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Post by SVEN OLEANDER on Jan 7, 2011 17:03:17 GMT -6
There just weren’t as many people on the street as there used to be, Sven thought, watching from under the brim of his hat as busy men and women hurried by in both directions. He’d found a nice doorstep to sit on, nice and wide so people could get past him if they needed to get inside. An apartment building, he was pretty sure. It wasn’t too busy right now, not too many people going in and out; it was the middle of the day, after all, so not really the time for people to be heading to or from work. As he watched the people go by, he rubbed gently with his sleeve at his ocarina, cleaning a smudge off of it. He kept it very clean as a matter of habit, but he must have brushed it against something that rubbed a bit of dirt on it. No matter, it was coming off pretty easily.
He glanced over at the ruins of the old library, his eyes growing sad as he regarded the ash and the blackened walls. He’d come there with his parents a few times before the New Order had burned the place to the ground. It had been so full of books, shelves upon shelves of them. Like a paradise for a reader like Sven. But there was none of that left, no wonderful stories of adventure or tomes full of valuable knowledge. It was all gone. And its chances of ever being replaced were next to nil, considering how Dresdin was trying to destroy books entirely. Sven felt a small frown turn his mouth downward. He didn’t understand what the New Order had against books.
There was something very sad about the ruins of the library, and Sven could see it affecting everyone who walked by. Not that anyone was cheery to begin with, seeing as it was an overcast day (and a lot of people were down in general all the time since the New Order had come along), but as they passed by the ruins of the library, a lot of people gave it a glance, or pointedly didn’t look at it. A few even stopped, staring up at the burnt letters over the entrance. Sven fingered his ocarina, fingers running through scales absently as he watched all the people who missed the library as much as he did. At least he still had some of his favorite books at home, even if he had already read them a bunch of times.
What song should he play? Something happy, to try and lighten the mood? But Sven wasn’t sure that would work; people were just too down today. They’d be more liable to get annoyed at cheerful piping from his ocarina than actually be cheered up by it. So maybe something a bit more melancholy… something that would fit the mood. He thought for another moment, running through the list of songs he knew by heart that sounded sort of melancholy. Something that he could consider a tribute to the library and the books it had once held. He rubbed his thumb lightly over the ocarina’s smooth surface. There was no rush to decide, and he wanted to pick the right one.
Finally, he decided on one. He took the hat off his head, brushing his hair out of his face as he did so, and placed it upside-down on the stair next to his foot. People were less generous to buskers than they had once been, but some money was better than no money at all. He did have to eat, after all, and he wasn’t old enough to get a job in a lot of places, especially since the New Order’s new laws on who could and couldn’t work. He sighed slightly, thinking of the places he’d been turned away from. Oh well. More time to play his music, he supposed.
He lifted the ocarina to his lips, resting his elbows lightly on his knees and finding the familiar holes with his fingers. He ran through a quick scale or two, then closed his eyes and began to play, coaxing the first soft note out of the instrument and letting it slip out into the air. The notes were familiar, like the pages of his books, and he let himself get lost in his playing, feeling the sadness of the song and the people around him.
Song: click [/blockquote]
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ADREA DARRYN
RESISTANCE
The Smuggler
You are jealous how sexy I am
Posts: 15
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Post by ADREA DARRYN on Jan 11, 2011 18:38:09 GMT -6
Adrea slipped through the crowd and emerged near the long-blackened library. The building was barely there now--to her, all it was was a load of char and ash. And a treasure chest that she could no longer obtain. The library, she knew, was once a place where books would be hoarded, mass amounts of books. She wished that the place was still standing, but like everything else in the world, it was burned down to a crisp. 'That's the New Order for you...' she told herself bitterly. There was no reason that they wouldn't burn it down. By now, just about everything that people took pleasure in were all gone. As Adrea craned her neck up to see the barely legible letters, she knew that her job was far from over. If she had been old enough, experienced enough, maybe she would've saved those books before they were burned for eternity. But she also knew it was impossible to save everything--there was just too much of everything out there.
Adrea already had enough books at home though. Shrugging, she recounted her inventory of books. Given that she was often stealing, but also trading for food, she didn't have much left. 'Come to think of it,' she thought, 'I should really get started on another job. I'm going to need a big one this time. Something that would trade me lots of food... maybe alcohol. People lovvveee alcohol. See, New Order? Outlawing alcohol just isn't going to work 'cause it'll just end up like the Prohibition...except this time, I'm the smuggler.' Adrea let her head down and rubbed the back of it, where it was sore. She was short, lithe, and sometimes too clumsy. For her job, that was bad. But she couldn't help it; she just tripped over nothing sometimes.
She turned her back to the library and headed to the apartment buildings that lined the street. She crouched by a brick wall, while rubbing her empty belly. Yes, she was so hungry nowadays. Once she had joined the Resistance, she had slackened off so much. It wasn't a good idea, but she seriously needed the break--she wanted to eat, but she needed a break more. Groaning, she tucked her forehead onto her knees. Suddenly aware that her neck was unprotected and that all her eyes could see were her knees, she pushed her head back up. No use getting herself killed now. Not until she had eaten, and definitely not until she saw the death of Mr. Tyrant with her own eyes. On the other hand, she didn't know where she would find her next job. Everything disappeared, like the books in the library, or they were being hoarded by the next person. She needed to find something valuable, something to sustain her until her next meal. And she needed something fast.
