DulcetFlux & creativemind [WWII]

[DulcetFlux]

She smiles a bit and gets up. "You better get some sleep," she old him gently. "We can talk again in the morning..." She turned to leave before saying, "Oh, and my name is Anna. You can call me Anna." She smiled, giving him the new name that she used around the convent.

 

[creativemind]

"Well, its real nice to get your acquaintance, Anna. I'll see you in the morning.", he blinked a little and slowly lumbered himself into the bed. It had been a long day and even though he was getting better he was still weaker than he normally would be. He covered himself with the sheet and drifted into a deep sleep rather quickly. The sounds of those hollering in pain at night barely roused him as he slept solidly until the wee hours of the morning again. He lay there in the bed his eyes closed resting.

 

[DulcetFlux]

"Good night, James," she smiled before leaving his bedside quietly. She checked on the men one more time before turning the lights out and going to her own bed. She knelt beside her bed and prayed--for her family, for James and his family, the men and of course, whether or not staying in the convent was right for her. Then, she went to bed herself, waking hp bright and early the next day for another day to work.

 

[creativemind]

He decided this morning he would take to himself to rest a little longer. He knew rest was truly the only thing that would heal him faster than pushing himself around more so early in the morning. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing slow and rhythmic as tried to keep his mind as blank as possible. Anna crossed his mind more than a few times and he wondered what sort of background she came from. Clearly a wealthy one as she spoke but there was something he could not quite place with her.

 

[DulcetFlux]

It was hard to conceal her true identity, Anna thought as she helped with the rations of food in the kitchen. At first, she had to make sure her accent never slipped. But now she'd gotten used to the English countryside tone. She also had to keep quiet about her secret which burdened her for only she and the Mother Superior knew of it. It was difficult but it was the only way for her to be safe. She could be used as war ransom or the like so she thought of her safety every rime she thought of her true identity. She went to the ward again to give the men their breakfasts.

 

[creativemind]

James lay there on his back staring upward at the ceiling. His eyes were open but his mind was focused elsewhere. Flashes of thoughts from home, from war, and from the unique stranger he had befriended here at the convent. He slowly sat himself up in the bed as he heard the sound of trays clinking about.

 

[DulcetFlux]

Anna came around to James' bed and smiled at him. "Good morning, James. Did you sleep well?" She asks with her usual bright expression as she handed him his tray of food.

 

[creativemind]

"I slept about as well as any man locked in a convent can.", he chuckled sitting up groggily. "How about yourself?", he asked her curiously as his eyes peered over her bright expression. "You must have already had some coffee.", he grunted as he swung his legs around his feet touching the floor as he sat up looking at her.

 

[DulcetFlux]

"I just enjoy mornings..." She smiled as she handed him his breakfast. "They give you so much time for intospection." She lingered for a while on the memories she had of summers in their vacation home in the southern provinces, and her mornings in Versailles and Paris. She took advantage of mornings to clear her mind and prepare for the day whist their home was still free of the busy bustle of the day. Her habit of waking up early carried over until now.

 

[creativemind]

He looked over at her smiling. "I guess I'll learn to be a morning person then.", he raised himself up standing slowly on both of his legs. He wasn't the most stable but he wanted to push himself a little each day. "I think I'm overdue for a bath.", he said to her as he worked himself over to the wheelchair.

 

[DulcetFlux]

She smiled and nodded. "Go ahead. I still have trays to serve. But perhaps we can play a game of chess later?" She asks coyly. Then she smiles genially at James. "It's good to see you almost independently up and about, Ser--James... Especially when you'll soon have to assume the position of higher responsibility-- to be the leader and voice of your recovering men," she said, hinting that she'd spoken to authorities about him staying.

 

[creativemind]

He smiled a little toward her as he pushed himself a little in the wheelchair. "Oh they said that was ok?", his face beamed back at her. He was truly surprised they approved such a request. "That's some of the best news I've got in a long time. Thank you. I'd like to give chess a try. I've never even played before.", he shrugged a little shy about it. "Let me go get cleaned up."

