Ice Flowers (Open)

[Appoline Meian]

The pond was one of the many places one could relax at this school. Unlike at Eisai, it wasn't a place for people to get exuberant and noisy, and during the winter it was almost deathly silent. Snow sat on the ground in a soft plume, and everything seemed very peaceful.


Appoline liked coming here. It was a good place to people-watch from a distance, and she could usually sketch the koi in the pond if she had the time. There were a number of drawings of the fish in the sketchbook she had in her hands, but today she needed more than fish for distraction. On the surface, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts, and coming here was a good way to do just that. However... she really wanted to gather the courage to talk to her father.


Things had been different here than they were in Japan. No one really picked on her here at all. She'd even made a couple of friends, though she hadn't spoken to them in a while. Still, while her life (and Cassi's) seemed to be getting better, her parents were being run ragged by the school. Her mother was in the infirmary almost every day and often stayed late, and there were rumors (false rumors!) that her dad was sleeping with one of his students. Their lives seemed almost worse than before they had moved.


With a sigh, the girl brushed the snow from one of the stone benches, her gloves keeping her hands from getting too wet before she sat. Her long skirt was slightly damp at the hem, and high boots covered her legs to the knee over warm leggings.The turtleneck and jacket she wore were handmedowns from her mother and fit loosely, though the knit cap that hid her white streak was her own. All in all, she was a little girl, lost and alone in the world with only ice and paper drawings to keep her company.


It made her sad. And it made her angry.

[Andrei Dragunov]

Andrei hesitated.

Just a few days after he had moved into this school, and he'd caused more trouble than he had ever planned to - most of it unwilling - and he'd gotten even more paranoid than he already was of crowds and people in general. Then, he had found this place. It was a godsend. Mostly devoid of people, some colorful Asian fish that he didn't know the names of swimming in the water peacefully, and best of all - no electronics in a wide, wide radius. He had taken to coming here nearly every day, spending all the waking time he had outside of class just happily watching the fish swim. And yet, now, he found his sanctuary had been invaded, of sorts.

To approach, or not to approach? It seemed like it was only one girl, all by herself, drawing the fish. It seemed okay. But he had gotten wary of approaching people, what with the trouble he caused simply by being there. He glanced around, making sure there was nobody around him, before unwillingly forcing himself to trudge awkwardly down the courtyard and halt about a meter away from the girl. "Hallo," he said nervously, jerkily pointing the the pond. "May I sit, here? I do not vant to disturb you, I just-" he stammered a little, then pointed at the pond again, then twitched a little. His body seemed to spasm for a moment, his eyes going from grey to electric blue, then he steadied himself, took a deep breath, and smiled weakly at the Asian girl. "Fish," he finished, somewhat lamely.

[Appoline Meian]

If it were not for the snow on the ground, Appoline wasn't sure she would have noticed the boy walking up. At it was, the sound had made her cock her head slightly to hear better and cease sketching, and when it stopped she looked up. A boy stood before her; probably younger than her, but she wasn't really sure about that. He was pale and dark, and he looked very nervous about being anywhere near her. An interesting thing, considering that she wasn't very imposing and she herself was quite the wallflower.


She watched him for a brief second before closing the book over her hand, hiding the drawings without losing her page. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her art - it just wasn't finished yet. His request seemed valid, and after biting her lip for a moment to think on it, she nodded. Company wouldn't be bad, would it? "N-no, not at all. Please, sit. I don't-"


The sudden shiver by the boy was accompanied by a harsh squeal in the ear closest to him, causing Appoline to flinch. One hand flew to her ear and landed even as the sound died, and even though she was mostly deaf a resonance rang through that side of her hearing. Something had damaged the frequency of the hearing aid, and even though she heard the boy's last word in the other ear, there was no other sound from the closer. The device had shut off entirely.


With a shaky breath, the girl closed her eyes for a moment and counted to five in her mind. Relaxing, her hand left her ear and she looked up at the stranger with one blue eye and one brown. "S-sorry," she muttered, looking away quickly. "I must have, well, startled you. I'm sorry."

[Andrei Dragunov]

Andrei fidgeted nervously as he watched the girl survey him for a moment, before she started speaking - and then stopped abruptly again, looking pained. He tilted his head, confused by her reaction. Was she admitting his presence, or denying it altogether? Andrei stepped forward a little, his hand stretched out in a helpful sort of gesture, his brows furrowed in concern, giving him the awkward appearance of someone who is stretching a hand out to help, but knows he may be more harm than good.

"Ah, no-" he smiled furtively. "Are you okay?" His eyes shifted again, turning a muddy blue in colour, with swirling brown trails caressing his irises gently. His ever-changing eyes was mildly distracting at best, though sometimes people took to staring straight at him for minutes on end. It would have made anyone uncomfortable, much less him. He raised his hand, hesitated, then lowered it. "Vot happen to you?" asked the heavily-accented boy earnestly, his eyes darting to her sketchbook every now and then even as he established his concern for her well-being. "Perhaps... Get up too fast after draw pictures? Blood to head?"

