He wasn’t expecting visitors this late, especially in the dead of winter where people would of rather stayed in the company of hot homes than visit friends or do much else that required going outside. He wasn’t sure if he was expecting anyone honestly, hadn’t ordered anything new, or given out his address to anyone.
That’s why he’s confused, and maybe a little bit scared when he sees someone at his door, instinctively reaching for the gun in the drawer before he moves to actually see who this was.
‘Hello-?’ He’s signing, blinking a couple times as he registers the redhead at the door, face changing into a couple different emotions before finally settling.’ I thought you died? I saw.. I saw you die?’
THERE HAD BEEN RUMOURS ABOUT OTHER SURVIVORS, but in the midst of her whirlwind lessons with vlad and dmitry, such gossip had been swept aside by an influx of, in her own opinion, rather useless information. what did they expect her to do? impress the EMPRESS DOWAGER herself with facts about her own family? pfft. but anya had done as they asked, read the books they gave her, for the two con men were her only way out of russia. still, at the back of her mind, the thought lingered. what if she truly was the grand duchess anastasia, and one of her siblings or mother or father were out there, just as lost and alone as she had been?
under the pretence of having another shift of street sweeping, anya snuck out of the yusopov palace in the early hours of the day. a seller on the palace square had claimed a woman had spoken of a young man with the same eyes as the young tsesarevich. snatching the address from the seller and making her way across the city had been easy enough, but gathering up the courage to knock on his door was much more difficult. what if the seller or his friend had lied? what if he was nothing but an innocent man targeted for his likeliness to the tsesarevich? then the worst possible outcome came to mind what if he truly was alexei, but didn’t recognise her?
still, she supposed it was better to know than to leave the door unopened and to keep wondering what if. one knock, then two knocks, and then a third. the sight of him in the door opening sends her heart racing faster than before. for a moment it is so silent she thinks he might be able to hear her heartbeat, fearing it might burst through her ribcage and out of her chest. it’s his eyes, however, that sets it off the sudden influx of memories and loving voices, happy faces flashing in her mind. she can’t pin them down for long, and they disappear as fast as they appeared, but the feelings they brought linger, somehow. anya’s voice, overcome with emotion, shakes a little when she speaks. ❛ ALYOSHA? ❜ she asks, the nickname suddenly so familiar on her tongue. ❛ is it really you? ❜