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 Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:31 pm
Rain pelted the windows in sheets, causing sounds of sinusoidal volume to reverberate through the bookstore. Alois sat behind a cluttered old desk, arms folded and head resting on his wrists, as he peered out toward the street between stray bangs. He sighed; the abysmal weather meant business was at a standstill. Who would want to purchase books only to subject them to torrential rain? Sure, they had plastic bags, but ultimately people weren't interested in buying paper goods when the chances of water damage was so high.
Alois wasn't entirely sure why his parents didn't just close down the bookstore and save money. Then at least he could leave and do something more interesting. s**t, even watching paint dry was more interesting than babysitting a plethora of dusty novels.
Idly Alois considered checking inventory. He knew they received a new shipment of books, and he was fairly certain his sister Katarin already shelved them, but she was susceptible to whimsy and possibly forgot. Still, the thought of meandering through rows of Ikea bookshelves and tables of carefully-assembled displays and sales sounded even more boring than sitting at the desk and watching the rain. He could sweep the floor, but the navy blue carpeting already looked clean as a whistle. Dusting was another option, but the dust on the shelves was disturbed often enough when a visiting patron plucked a novel for perusal. Lastly he could break out the ladder and fix the flickering light in the corner of the store, but he didn't even know where the replacement halogen bulb was.
The day was destined to be boring, or full of regrettably productive activities, and Alois was apt to deny his parents of any chance they had of controlling him. Certainly they wanted him to reorganize the genres, or alphabetize the literature section. Naturally they wanted him to clean up the sales displays, or post new price markdowns on undesirable novels. Of course they wanted him to check inventory, or stock new orders. Would he resort to performing any of those tasks?
Not a snowball's chance in hell.
Instead, Alois pulled open the long, shallow drawer of his desk and scooted back on the awkward wooden stool. The opened drawer exposed a thin keyboard, one which replicated nearly all the octaves present on a traditional piano. The keys, once textured, were worn smooth from the Scholz children's constant playing. After orienting himself around middle C, he began with simple heptatonic scales. He then transitioned to melodic minor scales, and finally simple tunes. Once he finished his warmup, he considered something more dramatic and melancholic to complement the darkened ambience of the rain.
Though the song he played required much dexterity on his part, and his keyboard belted out the notes, the tune carried a sorrowful quality. He leaned into his playing as he worked his fingers against the keys, working with practiced efficiency. He remembered the song well, having been taught it years ago. He transitioned from forte to pianissimo effectively, before resuming the main melody of the song. Soon he became absorbed in his playing, so much so that he never noticed the sound of the bell signaling he finally had a customer.
No, the bookstore remained filled with that same melancholic song.
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:37 am
Dancing in the rain was a pleasure that Isha hardly had time to enjoy back in Baltimore. What, with all the angry that came out of people during the rather wet time, and the dangers of cars whizzing by as if not a single drop had fallen! There was never a single moment of stillness in the overly crowded city that he grew up in and had come to love. He loved every bit of it, even when the air became so thick it was hard to breathe at times, or when the heat became so harsh that it ached to even move. Even then, he loved the rain, and loved even more how clean everything seemed to become after the downpour. It was so wonderful..
Destiny City was a whole new story for him, however. The city became so frighteningly quiet during the late afternoon, and it was rare to even hear a car splash by in the shallow puddles that had formed in the streets. The sounds that comforted him though was the pitter patter of the droplets on top of his umbrella. Though.. It didn't really help since the rain was blowing sideways for a while. The direction had changed the moment he stepped on this street, a sign of good fortune for him to come! Isha laughed at himself for such a thought and a moment of wonder came to him, as he began to ponder why exactly he was outside! There was for the sake of adventure, but would it be worth the potential to catch the flu or what not.
A shudder ran through his spine as a particularly strong gust of wind came to to turn his umbrella inside out, and he struggled against a wall to fix it. Perhaps it was time to actually stop and dry up a bit, maybe stop to see if there was something he could do in the mean time.. Wiping the water from his glasses only resulted in them becoming more and more smudged, making it nearly impossible to see anything. He stopped for a moment, trying to re-coordinate himself. A soft sound came from the door he found himself before. Music.. Surely, if there is music, there must be food, right? It could be a restaurant, with a bathroom! And he could try to dry and warm up!
He pushed the door open, feeling around blindly for a table he could find. Everything seemed a blur, and there was nothing in the air that his nose could identify as food, only cleaning products and the smell of books.. If there are books,MAYBE it would be a wise idea to not touch anything. The music was still coming, but he'd rather dry up first, before commenting on how.. Sad it sounded. Did the person playing truly think that something so.. dreary in his mind pull in people in such a dreary day. An outline of a person came to site, and and he gave a wave, speaking up loudly to be heard over the melodies that danced in the air.
