I'm Your Sacrifice [Devi]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y353/shockwavesyndrome/thisiswar.png);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 450px;height:600px;] Four more states. Four more states had seceded. Lincoln had suggested that calling 75,000 volunteers to aid against the rebellion would put an end to it, and Alfred agreed with him, because what better than a quick end to this before it got more out of hand than it already was? Problem was, Alfred rarely thought of the consequences before he acted. Of course such an action was seen as an act of war, and that it certainly was not going to end that easily. Four more states seceded from the Union within one month. Alfred wasn't sure if he could describe that peculiar feeling of emptiness to anyone. Other countries had gone through civil wars, right? Was this something they all experienced, or was this something unique to him? He didn't even want to think about it. He just wanted to distract himself. If it wasn't the emptiness, it was a vague feeling of dread. He'd taken to distracting himself with letters. He hadn't ventured out of the house much in the past few weeks, and thus his only connection with the outside was through correspondence. He was in the process of penning a letter to President Lincoln when a voice cut through the air. "Well hello there. Didn't think you could avoid me forever, did ya?" Alfred tightened his grip on the writing utensil within his hand. It was a wonder that he didn't break the thing, especially taking his strength into consideration. He clenched his teeth, letting out his next statement in a low growl. "Go away. You don't exist." The owner of the voice laughed. It was a taunting laugh, one that made Alfred's blood boil just hearing it. "Don't exist? C'mon Alfie, we've been through this already. Not only do I exist, but I'm more powerful than ever! Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina...tell me, do you miss 'em yet?" That was one step too far. There was a loud crack as Alfred threw the two pieces of his writing utensil down, turning toward the source of the voice. "With all due respect...you can go to hell." His doppelganger smiled, moving forward toward Alfred. "I don't think so, North. See, I'm hardly the type to go down without a fight." Alfred wanted to wipe the cocky smile right off of his doppelganger's face. Their features were so similar, with a few scattered differences. Both men had blue eyes, but the blue in Alfred's eyes was accented, while his doppleganger's eyes had an unmistakable grayish hue to them. More noticeably, where Alfred had a prominent cowlick near the front of his head, his doppleganger's hair laid flat. To top it off, a pair of glasses were settled on the bridge of the doppelganger's nose, noticeably absent from Alfred's own visage. The man was now less than a foot away from Alfred, and Alfred reacted instinctively. His fist collided with his doppelganger's nose, and his doppelganger stepped back. Alfred watched as the other man cradled his injured nose, his fingers taking a reddish tinge. An amused grin came across Alfred's face once he saw that he'd successfully broken his adversary's nose. His triumph was short-lived, however, as his doppelganger came flying at him. The fight soon erupted into an all out brawl within Alfred's sitting room. At least a few objects ended up broken in the melee (including a rather nice vase given to Alfred by Martha Washington - this resulted in a black eye). One blow in particular sent Alfred to the ground. Preparing to ascend to his feet and join the fight once more, Alfred was surprised to find a foot on his chest, pinning him to the ground - And the barrel of a gun pointed straight at his face. Alfred shot the other man a glare. "That's not fair, bringing a gun to a fist fight." The doppelganger laughed, a laugh that sounded eerily like his own. "Whoever said I was playin' to be fair? I'm playin' to win. And it looks an awful lot like I'm winnin' right now, don't ya think?" Alfred never had the chance to answer. At this moment, both parties heard a knock, drawing their attention from each other toward the door. "Shit..." Alfred muttered, his eyes going wide. The other man let out a throaty chuckle. "My my, you didn't tell me you were expecting visitors, North! Who is it? If it's Lincoln, I'd like to give that that bastard a piece of my mind..." Alfred didn't like the way that his doppelganger looked at his gun as he said this. At all. "It's...nobody. They can come back later..." How could he forget that he'd invited Danii over today? How could he let Danii see this? "Where are your manners, North? I say we let 'em in." The man proceeded to raise his voice. "Come on in!" He called out in his characteristic Southern drawl, before looking back down at Alfred. "This oughta be a fun little meeting, don't you think? I look forward to meetin' all of your friends! I must say, your Southern sta...ah, I should say, former states absolutely love me." A fun little meeting indeed. For, to the bystander, there were not two men in the sitting room, one sprawled on the ground and one pointing a gun menacingly in the other's face. Instead, the bystander would see one man, with a broken nose, black eye, and various other cuts and bruises sprawled out on the floor, pointing a gun to his own head. 944 | Devi/Danii | June 1861, around Washington D.C. this template was made by ZOE of caution 2.0 !

