no matter what had happened.
and even if vertin knows schneider won't need it perhaps, she'd protect her all the same whenever she watches her playing with her hair out the corner of her eyes.)
I'll have to check if anything else was left again, I didn't have time to go over it properly before they came to get me.
(and if the guns were not left, vertin muses, they could likely get another pair crafted special for schneider. it wouldn't do to have her just using any sort of guns; the two of them knew that from that night together where it could have ended both of them. death had been so near that she felt it kissing her lips just about in her desire to make sure not only schneider lived, but they both escaped with their lives.
the way that it worked out, was a bigger surprise. she'll still take that as something for them whenever they start to walk these white and empty halls toward what was assigned to be vertin's actual room. one she ignored in favor of her suitcase oftentimes for the bed there and to work throughout the evening no matter how tired she must be.)
[ She takes it all in. There are less people wandering the halls than expected; out on missions perhaps? The world was ending after all. Era after era kept vanishing into the storm.]
You were summoned immediately then? My, my. There really is no rest for you, my Lord.
[ They enter Vertin's unused room and Schneider looks around, surprised that Vertin actually had one. But more importantly, she wants to see that suitcase again and...]
No rest for the wicked, as they say....though I suppose that I also am in the few who would say they'd sleep when they die.
(whilst promptly getting forced to lay down in her actual bed in that suitcase after. there's more privacy there. her own bed and bath, kitchen, a world of it's own kept away from what could be considered the earth in it's own progressive death from how many era's are disappearing into thin air. every part of it being something she catalogues as she travels.
but vertin wished for more than that, to save others and to not leave them to die. human or otherwise. that had been her desire whenever she opens her suitcase and shortly extends her hand as the gentleman she is to lead schneider into it. the question about marian, she did think about it before she decides it best to tell her. there had been something.)
A rosary. I kept it with your clothes. We can talk more freely within amongst other things.
(because vertin knows, it isn't obvious but she did wish she could have held her. kissed her were she any bolder to do such a thing where others may see them to tell herself this is real, to feel her more than just that.)
[ On the surface, Schneider's expression doesn't change. She keeps that faint little smile on her lips, her expression cool and amused. But Vertin wont miss the way Schneider's hand tightens around hers, or the faint indrawn take of breath]
She did always hang onto that thing, for far too long.
[But then they're back in the suitcase, a universe that felt untouched by the storm and what happened outside. Even if she had also disappeared here in this very space]
(it's warm, she thinks briefly. touch is something that's always grounded her, the sensation and everything. joined hands, gentle brushes of skin when allowed to do such a thing by others. she's noticed clearly in the way their hands are held together; tight and the way schneider briefly seemed breathless at seeing her like this. her hand twines her fingers on instinct between her own whenever they enter her suitcase. the world that was untouched. with gentle rain in the ambience and the sight of it not be that different than the last time.
she can hang up her coat and hat after schneider gets changed, is a thought vertin has about it. there was a bit to go over about everything were there any other questions; she did expect to be asked just about anything though it does little to stop that tiny smile across her lips as her normally distant expression shifts to lightening up a little. for now. there was always something that can shift the mood.)
I thought you might want me to make sure that it wasn't thrown away.
(luckily they didn't seem to take anything or remove anything. they mainly spent time trying to examine her "home" away from everything, as if trying to solve a mystery vertin can say she has yet to solve of her own in places about the space within.)
But, will you be fine? I understand that this is a lot to take in knowing what happened.
(going from being there to just vanishing into thin air, she means, and losing what was her family.)
