An Advanced Victorian Steampunk Roleplay discussion
Characters' Havens
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Vivian's New Start
"A puppy?" Anne grinned. "Oh, what's his name?"
"Shakespeare," Vivian said, letting Anne inside.At the sound of his name, the dog barked.
"Yes, that's you," Vivian laughed.
"How fitting," she commented, seeing the large dog. "He's quite adorable. How old is he?"
"Only a few months," Vivian said. "He's still very much a pup, but he'll be quite big indeed." She passed by him on her way into the parlour and patted his head. "Good boy."He whined and looked at her imploringly.
Anne followed Vivian, running a hand along Shakespeare's back briefly, then going to take a seat in the parlour.
Shakespeare padded into the parlour and lay down on the floor next to Vivian, putting his head on her foot.After an awkward moment, Vivian said, "While I do have questions about my heating system, I didn't ask you here to discuss that."
She tilted her head. "Oh, really? Then, um, did you find out anything?" Anne asked.
Vivian bit her lip."He's alive, Anne."
"I figured as much," she commented, nodding. "My fortune told me as much. And do you know where he is or what he's doing?"
"He is still in the service, under an assumed name, as you already know from your fortune."Vivian looked up into Anne's blue eyes - exactly like Joeri's, full of hopes and dreams and trust. She shut her eyes and hung her head.
"Anne, I'm sorry," she said quietly, clasping her hands on her lap. "I'm sorry. I lied to you the last time we met."
Frowning, she watched her carefully. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.
"I didn't have to ask my contacts to try and locate Joeri," Vivian confessed. "I stalled for time from you to...to speak to Joeri myself."
Anne almost leaped out of her seat in surprise, excitement, and anger. Instead, she leaned forward, her face blank other than the mix of emotions in her eyes. "So you know him? Everything that's happened? What did he say?" she asked quietly, deciding her anger wasn't as important as finding out about Joeri.
"I...yes, I do know him. Very well, in fact. And I do know what's happened to keep him away from home."Vivian swallowed hard, then explained to Anne the situation with Joeri, leaving out for the moment that she was currently in a serious, committed relationship with him.
She was silent, unsure if she wanted to be angry at whoever messed up Joeri's name or to cry that he had to suffer all of this and her father's mistake. Rubbing her hands together, wringing them, Anne glanced up at her. "Poor Joeri. He shouldn't have given up. Or told me," she whispered.
"He wants to keep you safe, Anne," Vivian said quietly. "He...he asked me to tell you so that you wouldn't try finding out by yourself. It's..."Vivian swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's very difficult, you see," she managed to choke out. "He will be executed if his cover is blown."
Her eyes were wide, horrified at the idea. "But-But there must be a way to help him," Anne protested, clutching her hands together to prevent their shaking.
"He is working on claiming his pardon," Vivian told Anne earnestly. "I swear to you, he is doing everything he can to be able to come home as Joeri once more."She dropped her eyes to her hands, fighting back tears. Would everything work out?
Anne moved from her seat and sat down next to Vivian, hugging her as she fought back her own tears. "I know Joeri. If there's a chance, even a sliver, he will take the leap of faith to come home," she said with a small smile, trying to comfort her as much as herself.
"Oh, don't I know it," Vivian said with a small smile, hugging Anne back.
When her tears subsided, she pulled back, grinning at Vivian. "I'm so glad he's alive. Has he changed at all? Oh, right, I just remembered. He has a mechanical arm. Does he have a tough time with that?"
Vivian shook her head. "No, not anymore, I think," she said. "He's had time to get used to it, and...well. It helps him play a pretty good game of polo."
"Joeri? Playing polo? When did that happen?" Anne asked in disbelief, laughing.
"A few weeks ago," Vivian replied with a fond smile. "It was his first time playing, and he did quite well."
Tilting her head, she eyed Vivian. "So, how did you meet my brother?"
"I met him at an Inn near the docks one day," Vivian said after a moment. "He...he works there when he's on leave, because that way the innkeeper lets him stay for free."
Anne placed her hand on her forehead. "He's been staying there of all places? I wonder if my father ever knew that," she said. "To think he's been in the same city as me at certain weeks at a time is just unbelievable."
