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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:51 pm
Lai still wasn't rested and he couldn't really figure out why he had been sleeping so poorly. It could be a lot of things; homesickness, a bad mattress, some sort of illness coming on or, this was the one he suspected, his mind was on overdrive trying to sort out his feelings for Einar. The Russian believe it true about that latter one, the blond Norwegian who had been on his mind since the training facility had seemed to have taken over since the accidental meeting in the gardens.
It was noon and since there was the snowfall that arrived before the Masquerade the air was chilly and the stone walls ice cold to the touch. Lai had replaced the garments given to him in St. Petersburg, a physical sign of unity with the country, for clothing he had been sent from home. Long dark blue pants tucked into calf-high black boots with a slate gray shirt and a long, dark gray coat kept his thin figure warm. Knitted gloves kept his hands warm as he gripped the staircase railing as he descended into the North Hall. Lai's journey was aimless, just a stroll around the compound, maybe to the now snow covered gardens, to the kitchens for coffee and finally back to his own room. The back of his mind wondered if he would run into Einar and his heart hoped for it. Lai had not seen the Einar for sometime now and he was missing him greatly.
Soon his feet had carried him to the North Hall and during his walk he had no seen a single person, one he knew or not, around. The cold probably had something to do with that, but Lai figured everyone would have warm clothing and be out at this time doing something or another.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:25 pm
Even his breath was starting to get cold.
Vashan stared grimly at his hands, his eyes perusing as if to find a mystical way to warm his entire body. The stone bench was brutal on his lower half, and he was beginning to feel the telltale signs of pins and needles in his feet. How long, exactly, had he been sitting there? The coldness seeping in through the stone walls was nostalgically akin to the bite of the snow in the gardens when he had met Asmadai not long ago, and he let out an exasperated sigh, studying the cracks in the floor.
He didn’t want to stay in his room. Just the night before, he had accidentally spilled a bit of his mother’s perfume onto the bedside table, and had been ravaged by fervent dreams of those places, the war-torn slums, that thin but omnipresent line between outsider and victim. Whenever he stepped into that room, now, there was that same smell he had been waking up to for seventeen years, one that never stopped haunting him.
Burying his head in his large hands, he stiffened as he heard the steps of someone echoing throughout the cavernous room. They were coming down the steps slowly, deliberately, as if they were otiose and without a care in the world, though he doubted that was the case. He held his breath and moved back on the bench, receding into the shadow of the railing of that same staircase, hoping he would be overlooked.
Today was not a day for talking.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:01 pm
Lai's feet carried him down the last flight of stairs into the North Hall and he landed softly at the bottom. His eyes looked around, but still there was no one in sight. The Russian felt a bit disheartened by this but shrugged it off with his reasons before and continued on. He came closer and closer to where Vashan was seated and would have passed by, but a shuffling noise and the scent of perfume caught his attention. Lai paused at the open doors of the room to his right and wondered if he had heard the shuffling in there. Even if he hadn't, the perfume was undeniable proof that someone was around, and with the door open he assumed they were in there.
"Hello?" Lai's curiosity got the better of him and he peered into one of the North Hall's off-to-the-side rooms. His voice, heavy with his Russian heritage, echoed around and distorted. He frowned, that wasn't very pleasant to the ears at all. Lai did not have a singer's voice, that was Einar's hidden talent which he had learned about last time, but he still thought his own voice to sound nice when speaking. The Russian cleared his throat and entered, whoever was in the room would probably come out if an entire body walked in and not just the head. While doing so he tugged his jacket closer to him, the large area of the room allowing for the cold to triumph over the heat being pumped in from furnaces a long way below.
No one was there as he looked around the room. Shaking his head, Lai retreated out of the room and shut the massive doors leading into it. They closed with a loud double bang and he found himself wincing as though struck with a heavy object. For a moment he stared at the doors, his arms crossed over his chest and that same small frown on his face.
"I was certain someone was in there. If they are not in here, where is the scent of perfume coming from?" The Russian looked up as though expecting to see an open bottle of perfume hanging from the ceiling like an elaborate prank but he saw none, not even a fresh air vent. One hand went to his temple and gently rubbed it, the scent starting to overpower him and work in a headache. He shook his head to try an clear it away but with no success. A frustrated sigh escaped him and he returned to the hallway he was on, intending to return upstairs and find some aspirin tablets.
Again he did not see Vashan but as he lighted on the fifth stair he felt a bit of nausea hit him and knew the perfume was coming from right here. Gripping the railing he peered over the edge and caught sight of a man just below and sitting in the shadows. He couldn't reach over and tap the man so instead he cleared his throat again to get the other's attention.
