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 Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 7:45 pm
information
information
THIS IS A PRIVATE ROLEPLAY BETWEEN MRIAE & HELLOTEA.
when at around noon
where in front of the abandoned building that used to be a candy shop
characters involved alae greaves & toshua green
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:56 pm
Toshua did not like waking up in the morning. That was - perhaps - an understatement. Tosh loathed waking up in the morning. There was a certain aspect that was included in the morning that seemed to make Toshua more grumpier, more impatient, and much less amiable than he usually was. It took an appallingly long time for him to even roll out from under his sheets and slip on acceptable clothes, not to mention for him to stumble blindly to the bathroom, brush his teeth, wash his face, scrub - repeat. He had long banished the maids, whom had been more than happy to retreat, seeing as the boy had a huge temper and no tolerance to match. Today morning, sadly, was not an exception. Tosh stayed in bed ten more minutes past the abrupt alarm he had been given before tentatively taking a step out from beneath the covers and stretching. He looked fleetingly at the pumpkin next on his dresser before shrugging and continuing on, going for the bathroom. After he'd completed all his required acts of personal hygiene, the boy looked at himself in the mirror, blinking a few times to fully wake up.
Then he walked down the stairs, ready to do something that wasn't boring and too repetitive. "I'll be going down to town to buy some bread." He stated, directing his best glare onto the unfortunate maid who had been in his way. She nodded meekly as he grinned and waved, grabbing a bag and pushing his way out the door. Fresh air, he breathed, flinging both hands into the air and smiling again.
His parents would be scandalized and frightened, but who cared about them?
Toshua walked down the street aimlessly, taking an alley and another, walking a bit more until he started reaching an area with more people. He just liked the city, really - the bustling activity and shouting of the marketplace soothed him to no ends. It was completely opposite when it came to his parents, of course - they just loved the peace and quiet of the rural areas in the city. Tosh couldn't quite abide by their rules: they were calm and calculating, quiet and all smiles. Boring. He wondered if he really wanted to be a scientist when he grew up.
Stopping suddenly in front of an abandoned building, Tosh frowned. He hadn't seen this building in a long time. It had used to be a candy shop, a couple of years ago - a candy shop that Tosh had been terribly fond of. He'd only ever started sneaking out of home because he'd wanted that candy - and after that, well, he'd just started sneaking out because he liked to. But then - then, he'd come to the store as often as he could. He'd actually become friends with the shopkeeper, a cheery woman with a smile that Tosh liked a lot. The store had shut down suddenly, and Toshua had been let down for a long while, having to become used to the candy store that was closer to his home and that didn't sell the sorts of candy that he liked. Tosh reminisced. Even at 15, he still had a sweet tooth and adored lollipops and licorice, candy canes and maple drops.
He stood there for a little while, just standing amongst the people that moved by steadily.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 11:52 am
Being back in the capital of Imisus gave Alae mixed feelings.
A lot of things had happened in the time she lived in Gadu. Some of them were of the happy and fond sort: opening up the candy store she had long dreamed of starting, business taking off and her getting lots of many happy and loyal customers, and just enjoying life in general. Making sweet treats and confections wasn't always an easy task - it involved a lot of early morning wake-up calls and late evening shifts in order to make new things and keep up with the demand for the old. Yet it was enjoyable, overall. With a love for her line of work, she couldn't complain. And aside from those refreshing memories there were also some deeper, darker ones. Recollections from her mind of a much more depressing time; times that the confectioner liked to try and forget.
The Plague was what started it all. Disease began to seep its way into the region, and with it brought a loss of customers. People could no longer afford to buy something as simple and luxurious as delectable goodies. Necessities now called for medicines, salves - anything the people could think of that might stave off the horrid disease. A loss of clientele only meant one thing: a loss of income, and that led the once happy storeowner to sink into a depression. How could things have turned out in such a way? Everything had been going well starting out, and yet now, there she was, with all of it snatched away. Fate was a cruel, cruel thing.
To deal with her problems, Alae simply did the only thing that came to mind. She took to the bottle, and it was her newfound addiction to drink that led her into the predicament she was now in. No job, an abandoned shop where her candy store once was, a constant desire to drink, and a stuffy living situation back home with her parents that basically meant she had eyes on her at all times. It was lose-lose for her all the way around, in her opinion, but it just so happened she was lucky enough to grant herself a bit of freedom. "I need to go take care of some loose ends back in Gadu," she told her family, "to make sure I have taken care of everything." With no other way to respond to this, all her parents could do was relent to their daughter. They had to let her go.
