Asher Tallow
September 08, 2006 9:07 PM
A gift can say thank-you, can't it? *Earl Valentine! by Asher Tallow
Asher felt uncomfortable. She was dressed safely enough: dark blue cashmere (whatever that was) sweater given to her from her mother for Christmas and her most worn in and beaten down pair of jeans. Her socks, blue as well, were new and woolen (not cashmere, whatever that was), and her tennis shoes were painfully white. Her older pair, minus their shoelaces, had been disposed of in an angry fit after Earl Valentine returned to her the forgotten one from COMC. She hadn't been particularly thankful at the time; in fact, if she recalled properly (which she did), she had been rather rude and curt.While not of the typical mindset to feel guilty over something (anything), Asher nonetheless thought of her housemate more than once during the (far too long) holiday season. She thought of him while helping her dad tend to his hybrid scurvy-grass. She thought of him when she unwrapped the cashmere (whatever that was) sweater her mother sent her. She thought of him when building a snow fort with her brothers. She thought of him during that morning's breakfast, and she was thinking of him as she waited in the common room for him to appear.
Asher felt indecisive, apprehensive, and thoroughly uncomfortable. She had, due to all of her thinking, bought Earl Valentine a Christmas present. Just to say 'thank-you' of course. For returning her shoe. And stuff. The present rested in her lap, the purple wrapping slightly bruised and the bow more than a little frayed. She held it loosely, her dark eyes drifting to watch the stair far more often than was warranted for a mere thank-you gift.
Because that's all it was. A thank-you gift. And so what if she had remembered that he liked to draw and had then spent two hours deciding on whether he'd prefer colored charcoals or pastels as a gift? So what? It didn't mean anything, other than that she wanted to say 'thank-you.'
Still though, as Asher stared at the stairwell that led to the boys' dorm rooms, she felt uncomfortable, and she refused to guess why.\n\n
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Asher Tallow
A gift can say thank-you, can't it? *Earl Valentine!
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Asher Tallow
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Earl Valentine
September 13, 2006 10:36 PM
Uh...I think so... by Earl Valentine
Earl had gotten up, showered, dressed himself in an old pair of jeans and a relatively clean shirt with the phrase "If you can't take the heat, don't tickle the dragon" on it. He made his way down to the common room with the sole purpose of heading down to Cascade Hall for a slightly late breakfast..or perhaps lunch; he hadn't decided yet.But his hunger was forgotten in the blink of an eye when he saw Asher sitting on a couch looking slightly aggitated. He smiled nervously (why he was nervous was beyond him). Maybe it was because everytime he had a moment's rest over this break, he thought about her. Even his drawings, which used to be of anything on his mind (which was a lot, usually) now only portayed the dark hair and pale skin of Asher Tallow. He had at least a dozen drawings of her in his room at the moment, his favorite now sitting rolled up and tied with a red ribbon on his desk. After the initial shock of seeing the girl in his mind sitting in front of him, Earl made his way towards Asher.
"Uh...hey!" he said, his voice cracking on the 'hey'. He coughed to cover it up and looked down at his shoes until he composed himself again.
"Did you have a good Chrismas?" he asked, not knowing what else to say.
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Earl Valentine
Uh...I think so...
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Earl Valentine
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Asher Tallow
September 14, 2006 1:42 AM
Okay, cool then by Asher Tallow
Despite her intent gaze on the stairway, Asher failed to notice immediately when Earl Valentine finally made his descent. His voice cut through to her easily enough, though, and she jerked into awareness with a visible half jump. A brief greeting and a question she found oddly enough difficult to answer. Really. . .how was her Christmas?Full, she decided after a moment's reflection. Very, very full. Her mother and father had waged some sort of cooking war to see who could play the better parent in terms of kitchenfare. Her mother had developed a more exotic flare to her dishes, but Asher had preferred the comfortable familiarity of her father's. She had shown this preference by eating only of those her father had made; her mother had taken this badly.
That had been on Christmas Eve; thankfully, Christmas day was spent divided between the parents, with Christmas morning spent in Waxonberry with her dad and then Christmas night spent in Montreal with her mother in a newer apartment. A penthouse her mother had called it, the accented voice much satisfied in its pronouncement of the title. Asher was thankful for the increase in size; the summer apartment had been far too cramped for what she was used to. Two bedrooms for five kids and one adult whose wardrobe took up half the space as it was?