"Excuse me comrade, but are you the one wearing the heavy perfume?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:22 pm
Vashan bit his lip and opened a small space between his fingers to peer out at whoever had, apparently, made it the bottom of the stairs and was now pausing for something or another. All he could see was the hint of a heavy-looking jacket that made his teeth chatter in wistfulness, though he had no one but himself to blame for his light state of dress.
A heavily accented voice echoed in the cavern, and he lifted his pounding head, unable to place the origin of the skew on the words. It was familiar, yet far away, and he tried to ignore it through the pounding headache that attacked at his temples like a pugnacious beast. He noticed it was a man from his build, but the way he hesitated at the closing door was not unlike the grace of fair-skinned ladies he had seen partying on the shore.
Just when he had began to relax, the same voice echoed from above him, and he swiveled his head backwards at an unnatural angle to catch the face- a fairly long-haired man with a gentle expression, and, seemingly, the speech patterns to match.
Comrade? Vashan swallowed his questions as he looked down at himself again, only detecting a hint of it. Perhaps he had become so accustomed to it, sleeping -or attempting to- in the haze of that flower's scent that he hadn't realized it had attached itself to his body, as well. Perhaps that was the reason for his migraines.
He looked up again and shrugged half-apologetically, speaking only the truth in a low voice,
"It may be. I cannot smell any on me, but if you smell it, it would be the logical answer."
He frowned darkly, looked down at himself. He wanted to blame his own mother for sneaking the bottle into his suitcase, yet it was also his own fault for not disposing of it earlier. It was only that she was his mother before a corrupted government official, before a woman that wanted to buy love with money, before a power hungry parasite that he didn't recognize, anymore.
He looked up to see if the man was still there.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:13 pm
Lai's expression became curious as the man looked down after peering up at him, but it faded back into a light smile as the man looked back up at him. How curious that the man, one he had never seen before, was hiding himself in the shadow of the stairs and in very light clothing at this time of season. After the man spoke Lai nodded.
"You are probably used to it then. The perfume must have soaked into your clothing." He was taken aback at the frown that crossed the young man's features and as he looked down Lai considered leaving him be. He looked like he wanted to be alone for whatever reason, but seeing his clothes he had to ask him why. Instead of staying on the stair the Russian turned and walked back down then approached the young man. His smile was replaced with a look of curiosity and concern; curious over why he was in such garments in the cold and concern that he was in those garments in the cold.
"If you do not mind me asking comrade, why are you in such light, summer clothes in such a cold climate as this? Do you not have any heavy winter garments?" Lai felt bad inside as well, here he was in his warm coat, gloves, long sleeve shirt and pants while the other was exposing a lot of skin to the elements. He wished he has brought his mittens or had another coat, the dark skinned man looked like he could use it.
"Oh and how rude of me not to introduce myself comrade!" It dawned that he hadn't done so when he was peering owlishly over the rail. "My name is Lai Gorgonroff, I am one of the new recruits here."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:48 am
Vashan was surprised at the lack of stiffness he felt in the presence of this man. While he was usually awkward and antisocial, the gentle expression coupled with accepting words made the Jamaican want to trust a little easier, and he felt his shoulders slump downwards in a gesture of relaxation. He was about to bend down in his earlier position of perpetual defeat, listening for the steps of the man receding up the stairs again, but instead the inconnu made his way back around to face him properly, drawing a bolt of surprise in his chest.
To his question, Vashan looked down unconsciously, realizing how cold he looked, exposed and bare in the stone room. His real battle was with the pain in his head and his heart, and the cold had not bothered him terribly until the benevolent man had mentioned it.
"I don't have many heavy clothes. I didn't expect the winter to be so cold here," he deadpanned, looking up into eyes that pooled with unneeded concern. He rubbed his hands together methodically, wondering how he could make himself look absolutely content so as to not involve himself with this man.
At the sudden introduction, he stood up carefully, holding back a wince as a wave of pain buffeted his lower legs- a strange cacophony of pinpricks and numbness. He held out a dark hand, as habit instructed, and peered up into Lai's eyes, allowing nothing but blankness to escape.
"I'm Vashan, also a new recruit," he started, hesitating. And then, for the first time, "Vashan Gayle."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:13 am
"I see." Lai said as Vashan explained his lack of proper winter clothing. He hid the disbelief he had of the truth of the statement, after all they were in the Himalayas of Nepal, the man should expect cold. Then again, he did not look like he came from a place with frigid winters like Lai did. The Russian saw Vashan's hand rubbing as a sign of being cold and he felt even worse for his gloves and lack of a second pair on his person. Before he could react the man stood up and held out his hand. Automatically Lai reached out and took it.