Her stomach grumbled pitifully, and she dug into her pocket. A man a couple apartments down began to play a sorrowful tune with a thing-that-Adrea-could-not-name. 'Just that,' she spat. 'I don't even have experience for anything, because that Order cut off my childhood. Those idiots.' The coins in her hand clinked against one another, but they were not enough to buy anything. 'Oh well, give it to the musician. He's probably a lot worse off than I am.' She stood up carefully, and patted down her pants. She stepped and dropped in the coins, into a large hat standing by his feet. Awkwardly, she headed to the other side of the doorstep and sat down. She tucked her chin into her arms and spaced off. It wasn't like she had anything else to do.
[/size]
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Post by SVEN OLEANDER on Jan 12, 2011 19:19:00 GMT -6
Sven tended not to notice if and when people put money into his hat when he was playing. He liked to let himself get lost in the music; he felt it made him play better, for one thing, and it was nice not to worry about life and the state of the world. Even though he was playing a sort of elegy to the burned building beside him, he wasn’t thinking about that so much. He was just thinking about getting the right feel across in the song. The loneliness, the sorrow that the tune held. That was all that mattered while he played. He made something of a point of only learning to play songs he truly liked, and he always did his best to do them justice when he played them. So he put his whole heart into them. Cheesy, maybe, but true, at least for Sven.
As he finished up, a girl with very long pink hair walked up. Though he was still immersed in the song, the color of her hair caught his eyes as he opened them briefly, and he wondered absently if it was natural. Did anyone even have naturally pink hair? He’d never heard of it. It must be dyed, right? He pushed the thought from his mind for a moment so he could focus on the song for the last few measures, then let the final note trail away into the air. He glanced down into the hat; a couple of ones, and some coins. Pretty good, considering he’d only been there playing for one song. Some days he didn’t make that much in hours. He reached down and plucked some of the money out of the hat, tucking it safely into an inside pocket of his coat. He didn’t want anybody to take it; he might be naïve, but he’d had that happen too many times not to sort of expect it. He left a few coins, though, for appearances sake.
He noticed the girl sitting on the other side of the stairs and blinked once or twice, shifting in a sudden wave of self-consciousness. He was painfully shy, he knew, but he just couldn’t help it. What if she didn’t like his music? Wait – had she put some money in his hat? Probably; he remembered hearing a soft clink after he’d noticed her while he was playing. He ought to thank her, right? Most people just kind of dropped a coin in on their way by, but when they stopped, Sven’s manners demanded that he thank them for their money, even though he was so shy. He fingered his ocarina for a moment, looking down at the instrument. But what if she hadn’t given anything? Not that he had a right to expect that, but if he thanked her and she hadn’t actually put any in, that’d be awkward. And if there was one thing Sven really didn’t like, it was when he said something stupid. He didn’t want anybody to dislike him because they thought he was dumb or anything.
Finally, he decided that it was worth the risk of sounding awkward to avoid being rude, so he stammered out a soft ”Th-th-thanks,” just loud enough for her to hear. He glanced at her, then away shyly, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. Then, before he could awkward himself into getting so nervous he left, he turned his mind to other things. Namely, what song he should play next. He still thought melancholy was the right sort of mood, but maybe something a little more hopeful? Or peaceful, at least. He didn’t want to be too pessimistic with his music choice; he played to make people happy, in the end. But something too overtly happy wouldn’t do, either…
After a moment, with another covert glance at the girl now sharing the stoop with him (she looked around his age, he noticed), he lifted the ocarina back to his lips, having thought of a good song. With a slight smile, he began a slow, but heartfelt rendition of the Shire theme from one of his favorite movies of all time, the Lord of the Rings. It wasn’t really sad or happy, but it brought to mind images of peace and, at least for Sven, who’d grown up with his parents playing the movies all the time, made him think of home. He closed his eyes again as he played, hoping absently that the girl would like his selection.
Song: click
[/blockquote]
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ADREA DARRYN
RESISTANCE
The Smuggler
You are jealous how sexy I am
Posts: 15
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Post by ADREA DARRYN on Jan 12, 2011 20:10:58 GMT -6
Adrea was mostly pondering about her next job, and where the hell she was going to find one. Groaning silently, she knew that her thoughts were going towards an impossible direction. She wasn't interested in the whole smuggling circle, she did it for her own reasons, and she didn't need anyone to rat her out. Most often, she didn't want any to know that she was one. She knew that they would say something like "What? This young chick is a smuggler? Are you kidding? I bet she's lying, or a noob." Adrea bitterly kicked out, it was totally unfair that there would be this sort of discrimination, even though all she was trying to do was feed herself. Yes, Adrea had learned to appreciate food. She had even reached the point that she craved it. She was so hungry... and the worst part of it was that she couldn't do anything about it.
At this point, Adrea felt her eyes burning. 'This is exactly what I need,' she bitterly spat out to herself. She didn't need to cry. She had promised, after her parents' death, she would never cry again. So she couldn't do it now. She had promised to continue on in life, to live through this New Order crap and make it through, for her parents, and mostly for herself. But it hurt so much, that her parents weren't there anymore, weren't there to comfort or hold her like they used to. In the end, she'd just have to end up supporting herself, and that was tough. She knew that there were so many orphans that were out there, who were even worse off that she was. Biting her lip, she focused her eyes to dry up. She didn't need tears now, not now.
Adrea was suddenly shaken out of her thoughts, She hadn't expected the person who was playing the ocarina to pay attention to her. All she was was a passerby that had happened to go by and dumped some coins into a hat. But it was nice to know that some people were still nice, still appreciative. On the other hand, even though he was a musician, he seemed very shy. For one fact, his thanks were barely heard over the noises that the passerby made when they went down the street. She wondered if something had happened to him, to make him this way. It made her sad, deep inside, that the New Order would hurt people this much...even indirectly, like the Plague that killed her parents.
