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 Posted: Tue May 07, 2013 11:28 pm
Just as excitement had been welling up in Isha's chest, it was shot right back down, into a weird sense of awkwardness and frustration. How was he supposed to respond to this whole situation? He hadn't dealt with another human's death in a long time, so what was the proper reaction to this? He did not know the man who had died, only his son, and even then, it wasn't as if he and the boy were friends. No, they had just met one rainy day, and Isha though he was rather kind, so naturally, he wanted to see him again. In this situation, was it even proper to ask him to come over?
He hadn't meant to be nosy, but as with most of the people he met, there had to be a monitoring system on them, for the sheer fact that his parents were so paranoid about every little darn thing. Though this, he had learned of Alois' father's passing. Was it anything that honestly had to do with him, not at all. That didn't mean that the situation didn't affect him. On the contrary, for a few days, he was left in a blank stupor, trying to get a better understanding of the concept of death, what did it really mean?
Such thoughts wouldn't stop his parents from conducting on about the way they normally did, and this weekend, just like it was once a month, was garden party weekend. Just because they had moved away from Baltimore, didn't mean that his mother and father would just abandon their normal routine. Comfort was found in something as familiar as the garden party for Isha, even if it was boring as hell half the time. He began to wonder.. Was Alois hurting too? Perhaps there was something he could do to help relieve that sadness, if there was even some within the boy. Maybe he could have his own little party to go a way from the adults. After all, their stuffy breeches weren't the most exciting to be around.
Excited by his new-found idea, Isha grabbed one of the blank invitations that had been set aside as extras, and began to label it with Alois' address.
You Are Cordially Invited
to the Garden Affair
hosted by the Young Family
Saturday, May XX 20XX
2:00 PM til the Wine is Gone!
Please Have Your Invitation Ready at the Entrance.
At the bottom of the page, in his neat, but hastily scribbled writing, Isha left a note of his own, then handed it off to one of his drivers, to be hand delivered to Alois' Family. With such a last minute affair he planed to have, there was much preparation that still needed to be accomplished! There was no time to waste! Hey! It's Isha! I heard what happened, and I thought you could use some cheering up! Bring your family, I'm sure it'll be a good time! While the older people in your family mingle with my parents, We can have our own little get together with Cake and food and all sorts of things! I can even give you a tour of the house hold and maybe I can hear you play again, this time on the crystal piano! I have been practicing my German, I promise! I hope to see you there!
Isha
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Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 12:09 pm
Alois looked the invitation over before tossing it into the trash. A garden party... he scoffed inwardly. Did he look like the type to attend garden parties? This kid clearly had a few screws loose if he thought Alois was the kind and sociable type. He remembered how they met - Isha blundered into his bookstore soaking wet, asking where the restroom was, saying he entered because he heard music (and not because he needed said restroom), and then idly considered buying something afterward. Yeah, more than a few screws loose. Possibly all of them.
It didn't seem all that strange to him that Isha knew of his father's death. There was the obituary, printed in Destiny City's predominant magazine, though he doubted anyone who wasn't obsessed with morbidity would check those. Still, he wouldn't put it past the kid. On top of that was the funeral, which occurred only two days ago. Anyone passing that area of town would be able to see the signs or even the procession. They had all been present; this kid could've recognized either him or his sister. Then there was the sneaking suspicion that he had actually seen what happened... But as Benitoite explained, no one would recognize him as anything other than an agent of the Negaverse. Those fears were quelled as quickly as they began.
Alois left the kitchen and curled up in one of the worn-out living room chairs. Maybe watching some television would dull his mind enough that he could take an evening nap. After all, what good would he be tonight if he was practically falling asleep?
Alois' brother, Erik, headed into the kitchen himself to crack open a can of soup and devour it before he resumed his shift downstairs. After peeling the aluminum lid off, he opened the trash can to discard it, and spotted a rather fancy-looking letter. A droplet of soup from the lid managed to land on it, but he rescued the letter before any further damage was done. "Hey Alois, what's this?" He asked, holding up the invitation so his ornery brother could see.