New Year's Eve had been equally as full, in both food and people. Asher's mother had called upon her sister to join the festivities, and Asher's father then retaliated with a request of his older and reclusive brother to come on down. Aunt Ciele and Uncle Edmund had got along like best friends, and a little before midnight, Asher's mother discovered the stashed away champagne while her father disappeared into the greenhouse. Asher and her brothers welcomed the new year with their aunt and uncle in much happier moods once their parents left.
She managed a less detailed reply, though, one that sounded more normal and commonplace for what was a normal and commonplace question. "Really long," she said with a slight wave of her hand. "And way too much food. My parents had this huge unofficial contest to see who could make more than the other."
Her eyes fell down the package in her lap, the wrapped bamboo charcoals hidden beneath the layered paper. Roughly, she held out the gift. "Merry Christmas, by the way," she said in a stiffly non-chalant tone. "I saw them when I was out Christmas shopping, and since I never did say thanks for giving me back my shoe. . ."
Her voice trailed off, and she stubbornly fixed her eyes on his shoes. She suddenly felt like the gift had been a really stupid idea.\n\n
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Asher Tallow
Okay, cool then
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Asher Tallow
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Earl
September 15, 2006 10:14 PM
Way cool by Earl
Earl leaned back a bit as Asher shoved the gift at him. He stared at it for a moment before looking up at Asher who wasn't looking at him, but somewhere near the floor, and then returning his gaze to the present."I...uhh...I got something for you too!" He lept up without warning, dashed up the boys staircase to the room he had all to himself, grabbed the rolled up picture tied with a red ribbon, and dashed downstairs again in no time flat. He reached Asher, panting slightly.
"Okay, here. It's just a drawing, but...well, I just thought you might like it." He handed the gift to Asher and hoped she wouldn't notice the red tinge to his face as he did so. Earl sat back down to open his gift from Asher.
He tore off the paper and his mouth dropped open.
"Holy crap! I can't believe you got this for me!" Earl carefully lifted the bamboo charcoals to eye level, examining every inch of it. "This is awesome! You're awesome!" He almost lunged himself towards Asher to hug her senseless, but resisted the temptation.
Does she like my gift? he thought suddenly, wishing to Merlin that she did.
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Earl
Way cool
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Earl
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Asher Tallow
September 20, 2006 7:50 AM
On a postal posting craze! by Asher Tallow
She waited awkwardly for the brief moment or two it took Earl to run upstairs and then down again. The awkwardness doubled once he opened her gift: enthusiastic seemed like far too tame a word to describe it. Still though, Asher managed a half smile that did something pleasant to her normally stiff features. A dimple that was normally hidden by the somewhat sallow tinge of her skin warmed her right cheek, and she fingered the red bow the wound around the picture Earl had handed her."You're welcome," she replied simply, feeling comfortable in the words. "And thanks," she added before untying the ribbon.
The parchment opened to reveal a portrait with herself as the drawing's design. It took more than a few seconds for this realization to dawn on her; she didn't recognize herself. A few of the typical questions darted through her mind: When had he done this? Did she really look like this? What should she say?
She stared at the portrait a moment more, wondering briefly if she looked as sad as the portrait seemed to show. Her brown eyes settled on Earl's own. "Thanks," she said again, her voice sounding oddly foreign to her ears. "This is really nice."
And then so she didn't sound quite so scripted: "You're really good!"
Asher's gaze dropped back to the portrait. She had thought she had hidden it better- her feelings that is. She had told no one of her parents' divorce, or of the past year's turmoil. She hadn't shared her feelings with anyone on the subject; it wasn't in her plans. But at that very moment, she felt tempted to tell her friend everything. He must have noticed something; after all, his drawing showed her with sad eyes. Her mouth half opened to speak, but stubborn pride bit it back.
She was fine. "You really are very good," she repeated. "This is a great present."\n\n
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Asher Tallow
On a postal posting craze!