"Excuse me! Do you happen to have a bathroom or something of the like? It's pouring outside! And I must say, your music drew me in, not just the fact that I'm soaked. I can't quite see anything, but I would love to see your.. Uh.. Wares once my glasses are cleaned."
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Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:04 pm
Alois immediately hit the most sour notes on the keyboard and quite playing entirely when he heard the voice of a customer. It was more embarrassing than aggravating - he didn't like being seen in what he thought of as a state of weakness. He didn't like being left open to people sneaking up on him like that. This kid probably held the impression now that he's all too trusting and easy to surprise. Hell, he could think that he's a complete nutjob, too, given his manner of dress and the fact that he was playing piano in a goddamned bookstore. Well, it couldn't get much worse from there.
This stranger was completely disjointed mentally. So he wanted to use a bathroom... but his excuse for coming in wasn't to use a bathroom, it was music. And he was interested in Alois' books, which he apparently couldn't see, but he didn't come in to browse the wares at all, nor to use the bathroom, he came in for the music. What the hell was that about? Do all Americans think that way? What an a**-backwards country. "Ze bas'room..." He trailed off. Should he suggest going upstairs into the apartment? What the hell, why not. "Go upstairs. First door on your right." He lacked any cleaning cloths to offer the kid for his glasses, not that he would if he had one on hand.
"Just watch where you're going. Don't knock s**t over." The last thing he needed is for some half-blind brat to stumble into half the displays while trying to find his way to the bathroom that he didn't even enter the store for and ruin the wares that he didn't even enter the store for. <******** moron, he thought scathingly.
Perhaps the kid could feel along the wall or something. He didn't want to have to guide him up the stairs or any of that s**t; he'd rather sit where he was comfortable and resume playing without having to worry about the bookstore becoming ground zero.
Then again, the chances of that were next to Null.
Maybe if the patron took forever to browse, he'd pick up playing again. That hardly ever happened though; he preferred to keep his musical talent a secret from everyone. Wouldn't want people to think he's sentimental or anything. Besides, his sister was the Mozart of the family, not him. Yet here he was, picking up her shift, and getting compliments on the playing? She would die if she heard that.
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Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 11:34 pm
Well... If that wasn't a sure sign if irritation, Isha wasn't quite sure what could be. All of a sudden, the shop around him seemed less inviting, and he wanted nothing more than to back out into the wetness outside, and just avoid any sort of confrontation with the blob of a person he was gazing at through his foggy, smudged glasses.
"As much as I would like to watch where I am going.. It might be a problem, seeing as the reason that I need the bathroom is to clean my glasses. Of course, if you had some napkins downstairs, I wouldn't have to go that far. Not that I'm lazy or anything.." His fingers gently felt the shelves that were near him, touching and and moving along them slowly, as if he were blind. The kid had done this countless times before, to the point that he knew how to get around his old home blindfolded, but that wasn't so helpful here now, was it? In fact, it was quite frightening for Isha, to be helpless in such a circumstance, before someone who's voice sounded as if offended him to no end. His expression must have surely shown his distress.
"I'm sorry.. I really am, but I don't think I will make it without causing trouble.. If you could help.." Would this person really do such a thing? Possibly not, possibly with a huff.. Either way, he was getting no where with this..
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 12:52 am
Really? He couldn't see two feet in front of his ******** face? Alois thought bitterly. He hated the blind, and the only people he hated more than the blind were the nearly blind. They were just as entitled without the legitimate excuse. Well, he should at least see exactly how far this kid's excuse went. Maybe he could see just fine and wanted to ******** with him. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened.
Alois stood and stretched, his joints popping as he did so. Finally he traversed the maze of bookshelves and tables, skirting the corners, to reach the drenched kid at the front of the store. Wordlessly he usurped his patron's glasses and rubbed the rain water off the lenses. Almost instantly he noticed the striking color of the kid's eyes, an ice blue of sorts, that contrasted heavily against his dark skin. He'd never seen anything of the like before. Was that natural? It had to be - what was the point in wearing glasses if he had colored contacts? Besides, they didn't even make them in that color. Oh well - time to try those glasses on.
They fight tightly against his temples, as if they'd give him a headache in nary a minute. He tried, desperately, to make out any discernible shapes in the mass of color that now composed his vision. "You're damn near blind." He commented tersely. He began trying to navigate the store in his new and unusual world, hoping to avoid colliding with any bookshelves, but his meandering through the room only culminated in a disaster.
Alois shoulder checked a bookshelf accidentally, sending himself off balance and several books toppling to the floor in a resounding heap of paper. "Scheiß'!" He cussed loudly. Instantly he seized the side of the shelf roughly to steady himself, and despite a slight sway, managed to succeed. "What a ******** mess..." After removing the glasses and inwardly thanked himself for having decent eyesight. He didn't want to bear the handicap of needing glasses all the damn time just to see his hand in front of his face.