And that was how the shell of the former Miss Alae Greaves, confectioner and candy maker extraordinaire, ended up back in front of the building of her old shop and home. A lot had changed in the few years she had been gone. The shop itself, for one, looked a wreck, not only reflecting the hard times that hit the region but also showing a reflection of the shop owner as well. She was worse for the ware herself with all of her bright enthusiasm drained out of her. "Mmm," was all she could bring herself to mumble in a disappointed acceptance of what had happened to her. There wasn't much more to be said, besides.
It was as Alae gazed upon the broken down remnants that once made up her life that she saw someone else standing outside the old store. It was a boy - no older than fifteen or sixteen perhaps. Upon closer glance, the former confectioner would have realized that Toshua had once been a frequent patron of her shop, yet she was too worn out and lost in thought to pay attention. Instead, all she murmured to the lad was a quiet, "Best to move on, boy," filled with a slight coldness. "There's nothing to see here." Eyes lingered upon the faded Tickle Your Fancy shop sign, and it was as she stared at the old sign that her voice faded off a bit, seeming both lost and distant.
"...Not anymore."
Alae, it seemed, had lost all the sugar in her life.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:21 pm
Tosh had unknowingly moved a little closer to the shop, touching the broken windows and the remnants of the sign that had read Tickle Your Fancy. The 'i's paint had been scratched off by some bored streetgoer and Tosh smiled. To be honest, he'd always thought that to be one of the strangest and corniest names - but he'd liked it. He'd always thought that it reflected the candy shop's owner, Ms. Greaves. Happy and jolly and always nice, always handing out candy.
Toshua barely noticed the small voice from behind him, and he almost jumped into the air with fright. This was an abandoned area of Imisus, after all. Most people did not come into the area to take a look around - many of those who did did not have good intentions. He turned his whole body sharply, looking at the woman in front of him with more than a little surprise. Alae Greaves. This was Miss Alae Greaves - it really was! There was something incredibly different about her, though. From the way she talked (cold and distant), to the way she looked now, Tosh knew something had happened to her to make her give up the shop.
The woman's face was gaunt, and her expression weary - hardly the same as the Ms. Greaves that Tosh knew. That one was constantly happy and cheerful, cheeks a vibrant shade of cherry red. She was skinny, this Alae Greaves, with hardly the hourglass figure she had possessed before. And her eyes - jesus, Tosh only knew that they were empty and void of emotion. He felt like hugging her. That's what Ms. Greaves had always given him when he was unhappy.
"M-Ms. Greaves?" He said, a little hesitantly. "Is that you?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:37 pm
It was clear that she had startled the boy. That came as no surprise to her, especially when she saw him give a slight jump after speaking to him. This wasn't a strange reaction - in fact, it was one she had gotten quite used to over the years. People hadn't quite looked at her the same ever since she fell into her bout of...well, depression, for the lack of a better word. Still, despite being used to the reaction of people jumping to her voice, Alae couldn't help but feel a bit saddened by it. Had she really become that scary, that surprising? In the back of her mind, she knew she had really let herself go, but had she let herself go that much? Although she didn't express it verbally, Tosh's reaction was a slight blow to what little self-confidence the woman had left.
But then, as if a ball bouncing back from being thrown against the wall, it seemed to bounce back after the young boy spoke. "M-Ms. Greaves," he asked, albeit a little unsure of himself, "Is that you?" It was all the woman could do to keep from screaming out in joy that, yes, it was her, and that she was glad someone was able to recognize her. The former confectioner refrained from this, however, and gave the boy a slightly strained smile. Her head nodded, giving a small, weak nod of confirmation. She was, indeed, the former owner of the shop, back to see what was left of the place she had once loved so dearly.
"And you..." she murmured, studying the boy and giving his frame a good hard stare in an attempt to try and remember. Who was this boy? It had been so long since she had been back, and even then it was hard to remember. The last few years she had spent in Imisus were a haze, a cold, depressed, alcohol-induced haze. It was hard to recall anything from that time, let alone the face of a young boy. Yet it was his stature that gave it away. A slightly upper-class bearing, and not to mention his eyes. Those eyes -- she remembered them, and the face of the lad that they belonged to, too. This young man had once been a frequent customer of hers, and not only that; he had become a friend, as well.
"Toshua Green," she said with a shake of her head, "this part of town is no place for you. You'll worry your parents sick."
It was true. Over the period of just a few short years, that particular part of Gadu had become...well, one of the seedier areas, to put it nicely. Certainly no place for a boy like Tosh. He deserved to frequent places that were much, much better.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:31 pm
Ms. Greaves looked at him for a few seconds, her eyes cold and indifferent at first, before morphing into some semblance of recognition.