Alois craned his head to look at it, even though he knew what his brother had found. "Some invitation. Wrong address, I guess." After offering a perfectly rational response, he turned his attention toward the dry news show explaining the culminating horrors of the city's besieging terrorists.
"Dunno about that one." Erik opened the invitation, which was labeled correctly with their address, and read the small note scrawled meticulously beneath the printed words. Three things stood out to him: one, there was a mention of an adverse event; two, the author mentioned cake specifically, with a capital c; three, the author had also been practicing German. This 'Isha' obviously knew Alois, especially if they knew of his love for cake. "New girlfriend?" He asked, teasingly.
Alois sighed with exasperation. "I told you, wrong addre-"
"Bullshit," Erik interjected. "Don't you think it's awfully suspicious that the person who wrote this invitation used our address, mentioned something sad happening, mentioned cake, and mentioned learning German? In case you don't remember, I was with the military for years. I dealt with much better liars than you."
Now that his brother was the head of the household, he acted uncannily similar to his father. Perhaps another tragedy was in order. "Fine, you want ze truth? He's some whackjob zat visited our bookstore a while ago. He must'f heard what happened from ze paper, or he saw ze funeral or somesing. I honestly don't know how he found out. And I never told him I liked cake; is it so hard to belief' that someone would have cake at a ******** party? All I did was tell him he sucked at German." That was about as much of the truth as he was willing to tell.
At least he got some of the story. "We're going," he answered, in a tone that denoted arguing was not going to change his mind. "He mentioned a piano; it'll do Katarin some good to play on something nice for a change. You've seen how she's been acting. She actually cared about Father, unlike you."
He was wholly used to these accusations by now.
"I'll make this easy," he continued. "You don't have to wear something decent. You don't even have to be nice. Just think of it this way: we're doing this for Mother and Katarin. They need something uplifting in their lives right now. You know that as well as I do. I'll even tell them about the party! All you have to do is show up, alright?" Hopefully his brother could do that without making him regret asking.
"Fine," he replied with thinly veiled derision. It's not like his brother would give him a choice in the matter. He should've dumped the damned invitation in the shredder and avoided this fiasco.
---
The mansion was astoundingly large on the outside, and the Scholz family (sans Alois) felt severely underdressed by comparison. Despite Katarin's silky red dress, Karin's string of pearls, and Erik's fitted suit, they looked as though they weren't dressed for an affair quite as extravagant as this. Though, perhaps it wasn't truly their choice of attire that disqualified them for such an event.
Karin's eyes were still heavily reddened. Her black dress looked disheveled, as if she'd been twisting it and constantly shifting positions in the car. Her eye makeup already began clumping, especially the mascara, due to her inability to contain her sadness. Even her hair was slightly out of place; she hadn't taken her usual efforts to weave a proper french braid. her shoes were scuffed from stumbling, as if she hadn't had enough to eat lately and her balance suffered because of it.
Katarin didn't fare much better. Though she wore red to avoid the look of mourning for the night, it hung about her thin frame loosely. She'd lost weight since her father died, and it showed through the fit of her dress, which seemed more like it hung on a hanger than anything. She left her hair down and simply brushed it, so it didn't bear the usual sweeping curls she normally had. Her eyes were dry, unlike her mother's, but they looked deadened in a way.
Erik maintained his normal respectful demeanor and hid his feelings well. Maybe it was all those years in the military that taught him to disguise sadness and weakness with a highly formal front. In contrast to his mother and sister, his tailored suit looked impeccable; not a single crease or fiber seemed out of place. His kerchief was neatly folded in the breast pocket, and the dress shirt beneath his blazer looked like it had never been worn (in truth, it hadn't). Even his shoes were shined as if he'd polished them the night before (which he had).
Alois stood next to his brother, and slightly behind, and looked entirely out of place for the affair. He wore a mock dress shirt with swallowtails in the back, buttoned to the collar (with corners unusually long for a normal dress shirt), and it lacked one sleeve. If seen from the side, it might've looked relatively normal, but he faced forward with his brother and kept his thumbs hooked into his belt loops. His pants were lined with buckles, belts and other extraneous accessories, which matched his belt that was littered with eyelets. Though he wore black, it didn't look like he was mourning.
