Flower Picking [Open]

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

It was a breezy day, but it was cool and sunny. Leaves danced up and around with the thick gusts and danced around before falling to the ground again. Natalia stared up blankly with dark eyes. Estimating what time it was by the shadows was never on her list of abilities. She got a few stares with her normal attire, but the slightly frilly dress was her proper wife clothes. She must be a proper wife for her brother, she reminded herself hourly, like her Papa told her. Smoothing out her dress she stared at the forest in front of her. Bending down slightly she picked up her small basket, moving deeper into the forest.

'What is with you and flowers. None of them live long.' The snake spirit sighed loudly, in her mind's eye the snake slithering around her glittering rocky perch. 'They are useless. Nothing pretty about them.' Natasha hissed, and Natalia continued to ignore her.

Natalia didn't respond to the irritated snake spirit, and moved further into the forest. Her dress brushed against the leaves, her shoes crunching the leaves softly. Just a few feet away was a meadow she found that thankfully, had many flowers for her collection.

Since she had no where to get actual flowers, the young female had to find her own. She had planted several different types of flowers in the meadows along with the flowers that were there, and she was going to bring some to her dorm. While she wasn't the most lively person, she liked to have something in the room that was living besides her. Looking up from the ground she stopped, placing one of her thin hands on the tree. No one was here.

'Get your stupid flowers and get back to somewhere more tolerant!' Natasha finally came more into the female's vision. The female in a way looked exactly like the blond she was modeled after...but completely different.

The female in front of her in a way, was wild. Dark blue eyes stared in a feral and hateful way, blond hair in a tame...but at the same time in a strange style. Instead of a modest dress, was a reavealing outfit and green like hexagons splattered across her body. Snake scales. Natalia blinked blankly at her counterpart and in a show of mental strength, or apathy, looked down to the wildflowers below her.

Walking forward she kneeled down, picking some to place in the basket she had taken with her. "Flowers..." She muttered quietly to herself, before jumping at a splash. Looking up, she gazed to the small creek in front of her. A fish. Fifteen seconds later, the female blinked and looked down, collecting small wildflowers to decorate the small (But armed) basket.

((OOC: No one surprise her please. T-T She'll start throwing knives!))

[Ivan Braginski]

Easy sort of days like this didn't seem to come around very often. These were the sort of days where Braginski tended to let him frolic and play without restraint. Well, there would be restraint were anyone there to see him. Regardless Vanya hummed as he made his way through the woods around him. Being an employee in a florist shop he rather enjoyed arranging flowers and tending to them during their depressingly short life span. Taking flowers home from work, however, was strictly banned.

Thus why he had wandered so far from the dorms.

"You better watch yourself, Vanya. I don't trust this area. Are you listening?"

"Of course I am! Things are being much easier out here, da? Room stuffy is hard to tolerate without bed-mate!"

"Room-mate, Vanya. Why do you insist on speaking that nasty language?"

"Must practice to be good speaker."

Why did he speak it? Truthfully he wanted to irritate his inner self in whatever simple way he could. So vexing him with simple mockery would do.

Ivan was more like his younger sister than he would like to admit. His clothes seemed odd and stood out amongst the other students, but he was more comfortable this way. Dark olive pants tucked into knee high soft-leather boots kept his lower half so very warm. Meanwhile his upper half was covered by a large puff-sleeved shirt of the "old country." That wouldn't be seen through his large tan coat, however. It was a militia issued jacket. Something forced on him long ago. Hands reached up in thought to touch the long white scarf hiding his neck. It brought him comfort despite all the teasing it also brought him.

"Vanya, dammit, watch your step! There's water here!"

Water? Right, there was a creek going through this meadow. Being a creek it wasn't very deep and didn't frighten him in the slightest. Yet being cautious wouldn't hurt anything either.

With the grace of a cat he bounced from large rock to rock, oddly tinted eyes searching for any rare finds today.

"Braginski! Am seeing flowers pretty over there!"

"Your accent is atrocious, Vanya. Please stop speaking."