(could she understand that? perhaps. there was still a familiar nightmare that hung around her just about, the children cheering gleefully as freedom was in their grasp and then....they all became geometric shapes. before her young eyes were children, friends that she once had who wished for nothing more than innocent freedom from what felt as if it were an oppressive atmosphere. all floating away as that ring dropped to the rain coated ground when madam z asked her if she wished to become timekeeper.
a position which she accepted in the end at the young age of twelve as she carried on, hoping, trying, really everything in her power to bring back someone from these storms. in the end, her last attempt worked with regulus. and yet, it also didn't work with schneider because of her humanity. a fact which also haunts her in the end to a degree comparable to that time in her formative years.
for that, with the feeling of schneider's hand on her arm she thinks briefly and....perhaps boldly, she did reach out to if allowed gently pull her close to a hug. she won't make her talk about it; the grief, the feelings, anything she didn't wish to in this moment or perhaps beyond that.
however, she did wish if only a little that this may help.)
I'm sorry.
(the words are soft, but they were of course not said from pity. what is within is understanding. to go from everything to losing it is not something she can speak on; the way their losses happened differs even if the root cause was the storm itself bringing about what almost felt as thought it were divine retribution for humanity and arcanist.
and maybe....there's still that part of her heart that stings about everything.)
If....you find you rather not be alone, whether it be you wish to see me or simply need some manner of reprieve, I won't mind you visiting. Or truthfully, if you find them distrustful, the Foundation that is, you're free to stay here as well.
(they likely might assign schneider the room near hers, anyway, this might help more.)
[Schneider wraps her arms around Vertin impulsively, clinging as her grief rises up in the back of her throat. Truth be told, she had been accepting the first time; knowing she'd soon join her family, there had only been one real wish in her heart.
But living is harder than she thought it would be.
She rests her head against Vertin's chest and exhales softly]
(she's quiet, schneider's scent tickles her senses as she breathes it in and for now, she doesn't dare move or let go. she noticed, the way she clings, how her head buries itself against her. vertin commits to memory this warmth no matter the pain and more; as another thing she would never forget were they to be forced apart again. she wouldn't allow it, if she must admit it. the ache of loss stings different than that time from what should have been her precious youth.
for her, who might struggle to live for now, vertin holds her close and rests her chin at the top of her crown. she knows what she desires to say, that if she desires it most it'd be more than just the morning. that greed exists within her too and vertin isn't so sure if she would ever stop feeling such a way. the way it wants and wants is strong, a demand to let out her own grief and those feelings she can hardly say she understands in the way she was haunted by her.
no matter her dreams, her mind would always return. was she cursed, was she by her with a single kiss and wish that the dear timekeeper never forgets her? her hand rubs into schneider's back through that dress that doesn't fit her. plain, colorless, and nothing more as they stand there before she softly sighs.)
....I'll always stay, Schneider.
(greedy. they would tell her she shouldn't be, she shouldn't do this either with how this feeling never would go away. to that she'd say if she must kill her heart that she would not be a person any longer, to destroy herself to not feel what felt as if for the first time in ages, that she felt alive and more than that.)
...you've kept your previous promise. [Schneider sighs softly, her breath exhaling against Vertin's neck, as she drinks in Vertin's warmth. Warm...she feels alive again, even if it's just for the moment. The cell had been cold, the days passing even colder. But this is a reminder - her heart beats on the right, and Vertin's arms are warm]
So it seems I am compelled to believe in you this time too.
(her word is something she's always fought harder to keep for a reason, now is not the exception to the rule. it's as she remembered from the last time, no matter those differences in past and present. vertin is....comfortable, that perhaps is the best way to explain it. at ease and unable to help the way time seems to stop between. there was nowhere else she'd rather be in this day of quiet than here. some things still need to be done no matter how heavy this burden of hers she carries is, but vertin has always understood this lonesome vigil falls upon her.
for now, it's better she's able to lay down those burdens in the arms of someone; a woman like a ghost who had been there yet not there in how much she felt. like her heart could break any time again and she'd still never let go of what had been them. an arcanist who can hardly use arcanum, a human that could in what had been the longest night of her young life. their actual duel included.)
I never would want to let you down.