"I am pleased to meet you comrade." He shook the hand quickly then let go with a nod. "Welcome to LOTUS."
He felt a bit of awkwardness set in, not knowing what to start a conversation on and not wanting to seem like a badger if he asked about the man's clothing again. Lai's left hand wanted to go to his temple and rub the gnawing pain away, but since the man before him was the source of it, he didn't want to seem like being near him was causing him some harm. Lai then figured it wouldn't be too much prying if he asked Vashan where he hailed from, he knew people from all over the world so far, and maybe the dark skinned man was from somewhere new.
"May I ask what country you are from? I myself am from Russia, though my accent has probably made that pretty apparent."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:28 am
Vashan felt his hand being encased in gloved ones and immediately felt relief that their relationship had gotten a proper start. Even as a child, his mother would constantly have very important guests over, and he was to Act Very Respectfully or face the harsh consequences that would undoubtedly come afterward. It was a habit that had long been ingrained in his mind, but it had gotten him places, so he never made an effort to let it go.
He still felt as though he could not place the accent and mentally berated himself for being so hollow-minded at such a crucial time in a meeting. First impressions were absolutely everything, and yet he had a feeling that he only felt that way because he would rarely see someone more than once.
He was used to feeling like the world was on his shoulders every time he met someone new, and it pushed him into a corner for what to say, how to act. He carried himself confidently, but as he stood he became more and more at a loss for how to place himself so as not to seem uncomfortable, anxious or mentally weary.
When Lai announced his country he quirked an eyebrow, wondering how he had missed that fact. He sighed angrily in his mind, feeling thoroughly slow today. Still, none of that gave away when he replied quietly,
"Jamaica."
Short, subtly contrite, curt. He hoped it sounded like a dismissal.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:47 am
Definitely a place Lai had never been, but by looking at maps he knew immediately there was no snow or cold in Jamaica. Lai picked up on the tone Vashan used, and it sounded like he did not want to talk about his home country. Very well, the Russian was respectful of others and if they did not want to speak of something he would not pry. Also, it seemed to him that this man wanted to be left alone, not only by his tone but from where he had found him, hiding out of the way and in the shade. Lai cleared his throat, feeling a faint tickle there, and gave an apologetic smile.
"I am sorry for intruding on you before, I was going for a walk and did not assume anyone would be out considering the weather and all." He rolled his shoulders a little as he spoke, feeling a bit of numbness there. "You seem like you want to be left to your own device, so I will take my leave and be on my way." Lai nodded at the man and turned to leave but hesitated. It seemed to him leaving the man in the cold while he was dressed in a warm coat would make him seem quite the jerk and out of character for the Russian who was always looking to help out. Lai turned back so that his front was facing the windows but his face was turned to the other man. He gave a warm, courteous smile once again.
"Would you like to borrow my coat? I am used to this sort of weather, so it would be no trouble for me to lend it to you comrade. You look like you could need it." The Russian tugged on the gray coat that ended at his mid-thigh so the done up buttons would come free thinking the answer would probably be 'yes'. When the buttons were loose he slipped his coat off and held it out to Vashan. "Keep it for as long as you need comrade, though I wish I had one of my other pairs of gloves to give you as well."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 12:11 pm
A faint hint of guilt rolled in his stomach as Lai offered an innocent-looking smile, and Vashan almost gave way and smiled back, feeling like a stone monster next to the brightness of this man. Who was he to dictate this notion of silence next to someone who was earnestly trying to strike a conversation? Though his heart ached to say something, to show he was not just blank faces and emotionless stares, his body did not respond in its coldness, its numbness, its dead state.
"There is no need to apologize," he responded faintly, but with a certain quality to made it seem adamant, sure. I was not intending to be alone, actually. The words tasted like salvation on his tongue, that last line to make up for everything and maybe have a hint of friendship between them two, but he watched helplessly as the man walked away and then, like a merciful afterthought, suddenly turned his head back and offered another brilliant smile.
At the offer, his lips formed quickly to a no, but his mind hesitated just long enough for him to start undoing his buttons until the heavy-looking gray lump was just a bundle in his hands. At that point, he realized it would be terribly rude to refuse, but he also did not want to take Lai's kindness so early in their relationship. Used to it or not, he was sure the man would be cold. Shaking out his legs, he came to a conclusion.
"Thank you," he said, reaching out and accepting the jacket with both hands. He unfurled it and as he was wrapping it around his frame, glanced up and continued, "I was just about to go back, actually. Shall I accompany you back to your room?"