'OH!' Adrea thought suddenly. 'Should I say your welcome? Is that necessary? Maybe I should, he seems like he needs it. People these days don't thank each other often, right? Erm, but maybe I've waited too long? Is that awkward?' She didn't know what to do. And then the guy began to play another piece, and she kicked herself. 'Ohhhh...too late. After this piece, then.' Adrea tucked her legs back in and cupped her head in her hands. The music was so relaxing and calming, the melody so beautiful. If there was lyrics, she would sing along... smiling, she closed her eyes and let herself indulge, the notes flooding her ears, twisting her dark feelings into something light...something happy? It held a sort of nostalgia, and a little bit of familiarity, as if she had heard it before.
'Alright!' Adrea knew what she had to do. She would talk to this person. She wasn't known often for her spontaneous decisions, she was one who often thought things thoroughly before acting. But she knew that she would not think anymore, her brain was tired. It was such a nice piece, how would she not want to comment on it? But what should she say? She bit her lip, struggling to think of something that would make sense. She couldn't say thank you, he had already said that. You're welcome was just way to late. Maybe she could say something about how peaceful it was. "You're very good," Adrea said, smiling lightly. After all, it was definitely true.
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Post by SVEN OLEANDER on Jan 13, 2011 22:41:39 GMT -6
Though Sven gave the song as much attention as he always gave to his music, he couldn’t help cracking an eye open from time to time to look at the girl sitting on the other side of the stoop. He didn’t know if she was hanging around because she liked his music or if she was simply sitting there because she didn’t have anywhere else to go, but in any case it wasn’t often that he got a chance to see the effect his music had firsthand. He watched her with half an eye as he played, his notes lilting through the noisy city air. She started out curled into a ball, sort of, with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was looking at him when he began, but once he did, she looked away. He wondered what she was thinking. He hoped it wasn’t anything bad. He didn’t want anybody to think poorly of him.
As he continued through the song, he saw her relax slowly, tensed muscles easing. He had to think it was his music that was doing that, that was helping the girl past whatever was making her upset. A slight smile curved his lips as he played, though he never missed a note. Just as he’d hoped it would, his music was making people happy. He could see its effect on the girl, at least, and he saw smiles on people’s faces as they dropped coins into his hat. It had been a popular series, after all. Probably plenty of people recognized the tune he was playing, and he hoped that if they did, it brought back good memories. He couldn’t imagine what kind of bad memories the Shire theme might bring up, but in any case, he hoped it didn’t. That was the last thing he wanted to do.
He finished off the song with a slight flourish; he knew the song well enough to feel comfortable adding a teensy bit of flair at the end, though most people probably didn’t know the song well enough to really notice. For a moment, he didn’t move, then he sighed and lowered the ocarina from his mouth again, dropping his hands to his lap. Habit made him close his hands around it; if he wasn’t actually playing it, better to hide the precious instrument from New Order goons who might be passing by. He was often singled out if they saw it, and it had nearly been broken or confiscated a number of times, despite the fact that he did actually have a license, and therefore what he was doing was technically legal. Not that that really mattered to the New Order, it seemed. They seemed to change the rules to suit them at will.
Shaking some of his hair out of his face, Sven glanced shyly over at the girl again, just in time to catch her compliment and see the slight smile on her face as she spoke. A similar expression slowly crept onto his own face; he had made her happy. Oh, good! Just seeing one person happier from his efforts made all the bothering from the New Order completely and totally worth it. With that slight, gentle smile on his face, Sven looked back down at his ocarina, flushing lightly. He still felt too shy to actually look at her as he spoke, slightly louder than before, though still quiet. ”Y-you think so? Th-th-thanks!” Then, without thinking, he returned her compliment with a genuine one of his own, ”Y-you’re very pretty.”
A bright red flush spread across his cheeks as he realized what he’d said, and he fumbled shyly with his instrument, eyes fixed firmly in his lap. Oh, how embarrassing! He hadn’t meant to say that out loud; he’d just been thinking he ought to compliment her back since he was thinking nice things and it had just sort of slipped out. He hoped she wouldn’t be mad or anything, or leave; it’d been a while since someone stopped to listen to his music, let alone talked to him, and Sven felt very lonely sometimes. He didn’t want her to leave.
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ADREA DARRYN
RESISTANCE
The Smuggler
You are jealous how sexy I am
Posts: 15
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Post by ADREA DARRYN on Jan 16, 2011 18:46:24 GMT -6
Adrea had a little moment of disbelief. She wasn't sure if she had heard the guy right. After all, it was very loud on the street, and he was very quiet. There was no way that he had told her she was pretty. No way. No matter how many times she tried to tell herself it wasn't want she heard...it was what he had said. She felt a slow blush fan over her cheeks. She wasn't used to being called pretty--if her parents did that, she knew it was because of flattery. In fact, this may have been the first time she had ever been called pretty. Ever since the New Order took over the country, things really hadn't been so low-key that she would focus on romance. Instead, she was busy with trying to get herself necessary items in order to live--shelter, sleep, and mostly food. And a job.
"Uhmm...thanks..." she said hesitantly. And it didn't help that this guy was very, very cute. Adrea cupped her head in her hands and stared forward. Then she tilted her head right, trying to catch a glimpse of him. 'Oh!' she thought guiltily. 'He's blushing, too.' Now she was more than confused--why had he said that when he knew that he was going to be embarrassed by it? 'Unless he really thought so?' If so, it was so kind of him to do so, even if the comment sent the both of them staring into different directions.
Rubbing her arms briskly, she wondered how the hell it had gotten cold without her noticing. Her thin jacket had provided a small source of insulation, but it really wasn't what she needed. She needed something thicker, and warmer, but with no job, it also meant no food and no clothes. Adrea could convince that she was used to the cold, used to days and days without having a fire, or warmth. It made the nights ever so bearable, but she could only wish that life was warmer. Especially now, in winter, things were terrible. Adrea had wormed herself up into an abandoned apartment building, and since there was no ventilation, it was freezing. And the worst part of it was finding herself snowed in, and not being able to get out.