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i473/shahal_sparda/Rp/1DaniiC.png) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 0px solid #000000; width: 518px; height: 648px; padding: 0px;, bTable] Danii was not well, simply put. Part of it was the disbelief that any of the states would actually try to do something like secede. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to do that, most of it though was that the blonde was painfully worried about Al, just at a passing glance one could tell he was floundering, not that she could actually blame him, what a terrible situation they had all been tossed into. While the capital agreed with their president, slavery was wrong, and every man born to this beautiful land deserved to be free, she had to wonder if Lincoln was going about it the right way, because Al always had this pained look on his face and it killed her. Another thing that was just getting on her absolute last nerve was that she could never have a moment alone, ever since Mr. President had formed the Army of the Potomac, Danii had a number of bodyguards surrounding her at all times, and though she was glad to have people around it was weird to have them standing in the room watching while she tried to sleep, not that she got much anyway. At least she was able to rope one of the guys into helping her cut her hair, it had gotten long since the revolution, so she snipped it back to her chin and tied it back back with a ribbon. And then she pilfered an extra uniform from another one of the men, with the promise that she wouldn't try and escape from his sight again, because girls weren't allowed to serve, but that wasn't going to stop her. The girl was still growing, and currently looked more like a string bean with hair then anything else so it was easy to pass off as a boy still, because there was no way that she was going to let Al go through all this alone while she was locked in a room with a bunch of guys watching over her. Speaking of Al, he had invited her over, and she was happy to go see him, even if she was worried that he would be in a sorrier state then the last time she saw him. Fidgeting with her Union uniform she actually frowned a little at how boyish she was, maybe one day she'd grow up and look like an actual girl. If they made it through this, that was. Instantly Danii had to reprimand herself, of course they would make it through this, it was America, greatest land anyone could hope to be apart of, she didn't care what the Southerners said! Nodding at her reflection as if to reassure herself of the recent thoughts, Danii slipped out of the room through the window and hoped none of the men heard the noise, she was sure they were out having lunch and it wasn't like she was going far, they'd probably find her when they realized she was gone anyway. Quiet, looking around, freedom! And she was off running because she was already late anyway, even if she made record time with her sprint. Standing in front of his door, Danii had to wonder what all the noise was, so she knocked gently at first, worried that she was walking into something she shouldn't have been, a hand on the revolver at her hip when she was told she could come in. Slowly she opened the door, peeking in and oh god what had happened in here?! "Sweet Mary mother, Al, what are you doin'? Put that gun down!" Danii let out a cry, rushing in quickly to wrestle the gun away from him, "Now just what in Sam Hill is going on here?!" She was all but yelling at him right now because she couldn't what had happened, it sounded like there was someone else there when she listened in, but she rushed in so fast that whoever else was in there, should have still been in there. But Al was alone, looking like a godaweful mess at that, she tried helping the other blond off the ground with a deep frown, "Alfred, what......what's going on?" She was worried, deeply deeply worried. [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Date: June 1861 Location: just outside DC? Music: Slither - Velvet Revolver Notes: its not my best, but hope its ok ;; [/style]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y353/shockwavesyndrome/thisiswar.png);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 450px;height:600px;] Alfred wanted to call out a warning to Danii. His doppleganger apparently recognized this, for he moved his gun closer to Alfred's head, until it rested upon his temple. The other man didn't even need to speak for his intent to be clear. Make a sound and I'll blow your brains out. Both men watched as Danii entered. "Wow, she's a pretty one. She one o' yours, North?" Alfred growled at these words, but before either man could say or do anything else, Danii was suddenly diving at them. Danii's words hit Alfred's ears, and a look of confusion cross his features. "What am I doing? Why don't you ask that creep who came into my house without permission! Flaunting it in my face that four more states seceded, what a..." Alfred paused at once, realizing that with the tackle, his doppleganger disappeared. Disappeared, almost as if he weren't there in the first place. Alfred suddenly became aware of various aches in his body that weren't there before, as well as a weight in his hand. His eyes darted over as the gun slipped from the sweaty grasp of his right hand. His right hand. The reality of the situation hit Alfred like a ton of bricks. "Shit..." Alfred muttered, trying to pull himself to his feet. "SHIT!" He shouted again. He should have known all along. He was all too painfully aware of what happened now, and he felt shame and embarrassment. His hand went to his nose, still crooked from the punch that he now knew was aimed at his own face. There was no intruder to fight. The Confederate States of America were a part of him. With Danii helping him to his feet, Alfred took a brief gaze around the room. It looked as though a hurricane swept through the room, destroying everything in it's path. Ever since the attack at Fort Sumter, Alfred did everything in his power to try to ignore what was happening. Dammit, he wanted to believe that those 75,000 volunteers were going to put a stop to this. He didn't want to believe that things were actually getting worse. He tried to ignore the nightmares, trying to push them off as just that when he knew they were something more. He knew that other battles were springing up, that he was feeling the suffering of both sides in every battle, as they were both a part of him. He knew that a war was brewing. He knew, but he tried desperately to hold on to the hope that it was just a nightmare he'd wake up from the next day. And now, Danii had seen it all. There was no use denying it now. "It's getting worse." Alfred stated in a hushed tone, almost as if he were afraid that someone might be listening in. Really, he just didn't want to admit what he was about to say. Not to himself, or anyone else. "The volunteers didn't do anything but make it worse...I thought they were supposed to make everything better. I thought they would put a stop to this rebellion." No. Instead, four more states seceded. More battles broke out. This was a war. Alfred took a brief glance at his own reflection - not that it was actually his reflection. His own reflection hadn't stared back at him since February 4th. It was always his doppleganger that stared back. "He's always there. I can't get away from him. I know Abraham knows this is taking a toll on me, but I don't think even he realizes just how much." He turned back to Danii and smiled in spite of himself. "It's better that way. He's already got enough on his chest, why add to it?" A heavy sigh escaped his mouth. "Now that you're here, want something to drink? Eat?" He knew that his attempts at establishing normalcy in such a circumstance were fruitless, but that didn't stop him from trying. 700 | Devi/Danii | June 1861, around Washington D.C. this template was made by ZOE of caution 2.0 !