After walking away from the pile of dusty books, he stood next to his patron and gave the glasses a quick once-over before electing to relinquish them from his possession. He seized the boy's hand and placed the glasses against his palm. "Here." Lord knows he could have far too much fun messing with the things, as it had already occurred to him to swap them for a non-prescription pair or turn their meeting into a blind scavenger hunt to find them. "Just don't do what I just did."
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 2:01 am
Now.. This was something Isha wasn't quite prepared for. A pair of hands reached out, taking the glasses right off of his face and placing them right onto their own, after giving them a quick cleaning. As soon as they were taken off, his eyes closed near immediately after taking a few quick blinks. He wasn't nervous about his eyes and their unusual color; his eyes closed due to the strain that going without glasses brought on. An odd, pain quickly reached his eyes as they struggled to adjust to the lack of lenses before them.
"Yeah.. I get told that alot." He laughed weakly, still inching towards the boy who had wandered away with the only thing that could help him navigate the unfamiliar area. With his eyes closed, he simply focused on the sounds that the other made as he shuffled along with the eyewear. What exactly was he doing with them, anyway? A loud crash and what he could identify as a swear gave him a small idea. Whenever his glasses were taken, people HAD to put them on. It was just human nature, he supposed. From what it sounded like, the other had knocked down some of the wares he was selling, and that instantly made him freeze. There was no point in trying to continue further, not if the other had made a mess, and his own presence had the potential to make it worse.
"Are you alright-- Oh." As soon as he had begun to ask, the lenses were placed back into his hands, and he quickly put them back on, thankful that the world had been returned to him. Although the shop wasn't COMPLETELY clear, it was enough to allow him to see the person before him clearly for the first time. He wasn't exactly what he would have expected the keeper of a... Book store would be like. In saying that, there was no reason to judge.
"I won't, I promise.." He said softly, feeling dwarfed by the person before him. Curse his genetics for causing him to be so short! One day he'll get taller, if even by a few inches.
"I'm Isha, and thank you for helping me out.. You were playing a piano or something? Mind if I see it real quick? After all.. It did draw me in here."
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 8:54 pm
"You mean ze keyboard? It's a piece of s**t." Alois spoke frankly. That keyboard had been sitting in the drawer of the bookstore's desk since they moved to Destiny City months ago. In fact, the keyboard was packed into that very drawer when they moved overseas, and suffered some cosmetic damage from the bumpy ride. It still played well enough, but it certainly wasn't anything compared to a tried and true piano. It didn't matter much to him; Alois was more interested in the act of playing than the quality of the sound. It was something to concentrate on rather than something to listen to and enjoy.
Despite that, this young man still wanted to see the damned thing, and not his wares. Though he already established that he was attracted to the bookstore for the music, and not a bathroom to clean his glasses pr the books. Not that he was judgmental or anything.
After quirking an eyebrow at the kid's request, he moved toward the desk once again and nonchalantly stepped over his mess of books. "Yes, it's over here." He slipped his hands into his pockets as he walked, despite his finger claw constantly catching on the lining. Alois didn't bother to see if the kid was following him; if he couldn't see out of his glasses now, then there was nothing either of them could do to fix it and he may as well shove a couple stakes into his eyes right now and give up on sight altogether.
Not that he was the slightest bit morbid. Especially not toward customers.
Alois leaned against the desks and folded his arms across his chest. He nodded his head toward the keyboard in question, which sat upon a pull-out drawer and was angled slightly from the inertia of the tray being pulled out roughly. A thin layer of dust covered the majority of the keyboard, but was absent from the keys. "My parents bought it for my sister years ago. It isn't high quality, just somesing for her to ******** around wis', or so." Not that the kid really needed the story of the keyboard's life.
Speaking of Katarin, she would likely come down within the hour to relieve him for a break. If this patron was so interested in music, she'd be more than happy to sit and play something for him. It almost disgusted Alois to think about it. That girl would bend over backwards if it meant getting compliments on her playing. How deplorable.
It also wouldn't surprise him if the kid wanted to butcher some song on that keyboard and then fish for compliments.
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:27 pm
Isha was never one to judge people right away, so despite the fact that the person before him seemed so angry and nonchalant about things, he wouldn't think of him poorly. No, after all, if the person before him was truly a jerk, he would have done something much more mean than simply taking his glasses away and wearing them for a moment. Sometimes, people just had a hard shell, and of course, Isha loved to pry! But he wasn't quite in the mood to just jump into things as he normally would have. Asking questions, and knowing full well that it was more than easy for him to get on someone else's nerves. No, today was a day of peace, of slow weariness that came out of him during the cold spring downpours. It seeped into him just a wee bit, enough to quiet his normally bouncy self. Not into something sad, of course, no, into something a bit more contained.