 

[DulcetFlux]

Anna nodded and smiled at him. "Oh! And don't forget your breakfast," she chuckled before going out to finish her distribution of breakfast rations. She completed the rest of her tasks for the morning and went back to James' bed with a little hardwood chess set in hand.


 
Anna nodded and smiled at him. "Oh! And don't forget your breakfast," she chuckled before going out to finish her distribution of breakfast rations. She completed the rest of her tasks for the morning and went back to James' bed with a little hardwood chess set in hand.

 

[creativemind]

He gave her a soft grin and pushed himself away toward the water closet. It didn't take him nearly as long as the first time bathing. He gathered up his own hot water and soaked the the steaming hot tub for a few moments. He would shave and groom himself as best he could and placed on a fresh set of cotton pajamas. He had finished breakfast and was sitting in his chair sipping on coffee when she arrived back with a chess set. "Oh there you are. Let's see how horribly I am at chess.", he laughed a little sitting the coffee cup to the side on his table.

 

[DulcetFlux]

"You're a military man... A tactician," she giggles softly. "You'll be crushing me soon enough. Alright pawn goes one step forward, rook goes straight either vertically or horizontally and knights go in L-shapes,"" she explains as she set the board up. She put it on his bedside table and sat at the stool. "First move is yours."

 

[creativemind]

He listened carefully and noticed how nicely made the wooden figures were she had sat on the board. "Sort of like checkers...but not.", his eyes focused on the pieces as she explained. He nodded in understanding and reached forward with his left hand slowly lifting a pawn and moving it glancing over to her.

 

[DulcetFlux]

The board was one of the things she had brought to remind her of home. The pieces were artisan-crafted pieces of hardwood and ivory. She had that chess set since she was little. Her father had taught her to play and that was what she did when she missed home. "Well, yes, actually. Just a lot more complicated," she smiles.

 

[creativemind]

"It's nice.", he said smiling across at her. He waited patiently for her to make a move. "Nicest set I've ever laid eyes on..", his eyes glanced down at the queen piece picking it up looking at it before sitting it back down on its space on the board. "Get everything squared away?", he asked her opening up some conversation.

 

[DulcetFlux]

"It was mine... I brought it from home so I can have something when I'm homesick," Anna said, remembering howbshe and her brothers would spend afternoons playing chess when they were younger. She was so deep in her reminiscence that she didn't get what James said. "Oh. Pardon? I'm sorry, I got caught up thinking of home."

 

[creativemind]

"Seems like you might be a little homesick now...", he folded his hands in his lap awaiting her next move on the chess board. He had noticed a difference in her accent for just a second. It seemed distinctly different than the average English countryside. "I get homesick too but I didn't have any fancy chess sets to play with at home. We played outside. The world was our playground.", he smiled thinking fondly on his childhood. He had grown up poor of material possessions but rich in memories.

 

[DulcetFlux]

"A little homesick," she agrees with him with her imperfect London accent. She tried but it still had traces of a french accent in it. "Don't you have anything from home?" She asks James as she moves a piece.

 

[creativemind]

"Just my memories. I have anything I wanted to bring out here. In case I didn't make it back I'd like somebody to have it.", he shrugged. He was a single man so no photo of any special girl or happy family waiting home for him. He had received one letter so far from home and he kept that in his rucksack which seemed to be gone. "So where are you from again?", he asked as he moved another pawn.

 

[DulcetFlux]

"I'm um, from London. Just London," she said, knowing that her past in France was to be not to be shared to anyone but her own conscience. She smiled as she moved her bishop across the board.

 

[creativemind]

Mitchell's eyes would dart upward looking at her. He was detecting something in his gut he couldn't put his finger on but her accent did not match those around them. There was something different about it. Immediately his mind went into overdrive studying her carefully. He reached down moving another pawn as his eyes shifted from the game board upward to her eyes intensely. It wasn't an impolite stare but he was onto something. "London, eh?"

 

[DulcetFlux]

"Yes, London. The south of it," she answered, her eyes looking up but not quite meeting his. "My father and mother import goods from India. Well, before the war of course. They're simply practicing austerity now," she shrugged and moved another piece.