(they're there alone, in a quiet place where such words between them would go unheard. whispers and moments in which they could crave more of, against what is and will be lives filled with difficulty.) Is there anything else you'd like tonight, then? I'll do whatever you wish if I can fulfill it. (my, my, such bold words from this young british lady, or perhaps lord was better suited to a handsome girl like her. attractive and like a prince, not just in mannerisms, but dress as well.)
Then...sleep with me, my lord. [A sly smile curves up on Schneider's face and she tightens her grip. She must be a ghost, and this must be purgatory. Except, someone as heroic as Vertin couldn't possibly be plunged into hell. This is real then. A blessing and a curse that mingles together, hopelessly tangled. How fitting that this is her life now]
(ah. she sees that smile, almost as if schneider had an idea that vertin knew nothing about on her mind. vertin is quite warm, this was true, the way her cheeks flushed likely doesn't help that either. for a moment she considers reaching to tug her hat down to cover the way she's blushing, only to instead try poorly to hide it by looking away.) O-of course, Schneider. (a blessing and curse, blessed in their reunion whilst vertin found herself cursed never to forget. there was no way around that and her heart would never allow her to let go after that night; the things she did to her and the effect she had was....different, for lack of a better term.
vertin was never an emotional girl on terms of expressing it, not since back then. closeness was something she permitted herself little of no matter her more physical affections toward others. until recently that is, no matter how she felt as though such things would be used against her again. she is still young, still very much unable to change the way she feels toward others as that heart of hers didn't wish for her to give up.)
Is there anything else then you'd like?
(how unfortunate for vertin that she's hardly stopped the way she's blushing, the way it highlights those freckles across her nose and everything. tonight she's at the mercy of one, in her own desires and more. her poor heart is pounding, whether it's excitement or more than that is the mystery.)
(seems she can be a little relieved there's no rushing, the flush staining her pale yet handsome face eases. they'll see, eventually then how this evening might perhaps go between them. vertin could only hope if anything that misery drifts away in the more quiet hours before she remembers, schneider did more than likely want her actual clothes. she's reluctant to let go, but she knows there's time for that later....she can make a guess that sleeping together entails sharing her bed.
fortunately for them, perhaps not so much for vertin's heart, her bed should be capable of accommodating both herself and schneider. tonight can be spent in what almost feels so very much like she's dreaming no matter how real this warmth feels, schneider's heartbeat, and that scent she might not ever forget.)
I'm not certain if I have much for you to wear to bed, but, you're free to grab whatever might seem comfortable.
(likely at the cost of opening herself to having her clothes go "mysteriously" missing. vertin did have a feeling that might happen, but she couldn't say she'd be against the idea. she can always get more if it meant that schneider felt more at ease.)
[Schneider giggles, letting the moment pass without pushing to tease even more]
Mmm. You're generous. I'll have to see.
[She helps herself to Vertin's wardrobe, and gets a dress shirt. It's long enough on her to be comfortable. She'll have to do shopping later to get her own wardrobe together. She used to have so many more clothes than this...]
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Within the dark, she still existed
The whisper of a name. A glimmer of the purest white. The brush of something feathersoft against her skin. A strange yearning hunger. Gnawing regrets. But mostly it was exhaustion.
Don't forget...
She wanted to let go.
Don't forget...
It began with a flicker of light. Bright. Warm. But coming into being could not remain pleasant for long. Reality was like plunging into the Chicago River in the middle of winter, an icy cold touch that bit into your skin with a thousand little knives. She gasped, coughing and spluttering.
Then it all came back to her. Hunger. Greed. Despair. Love.
It was all too much. She was barely aware of the chattering of arcanists and scientists around her, in this cold, white room. She was naked and someone took the moment to drape a thin white sheet over her as if to protect whatever modesty she had left. But she barely registered it.
In this dizzying world, pounding with words, and images and feelings, a greeting sank into her bones and reminded her of another feeling that burned brighter than anything else:
"Hello, Miss Grecco. Welcome to the Foundation."