He quietly followed him towards the hidden keyboard, smiling when he saw it. Just as he had done when he was missing his glasses, he felt the keys with his fingertips, moving them around, stroking the keys slowly as if he couldn't see them.
"Fascinating.." Coming from a world where everything was new, where nothing was left to age or wear down, something so worn and well used was quite the rarity for him. In his mind, Isha could just imagine a small child practicing on such a thing, pressing one key at a time and marveling at the sound each stroke made. He, himself, found it quite stunning, knowing that such a thing could be put together, a random jumble of sounds, to create something so wonderful and peaceful, or angry and violent.
"I only know one song... I can't read music or anything.. I can just play by ear. The notes may not be right, but.. I still love it nonetheless. Perhaps a little bit more cheery than what drew me in.." The last bits of his words trailed off to a whisper before he , not intending for them to truly be heard by the others. He eased his fingers to where he assumed would be right, the patterns on pianos simply repeated to him, and he could never tell where was right, where was actually proper to rest his fingers. Only his ears could recognize what was going on.. A single press of a key was made. His relaxed face crept into a small smile, knowing that he found the right note, the one that would start it all..
The icy grey eyes were once again hidden behind thick lashes as they slipped closed, and his fingers began to play a soft, yet hopeful tune. There was no need to watch his fingers, only a need to listen to how he played, what he played, and to keep with what just kept resonating in his mind. Each drop of the downpour outside created such a wondrous moment for the boy, one who he didn't mind continuing for a while. Whether or not the boy who stood near him enjoyed it did not quite matter, it was just the one song he knew, the one song he enjoyed above all others, and the one he knew best.
It did not take long for him finish, as his melody was quite short, compared to that of the other, and the shop was filled with only the echo of the rains outside. He wasn't going to ask for any compliments; Isha was more than certain that there were a million mistakes made, if someone actually knew the sheet music. Instead, he opened his eyes, giving the person who stood behind him the same smile he had held the entire time he played.
"I never did say my name, did I? Nor did I ask yours.. Would introductions still be proper?" Playing the composition seemed to take a bit out of him, and the chill of his still damp clothes had gotten to him, causing his small and narrow shoulders to quake a wee bit. He never let his smile fade, not for an instance.
"May I ask your name?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:11 pm
Alois was mildly surprised that the kid just plopped down in front of the keyboard without asking and set his hands upon the thing. It was glaringly obvious that he'd had no formal training - he poked around blindly in hopes of finding the proper location for his hands. It was almost painful for him to watch, so he decided to remedy the situation and put an end to this atrocious display of ignorance.
"Middle C is here." Alois pressed the key without even having to look for it. "You're way off base." He walked behind Isha and seized the kid's hands, moving them to their proper location on the keys, and then kicked the side of the chair to edge it forward a bit. "And sit up straight. Don't play like that." Maybe it was all the rigid lessons he'd had as a child, but he was unduly picky about posture and form of other players. When he was satisfied with the location of the kid's hands and the way he sat on the bench, he returned to his prior perch without a word.
Though he didn't want to comment on it, the kid's hands were algid. Unusually so. If he had to guess, his patron would undoubtedly come down with a cold because of it. Would he offer to take his coat or make him a warm beverage? Not a chance. He'd have to buy something first, and it'd better be a damned nice something if he had any hope of convincing Alois to make some coffee or hot chocolate. Not that he even knew how to operate a coffee machine to begin with.
Alois figured the keyboard was damn old, so if the kid broke it, he'd make him feel bad enough to purchase a new one. Maybe if he was lucky, and the boy was rich, he might get ahold of a legitimate piano. It'd just be a b***h to fit it into the shop somewhere... And overall that'd be a waste of a perfectly good piano.
To his surprise, the kid played relatively well. It was choppy and unrefined, but he played with quite a bit of practice on the piece. He furrowed his brow as the kid hit an errant sharp or flat in a piece that, as far as he'd extrapolated, wasn't written in a scale that contained it. Still, listening to the boy play so passionately turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. Often times he found his thoughts drifting far from the place, as if he was forgetting himself in the music.
A flash of lightning painted the bookstore in an unnatural light, immortalizing it against his lids as he closed his eyes to the light. The image of the kid playing faded only seconds later, and he was left with nothing but the sound of the piano against a backdrop of rain. The hopeful melody left him feeling strange, incongruous. He couldn't related to it.
Maybe he didn't want to.
When the music stopped and his patron spoke, he opened his eyes and breathed a sigh through his nose. Did it sound like he gave a flying ******** about what was proper? Not only that, but the kid had a silly grin plastered across his face, as if they were playing a game and he was winning. "Alois," he responded tersely. If he wasn't currently working, he'd have just told the boy to get ********. He didn't even make any sense - why play his keyboard without bothering to ask his name or even his permission? Did it sound normal to just walk into a bookstore of all places, ask to see their piano, play it, and then decide the shopkeeper's name was worth knowing? How preposterous.