An awkward silence sat between her and the other guy. She wasn't sure what to say--or do; words ran through her brain as she racked for a proper response. 'Must fill up awkward silence! I don't know what to say...how about introducing myself? People do that, right? Ohhh, I don't remember, it's been a long time since I've had a normal life.' "Um...! My name is Adrea it's nice to meet you." she said in a rush. Now what happened? She was pretty sure people asked each other how they're doing. But when people just met? She wasn't sure.
She turned her face away, blushing--again. Maybe it was stupid to introduce herself. She hugged herself closer, feeling that it would be safer if she was compacted. 'Never introduce yourself until you're absolutely sure it's someone you can trust,' she thought to herself. 'Lesson number sixteen.' She knew it didn't do her good to think like that, to scold herself, but she needed to if she wanted to stay alive. In the end, though, she trusted this guy. Because he played beautiful music. Because he had bothered to talk to her. Because he said thank you, and he gave out compliments. He didn't seem aggressive, and although looks could be deceiving, she could tell that he was completely honest. Honestly beautiful, something that Adrea could never be. Now the question was...would he trust her with his name? [/size]
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Post by SVEN OLEANDER on Jan 17, 2011 1:38:00 GMT -6
They seemed to have progressed to that awkward not looking at each other phase, where they were both embarrassed or shy or whatever you wanted to call it. Sven stared down at the ocarina in his hands, rubbing his finger across the surface nervously. He’d meant what he said, but he was just so darn shy. He was constantly scared that something he said was going to tick someone off, or make them dislike him, even something as innocuous as a genuine compliment. Maybe she’d think he was being too forward, or something. She was really pretty, and maybe she’d think he was hitting on her. He wasn’t entirely sure what hitting on someone entailed, but didn’t some girls find it offensive? And others thought it was flattering? Sven mentally bonked his head into the wall. Girls were confusing. Or maybe he was just confusing himself. Hard to say.
He saw out of the corner of his eye as the girl shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Was she cold? It was pretty cold out, he guessed, though he was more or less used to it by now. He spent a lot of time outside, and he had nice warm clothes on. A thick turtleneck, tan gloves tucked into his coat pocket, said warm wool coat, and his favorite scarf. He spent a lot of time outside, so he was used to the faint feeling of cold that got past his clothing, and he knew which clothes to wear when it was cold to whatever degree. It had warmed up since he came out, though, so he was actually pretty comfortable. But maybe the girl wasn’t so used to it. She was obviously cold, huddled over like that. Didn’t she have a coat? Maybe she wasn’t very well off… but then why had she put money into his hat?
Had she maybe given him the money because she didn’t have enough to buy food, or something? Because she only had spare change? Or was that too much of a stretch? He hadn’t seen how much she’d put in, anyway, since he’d been pretty wrapped up in his music at the time. Was it stupid of him to think that maybe she was worse off even than he was? He made enough to live, even if he had to go without some of the nicer things some people had. He got one or two meals a day. He was getting by. What if she wasn’t? Shouldn’t he do something?
He leaned down and checked in his hat, comparing what he saw there to the money in his pockets already. He had enough to have a real nice meal… or to get both of them something smaller. Would that be weird, to offer to buy her lunch out of nowhere? He didn’t even know her name, after all. And he didn’t know if his thought that she might be worse off than he was was close to being right. He kind of wanted to know, though. He liked meeting new people, even if he was horribly shy. People were interesting. And fun, as long as they weren’t part of the New Order and didn’t pick on him for his shyness.
Then she spoke again, and he looked up quickly, glancing over at her for a moment before shyly looking away. He scooped his coins out of his hat and dumped them in his pocket, setting the hat back on his head and adjusting it until it was riiiight where he wanted it. Then he looked over at her again, a shy smile on his face. ”U-um… my name’s S-Sven. It’s n-n-nice to meet y-you, too.” His voice was a little bit louder than it had been, but still lower than most people spoke normally. He just wasn’t a loud person by nature, though he did realize he needed to speak a bit louder to be heard over the noises of the city around them.
He looked at her for a moment, working up his courage, then decided to go for it. The worst that could happen was that she left, right? And as sucky as that’d be… it wouldn’t be the end of the world. And this could turn out really well. So he got up and hopped down to the street level, then turned and looked at her, managing another small smile. ”It’s, um, really cold out h-here, right? W-want to go get s-something to eat? I h-have enough f-f-for two… if you w-want.” He got nervous again near the end, his voice growing quieter, but he still managed not to get so nervous he bolted. He raised his eyebrows just a little, waiting uncertainly for a response. He hoped she’d say yes.
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ADREA DARRYN
RESISTANCE
The Smuggler
You are jealous how sexy I am
Posts: 15
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Post by ADREA DARRYN on Jan 21, 2011 19:01:26 GMT -6
Adrea watched the guy nervously as he looked inside the hat. Of course she'd only managed to give so much! In a way, she almost felt like she was being judged for how much she had put in the hat. In fact, she regretted that she did as well, but knew that at least she could find/borrow stuff that she needed. This guy may have had to earn everything honorably. And in that sense, she felt absolutely terrible for him. She didn't feel pity much--after all, she herself was a near-hopeless, hungry orphan who was struggling to live on her own. Despite growing up mostly independent, she still had pangs where she wished that for just once, her parents would be there to help her with her burden. However, she knew--by logic--that once dead, her parents were never coming back. 'I wonder...if this guy's parents are dead, too?' The plague had wiped out far too many people. Far too many. The thing was, she didn't like pitying other people. They were so much better off than she was. They might not think so, but they were not her. They'd never know what she'd gone through, and what she might. Like others, she was struggling to live, but had survived just barely. In any case, she mused, it wasn't as bad as the people who had died in the plague. She got a feeling that she was just pitying herself.
