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Post by Miss Belgium on Jul 26, 2010 20:43:14 GMT -5
"But..." Eva shook her head, finally willing herself to step away from the door and pace around a little. She could probably use sitting down by now, as she had been standing for the last few hours; but she would not voice that thought. This young man was doing more than enough for her as it was. And while he was smiling at Eva, she looked concerned - she was doubtlessly happy to know that the strange feeling she got around him was not just her own, that he had it too. But that left a whole lot of unanswered questions - what was it exactly? Had she felt it before? She was not sure. Did it mean something or did it just make them sick people? Her breath came out in a huff and she rubbed the side of her face, feeling something akin to a headache.
"I-it's not... Memories per se. More like dèjà-vu, ja." She swallowed dryly, finally stopping to lean against the other side of the counter. "I don't know if these are memories or if it is just me hallucinating. I just... Think. And I feel things. Such as when I saw you." With a sigh, the turned her head slightly to the side to look at him and finally admitted, "You are an intriguing man. You seem oddly familiar, yet I don't know you. In fact, I have never seen you. And I keep having mixed feelings. I don't know about other people - you are the only one I have met who I can relate to. I wonder why?"
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Post by Nikolaas Lars Hasbrouck on Jul 27, 2010 11:58:17 GMT -5
Nikolaas noted Eva seemed to be pacing a lot, he motioned for her to sit down on a chair behind the counter next to him. "I doubt it's hallucination, but a hefty dose of dèjà-vu I can certainly believe it to be...but why we have both have a feeling of dèjà-vu when we've never met before is rather odd." He massaged his temples - another headache coming on.
"Perhaps you've yet to meet anyone else with the same dèjà-vu problem, the world is a large place with a lot of other people. Maybe somewhere out there there will be more like us..." He trailed off and stared out the window for a few seconds. "Relate to me? Maybe we're related then" He gave a smile and chuckles lightly, it was a silly though, he knew exactly who his family was, but it was a small attempt at lightening the mood. "You--- you remind me of my younger sister...you look nothing like her, but if I had to pin down what type of 'feeling' of 'familiarity' I get when I look at you, it's like you're a sister"
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Post by Miss Belgium on Jul 27, 2010 14:12:30 GMT -5
In spite of his best intentions and worries, Eva did not sit down; she truly wanted to, but right now she was much too busy thinking this – whatever this was – through. She looked so serious like that, staring at the floor with a slight frown, her lips curved in the manner of one who is deep in thought. “What defines people ‘like us’?” She sounded displeased with such a vague expression. But she was just confused; she wanted to understand what was going on. “And what does it mean, anyway? Maybe we are just insane.”
After that, Eva remained silent for the most part; only a sigh or two could be heard from her as Nikolaas kept speaking – and perhaps right then she felt a slight pang of guilt for having been so blunt. But not just that; there was something else, something that made her stomach hurt, something that made her feel quite anxious. “... You have a sister?” She looked back to him. Well, maybe that explained the way he was acting towards her – and maybe deep down it made her happy to meet someone who could say that to her. However, she was not sure she could say the same. “I don’t know what to think of you,” the blonde admitted with a sigh. “My siblings... Pushed me around quite a bit. But they also kept me safe. I love them all the same.” She looked towards the door, shrugging idly. “But I do feel like I can be close to you... Safe, I suppose. Is that a good thing?”
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Post by Nikolaas Lars Hasbrouck on Jul 31, 2010 16:27:54 GMT -5
Nikolaas turned his chair around a bit and put his feet up on the empty chair next to him - if Eva didn't want to sit, he'd just rest his feet there instead. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, pondering her questions. "It's hard to justify a good 'definition', but maybe if someone triggers the dèjà-vu feeling, or in my cases: a serious migraine headache or flashes of memories, they are like us" he went silent again for another minute before giving a slight chuckle "Insane? I've been labeled as insane for as long as I can remember, but never though so about myself, so think whatever you wish, but I doubt that really is any factor."
He turned slightly to face her again, smiling slightly "Ja..I have two younger sisters...but I look nothing like them...or my parents for that matter. To be honest I'm fairly sure I'm adopted or something..." he chuckled again and shifted his gaze to the people walking in the street outside his shop "You can think whatever you want about me...I won't get upset or offended." He smiled at Eva again, a bit intrigued that she too had siblings. "they pushed you around? Heh, that's what siblings do...builds character or something" he ran a hand absentmindedly through his light brown spiky hair, staring into empty space "I'm glad I don't scare you or anything, and if you feel safe, then I think that's a good thing. Most people come to this town knowing only fear...and that never makes for a good life." Nikolaas sighted, he was rather glad it was a slow day today, Eva would surely have ran off ages ago if there had been any customers around, there where a few who stopped outside to peer in the widows, but no one entered, leaving Eva and him to...well...'bond' or get to know each other...whatever you called this..