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i473/shahal_sparda/Rp/1DaniiC.png) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 0px solid #000000; width: 518px; height: 648px; padding: 0px;, bTable] Her brows furrowed as she looked down at the other blonde, "Just what are you goin' on about?" Her blue eyes darted around quickly, maybe she was wrong, maybe there was someone else there and they were hiding behind the door or something, no that wasn't right, no matter how she tried to play it, "There ain't no one else here right now Al," Her tone was some strange cross between a whisper and a croak, suddenly more afraid for her country then she had been at the start of day. What was going on here? Helping him off she brushed him off a little before reaching down and taking the gun, making it a point to keep that. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but she didn't want Al near anything potentially harmful right now if the firs thing she saw him doing was holding a gun to his own head when she walked into a room. That didn't exactly instill her with much confidence in his psyche, so she was going to hold onto the gun and keep an eye on him for right now, "Wait, four more seceded?" She hadn't that news yet, it really was getting worse. Danii frowned, fidgeting with the sleeve of her uniform jacket, this wasn't good, why would they secede, she couldn't understand why anyone would want to leave? There were about twelve questions too many running through her head at the moment, speeding through too quickly for her to make any real sense of them, "Who's always there?" She couldn't wrap her mind around this, was Al loosing his mind? Wait, was that even possible? The frown deepened, brows knitting impossibly closer together at this point, "Abe looks like's he's aged six extra years every time I see him," Danii said quietly, worried about the president too now that she thought of it. She really liked Mr. Lincoln, he was and honest and always seemed to have the best for everyone in mind, but she didn't like what all this was doing to her country. Danii shook her head, finding a place to sit and nearly curling up in the chair, moments like this always made her feel extra small, extra weak and unable to help, "Maybe we should just sit for a spell, haven't done that in a while have we?" She couldn't remember the last time she had just sat with him, "Who.........who seceded this time?" Danii asked tentatively, bottom half of her face nearly disappearing up to the nose under the tall black collar of her buttoned up blue jacket, like she wasn't sure whether she wanted him to hear the question and answer it or not, "Ain't we supposed to be like a family or somethin'?" Her tone was utterly miserable, a miserable quiet whisper as she disappeared into the uniform that was just a little too big on her, but looking bigger by the moment. [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Date: June 1861 Location: just outside DC? Music: Slither - Velvet Revolver Notes: shes so small and worried [/style]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y353/shockwavesyndrome/thisiswar.png);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 450px;height:600px;] Alfred shook his head when Danii protested that there was no one present other than the two of them. "He's always here. Ever since February." His voice was almost as quiet as Danii's as he recalled how his 'alter ego' made himself known. It started off as small movements in his reflection that Alfred only barely managed to catch, followed by a voice that became progressively more vocal, eventually making snide comments during his first meeting with President Lincoln. The man could tell something was wrong with Alfred even at that point, even if Alfred refused to tell him exactly what. The matter hit it's head the day that Fort Sumter was attacked. Alfred experienced his first blackout. Since then, he'd experienced occasional blackouts, but what happened today was a new occurrence. Never had the apparition of the Confederacy actually appeared before him, throwing punches and fighting back. Alfred realized the truth now, that every punch he'd landed on his doppleganger was aimed at himself, but it all seemed so real in the heat of the fight. Alfred winced. "Yes, four more seceded." He knew that was why both his mental and physical state were deteriorating. The blond swallowed with some difficulty, fidgeting with his tie. His eyes darted back toward the mirror, whose reflection smirked back at him. Alfred's eyes narrowed slightly, before turning back to Danii. He didn't want to scare her, but felt that she deserved to know, especially after walking in on him in the state that she had. "He is," Alfred stated, with heavy emphasis on the word 'he'. "The Confederacy." Alfred clarified, a shudder going through him as he heard a few faint chuckles he knew only he could hear. He frowned as he heard confirmation of just how badly this was affecting Lincoln as well. Alfred had not ventured out to see his boss recently, as he knew that his so-called alter ego was not a fan. While he didn't think said alter ego would take the step to do anything to Lincoln (he might have made that comment earlier, but that was also in the heat of the moment), but he knew that it would not end well, and would only cause more stress for the man. "That's why he can't know. He's already got so much on his chest. I think he suspects something anyway, but I don't want him to know all the details." The nation ran a hand through his hair as he followed Danii, taking a seat in a chair across from her. He looked at her small form with sympathetic eyes, wishing that there was something he could say or do to soothe her. Much to his chagrin, what happened next would likely have the opposite effect. Alfred felt a jolt course through him at Danii's next question. He sat up in his seat at once, as if he were a marionette guided by an invisible puppeteer. The words that poured out of his mouth next were not his own, and they were spoken in an undeniable Southern twang. "Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee." The corners of his mouth turned upward. "Was quite pleased when I heard about Virginia. Thought I'd reward 'em for that, so Richmond became my new capital. No offense to ya, Miss D.C..." His eyes met Danii's. "But I think I've outgrown ya." After this, the "invisible puppeteer" released his hold on Alfred, and Alfred cleared his throat, relaxing at the fact that he had control over his own body again, yet tense over what happened in the first place. Danii's words made him feel worse rather than better. "We are." Alfred assured her, trying to sound confident, but failing miserably. If he couldn't even convince himself, how was he supposed to convince Danii? 650 | Devi/Danii | June 1861, around Washington D.C. this template was made by ZOE of caution 2.0 !