Adrea watched silently as he took the coins out. She supposed that it was time to get going, to find a new job. The man placed his hat atop his head just so, as Adrea stood up abruptly. Better get going before it got awkward. But before she could take a single step, he smiled at her and introduced himself. 'His smile is so cute,' she thought to herself. "U-u-uhmm..." She scolded herself for being so shy. And picking up Sven's stuttering habit. If he was going to be shy, then she'd just have to fill up the silence by herself. "It's nice to meet you, Sven!" She gave a light smile in return, feeling her cheeks complain. It had been such a long time since she'd given out a genuine smile. In fact, she was pretty sure she had never smiled after her parents' death, and even then, she still couldn't remember the last time. She couldn't help but feel a surge of love towards this stranger, because it was this guy who had taught her how to smile again, even if he didn't know it. Sure, she felt pity for him, but all she wanted to do now was to thank him, and to be happy that her smile was back.
Gasping, Adrea's lips stretched into a grin. "Wow, really? You'll let me eat with you? YES, FOOD!! I mean, I'll go!" She was so excited. A meal, she told herself. A meal! It had been days since she'd had anything besides stale bread. The resistance fed her sometimes, but other than that she was on her own. Her lack of a job, a fact that haunted part of her conscience, had meant she had literally began to starve herself. Only until she was completely malnourished would she stomp down her pride and dignity to hunt through the trash. But...now...food! Adrea jumped up and down in happiness, completely unaware that she was wasting energy, but because she was so exhuberant. To think that she was so far from her old life as to be happy for a free meal. For, somewhere close to free. She had contributed, but what she gave wasn't near to how much it cost to have something to eat. "...where would we go...?" she pondered. 'I wonder if we could have some fruit or something...something sweet would be heavenly.' she sighed. Fruit was expensive before the tide-turning Order came into view. There would be no way they would be able to afford that. The people were poorer than dirt. [/size]
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Post by SVEN OLEANDER on Jan 25, 2011 17:02:45 GMT -6
If there was one thing Sven never did, it was judge the people who dropped money into his hat based on how much they gave him. He was grateful for anything, be it pennies or twenty dollar bills (those were rare, but awesome when they did come along!). Even the people who didn’t put any money in the hat, but maybe smiled at him, or nodded to him. Those people wanted to, but for whatever reason didn’t. Sven figured they probably just didn’t have enough money to spare; a lot of people were a lot worse off since the New Order came into power. He didn’t blame anybody for needing money themselves. After all, that’s why he sat out every day and played his music. As much as he loved what he did, in the end, he needed money. Still, it didn’t feel like work, most of the time. He was lucky, loving what he had to do to survive as much as he did.
He didn’t blame the people who walked right by him without acknowledging him, either. In fact, he felt a little sorry for them. So stressed, or so tired, or so run down that they couldn’t enjoy a bit of music. They always had big dark circles under their eyes, a lot of times talking hurriedly on cellphones as they went past. It was really sad, he thought, that they couldn’t slow down even long enough to relax on their walk to work. And it wasn’t just Dresdin and the New Order causing it, though there were a lot more people like that nowadays than there had been. But there had been people like that before, too. Sven sighed slightly.
He noticed Adrea stand up just before he introduced herself, as if to leave, and was somewhat surprised to realize he didn’t want her to leave. As much as he might feel happy most of the time… he was lonely. He didn’t go to school anymore, so he didn’t really have any friends (what few he’d had had mostly been killed off by the Plague), and he was too shy outside of busking to go and make more. He spent most of his time alone. Even this small amount of companionship, sitting beside him on the stoop while he played, was nice enough that he was reluctant for her to leave. This was the most he’d really said to anybody in quite a while, especially a pretty girl. And at that thought, his blush darkened slightly.
Sven was a little taken aback at her exceedingly enthusiastic response to his offer. It seemed he’d been at least partially right; she wasn’t much better off than he was, if the thought of food got her that excited. He watched her bounce up and down for a minute, a slightly bemused smile on his face. He was glad she was coming with him. Eating alone got kind of sad after a while, after all, and he pretty much always ate alone. His stomach grumbled slightly; he hadn’t eaten yet today, despite the fact that it was nearing lunch time (he usually didn’t bother with breakfast, a habit he’d had back when he still went to school and cultivated more now since it lowered the number of meals he had to buy from three to two).
He waited patiently, good-natured as ever, for whatever internal party she was having to stop. She wondered out loud after a moment where they would go, and he decided that’d be a good time to speak up. ”Th-there’s a nice little c-café j-just around the corner,” he said, tentatively. ”S-sandwiches and s-salads and stuff. D-does that sound o-okay?” It was good food, and in the right sort of price range for how much money he had right now. Not to mention it was filling, and they didn’t skip on the portions. And they wouldn’t have to wait long for their food, either. Seemed to fit the bill quite nicely, but Sven still waited for Adrea’s response. He didn’t want to go somewhere she didn’t want to go, even though he was paying. That’d be rude; it was more polite to agree on somewhere they would both like. He tugged his hat down a little as he stood there, fingers closing slightly around his ocarina in his pocket as a New Order officer went by behind him.
