[With all that's going on, Violet doesn't have D showing up outside her door this time. Fortunately, a day or two later, she is flagged down by Edvard when returning to the hotel.
He is waving an envelope at her, one with her name on it in extremely elegant, thin script. The back is sealed with red wax and an unimpressively simple emboss of the letter D, and the weight of it feels heavy from whatever seems to be the circular object inside.
The writing of the letter inside is in the same elegant, thin font. When she unfolds it, a palm-sized disk slides out onto her lap. Clear glass which shimmers in the light, the edges covered in golden Baroque-ish filigree. It looks almost like a magnifying glass.
When she holds it up to undoubtedly peer through it at his letter, it clicks like a camera's shutter. Out of the top, a projection is given, and she can set the cipher down on any surface to see the translated page:]
Miss Evergarden,
My health is well. Thank you for asking.
I'm afraid there is no cure for homesickness other than to return home. Perhaps the feeling can be alleviated another way. I admit I have not felt much homesickness in my time. There are not many visibly beautiful places on the Frontier, but you can find a few if you search.
The people there, the humans, are what make the Frontier unforgettable. They are a fragile, but proud race full of dreams and flaws. So easy is it for them to fear and be killed, yet each day they wake up and survive. They are not afraid of death so much as the struggle of being alive. Since death is something inevitable for them, humans understand the suffering of others better than anyone. It is something I can admire.
I believe it is the same here. Each person will offer you something you can't see by looking at Drakstaden. The civilians in all three levels, and even the Vakdir--they all have joys and dreams and homes, and they will all one day die. You should speak to them. Forgetting their story only happens when they aren't allowed to tell it.
I look forward to more of your letters.
Sincerely, D
P.S. The ones who knew you in Leiden may miss you as well. You could write them letters; Hathaway may be able to send them along.
[ It warms Violet's heart immensely when she receives the letter and the device. It's only the second letter she's ever received. She reads and re-reads over it's contents for a long time, a small smile on her face, and it's likewise another day or two before her reply. ]
Mr. D,
Thank you for your insight in your previous letter. I believe it is good advice. Meeting and talking to new people, coming to understand their ways of life, was the highlight of my job as an Auto Memory Doll. I believe I had lost sight of that. Getting to know others' stories is something precious and irreplaceable indeed. I do not believe it will fix the root of the problem... but I have hope it will at least distract from the homesickness. ... I will try to write letters home as well. ... Though I am not quite sure what I would say.
Recently I feel as if I do nothing but thank you, but I must also say thank you for the cipher device. It is not only functional, but beautiful as well. ... I will treasure it.
I did not understand the concept of "beauty" for a long time, or why it was important to others. I only understood "useful" and "not useful," and beauty seemed to come under the second category. But if one considers "beautiful" to be something so elegant that it warms your heart to look at, then I cannot consider it to be wholly useless. It is important to have things in our lives that bring us warmth and joy, don't you think?
Knowing that you put effort into this device just for me... that brings me warmth and joy. So I can only look upon it as beautiful.
I would like to write more, but I believe I am bothering my roommate with my typing, so I will leave the rest until next time.
[Violet doesn't receive another letter of reply until after the Broadcast Station's infiltration. Edvard is still playing postman; when Violet comes in, he's waving a letter at her for pick up.
The writing is forever emmaculate, no matter if D happened to be in a hurry or not. (He was in a little of a hurry; blame Alucard.) The outside of the envelope says, Violet Evergarden, and lacks the heaviness of the previous one.
All it says is:]
Evergarden,
I am aware you were not arrested after the incident at the Broadcasting Station. I would like to inquire about your well being.
Sincerely, D
[He could just use the communication device to call her, honestly. But why would someone who looks ye olde do things the easy way?]
[Even without having to listen very hard, at the door, it sounds as if two people are having a conversation inside. The knock quiets them, and there's an extended period of silence.
After a minute, the door opens to D, and wide enough so that he doesn't appear to be hiding anyone or anything. He's alone.
And surprisingly different when lacking the spaulders, cloak, and ha. He seems to fit the age of his face now--young, a lot slimmer now, yet still wiry with muscle. And still very tall apparently.
He regards Violet, silent, and then tips his head in greeting.]
... I received your letter. [ She holds it up. ] ... I figured that in this particular case it would be more prudent to arrive in person, rather than to delay where it was unnecessary.
[An unashamed, cursory glance from head to toe is what she gets. It seems very clinical rather than suggestive. She doesn't appear to be in dire straits. For a moment, he just stands there and stares at her.
Usually, he doesn't ever invite anyone into any personal rooms he takes especially not women. There's a standard of polite etiquette there he doesn't want to breech. And yet, it feels even more rude for her to have come all this way. She had let him into her own room even if she didn't have to do it.
Finally, he steps back and to the side, opening the door as invitation.]
[ Another nod, and Violet crosses the threshold, closing the door behind her. She's quiet a moment, as if not knowing what to say. Then, finally, in a quiet voice-- ]
[The room is strangely untouched for the most part. It looks as if no one has stayed here at all save for the table and its chair. The latter is covered with the missing pieces of his clothing, the spaulders, the cloak, the hat. The former is covered neatly on one side with materials for writing a letter, a familiar glass disk, and a sheathed sword; the other side has a few things that would be familiar only if she has met Alucard.