((changed font colour because I realised orange on pale brown does not work well...))
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D'Madame Doktor
Newbie
Practicality and Elegance are not mutually exclusive...
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Post by D'Madame Doktor on Jul 31, 2010 16:50:00 GMT -5
Caroline hummed lightly as she bustled down the street, for all appearances calm and composed, but her tawny eyes never rested behind her spectacles. Ever since she had stepped onto the port of Tortuga, Caroline’s internal alert system was constantly engaged—true, the blonde had managed to relax slightly around her new workplace/abode, but the streets outside the Salty Sea never failed to evoke a healthy sense of paranoia.
She gave every person that drifted close a cursory glance, her hand occasionally drifting where her pistol was concealed from sheer nerves, but, as of yet, the European woman had no use for her weapon. Caroline sighed, adjusting her glasses with the blade of her palm, and looked about.
The locals at the bar had warned that a mild sea storm was fast approaching, and when it occurred to Caroline that she was ill-equipped for rain, one of her coworkers had been so kind as to point out a place where she might be able to afford a reliable and reasonably priced parasol. The blonde blinked up at the garishly orange colored establishment, a tiny, wry smile twitching the corner of her mouth (orange had always been an amusing shade), before she made her way closer.
Taking a brief glance at the window-wares, Caroline knocked lightly, as her manners dictated, before she laughed at herself and opened the door, setting off a small, tinkling bell. “Gudde Mëtte,” she greeted, smiling, “You are still open, ja?”
Caroline looked up to face the other two in the room, and slowly stopped moving, eyes wide with surprise. The shop door quietly shut behind her.
Let the awkward family times begin! XD -quietly invades-
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Post by Miss Belgium on Jul 31, 2010 22:43:12 GMT -5
Eva did not mind that the very least; if anything, she would be a terrible customer – if she could be considered such... after all she was not yet a customer per se – and sit on the counter. It was an old habit she had never gotten rid of – and in truth did not even remember how it had started, but it felt perfectly natural to her.
The Belgian heard his explanation silently, not once daring to interrupt him; it seemed as if it had happened to him before, or perhaps he was just quick at realising these things. In any case she could only say that she was confused. She could not understand this... Strange feeling. She was a friendly person and relatively quick to get attached if given the chance, but not... Not like this. “It is just strange, I suppose. I have never met anyone who felt this way, too.” With a soft sigh, she glanced down at one of her hands. “I look a lot like my siblings. Personality-wise we are quite different, though. I wish they had been nicer sometimes, but like you said, it builds character.” She laughed softly, thinking back on that; for a moment she was struck with homesickness, but the feeling vanished almost immediately, as if there was really no reason for it to exist in the first place. How curious.
It was still a somewhat heartbreaking feeling though, so Eva made a point to not bring up that subject again it seemed as if they had more to talk about anyway. Like... This fear he spoke of. She had only been scared upon finally setting eyes on the shore of Tortuga – and honestly if he had not found her, Eva would most certainly been dealing with the wrong crowds at this very moment. How lucky she was, indeed.
“I can’t be afraid,” She admitted with the slightest smile playing on her lips. “I travelled all the way here in... In search of a crew, I suppose. I want to understand a lot of things and it seemed like a smart way to start.” Looking back, she could not entirely agree; but she had only just gotten here, right? Things would be alright, or so granted all her positive thinking.
Eva kept her eyes on one of the windows; the sky did not look so bad, but there were some clouds and she idly wondered if it would rain. Rain seemed like an excessive concept to her when she was already surrounded by water. But this was a location like any other, so any sort of weather was to be expected - well, almost any sort. She could not contest to any absence of, say, snow, somewhere this close to the water. But that was beyond the point, really; somehow, the sky’s condition reminded her that she had yet to pay for a room at that inn he had taken her to earlier and she really ought to get going and do so before someone else did that first. Eva was not looking forward to spending a night outside, much less if it got too cold.
Yet as Eva was about to move away from the counter and begin on her half-apology, half-excuse to leave and find herself a place to stay, the sound of a bell and the door opening cut her off and at the sound of that voice – that greeting; had she heard it somewhere before? -she almost mechanically turned her head to see who had walked in. Her mouth hung slightly and she stared at the newcomer with a look of surprise.
“Salut...”