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ADREA DARRYN
RESISTANCE
The Smuggler
You are jealous how sexy I am
Posts: 15
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Post by ADREA DARRYN on Jan 27, 2011 19:16:04 GMT -6
Once upon a time, Adrea used to be super picky. She used to pick and choose people that were worthy enough for her to talk to, people that she would befriend. She would choose what she would eat, and let her determination prove to her parents that she didn't have to eat what she didn't want to. But now, she wasn't so picky anymore. Life had taught her that she couldn't have everything she wanted. She wanted to eat food, so much, and she knew that the only way she could have that is to work. So work she did, but there was still no food. She sighed internally; she had worked hard, and food was her reward, her non-existent reward. Now, there was something called Sven, who had offered her food. She bet that he had no idea how grateful she was at this moment.
"Yes!" Adrea grinned at Sven. At this point, anything goes. 'Food sure is amazing,' Adrea thought. 'Food is something that motivated others to do things, and something that everyone needs to live. And because I want to live, then I must need food. Come to think of it, since when have I been so obsessed about food...?' Adrea shook her head--it wasn't quite a habit, but she had been so friendless for so long that she was used to talk to herself. "That sounds amazing! I love cafes, they're so cute. And they have the most delicious food..." Her own attempts at cooking hadn't worked well, and fast food was too expensive, so she usually lived on bread from bakeries and coffee. "Lead the way, Sven." Adrea chirped.
As soon as she had said that, she noticed a New Order officer coming down the street. She turned her face to Sven, while discreetly catching glimpses of the officer. She was frightened--frightned that he might take her away, and also frightened for Sven's ocarina. She prayed--even though she believed in no god--that the officer would not touch her acquaintance's instrument. It would be absolutely cruel for anyone to snatch away something of such beauty, something that created so much love for music. Something that played lovely music that soothed the soul. But there was no way that, if the officer had happened to get his hands on the instrument, he would understand what this ocarina meant to Sven. It even matter to Adrea, and that meant something. Her heart thudded in her chest as she tried not to attract the attention of the officer. 'Just...walk...by...' [/size]
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Post by SVEN OLEANDER on Jan 28, 2011 10:52:57 GMT -6
The back of Sven’s neck prickled as the officer went by. It was like he could feel the man looking at him, trying to decide if it was worth it to mess with him. Despite the fact that Sven had a license, music was almost entirely banned from the streets nowadays. Another of Dresdin’s attempts to crush the city’s spirit, Sven supposed. He’d had too many close calls to count, where his ocarina or guitar had almost been broken or lost. And he didn’t have the money to buy another of either, even besides his attachment to his current instruments. Though not all the officers were that bad; some of them even seemed to enjoy the music, and once or twice he’d happened to see one drop a couple of coins into his hat. They weren’t all evil, but there did seem to be a high percentage of them who had a lot of fun tormenting people.
Luckily, his ocarina was already in his pocket, out of sight, and apparently this officer wasn’t one of the ones he’d run into before, who knew he was a musician. After a moment, he heard the man move on, his boots thumping against the sidewalk as he continued on his way. Sven found he’d been holding his breath; he blew it out in a shaky sigh of relief, his white-knuckled grip on his ocarina loosening. He glanced at the man’s back from under the brim of his hat, then looked back at Adrea. She had the same look he imagined he did; nervous that the officer was going to stop. Did she have something to hide from them, too? Or was she concerned for his ocarina? He hadn’t thought she’d liked his music that much… Sven shook his head inwardly. He wasn’t going to wonder too much about Adrea. Her business was her business. He was just happy for the company.
”W-well, I’m sure g-glad he didn’t stop,” Sven said in his soft Southern accent, his shyness returning as the tension eased. He carefully buttoned the pocket containing the ocarina closed to make sure it wouldn’t fall out, then managed a slight smile to Adrea. She seemed awfully excited about going to get some food; the longer he spent with her, the more it seemed like she was probably struggling to feed herself just as much as he was. Which made it all the sweeter that she’d given him some money for playing. It just seemed right for him to help her out; it’d been a good couple of days for whatever reason, and for once he had enough money for something decent to eat, instead of bags of chips from a store or other such cheap food.
He shuffled his feet slightly, feeling horribly shy, then looked at her again. ”C-come on. Let’s g-get in where it’s w-w-warm.” He took a step in the direction of the café, but he didn’t want to just walk off ahead of her. That’d be rude. So he waited for her before beginning to walk down the sidewalk.
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ADREA DARRYN
RESISTANCE
The Smuggler
You are jealous how sexy I am
Posts: 15
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Post by ADREA DARRYN on Jan 29, 2011 18:01:00 GMT -6
Adrea let out a lonnggg sigh of relief. She had always, always despised the New Order officers. They always seem more superior to the regular citizens, and they weren't afraid to show it. They would do anything--she had seen it all before. They'd snatch things from other people that they didn't have the right to. From her, they had stolen her parents. What she felt wasn't revenge; it was pity, and hate. Every time she saw an officer, she felt her whole body fill with indignant rage and fear. But he was gone now, and neither she nor her new companion was hurt. She was so relieved that the Nazi-like person was gone; she had no good impressions of them or Mr. Tyrant. Adrea's shoulders slumped--it took everything out of her just to keep herself in check. She had to make everyone believe that she was just a goody two shoes civilian who had nothing to do with the resistance, and didn't even know it existed. She couldn't put her existence in danger.
