Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
|
Post by Lior Menke on Jul 10, 2012 22:25:12 GMT -5
Lior really needed to get a map of the city. Then again she likely wouldn’t have known how to use it even if she did obtain one. The albino girl was currently wandering through the park, trying to remember exactly how she’d gotten there in the first place. Abigail had told her that a walk around the city would do her good, that she should familiarize herself with the streets and whatnot. Her former nanny had failed to take into account Lior’s complete lack of any sense of direction. Lior knew she’d meant well, but that didn’t change that she was now stuck in the harsh Nevada sun with no way of knowing her way back. Granted she could always ask for directions, but that would require social interaction. The very thought of having to talk to a stranger made her flinch. No, she didn’t like the idea at all. It was too much of a risk. They’d stare at her, laugh, something. Trying to look at the bright side of things, she still had her trusty parasol. While sunscreen was probably more than enough to grant the girl protection from any ill affects from the sun, having the extra shade made her feel better. Wandering about outside without a parasol just felt strange to her. It also provided her something to hide behind, a dark shadow she could pretend to disappear into although the idea was completely ridiculous. It made her feel less vulnerable, although Lior still walked with hunched shoulders. To a stranger she probably looked a bit cold despite the desert heat. Of all the things, Lior had expected the weather to bother her know. Then again Chicago hadn’t exactly been cold, at least not in summer. Sure the clouds would dump snow al over the place once winter came, but as far as heat went it wasn’t too unbearable. Nevada wasn’t as terrible as she’d expected, she had to admit that. However her current predicament was making her curse Death City. Lior hadn’t the foggiest idea of where she was going, and so she continued on down the path a ways. A fair number of people were out in the park. It was a lovely day after all. She envied them, being able to run around without a constant fear of sunburns. The sight of children running around playing with their siblings and parents made her homesick. It hadn’t been so long since she’d moved to Death City, and she did have Abigail and the maids to keep her company. She still missed her family, though. Maybe if she was lucky her older brother would come and visit her once he got a break from school. Even better would be her mother. She always knew how to make her feel better and inspire her daughter with confidence that she just didn’t seem to have otherwise. Tiring of walking, Lior found a bench and sat. She’d been on her feet for a while now, and if she didn’t rest she’d likely lose the will to continue on home. Not that she knew where home was. The thought of being lost did make her stomach turn a bit now that she sat and thought about it. What if she never found her way back? What if she got stuck out in the city after nightfall? What if she was mugged or kidnapped or worse? These worries filled her head and instilled just enough panic in her heart that she stood up and began walking again. Maybe if she just concentrated more she would find her way back to the house and not wind up in a ditch somewhere. Her worry showed on her face as her eyebrows knit together and her eyes probably made her appear all too much like a deer in headlights. Yes, she could really use a map.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2012 22:57:01 GMT -5
Was the sun brighter today than usual? He wasn't sure and he knew better than to look up at it to see. He had did that far too many times a child and so he grew accustomed to not looking at it. The mere thought of looking at the sun made his eyes hurt and it wasn't a very nice feeling. If he looked at it now he might go blind for a few seconds then Selene would never get her fruit.
He hadn't been sent out by her to go buy some but he had done it anyway. He knew how she liked it and so he went out to get her some more since she ate it all. She never did seem to share when they had some so if he wanted some he had to make sure to hide it. It was probably a good thing that he liked berries a bit more than he did fruit. Though he liked applies a lot especially when the saying 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' chimed in his head.
Even now eating an apple every day had become like a religion to him just to obey that nursery rhyme. He had been kind of weary of doctors ever since his brother died when they were 10. He was his twin and identical and he was always afraid that they would tell him that he was sick just like his his dead twin. It made him panic every time and if he was Selene he'd wind of surprise hugging her. He didn't want that happening to her again and he didn't want her crying like she had ever again.
Axel thought it was best to get back now cause he might need a surprise hug from Selene especially if he lingered on those thoughts any longer. He tried not to think about it anymore as he took a short cut through the park. It wasn't that far from where the two of them lived so it was always easier to go through the park.There were plenty of trees scattered among the path that it provided him with decent shade as he traveled down it as well. His mind was still pretty distracted as he went on though.
