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 Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 8:28 pm
The Leo outpost was rapidly becoming Fritz's favorite.
He supposed he shouldn't have actually had a favorite; to have one meant that he had accepted they were staying put for a long time, a fact that he tried very hard not to think about. His family, friends, and cat (yes, his cat) were all missed quite terribly, but Fritz did not want to stop and give himself the time to feel despondent. Instead, he threw himself into making the best of his time in the outposts, delving into the tasks he set daily. If anything, it at least distracted him from the gaping truth that he was stuck here, away from everyone, even if it was just for a short while. It was mostly at night when, when he did not have the luxury of that distraction, that Fritz's thoughts tended to wonder to the more negative aspects of things.
This particular morning, Fritz was back at Leo's outpost, wanting to imprint the stunning building inside of his mind. He'd managed to secure some more paper, and though his pencil was rapidly depleting, he was making the best of it, sketching the various arcs and golden archways, the crystal chandeliers, the ornate carvings on the walls. What he really wished he could draw were people - since that was where his focus mainly lied, but it was difficult to sketch someone who a.) didn't want to be sketched, or b.) was in the middle of doing something and probably wouldn't be too appreciative of someone ogling them, even if it was for a completely innocent reason.
Which was why Fritz was up on the second floor of the Leo outpost, sitting in one of the dilapidated bedrooms, doodling to his heart's content.
This particular bedroom was, like the rest, extremely large, extremely decorative, and extremely destroyed. The paintings that had once hung on the walls were cracked and smashed, lying in ruins on the floor, and Fritz himself was sitting on what had once been a white painted chair with a red velvet cushion. However, the red had long since faded to a dull pink, and the paint on the chair was stripped down to reveal the wood beneath it, blank and ugly.
He was not paying attention to these little facts, however, and instead was sketching out the enormous four-poster bed he was sitting across from, filling in the lines for the heavy velvet bed drapes.
Fritz looked down at his drawing. It looked rather dull.
He added a couple of people sitting on the edge, eating sandwiches.
Much better.
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 2:31 am
Eliza was dancing down the hall having managed to find some clothing in a bedroom. She had seen it and had instantly changed. It was simple, but ornate, white with gold's that matched her hair. It was amazing brushed into long wavy lockes and she looked like a totally different person.
"Lalala," she sang happily, alone in her world of make believe actually dancing past the room where Fritz sat drawing. She did however see him and so she back up in her dress that probably belonged to someone who once lived in the castle.
She stood in the door grinning and watching him draw. "Hello Fritz," she said walking over to the boy and kneeling before him looking at the drawing.
"Ah," she said softly, "a master artsman, such talent," came in her most regal voice.
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:12 pm
He heard the singing before he actually saw her, glancing upwards in bemusement and interest until whoever it was came waltzing back, fluttering into the room like a white and gold butterfly.
"Hello, Eliza," came the amused reply, Fritz's brows raising slightly as he lowered the drawing to see her better. The girl he had been playing pretend with on the rococo road leading up to Leo's castle was no longer dressed in her worn regular clothes, but something long, drapey, and elegant; he thought she rather looked like she belong somewhere in ancient Greece.
Eliza danced across the room towards him, kneeling in a graceful heap in front of him to peer at the drawing, which Fritz he held out for her to see more clearly.
"Thank you, kind lady," he said, with an air of extravagance. "I find my talents quite wasted on furniture, however."
There was a pause as he tilted his head, glancing at Eliza's dress with a curious sort of interest. "You look quite lovely," Fritz said. "Where did you find that outfit?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:27 pm
Eliza shove her head, blonde waves of hair flopping about her face, "I would say my good sir that you talents do the furniture justice, but if you would like a subject you can most certainly draw me." She looked up at him, crystal blue eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Thank you," she gushed happy that the outfit she pulled out of a bedroom waredrobe a few doors down suited her. She was loving space and loving hopping around from castle to castle.
"There are clothes in some of the bedroom," she started before standing up and spinning to show off the dress. "Not everything has been destroyed and I thought it might be nice to wear this for a while. I guess I should of asked Leo first, but it just seemed like it wanted to be worn. You know?"
She rocking back and forth on her heels, the dress moving with her and allowing her bare feet to poke out every so often. "Um I can show you if you like. I bet their is something you can where to Sir Fritz. Such a master artsman should have finer clothes."
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:37 pm
Fritz gave a sweeping bow with way too many embellishments to Eliza - an act that was quite a feat, considering he was still sitting down and had a piece of paper and a pencil in one hand. "My lady, you are much too gracious and kind for the likes of a simple peddler such as myself."
The lilting British accent that tended to arise when he spoke a lot or quickly laced his words, subtle but still there. Fritz did not particularly care for his accent, which while mild, was still an object of much discussion and giggles from airheaded girls who saw him as some sort of tourist attraction. For the most part he tended to speak quieter, so that it would not be well known, but it had not dissipated, unfortunately.