And dazed on the floor, through the chill, and the dizzying confusion, anger flickered to life.]
no subject
each time they tried, words played about, the soft sultry tone and the scent of oranges in the air mixed with that dreadful rain. a simple yet powerful statement "don't forget me", as it stung about her heart in all it's places. messmer had been confused, wondering why it wasn't working and how vertin could hold on so strongly over letting go.
unfortunately, she didn't understand how the hearts of her fellow teenagers can work when it comes to something, someone, they never want to let go of.
by this point she was on her way down to what most would dub "prison"; something which was true, to those around them, vertin however saw it more in these suffocating white walls that the true prison was by no means below ground or even that guard house she was confined to so often as a hellraising child.
the news she received that not only was schneider, somehow, miraculously at that, alive had been what caught her off guard. the way her trial went from what sonetto mentioned, not so much before this offer came about from the dreaded chess master herself. that vertin must be mindful of her steps under her watchful eye for the release of schneider, but also under the condition that this can change with ease were she to not stay ahead and succeed by all accounts in keeping her happy.
whenever the doors opened, the guards pause as they lead her toward one cell in particular. those gray eyes of hers, widening in disbelief as she stands quiet yet trying not to show too much in her expression. they didn't need to know fully how far down this affair between them was.
"Miss Grecco, we will be releasing you into the care of the Timekeeper, do behave now, please."
the words were spoken dully, not even something vertin registers as she watches them enter this cell and began next to unchain her. some being watchful under the assumption that schneider might pull something even if vertin would half agree to not underestimate schneider. she knows that too well by then.
that time together had taught her too well once the jingle of chains being removed pauses for them to leave. not a word else, not another stare whilst vertin stood within the open cell door as if trying to find the words to say. what even can she say? she thought she died, she saw it and yet she held on to that glimmer of hope that one day she'd see her again. this old soul who can read her, know her down to her mannerisms with such ease after what had only been a day and a night.)
I....whenever I heard, I was....
(surprised, is what she wants to say.)
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How can I be so dangerous without my arcanum-blessed guns? You must know now, don't you? I am only human.
But the Foundation guards had been unyielding, guns pointed to the ground when they delivered her meals. But she could see it written in every line of their bodies.
Give us hell and-- Ah. Ah. Ah.
Not yet. Anger pulses through her, but it does not consume.
She has always been very good at holding her most treacherous desires close to her chest.
Then Vertin is brought down to see her and she feels the impulse burning at her throat, at her finger tips.
She notices first the beautiful hair, reminiscent of a doves feathers. Her favourite. Always. The shackles on her ankles are gone and she stands, clad in a plain white dress, so dull, so empty. But she carries herself tall, crossing the cell with slow, careful steps]
Shhh. My lord. [A finger pressed to Vertin's lips] You don't need to say such bold things for people to hear.
no subject
she only relaxes, that dull white dress doesn't suit her, is her first thought about it. not the way that feather dress did and how it fit her; how it caught her attention with the familiar scent of oranges for vertin. she won't say anything, not yet, she wants to if ever while they're alone as her eyes settle on schneider's own red ones.)
T-true. Are you alright, at least? Whenever I was told, I had just woken up.
(she isn't certain if that reached schneider's ears, it could have. that they tried to in a sense, wipe away vertin as a person in her own rebellious heart and her own selfless yet selfish desires. though she did idly realize after a moment that her lips brushed against her fingertip as she spoke.
enough that she found herself almost blushing before she held back from that.
as of now they were together and "alone" in one sense, this meant that vertin would need to explain everything. the fact they would be paired together in her travels throughout time and this world; that she has a team in which schneider was being added into no matter her status as a human who somehow was able to use arcanum. something vertin felt better at than leaving her in the clutches of those that would use it.)
If you'd like to get changed, also, your dress is in my suitcase with your jacket.