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Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:35 pm
As the other had moved his hands around, Isha found himself wanting to grab them, wanting to hold onto the warmth that they held, so unlike his own at the moment. Having his skin so chilled was such a strange feeling for him, especially since his hands were always so hot from all the movement they made! No, today, they were icy and pale. Oh, well, he was just a customer here, after all, and there was no reason for the other to be so kind to him as to take notice. When he finally returned home, maybe he would have a nice hot bath and some soup.. Yes, that sounded quite lovely.
Alois' response to his question, the way it sounded, just came off as unwelcoming, and it was at that point Isha finally realized that maybe what he was doing was wrong. Who exactly was he to just come in as he did? Oh what his mind did to him at times! This absentminded innocence that plagued him so seemed to get him into more and more trouble as time passed by in this city. If he continued to upset people with his slowthinking and peaceful nature, surely he'd be found beat up some where.
After all, not everyone had peace inside of them. He found it hard to understand, and his smile fell back into an expression of guilt and shame. He turned around in his seat, his hands between his knees as he received the name. Those eyes that hid behind such a thick wall of glass were cat down towards his knees, suddenly feeling sheepish and uncomfortable infront of the other boy. He was not afraid, no, just feeling humiliated at his own brash behavior.
"Alois.. It is a wonderful name. I am Isha." His voice was a bit softer than before, and after a moment, he stood, quickly regaining his normal behavior, that same silly smile reached his lips once more. Alois was a businessman, no? Or at least he worked here. Maybe it would just be best to buy something, then leave.
"Well.. Um.. Now that I am no longer distracted, I'll go ahead and find something interesting to take home with me. Maybe it will calm down a bit outside by the time I'm finished." Did he even want anything... No, not at all, but surely there would be some sort of old tome sitting around here that would interest his mother or father. Maybe a new sailing encyclopedia for his brother.. Or a book on Ninjas for his sister.
Before he could move though, a large shiver started at the base of his spine, as if Jack Frost himself had dragged a single finger all the way up to his neck. Followed by that, a sneeze came, one that he was able to catch in the crook of his arm before he sneezed all over the place.. Just great..
"I'll have to make my search a bit faster.. Seems like wet clothes may not be the best for me.." His laugh rang out though the small shop, countering the heavy atmosphere that surrounded the two. Even if Alois didn't want to be a cheery fellow, didn't mean Isha would have to be just like him.
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:26 am
"Your name is what?" The kid's quiet tone rendered it impossible for Alois to catch his name. He supposed it wasn't particularly important - it wasn't mandatory to learn the names of all his patrons, or accommodate their every whim. In fact, Alois thought it was pretty nice of him to let the kid see his keyboard at all, let alone play on it without any objections.
His actions at least warranted a break, so he wasn't sitting around starving to death for three and a half hours.
The boy's response was relatively closer to the spectrum of reality. At least he intended to peruse the bookstore in a normal fashion, if only to buy time until the rain died down. Too bad it wouldn't. "Ze storm won't let up until late tonight." He offered offhandedly. He only knew of it because the only reliable station on his parents' bookstore radio was a weather channel, and he had the thing playing as background noise for the last hour and a half. He probably counted the fact repetitions to ten while he was actively listening to it, before finally turning it off in favor of listening to the rainfall. It didn't impact him terribly, but the kid would certainly suffer walking home. Perhaps he should just call a cab instead.
When he heard Isha sneeze, he responded reflexively. "Gesundheit." For the first time, it sounded strange to hear his native tongue. It had been too long since he'd spoken German, and thanks to his parents' contrived rule of only English in the house until he'd worked on his pronunciation, he was no longer used to hearing it. Still, it was a welcome change. It felt tiring to speak from the mouth all the time and not from the throat - the familiar guttural tongue felt much easier to respond in.
Despite his introspections, the kid continued to comment on his soaked clothing. Alois noticed it too - he smelled of rain, and his clothes would mold if he continued to wear them for too much longer. On top of that, he'd likely catch a cold or something worse. It didn't matter; the boy's health was none of his concern.
Footsteps in the back of the store caught his attention, and Alois shifted his gaze to spot his sister coming down from the apartment. "Katarin, you're late. As usual." He'd grown accustomed to his breaks being neglected for up to an hour, thanks for her forgetfulness. She called it getting lost in her music, but he called it irresponsibility. Would it kill her to set an alarm and relieve him on time? "We haf' a customer. Why don't you make him somesing to drink? Unless you want him to get sick." He loved pinning such rudimentary responsibilities on her, mainly because he couldn't be arsed to do it himself. Not only that, but scoring a free drink out of it sweetened the deal.