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i473/shahal_sparda/Rp/1DaniiC.png) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 0px solid #000000; width: 518px; height: 648px; padding: 0px;, bTable] "That long now, and you didn't tell anyone about it?" Danii didn't think that her frown could deepen any worse at the moment, but it did. She felt bad that he had to go through that whole thing alone this entire time. And honestly just the slightest bit miffed that he hadn't told her anything until now, and to top it off Danii was sure that he would have continued in silence about the whole ordeal if she hadn't walked in on him having the moment that he was when he was having it. In fact the idea had her more then just a little miffed, she was a tad hurt. But Danii pushed it to the back of her mind, "So ya tellin' me that the Confederacy, cause they're pullin' away, that it's pulling you apart too?" It was the only way that Danii could figure out how to phrase it, even if it sounded utterly insane. She nodded though, Danii could understand why she didn't want to tell Lincoln, "Al, why didn't ya tell me though?" Her bottom lip sort of jut out in a pout, a timber or sadness in her words, "Ya know you can tell me anything," It was a bit of a whisper, sighing as she fidgeted with her sleeves. The change in his accent, the shift just seemed to be in his overall person, sudden enough that it caught her off guard as she shrank back into the chair like she hoped it would swallow her up and she would disappear, "Wh..wha?" Virgina, that was why she had bodyguards around her just about ever waking moment now, because Virgina bordered the District right up close and personal, but she hadn't heard about Richmond being made capital. It made her chest ache and Danii suddenly found it hard to breath when her throat constricted the way that it did. Her lip trembled, suddenly feeling very very small as she tried to disappear into the uniform, curling up tighter. Virgina was older then her, Richmond was older then her, hell everyone was older then she was, she was small and weak and still had the fading scars from eighteen twelve on her back and abdomen, when Arthur had tried burning everything to the ground and she had been too tiny to get out of the ropes. She stifled the unwanted sob by biting down on her sleeve, attempting to blink back the very sudden tears that were welling in her eyes, she was supposed to be strong. Capitals were supposed to help their countries, not curl up in a chair and cry like babies. "We'll get through this," She sniffled, looking everywhere but at him, partially out of shame for her own weakness and partially because she was afraid of that............other guy, "We can do anythin' we put our minds to right? It won't be easy but........doin' the right thing ain't never easy," Danii believed in it, every man was born free, just because their skin color was different didn't mean they were anything less then anyone else. The streets in her district and every last brick and stone in every building had been laid down with that thought in mind. Tentatively Danii reached out, unsure weather to hug, pat, or even touch the man in front of her at the moment, settling on giving his arm a squeeze as she tried to put a brave face on, "We just gotta.............," She wasn't sure what they needed to do aside from pray for the best, really, "We just gotta trust and believe in each other right now," And she meant each other and President Abraham at that, even if there was a deep unease in her stomach as she spoke, scared of having to talk to that other guy again and scared of ho much worse this could get. [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Date: June 1861 Location: just outside DC? Music: Slither - Velvet Revolver Notes: managed to get her right in the fears [/style]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y353/shockwavesyndrome/thisiswar.png);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 450px;height:600px;] If Danii had not stumbled upon this scene, Alfred would have continued to go about this alone. She was right in that concern. Knowing her as well as he did (she was his capital, after all...well, one of his capitals), he could hear the frustration in her voice. If he had his way, she still wouldn't know. Not because he didn't trust her, but because everyone he knew already had far too much on their plate already with this war. Danii included. "I guess, if that's how you want to put it." Alfred responded to Danii's question. He felt a pang in his chest as he saw just how dejected Danii was that he hadn't confided in her. Why hadn't he told her? Going through this hell with someone to support him through it was preferable to going it alone, but Alfred was never one who liked to admit when he needed help. Perhaps when he was a small colony, but...no, not even then. Even then, he wanted to try to do things himself, in order to impress England. Even now, he wanted to prove to the world that he was strong, he was independent, he could handle everything that was thrown at him. Even when he really couldn't. "I didn't want to worry you." This was the only explanation Alfred offered, even though it was so much more than that. No, he didn't want to worry her or anyone else, but he also didn't want to admit just how bad things were getting. Maybe if he continued to ignore it it would all just go away on it's own. That obviously was not the case, but he'd tried to hold on to that hope as long as he could, until it hit a head. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure that time had come now. Alfred was aware of every word his alter ego told Danii, helpless to stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth in that characteristic twang. It was one that he used to be able to call on easily, just like every other accent spoken within his borders (though the pull was always stronger when he was in the area said accent was predominant), though since most of his southern states seceded it felt almost foreign when it came from his lips now. Almost, but not quite. Because he was aware of the words that slid from his lips, he was also aware of Danii's reaction, and it pained him to watch. He was the cause of that. This was yet another reason why he didn't want to tell her. Her expression went beyond worry. He could see fear. What was happening to him was something everyone in the Union was working to fight against. He was being ripped apart at the seams, physically and mentally, and he had no idea if he would ever become whole again. And what would happen if he didn't? It was what he feared most, yet everything that his alter ego wanted. His eyes drifted over Danii's Union Army uniform. That likely triggered his alter ego, he realized a bit belatedly. As for Alfred himself, he did not feel solace when he saw Danii in that uniform, but rather a hint of nausea. He, at least in this mind, did not want to get involved with the battlefield. This side of him supported the union, but as a result did not want to enter any battles himself. He saw them all as his citizens, no matter whether they hailed from the north or south of the Mason Dixon line. The other side had a different viewpoint, he knew, but why wouldn't he? He clearly saw himself as a separate entity, a separate nation, and so he did not feel the same connection. The corners of Alfred's mouth turned up into a small, his first genuine smile since Danii entered his home. It didn't matter that she did not look him in the eye out of fear, just hearing a vote of confidence from someone else helped. He wasn't even sure if she believed a word that she was saying, knowing she was just as worried as he was (if not more), but the point was that she wanted to believe it. Just knowing he wasn't alone helped more than he would likely ever admit out loud. As Danii squeezed his arm, it helped to relax his nerves, though his arm tensed a little. Danii's hand happened to graze against an area of his arm with a bruise Alfred obtained in the earlier scuffle. This reminded him of his current condition, and a couple of chuckles escaped his lips. "I should probably get cleaned up. Can't imagine my face looks too good right now." He reached up a hand to touch his nose, retrieving his hand to take a look at it. Fortunately, there looked to be no new blood, though he noticed a few specks of dried blood on his hand. Indeed, his nose was bruised and bloody, he had a few cuts and scrapes on various areas of his body, and a black eye. Yes, getting cleaned up might be a good idea before moving on to anything else they might do. 907| Devi/Danii | June 1861, around Washington D.C. this template was made by ZOE of caution 2.0 !