He hadn't noticed at all that there was a girl not much shorter than him traveling down the same path. He wasn't paying attention at all where he was going with his thoughts so wrapped up in themselves like they were. Even though she was dressed in bright clothing and carrying a parasol he couldn't help but completely miss seeing her. All in a complete accident he bumped into the girl and once he realized this he reached out grabbing her arm gently but firm enough to keep her from toppling over if she would. The first thing he noticed about her after bumping into her and keeping her from falling over was her hair then her eyes; white and red. There was another albino living in Death City? Since when? Despite the questions he was pretty happy about this because he wouldn't be the only one anymore.
"Oh I'm sorry. Exkuse me. Zat vas my fault." Axel said as he apologized to her. "Are you alright?" He continued with a smile and a look of concern on his face.
|
|
Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
|
Post by Lior Menke on Jul 12, 2012 17:27:05 GMT -5
Having become lost in her worries of never finding her way home, Lior didn’t see the boy walking towards her at all, at least not until her bumped into her. Letting out a surprised squeak, she stumbled a bit and for a moment she thought she might fall. However the boy caught her firmly by the arm and kept her from toppling over on the ground. Regaining her footing, Lior became aware that she’d lowered her parasol. Feeling the heat of the sun on her shoulders, she nearly cringed as she quickly righted the parasol back above her head where it was supposed to be. To most people the sunlight probably felt good, but to her it actually stung a bit. It was not at all pleasant and only filled her with worry. Brief as that exposure was, she probably wouldn’t get a sunburn, but it was still a worry she would carry with her until she returned to the house.
Hearing the boy speak to her, Lior kept her eyes on the ground and shook her head slightly as her face began to heat up,
“No, no, it’s my fault, I wasn’t watching where I was going, I’m so sorry.”
Eyes darting about the park, she hoped the blush on her face wasn’t too severe but she knew that was a ridiculous idea. With her albinism it was probably painfully obvious. Hunching her shoulders a bit, she shifted her parasol more over her shoulder and finally glanced at the boy,
“I’m quite alright, thank you fo-,”
The brief glance she’d meant became a stare. White hair. Red eyes. Lior blinked and tilted her head as her brain processed the boy’s appearance. Another albino? Here in Death City? Surely she was dreaming. The chances of such an occurrence were probably absolutely ridiculous, but here they were staring her in the face. Finally registering a look of mild shock on her face, she stepped back a little,
“Wha! You look just like me!”
Realizing that was probably not the best thing to say to a stranger. With this thought in mind, her blush darkened if at all possible and she bowed her head a bit,
“I mean…um…I’m terribly sorry. I’ve never met another albino.”
Remembering she’d heard him speak with an accent, Lior decided it may be worth a shot to see if her accent identification was as good as it used to be. Glancing up at him, she spoke again,
’“Correct me if I’m wrong but…sind sie Deutscher?” ((Are you German?))
If she was wrong she could apologize profusely for mistaking the boy’s nationality, but Lior had a feeling if the accent was indication that this boy was certainly German.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2012 17:35:16 GMT -5
If there had been any doubt about her being albino in his mind then it was all cleared up by now. She had squeaked when he bumped into her but he had saved her from falling. She had stumbled a bit but his grip on her arm kept her from falling onto the ground and so she easily regained her footing. When he had bumped into her though her parasol lowered from above her head and the long white hair as well as her bright red eyes were a lot more visible. She was most definitely the same as he was and it made him completely happy.
It was nice knowing he was no longer the only albino that was lurking about Death City. That probably wouldn't have been the case had his brother still been alive because then there was no doubt he would have been a weapon too. That would have been an interesting story going on there if it had turned out that way. He wondered how Selene would have felt having two weapons instead of one. It hadn't turned out that way so it was probably best to stop thinking about it less he got depressed by it.
It didn't take long for her to lift the parasol back up and over her head. It seemed to be her way of protecting herself from the sun with the way she covered herself with it again. She must have had a higher risk of burning out in the sun than he did but with a look at her skin he could tell. She was pale white compared to him and he at least had some color for being an albino. Although when he stood next to Selene it was obvious that he didn't have much color to him at all.