But even with the chatter earlier, Alucard doesn't seem to be here.]
Some were arrested. [How does he say YES, I WAS!!!! without saying it.] I did not know if you had also been arrested. There were quicker ways for me to make sure, but you enjoyed writing letters.
It's good you are alright. [As close as he thinks he'd be able to say, "I'm glad you're okay." He's not sure how she feels, or what her level of politeness entails, but anyway:]
I don't have anything to offer you. I apologize.
[In terms of drink or food. There's no need for eating with him, unfortunately. Him or Alucard. So the room is barren of that kind of hospitality.]
I had to learn polite society manners in order to do my job, but it does not bother me if others do not adhere to them. There are many things people in "polite society" seem to find offensive that I still do not wholly understand.
Edited (i should learn to proofread) 2018-05-07 04:42 (UTC)
[D doesn't show it, but: relief. It's not he believes he won't know the protocol for manners, as he is general respectful to anyone up until they aren't respectful to him. But still.]
You may sit, if you'd like. Were you at the station when the Vakdir came?
[ She takes the offered seat gracefully, tucking her skirts beneath her as she goes. ]
I was. However, I believe I have an unfair advantage over many of our number here, in that I appear to blend into the local population very well. [ At least until she opens her mouth, anyway. But she doesn't do much of that here, preferring to observe rather than talk. ]
On top of that, I am well trained in taking out enemy targets that stand in my way. So there is no need to be concerned.
[If he was apt at smiling more often (same hat!!!), he would probably smile about her brusque and obtuse nature. Very factual. It's different. He's use to both humans and vampires spilling with all kinds of emotions. He's the outlier instead, distant and sullen.] You do have impressive skill.
I won't worry then. [He will a little anyway.] There's a lot to do.
Do you plan to help those arrested or the ones looking into the Prime Minister?
I will be honest. I... am unused to participating in such a disorganised operation. Guild Ophelia is neither a business nor a military operation... yet we have missions and objectives that need to be carried out, but with no clear leader or organisation of said operations.
It is... difficult... for me to choose what to do. I am used to following clear and direct guidelines.
[It makes sense to D, both in relation to her experience and her former "career." This is one of the many reasons he works alone; it's more difficult to coordinate things between a lot of people.
So he nods in acknowledgment.] Do you believe we should appoint someone as a leader? If we decide wrong, the leader here shows what could happen.
The Guild is already divided into specializations. Do you believe we should appoint a "captain" for each one?
[ Violet looks up at him then, eyes betraying confusion that the rest of her body doesn't show. ]
... It isn't my place to decide such matters.
I think... [ she appears to struggle over her wording, as if unused to putting her own opinion into words ]
... I think it would be easier if we had such a hierarchy. But ... with the frequency at which Guild members come and go, and the number of civilians unused to taking orders within our ranks, enforcing it would be ... difficult.
[The line of questioning had merely been an effort to see what she'd say, where she stood. To see if she would bolster in offering her opinion so boldly to someone else.]
On the Frontier, the humans who are again flourishing have made towns with mayors and sheriffs. For them, there's a need for order, however unreliable it may be.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
these are the cutest letters holy shit
He is waving an envelope at her, one with her name on it in extremely elegant, thin script. The back is sealed with red wax and an unimpressively simple emboss of the letter D, and the weight of it feels heavy from whatever seems to be the circular object inside.
The writing of the letter inside is in the same elegant, thin font. When she unfolds it, a palm-sized disk slides out onto her lap. Clear glass which shimmers in the light, the edges covered in golden Baroque-ish filigree. It looks almost like a magnifying glass.
When she holds it up to undoubtedly peer through it at his letter, it clicks like a camera's shutter. Out of the top, a projection is given, and she can set the cipher down on any surface to see the translated page:]
Miss Evergarden,
My health is well. Thank you for asking.
I'm afraid there is no cure for homesickness other than to return home. Perhaps the feeling can be alleviated another way. I admit I have not felt much homesickness in my time. There are not many visibly beautiful places on the Frontier, but you can find a few if you search.
The people there, the humans, are what make the Frontier unforgettable. They are a fragile, but proud race full of dreams and flaws. So easy is it for them to fear and be killed, yet each day they wake up and survive. They are not afraid of death so much as the struggle of being alive. Since death is something inevitable for them, humans understand the suffering of others better than anyone. It is something I can admire.
I believe it is the same here. Each person will offer you something you can't see by looking at Drakstaden. The civilians in all three levels, and even the Vakdir--they all have joys and dreams and homes, and they will all one day die. You should speak to them. Forgetting their story only happens when they aren't allowed to tell it.
I look forward to more of your letters.
Sincerely,
D
P.S. The ones who knew you in Leiden may miss you as well. You could write them letters; Hathaway may be able to send them along.