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i473/shahal_sparda/Rp/1DaniiC.png) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 0px solid #000000; width: 518px; height: 648px; padding: 0px;, bTable] Danii caught the flinch, but decided not to say anything, he looked beat as it was anyway and she didn't really want to make things any worse, or set him off again, "We'll I can't say that's a face a girl would be swoonin' for right now," He was pretty bruised and bloodied up, like he had been fighting for a while, Danii had to wonder how long he had been fighting with himself before she had walked in. Quickly pushing the thought away she shook it off and simply thanked the lucky stars that she had walked in when she did, even if it wasn't something that she wanted to see or knew how to deal with. But in all honesty, she didn't mind what his face looked like so long as he was still himself and she was able to just spend any sort of time with him. She cared quite deeply for her country after all, and especially now, she didn't want to be anywhere except beside him in case he decided to loose his marbles again, even if it meant having to talk to that other side of him. Danii didn't want him to have to keep going through all this alone, she really just wanted to make sure that he knew he could lean on here, even if she was small, even if she wasn't the strongest. "Just sit tight, I'll go get a pitcher and a washcloth alright?" Danii was gone in a flash, coming back not but a few moments later with the items she had stolen from another room. Of course she'd be sure to put them back when he was done, if she actually managed to remember. Dipping the washcloth into the water she squeezed out the excess water before handing it to him and sitting back down, reaching up in an attempt to play with her hair only to remember that she had cut it much shorter then it had been. Making a noise she stopped attempting to reach for it and instead folded her hands in her lap, watching him clean himself up from where she sat, unsure what to do now. Danii wanted to say something, but she didn't know what, wanted to do something but didn't have any ideas what to do. She could hear movement down the hall though and that peaked her attention for a moment, "Hey Al, mind if we go somewhere else? I had to shake the guards to get here, and I think they're on to me," And she really just wanted to hang out with the blonde for a while longer without people hovering over her and watching her every move, "I can hear'em outside so I say we head out the window," She was already opening the widow as a matter of fact, they weren't going to be happy with her when they caught up and she didn't want to get lectured just yet. With a small grin she slipped out, dangling from the ledge for a moment before letting go and landing with a soft thud and an oof on her feet. Admittedly Danii always did have a little too much fun slipping away from the guards, it reminded her of when she would play hide and seek as a little girl in the woods, and she had gotten pretty great at it, it had always been her favorite game. And she had learned to love the rough and tumble wilderness, hanging out in the woods and in the pretty American wild, "We should do something, while we still have the chance" She wasn't sure what, but she wanted to do anything other then sit and feel lost and sad and sorry right now, she was sure that there would be more time for that later and less time to actually enjoy a moment. They would be lost in a war soon, even if Danii didn't want to say it out loud, may as well enjoy themselves while they could. [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Date: June 1861 Location: just outside DC? Music: Slither - Velvet Revolver Notes: shes such a kid [/style]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y353/shockwavesyndrome/thisiswar.png);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 450px;height:600px;] Alfred managed a small smile at Danii's word. "Didn't think so." He looked back toward the mirror. His reflection glared back at him, the expressions and mannerisms not matching his own, but the damage done to his face was still evident. His left eye was very nearly swollen shut, surrounded by the black and blue evident of a large bruise. His crooked nose was a telltale sign that his nose was broken in the skirmish, as well as the dried blood just below. He knew that he had bruises all over, especially on his upper body. And those were just the injuries he'd inflicted on himself. Every time a battle erupted over his land, a new wound would pop up out of seemingly nowhere. Danii's remark drew Alfred from his thoughts, and he responded with a slight nod. "Thanks." He murmured, finally pulling his eyes away from that accursed mirror. He sat stiffly as he awaited her return, worried that at any moment the awkward silence would be interrupted by a remark or movement by the doppleganger in the mirror. He gave a shaky sigh of relief as Danii returned, graciously accepting the washcloth she'd handed him and running it over his face. The cool water that coated the rag offered a refreshing feeling. He went over his face a few times, choosing not to look at the mirror but rather use his hand to try to feel out where he may have bits of dry blood and need to clean up. Once he thought he'd done a sufficient job, he turned to Danii. "How's it look now?" Though Alfred still did not look tip-top, and nothing could really be done for the black eye, his face looked a lot clearer, and there was no more blood on it. Needless to say, it was an improvement. His capital's next words surprised him. She wanted to go somewhere? Initially, he felt a lurch in his stomach. Though Lincoln did not know the full situation, he knew as well as anyone around Al that something was seriously wrong. The president instructed Alfred to stay put, and try to go out as little as possible. Usually, Alfred would put up a fuss, but it was a testament to his condition that he agreed with little argument on his behalf. He knew it wasn't wise for him to go out, even now. Especially now. And yet, he didn't want to stay. He was staying out of what felt like necessity. Alfred hated being cooped up in any way, and having to stay put in his home was making him utterly stir crazy. There was a reason he'd invited Danii over - He wanted something to do, and someone to do it with. Sure, he had 'company', but he could hardly call his rebellious alter ego company. Especially when said alter ego was set on breaking free from Alfred. How that might happen, Alfred wasn't sure, but he didn't want to find out. It was why, in the end, he had to support Union efforts. He didn't want this war to break out, but it was already happening, and Alfred found that he had to support the side that wanted to keep him together, not break him apart. Even if his alter ego had other plans. The temptation Danii was presenting him with was too good to resist. He had to get some fresh air. With little thought as to the consequences, Alfred slipped out of the window after Danii, closing it behind him as he did. A grin came across his face as he inhaled, half tempted to throw his arms out and spin in a circle. He'd been cooped up in that house for nearly a month. It felt good to be out! Alfred stretched out his arms, groaning a little as his back let out a loud crack. "We should. Let's get outta here first. No point in slipping out the window if they just find us standing here." With that, Alfred headed off in no direction in particular. There wasn't time to plan things out - They needed to get away from his house and fast if they didn't want to get caught by the guards. Alfred's heart raced a little, as the grin on his face increased in size. He loved the thrill of the chase! 748| Devi/Danii | June 1861, around Washington D.C. this template was made by ZOE of caution 2.0 !