Axel let out a soft chuckle when he noticed that she didn't make eye contact with him but the ground instead and claimed that it had been her fault. That hadn't been it at all. She seemed to be quite silly whoever she was. The blush that had come upon her cheeks hadn't escaped his eye since it was such a brilliant color compared to her white skin. He listened as she said that she was fine answering his question and continued on to start to thank him. It seemed she hadn't noticed that he was an albino like her until she actually looked at him and then she just stared at him.
It took her a minute to realize that he was one though from the looks of it. She blinked and tilted her head to the side as she continued to stare at him for a bit. It was obvious when it finally registered in her head as a shocked look came upon her face and she stepped back a bit. At this point in time he had released her arm from his hold since she was safe on her feet now. He let out another laugh when she said he looked just like her.
"It is surprising. Although I hafen't hat someone look like me for 6 years now." Axel said still laughing a bit at her reaction and slightly referring to his twin.
The white haired male just smiled when she realized what she had said and her blush darkened a bit in further embarrassment. She bowed her head a bit then apologized for what she had said before stating she had never met another albino before. That didn't surprise him too much though. The only other albino he had ever known was his twin brother. It was nice meeting one that he wasn't related to.
"Neither hafe I. Or vell one zat I vas not relatet to." Axel said in response to her statement. "My twin vas zee only one I knew for a long time." He continued elaborating on what he meant by related to.
He noticed her glance up at him again and she spoke not too long afterwards. She seemed to have noticed that he had been speaking with an accent. She said the first half of her sentence in English but continued to ask if he was German in his native language. He blinked a few times and smiled at her again. She seemed to have a pretty good hold on the language even from such a tiny use of it. To just easily breeze through it made it obvious. Selene still had trouble with the language even after she had lived in the country for a while.
"Ich bin. Sie wissen ganz gut Deutsch. (I am. You seem to know German quite well.)" Axel said responding to her back in German. This girl was very interesting.
|
|
Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
|
Post by Lior Menke on Jul 31, 2012 21:26:31 GMT -5
Lior was glad that she hadn’t offended the young man with her little outburst. She really was surprised. Two albinos living in the same city. The odds for such a thing happening must have been quite ridiculous, yet here they were. Listening to him speak, apparently he felt the same way in that their encounter was highly unlikely. While Lior had hunched her shoulders after bumping into him, she started to relax just a little bit. The main thought in her head that since this young man was also an albino, he wouldn’t be likely to poke fun at her or bully her about looking so odd. She wanted to grin like an idiot, but restrained herself so only a small smile crept onto her face.
The albino girl had never met face to face with another like her. She’d of course seen pictures given that several relatives had the same condition, but she’d never met them. Most of them were far older than her and in retirement homes. Hearing the young man explain that he had a twin Lior couldn’t help but think that must have helped greatly in childhood to have someone to relate to. She knew she’d have loved to have someone who actually understood what it was to be different, not just fair-haired family members who only knew what they saw, not what she felt. Noticing that he’d used past tense she assumed something had happened to the sibling he spoke of, but was too polite to ask exactly what had occurred.
Moving right along, the young man seemed pleased with her knowledge of the German language, even praising her for being able to speak it well. Lior blushed a bit, curtsying out of habit,
“Vielen Dank. My grandparents on my father’s side are German, so I was taught the language alongside English as a child so that I could communicate with them easier.” ((Thank you very much.))
Granted Lior had also been taught French to compensate for the language barrier with her grandparents on her mother’s side as well, but that was just useless information in these circumstances. Realizing she still hadn’t told this nice young man her name, she pressed the hand that wasn’t holding her parasol to the side of her face in embarrassment,
“Oh I apologize! Here I am rambling along and I haven’t even introduced myself!”
Lior extended her hand and smiled,
“Mein name ist Lior Menke.” ((My name is Lior Menke.))
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2012 22:51:25 GMT -5
It was such a nice feeling. He was no longer alone in Death City with being the only albino. Sure, most people understood not to bother him about it but that didn't mean they didn't give the looks. Even now he was still getting the looks but his height and his face apparently easily intimidated people but he usually had a smile on his face though. He wasn't sure why but it was something about him being albino combined with his height that made people slightly intimidated. It was something that had changed since he was younger.
