Alice Liddell 030 // Broken Hearted

[madcuriosity]

Who: madcuriosity and somarium
Where: A park in Espoir
Status: OPEN~
Style: Your choice
Warnings: Slight angst probably?

Comments

[madcuriosity]

"Everyone keeps saying things will be alright. But if it turned out alright then why do they say "life isn't fair?" If things turn out alright then life should be fair shouldn't it? If things turn out alright than people who are unhappy get to be happy and..." She sighed as she looked up at the sky. Alice was grappling with a topic she didn't really understand. Her view of the world was still black and white. She didn't even understand that when people meant "life isn't fair" it wasn't fair that good men went homeless whilst greedy misers bought more and more land. That there was war and good people died on both sides.

All of that didn't even enter her mind although the concept was starting to take root. Why did her brother have to leave to a world that made him miserable when he was happy here?

And then there was the second matter entirely that Alice knew all about. 'You couldn't dream forever.' But at the same time, she believed so deeply in her dreams. She was so terribly confused! She wanted to cry but she knew it would do very little good.

[failssassin]

The Assassin in training stopped his swinging to look at the child with a rather obvious look of surprise on his face.

"That's some heavy thinking for someone your age, miss."

Desmond sighed softly as he looked away from the child, eyes unseeing the terrain in front of him. He really didn't know how to respond to the child without shattering her innocence. Childhood should be lived to its fullest, with as much dreaming as one could do.

"Things are not that....cut clear. Sometimes you have to make your own happiness, sometimes you're blessed with good events in your life. And when...shi-bad things happen, only you can turn them around make the most of it. I guess, that's why people say that things will be all right. Even though life isn't fair to everyone."

It was hard for Desmond to explain something he was still trying to understand himself. He's seen the life of his ancestors get down the drain and yet they still fought for the innocents, fought to ensure that none of what they lived would happen to them. But no one ever thanked them for what they did. Maybe he should have while he had the chance. Shaking his head as his brow furrowed more deeply, he pushed the thought away, focusing back on the child by his side.

"What happen to make you ask such deep questions?"

[madcuriosity]

"Heavy?" She supposed so, the thoughts certainly weighed on her mind and made her head feel heavy. She wondered if there were heavy thoughts could there be thoughts that weighed nothing at all? And if there were, would you even notice them? There were light thoughts she supposed, if there were heavy ones. But she didn't feel any lighter when she had them. But such a line of thought was for later. She turned to look at Desmond as he responded. Yes, she certainly supposed things were very muddled. But some things weren't. Some things were very straight-forward and clear. Well... most of the time they were.

"My brother... he's went home a week or so ago. And I won't ever get to see him again unless he returns here. He's in a situation where someone is taking away so much from him... And then so many others I love have left. Dastan, Cloud, Ezio, I just... I miss them and I don't know if I'll ever see them again."

[failssassin]

The novice nodded his head slowly. Grief. It was something he had managed to evade most of his life. Not getting close to people left him with no chance to deal with this emotion.

"Sometimes....some people have to lose a lot for them to get stronger and do the right things."

Sometimes people need the right kick in the ass to become better persons, he had seen that well. But Desmond knew he couldn't tell the child that. Feeling that he wasn't doing a good job at trying to comfort the blond, he chose to try and focus on something else.

"You knew Ezio?"

[madcuriosity]

"Why would loss make anyone stronger? Shouldn't you become strong by building relationships with others and being able to help and support on one another. Being able to stand on your own doesn't mean you're strong, it just means you had to learn to do it." She looked up at his question and gazed at Desmond.

"Ah um, yes, he was a very dear friend. He promised to dance with me at a masquerade."

[failssassin]

"Yes, but learning to live through sorrow and lost also helps you make you stronger and makes you appreciate what you have when you have it. You stop taking everything for granted." Like the quiet life he had before the Templars found him. Like the friends and team mates he had before coming into this world. Although, Desmond had to admit that he felt like an hypocrite for saying that to the young girl: he wasn't sure he had become stronger by missing Lucy and the others.