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

No expression came to Natalia's eyes as she glanced over the flowers with little thought. There was no need for her to hide emotion, thought it was mostly out of pure habit than anything else. She remembered her lovely papa telling her that good wives didn't show their real emotions, and would fake anything needed. Emotion was not needed for a good wife. Her mother was a good wife. Only caring for the good of the family. She must be a good wife for brother.

'I hate him you know. I hate your brother, I hate your father, I hate your mother, I hate your sister and you should too. Move on. That's what I'm here for!' Natasha hissed. The invisible ghost crouched down next to her, her clawed hand at the side of her blond hair. The wild looking woman chuckled and pointed at the flowers in front of her. Natalia's eyes followed her hand. 'Those flowers are your parents.' The blank girl nodded to herself, the spirit giving a ear shrieking cackle. 'Take a lighter to them and watch it burn.' She purred.

Natalia blinked blankly, staring at her counterpart. Natasha smirked and held out her hand. Which was promptly ignored and the dark blue eyed female continued to drag her fingers through the flowering ground cover. The snake spirit deadpanned, before rolling her eyes and disappearing with a 'This is ridiculous and I really wish you would find a guy.'

The blond sighed quietly as the snake spirit disappeared. Natalia again, didn't spend much time thinking about it, only looking for a few certain flowers. Picking up one, she broke it off the stem, laying it in her basket. She started to look for another one, before a noise made the blond stare up. Her nimble fingers easily slipped the knife from her basket, her dress wrinkling slightly as her legs shifted into a defensive stance.

She knew the accent, but she didn't think she was hearing correctly. A good wife must never assume something wrong, only assume something right. That accent though...A small twinge passed through her body, and she could see her brother's face. The one that rejected her. A part of her wanted to see him, make him her husband, but the other side...It didn't want to be rejected again. She was a good person! A good wife! Why couldn't he see that!?

[Ivan Braginski]

He froze on one rock when violet eyes caught sight of her.

"And thus the result of your stupid wandering." Braginski taunted almost menacingly. Ivan trembled for but a moment, however, and thought to be courageous today.

He leaped to her side of the creek and stopped there. She shouldn't be approached too quickly. It was best to let her move forward. After all, like he she didn't trust many at all. If anyone, to be honest.

"Hallo, Natalia." He called gently and messed with his hands for a moment. "H-How are you today?"

He was trying. They weren't home, after all, and this meant that father couldn't monitor how well they were obeying his laws. If he broke them now, tried to get closer to his sisters, then all may work in the end, right? Perhaps their madness, the malady forced on them by a wicked parent, might slip off like a bad dream.

"Are you... picking flowers? I could be helping in learning what is what." Another gentle smile. As a florist he would be helpful to her. The question was whether or not she would accept.

"Are you insane?! She would sooner kill you if the serpent is awake! Please, Vanya, just go! Let me out and I'll leave!"

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

Natalia froze, hearing a cry tearing the silence to shreds. In her distanced vision she might be able to see the invisible cracks breaking the glass-like sound into spider web like cuts. In a way it made her shiver. She remembered vividly when she curled up in the corner, trying not to die from the cold. She was a perfect wife, she could handle it...but at the same time she didn't want to handle it...but she supposed as a good wife, it didn't matter.

The blond curled her fingers through the grass that was poking through the ground cover of flowers. Her extremely pale hands contrasted with the bright and alive green. It was such a shocking difference that she felt she was literally looking at a a black and white painting. It was amazing. She dragged her finger up the slick blade and a small twitch of her lips as she imagined her knife cutting through it. It was a living thing though...when did that ever stop her? The female was so entranced by the single blade of grass she didn't notice the Russian's first appearance.

Hearing something, as if it was sudden, she whipped the knife in front of her with a fierce and alive glare. Her eyes burned for a second with life that someone like her shouldn't have. The dark blue eyes widened slightly, though not much as she immdiately lowered her weapon, slipping in the the brown basket, careful not to cut the white bow that she had tied on the side. Not only did she let her guard down, she raised a weapon to the male! Worrying the inside of her lip, she cursed herself. No wonder he ran away. No wonder he sounded like he was always trembling when he came around her. It was in disgust! She was no where near the perfect wife! If she was the perfect wife, he wouldn't dare deny her! He wouldn't hang around with others, it would be her! Her! Her!

