Victorianna's Links
She was there through the heartbreak, but Anna didn't demand anything more than her silent understanding. A small token winding snake bracelet was given to her as thanks, assumed to be suitable as it was the mark of a healer. Anna can only guess the stress and sadness Unei went through during the outbreak, having to watch desperate pakkeli walk in and out, grieving and disappointed.
There was a noticeable change in Unei following the Iho Palla outbreak, and Ana seems to be one of the only people that truly "gets" why she became a more closed off individual following it all. Of course she feels guilty that she wasn't able to save Ana's love, but the snake bracelet, more suiting than she realizes, is forever a reminder not to give up. She sometimes sends dried herbs to Ana in thanks and sympathy.
"You have survived the pain. You can survive the recovery." Connected by the worst possible fate - left widowed and anguished in the aftermath of the Iho Palla outbreak. Ischade was a balm for her soul no matter their mutual mourning and Anna appreciates her continued correspondence. The woman has a small collection of trinkets and gifts and Ischade has probably accumulated enough glass figurines from Anna to fill an entire cabinet.
Though Ischade is a strong woman and manages herself well, she knows deep down she owes a lot of that to Ana. Having someone who understands your own hurt on such an intimate level can make all the difference, and the mutual support they share has been integral to keeping her going. She does indeed have a number of Ana's glass figurines, and decorates every nook and cranny she can with them. There's also at least one she keeps with her to remind her that when her sorrows are the greatest and coping is at it's toughest, she always has someone to reach out to, a friendship that will always keep her going.
"Life is too short to not enjoy it to the fullest." She's probably hinted that to the woman inbetween business chatter. But at the end of the day she's left it at that, sensing a softer undertone and not pushing further. Perhaps one day she'll be brave enough to ask for a casual outing away from business and death?
"Victorianna- she's a professional. I wouldn't trust anyone else to jar my mother."
Rivierra has openly praised her, and suggested a few peers to seek her work. Aside from that, she hasn't talked too much with her aside from regularly obtaining or fixing jars.
The biggest thing she's commissioned is a life sized glass figure of her grandmother sleeping peacefully in a bed of glass flowers.
Someone she desperately sought good fortune from when time was misfortunate. Anna nowadays is endeared by the possibility of more beneath all the mystery, but has been waiting for the right time to trudge further into their acquaintanceship.
When Victorianna is troubled, Tamsyn does what she can to help. Witchcraft usually helps. She's kept her distance, though, as she is wont to do - though there is something about the other woman that Tamsyn finds intriguing,
A purveyor of luxurious fabrics and tailor clothing that satisfies Anna's guilty pleasure of beautiful clothing in pastel colors. Between their hair, their love of fancy things and taste in music, there's a lot Anna has commented on and felt comfortable doing so, for the first time ever, in La'ecy's cheery presence.
There's something in her wistful eyes that Victorianna recognizes and feels squeeze her heart every time... Something that hints of love lost that makes everything Anastasia's parents are trying to do even more unacceptable to Victorianna. As old family friends by fortune and riches (high classes stick together, she supposes?) she's known of the young woman but has only recently gotten to know her better because of Anastasia's parents insisting - an innocent seeming correspondence with more sinister undertones. Victorianna is convinced they're trying to achieve a marriage between the two - beating down a rebellious streak in Anastasia and benefitting from Vicky's fortunes and broken heart... She feels for the woman.
Anna has been a god send and a balm to her hurt and beaten soul. Known about each other for ages but she never really spent the time to truly get to know her till now.
After her bitter heartbreak from Kalama and then her random dates after, she found herself lost and losing all interest in anything around her. She walked around almost a former ghost of herself when her friendship with Anna began to spark up again and she felt herself pulled to her, it felt like Anna was mirroring her own pain back at her, although it seemed hidden.
She's slowly bringing her light back and as more time passes she finds herself wanting to know more.
She knows what her parents are up to with them and she ignores their pressure...she doesn't want them to ruin what may be going on before it even starts...just like they did with everyone before Anna.