(that shouldn't be bold, not too bold for them. it had been confirmed and mentioned that schneider's clothes had been left in there after she disappeared. vertin of course folded them and made sure that they were tended to with care when she did her laundry at the time.
they might still smell pleasant, she hopes, she wasn't sure how that might go after her unfortunate extended sleep.)
no subject
You were asleep for a long time. They told me that much.
[Between the gentle interrogations and subtle threats, they had let little things slip. Schneider kept catalogue of all of it. Every scrap reminded her she was real. This was real. She steps out of the cell after Vertin and feels colour bleed back into her world. Glimmers of light, the brightness of Vertin's eyes]
You remembered... I'm glad.
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this is if she could ever wonder if this was a dream she was being tormented by or not, a moment in which she wishes it to be one she may never awaken from if she isn't careful. no matter those conditions set about, she doubts she could ever care as long as they figure out something to prevent constantine from having her own victory in that persistent game she plays with others.)
I couldn't forget.
(such simple and powerful words again, the hushed whispers of it something meant to be a prize for schneider. her eyes even looking away briefly to see if those guards are close by. they weren't, but she wouldn't put it past anyone in the foundation to have their own ideas. this never was a place that she could feel at ease with, but for the sake of those around her among friends, vertin desired most for their safety and by extension, schneider's own.
right now, she cracks a tiny smile and allows herself this much no matter the impassive expression she'd hold. it's genuine. how could it not be when this was the greatest gift she could have upon waking? her heart feels it in those selfish demands it carries, though vertin knows not how to label such things and their intensity. she can almost be consumed by it.)
I will answer anything you'd like to ask whether it's about that or anything else as best as I can.
(any other questions can be after they arrive in her suitcase, she muses, there wouldn't be prying eyes and ears there.)
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My sisters. My mother. My people. Could they too...?
But she keeps those words buried in her heart. It was mere luck that a piece of Schneider had survived the storm, enough that a memory and a small blessing from an arcanist could let her reform.
Greed would ruin her, as it ruined the people of her era.
She is lucky enough.]
Ah? Then, I'll need some time to think. I did not get much in the way of news in that place.
[And...]
Where is that puppy of yours?
[The girl with fiery orange hair]
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at the moment she motions to be followed, her suitcase wasn't too far away. far away enough to provide time to think over things carefully for their conversation, it isn't as though she'd ignore such questions if asked. even if vertin can tell that this in itself is nothing short of a miracle for schneider to be there with her again.
together.
however, she did blink, puppy? who....then it clicks, sonetto. she recalled the comments about her being an old lady and how unamused she had been in turn at being called such things by schneider. it almost made vertin wonder if that was how they would get along as time ticked on by during their meetings and more than this.)
Sonetto? She's at the moment helping process the paperwork, so I came alone.
(and....maybe she realizes a little sonetto might not be so thrilled vertin came alone. she was the one that interrupted them when schneider kissed her that night in the rain, under her umbrella. although vertin isn't certain how much she saw of it; she likely saw everything had been a thought she held on the matter of that.
something else to deal with were there to be any strife between them.)
The others are resting at the moment as well, Druvis wore herself out heavily with removing the forest she made in retaliation to my being "asleep" and Sotherby is due to her assistance.
(....not to mention lilya got heavily penalized for breaking in there to retrieve vertin on the last day when the bill passed.)
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Mmm...Miss Puppy...she'll be quite upset wont she? She was rather protective from memory.
[Druvis is maybe the only one in that list of names that brings to mind positive feelings. Maybe it was because Druvis had been in a similar position to her. And in the end, they both had survived that night because Druvis made it happen.
She's careful not to touch on anything important or serious or incriminating. She was defenceless here and she felt naked without her guns...Vertin had mentioned her dress, but not her guns. She supposed that meant the guns were lost to the void.
Would it be too much to get a different pair? She wonders.]