The four of them stood at the steps, wholly unsure of themselves, yet rang the doorbell regardless. Erik teased the invitation between his fingers, and Katarin coughed behind them. Alois continually kicked himself for not shredding the invitation, and his mother stood dully beside her daughter.
What a strange place to be.
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Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 9:45 pm
Through the large wooden door that the family stood outside of, music could be heard. It was peculiar sounding; there was no definite emotion to it, as if it could have been silent. The notes had no particular origin, it just seemed to radiate within the foyer, and Isha absolutely hated it. Why his oldest sister decided to blast something so awful, he could not fathom at all! Atleast soon enough, he could retreat to the other side of the house, where the sound wasn't trying to penetrate his skull.
Ding ding ding Dong!From the window in the tea room the family could be spotted on the doorstep. There was no need for him to move, as the butler would go and instruct everyone where to go. Alois and Katarin would be directed to meet him here, and as for the other two, they would be directed into the green house, where everyone would mingle and such.
For the first time in who knows how long, Isha began to regret his decision to invite Alois and his family. How was he to act around them? His sources told him that Alois was doing fine, but Katarin..? He didn't want to deal with the girl; there was no understanding for emotional such like that, and to be completely honest with himself, he had no desire to interact with the girl. If she were to cry, would he pat her shoulder, try to cheer her up? No, he'd try to dump her on one of his sisters.. But know Alome, she'd probably say something mean, as any sort of crying was a sign of weakness to her. And his eldest sister, Viva.. No, it would be best to just keep her away. She hated seeing 'peasants' as she called them, and refused to come out of her room when such people were around.
What was he thinking..?With a sigh, Isha removed his glasses, giving his temple a rub and leaving them on the table before him, picking up his cup that had been placed before him. And at this point, it was too late to say they had canceled.. What other way was there to get Alois to come over? Why did he want him to come over in the first place. By the looks of it, he wasn't upset at all, not like the others who were with him. It was too late, too late to escape.
"Master Isha, your guests have arrived." Having already sent another butler with the adults towards the green house, Butler Colton had brought Alois and his sister to Isha, who, though dressed rather casually, was sitting there, lost in his thoughts with a cup of tea held loosely in his fingers. Surely the adults were in for a surprise, as his parents were dressed rather causally as well,and the greenhouse was more of an.. Active event. Of course, all uniforms and such were provided. He hoped they were in the mood for a bunch of little kid game.. Sometimes he questioned who really were the children of the family. Atleast they were always fun and happy. After a few more moments of contemplating what exactly his parents would be doing (for he himself didn't really know) his icy grey eyes came to meet the voice that spoke to him, making out three blobs in the doorway.
"Ah, it's good to see you both! Or, to see blobs anyway, one second please!" Setting his cup down, he took a moment to retrieve his glasses, slipping them onto his face again, and standing up to go towards them. The difference in height between himself and Alois actually hit him this time hard, and instantly he backed up a half step, intimated by his presence this time around. Before, he didn't really feel anything but gratefulness towards him, but now, everything seemed strange, foreign. And poor Katarin just seemed drained.. As much as he didn't want to, there was no way he could just let her stay that way. It was like seeing a poor pup soaked and sad after someone had just drowned it's entire family in the river..
"I hope that I can manage to get a few smiles out of you two today!" To him, the best thing to do right now was to avoid any real reference to the tragedy that took place. He was here as the happiness genie!
"We'll be going to the music room! Hopefully the sound proof walls can drown out this dreadful music my sister is so insistent on playing! All of our own food and drinks are already placed in there, and there's ample space for all sorts of things!" With that, he began to lead the group out of the little tea parlor, to his most adored place in the entire house, the crystal music room. The day was so lovely, surely everything in there would be sparkling and dazzling with the suns warm glow.. Just seeing the myriad of colors could put a smile on Isha's face.. Maybe it could do the same for them.