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Post by Nikolaas Lars Hasbrouck on Aug 1, 2010 5:13:13 GMT -5
Nikolaas looked at Eva with a curious expression "I'm the first one? Really? I've met one other person...think she worked in a bar here or something, but it wasn't quite the same feeling as meeting you" he grinned and scratched the back of his head. The shy was growing darker, the chances of any more customers was rather slim now.
"well, I'll award you bravery points for willingly coming here on your own. That's for certain, I don't meet a lot of women who have the guts to do that" He reached out for his cup of coffee, taking a small sip from the now lukewarm drink. At the sound of the shop door's bell he turned to face the customer. His eyes widened in surprise and he dropped the cup he was holding to the floor - shattering the thin porcelain into a million pieces.
He couldn't even utter a greeting before a terrible migraine grabbed a hold of him and all he could do was hold his head in his hands, massaging his temples. Visions of war and death flooded his mind mixed with scenes of 3 people grinning - through the 'fog' in his mind he realized the 3 people where the two women in his shop and himself. He groaned and warily stood up. What had felt like hours was more likely only seconds - but god damn, that had hurt.
"G-Goedemiddag" he greeted the petite woman. "We're still open...feel free to browse around..." He gave a small smile, his head still throbbing like mad. Could..could this woman be another one? She spoke Luxembourgish if Nikolaas wasn't mistaken...why was it he felt it was obvious that it was there she was from?
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D'Madame Doktor
Newbie
Practicality and Elegance are not mutually exclusive...
Posts: 21
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Post by D'Madame Doktor on Aug 3, 2010 5:01:32 GMT -5
Caroline remained still, one hand loosely holding her bag and one half-raised to her face in an unfinished gesture. Her tawny eyes slowly drifted between the blonde woman sitting on the counter and the older man behind it, never settling on one for more than half a second before moving back towards the other. Her mind was blank as a page, deaf to the novel of impressions and intuitions and sheer feelings her heart was all but screaming, and it took just a moment past propriety to remember how to breathe.
Caroline blinked, and the moment was lost, reality crashing back in. She would’ve stumbled if she had been in motion, but as it was the young woman only finished adjusting her spectacles and tucking a stray lock of dark-honey-blonde hair behind her ear, placing her hands back over the handle of her bag and bustling in. The petite bartender looked up between the two people, smiling calmly and defying the sudden instinct to shyly bend her head down to either of them.
Caroline’s eyes honed in on the man for a second, a worried frown crossing her face at the pallor of his own, detecting the suppressed pain of a sudden headache. She suddenly remembered the sound of cracking china when she walked in, and, rather than follow the medic’s impulse to fuss and prescribe treatment, tried to allow him a moment to gather both the pieces of the cup and his composure by turning slightly towards the woman clad in a green and white dress, taking her to be the man’s business partner.
“Moien,” she greeted again, glad her accented voice was still clear and did not suddenly spike into any high notes, as she directed her question to both of the older adults, “I am looking for an affordable parasol; I was told this was the place to look?” The Western European fervently hoped that neither of them could see the unexplainable tremor in her shoulders, nor read too deeply into the still slightly spooked haze in her eyes, the only thing shielding her wild speculations from view.
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Post by Miss Belgium on Aug 5, 2010 16:31:03 GMT -5
Eva was indeed surprised that he had met other people who he could relate this feeling to, but did not say anything else beyond that, being far too absorbed in her own thoughts. Many of those thoughts seemed to stem from the very presence of this... Newcomer. Eva found herself staring, which was not the most polite thing to do but it seemed to work as far as she was concerned. She was practically frozen in place, hands gripping tightly at the edges of the counter to the point that her knuckles were turning white – and it was perhaps the only indication that something was off. The shock could have easily worn off, much like the light echo of the bell or the vague sound of the cup breaking not too far from her, but it did not; even when Eva closed her eyes for a moment, exhaled and allowed herself to offer Mr Hasbrouck’s new customer a somewhat strained smile, the little voice inside her head kept reminding her that somewhat was not quite normal right now and the rest of her body reacted accordingly. Besides the tight hold on the counter, she could feel her stomach twisting and turning and it literally hurt. She briefly wondered if she should buy some tea or if this justified blowing away her money in drinks at a local pub, but the young lady’s voice cut her off.
Eva was not the one who should answer said question though, so she remained silent, hoping the man would help her with that soon. With that thought in mind she did divert her gaze down to the floor between them, the smile vanishing, only to be replaced with a somewhat pained, somewhat sad expression. It was as if, for a moment, she was struck with such a wave of longing that it almost felt unnatural – and it was. And Eva did not want to think too much on it, either.
She idly wondered if this was what he meant; that there were other people who could make her feel so.. Strange, deep down. People who made her feel like something was-- is missing.