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(not that it'd do anything. vertin has always been this way, reckless as much as she is able to make quick judgments and ideas. cautious too when she must be, but that recklessness is there. an interesting contrast for someone so impassive, so stoic as she thinks it over more. druvis would be pleased to see them both in contrast to sonetto. her soft spot toward vertin did stem from that night all due to that kindness she has, no matter what had happened.
and even if vertin knows schneider won't need it perhaps, she'd protect her all the same whenever she watches her playing with her hair out the corner of her eyes.)
I'll have to check if anything else was left again, I didn't have time to go over it properly before they came to get me.
(and if the guns were not left, vertin muses, they could likely get another pair crafted special for schneider. it wouldn't do to have her just using any sort of guns; the two of them knew that from that night together where it could have ended both of them. death had been so near that she felt it kissing her lips just about in her desire to make sure not only schneider lived, but they both escaped with their lives.
the way that it worked out, was a bigger surprise. she'll still take that as something for them whenever they start to walk these white and empty halls toward what was assigned to be vertin's actual room. one she ignored in favor of her suitcase oftentimes for the bed there and to work throughout the evening no matter how tired she must be.)
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You were summoned immediately then? My, my. There really is no rest for you, my Lord.
[ They enter Vertin's unused room and Schneider looks around, surprised that Vertin actually had one. But more importantly, she wants to see that suitcase again and...]
...was...did Marian leave anything behind?
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(whilst promptly getting forced to lay down in her actual bed in that suitcase after. there's more privacy there. her own bed and bath, kitchen, a world of it's own kept away from what could be considered the earth in it's own progressive death from how many era's are disappearing into thin air. every part of it being something she catalogues as she travels.
but vertin wished for more than that, to save others and to not leave them to die. human or otherwise. that had been her desire whenever she opens her suitcase and shortly extends her hand as the gentleman she is to lead schneider into it. the question about marian, she did think about it before she decides it best to tell her. there had been something.)
A rosary. I kept it with your clothes. We can talk more freely within amongst other things.
(because vertin knows, it isn't obvious but she did wish she could have held her. kissed her were she any bolder to do such a thing where others may see them to tell herself this is real, to feel her more than just that.)
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She did always hang onto that thing, for far too long.
[But then they're back in the suitcase, a universe that felt untouched by the storm and what happened outside. Even if she had also disappeared here in this very space]
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she can hang up her coat and hat after schneider gets changed, is a thought vertin has about it. there was a bit to go over about everything were there any other questions; she did expect to be asked just about anything though it does little to stop that tiny smile across her lips as her normally distant expression shifts to lightening up a little. for now. there was always something that can shift the mood.)
I thought you might want me to make sure that it wasn't thrown away.
(luckily they didn't seem to take anything or remove anything. they mainly spent time trying to examine her "home" away from everything, as if trying to solve a mystery vertin can say she has yet to solve of her own in places about the space within.)
But, will you be fine? I understand that this is a lot to take in knowing what happened.
(going from being there to just vanishing into thin air, she means, and losing what was her family.)
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Was she alright?
No.
]
My lord, you may have just awakened but I...I have regained myself for some time.
[ Schneider says, touching her hand to Vertin's arm]
...Even so, I do not think I will be "fine" for quite some time.
[But she smiles ]
Ah. But I will not be the type to fall into fits of madness or hysteria, let me assure you of that much.
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a position which she accepted in the end at the young age of twelve as she carried on, hoping, trying, really everything in her power to bring back someone from these storms. in the end, her last attempt worked with regulus. and yet, it also didn't work with schneider because of her humanity. a fact which also haunts her in the end to a degree comparable to that time in her formative years.
for that, with the feeling of schneider's hand on her arm she thinks briefly and....perhaps boldly, she did reach out to if allowed gently pull her close to a hug. she won't make her talk about it; the grief, the feelings, anything she didn't wish to in this moment or perhaps beyond that.
however, she did wish if only a little that this may help.)
I'm sorry.