[Appoline Meian]

While Appoline had more than (grudgingly) accepted her deafness as fact over the years, it was not something she was proud of. She'd been teased relentlessly in her junior high school for it, and had studiously done her best to make sure no one here knew about it aside from her own family. There was nothing she wanted more in the world than to be normal, after all, and not being able to hear was certainly not normal.


Still, the earnestness in the boy's expression was so sweet, and he looked so badly like he didn't mean it and only wanted to help...


Flushing deep red, the artist fidgeted for a moment before replying. "Y-yes, I'm all right," she murmured quietly. "Just... a sharp noise." Her own odd-colored eyes flicked up to his, catching the orbs mid-change and keeping her gaze longer than she normally would have allowed. That's beautiful... who would have thought that eyes could shift like that?


His question shook her from her observation, and blinking rapidly, the Japanese girl ducked her head. "Oh... no, that isn't it. I just... heard something, that's all. P-please, sit down, if you want - I don't mind the company."


In all honest surprise to her, she didn't either. He just seemed like he wanted a quiet place to think and be mostly alone. Appoline could give that to him, considering that she was mostly invisible at this school anyway. She gestured to a place on the bench for him to sit, giving a very slight shy smile at him; no point in making it seem like the boy was unwelcome.

[Andrei Dragunov]

The pale youth, whose skin looked as if it could blend into the snow-cased ground he tread upon, flashed her a quick grin as her eyes lingered for a split second longer than was appropriate on his own, nudging him into giving her an all-purpose shrug as if to say 'its okay, everybody stares at them' in a polite, non-verbal manner. As she hesitated over her decision, he canted his head to the side and watched her fidget, trying to place her. She seemed distinctly oriental, although, being from rural Ukraine, he hadn't had much of an education and so could really only identify her being 'somewhere from Asia'. And the only country he knew of that was located in Asia happened to be China, due to his government's concerns and early-warning propaganda posters.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when she spoke, and beamed at her as she made space for him on the bench, breaking into a shy little stride as he shuffled through the snow and made a place for himself on the cold surface of the bench. "Thank you," he said gratefully as he ducked his head a little lower, burying half his face into the scarf wound around his neck, making his accented voice even more difficult to decipher. "You 'ave draw a lot in dat?" he gestured a little at her sketchbook. "Are you good drawver?" After a moment's pause, during which he looked interestedly at the fish swimming about in the water, he turned to her and inquired, "Are these fish from ver your country is from? You 'ave same homeland?"

[Appoline Meian]

"You're welcome," came the soft answer, gentle as falling snow. The knitted cap on her head kept the demure dip of her chin from shielding her face with dark hair, and her dark eyes flickered back to the lean boy briefly as he sat before returning to the sketchbook in her hands. They sat in silence for a moment, watching the fish swim under the cold water and at peace with the company they offered each other.


The small girl looked back up to the boy beside her and nodded, removing her hand from her page. She could always find it later. "Y-yes, I draw often," she murmured. "I'm... well, I think I do well. The people who see them seem to think so."


There was another hesitation, and she opened the front cover of the book to reveal a torn-out page. It had been a piece for her art class, but she'd ended up getting it back sooner than she thought, so Appoline took the page and handled it for a moment before passing it haltingly to the boy beside her. The drawing was a pen sketch of the courtyard in winter, complete with students playing in the fresh powder. "I... well, I draw things like this," she stated quietly.


Quite the huge step for a girl who believed her sketchbook sacred and her art private.


"Oh... yes, they're koi," Appoline answered with a nod. "They're... a little like goldfish, though much larger. They're, um, native to Japan." Much like Andrei, Appoline had little knowledge of eastern Europe and couldn't quite place the accent of her companion. It sounded Russian, but not like when her mother spoke it; there was a different lilt to it, similar but different.

[Andrei Dragunov]

Andrei's face brightened when she handed him a page of her sketchbook, which he handled with a nigh-on-reverent approach, his fingers gently caressing the surface of the paper and flattening it out slightly so he could better appreciate it. His irises begun to warp as they scanned the surface of the paper, the brown seeming to swirl about madly as they brightened rapidly, as if reflecting his mood, the whites of his eyes greying as the irises turned silver, making him look as if he was possessed before the greys in the whites of his eyes seemed to meld with the silver, giving his irises a stormy grey colour even as his brows narrowed and a delighted smile crept up on his face.