Tosh didn't understand the woman's reaction. It was so.... how could he put this in the right way? He hadn't ever thought that he'd ever need to apply a world like this to a person like Ms. Greaves. Cold. Cold, distant, strange. All of a sudden, Tosh was at a loss for words. He'd never really understood adults, and there were few that seemed to understand him. In the past, he'd only remembered a few adults he'd ever really liked. There was his tutor, his parents, one of his old maids, and Ms. Greaves. He'd often stayed at the candy shop long after he should've packed up and gone; just talked to Ms. Greaves about her life and his. She'd always listened.
And then - then, there was this person. He didn't really know what to say. It was like a 360 degree change of personality. Tosh fought back the urge to ask her (quite rudely) what was wrong – he was really quite glad that she'd actually remembered him. Something must have happened to the woman, something unpleasant. He felt...
"My parents worry often, most of which is for no reason." Tosh remarked dryly. He realized that Ms. Greaves would know about that - he'd often complained to her, seeking guidance. She'd always just smiled.
Toshua was suddenly hit by a wave of remembrance and melancholiness, and shivered a bit even if it was a nice temperature outside. Reaching forward, he hugged the woman in front of him, feeling a little like laughing when he realized there were about the same height now. He hoped that the hug would help her with what she was going through - not to mention he wanted to see her reaction.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:45 pm
Toshua's response about his parents was something she should have expected. Although both of the Green's loved their son very deeply, she was sure, at the same time she could understand his sentiments. Parents who worried quite often had a tendency to be a bit stuffy, too clingy for their own good and often a bit stifling in terms of what freedoms they allowed their children. His dry comment on them was refreshing to hear again. Back when she used to run her store, Alae could recall days when Tosh would just sit and talk to her about them for hours and hours. He talked and she would listen, and perhaps give advice every so often here and there. When he wanted it, of course. That had been the good old days, those times. She had missed those times. If only she could go back...
If Toshua wanted to catch her off guard, then his next action surely did just that.
She wasn't expecting a hug or anything at all. Not in the slightest. Heck, she hadn't even expected him to remember her, let alone embrace her despite how much she had changed. A lot had changed as the years had gone by. She had retreated into herself, losing her sparkle and joy for life, and he? He had grown taller and grown up into the start of a nice young man. The two of them were close in height, too, she noticed. It was because of that - a mixture of all of these things- that the old candy store owner broke down. Once he had hugged her, she had wrapped her arms around his own in a secure, if not tight embrace, while unable to keep herself from crying.
Hot, stinging tears flowed from her eyes freely then, but at that moment Alae didn't care. Tosh's hug, although she hadn't said anything after he gave it to her, was exactly what she had needed.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:55 am
Tosh could feel the woman collapsing against him. He knew that she'd probably gone through bad things in her life since she'd closed the shop - he was certain of it, and he was certain that he wouldn't have to deal with what she was dealing with. His parents were incredibly protective of him, and with the fortune they had built up till now; well, he had enough money to last him the rest of his lifetime and he wouldn't have to even work. There was a melancholy feel of affection that curled gently in Toshua's stomach. He wondered if, with a little encouragement, the old Ms. Alae could come back again. They hugged, and he could feel her heaving a little, close to about hiccuping on her tears. Crying.
Tosh felt something within him, and he hugged her tighter, petting the woman's hair and smiling into the woman's shoulder. "I've missed you so much, Miss Alae." He smiled and buried his head in her hair, a little melancholy.
Tosh wasn't particularly good with emotions. He really wasn't. But he felt something when he was thinking about Miss Alae - something he remembered as motherly love. He felt the same affection for his mother; the few times he saw her, at least. He missed Miss Alae. He missed her laughs and her smiles and the way she was always just there for him. So, Tosh figured, he had to be there when she needed him.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:35 am
The embrace between the two of them was a comfort. A big comfort. Tosh hadn't even hesitated to wrap his arms around her and pull her into a tight hut, him even going so far as to smile into her. That made her feel better than she had felt in weeks. Hell, her own family hadn't even reacted to her that way. Instead of comforting hugs and helpful, understanding words, all they gave were unpleased frowns and stares of disappointment. It was rough, quite frankly. To get treated so coldly by family when all she wanted was their love and their help. Then again, she had to remember, tough love was more of her family's style. Not the protective sort like the boy she embraced.
"I--.." she started, careful to make sure she didn't burst out into tears again. "...I've missed you too, Toshua. More than you know."
Alae backed away ever so slowly after telling her young companion that, hesitant to leave the hug they were giving each other. There was no other choice in the matter, though. She had to take a step back, not only to show him that she was okay, but also to recollect herself. Crying and blubbering on for minutes on end would not do. For one, it would scare poor Tosh, as she knew he wasn't used to such things, and two? It would cause quite a scene, which she wasn't exactly ready for. No, it wouldn't do at all. Once a good few steps back away from her old shop patron, Alae allowed herself to wipe her eyes with the back of her sleeve. A handkerchief was then produced from the pockets of her skirt, to which she blew into it to get rid of those horrid sniffles.