A blatant lie, but perfectly crafted. He wasn't sure what he'd do once he got up there, but the important thing was being able to return the jacket at the end of their walk. He did not intend to step back in that room that smelled so uncannily like that woman, but he could, at least, take the kind Russian to wherever he was going.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:00 pm
Lai was pleased when Vashan accepted the coat and his eyes showed it. He was faintly taken aback by the abruptness of the other man offering to go to the Russian's room, he was originally intending for a long walk in the compound, but he did not want to break a start of what could be a friendship so early in the making. He nodded and pointed towards the stairs.
"Certainly. It is a bit of a walk though, past the Atrium and up several flights of stairs. I am good with people but they house me in a place far from others." He shrugged and walked to the stairs where he mounted the first one for the second time. "I do not think there is anyone else on the same hall or floor. Follow me please."
Lai went up the stairs and looked back a couple of times to see if the man was behind him. When he was sure he was being followed he continued on his way, going the remembered route to the Atrium before going to his room. They entered the Atrium and Lai led the man though the spacious and well lit room to another door on the opposite side. The hallway on this side was the same as the one they had just come through; cold stone and lit, but with no windows only doors on the left hand side. Lai found himself wondering if anyone lived in those rooms or if they were just empty and waiting for someone to arrive for them to house. He yawned once and rubbed his right eye, but with the gloves he could not feel the scar just beneath. The Russian looked behind him once more as he turned to a staircase.
"The first of several cases I am afraid. I hope you do not mind a bit of exercise." With that he turned and climbed the first of them.
Several long, seemingly endless flights later they reached the top and Lai strolled down the hall that lay before the two men. He walked to the third door spaced wide from it's neighbors, pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He looked at his companion whom he was certain was probably winded before slowly opening and striding into his room.
First thing anyone would notice about the room was its near neatness, and as soon as he was out of the way of the frame he was taking his boots off to prevent any dirt from getting in. A small rug was underfoot as a person stepped in, and there was another by the bed. His light blue sheeted bed was on the far wall and decked with a dark green comforter just beneath a circular window with red colored drapes hanging from it. Another window was just down from that one, also with red drapes. A nightstand with a lamp and single picture on top and a lot of books under and to the side of it was next to the bed. His room's walls were bare for now, the Russian not having time to or anything for the picture frames he was sent. The closet was to the left as a person walked in, and the washroom was on the far right. Diagonally placed from the foot of the bed was a regal looking cello that was standing upright on its perch. A chair was behind that, and music sheets were scattered around the top of a desk to the side of that. Lai's bicycle was hidden behind the open door, which explained why he opened it so slowly. The red machine looked almost sullen since winter had put a stop to its use.
Lai placed the black boots next to his bureau, whose top and floor in front were covered with just random things. He smiled sheepishly to himself at not putting all those sent things in a proper place, but he really couldn't figure out where they would go. The Russian man turned back to his companion and nodded at him.
"Please make yourself at home comrade, and please do not mind the slight state of mess. It seems I cannot find the smallest spaces for some things." He gave a short, nervous laugh and walked to the instrument to retrieve the chair behind it for Vashan.
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:19 am
Once he had finished shrugging on the large jacket, Vashan could already feel his senses returning to him. He was like the opposite of others- he only realized the problem when he had already solved it. His pounding headache had receded a little at the comforting scent the jacket gave out- earthy, like ground nuts.
In thinking that, he allowed his heart to calm a little, and he fellowed his new companion obediently up the stairs, his eyes taking in every little detail there was to the place. Indeed, they were passing into a hall he had no previously explored, though he could not say that he had been on many expeditions since he had arrived.
"I don't mind," he stated quietly in response, the first time he could remember responding needlessly to a statement since arriving at LOTUS. That was the effect the Russian had on the man, but instead of being alarmed, Vashan decided to accept whatever was going to happen to his mannerisms at Lai's hand.
The more he walked up the endless stairs, the more he realized he would have to train himself a little more if he was to advance in the LOTUS ranks, taken aback at the ache in his legs as he finally scraped the last stair and puffed out an exasperated breath. And Lai did this every day?
Really?
The first thing that caught his eye as the door was opened in front of him were the stunning red drapes, followed closely by the noble cello, then the state of utter order the room was in. Though some smaller trinkets were resting around, he could see that the Russian had taken great care to keep everything neat.
Pausing in the doorframe, he hesitated at Lai's invitation. He had not intended to actually go in the room, just slip out of the jacket and be on his merry way elsewhere. But now, feeling as though whatever relationship they had was being stretching thin as well as the slight draft right outside the door, he dutifully stepped in and removed his sandals, seating himself in the chair he was offered.