"Is vedy beyotifuul," he exclaimed softly, heavy emphasis on the 'v' that made it sound like he was saying 'vvvedy beautiful'. He gestured at the page excitedly. "It iz diffikuld, I theenk, to kapture de moving bodies, no? I do not know 'ow you manage, but deez-" he raised the paper up to the light so he could better admire it, struggled to pronounce 'beautiful' again, and shortened his excited expression: "... Perfekt!" He meant the words. It was a beautiful thing - that he could not possibly ruin. His uncle in Canada, a graphics designer, worked with Photoshop, and created the most beautiful, stunning imagery, but he only risked viewing them at a distance despite his love for them, because if he went too close, his uncle lost all his work in one go, something that dismayed Andrei greatly.

He started, realizing she was watching him, and handed the page back to her hastily, thinking her minding him holding on to the page for too long. His storm-grey eyes flashed as they glanced at hers, and he looked a little astonished as she started explaining about the koi. "Japan? Koi?" he repeated uncertainly, as if testing the word on his tongue, something he did frequently when he was faced with a new word. He made it sound like a Russian word when he pronounced it as 'Zhapavn? Kvaoi?'. Andrei looked at her dubiously, a smile on his face. "You are vedy talented, no? Smart, and gud drawver." He ruefully scratched at the back of his militant-looking short-cropped hair, which he had cut upon arriving in Canada in the midst of a winter, because he felt warm.

[Appoline Meian]

The expression on his face was... well, it wasn't something that she was used to. That awe and affection, the delicate way he held the paper... it was as if he were holding something priceless rather than graphite-stained parchment. It made her feel somewhat accomplished, as if her work was actually something to be proud of and not hidden away in shyness. His words confirmed it, and the Asian girl blushed heavily, looking away slightly to try and hide it. "I...I'm glad that... you think so," she managed to stammer out. "I... only draw what I see, so my, um... my work is limited. But it's really nice to hear, so... thank you."


She looked back to him just before he turned to her, taking the paper and placing it gently in the book before closing it again. "I lived in Japan, before I came here," she added. "My parents... they thought living in the city was too much, so... we came here. I miss it sometimes, so I come to watch the koi swim to remind me of it."


Appoline jumped a little at his comments about her and bowed her head, her face flushed deep pink in embarrassment. She wasn't used to being complimented on anything still, and it always made her even more shy and tongue-tied. "I, um, well... I don't... ah... I'm not really..." she stammered, trying hard to deny the compliments without being rude.

[Andrei Dragunov]

Andrei's attention had returned to the pond, his stormy grey eyes scanning the surface of the tranquil waters, with a rueful smile on his face as he compared her drawings to the live subjects. He glanced at her as she belittled her own abilities, looking surprised. "You can do vatever you vant, as long as your mind and heart are in de right place," he insisted, and then blinked as she told her story. A look of consternation crossed his face, replaced quickly by a grave sort of understanding. He knew the feeling of being removed from your home and all you had known and held precious. He knew it all too well. He gave her a little smile as she stammered.

"I vud like to see your country, vun day. Maybe you could show me where these kvaoi come from."

[Appoline Meian]

Her blush only deepened as he complimented her again, and Appoline ducked her head to try and hide it. This random person was being so nice; he didn't even know her. But, she supposed that was the beauty of it - he didn't have to know her to think that she was a good artist or a nice person. It felt... interesting. "Thank you," she murmured softly. "That's very kind of you to say."


She looked up at his statement and gave a slightly wider smile. "I'd like to show it to you someday," she replied without thinking, realizing after only a moment that it could be misconstrued and bowing her head again. "I mean... well, it's a beautiful place and... well, the best place to see koi are... the um, the aquariums or the, ah, Palace Gardens. Supposedly, the koi there are over four hundred years old, and from their size... well, they might be."


"Where, um... where do you come from?" she asked quietly, peeking up at him once more. Her hands fiddled with her sketchbook, running the pads on her thumbs over the textured cover lightly.

[Andrei Dragunov]

Andrei canted his head to the side in an expression of polite curiosity when she ducked her head; assuming she had dropped something, he dipped his head in tandem, peering at the floor interestedly, unable to see whatever it was she was looking for when she mumbled a reply to his previous statement. He blinked, smiled awkwardly, and scratched the back of his head ruefully. "Iz nothing. You 'ave a vunderful talent, and mine are vords that are earnest more than dey are kind."

He slipped his arms over his legs, which he held knees up to his chest, and nodded slowly as she started talking about her country. It was something he often did himself, with unrestrained enthusiasm, when someone inquired about his backgrounds, and so he knew exactly the reaction she wanted, and gave her what he thought she sought, his eyes widening at opportune moments, wordless exclamations upon the mention of the age of the palatial koi. "You still 'ave royalty? Votever do they do all day? The time for kings and queens is past!" he frowned a little. "Perhaps dey spend their time breeding kvaoi."