Sven commented something about the officer; Adrea was so distracted she could barely process what he said. "Yeah, m-me t-too..." Adrea shook nervously. "I hate that there are so many of them walking around, but I'm really glad that they wear uniforms." She shook her head warily--it wasn't going to do her any good to think of that kind of thing now. Instead, she focused on the food she was going to eat. She found herself in a fantastical daydream in which she could eat anything she wanted—pancakes, smoothies, strawberries, pastries, fresh bread…it happened very often. It wasn’t like she wanted it to—of course she didn’t—but by now, it was merely habit. It was her hunger that ached at her sides, pounded through her brain. By now, it wasn’t a fierce pain; it was more like a bothersome ache. It was still a terrible thing for her to experience, because she had been used to eating whatever she wanted to when she was younger. ‘Maybe if I had eaten less when I had the chance to…maybe I wouldn’t be so hungry now…’ Adrea regretfully thought to herself.
Shaking her thoughts away, Adrea stepped down the steps cautiously, aware that if she tripped like her clumsy self did often, it would be quite embarrassing. She noticed that Sven waited for her at the bottom, and she grinned at him. It felt really nice that she had met someone so nice and considerate, even when her smiles felt unnatural. She could’ve met someone incredibly rude, and probably would’ve run away in anger. She stepped down and smiled up at him again. ‘Now that I realize it…he’s kinda tall…’ Adrea mused. ‘If I don’t eat, I’ll never be tall, but I don’t mind being short. After all, it means I can slip into places a lot easier.’ She recalled the days where she pretty much squeezed herself through a window in order to steal books from a warehouse. It wasn’t a couple weeks until the Order set the whole thing on fire. She regretted not taking them all while she could, but she was only so small. Nowadays, she had thinned down some. She was starving herself—she knew that, like those anorexics that she saw sometimes, but not because she wanted to. It was just the lack of money. She wasn’t a skeleton yet, but she knew starvation was a way to kill her self. ‘That’s why I want food,’ she sighed. ‘That’s why I need food.’
“Say, Sven…” Adrea muttered. “If you had the chance, if you ever scored the jackpot or something, what would be the first thing you would do?” Adrea wasn’t sure if she was being inconsiderate by asking this, but she wanted to anyways. In any case, she knew what she would do. Find some food.
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Post by SVEN OLEANDER on Jan 31, 2011 15:58:12 GMT -6
Adrea had a good point—it was a good thing the officers all wore uniforms. If they didn’t, well… he’d have lost his ocarina a long time ago, and definitely his guitar. Seeing the rather distinctive uniforms approaching gave him a chance to slip his ocarina back into his pocket, or try to find some place to stick his guitar out of sight for a moment as they went past. He couldn’t do that every time someone vaguely menacing went by, or he would never get through a song. But luckily he didn’t have to worry about that; Dresdin was apparently not the type of guy to use plainclothes officers. He just sent his men out and about in plain sight, which made them pretty easy to avoid. Or maybe there were plainclothes ones, but they weren’t supposed to worry about little things like buskers. Either way was fine with Sven, as long as they left him alone if they did exist.
He waited patiently for Adrea to come down the steps; he might not have gone to school for a couple of years now, which meant that he’d never finished high school (a thought that made him sad, knowing there was so much more to know that he’d probably never get the chance to learn), but his mom had taught him proper manners. Even if nobody knew southern hospitality or that sort of thing up here in Detroit, he’d been taught to treat a lady right, and so he would. He owed his mum and dad that much. He tugged the brim of his hat down slightly, thinking about them. He tried not to do that so much; it just made him sad remembering how they’d died. And thinking about it didn’t really help anything. He didn’t want to get depressed, after all.
Besides, he knew his parents would understand that he tried not to think about them too much. When he did, he tried to remember happy stuff, like his mom picking him up from school and things like that. But if he thought about them for too long, he always got around to their dying. And he knew his parents wouldn’t want him to be sad. They’d want him to keep on living; and that was just what he was going to do, even if the world kind of sucked right now. It would get better. It couldn’t stay sucky forever, right? Things would work out alright. And in the meantime, Sven would get by.
His stomach rumbled slightly, and he blushed, wondering if Adrea had heard that. He hadn’t eaten yet today, and even though he was pretty used to being hungry by now, that didn’t mean he liked it. Still, he didn’t get hungry as much as he used to, and he was even thinner than he used to be, even though he’d always been kind of scrawny. But he was nice and tall, so that was something, right? As Adrea stepped down beside him, he realized how much shorter than him she was. Maybe half a foot? Not that much, he guessed, since girls were usually shorter than guys and he was a little bit tall for a guy (and she a bit short for a girl), but it was sure noticeable when they were both standing on the same level.
Making sure she was in step with him, he led the way down the street towards the café he was thinking of. He automatically walked closer to the street, like his mom had told him a gentleman should. Something about the cars being dangerous, he guessed, though she’d never really explained it to him. Just like carrying a bag or holding a door for a lady. It was just simple courtesy. He blinked as she asked him a question, and gave it a moment of genuine thought. What would he do with a whole bunch of money? ”I d-dunno,” he finally said honestly, ”I-I never really th-thought about it.” After all, he didn’t play the lottery or anything. ”I g-guess… I-I’d keep some, f-f-for food and stuff, and th-then maybe g-give the rest to a h-h-homeless shelter or something.” He didn’t need that much money to get by, after all.
As he was speaking, they came to the door of the café. ”H-here,” Sven said softly, taking hold of the door handle and pulling it open, then holding it for Adrea. He gave her a shy, but sweet smile. ”A-after you.” Anyone who said chivalry was dead had never met Sven. Or his mother.