{apologies for taking so long aah}
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Post by Nikolaas Lars Hasbrouck on Aug 13, 2010 3:15:33 GMT -5
under his breath, Nikolaas cursed his own clumsiness and this damn headache that refused to let go. Two in one day...what where the odds? He bent down quickly to retrieve the pieces of broken china, discarding them in a nearby dustbin. He stood up at full height - he may have given a terrible impression on the new customer, but he might still have some hope of regaining it...
He smiled at the petite woman and walked out from behind the counter "My apologies miss. My friend here does not work here..." He gave Eva a grin and ruffled her hair "She's just a customer" Nikolaas wondered why the small woman had though Eva was a worker here, then again, not many customers would make themselves so comfortable so quickly - maybe he should employ Eva... He turned his attention to the newcomer and gestured to a large wooden barrel full of parasols and umbrellas. "I have a selection over there Miss. The prices wary a bit, but I'm sure you'll find one to your liking" Nikolaas was trying his hardest at being a good merchant while ignoring the headache and dream-like visions that flooded his mind the more he looked at the petite woman. 'she looks like a doll' he mused to himself, she looked terribly cute...but Nikolaas though he saw a hint of...fear...in her eyes. Could this woman be like Eva and himself? That would almost be too good to be true...
[[sorry for taking so long...]]]
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D'Madame Doktor
Newbie
Practicality and Elegance are not mutually exclusive...
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Post by D'Madame Doktor on Aug 13, 2010 15:57:32 GMT -5
Caroline’s gaze couldn’t help but linger on the young woman for just a moment longer, her head a swirl of impressions. On the one hand, she had the impulse to jump up and embrace the woman, bury her head in the other’s dress, and sob in relief. On the other, she wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run, and never look back.
Neither action was very appropriate, however, so instead the petite doctor turned her tawny gaze up at Nikolaas, smiling sheepishly and covering an embarrassed laugh in her hand, “Oh, es tut mir leid, my mistake.” She smiled at the little display of affection, even as another wave of eerie remembrance swept over her, before directing her attention to the parasol barrel.
Caroline bustled over, happy to have a distraction (distraction? this was her purpose in coming here, non?) and began to browse through, humming a little song under her breath. “You have a wonderful range of selection, good sir,” she commented, her fingers brushing across Oriental paper umbrellas and fine Victoriana pieces made of soft, flexible fabric.
She looked up, tucking her hair behind her ear, “Tell me, what would you recommend for durability?” Caroline glanced at Eva, and smiled faintly, thinking it was only polite to inform the other, “I hear there is a storm approaching, and I don’t want to be caught without an umbrella.” She then noticed the expression on the woman’s face, and frowned, bustling over in sudden concern. “Are you alright, Madame?”
((-huggle- Welcome back!))
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Post by Miss Belgium on Aug 17, 2010 13:58:44 GMT -5
This situation seemed to be becoming a bit more awkward for Eva; she felt so conflicting and didn't even know why. Hopefully she had not come off as overly rude for not replying to miss Caroline, but she was happy that mister Hasbrouck had at least spoken up. Eva could not help the tiniest smile once the man ruffled her hair – a part of her wanted to outright laugh, as if it was such a familiar gesture (it did feel like one) that it could not possibly be perceived as odd to anyone else; although from the smile on this young woman’s face, Eva could very well be wrong. She did not at the mention of simply being a customer before diverting her gaze once more, losing herself in thought and all these odd… sensations, making her feel so conflicted.
For the most part, their conversation fell on deaf ears – she occasionally glanced at them, but she wasn’t particularly interested in any sort of parasol or umbrella; perhaps she would be, had her stomach not been hurting and if only a part of her wasn’t mentally suggesting she should just leave now. But perhaps she was just making a storm in a glass of water when it came to all of this; she was new here, so maybe she was just homesick or…
Speaking of storms, miss Caroline’s comment almost went by unnoticed – but it processed in her mind fast enough that Eva reminded herself she had yet to find a place to stay for the night; she certainly did not want to be caught in a storm. She didn’t really have the time to thank her for the information though, or even stand up fully and announce that she should leave – in only a short moment, she found herself staring closely at the other young woman who seemed concerned. Eva could only blink in response for a moment, before realising that it was due to her current demeanour; with a soft gasp, she stood up straighter (and by now she’d forgotten she was still sitting on a counter, at a store she had nothing to do with in the first place; you could say that, occasionally, manners were not quite her forte) and nodded, offering a tiny, slightly nervous but well-meaning smile. “Ja, ja. My apologies; I was just… Thinking.” About what, she was not sure; what Eva was sure of, though, was that she did not want to worry this young woman.