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 12:56 am
Their mother split off almost immediately at the behest of the butler, and followed in detached compliance. She seemed like she wasn't entirely present, or like she was missing half of herself. Maybe she was; she lost her husband, after all, and was now attending a garden party that was so far removed from the scope of her daily life that she would struggle to comprehend it regardless. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe the pomp and festivities could somehow rend the yearning sorrow from her demeanor. Alois found himself struggling to give a s**t.
Isha roused him from his thoughts with an invitation toward the purportedly extravagant music room. He followed behind his brother, who took the lead naturally and followed Isha without deviation. Alois, on the other hand, preferred to lag behind and meander about his new surroundings and see what unusual information he could glean from their worldly decorations. Even without straying from the group, he noted that they must've either traveled extensively or racked up exorbitant shipping costs for all these items.
When the group entered the music room, Katarin's eyes lit up at the sight of the grand piano in the corner of the room. Nothing else mattered to her; she wanted to examine the beautiful piece with earnest. "Wow... Isha, this is beautiful!" She wanted to run her hands over the impeccably polished surfaces, but feared marring its immaculate beauty. It was a piece worthy of admiring, yet somehow she felt saddened by it. Perhaps because by playing it, she would somehow do it a disservice? She didn't know; instead she sank silently onto its bench and stared at her reflection in tempestuous quietude.
Alois noticed this, and froze in place at the threshold.
Erik, however, did not. "Nice place," he commented, though inwardly he was unimpressed. He found the ambience of the room far too gaudy and excessive. Were all those windows really necessary? And what was with the crystal instruments? Were regular ones not enough for these people? Even though he disliked their lavish spending choices, he didn't have any basis to judge them on it. After all, they were present at this party to distract themselves from the death of their father Brian, and as far as he could tell, it was working. He focused on the garish adornments of the room rather than the paralyzing loss.
Alois was lost a thousand miles away, somewhere beyond the windows and the curvature of the earth. Somewhere far unlike here, where fundamental values were easily shattered. it was enough to reduce a man to dust, or elevate him to greatness unimaginable. For a moment, he could almost grasp that world. For a moment, he was lost to this one.
He snapped back from his passing fancy and finally stepped into the room itself. Of course, his sister was sitting in front of the piano. However, she lacked the gumption to play. Of course, his brother looked about the place with a stern expression. However, he lacked the terseness to speak his mind. Of course, Isha welcomed them to this place. However, he didn't understand the gravity of their situation.
As a budding murderer, he found the lack of consequences rather shocking. His thoughts prevented him from immersing himself in the indulgent scene before him, in all the food and drink and music. In all the conversation.
Oh, the conversation.
How he loathed conversation.
"Alois, will you play?" Katarin asked, in a sheepish tone. She wouldn't behave as she normally would for weeks at this rate. Otherwise, she would simply begin playing her favorite songs without prompt, much like a preening peacock. It drove Alois mad, but his seething remarks only garnered harsh retribution from his parents.
At least he only had one now.
"No," he answered curtly. "You know I don't play around anyone, and you know ze reason why." He felt like naming names, but she already understood. It was evident by the tears in her eyes. "Isha, you can play. You played zat..." He groaned. He recalled the piece, but not its name. C'est la vie. "Whatever it was. Eizer zat or my sister can play somesing, I'm sure." She was impeccable on that damned thing, as if it were a part of her.
So far, not a soul touched the food.
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 8:15 pm
The very concept of death was odd to Isha, whom, at this rate, would surely end up facing his own very soon. His recklessness and carefree ways had made not so few of enemies in this sad, helplessly conflicted city. He had a nature that would trust nearly everyone he met, for if no other reason but for the kindness he had experienced in his own,short life.Sometimes, more than a few, Isha just wished to bring joy to those that he saw, the ever angry, sad, and helpless. Not that he would come right out and say that. But as they say, Actions speak louder than words, and right now, it seemed that even though they did their best to hide it, the family needed some sort of distraction. All except for Alois, who seemed just as calm as if he were simply relaxing on a shoreline.