It's one thing to lose a wife, it's another to believe you're at fault for others losing theirs. Anna wishes Laakari didn't feel this way and tries to combat it with praise and comfort whenever she can. There's a deep protectiveness she feels for the woman and she tries to hide how much more it fuels her hidden rage.
FRIEND: A fellow member of the Iho Palla widowers club. Vicorianna is stunning, and Laakari enjoys seeing what she wears. Like other widows, Laakari feels a huge guilt for not curing Iho Palla in time for Victorianna.
A promising young woman from an awful past that Anna tries her best not to mother, since Ischade does that enough. She can only support her dreams and hope for the best for her. Maybe dolling her up is a bit much, but she sees a princess in her that deserves to look and feel the part as well.
As Ischade's friend, Kayla has been around Anna quite a bit. She admires her strength and perseverance. Being surrounded by woman who have lost their loved ones to Iho Palla, Kayla fears falling in love.
"Ugly is the one who'd even think the word."
Her first impression of Gorgia was that of a young beautiful woman with countless opportunities, so learning her life had served her the very opposite broke Anna's heart a little. Her Iho Palla battle scars tell a beautiful story of survival and perseverance and her occupation shows that Georgia took the only open door and came out the other end successful.
Victorianna met her backstage before a fashion show and had to pile jewellery on her. They talked for so little and yet that interaction has struck Anna every time she read a tabloid article of the woman. The words 'diva', 'stuck up' and 'egotistical' don't fit the real Amara and Anna is determined to get to the bottom of things.
I don't know what to do without you to this day, El. I keep your final letter in my bedside and your pictures around the house, as if I'm trying to make sure I wake up every morning and the first thing i see is how empty everything feels without you. I can't be in the spaces you used to fill anymore. And you... I had you stood in the interior garden, amongst a heavenly flower arrangement. The flowers are all dead now. I couldn't bear to water them. So now I've left you all alone. I've made so sure to honor your memory that your memory never leaves. And now... now i need it to. I don't know what to do, El. I need to move away from you.. or else one day I might try to move towards you.
To Victorianna,
I love you. I may have not told you as often as I've felt those words resonate within me, but believe me, if I had you would have gotten tired of it. Continue to love the world as deeply as you always have. Don't shut your heart to those that need you and those that can take care of you.
The social butterfly to her shy and easily embarassed hermitude, he was the one to introduce her to new friends and various circles that she was slow to flourish within. As a coveted and sheltered woman, she can't help but caution him about spreading himself too thin and allowing for little free time, as well as getting involved with questionable people. He knows her true colors and handles them well - the slight joykill and overly careful prude despite her flawless formal manner. And she knows his yearning for love despite a steady string of lovers. On the lookout for whoever starts getting serious with him, Anna is ready to exhibit her surprisingly critical eye and unforgivable scrutiny. /Someone/ has to be there to tell him some people don't deserve him and she suspects he's not very careful with his heart.
"Anna! It's good to see you!"
Their meeting was inevitable, old money, and friendly, good people. Yuusha appreciates Victorianna's... well... everything! She's sweet, she's sensible, she's strong. Of course the other part of her glassware work, the funeral jars, that's a subject he can't handle well, but he'll smile a nervous smile if she wants to talk about it.
He did, at one point, ask her to a night of fun only to be gently rejected. He took it with a laugh and a smile,
"Of course. I'm happy just knowing you're happy."
See, when Anna walked into an informal meeting with the co-organizer for the charity ball, she didn't expect leather and metal. Lakshmi took her by storm... and by motorcycle. The white-lace princess clashed with the biker businesswoman and they became great friends. Victorianna has tried to make sure her fondness doesn't rely on Lakshmi's resemblance to a certain woman... More than anything, she's someone that gives Anna the same feeling of safety she's been missing for a long while. For that, she's endlessly thankful.
That and how Lakshmi doesn't make fun of her for not knowing certain obvious normal-people things. What, she's never been on a subway! She's had a personal driver for as long as she remembers!
It started with admiring Breya's clothing lines from afar with an insecure wistfullness and now Anna is paying a pretty penny for tailor pastel goth/grunge clothes by the talented fashion designer. Turns out even she can be convinced to show some knees! Not without some good blushing of course
The godmother to Lilija's cinderella, Anna came in all her diamond and white chiffon glory and insisted she doll the beautiful girl up. A stunning dress, a fitting ride and a mask to hide from her stepmother. Only thing missing was a prince and Anna was elated to learn Lilija had met one.