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i473/shahal_sparda/Rp/1DaniiC.png) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 0px solid #000000; width: 518px; height: 648px; padding: 0px;, bTable] Danii gave him a small smile, "Look a lot better without all that blood everywhere," Her tone was quiet, but it was true, even if his face was still bruised and his eye was almost painfully black, just getting the blood off looked ten times better. Though she had to wonder if his nose would straighten itself out or stay crooked like that, it was kind of cute either way......why had she thought that? Danii scratched the back of her head awkwardly and trained her eyes anywhere else while he finished up, wondering where that strange little thought had come from. She couldn't help but breath a sign of relief when she was finally outside, the warm fresh air and the sun on her face, it was wonderful, especially after being stuck inside, "Just smell that fresh air!" It was more of a happy hushed whisper then anything else, she didn't want to yell and attract any more attention to themselves, though the man pruning the bush was looking at them oddly as it was. Motioning for him to stay quiet Danii flashed him a dazzling grin before turning back to her country, thinking that maybe some time away from all this might do him some good. Or she hoped so at least. What was the worst that could happen? One would argue the girl was too damn naive for her own good, and there was probably a reason Al had been cooped up in the room for who knows how long, but Danii wasn't the best when it came to thinking things through. Shaking her trouser leg free of the shrub branch that she had gotten caught on Danii laughed the quietest bit, hearing her bodyguards rush into the room they had just escaped from and yelling her name, "Time to go!" She yelped and grabbed Al's sleeve, tugging him to follow after her, "Those old boys don't give me a moments peace, had to slip'em just to see you," After stealing a uniform so she wouldn't be running around in a dress of course, she never did like them, they impended her movement too much and made climbing a tree near impossible. But it was all alright at the moment, she was running across the lawns towards freedom with Al in tow whether he liked it or not, the blonde was small, wiry and pretty damn squirrely when it came right down to it. Looking back she saw the guys looking out of the window and gave them a smile and a wave before turning a corner and disappearing behind a building, "Alright! Where to? Anywhere ya wanna go!" She looked around, "Could go get a drink, walk around town, head to the woods and climb trees and fight with the squirrels if ya want," Danii grinned a little, pulled her hat off to run her hand through her short hair before fixing it back on, "You remember that time don't ya?" The squirrel hadn't wanted to give up the gold piece it had gotten it's little hands on and Danii had chased it up a tree until it gave up. [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Date: June 1861 Location: just outside DC? Music: Slither - Velvet Revolver Notes: Im on drugs! 8D [/style]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y353/shockwavesyndrome/thisiswar.png);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 450px;height:600px;] Alfred smiled, pleased to hear that he at least looked marginally better. He knew he hadn't looked tip-top since...hell, since South Carolina seceded. Therefore, he'd taken any improvement. Now if only he could improve his mental state by just dabbing a rag over his face. It wouldn't work, though. Alfred knew his mental state was directly connected to the war between the states - his states, and that he was divided because they were. Who knew how long this would last? Who knew how much longer Alfred would have to put up with this? This was another reason why he was eager to follow Danii out of the house. He knew there was a reason he'd holed himself up, but staying at home with only himself (and occasionally his alter ego) to keep himself company only reminded him of the situation at hand. Danii and her escape attempts offered a glorious form of distraction, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to take it. "It's fantastic!" How long had he been cooped up in that house now? The attack on Fort Sumter occurred in the middle of April, and now it was...was it June already? He'd been confined to his house for two months now? No wonder he was starting to get cabin fever! That, on top of the fact that Danii smile was contagious, had Alfred in the best mood he'd been in for months. He ran along with Danii, not giving much thought to where he was going. He just knew they were aiming to disappear before the guards even know what hit them. He was having so much fun that he could almost forget. Almost. As Alfred ran, he was aware that he was becoming winded far easier than usual, and the pain and soreness that wracked his body both from the earlier fight and the battles breaking out over the land slowed him slightly. It did not stop him running, although he did have to wince occasionally, especially as he brushed past a sturdy branch with a sore area of his arm. When Danii stopped, so did he. He hated the way that he was gasping for air during a run that normally should have been easy as pie for him to complete. Spying Danii combing a hand through her hair out of the corner of his eye, Alfred chuckled. "You look good with short hair. Should wear it that way more often." It suited her, knowing how much of a tomboy she was. All of Danii's suggestions tempted Alfred. Going to town especially. He had not been in much contact with his citizens as of late, and he longed to see how they were doing, how they were coping with this war. A drink sounded good too...very good, in fact. In the end, though, the outdoors sounded like the best option. He didn't mind being indoors, but after being cooped up for two months, he wanted a chance to breath in some fresh air before he went back in. Even if it was a place other than his own house. Then there was the wave of nostalgia that hit at Danii's question. Nostalgia? Sometimes he felt like he was too young for nostalgia. He was still a young nation, younger than most of the European and Asian nations at the very least. Then he always recalled, with something of a pang, that he'd already lived several times longer than any human would. He had every right to be nostalgic. "Course I do! I think..." "...I think y'all are right idiots for comin' out here like this." The words made Alfred's blood run cold. He was once more relegated to the role of observer as his body took on his alter ego's mannerisms and movements. It was a small solace that at least he remained aware of what was happening, and that he had not completely blacked out. Although in some ways, that almost made this worse. "You shoulda stayed with the guards, Miss D.C." The alter ego's eyes scanned over Danii, a small degree of contempt evident on his face as he observed the Union army uniform that she was wearing. The corners of his mouth twitched upward a little. "Now, I don't wanna hurt you Miss D.C., but you gotta understand things from my point of view. Lincoln won't be too happy if his capital goes missin', now will he?" "You're not..." "Come on, North. You'd do the same in my shoes." The alter ego responded to Alfred, at the moment relegated to a mere voice in the back of his own head as his alter ego had free reign over his functions. 814| Devi/Danii | June 1861, around Washington D.C. this template was made by ZOE of caution 2.0 !