He gave her a small surprised look at her when she mentioned Ezio promising to take her to a masquerade. He had no idea the Italian had such a fatherly streak. He pushed the swing again, feeling slightly frustrated that he had to glue back together the broken pots his ancestor left behind.

"I'm sure he didn't meant to break his promise, miss. He's usually a man of his words."

[madcuriosity]

"Can you ever learn not to take something for granted? I-I don't mean to do it. I appreciate what I have when I have it don't I?" Did she? She hoped she did. She loved her family. Didn't that mean she didn't take them for granted? She wanted to do everything she could to keep them. It didn't make sense and she didn't know how to make sense of it.

"He and Dastan..." she gave a small smile. "Ezio made me a Carnival mask and Dastan bought me this gown..." she was going to save it for a ball held.

[failssassin]

He gave the child a very small smile. Unlike his Italian ancestor, his were few and rare, even to children.

"I don't think anyone means to take things for granted. I know I didn't, and I'm sure you don't. It's just once things or people are gone that we notice that we were, I suppose."

There was a small coil of frustration that churned in his stomach. While it should have been strange for him to hear about the Assassins being so nice to a child, Desmond wasn't really surprised. But he felt that it fell upon him, the last of the Brotherhood (and even that thought should have been enough for his ancestors to roll in their coffin, wherever they were), to keep their promise to the child. But he barely knew her and he felt already awkward enough in balls and such as it was. He sighed lightly:

"I know I'm not Ezio, but I guess if I grow a beard I might look enough like him. I...can always take you in his stead."

...And lose some dignity on the dance floor at the same time. Maybe he should ask Jessamine to help him learn a few dances beforehand?

[madcuriosity]

"Ah... you... want to take me to a ball sir? But... do you even know my name?" She blushed suddenly at this young man offering to take her to a ball. "Ah but... you shouldn't compare yourself to Ezio. Ezio is Ezio and you're you. If you tried to be Ezio then you couldn't be you anymore. Oh um, thank you though for offering to fulfill his promise." Alice wasn't entirely sure why this man would fulfill Ezio and Dastan's promises.

"Why are you willing to do that though?"

[failssassin]

Desmond couldn't help the slight dry laugh that left his lips. The young girl had really no idea how she was right. How he knew all too well that he wasn't Ezio and that if he ever tried to be his ancestor for longer periods of time, he'd lose his sense of self and descent into madness. But then again, with the end of the world hanging in the balance, it was hard not to compare himself to both of his ancestors. No doubt this fight against the Templars would have been long won if he had all of their abilities.

He shifted uncomfortably as he realized that the little blond by his side was right though: it must have looked strange for a grown man to ask a child to go to a ball without even introducing himself first.

"I'm Desmond" he offered first. "Ezio was...is...hum...family, I guess." The resemblance was enough testament to that, and the bartender chose not to explain the rather complicated intricacies of how they were related. "I know him well enough to know that he wouldn't want you to be sad about him leaving back to his world. He was needed there, and will accomplish great things and save a lot of people in his future." While he still had no idea if the Italian got the Apple back from the Templars, the fact that their enemies were still still searching for it centuries later was a good indication that Ezio got it back.

"I....think he would appreciated that I carried on his promise." Desmond wasn't entirely sure Ezio would have approved, but he really couldn't let the young girl be sad about his ancestor's disappearance from this dreamworld.

[madcuriosity]

Alice examined Desmond for a long moment and just watched him in silence. He did look like Ezio younger and a little more... clean shaven. He had the same sort of lilt in his voice as well though it wasn't quite the same it was there. She shifted her head and then smiled as she closed her eyes. He was sweet, like Ezio.

"Thank you, and I would like that. But I think I would like it better if I got to know you more as well," because just going to a masquerade ball was only a part of it. It was having Ezio there with her that drove the whole of it.

[failssassin]

The small smile on his lips turned into a full one, a rare sight on the young man. He nodded slowly:

"Sounds fair to me. Just as I should probably try and know you better as well. Let me know your name and I'll answer to any questions you have about me?"

Desmond knew the child had probably meant to know him better as a person, and while he'd have to try and find ways to meet with her again, this could at least be a start. The bartender made a mental note to try and call Jessamine and ask her about young girls might like to do around here.