"Thank you. My mother loves to have us kids.. Enriched every so often by having one of her friends come and serenade us with music. Once they realized I have a dancing problem, they installed the dance floor, and now.. It's like this. A bit over the top, but pretty. The room at our old house was alot more modest.." He fondly remembered the huge old mansion where he grew up in, with it's weird spiral towers and huge grasslands all around. It was just like something out of a European tour catalogue.
"Hey everyone, welcome!" Isha let out a surprised gasp as his older sister, Alome, came barraging into the room, grinning and practically floating on air. As sassy and irritable as she normally was, it seemed that today she just fed off of the negativity in the room, pushing out her own particular brand of liveliness. In her hands, she carried another tray of sandwiches, that she had made on her own. Behind her, far more reluctantly, came his Eldest sister, Maarja. Just the way she held herself, with her nose slightly up turned as she gazed down at her younger brother showed how she didn't want to be there. Oh, how she hated anything to do with the lower class, even if they were the nicest people she could have ever met. How dare they simply be in her presence.. Such filth they were, to her. She made eye contact with Isha, giving a slight "tch" then headed into the regular instrument closet, closing the door behind her.
"Oh, hello Alome! Everyone, this is Alome, my youngest older sister! And.. The other one is Maarja.." Isha struggled to bring up a smile; his whole mood was being brought down by his rather mean-spirited eldest sister.
"Nice to meet everyone. Little Isha here told me all about you! Or atleast what he knew of your family." With a firm and sure stride, she walked up behind her brother, ruffling his hair after having put down the sandwiches on the table.
"Sis!!" His cheeks quickly turned red and hot, having been treated so childishly infront of his guest was not what he wanted! Embarrassed was a better feeling than the air of depression that had been filling the room, at least.. He had been hopeful with his sent invitation that Alois would play for him, but it didn't seem likely at all at this point. This whole event.. It was a terrible idea.
"Yes, Yes, I can go ahead and play a song. I was listening to a newer one recently, perhaps I can get it somewhat right." He had been rather close to the piano, and once he arrived at the seat, he gently sat down beside Katarin, giving her a smile before gently nudging her further towards the edge, so that his short arms could reach the keys he needed.
"So sorry about that, Miss Katarin. There's no need for you to get up, however, My arms are just a bit short.. Alome, can you assist me please? We need a bit of happiness."
"What? Oh OH OH OH, Okay, I know what you're talking about." She herself grinned at him, knowing just how hard he had practiced this peace by ear for the past week or so. Even she, after hearing it so many times, decided that he could use a little help. After being in the music room so long with her little brother recently, instead of being with the other regular instruments in the closet, a small, rather plain harmonica case was set on one of the shelves, beside what seemed to be an electric violin. She took it down closer to the piano, positioning herself so that she would not be drowned out by the volume of such a large thing.
Both siblings nodded to one another, and began to play a soft melody. Though imperfect, and slightly off pace, they seemed to enjoy playing with one another, the tension from their sisters antisocial behavior quickly escaping them, leaving a fresh, clean air between them.
There was no real purpose behind what they were doing, but Isha could just hope that their playing could distract the others from their sorrows for just a wee bit of a while, and perhaps even entice them to pick up an instrument and play themselves.
However.. That was not the case. As fate would have it, their own little happiness would not last for every long, as a string snapped here, and a key broke off there, leaving both of the siblings with bloodied hands. Though the cuts were not that deep, they bled rather heavily, and the maid who stood not too far off in a corner rushed to their aid.
After a quick inspection, the maid deemed it unsafe to go on as they were, and that it was time for them to go to the hospital, for a few stitches.
"I.. I'm sorry.." A sniffled response came from the normally cheerful boy, who could not manage to keep up his appearance. Not only was he bleeding, but the stress from the entire atmosphere around him began to weigh heavily on him, reducing him to mere tears.
"I.. It seems like I couldn't quite give you that bit of happiness I had once talked about.. Perhaps.. Perhaps some other time, when I do not so readily hurt myself before you, we can enjoy ourselves.." With that being said, he was whisked off away, out of the room to get patched up, leaving his guests to leave when they saw fit.
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