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i473/shahal_sparda/Rp/1DaniiC.png) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 0px solid #000000; width: 518px; height: 648px; padding: 0px;, bTable] "You sure your alright there Al?" Maybe it was best to just go back? He didn't seem to be doing very well at that point, all he heavy breathing and trouble keeping up with her had her worried. Then again, things hadn't been easy for the country, with all the in-fighting, and the apparent other side of him that was trying to kill him at the same time. Danii slowed down a little because of the thought, but he really did look like he need a moment away from everything while he still had the chance, she knew she sure did, it was nice not having a bunch of guys standing around her and watching her carefully. She was more then a little worried by the time she stopped, ready to pat him on the back but afraid she'd most likely brush up against another injury and hurt him worse. No doubt the rest of him looked as bad as his face had been, poor Al. Danii blinked at the compliment though, turning a momentary red and becoming suddenly bashful, she wasn't really used to compliments, everyone was always yelling at her to act more lady like in fact, "Aw you really think so?" The blonde had to smile a bit, she did prefer the feeling of having her hair short like this instead of long, the way it had been for the past decade now. Danii rocked on her heels a little, smiling as she waited for him to pick an idea that they could run with and almost toppling over when half way through his sentence the voice that left his mouth wasn't quite his. Oh no, oh no no no not that guy again, he scared her, she didn't like the way he looked at her and the sound of his voice just wasn't right, especially right now. She yelped as she tried to keep from falling on her ass from being so suddenly startled, frowning deeply and instead squirming away from the way he was looking at her, finding the position she had put herself in very unsettling, "Oh Lord, Abe is gonna kill me," The words slipped it in a muttered whimper, the old man wasn't going to be happy about this one. "Doesn't matter, I'm not goin' nowhere with you if thats what you're getting at," No way, he scared her something terrible and she knew there was no way going into enemy territory would end well for her. She still had the scars from the War of 1812, and Danii wasn't particularly keen on adding any more any time soon, she was already backing away as she spoke. Al couldn't run too fast in his current state, so she was hoping his other half wasn't feeling too spry either at the moment, and if that was the case, it was just a matter of getting past him and running back into town, then finding a way to knock the devil out of Alfred, because she wasn't sure she could hit him one on her own. She was starting to move even as she was thinking about it, not wanting to spend more time with this other half. [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Date: June 1861 Location: just outside DC? Music: Slither - Velvet Revolver Notes: o.o [/style]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y353/shockwavesyndrome/thisiswar.png);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 450px;height:600px;] Alfred nodded when Danii asked if he was alright. He wasn't, but he didn't want to go back to the house. He needed this time away. He might not have felt tiptop physically, but with the presence of his capital trying to cheer him up, he was the happiest he'd been in a couple of months. He did not want to let that slip by just because he wasn't feeling so hot. Things unfortunately took a turn in the opposite direction Alfred wanted, though, and now his alter ego was looking Danii up and down. The corners of his mouth turned up into a grin as he watched Danii's startled reaction. "Aww, come on now Miss DC, I don't plan to hurt ya!" The look on his face was not exactly reassuring, and Alfred did not like that there was nothing that he could do to stop himself. All he could do was watch. He couldn't even reassure Danii that he was still there, albeit as a mere observer while said alter ego had control. That said, the man did address him, so perhaps she'd get the hint. "I think we mighta got off on the wrong foot, Miss DC. Lemme introduce myself. Lee's the name." Upon Danii's insistence that she wasn't going anywhere with him, he just chuckled. Even his chuckle was different than Alfred's. "You say that like you have a choice in the matter!" They'd walked right into his hands, and he wasn't about to let this golden opportunity go so easily. "You tell him, Danii!" "I don't remember anybody askin' you, North." The grin on Lee's face shrunk a little as Alfred's comment apparently reminded him that he had another obstacle to contend with. Lee did recognize two advantages that he had. He was well aware that Danii was intimidated by him, and he planned to use that to his advantage. The other edge he had? Their location was dangerously close to the Virginia border. "So, Miss DC," he drawled, "you have two options. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. What'll it be? I don't plan on hurtin' you or anything, I just plan on takin' you with me. Lincoln'll be a lot more likely to negotiate with you on the table. I will warn you though...you try to slip away and I have every intent of stoppin' you right in your tracks. You gave me the perfect opportunity and I ain't gonna let it slip through my fingers that easy." He knew how it would most likely end up. Alfred had his suspicions as well. He was fairly certain that Danii wouldn't go down without a fight, and he knew that despite her diminutive size, Danii could give someone a run for their money. And that was all that she really needed to do. She didn't need to actually win the fight, she just needed to stave Lee off long enough to get away. Unfortunately, Alfred was also well aware of just how desperate Lee was to succeed, and knew he wouldn't back off that easily. It was going to be a long one, Al had a feeling. 566| Devi/Danii | June 1861, around Washington D.C. this template was made by ZOE of caution 2.0 !