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Asher Tallow
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Earl
September 20, 2006 8:22 PM
Hide the children! by Earl
Earl's stomach plummeted at Asher's response to his gift. She sounded so unenthused at his picture...was he that bad? Maybe he should've bought something...like a card. You can't go wrong with cards.Earl coughed to hide his extreme disappointment and doubt. "Uh...thanks," he answered quietly when Asher had complimented his ability. He didn't feel much like talking anymore.
"So, uh...do you really like it or are you just saying you do to not hurt my feeling?" He asked, trying to find out if it was him she didn't like or the drawing. "Cause I won't be mad if you don't like the picture. I could draw something else? Or maybe you'd prefer a card or something..."\n\n
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Earl
Hide the children!
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Earl
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Asher Tallow
September 28, 2006 9:38 AM
And the postal workers. . . by Asher Tallow
Asher heard the enthusiasm leave Earl Valentine's voice, and her brown eyes turned to his face immediately. He looked. . .hurt? Or was that confusion? She opened her mouth to ask, when he spoke again, his words answering her questions fully. She shifted uncomfortably, the back of her too bare neck flushing with an unknown embarrassment."No!" she blurted, honesty taking precedence over a more thoughtful, planned out sort of reply. She tugged on the sleeve of her sweater unconsciously, the gesture belying some of her agitation. "I like the picture alot; I just-"
She broke off, her honesty shying away once it was turned to what she really meant. How she really felt. Her eyes skirted away from his face again. She knew only the bare minimum of what Earl's home life was like; and return for this ignorance, she had never given up the key details of her homelife: how her mother had abandoned her and her brothers, how they all had waited for the past few years without knowing when she might return, and how suddenly, her mother had returned last year. Her father's letter had arrived on one day, and she was gone the next without so much as a wave good-bye. How would he react if she told him? Would he be like most of the people in Waxonberry- pitying and more than just a little condescending in their condolences?
A broken family. . .that was how one of her neighbors had described them. Asher remembered the expression on the woman's face as she had said those words; she couldn't bare to see one of her few friends look down on her with those same eyes and same cruel sympathy. She couldn't stand to have him feel sorry for her. Not when none of it was her fault. Not when she didn't even care. So her parents were divorced? Big deal. It didn't bother her anyway. So why should anyone feel sorry for her?
The fierceness of her thoughts removed any hesitance. She would tell him, and that was that. "My parents got divorced." She hurried on, not giving him a chance to interrupt. "That's why I left last year- my mom came back, and then at Christmas, they separated and two months later got divorced. Your picture made me look sad, and I don't know why because I'm not sad. I'm not sad at all. I'm exactly like I always am. You must have imagined it."
She met his gaze purposely, with an unspoken challenge. Let him just try to disagree with her.\n\n
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Asher Tallow
And the postal workers. . .
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Asher Tallow
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Earl
September 28, 2006 7:09 PM
Definitely the postal workers by Earl
Asher's shouted answer took Earl by surprise. He looked at her, eyes wide as she sat in thought and then finally spoke. He never took his eyes off her as she told him basically that her parents got divorced. Then she mentioned his picture. He glanced at it. He really had mader her look sad. He hadn't meant to. Why didn't he see it before? He had all these thoughts in his head, but all he muster to say was "Oh."Then he thought that maybe he should say something else. But what?
"Uh, I'm sorry...I really didn't mean to make you look sad." Idiot. Earl thought. She didn't want to talk about the drawing! She wanted to talk about her parents! And I go on about some stupid gift! Earl coughed to hide his embarrassment, and then spoke again.
"My mom died," he said suddenly, trying to come up with common ground. "When I was eight. I got all this sympathy from everyone, but it just annoyed me. I mean, they didn't lose anyone! Why should they feel bad?" By this time, Earl was getting pretty worked up. His hands had found their way to a pillow and were holding onto it so tight that his knuckles were turning white. He was staring at his lap rather than at Asher now.
Then suddenly, he looked up again, realizing he had said too much. "I-I don't know why I said that," he stammered out as a way of an apology for saying too much.
"I guess what I meant was that I don't know exactly how you feel, but I can get pretty close." He stared at Asher and realized then and there why he had said all those things and tried so hard to make Asher the perfect Christmas present. He liked her. It made him blush just thinking about it. But like hell was he telling anyone. This was just too weird.\n\n
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Earl
Definitely the postal workers
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Earl
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