when @westrage sees her, she stands out, a statue of marble among a crowd of flesh and blood. pearls dangle from her neck, gathering at the silk that drapes over her collarbones and draws attention to a frail neck. she is a sight, a goddess, seemingly, among a mystified crowd.
when she speaks, her words are nearly sung, a gentle melody swimming through the air from between parted lips, ' just over there, please. ' daintily, a manicured finger orders a vase of flowers to be set on the left post of the staircase, then one to mirror it on the right. like a maestra leading her orchestra, the various people around follow her movements with watchful eyes.
there is a fluidity to her, and she floats around from spot to spot fussing over ruffles and arrangements. her mind is full, occupied by her task. one would assume she might be so meticulous in other areas of her life as well, for it comes ever - so naturally to a strange eye.
what lies beneath, though, is a familiar pin - prick just behind her skull. there is a presence lingering nearby, some desperate feeling wafting through the mist of souls and spirits that she's felt before. surely, they two think, that can't be possible.
A BROTHER, COME BACK TO REPENT FOR HIS SINS ? the boom of its voice seizes her, briefly, as the candle next to her is extinguished by a sudden draft. to the untrained individual, it is nothing more than a pause for thought, but honeyed irises seem to find aeron through the crowd of people between them like a homing missile locking onto its target as ivory knuckles grip onto the railing for support. SHALL WE BE THE LION OR THE LAMB, ALICE ?
a brother ?! did she know she had a brother ? she must have at some point, after all. of course, i have a brother ! how could i have forgotten ?
SOME BROTHER, it begins, hissing into her ear, TO LEAVE YOU ALL ALONE LIKE THAT.
breath comes back to her as quickly as it left, and she turns on the heel of her pumps to break up the staircase away from them with urgency, whispering curses under her breath. this can't be happening. it's another trick !