violet landed hard on the ground in her soft slippers , catching up the small train of the elegant dress . i crossed my arms over my chest as we faced off . from the blank look in her eyes , i knew she did n't recognize either . this was , in fact , a method she had used in her student days . for years we have talked about duty , and we can still fulfill it . we keep this process up for the next twenty minutes but the water is rising to almost our knees . 