"I would be honored if you would allow me the pleasure of drawing you," he said, smiling brightly, interest quirking in his eyes. He did rather like the thought of being able to draw something other than furniture, though he pushed that aside and stood up, bowing deeply to Eliza again.
"Please do," Fritz said with a smile, and offered the girl his arm, like he had Menthe when he was escorting her from one outpost to the next. "Show me!"
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:52 pm
"Great," she spouted taking him arm and making it very apparent she was hardly a lady at all she dragged him out of the room, "you can draw me in the other room, it has one of the those small mirrored desks that hasn't been destroyed."
She hardly noticed his accent when he spoke or cared for that matter. If he spoke that way that how he spoke, for all Eliza knew it was a part of their game. "Come dearest Fritz, the clothing is grand and elegant. I bet it would suit you so well. You are hardly a peddler, you are just in need a slightly changed."
She grinned as they reached the room, releasing Fritz and pushing open the door to what had probably been a grand room at once. It contained a large dilapidated bed, bed clothes flung about the floor, what appeared to have been a canopy tattered and barely clinging to the ceiling. On the far left wall stood leaned what once was a grand wardrobe, the back leg missing but otherwise in good condition, next to it a little vanity stand greatly embellished and miraculously in tact. The right wall had what looked like the top of a desk up against it, but the best had no legs and over all the room was in a poor state.
"The clothes are in the wardrobe just over their, but be careful because it is missing a leg," she said as she moved to the vanity and sat down picking up the brush and brushing her golden waves as if she were a princess getting ready for the day.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:41 am
Fritz let Eliza drag him bodily from the bedroom, following along obediently beside her, his free hand still clutching the half finished drawing and his precious pencils. Though he did not necessarily need paper itself to draw, he did need the pencils most desperately, and was not about to let go of his treasures.
"I am but a peddler, madam," he responded, in an almost desolate tone. "I'm afraid you are thinking much too highly of me. I cannot hope to be something I am not, alas - !"
Laughing, Fritz stepped into the room after Eliza and looked around. It was certainly as grand and extravagant as the rest of the Leo outpost - and, just as the other rooms were, this one was in near shambles, everything tossed onto the floor, cracked, smashed, or broken in some way. Stepping over what had once been a chair, Fritz moved the direction she instructed, cautiously opening the wardrobe.
A cloud of dust met his face, and Fritz coughed, waving a hand to dispel some of it. After a few seconds, he leaned in, grabbed a handful of clothing without looking at them, and pulled them out, carefully sorting through each article.
"Look at this," he said, holding up an off-white, ruffled shirt. "Which d'you reckon - male, or female?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:03 am
Eliza couldn't help giggling at the game as she turned to look at the piece of clothing that Fritz pulled out, a white ruffled shirt. She'd seen them before in her mother's story books, men with fine vest wore them underneath.
"Male, definitely male. I bet their is a fine vest or jacket in the wardrobe to pair it with and knickers. You mustn't forget the knickers," the last part lead to many giggles. Eliza was not so sure she could picture Fritz in knickers, but she bet the clothes in would make him look regal.
Eliza put the brush down, "should I leave while you change or should I just turn away," she asked with a smile.
Space was awesome, so so awesome. She was loving every moment and the short amount of time she spent in Virgo had her wrist healed up and the cut looking much less nasty, well on its way to be a wicked scar. On top of that it seemed no one thus far minded her games of make believe and some of the other's were joining in whereas at Crystal she knew most of them looked at her sideways.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:02 pm
"Male? Really?"
Turning the shirt around in his hands, Fritz examined it closely. It was made of a fine silk, though there were long runs in it from years of abandonment, dust laid into the fabric to turn it a slight grey. Expertly sewn, pleated ruffles ran from the neckline all the way down to the hemline, and there was a thin line of gold thread that ran along the trim.
"No, really. Male?"
The word "knickers" from Eliza's mouth made Fritz lift a brow, amused. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean," he said primly, then dove back into the wardrobe, rummaging around until he found a few more items of clothing. Turning back to Eliza, he lifted a hand, waving a finger in a rotating motion to indicate that she should turn around.
"I shant be but a minute," Fritz said with a teasing wink, then disappeared behind the enormous wardrobe. After a moment of shuffling, he reappeared, wearing a pair of black slacks faded grey, the white shirt, and what had once been an emerald green vest, now turned almost pastel.
"What does milady think?" he asked her, stepping towards her and taking Eliza's hand. Fritz ducked his head, pecked the back of her hand, then straightened with a smile. "Does it please you?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 6:21 am
Eliza nodded with a grin, "yes male, looks like something out of the history book my mom likes so much. Or even the princes and nobles from fairy tales."
She watched as Fritz examined the shirt and grinned when he asked again, but she simply gave an insistent nod before he dove back into the wardrobe to find more pieces of clothing and coming back out and direction Eliza to turn around. She did so happily, it was the good and proper thing for a lady to do. She had no desire to look anyway.
When he spoke she turned and gave a huge smile as he kissed her hand while she gave him the once over. "You look fantastic," she said in clearly estatic tones, "just like a lord of the court. Whilst my lord draw a lovely picture now. I would be most grateful."