(the words are soft, but they were of course not said from pity. what is within is understanding. to go from everything to losing it is not something she can speak on; the way their losses happened differs even if the root cause was the storm itself bringing about what almost felt as thought it were divine retribution for humanity and arcanist.
and maybe....there's still that part of her heart that stings about everything.)
If....you find you rather not be alone, whether it be you wish to see me or simply need some manner of reprieve, I won't mind you visiting. Or truthfully, if you find them distrustful, the Foundation that is, you're free to stay here as well.
(they likely might assign schneider the room near hers, anyway, this might help more.)
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But living is harder than she thought it would be.
She rests her head against Vertin's chest and exhales softly]
...stay with me now, then. Until the morning.
[She's grateful for this much, greedy for more]
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for her, who might struggle to live for now, vertin holds her close and rests her chin at the top of her crown. she knows what she desires to say, that if she desires it most it'd be more than just the morning. that greed exists within her too and vertin isn't so sure if she would ever stop feeling such a way. the way it wants and wants is strong, a demand to let out her own grief and those feelings she can hardly say she understands in the way she was haunted by her.
no matter her dreams, her mind would always return. was she cursed, was she by her with a single kiss and wish that the dear timekeeper never forgets her? her hand rubs into schneider's back through that dress that doesn't fit her. plain, colorless, and nothing more as they stand there before she softly sighs.)
....I'll always stay, Schneider.
(greedy. they would tell her she shouldn't be, she shouldn't do this either with how this feeling never would go away. to that she'd say if she must kill her heart that she would not be a person any longer, to destroy herself to not feel what felt as if for the first time in ages, that she felt alive and more than that.)
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So it seems I am compelled to believe in you this time too.
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for now, it's better she's able to lay down those burdens in the arms of someone; a woman like a ghost who had been there yet not there in how much she felt. like her heart could break any time again and she'd still never let go of what had been them. an arcanist who can hardly use arcanum, a human that could in what had been the longest night of her young life. their actual duel included.)
I never would want to let you down.
(they're there alone, in a quiet place where such words between them would go unheard. whispers and moments in which they could crave more of, against what is and will be lives filled with difficulty.) Is there anything else you'd like tonight, then? I'll do whatever you wish if I can fulfill it. (my, my, such bold words from this young british lady, or perhaps lord was better suited to a handsome girl like her. attractive and like a prince, not just in mannerisms, but dress as well.)
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I am cold, and you are so very warm.
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vertin was never an emotional girl on terms of expressing it, not since back then. closeness was something she permitted herself little of no matter her more physical affections toward others. until recently that is, no matter how she felt as though such things would be used against her again. she is still young, still very much unable to change the way she feels toward others as that heart of hers didn't wish for her to give up.)
Is there anything else then you'd like?
(how unfortunate for vertin that she's hardly stopped the way she's blushing, the way it highlights those freckles across her nose and everything. tonight she's at the mercy of one, in her own desires and more. her poor heart is pounding, whether it's excitement or more than that is the mystery.)
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I will not push my luck just yet.
[For now, this was enough]</small.
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fortunately for them, perhaps not so much for vertin's heart, her bed should be capable of accommodating both herself and schneider. tonight can be spent in what almost feels so very much like she's dreaming no matter how real this warmth feels, schneider's heartbeat, and that scent she might not ever forget.)
I'm not certain if I have much for you to wear to bed, but, you're free to grab whatever might seem comfortable.
(likely at the cost of opening herself to having her clothes go "mysteriously" missing. vertin did have a feeling that might happen, but she couldn't say she'd be against the idea. she can always get more if it meant that schneider felt more at ease.)
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Mmm. You're generous. I'll have to see.
[She helps herself to Vertin's wardrobe, and gets a dress shirt. It's long enough on her to be comfortable. She'll have to do shopping later to get her own wardrobe together. She used to have so many more clothes than this...]
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what did dreamwidth do to my tag???? orz
ur fine btw, sucks its been eating things lately x.x
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