As he found himself admiring the instrument again, he gave a slight glance to Lai, feeling a little uneasy. Still, he let himself relax and spoke as one of his mother's guests might have done, hoping none of his discomfort showed.
"That instrument," he started, beginning to remove the jacket. "I've never seen anything like it, what's it called?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:19 am
As the Russian passed around the chair and Vashan took to it, he paused at the table covered in music sheets to take off his gloves, pick up a single paper that had fallen to the floor and rejoin it with its brethren. At the question he looked to his guest, one hand taking hold of the neck of the instrument with a gentleness one would attribute to holding the hand of a lover. Like Einar, this man seemed to not know what a cello was. Maybe he too was from a future where no instruments were played and any songs were done acappella. Nonetheless, the Russian did not mind explaining his choice in instrument and he relaxed the look of faint curiosity into one of being relaxed.
"It is called a 'cello' comrade." Lai looked down to where his bow usually was, didn't see it, then leaned back and saw it hiding behind. He must have been in a rush the last time he had played it and did not put it back where he normally did. With his free hand he plucked the bow from its leaning stance against the cello and held it out to Vashan. "Think of it as a large violin or fiddle." He hoped the man knew what one of those two things were, it would make his comparison so much easier. "But you keep it on the ground rather than tucking it under your chin, of course. Shall I play you something so that you can hear what it sounds like? It is no trouble for me, I actually have not played it in awhile and it is a lot more cheery sounding when it is played for an audience."
He waited for his guests choice, and would not pressure the man who had just taken off the jacket Lai had let him borrow. If he wanted to hear, fine. If he did not, fine too.
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 2:27 pm
Vashan quirked an eyebrow as Lai seemed to raise the instrument with a loving tenderness, one he easily connected in his mind to the way drums would be handled in Jamaica, only he wasn't familiar with such large string instruments. He knew of the banjo, the guitar and other traditional instruments but this large one escaped him. He tried to imagine the sound, but nothing clear came out at him.
"Cello," he repeated to himself methodically, taking the bow in dark-skinned hands. He passed it between his fingers carefully, remembering distantly that string instruments- and their external components- were to be handled with utmost care. His mother had brought over a guest who played a string instrument, once, though the name of it had been lost in the years that had passed. He remembered reaching out to it, only to have his hand slapped away and snapped at.
Suddenly feeling apprehensive, he held the bow back, admiring how the wood of it shined when passed under the thinning light that came from the drape-adorned windows. He had heard of a violin, but not a fiddle, though he had seen neither. It was much easier for him to see it as a more elegant, larger guitar that was played with a bow rather than strummed.
At the offer, he tried not to sound too eager as he looked up and tilted his head.
"If it is not too much trouble," he said, pausing for a moment. And then, with a slight nod, "Thank you."
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 2:58 pm
Lai nodded as Vashan repeated the instrument's name. As the other took the bow from him, Lai eased his cello from its stand, raising it up and balancing it on its point while his hand still held the neck with tenderness. When the bow was returned to him, Lai took it easily and spun it lightly till the string was the right way and it felt proper in his hand. When his offer was accepted, Lai's face brightened even more and he quickly looked behind him to see where the short desk was.
"Alright comrade. Let me just think of what to perform for you..." The Russian turned even more and gently pushed his musical sheets back a bit to clear a sitting space. One of the papers caught his eye and he knew what to play. Lai put the bow string near the edge of the table and raised the cello over and to the front of the desk and in front of himself before he hopped up onto the table. To play the cello proper Lai spread his legs a bit and leaned the instrument back against him, the neck of it on his left. He picked up the bow in his right hand while his left hand found the right struts on the neck to start with. Then he placed the bowstring against the strings and looked back at his companion.
"I will play a piece from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld." He checked his bow once again just to be sure. "It is called the 'Can Can'."
Lai slid the bow across the strings and began to play, his cello singing out the music of Offenbach's piece. The Russian shut his eyes as he played, the music notes appearing before his eyelids from memory. As the music became faster, the fervor at which he played also increased but Lai didn't miss a single note. His cello made up for the lacking instruments that would also perform in this number, its sound rich and fantastic.
The Can Can was a short piece, so Lai was finished quickly. He opened his blue-gray eyes as he drew out the last note, gently easing the bow away, up, and then down to his side. His fingers remained on the neck, but his head rose up and a faint blush was on his cheeks as though he was just slightly embarrassed.
"It sounds much better when the entire orchestra is playing along, it sounds so much grander than with just a single instrument."
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