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i473/shahal_sparda/Rp/1DaniiC.png) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 0px solid #000000; width: 518px; height: 648px; padding: 0px;, bTable] "You're ahhh, you're gonna have to excuse me if I don't go on and start believin' you when you say that just yet," Or ever. She would probably never ever believe the other guy when he said that, not that she ever wanted to have another run in with him after this. Or during this. She really wished there was a way for Al to shove him deep in some mental box and lock him away. But that was probably what he had been doing when the unrest started, and now that war was impending, it was probably harder to keep the creepy other half away. Danii felt bad for Al, but at the same time, she was rather afraid for herself at the moment. Lee, it would be something like that wouldn't it? Danii would rather just call him 'that creepy other guy,' that was about as personal with the other personality as she wanted to get. The smile creeped her out, the chuckle definitely creeped her out, and if it wasn't for the fact that she had basically always adored her country, then she would have been sure that even just his face would have creeped her out, actually it sort of was either way, "Course I have a choice in the matter, this is the land of the free after all," Danii snapped back, the look on her face was usually one reserved for when she was planning something that could turn out to be dangerously stupid. "Like I would wanna make anything easy for you," The blonde was trying to muster up as much bravado as she possibly could at the moment, yes he scared her, no that didn't mean she would give up without a fight. She couldn't actually. Surrender wasn't in her belief system, nor anywhere in her DNA, and Mr. President was probably going to be angry enough with her as it was without her surrendering to the creepy guy and going with him and making things easier for him. No way in sam hill was she going to do that for the creeper. She stepped to the side again, a wide arc as she tried getting around him though she wasn't sure how well it was going to work, "What your doing is wrong you know, everyone should be allowed to live free, doesn't matter what they look like," Maybe she was poking the dog, but she was hoping that if he kept talking, or maybe went blind with rage he wouldn't notice the sudden sprint she was planning. Even if he did though she was going to try and get away, and if he did catch her, she was going to punch him in the side of the head, Danii was sure that Al would forgive her for doing so given the circumstances. One last quick glance around and the blonde went for it, breaking into a sudden run and trying to get past Lee. [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Date: June 1861 Location: just outside DC? Music: Slither - Velvet Revolver Notes: o.o [/style]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y353/shockwavesyndrome/thisiswar.png);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 450px;height:600px;] The corners of Alfred's mouth turned up into a smile. "That's too bad, 'cause the more you fight, the less likely I'll be able to keep my word." It wasn't Lee's goal to fight Danii, though he certainly would if he had to. All he wanted was to use her as a bargaining chip. And what a bargaining chip she would be! That said, he didn't really expect her to go along with it so easily. He expected this to be a challenge. But now, she couldn't say that he didn't warn her. Lee eyed Danii. "Oh, you can choose not to come with me all you want, darlin'. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna make you anyway." The alter ego started laughing at Danii's next statement. "Easy for me? I was talkin' about makin' it easier for you! I don't mind havin' a little bit of fun. I've been cooped up a while, you know. Alfred doesn't like to let me out much if he can help it. It's gettin' harder and harder for him to fight me off now though, what with the war goin' on and all!" Lee wore an amused expression on his face as he gazed at Danii. Danii's distraction did not work as well as she'd hoped. Though he wasn't quite expecting the sprint, that didn't mean that he wasn't prepared to chase after her once she took off. She did have a headstart, to her credit, but it was minimal. "This isn't gonna reflect well on you later on, you know. I might just hafta go a little harder on you when I catch you." He still didn't plan on doing anything too terrible, contrary to what Danii might believe - He needed her relatively intact for the deals that he wanted to make (to ensure her 'safe return'). It didn't mean she would escape unscathed, however, especially if she wanted to try to run. Alfred, in the mean time, was thinking along the same lines as Danii. He knew that his physical condition was weaker than usual as a result of the budding war, and that he was still injured from his battle with his alter ego. Hopefully Danii could use those to her advantage and get away. Otherwise, she'd probably find herself in even bigger trouble than before... 409 | Devi/Danii | June 1861, around Washington D.C. this template was made by ZOE of caution 2.0 !