Katarin only flashed him one of her coy smiles. "You could've called me, and you know how to make hot chocolate yourself, fauler Sack." Her smile grew wider, and she pushed back a few deep curls of vibrant read hair as she spoke. After she approached her brother and punched him lightly in the arm, she continued to the coffee machine that sat neglected atop a rickety desk. She straightened her khaki summer dress before leaning over the old drawers and plucking a few packets of cocoa mix from their dusty confines. Since the water had been sitting on the coffee burner for quite some time, it was still plenty hot to the touch. It only took her a matter of minutes to mix a few cups of hot cocoa with her own little twist.
Alois cocked an eyebrow at her insult. "Schlampe," he fired back. "Don't mix too much for him."
"So who's our lovely customer?" Katarin asked as she about faced, expertly holding three cups. She laid eyes on the boy in question and found him rather adorable - his red hair bore far tighter curls than hers, which was endearing in its own way. And those coke bottle glasses? To die for. But, given her brother's horrible demeanor, the boy was probably halfway out the door already and she'd have to salvage the situation.
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:35 am
"Oh, thank you! And It's Isha! Isha Chaudhary." How surprising it was to here Alois actually do something polite. Then again, saying bless you, in any language, tended to just be a reflex. It was welcomed all the same. the prospects of the rain continuing on until the night made the boy pale a bit more than he already was. That means it was either walk home.. Or ask to use the phone. Did he have a cellphone? Yes. Was it currently with him. No, no of course not. In all his foolishness, he had left it at home, figuring he wouldn't need it on such a glorious day as today. After all, he wouldn't want to risk the small piece of plastic to be damaged by the rainfall, would he?
Just how would it look to not only ask of assistance in fixing his sight, but also in getting home! It would have been so very rude, and surely Alois wouldn't have anything else to do with him if he had started asking more and more of him. He might even be shoved out of the shop without a second thought! He sighed a bit to himself at hearing such news. Well, there were other places around here that would let him use the phone, certainly.
The footsteps reached his ears too, and he could not help but turn around, giving whoever came down the stairs a smile. He just couldn't help smiling at this point! He was enjoying himself in the company of this moody teenager, even if he hadn't a cared too much to give him the light of day. She looked quite similar to the one before him.. Perhaps siblings? Then again, if you were to look at all of his siblings, you would never be able to tell.
It didn't take long at all for the boy to wander away into the shop, hiding behind a book shelf while the boy's sister descended down the stairs. As they spoke, he busied himself with finding something that his family would appreciate. The whole scenario was incredibly convenient for him. The owners of the store were German, from what he could tell of the accent, the store was filled with German novels and story books, and he was just absolutely thrilled with it. His arms rapidly filled up with a good number of books, ones to practice the language with, and ones, with the little knowledge he had so far, seemed to be interesting fantasy tales. Soon enough, he came back into sight completely, with at-least eight different books, of various sizes, stacked up neatly in his arms. Being cautious about how wet he was, he held them out wards, away from his body, and on his bare skin, as he had rolled his sleeves up.
Now, Isha had felt such star treatment before, but it amazed him to no end when Alois suggested something warm for him. The weight of the books just seemed to grow, and his weary body could not support them much longer, so he came over once again to the counter, setting them down hastily, but gently still. How excited he was to have something to warm him up just a wee bit! Then.. Maybe with this new lady here, he could ask to use the phone.. The books should add up to at least a hundred dollars.. Maybe that could satisfy the boy before him, and would give him a little bit more consideration than simply an outright no.
"Uh.. Ich sprechen ein bisschen Deutsch. Ich lernem immer noch...? Um.. Mein name ist Isha!" He spoke out to them, the accent his own voice held seemed to get heavier in the still unfamiliar tongue. He was 100% sure that somewhere, he had messed up, but he was trying so hard! With a soft danke, he graciously accepted the drink, feeling all over the cup, and rotating it in his hands to try to have some of that warm transferred to him.
"My sister speaks it as well.. Though way better than I! She grew up speaking it. I'm learning from her, for her. " There was no reason to keep talking about it, unless they were curious about it. Most likely not.. So far, this didn't seem like it would be more than a one time interaction. That is, of course, unless he really wanted to come back here for more learning materials. Maybe even get some tutoring from them in the form of conversations! He'd need some sort of excuse though to ask. He could always flash the money card, but that was no way to make friends.
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:30 pm
Oh, so he speaks German now? Cute. Alois found Isha's speaking far too formal for his taste. His sister, on the other hand, would certainly comment on it. It was a little unnerving to hear someone stumble along in his native tongue, but it had to happen eventually. He suppressed a lip twitch when he heard the choppy pronunciation.
Katarin smiled when she handed the boy a cup of hot chocolate. "It's very good!" She praised, in reference to his German. She knew well the difficulties of learning a new language, and the importance of practicing it with native speakers. Besides, it was heartwarming to hear German again, be it from a practiced speaker or a new one. "So your sister is from Germany, or maybe Austria?" Swiss German was a little strange, and that didn't sound like Swiss to her. it had to have been one of the two, but Isha's accent wasn't developed enough to discern it.
