Mother, are you proud of me?

((Independent RP blog for Leanne Theresia from Theresia: Dear Emile)) A good day to you all. Please make yourself at home.

[denniswithaplan-blog]

“I was here with Coop, but I don’t know where he went. Besides, if I told the police about any of that stuff, I don’t think they would believe me.” Who would believe there was an alien cat running around?

[leanne-theresia]

Oh? Why wouldn't they believe you? The police always take reports of danger seriously and they'll try to protect you. At least that's what I assume they're trying to do. *Leanne thought about how the army escorted possibly infected people away. She always assumed it was because they were trying to protect the healthy people of the village* About your friend, are you sure he's going to be okay on his own? There are some empty houses around here who are close to collapsing.

[denniswithaplan-blog]

“I’ve dealt with a lot of dangerous stuff back at home, I think I’d be able to take care of myself if something happened.” He recalled the times he was almost vaporized by a certain alien cat.

[leanne-theresia]

Dangerous stuff at home? I think you should go to the police instead for that of coming here. *Leanne petted the boy on his head* Are you here on your own?

[denniswithaplan-blog]

“It’s nice to meet you, Leanne. I’m Dennis.”

[leanne-theresia]

*Leanne crouched down beside the kid* Hello Dennis, it's nice to meet you too. Where are your parents? It's pretty dangerous for a kid to play in an abandoned village, if something were to happen to you there would be no-one to help you.

[wishgavin-deactivated20130325]

Oh? Three kilometers… ugh… that’s really, really far away…

Klavier stifles a self-pitying laugh with a scratch-of-the-head.

Daryan said it wasn’t going to be that far… verdammt liar.

Well, I guess I’ll just call a little later for the gang to find me and pick me up. See, apparently this village here is supposed to be a detour to a city? But… apparently not. Stupid Daryan liar stupid stupid…

He notices this girl still hasn’t left. Jeez, usually people either flock to or avoid him. She seemed to have an uninterested gaze about her, as if she didn’t know his significance. But he’d be damned if he were to be so arrogant as to EXPECT a girl to suddenly know who he is, or to try to be arrogant in explaining himself.

See… I’m in a band… and our bus broke down. So we decided to go on foot, and I was told that there was a shortcut by who else but Daryan, and I kinda got lost. Hehe… Stupid, I know.

Shouldn’t have strayed from them.

[leanne-theresia]

*Leanne chuckled* (So this guy is in a band? I thought bands had much better transport than that) Well, your friend is a liar indeed. The big city can't be reached if you walk through this village. This village has been abandoned since a long time and not many people have that much of an interest in it. If you want to reach the big city you need walk about eleven kilometers into the opposite direction from where I just pointed at. *Leanne pointed to a road behind her that went into a T-shape. One road leading to the abandoned village, and the other leading away from the village* It's true that you have to come across this village, but you do not need to go through it to reach the city, you merely pass it by. Ah, what's your name by the way? Maybe I've heard from you since some of the villagers in the other village have taken an interest in some of the bands today and hear them talk a lot about it when I go there.

[wishgavin-deactivated20130325]

Klavier approaches the girl with a bit of caution.

Oh. Hello! I… uh… well, see, I was kinda separated from my band, and my boyfriend said the best way back to them was to detour through here… and I’m still kinda lost.

Any advice, Fräulein?

[leanne-theresia]

(Boyfriend? So that means this man is...) Ah, I see. Well, the next village is about three kilometers away. If you keep walking that road you should be able to reach the village within about an hour. *Leanne points towards a road that led out of the abandoned village*

[leanne-theresia]

(Another stranger?) Welcome! My name is Leanne Theresia. What brings you here to this abandoned village?

[burgusstadt-deactivated20200413]

“Good luck,” Edward told her with the hint of a smile. Without that child he would’ve only pitied her, but as long as she wasn’t alone she earned a fraction of admiration from him. Kids could offer a light in a world that seemed completely shrouded in darkness—that, he knew.

“I think I should leave here. There doesn’t seem to be any merit in further trespassing.” Once he gave that explanation, he turned away. “Take care, of yourself and your child.” ‘Prince or not,’ he thought, still amused by the connection.

[leanne-theresia]

Thank you. I'm very happy to have met you. I hope we will meet again.

[burgusstadt-deactivated20200413]

“A field of flowers is safer than a river,” he muttered, to himself more than anything. He paid close attention to what she had to say after that, and couldn’t argue against it. “I’ve only heard a little about the war here. There really is conflict everywhere…” He fell quiet just as she did. It was all so pointless. Hopefully he could change that for his home country’s future… somehow. 

“If he was left for you, someone left him,” he commented, “And neither of you are alone.” Unless that person was dead, which sounded entirely possible (but would ruin the optimistic moment). “…I hope you can make a better future out of everything left behind.” 

[leanne-theresia]

Thanks! I hope so too. I wouldn't wish Sacha the same fate as I have suffered. I hope everything will stay peaceful from now on.

[burgusstadt-deactivated20200413]

It was good that she was safe, but still more interesting what she explained next: she’d found the child, Sacha, in a field of flowers. She had yet to say whether she named him or he’d already come with a name, but it still reminded him of something he’d discovered not that long before. It was a different situation, but similar enough to make him smile.

“Do you think he might secretly be a prince of a foreign country?” he asked her, his tone humorous but strangely fond. Edward wasn’t actually sure of the child’s gender yet, but he defaulted to ‘boy’ to fit with his memory. “A good friend of mine was just found, too. You may be caring for royalty.”