Vivian smiled sadly. "Yes, there of all places," she confirmed. "I met him there one day. He offered to share his table because there was no other seat left in the room." She smiled a bit at the memory.
She nodded in approval. "Joeri, always the gentlemen," Anne commented with a smile. "Do you know that even me as a little girl played princess games? I forced him to be the prince, dragon, and villain all the time."
Vivian laughed. "I can see that happening," she said wistfully, tucking her dainty feet underneath her and leaning her elbow on the back of the sofa. "He's always trying to be heroic, isn't he?" She smiled.
"Yes." Anne gave a shake of her head. "Unfortunately, that was the main reason why he got in trouble with my father instead of me. He always ended up having to step into a fight for me or take the blame after I snuck out a couple times," she sighed, thinking back.
Vivian twirled a red curl around her finger. "That does sound like him," she said, giving Anne a grin. "I wonder if he gets tired from being so brave all the time."She sighed. Vivian loved Joeri dearly but she did wonder that quite often - wouldn't it just be easier sometimes for Joeri to let somebody else carry the weight of the world for a while?
She shrugged sadly. "Evidently he hasn't. I probably would have seen him by now if he weren't trying to be brave, I'm sure," Anne replied.
Vivian gave a wry smile. "He speaks of you from time to time," she said after a moment. "I think he misses you quite a lot, Anne. But I know he won't come home until it's safe. He...he wouldn't want to get you mixed up in all of this."
Nodding, her hands curled up into fists. "Yes. Probably the same reason my father told me he died," she said, then paused, frowning. There was still a missing link between Joeri and her father, something she felt when she heard her father tell her that Joeri was a deserter. Glancing over to Vivian, she raised a brow. "Did he try to go home?"
Vivian nodded sadly. "Yes. A year after his accident he was able to come back to London. Your...your father didn't receive him kindly."
She dug her nails into her palms and her jaw clenched, tears began to leak down her cheeks. "Pater," Anne whispered angrily. "He's more a coward than Joeri."
Vivian wrapped her arms around Anne's shoulders and pulled the girl close, making soft noises of comfort.
When her breath became more even and her shoulders no long shuddered with her sobs, Anne gave Vivian a hug. "I'm so glad that you've been able to be there for Joeri," she told her sincerely.
Vivian smiled. "Honestly, I...I don't know what I would have done without him this last little while," she said without thinking.
She pulled back to look at her with a raised brow. "What do you mean?"
Vivian cursed inwardly. Smooth, Vivian Parthena, very smooth."Um."
She clasped her hands in her lap and bit her lip. Great.
"Oh, you can tell me. I won't be telling anyone if that's what you're wondering," Anne reassured her.
"Well, you see..." Vivian smiled sheepishly. "Joeri and I are..."She laughed, wondering why she was so nervous. This was his sister, after all.
Well...maybe that's a small part of it.
"We're together, you see," Vivian said plainly.
"Married?!" Anne looked shock, her eyes wide. She looked down at her hand to see if Vivian had a ring on her hand, then noticed her mistake. "Oh, um, just together." Now she was the one looking sheepish.
"Oh, no, it's only been...a month," Vivian stammered. "Oh, no, we're definitely not...not married." Though I would like that very much.
"Well, I would have hunted Joeri down if he got himself married without telling me," Anne replied, patting her shoulder. "Though it's only been a month, you never know. My father wanted to marry my mother at the mere sight of her."
"Really?" Joeri hadn't talked much about his parents - just about Anne.
Anne nodded, grinning at the story. "My grandfather apparently was a business owner of a mechanic shop though he wasn't one himself. When my father was working around, he caught sight of my mom and fell in love on the spot. Or at least that's what my mother told me," she explained. "My father is too shy to give any details."
"Shakespeare. Shakespeare! Sit!" Vivian said.
The dog retreated from the door and sat down by the stairs, his rear end going back and forth furiously.
Bridget was out for the afternoon running her errands, and Vivian opened the door graciously. "Anne, hello," she said. "Sorry about the wait - my puppy still needs to learn his manners."