Back when he had just been starting school no one seemed to understand nor care. He and his brother were always picked on for being different. That was probably why he was so easily attracted to Selene and why his feelings only seemed to develop further for her over the years. She was the only one that seemed to be able to completely look past it and accept him for him and not some side show freak. That had really been his opinion of himself back when he was little and he was sure his brother might have felt the same as well; possibly.
The white haired girl in front of him seemed to be quite pleased on the fact that she had met another albino like him. It was a nice and reassuring feeling that was for sure. He could completely understand where she was coming from and couldn't help but let a grin come to his face as well. It made him wonder for a second if the girl too had troubles when she was younger with it and maybe even now she did. She seemed to be way too shy and that would probably make her an easy target for bullies. He wouldn't worry about that until she decided to mention it.
Axel wouldn't hesitate to end that though if it was the case. She wouldn't have to worry about any of the bullies if he stuck to her side. He wouldn't mind being friends with her and besides ablinos needed to stick together especially when people didn't understand their troubles. He nodded as she said thank to him for the compliment he had given her on her German and he smiled when she said that her grandparents were German so she was taught the language so she'd be able to communicate with them. That was nice. So if they became friends they'd have their own language to communicate in when other people who didn't know the language around.
"Its nice knowing another language isn't it? Nearly no one vill efer know vat you're sayink if you shpeak in German. You koult say vatefer you vant and zey vouldn't understant a bit." Axel smirked a bit as he said this as there had been countless times he'd done this when he was particularly upset about something.
He blinked at her when she pressed her hand to her cheek and suddenly apologized to him. It hadn't bothered him that she hadn't introduced herself to him yet. That wasn't anything to get upset or embarrassed over. She extended her hand and introduced herself in German as Lior. That was a nice name. He took her hand and shook it firmly before taking his hand back to put it back at his side lazily.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Axel Fuerst." Axel said with a light smile. "Death City is nice, eh? How long hafe you been here?" He asked her as he was curious to know.
|
|
Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
|
Post by Lior Menke on Oct 7, 2012 17:12:43 GMT -5
Maybe being lost wasn’t all that bad. Death City itself didn’t seem all that bad now that Lior knew there was someone like her living in it. For someone who always stuck out in a crowd, it was comforting knowing that she wasn’t the only apparent oddity to be seen walking the streets. The albino girl still couldn’t help but wonder if this young man had run into the same troubles she had. Axel was awfully tall so she wouldn’t assume that he got picked on very often, but then they had all been children at some point. She’d certainly seen her share of bullies. Her grip on her parasol tightened so her hands wouldn’t drift to the small scar hidden along her temple.
Getting back to the topic at hand, she smiled a bit a nodded at his words,
“I know my older brother and I used to use our knowledge of foreign languages to our advantage whenever we didn’t want the other students listening to us, at least when we were younger in grade school. I…”
She paused for a moment, pursing her lips before continuing and glancing at the ground,
“I was homeschooled for the most part until about a year ago. Preparation and whatnot so I wouldn’t be a total fish out of water once I came to Shibusen.”
At his remark about Death City, Lior thought for a moment. She couldn’t really judge, she’d only been present in Nevada for a short while, but it was certainly a change from Chicago, that was for sure,
“I can’t say for sure yet. It’s awfully sunny and I’m not used to such heat, I must admit. I’ve only been here for a few weeks, though, so I suppose I’ll get used to it with time.”
Chuckling to herself, she looked up at him,
“Truth be told, I’m actually lost at the moment. I went for a walk to try to learn the city’s layout and now I can’t seem to find my way back home.”
Lior fidgeted with her parasol again, still making sure it was positioned over her head like it should be. She always put on sunscreen before wandering outside, but the parasol served mainly to protect her scalp from getting sunburned since she couldn’t exactly put sunscreen in her hair. She’d found that out the hard way as a little girl and from then on she was always given a parasol of a hat to wear out of doors.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2012 20:44:18 GMT -5
He was sure that he wasn't the wasn't the only one that used his knowledge of another language to his advantage. Tourists always did that when they were visiting back in Germany and so did the Germans when dealing with them. There was never a time when people didn't use a language barrier to talk amongst themselves. It was probably a bad habit but if it was a lot of people probably didn't care.