Digging her nails into her palm, she could feel the snake spirit coil around her if somehow trying to soothe the other female. The human of the pair, the human that was more monster than the monster itself. Natalia was too blinded by pure disgust by her own 'disgrace' that she barely heard the other's greeting. A small, but audible, "Hello Brother." Standing up she curtsied slightly. "Fine. Is you okay?" Her word confusion meant little to her, but it seemed to make (Or would make) her a laughing stock if the fact was she wasn't so scary.

A small cloud of confusion snapped in front of her eyes then away. He...he was actually trying to...no that was impossible. This was a formality he was forcing himself in to feel better. She was a horrible wife, and he would never want her at this rate. A small twinge in her heart started to creep out into her body. Her own brother didn't want her. However that feeling would stay locked away for as long as possible. While she was told never to question her brother's motives...she knew he was doing this because he didn't want to make her angry. He was so beautiful and kind, she really didn't deserve him. She was never going to become a good wife.

That was...horrid to think about. To see her always running after the siblings that were so disgusted of her. A murmur of 'It's not that' came from the snake spirit but nothing else was said. "Yes. If brother wish, he could be helping me." She said quietly, unsure if that was the answer she was supposed to give. A small roar of anger came from the snake serpent. 'No! No! Get away from him right this instant! Get away! Get away! I'll kill that man!' Which Natalia promptly ignored.

She had enough practice of tuning out the screeching snake. No matter how tight she squeezed, she couldn't get the human's attention. Natalia would rather die then to give Natasha too much control over her body. Even if it was one thing...even if her brother never realized...she would protect him from herself.

[Ivan Braginski]

He had been alarmed by the sudden dagger at first, but then she had put it away rather quickly. The poor girl was on edge, something he blamed their father for, but she seemed like she wanted something. Companionship, maybe?

She seemed all right with the idea of him helping her with the flowers. Now the tricky part. He was still quite nervous and getting close could be dangerous. He needed the will to get closer.

"Um... Is there anything you are searching specific?" He slowly let booted feet draw closer to her. Standing opposite her, only a few steps away, he stopped and drew in a breath. This was good. Definitely a good start.

He allowed himself to kneel, gloved hands touching some flowers, investigating each one with care, and finally he felt that breathing was easier. Maybe this would be all right. She was being nice so he might be too. Such anxiety he had over this and oh how it messed up his plans for the day. Yet this place was supposed to help them grow. If he kept dreading everything then how was he to grow?

"I still think this is foolishness, Vanya. Please just leave. You saw her draw the knife! She doesn't want to be friends, Vanya, she'd rather kill you!" Yet no matter how Braginski protested, just this once and only once, Ivan couldn't agree.

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

Natalia stared at Ivan blankly, remembering their father quite well. She could see him standing behind her brother, yelling at her for being a failure...but she couldn't hear his voice. All she could hear was the real man in front of her. Lowering her eyes, she noticed with distaste that there was a small wrinkle in her dress that was not supposed to be there. Raising her hand, she smoothed the small crease out. She needed to be good. She had to be a good wife for her brother. There was no doubt in her mind.

Raising her hands, she smoothed through the back of her hair, making sure she was somewhat appropriate looking. She could still see her father, and...she didn't want to see him any more. She didn't want to sleep out in the snow again. She was good. She did what she was supposed to. Snapping her eyes to the other's feet as he came closer, she rested her hands neatly on her lap.

This is what she was supposed to do. Be a good wife. Nodding to him blankly, Natalia turned her gaze to the flowers below her. "No." She said simply. "Brother chosen best." Natasha hissed in rage behind her, her tongue flicking out of her mouth every few seconds. She was glad her brother couldn't see what she really could be. Natasha rolled her eyes at the thought. "I wish he could. Beat the crap out of him is what I say."

Natalia again ignored her, Natasha giving off a rejected pout. Bowing her head she spoke up, "Brother is kind...to offer I help. Thank you." She had to be kind...but this wasn't forced like most of her mannerisms were, she was truly thanking her brother for giving her attention.