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ADREA DARRYN
RESISTANCE
The Smuggler
You are jealous how sexy I am
Posts: 15
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Post by ADREA DARRYN on Feb 9, 2011 18:48:02 GMT -6
Adrea was merrily moving her way towards Sven when she heard the unmistakable sound of a stomach growling. Provided, it was very, very soft, but she could hear it anyways. It didn't help that she had keen hearing and that she was so accustomed to hearing the stomach growl—mostly her own—that she could detect it easily. Her days of hunger were terrible, and she wished constantly that she was done with the experience. But she also knew that, the more she wished hunger wasn’t there, the stronger it felt. Lately, she had learned to deal with it, and ignore it, but it wasn’t ideal. She bit her tongue to restrain from giggling; she didn’t need Sven to turn back from their offer right now. It wasn’t even funny, and she knew that, but she wouldn’t be able to stop laughing if she started. There was nothing funny about starving to death, but there was just a touch of humor in someone’s growling stomach. In any case, Adrea told herself that they should move quickly and satisfy Sven’s stomach.
She smiled slightly as Sven took the side of the sidewalk nearest to the road. ‘He really does have manners. I wonder if he learned them from his mother…’ she thought to herself. ‘I guess I don’t have any, because Mother used to chastise me about everything!’ She relished in the memory of her parents before shutting them off quickly, before she got heartbroken all over again. She stepped closer to Sven subtly, because over the sound of the street, she could barely hear him. She thought carefully about her response, since she felt like she would be revealing everything she wanted to him. “Uhm, well, I think I’d keep it all to live, you know? Make sure I had enough to keep myself going through my whole life. I guess if I had extra…I would give it to charities too, to help out people that are in bad situations. But…I’d rather keep it, so I can quit my…erm…job. My job.” She felt so awkward trying to place “smuggler” into a job category. It was, wasn’t it? It wasn’t like she considered smuggling a hobby or anything… Adrea knew she was being selfish. She couldn’t help it. But she wanted to place her well being first, because she knew that’s her main priority in life: keeping her alive.
Adrea smiled again—she’d been doing a lot of smiling since she met Sven—and looked up at the café. It looked like a cute place, a small business that seemed cozy and friendly. Sven pulled open the door for her, and she smiled back in response as she stepped through. “Thanks, Sven,” she replied. “This place looks so cute!” She couldn’t help but comment as she surveyed the little café. She couldn’t help but feel overly loving for it, because of several reasons. First, it served food. She promoted food to her list of most favorite things, because it belonged there. Second, it was just so freaking cute. She didn’t know why, but she’s always loved nice, small places. Nothing too fancy, but nothing too run-down either. She hated those super fancy restaurants which required a person to wear a dress of over a hundred bucks, and overly elegant table manners. Blah.
A waitress came up and led them to a table. Although Sven was just considered a friend in Adrea’s case, she couldn’t help but think that some people might have the wrong idea out them. It wasn’t like she didn’t think he was cute—he was, in that awkwardly amazing way—but it was just that she wouldn’t ever, ever date him. It wasn’t of personal reasons; in some other time, she might of, but not now. She could only hope that people would understand that. Kicking herself mentally—doing it physically would result in some tripping and lots of embarrassment—she hastily drew herself out of those thoughts and focused on following the back of the waitress. [/size]
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Post by SVEN OLEANDER on Feb 13, 2011 0:53:41 GMT -6
Sven bobbed his head at Adrea’s response to her own question, giving a slight smile. He could understand wanting to keep enough of it to live on. He didn’t mind working hard to earn enough to live by, though. He wished he could go hungry a little less, sure, but even so… there were people who were worse off than he was. At least he ate almost every day, even in the bad months, and had a roof over his head and a bed to sleep in at night. Every time he saw all the homeless who lived in the park (and the alleyways all around town), he was reminded of how lucky he was. He didn’t really feel right complaining when there were people worse off than he was. He also apparently had the advantage over Adrea in that he actually liked his job. He didn’t ask what she did; it wasn’t any of his business, after all. If she wanted to tell him, she would.
As Adrea moved past him into the little café, Sven berated himself slightly for not being able to quit being so incessantly shy all the time. Weren’t musicians supposed to be gregarious and outgoing, not all reserved? Seemed like it was always that way in books. But maybe the books were wrong? Sven didn’t know. He did know, though, that between his constant stuttering and his tendency to talk at a barely audible level, it was often hard to understand what he was saying. Of course, some people then asked him to repeat himself when he talked. But that didn’t help, because he just got more and more nervous, and his stuttering got so bad he couldn’t even get a word out without taking a full minute to do it. Or so it seemed, anyway. Conversely, the more time he spent with someone and the more comfortable he got talking to them, the less he stammered, and the louder he spoke. He never had a loud voice (he had a Southern accent, but not a country twang, just a soft sort of sound on some words), but his voice neared normal levels of volume when he spent enough time with someone to feel comfortable around them.
Even when he was very little, Sven had always been quiet. Apparently he’d been a very quiet baby, or so his parents had told him, always just playing quietly with a mobile or something. He hadn’t really thrown tantrums, though he hadn’t been afraid to complain when he was hungry or something. Still, he’d only gotten quieter with age, until he only really spoke when people spoke to him first. He hadn’t had any traumatic experience or anything; it was just the way he’d developed. And as much as he’d tried to be more outgoing, it had never quite worked. He might talk more for a couple days, or even a week, but he’d always slipped back into his old habits. And eventually, he had stopped trying. He got by, shy as he was.
He just smiled at Adrea’s thanks, letting the door swing shut behind them to close out the cold air. It was nice and warm inside, and Sven reached up and removed his hat, since his mom had always told him it wasn’t proper to wear a hat inside. As much as Sven loved the hat, he put too much value in the memory of his parents not to do what his mom had taught him. He followed Adrea quietly as she trailed after the waitress, his hat clutched in his hands. The waitress led them to a little table, set with two places, and set a pair of menus down before bustling off with a promise that she’d be back soon to take their order. Sven set his hat at his place and moved around to pull Adrea’s chair out for her. Once she was seated, he sat down himself at the other place. He couldn’t wait.
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