In time, the topic turned to his own origins, and a wistful expression crossed his face with such poignant strength that it was impossible to miss his longing. "Ukraine," he said. And the way he said it, he might as well have stated 'heaven on Earth'. He slid a finger across the snow-caked ground. "This reminds me of her. De snow."

[Appoline Meian]

Appoline blushed an even deeper red at his kind words, but said nothing except another soft murmur of thanks. She didn't really trust herself to say anything more without stuttering or otherwise embarrassing herself. He was just so nice and sweet, and he didn't know her. Heck, they didn't even know each others' names... Whoops. "Ah... um... by the way," she muttered softly, wringing her hands. "My, um... my name is Appoline. What's yours?"


The exclamation of surprise was startling, though in a way it amused her and a shy little laugh escaped her. It wasn't on purpose, but he seemed so very invested in everything he said that it was hard not to see the humor. "Honestly?" she asked, musing. "I'm not really sure. My father says that they're sort of the spiritual heart of the country; Japan also has the longest unbroken line of royals in the world - we can trace it back for thousands of years. I'm pretty sure it's something you have to be an adult to appreciate."


A light smile passed over Appoline's face at the longing in the boy's features. He sounded like he missed his home so much, and it was something she could relate to. She didn't miss the people there (other than her uncle), but she could understand wanting to be where you were born. "What... um, what was it like? I've never been to... to Europe before."


She was relaxing now, even if she didn't realize it. Despite not being able to hear out of one ear at the moment, the Japanese girl hung on every word the younger boy said, interested completely. He sounded like he really wanted someone to talk to, and even if she wasn't the best talker she could listen with the best.

[Andrei Dragunov]

Andrei started out of his reverie when the girl of the orient before him suddenly started to bat the air with her hands - or at least that's what it seemed like she was doing - before she suddenly introduced herself. Jerked away from his perfect white visions of a wintry Ukraine, he took a moment to catch himself, and then apologetically bobbed his head and said, "Andrei. Or, if you vud prefer, Andy, like most American people call me. It eez easier on de tongue, I theenk."

He gave her a little shrug, indicating that he knew little of why the difference between 'Andrei' and 'Andy' mattered, and listened to her explanation of Japanese national pride regarding their royal family. "It seems like a leetle bit of a vaste to me," Andrei observed, "To simply admire an unbroken royal line, vhen you 'ave so much other beauty to admire and appreciate." A flicker of his irises indicated his renewed interest in the koi, swimming about lazily in their watery homes.

He blinked, and beamed in gratitude when the girl asked about his home. Clearly it was a subject he longed to speak of, but either lacked the courage to delve into, or simply had no one to talk to about. He went into the topic with according gusto, exclaiming, with many hand gestures, "Ukraine is very, very cold, but it is a familiar cold, yes? It eez a cold vhere the harshness ... ah - nurtures - cares for the people - it trains, so dat the lazy vill be punished, but the hardvorking vill prevail. In true winter, the snow is pure white, so much that if you look out upon it vith no protekction... You vill be - ah - dazzled-" Though he struggled with many of the descriptive words he had to used, it was clear the boy enjoyed speaking of his homeland, and of the perceived wonders. Though not a social person by nature, he was innately friendly, and with the girl, he felt a certain warmth that encouraged him to divulge unexpectedly.

[Appoline Meian]

"Andrei," the Asian girl replied, testing the name on her tongue. She was fairly certain that she hadn't gotten the nuances of the name correct, but the overall sound seemed right. "It's nice to meet you." The shy smile she flashed him was not accompanied by a blush this time, but she was still very hesitant to open up completely. Still, he was a very nice boy, this Andrei.

She shrugged slightly at his assessment. She didn't really understand it either, but the teen gathered that it had something to with pride and being better than other nations. "There a lots of beautiful things in Japan," she replied, remembering back. "I don't think anyone can claim to have seen true beauty unless they've seen the cherry blossoms in the spring. We even have visitors who come from other countries just to see them and go home." Spring festivals were some of Appoline's favorite, especially because the weather was just right for wearing kimono. And her mother looked stunning in one.

The sense of utter thanks emanating from Andrei enough to be felt, and the girl blushed a little in the face of his smile. She'd just been trying to be nice, but apparently that's all it took. His description of his country sounded like someplace that most may not want to go, but the reverence that the Ukrainian gave the land made it seem beautiful in a harsh way. Like a stormy sea, perhaps. It sounded like some place her parents would be more than happy to stay, even if just for a time; her father held the believe that the land taught survival, and those who did not know how to learn failed its tests. Maybe he and this boy would get along.

"It sounds beautiful," she replied, smiling softly. "I've always liked the snow - seeing it settle in the country was like being alone without being lonely." Appoline suspected that it was similar, though she couldn't really tell if it was exactly the same or not. Probably not; she always was a strange child.