Title: Scorched-Earth Drabbles: Air Mail Pt. 1&2
Author: Fictatious
Character(s): Hungary, GilBird
Rating: 13
Warnings: violence, history and swearing
Summary: Elizaveta recieves a desturbing note.

…

Elizaveta tossed her coat on the bed and had stared to take down her hair when she heard the tapping. She ran to the window and pulled it quickly open but was startled to find not one, but four eagles sitting on the sill, glaring up at her. Something about that made her blood run cold. Surely Gilbert hadn't written her an essay, why would he need to send so many?

One of the birds invited itself into her room and flapped over to perch on the back of her chair. Elizaveta watched it move and then the other birds seemed to follow suit, apparently having gotten tired of her windowsill. She looked at them for a moment and then slid the window shut and walked over to them. The first pouch she checked was empty. No message at all contained within the cylindrical case. Her stomach sank lower and she was pecked by the next bird when she was a bit too rough opening its pouch. It was also empty.

The third had a note in it. Elizaveta felt a surge of relief as she unrolled it and spotted both Gilbert and Roderich's handwriting. Until the meaning of the words sank in.

In Gilbert's messy hand:

You're beautiful. Survive.

And in Roderich's much neater cursive:

I love you.

Elizaveta found that her hands were shaking. She tossed the note down and chased down the last eagle as it tried to avoid her, hopping across the table. Its pouch was empty like the first two. Only one bird had been needed to carry the note. Why were the other three here? This had to be some kind of twisted joke. Gilbert no doubt thought it was hilarious.

She ran over to her bedside and grabbed the phone, dialing out and waiting impatiently for the operator to answer. Her heart was racing as she fidgeted with the cord.

"Operator."

"Gilbert Beilshmidt," Elizaveta ordered into the receiver, louder than necessary.

"One moment please..." there was a pause and then the operator's voice came back on, sounding bewildered. "I... don't seem to have a connection for Herr Beilshmidt..."

"What do you mean? I called last week! He has a line," Elizaveta nearly shouted.

"I... I'm not sure... It seems that it may have been disconnected. I don't have a listing for him..."

"What about Roderich Edelstein?" Elizaveta could feel hysteria starting to swell in her chest like a balloon.

"... I don't seem to have a listing for him either..." the operator's voice was confused and apologetic.

"Ludwig then! Ludwig Beilshmidt!"

"It... It's..."

"You know who they are, don't you?!" Elizaveta demanded in a sharp, angry tone.

"Yes of course I do! But... it's just... I don't have a listing..."

Elizaveta slammed the phone into the receiver and sat down heavily on the edge of her bed. She hugged her arms around herself and whimpered. Then she started to cry outright. Soon she was sobbing hysterically and rocking herself. There was a flapping of large wings near her head and then talons closed around her unprotected shoulder, poking painfully into her skin. A beak started to pick at her hair affectionately.

Elizaveta shuddered and sobbed, glancing over to the table with the other three birds hopping on and around it. She knew why they were here. Gilbert wanted her to take care of them. What she didn't know, what terrified her, was why Gilbert couldn't look after his precious babies himself.