[leanne-theresia]

Oh? But why would anyone leave a little prince alone in a field of flowers? Besides, my country lost the war. Wouldn't you think they'd rather give him to the country that won? No, I think Sacha's parents must have been killed, but then again, he was so healthy when I found him. Wasn't he just left for me so I wouldn't spend my life alone? *Leanne got a distanced look in her eyes as she drifted away in her thoughts*

[marteltheresia-blog]

[marteltheresia-blog]

“Oh, I see. It’s nice to know that some of them survived, at least - I’m assuming they were some of the uninfected. And yes…that is good.” She felt no need to mention her immunity; the virus was gone, after all, and even if it weren’t she had neither the knowledge nor the means to manufacture any of the vaccine with her DNA. “Ah…” She glanced around at the numerous red flowers waving in the breeze. “Did…did you plant these?”

[leanne-theresia]

No, they have been growing here even since I was small. I really like them tho. I would spend my time with mother sitting in the field of red flowers. The red flowers also gave me Sacha, I found him in the field when I escaped the church.

[burgusstadt-deactivated20200413]

There was a certain irony to the bodies being left in a place like that, and even more of one to the place being burnt down. Then again, he didn’t have much faith in higher beings anymore. The only remaining significance of a church was the belief people held in it. He relaxed—not much, but still visibly—and nodded. “…How fortunate.” 

“Are you safe here, then? Not just from the virus, but from unpleasant visitors.” He would’ve guessed that most people would be aware of this place’s history, but obviously not all. “If you are, living here sounds almost pleasant.” His word choices continued to border on unintentionally insulting, but he was never known as the most tactful person around. “And, wait…”

“You said you found the child?” Edward repeated, late and somewhat skeptically.

[leanne-theresia]

Yes, I'm safe here. I had injected myself with the vaccination, so I'm safe from the virus. It's very peaceful here, I haven't met a soul when I came here until recently. *Leanne nodded* Yes, I found Sacha in the field of red flowers when I escaped the church.

[mrkat-moved-deactivated20220228]

The hairless cat shakes his head as if he understood the individual and purrs when the other pets him.

“Meow~”

[leanne-theresia]

Oh? You can understand me? Well, I guess you must be from the nearby village then. *Leanne petted the cat some more on his head* You look like a very expensive cat, I bet your owners had to spend a lot of money on you.

[mad-pig]

“You understand despair.” The man paused for a moment, as if he were reflecting on something. He lowered his arm. “Listen… In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exist, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars and hatred is born to protect love.”

[leanne-theresia]

B-but the war is just over! And who would want to have a war with an abandoned village? As long as I live here, my life and my son's life will be peaceful. *Leanne held Sacha close to her. What was the reason this strange man would come to her and tell her these morbid things? Is he a psychic of some sort? Whatever the reason is, Leanne doesn't like it*

[burgusstadt-deactivated20200413]

His suspicions were confirmed. Leanne was alone. What Edward didn’t expect was the reason this village had been abandoned: a deadly virus?! Was it still contagious? His back stiffened and his eyes widened.

“A virus? You don’t think it’s still…” He paused heavily, a note of fear explaining more than his words ever could. He’d lost his father to an illness. Falling prey to the same thing would be…

Still, he had to keep his composure. She was friendly—Edward wanted to keep her that way, in case one or both of them was in danger. “…That’s an impressive attachment,” he continued, referring to her reasons to stay. “And it’s admirable of you to look out for a child like that. You don’t have any trouble living on your own?”

[leanne-theresia]

*Leanne saw how the man's eyes widened at the mention of the virus* Don't worry, the virus only spreads through dead bodies. The bodies who still had the virus were left in the church. The church has been burned down, so the virus is completely gone from this area now. *Leanne nodded as she gave her son a small pat on his head* Yeah, I'm doing just fine. I grow vegetables and trade them for animal products in the nearby village.

[mad-pig]

“Happy until the next loss. Only more cruelty awaits in this world.” The man remained still before raising his hand to point toward the infant that was cradled in the girl’s arms. “And that child is next in line to suffer the same way you have.”

[leanne-theresia]

*Leanne got startled a bit. Would Sacha really suffer the way she did? No, the virus was gone now, Sacha couldn't possibly suffer, she would do everything to protect him from that* I- I won't allow anything to happen to him nor to me! I will do everything to protect him from the same suffering I went through!

[marteltheresia-blog]

[marteltheresia-blog]

“I see. I’m…sorry. Most of the people I cared about are dead, too…but their bodies are gone now. It’s good that you care about them so much.” She nods. “Yes, Maylee…she’s a good person. She used to work at the orphanage I told you about. She told me that she was coming here to help out with the epidemic. The soldiers used it as a biological weapon, didn’t they…?”

[leanne-theresia]

*Leanne nodded* They did. All of the villagers were executed and some of them escaped to a nearby village. The virus seems to be gone from this area now, which makes me glad. I occasionally go to the village to trade the vegetables I grow for animal products on the market.

[marteltheresia-blog]

[marteltheresia-blog]

“Oh, I see. I’m…sorry. About your parents, I mean. I used to work at an orphanage. Perhaps, if things had gone differently, I would have seen you there…” She looked away. “Though maybe it’s good that I didn’t.” She shook her head. “Anyway…how long have you lived here? I thought all the villagers died…at least, that’s what Maylee told me.” She frowned thoughtfully.

[leanne-theresia]

I have lived here since about half a year. I used to live in the church, but it's gone now due to a fire. I decided to live in this village to stay close to the bodies of my mother and friend, or at least what's left of them. Maylee? You know her too? She helped me and my mother a long time ago to stay hidden from the army. Thanks to her I'm still alive. Before she left she gave me the vaccination in case I got symptoms of the virus.