Alois, on the other hand, simply sipped his drink in silence. His sister would likely take the reins of the conversation, which was a load off his mind already. Now he wouldn't have to focus on the kid's mannerisms or his bizarre sense of logic. After setting his cup atop the messy desk, he took a seat in front of the keyboard and folded his arms on the cluttered surface. With a resounding set of sour notes, he leaned on the instrument. They tapered off slowly, much to the dismay of his sister.
The horrific cacophony caused her to wince. "I wish you wouldn't do that. You could turn that thing off before you lay on it, you know." Unfortunately, telling Alois to knock it off only spurred him on.
When the kid brought a load of books to the counter, Alois cocked an eyebrow. Most of the titles he'd read at least twice before, with a few interspersed that he'd only just stocked that morning. "Interesting choices." He commented, albeit dully. He was tired; interacting with individuals he didn't understand wore him out immensely and grated on his already frayed nerves. Not to mention the fact that the kid barged in on him in the middle of a piece and he didn't even notice.
Katarin took notice following her brother's comment. "Oh, you have some good ones there! My favorite is Die Leiden des jungen Werthers. I love Goethe's work." She could go on for days about the intricacies of his writing, but this wasn't the time nor the place. However, given the weather, she could probably entertain him with stories until the rain let up.
Alois sat up and cracked his back before donning reading glasses and seizing a few of the books. He checked the infinitesimally small sticker on the back for the price, inputted it into his calculator, and tallied up to the proper amount. Once he'd combed through the stack, he checked the total price listed and considered giving a discount. Some of them amounted to a shitload of money, and his father had already lectured him twice about alleviating the financial burden of a large purchase with an appropriate discount. Eight books in all... ******** that, he was rounding it to ten. So, at 112 dollars... "Your total's a hundert one fifty."
"Did you give him a discount?" A smile blossomed on Katarin's face. "You're full of surprises today. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Her brother was hardly the type to follow directions, and it was even stranger still for him to be remotely nice to someone. He always wanted to maintain some harsh, severe ******** off, Kat," came his irritable reply. "Get off my a** about it or go upstairs. I'm not in the mood for your s**t right now." So much for being able to relax. Besides, if his father was there, he'd just bustle around and push Alois out of the way, maybe even relegate impossibly boring tasks to him and talk down to him about how he'll probably do it wrong. After doing so, he'd likely praise Katarin for being wonderful and amazing and able to follow directions without correction, and ask Alois why he couldn't be more like his sister. In a sense, he'd earned that kind of treatment, but he grew tired of it many years ago.
"Watch your mouth in front of our customer." Kat sat on the edge of the desk and crossed her legs, looking over her shoulder to observe her brother's calculations. It looked correct to her. "I'm sorry Isha, he's always been pretty irritable. I hope you can see past it." She hated having to apologize for him, but she felt like she had no choice.
"Hör mit dem Unsinn auf." Alois glared at his sister scathingly before pushing her off the counter. "If you keep sitting on it, you'll break ze desk." It already creaked and slanted downward on that corner. Did she really need to break a piece off before she'd stop?
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:18 pm
"No.. No, she's from Norway. But she speaks German. She was taught it when she was in the orphanage.." Isha's expression became slightly wistful as he thought of his own time there after his fraternal parents passed away. His memories of the place were not completely dismal, just lonely.. He could hardly remember the place now, but he could remember seeing every one of his little toddler friends being adopted, except for him. Most of the families saw hims as blind, with his pale, blank gaze searching around at every little noise, and the way his hands grasped at the walls. Too much of a burden for a family in a village as tiny as his was. This was not the time, nor the place to be dwelling on such things. His life was so grand now that there was no room at all for such upsetting thoughts! A hand came up to cover the giggle he let out as he continued to observe the siblings bicker, though not seriously.
"Maybe you two can come meet her one day. She's normally at home, as she has recently reached her last year of high school, and summer break is starting soon. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to speak with someone else besides my tutor who can speak German so well." With another sip of his cocoa, the weariness in him seemed to seep away, and he too, shifted a bit to stretch his svelte form. All of the dancing he did certainly kept him in shape! Silently setting his cup down on to the table where other two seemed to set theirs, he reached into the inside of his coat, which still was weighed down with water, and pulled out his wallet. When he opened it up, he actually was quite baffled at the fact that there was cash in there along with his normal credit cards. The maids must have slipped some in there, knowing that he'd be venturing to a more cozy part of town where card might not be so widely accepted. Isha pulled out the appropriate amount of money to pay with in twenties, and handed them off to Alois, making a wee bit of a face when he realized how heavy the books were going to be.