{ welcome back c: }[/color]
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Post by Nikolaas Lars Hasbrouck on Aug 22, 2010 15:05:09 GMT -5
Nikolaas had even more unanswered questions...but this was perhaps not the time to find the answers. He smiled at the young, petite woman again, smiling was so natural all of a sudden around these two. He was never the one for displays for emotions, but something told him even if he tried to keep a stony expression, these two could see through him like a window.
"Thank you Madam, I'm glad you think so. If you want something that might survive several storms in this town I'd recommend this one" Nikolaas pulled out an dark red umbrella, with a small white flower pattern on the edges "It's not the most 'dressy' one, but it will last a lot longer than the parasols. I might have another colour out in the back, I could check if there is a colour you'd specifically like. " He smiled and handed the umbrella to the petite woman for inspection. "The storms here can get pretty bad...but you know the saying 'there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes' " He grinned again before turning back to Eva, who had for some reason been oddly quiet, since the other woman had entered. Was that a sign Eva too got that odd feeling again? They could talk about it later he guessed.
At the woman's question to Eva, Nikolaas was rather surprised. She was reading Eva like an open book..."If you're tired or something, Eva, go lie down out back...Don't worry me or Zuz here" Nikolaas slammed a hand over his mouth. Fuck...that was not what he had meant to say! "Ah...I'm so sorry Madam...I must be tired too today..." he hoped the woman had not taken offense to being called 'sister'. But the word felt so natural to call both of them...God, he REALLY needed a smoke after this day. It seemed everything today was either going wrong or just making him more and more confused.
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D'Madame Doktor
Newbie
Practicality and Elegance are not mutually exclusive...
Posts: 21
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Post by D'Madame Doktor on Aug 26, 2010 19:20:57 GMT -5
The Luxembourgian still looked with slight concern for the young woman, her inner doctor immediately supplying her with possible suggestions to ease Eva’s apparent anxiety, but Caroline put up a small smile in spite of it, for the sake of propriety. “Heavy thoughts precede heavy storms, ja?” She reached over, as though about to pat the other woman’s hand, but hesitated at the last moment, deciding it was better to keep communication on a purely verbal level at this time, setting it on the counter nearby and giving the other a sincere look, “Hopefully, it too will clear with the rain.”
Caroline looked to the parasol again, running one hand over the material and testing the grip of the handle with the other. It was definitely sturdy, the girl thought, and it seemed as though it would be big enough for her needs—perhaps over; she could all too easily picture her bustling across a rainy street looking like a big mushroom—though, she would have to see what other color options were available. Yellow, maybe. She turned, about to ask as much, when the Dutch man made his verbal slip.
Caroline stiffened slightly, her thoughts going into a wild blur at the word. ‘Zuz?’ Caroline dipped her head shyly, fidgeting with her glasses and flushing like a schoolgirl, much to her embarrassment, “Ah, pas de tout—do not worry over, brud-” The honey blonde choked on the word, stopping herself in time, and tried to be reasonable. She had a brother, yes, but, he looked nothing like this stranger! And he was a stranger…wasn’t he? Caroline touched her forehead, confused. “…I-I think, that you are not the only one, Nikolaas—tired seems to be catching;”
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Post by Miss Belgium on Aug 31, 2010 14:12:59 GMT -5
Parasols, storms, pretty green dresses – at this point, all of that was a blur in Eva’s mind. The more she looked at either of them, the more she could picture her whole childhood – except instead of her siblings, the ones she left back home, she could find herself holding hands, laughing and crying with these two. It was a sick, strange feeling and honestly! Eva was not even the clingy type; she was homesick. That had to be it. Perhaps that was the good thing about bad welcoming; people would not get these feelings, would not grow attached to strangers the way she thought she was growing attached to these two.
Caroline’s gesture did not go by unnoticed, but Eva simply slumped her shoulders, looking down at her feet; even her dirty old boots her tying a knot in her throat. With a slight shake of her head, Eva stood up straight and took a look outside; indeed the weather was becoming unwelcoming and she had yet to find a place to stay. “Non, non! I’m alright, ah…” Whatever excuse she was about to deliver to make a swift escape died in her mouth. To call Caroline his sister…? It seemed to be some sort of slip, to which the young lady nearly responded. It only made the sharp pain in Eva’s stomach even worse and not even a few deep breaths and clamping her mouth over it seemed ease it. She was far too anxious, but had to agree with both of them in their last quip. “I-it does. Ah… I should go…” She paused, glancing back at them, although it only worsened the anxiety. Bad idea; she was feeling unwell. “Before the storm hits us full force…”
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