Anna first met the girl through hers and Lilija's stepmother's family knowing each other. She became aware of the 'servant girl' soon but didn't know about her past until it was personally relayed to her. And then Anna became a woman on a mission. Mission 'Get Lilija to the ball' had commenced.
A second mother to me. She's the one who told me about the party where I could check on my stepmom and meet my one true love. She's gracious and kind not to mention absolutely beautiful!
There's always caution to be had with assassins but Hattara's genteel nature makes Anna forget about their occupation at times, especially when business derails into casual chatter. It makes her wonder how a seemingly well-adjusted, pleasant Pakkeli ended up on that side of the tough road.
She'd offer them a monetary 'out' if she didn't want the job done first. But that doesn't mean she can't be curious.
FRIEND: She is such a classy woman, which Hattara envies. Part of them wishes they could live such a fine life as she. Regardless, Hattara loves chatting with Anna and learning more about her.
When she came into contact wih the sisters she didn't know she was going to be dealing with a cannibal. The notion disturbs her, but paired with the surprising politeness of an otherwise terrifying offer, she was able to keep her cool and not run for the hills at the time.
(She looked into the eyes of what she was sure was insanity... and felt oddly comforted amidst the terror coursing through her as well. The unnerving calm around the woman was somehow infectious. "I- I would believe I taste awful. Of sadness." And it was a sad smile she wore.)
Surprisingly the sister she gets along better with, she's even let Taajh witness dead pakkeli outside of her illegal dealings and allowed her into her morgue where she crafts her statues in the likeness of her deceased customers. Taajh's fascination with death is something Anna would rather not admit to relating to. But she does.
Still has yet to let her snack on her customers though. Even if she trusts her a bit more than Udelra.
"If you let me have a taste, you'd be part of me and closer to your targets."
Taajh has, frankly asked to eat Anna- or at least nibble some goo. She's much less into the revenge thing, and treats the job with professionalism unlike her sister.
Well... Outside of the photos of dead Pakkeli and vile tastes.
Victorianna doesn't know what to do with Udelra. She's not really a categorizable person - brash, bold, brutal and frankly too loud. The pakkeli is shy and oft tongue-tied around her as she is around Taahj but with the stark difference of it being all the time. She trusts her rage and is thankful for it but doesn't trust her beyond that.
They've had morning coffee as per Udelra's odd request to take her out somewhere (tango?) and then... even odder disappointment. It was a very strange ordeal altogether. There was beer at 9 am and lots of talk about bloody kills. Anna's stomach frankly protested a lot. But she left that interaction invigorated and with a few unusually harsh fantasies involving the valkumous (who knew there were so many ways to kill someone), as well as a thank-you kiss to Udelra's cheek.
She trusts her rage alright. Yet it partially disconcerts her how similarly she yearns for a revenge following the examples Udelra gave her.
"Haha! Well babe, if you're paying like this, I can butcher them like animals."
Udelra is very much like a bull in a china shop when it comes to visiting Victorianna. Granted, she only shows up in the dark of night to talk business.
Well, mostly business. She does try to make the moves on Anna.
She's had run ins with both Zozo and the awful man behind his charismatic smile. She suspects no connection between the lovely painter and whoever had the sinister, awful sense of humour to send her a painting of herself drawn in her own goo.
There's something raw and painful in his smile that she recognizes. Most days she just wants to pull him into a hug and try to figure out what to say to make him feel better. He's a shy one, so shy in fact he makes her seem bold, and maybe she does try to compensate around him, be more outgoing so they don't end up sulking together. But sometimes a good book and some silence while they read in either her spacious library or his is just as nice.
Anna's adopted brother and the closest person to her. They both lost someone to Iho Palla but ended up gaining each other. A most trusted confidant and a consolation when she has no one to turn to, both of which are returned and topped with a fierce protectiveness from Anna. The sweet woman can turn into a nightmare if you look at her brother wrong.