She stepped back and went to sit at the vanity intent on keeping her offer to be the subject of a sketch. "So how shall I pose for you, my lord, master of the arts."
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:27 pm
"I will be a dashing, heroic young prince, then," called Fritz from behind the wardrobe, his voice muffled as he pulled the ruffled shirt over his head. When he came out, Eliza was grinning widely at him.
"I am indeed quite, er...interestingly dressed," he said with amusement, turning around in a circle as he attempted to examine his own self. The pants were perhaps a size too small for him, the faded color clashing delightfully with his skin tone, and the shirt was itchier than it appeared at first glance.
"Ahh, yes," said Fritz, reaching for the paper and pencil he had laid aside while he changed. "I do believe I need to reward you for being such a lovely muse."
He eyed the room, gaze sweeping across the dilapidated walls, the broken furniture, the torn, faded hangings. After several moments, he said decidedly "There. You may sit there, good lady."
Fritz gestured to a nearby chair - one of the few who wasn't broken. It stood against a window with sheer white drapes with were stained yellow from age.
"Perfect."
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:27 am
Eliza could hardly care the state of the old clothes or even that they didn't seem to quite fit. No, she though Fritz looked dashing anyway and no one no even Fritz would be able to tell her otherwise.
Eliza grinned hopping up and going over to the chair by the window and plopping down. She rearranged herself so that she looked like a proper lady and resisted the urge to mess her hair.
She looked to Fritz, "what to you think? Like this or should give my hair the raised by wolves look I had when we first got her."
She laughed giving a bright smile. She was joking, of course, and enjoying the moment with her new friend. Who would have thought, she'd be missing the first quarter of school and making friends in a castle in space. Go figure.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:02 pm
It was this sort of thing that was the perfect distracting element for Fritz. He did not like taking too much time to dwell on their rather awful circumstances, nor did he like dwelling on the fact that they might not get back home - or worse, killed by some mad creature intent on destroying their current place of residence. Silly as it might be, Fritz enjoyed playing this sort of game with Eliza; it made his mind feel, in a way, less cluttered.
"You look delightful, thank you," he answered her as she flounced towards the chair he had indicated and sat down, arranging herself primly and elegantly. "I'm afraid I'm quite ill prepared to be spending this much time with a lady as lovely as yourself. I do apologize for my ungainly and unpleasant appearance."
He said all of this with quite the melodramatic air, shaking his head as if mortified by his very countenance. But after a moment, Fritz gave a small laugh and settled down on the edge of the bed, drawing the paper and pencil to himself and beginning to sketch the figure in front of him.
After a few moments of silence he said, in a tone quite unlike the one he had just used, "...are you scared, Eliza?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 11:38 pm
Eliza smiled, it was funny for her to be considered a lady when back at crystal they would consider her anything but that. Hanging with Fritz made her wish she wasn't an only child and wonder what it was like to have a brother or sister to play with. It made her feel less odd like she stuck out far less.
Eliza laughed lightly, "well it looked far worst before I found this, though I like all my colors. I love bright colors, even if my moms says I really shouldn't where so much clothing. You're appearance is just fine, my good sir."
Eliza tried to sit still while he sketched, but she couldn't help but to go from a smile to a silly excited grin. She turned at the question with a huh kind of look to her.
"Scared," she parroted questioningly, "No I'm not scared. This is exciting, the greatest adventure of my life. I mean how many teenagers can say they have been to space. I admit battling whales and bats isn't fun, but we lived to tell the tale right. I think the other's that came to help will figure out a way to send up home."
She turned back looking out the window, "Are you scared Fritz?" Eliza had a far away tone that did not at all suit her, but showed that despite her bubbly, playful demeanor, she did in fact know that she was 15.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:54 pm
Lost in his drawing, Fritz did not reply to Eliza for several moments. He was concentrating on the hair at the moment, the line of her neck and the sweep of her shoulder beneath the rococo-style dress she was wearing. The tip of his tongue was visible between his lips as he focused, eyes narrowed to look at the paper.
After a minute, he said, without looking up, "You would do well to wear only bright colors, my dear. You have the complexion for it - and you're quite bright yourself, so it would fit your personality well."
A line that hadn't meant to be on the paper appeared, Fritz's hand jolting just the slightest. Eliza's answer had surprised him, though now that he thought of it, it shouldn't have. She was a cheerful thing, easily lost in her daydreams and living life as though it were a play to be acted in. This was not a bad trait, but rather an unusual one - one that was a little difficult to comprehend. Fritz, though he put on good front, could not quite detach himself so completely from the horrid reality of their situation.
"Yes," he said quietly after a moment, his hand stilling over the paper for only the briefest of seconds before it began moving again. "Yes, I am scared. I'm scared that I won't ever get home again - scared that I'll never get to see my brother again, or my parents, or my cat, or anything else that even resembles home."
His voice had lowered, barely audible now in the wide, grand room. "I'm scared that I won't ever be able to live again."
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