"We moved here not too long ago.. Not even two weeks ago, honestly. Our family has a mansion towards the edge of town. I would love to hear more about it! I think I would need a bit of a walk through to finish the book. I wouldn't mind at all treating you to some snacks and a bit of pay if you would simply come over to the house to speak with us! Though.. That might seem a bit awkward, wouldn't it? I just made it awkward.. I hardly know you, and I'm asking you over to my house as if we were friends already.. I wouldn't mind becoming your friend though!" The more he spoke to Katarin, the faster his words became, and his cheeks became flushed with embarrassment at being so outspoken once again! Alois, who had taken his money, surely would have felt left out if only his sister were invited over! He knew that he would have been if he were in their shoes.
"If you really enjoy the piano, I would love for you to come see our music room!" Returning to Alois again, he nodded a few times, as if assuring himself of this being a wonderful idea.
"It's.. Probably three times as big as this book store.. With a huge grand piano, made of crystal! you can see all of the workings inside of it as it plays.. And there are all sorts of other instruments there to! And a dance floor in the same room, off to the side, with a glass ceiling that reflects off of all of the crystal in the room. It's so pretty at night time, when the stars are out, and the piano plays softly as my sisters and I waltz about the room.." A sigh of happy nostalgia escaped from his lips as he thought of the room. Crafted to have a divine acoustics, the room was a music lover's paradise. Though he wasn't as formally trained as his siblings were, Isha STILL found himself loving that room more than anything else in the house, sans for the kitchen.
"I would absolutely love it if I could hear you play again."
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 3:14 pm
"That sounds wonderful!" Katarin had never seen the inside of a mansion before, so the boy's invitation was well received. His telling of the mansion's music room kindled a sparkle in her eye, and she became instantly enthralled with the idea of visiting the place, tutoring or not. How she would love to play on a crystal piano... Especially with an audience, though she didn't know how Isha's parents would feel about him inviting over strangers that he'd met in a bookstore. Still, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit such an ornate music room.
Alois, on the other hand, had no problem abstaining from visiting the boy's house. "I'll pass." Sure, it was a courteous invitation, but the thought of playing anything in front of his sister made him ill. She knew she had the superior musical talent between the two, and couldn't refrain from flaunting it whenever he was at the keys. On that note, he essentially ceased his playing whenever she was within earshot. Why would he want to subject himself to her constant criticism if he could avoid it? he was better off simply quitting the instrument altogether.
He counted the money with practiced dexterity and broke the last twenty with the change lying in one of the lower drawers. After handing back what was owed, he proceeded to stuff the books in nondescript plastic bags bought for the express purpose of shielding the purchases from torrential rain. Even though they wouldn't get soaked, the kid would have a helluva time lugging those back to wherever he lived. Outskirts of town? That was over a mile away.
"You'd best ask my sister to play. She's ze maestro of ze family." Saying so sounded like a compliment, but he was more concerned about playing in front of others, as it was such a personal affair. There was no way in hell he'd let some kid who just waltzed into his bookstore hear him play willingly. Katarin was the sucker for attention here, not him.
Katarin blushed lightly at her brother's compliment. "Yes, I suppose I am. I'd love to play for you, though. I'm classically trained, and since I moved here, I've been doing pretty well with solos and concerts. You could say I'm making a name for myself here." She would be having a concert later in the week, which she'd practiced extensively for. She could demonstrate the song for Isha in his wonderful music room, or even invite him to the concert herself. "Would you like to hear me play in a formal setting? Next week I'm playing a rendition of some classical pieces in the theater a few miles from here." He'd still have to pay, but she could certainly work in a discount with her manager.
To Alois, it sounded like the two were getting along extravagantly. That was his cue to leave as soon as he was able. He stood and slipped past his sister, skirting the bookshelves to the left side of the store where he'd knocked down a whole shelf of novels earlier. Normally he wouldn't bother with it and would just leave it for Kat, but she was doing him something of a favor by keeping their patron preoccupied. He'd picked up a handful of books and pinned them in the crook of his arm, scanning each title for the author before placing them back on the shelf in alphabetical order. It was repetitive work, but necessary. Aside from that, it took his mind off the thought of a crystal piano. It seemed ludicrous, probably had horrible acoustics, and hugely pretentious. No thanks.
He sighed once he'd finished. That took far less time than he was hoping, and the two were still happily chatting away. "Kat," he called. "I'm taking Tschambes for a walk." It was the only thing he could think of to kill time and calm his frayed nerves.
"In this rain? Are you crazy? Bibi will catch a cold if you do that! And you, too!" Though it was more than likely the two would get pneumonia.
Alois only shrugged. "What else is zere to do? Sit around with my sumbs up my a**?"
Katarin sighed. "Why don't you play for him? He asked, it's the least you could do." She was also curious what her brother's playing sounded like lately. She hadn't heard him practice in months.
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