Lior was the same when it came to knowing German as she admitted. Her and her brother used to use it whenever they didn't want the other students hearing them. That was how Selene and he was now using German very little but still to their advantage when they wanted to talk amongst themselves. It had only been in grade school for her though, which he found strange. It wasn't until she went on to explain just why it had only been in grade school that he understood. She had been home schooled until a year before she showed up to Shibusen.
"Yeah see? Selene and I do it a bit." Axel said in response to her. "Home schoolet sough?" He continued questioning the fact of being home schooled.
It wasn't like he didn't understand the concept of being home schooled. It just wasn't a common thing to him and it usually meant something terrible happened. His brother was probably a good example of this because of him being sick. When he wasn't in terrible condition he was being tutored to keep him caught up with their grade. There weren't very many other examples of needing to be home schooled for him. He was just curious.
Axel listened as she went on to answer his question about Death City. He chuckled when she said something about it being pretty sunny and that she wasn't used to the heat. The dry heat that the desert provided was something that did take time to get used to but he barely noticed it now after three years. She had apparently only been there for three weeks so it made sense and she figured she'd get used to it eventually. That was most definitely correct. It had been the same with him but he couldn't quite remember who long it had taken him to get used to it; it had been so long ago.
He couldn't help but smile when she chuckled a bit then admitted that she was actually lost. He remembered when he couldn't find his way around the city but he soon learned the layout. She was out doing just that trying to learn the layout of the city but was having trouble finding her way back to her home. He watched her fidget with her parasol as she seemed to be making sure it was over her head like it should be. He ran a hand through his hair lazily and looked up at the sky for a smidgen of a second. He had plenty of time to make it back to his apartment for supper still so he decided he would help her find her way back home.
"Yeah. I kan't remember how long it took me to get uset to the heat." Axel said responding to her comment on the heat. "Although in zee 3 years zat I'fe been here I hafe zee layout of zee city pretty vell memorizet. I kan help you fint your vay back home." He continued on offering to help her.
|
|
Lior Menke
Meister
Screw Technician
You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Posts: 107
|
Post by Lior Menke on Oct 23, 2012 21:28:46 GMT -5
Lior was wondering if the whole home schooled thing would catch him off guard. Most people found it odd, she’d found. Apparently it was antisocial and counterproductive to allowing children to develop properly in terms of socialization. Lior couldn’t disagree with such a statement, but then again she was certainly a prime example of both those traits. She’d rather face her phobia of all things canine rather than speak to a stranger, and when it came to her social skills she really didn’t have a clue. This situation seemed to be an exception, but then it was no wonder. Axel was an albino like her. She’d never had the pleasure of speaking with someone with her same condition before. Feeling clarification was needed; Lior gave a shy smile and spoke softly,
“Yes. When I enrolled in school as a little girl, I suppose one could say I had some difficulty making friends.”
She tapped her fingers against the handle of her parasol, not quite comfortable going into the whole bullying thing. If he asked then she would explain, but for now she saw no reason to,
“My parents thought it best that I be kept in a safer environment, so they hired tutors to come and teach me.”
That was about the gist of it. She didn’t need to mention that she’d needed to learn countless hobbies to keep from becoming bored whenever she wasn’t studying. Anything from ballet to piano, Lior had taken an interest in. Back to the matter at hand, Axel had been in Death City for three years? That seemed like an awfully long time to Lior, then again she’d only just arrived. Yes, she should imagine that he would be used to the heat, although she had her doubts that she would ever get used to it. The sun beating down on her sensitive skin was enough to send her into panic mode. Thank goodness for parasols. Without them she’d be in a constant state of trotting from shaded space to shaded space to say out of the harmful rays. Even with sunscreen, she was still so paranoid.
Axel would help her find her way home as well? Lior truly had run into a streak of luck it seemed. First a kindred spirit, then a guide. A bright smile rarely seen in her appeared on her face as she looked up at the other albino in the park,
“Really, you’ll help me? A sheynem dank! That’s so kind of you, thank you so much!” (Thank you very much!))
First German, now she was slipping into Yiddish. She really needed to watch that, but she was so glad to have found someone so nice in Death City Lior really wasn’t paying attention. She was just glad that she wouldn’t be stuck wandering the park for who knows how long.
|
|