All that was left was for her to straighten up, which she did as soon as her handkerchief had been pocketed again. She stood and tried to look as poised and as proper as she had back before all this mess had happened, back when she was happy with a flourishing business. "Thank you, Tosh," she told him with sincere honesty, a small glimmer of light seemingly returning back to her eyes. "I needed that." More than he knew, actually. More than anyone ever knew.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:33 am
Ms. Alae was incredibly controlled, now. She didn't really seem to care that much. It made Tosh feel a little bit like he was missing something in his life - at least she'd responded to his hug. For a second, the young boy had been under the impression that she would stiffly hug him, then walk away. After all, that was the sort of treatment he'd gone through most of his life. Hugs were considered too close. He beamed in happiness when he heard her say about how she had missed him too. Tosh'd almost thought that she'd forgotten him, after all. He'd grown up and changed a lot, but he still loved Ms. Alae. She was always there for him.
Tosh almost frowned when she backed out of their embrace, and immediately felt the connection fizzling a little. She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief from her skirts and sniffled a little, making Tosh feel strange all over again. He wasn't very good with crying women, to be honest. When Ms. Alae straightened up easily, he looked at her and how she had changed. She was different now. More like Mother's friends than the old candy shop owner. Instead of mentioning that like he usually would, though, Tosh just replied happily to her statement. "At your service!" He smiled and said rather energetically, dimples showing.
On a more serious note, Tosh cleared his throat. "Ms. Alae," He said a little hesitantly (a little quiet, too) - knew that he'd sound spoiled and naive. "Won't you stay here?" He didn't mean right now. He meant forever. Open up the wonderful candy shop again and have everything go back to normal.
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:00 am
If things could only be that simple. She wished that they could.
Alae was unable to keep from frowning once more at Tosh's words. He had wanted her to stay in Imisus, a request that was nigh on impossible at the moment. With everything she had in her, the former confectioner wanted to stay. She wanted to be able to tell him yes, and that she would be opening up her shop again like she had before all of those years ago. It just wasn't in the cards, unfortunately. She didn't have the resources to re-open up her store, and not to mention the area that they were now in wasn't exactly the best in terms of bringing in customers. There was no way, even if she wanted to open things back up more than anything in the world, that it was possible.
Her young companion would not be happy with a answer like this.
Clearly disappointed, Alae flashed Tosh a saddened expression and slowly shook her head. "I can't, Toshua," she told him, the woman's melancholy showing even in the sound of her voice. "Even though I want to so, so bad, it's just not possible anymore." These words would hurt the boy - cut through him like knives, but she had to be honest. There was no way she was about to go and make false promises to him, either. That wasn't the way that she did things, and she wasn't about to start now, even if it would make Tosh happier.
Instead, the former confectioner moved toward the street so the two of them could talk more. With the shop staring at her smack in the face, Alae couldn't stare at it any longer, and due to that moved to sit on the curb with her back to the abandoned building. This would do much better for the type of discussion they were having. "I don't have the money," she went on to explain, her voice heavy and tired, "and not only that, but I need to get better. Only after everything is normal again can I think about coming back."
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Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 2:27 am
Tosh blinked, looking up at the bigger woman somewhat innocently. It was incredibly out of character for him to act like so, but he'd always been a strange soul and his mood changes were most likely due to puberty. Besides, Ms. Alae had always been a stable figure in his life, and sometimes he shed his tough outer skin to make room for those figures; his mother and her worried touches, his father and his stern lectures, and occasionally his tutor with his wise advice. Ms. Alae had once been part of the list. Now, though, she was hovering, somewhat, on the edge. He really did want the woman to come back as a mentor in his life, because he honestly didn't have many friends, mentors, or people to help him out.
So when she said she couldn't, Tosh's face fell somewhat tragically. Of course she couldn't. What had he been thinking? As if she would come back just because he'd asked her. She had a life other than him, a completely different goal now, probably - years ago, her one goal had been to open that candy shop. When she'd left, though, Tosh had lost contact with Ms. Alae and in turn, with what she wanted. He felt a little embarrassed with his question, even though he could feel the nauseous turning of his stomach.
He followed her melancholily down the street, placing himself down right next to her on the pavement and listening to the woman talk about her situation. Money. He grimaced - that seemed to be the problem with everything, wasn't it? Tosh didn't like the tired quality her voice had taken on either. "Get better? What's wrong?"
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