Day 47: Greenhouse (2nd Shift)

[himetsuru]

Why couldn't she get it out of her mind? It was a stupid white dress. So what if it was visual evidence that she was a princess? It should not be bothering her this much. It was a just a dress

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[exbride]

Here was something that Anthy was used to, the familiarity its own sort of comfort. After avoiding the crowded meal hall a few times in a row, her nurse finally convinced her to participate in the gardening activity. This greenhouse was larger than the one from Ohtori, but it was a little less colorful and housed vegetables as well as flowers. There were only a few other girls in here at the moment, but few or none appeared to be doing any gardening.

Moving on automatic, Anthy ambled down a pebbled path and found a secluded spot with an empty patch of soil. She chose a bundle of roses to work with, of course, and knelt by the dirt to begin digging a hole. This was familiar to her. This was something she could do.

This was a glass cage. Her hand slipped on the shovel and she stabbed at the dirt with a small measure of undue force, her hair falling in her face and obscuring it. It was difficult to garden with no means of tying back hair that flowed as long as hers.

[free]

[quickdrawbkiddo]

And again, the nurses seemed destined to keep Beatrix from her usual associates. This time she was guided to a young girl with unusual coloration and long hair. She gave the nurse a look before sighing and kneeling down next to the girl. Unlike the girl, the Bride did not start digging, though she did examine the trowel she was given.

"If you ask the staff, they will probably provide you with a hair-tie," she said in way of opening conversation.

[exbride]

The nurses were intent on having them interact with one another; this much was clear from the way they pestered with comments that almost reminded Anthy of Utena and from the way one of them led another patient to her right now. The woman (tall, thin, straight blonde hair) knelt down beside her and started in on casual conversation.

Anthy paused with her grip on the handle and then swiped a good amount of hair behind her ear, glancing up at the other patient to offer a polite smile. "They probably would," she agreed.

"Although I'm not sure I could bring myself to request favors." It was said with masked pleasantness, her tone bland and soft.

[quickdrawbkiddo]

Beatrix moved her gaze from the trowel to watch the girl with mild curiosity. She did not quite understand the girl's reasoning.

"Why? It is clear that you would benefit from it." She gave a bit of a snort. "I fail to see how a hair-tie would be considered a favor. A favor is, in general, something that would not be readily done when asked."

[exbride]

"They are my captors," Anthy explained, gaze moving back to the dirt so she could continue digging. One method of coping with imprisonment was to become an uninteresting object of acquirement. "To ask is to communicate need. I would prefer to speak with them as little as possible, in general."

"Where are you from?" The last time she spoke to somebody she did not recognize, she'd figured out that they were all from different worlds as well as different times.

[quickdrawbkiddo]

"So instead of manipulating those that hold you captive to acquire the things you need, you prefer to suffer in silence?" Pathetic. Beatrix shook her head a bit, not expecting a response to that question.

"I am from American. What about yourself?"

[exbride]

"Japan." So this patient was also from Earth, from America. It was curious how all their languages blended together.

Anthy's smile turned cold as she brushed some dirt out of the hole with her fingers, the earth encrusting underneath her nails. "If I am to manipulate, it would not be to acquire something I need," she answered, hearing the condescension in the woman's question. It was not the type she was used to, so it was interesting in that regard. She had nothing to lose now that she was no longer the Rose Bride.

"It would be for revenge."

[quickdrawbkiddo]

That single word sparked something in the Bride's eyes. That was something she understood on an intimate level. It was what drove her. That desire alone was worthy of respect.

"I see," she said, and truly she did. It was not many that could say those two words and mean them like Beatrix did. "You are incorrect, though, in believing revenge is not a need."

[exbride]

Anthy paused in her task entirely and took a closer look at the other patient. It did not escape her notice that mentioning revenge had seemed to light a small fire inside of her. Each person had ticks. She was trained to see them and know them.

Subsequently, it was a skill that was completely useless to her now. Anthy had no need to know what revenge meant to this person and it was an unusual thing to speak with others merely for the sake of it. She had done it with Utena, though, (actually, before she knew it she'd become too used to Utena in that regard) so maybe she could try with a stranger.

"I suppose that's why it's often compared to a thirst," she mused. "Would I be incorrect in believing you are a person who thirsts for it?"

[quickdrawbkiddo]

"You are not incorrect, though I dislike having that need thrust upon me again," Beatrix replied. "I had just quenched that thirst before coming here. Those of us that know revenge like we would a lover are very dangerous."

Ice cold blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Should I consider you dangerous?"

[exbride]

So this was a woman who had sought revenge and been successful. She had a steeliness about her; Anthy believed that she was dangerous, her eyes expressing neither disbelief nor fear. When she asked, with genuine suspicion -- Anthy was taken aback. The surprise showed just slightly.

There were very few people who set their gaze upon frail and innocent-seeming Anthy and even suspected that she could ever hold the capability to be a threat. That was, in fact, what she had come to depend on. The smile crept back onto her face, entertained as well as intrigued.

"Do I look dangerous?"

[quickdrawbkiddo]

"That is hardly the question here," Beatrix replied. "I have seen frail old men with the capacity to make even the strongest man fall to his knees with just the touch of a well placed hand. You may not look dangerous, but there are many that cultivate an image meant to throw suspicion off of them."

Her lips curled up just a bit as her thoughts drifted to Okinawa and her initial encounter with Hattori Hanzo. "Such as that of a clueless tourist. The ability to portray innocence and ignorance is a value skill. Now then, should I consider you dangerous?"

[exbride]

Anthy watched with growing interest as the woman spoke -- beyond her control, she felt respect spark up around the edges of her attention. It was a long time since she'd encountered someone so sharp and refined. She folded her arms in her lap and glanced back at the roses, thoughtful.

"You're wise," she conceded. Her face did not move, but her eyes crept back over and locked onto the figure beside her. Her expression almost shaded towards playful; carefully distanced and carefully intrigued.

"But why should I tell you?"

[quickdrawbkiddo]

Beatrix's lids drooped just a bit to hood to her eyes. "To not answer is to force me to draw my own conclusion." Which she would do regardless. "And I am not a compassionate woman, child. You are far too old to hide behind an air of weakness if it is not in your nature when you are faced with one who is..."

The corner of the Bride's mouth twisted her smile into that of a knowing smirk. "...wise."

[exbride]

Which you would do anyway, Anthy thought, unknowingly echoing the other patient's thoughts. This wasn't the type of woman to be easily swayed in her convictions. The younger girl was stock-still, frozen in posture and expression, up until the end of the woman's reply.

At which point her smile twitched.

"I am accustomed to a dearth of all things compassionate. Although I must admit, I'm curious about your exact method." Anthy blinked once, then again, this time allowing her lids to lower until her interest turned darker -- peel off a layer of paint. There was no fooling this one -- and Landel's was not the place for it, she would have to remind herself.

"How do you deal with threats?"

[quickdrawbkiddo]

There was nothing that would sway Beatrix from recovering her daughter and ending the one that held the girl captive. She may have been willing to forgo revenge on the one that held her captive had it only been herself that one had. Bringing BB into it (as it was impossible for her daughter to have no been taken as well), was the mistake that would spill blood without remorse, without thought and, certainly, without mercy.

"How I deal with threats depends on several factors - the type of threat, who or what the threat is directed at and whether the threat is something I find useful," she replied. "But do not mistake my question of you being dangerous as one of you being a threat. The two are not the same." Though they were also not mutually exclusive.