:>
Mr. D,
Thank you for your insight in your previous letter. I believe it is good advice. Meeting and talking to new people, coming to understand their ways of life, was the highlight of my job as an Auto Memory Doll. I believe I had lost sight of that. Getting to know others' stories is something precious and irreplaceable indeed. I do not believe it will fix the root of the problem... but I have hope it will at least distract from the homesickness. ... I will try to write letters home as well. ... Though I am not quite sure what I would say.
Recently I feel as if I do nothing but thank you, but I must also say thank you for the cipher device. It is not only functional, but beautiful as well. ... I will treasure it.
I did not understand the concept of "beauty" for a long time, or why it was important to others. I only understood "useful" and "not useful," and beauty seemed to come under the second category. But if one considers "beautiful" to be something so elegant that it warms your heart to look at, then I cannot consider it to be wholly useless. It is important to have things in our lives that bring us warmth and joy, don't you think?
Knowing that you put effort into this device just for me... that brings me warmth and joy. So I can only look upon it as beautiful.
I would like to write more, but I believe I am bothering my roommate with my typing, so I will leave the rest until next time.
Yours sincerely,
Violet Evergarden
no subject
The writing is forever emmaculate, no matter if D happened to be in a hurry or not. (He was in a little of a hurry; blame Alucard.) The outside of the envelope says, Violet Evergarden, and lacks the heaviness of the previous one.
All it says is:]
Evergarden,
I am aware you were not arrested after the incident at the Broadcasting Station. I would like to inquire about your well being.
Sincerely,
D
[He could just use the communication device to call her, honestly. But why would someone who looks ye olde do things the easy way?]
--> action
--> action
After a minute, the door opens to D, and wide enough so that he doesn't appear to be hiding anyone or anything. He's alone.
And surprisingly different when lacking the spaulders, cloak, and ha. He seems to fit the age of his face now--young, a lot slimmer now, yet still wiry with muscle. And still very tall apparently.
He regards Violet, silent, and then tips his head in greeting.]
no subject
... I received your letter. [ She holds it up. ] ... I figured that in this particular case it would be more prudent to arrive in person, rather than to delay where it was unnecessary.
... As you can see, I am unharmed.
no subject
Usually, he doesn't ever invite anyone into any personal rooms he takes especially not women. There's a standard of polite etiquette there he doesn't want to breech. And yet, it feels even more rude for her to have come all this way. She had let him into her own room even if she didn't have to do it.
Finally, he steps back and to the side, opening the door as invitation.]
You may come in.
no subject
... You were concerned?
no subject
But even with the chatter earlier, Alucard doesn't seem to be here.]
Some were arrested. [How does he say YES, I WAS!!!! without saying it.] I did not know if you had also been arrested. There were quicker ways for me to make sure, but you enjoyed writing letters.
no subject
Fondness, perhaps? ]
... I do enjoy it, yes.
But I was also taught that it is rude to make those you care about worry overlong.
no subject
I don't have anything to offer you. I apologize.
[In terms of drink or food. There's no need for eating with him, unfortunately. Him or Alucard. So the room is barren of that kind of hospitality.]
no subject
... There is no need to stand on ceremony for me.
I had to learn polite society manners in order to do my job, but it does not bother me if others do not adhere to them. There are many things people in "polite society" seem to find offensive that I still do not wholly understand.
no subject
You may sit, if you'd like. Were you at the station when the Vakdir came?
no subject
I was. However, I believe I have an unfair advantage over many of our number here, in that I appear to blend into the local population very well. [ At least until she opens her mouth, anyway. But she doesn't do much of that here, preferring to observe rather than talk. ]
On top of that, I am well trained in taking out enemy targets that stand in my way. So there is no need to be concerned.
no subject
I won't worry then. [He will a little anyway.] There's a lot to do.
Do you plan to help those arrested or the ones looking into the Prime Minister?
no subject
I will be honest. I... am unused to participating in such a disorganised operation. Guild Ophelia is neither a business nor a military operation... yet we have missions and objectives that need to be carried out, but with no clear leader or organisation of said operations.
It is... difficult... for me to choose what to do. I am used to following clear and direct guidelines.
no subject
So he nods in acknowledgment.] Do you believe we should appoint someone as a leader? If we decide wrong, the leader here shows what could happen.
The Guild is already divided into specializations. Do you believe we should appoint a "captain" for each one?
no subject
... It isn't my place to decide such matters.
I think... [ she appears to struggle over her wording, as if unused to putting her own opinion into words ]
... I think it would be easier if we had such a hierarchy. But ... with the frequency at which Guild members come and go, and the number of civilians unused to taking orders within our ranks, enforcing it would be ... difficult.
no subject
[The line of questioning had merely been an effort to see what she'd say, where she stood. To see if she would bolster in offering her opinion so boldly to someone else.]
On the Frontier, the humans who are again flourishing have made towns with mayors and sheriffs. For them, there's a need for order, however unreliable it may be.
It may not be the same here.
no subject
I also ... would like to practise choosing my own path ... a bit more.
no subject
Where do you plan to begin?
no subject
My roommate was one of those arrested, and would like to see her safe return very much.
no subject
Do you know of anyone else trying to assist in getting them out?
no subject
I was thinking I could make enquiries...
no subject
I don't think very many need to risk helping them escape. It would be dangerous.
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