(Written for Valentine's Day Fic exchange. Time frame-wise: late 1800's- early 1900's.)
It would be hard to describe life in the city as anything but lazy. It was always bustling with a continuous flow of various people of various backgrounds. There were the rich, dressed in fancy suits and gorgeous dresses, riding in their little carriages drawn by elegant steeds and mares; the beggars, sitting on the cobblestone in their dirty old rags, rattling a cup in hopes for a coin or two; the businessmen, sprinting on by, keeping eyes set on their wind-up watches; the bankers; the factory-workers; the newly weds; the bakers; it was such a colourful place full of colourful people.
Lillian Zwingli sighed contently as she watched the motley collection of individuals wander her street from the secure and peaceful location of the amiable veranda.
Charming indeed. There was just something about the hustle and bustle of the grown-up world that was quaint and almost restful to watch. It was such a simple process, yet, so very lovely.
Gardens were impossible when one was in the city. The houses were too packed together for one to even contemplate a backyard. For one raised in the country, someone would think that the change would be impossible to adapt to; this especially applying to a young girl whose previous hobby was that of tending her own small vegetable garden. However, Lili was always an optimist, finding cheer in even the darkest places. And in all the rumours of the horrors of the city, she found her peace and rest among flowers and vegetables yet again, potted around the edges of the simple terrace provided.
She spent her lazy summer days there, seated on an old clementine crate, the sunflowers and orchids providing her protection from the harsh city air. And daily, she found herself leaning over the wooden rail hastily, looking on to the bystanders below. And it intrigued the blonde so.
A peek at their clothes, their expressions, their posture, and you could see their entire story. Lili had become an expert as time went on as to formulate the city's tales, writing down the good ones in a makeshift diary that she kept secure in the second drawer in her nightstand. She considered it her own 'job' and was very proud of her work.
Black soles left the wood as Lili stretched out further to get a better look at those passing, the lavender ribbon secured in her hair blowing lightly in the gentle breeze.
Her focus was so intense on the populace that she could not have noticed the cherry wood door and the way it opened in an ever so slow and cautious way that could only be marked with one person's demeanour.
It could have been anywhere from seconds to hours of people watching before a certain familiar tap resided on the young girl's left shoulder. And even with the gentle nature that Lili held, the finger used still retreated hesitantly to its owner. Only one person ever called for her attention like that.
A small, soft smile graced the blonde's lips as she gently threw her head back to be acquainted with the face of a socially awkward foreigner that she knew all too well. Even after years of routine and friendship, Lili would forever wonder how the light brunette would still jump upon the littlest indication of interaction with a startled nature. He was a curious boy that way, but once he settled down, he became the dearest person in the whole world.
Observing him from an upside-down angle, Raivis Galante gave a brief wave before retreating his hand to join the other behind his back. Like usual, his clothes were ridiculously filthy and worn to nothing, his jacket so thin that it was practically less than an extra layer of skin. The soles of his shoes were gone completely, providing no protection from any sort of puddle he stepped in.
Lillian's face dropped momentarily at this, flipping right side up and making a sharp turn to face Raivis wholeheartedly.
"Mother just gave you a whole bunch of new clothes last week!" She paused, studying to confirm that those were, indeed, the same rags she saw him in as long ago as last year. "Why aren't you wearing those?"
Raivis had moved in with his family five years ago to escape economic depression in Latvia when the farm had faltered to industrial means. Refusing to move overseas, the overly hardy family had simply moved out west in search for work in the Old World.
'Work opportunities are scarce for the lower class emigrants, so they don't get much choice on location' as Vash, Lili's older brother, had always said. But, no matter what her stingy brother stated, the blonde continued and would always believe that their moving here was fate, and that Raivis and her meeting was destiny.
"My siblings needed them more than I did."
That was right. Raivis was the youngest in the family and suffered from battles with sickness on multiple occasions. Because he couldn't find work in the factories, he brought it upon himself to give whatever he could to those who did.
Lili could never understand why the world wouldn't give help to those who needed it just because they didn't have money. Where was the charity and goodwill towards men?
Still, even as the younger's face dropped with sympathy, Raivis easily picked himself back up, reaching for his clementine crate and setting it in position next to Lili's. He drew out his own story collection from an overused knapsack, pages littered with scrappy pictures due to the elder's own illiteracy. Even so, Raivis' drawings were gorgeous and had caused for Lili to become quite envious in the past. Swiss-German captions were written neatly under many of the sketches that the two had found interesting, Lili's handwriting prominent over whatever few words the elder had tried to form on various pages.
Raivis laughed sincerely at his younger counterpart's now noticeably empty hands.
"Did you forget?"
Lili paused, staring at her palms and then joining the Latvian in a small fit of laughter.
"I guess I did."
This triggered another small burst of giggles before Lili guided herself to her own bedroom.
Just where she wanted it.
When the Zwinglis had moved so many years ago, she nicely asked for the room next to the veranda. Being that no one else saw the beauty in the dirty, barren place at the time, she received it after some convincing was done due to her brother wanting the best for her. She would have given anything to see Vash's face when the terrace burst into bloom with potted plants.
The soles of Lili's black shoes made the floor creak in welcome, providing her with a short accompaniment while she took the adequate steps to reach her nightstand, hand brushing over a painted leaf whilst locating the second knob. The small dresser itself was painted on all sides with the images of three sunflowers, their leaves and petals reaching to all corners of it with faded yellows and greens. Selecting the desired object from the top, she proceeded to leave promptly, stumbling over an empty flowerpot on her way out.
Joining her Latvian pal, she sat down on the old crate, gathering the skirt of her dress and positioning her legs so that they would be set to the side. While she was a child, she was still expected to maintain lady-like etiquette after all.
Only when all settled did she glance to the left to Raivis. He was already absorbed heavily in his work, leaning over the railing and recording the crème of the crop of individuals, as they passed, in his journal. She was distracted in the process of which the immigrant worked to the point of realizing that she was wasting valuable time and possible character appearances, turning back to her notes in embarrassment.
Why was it that she was so easily diverted as of late?
The question lingered for only a moment for when she glanced over the wooden railing, she saw something that she did not wish to see as of the moment. It seemed as if her brother had gotten home early from the bank for some reason or another, therefore notifying the usual end of Raivis' visits. Considering that he had but only just arrived, it seemed very unfair that Vash only allowed the Latvian as company until the elder brother had gotten home.
She repositioned herself behind the railing at that, leaving a firm pout on her face before noticing the sad sort of expression left back on Raivis. And, as horrible as it was, Lili got a burst of excitement out of that, noticing that the immigrant wanted to stay. He must care! That could be the only possible explanation! Her heart skipped a beat as she, again, forgot of the individual approaching the door with every second.
Good things only last for so long. Vash arrived to her rooftop paradise shortly, only paying mind to Raivis for a brief second before continuing to ask the usual questions inquiring her happiness and wellbeing while she, in turn, answered with the usual proper phrases, ignoring the screaming conscience of her mind telling her to inform her brother of the fact that she was, indeed, not pleased. Yet, her mind always did lie to itself, making it an eternal battle between what she thought she wanted and what she really did.
This had no reflection on what always happened. It never did. After the typical 'city safety' lesson was over, the elder of the Zwinglis then centered his attention on the socially awkward boy sitting next to Lili, guiding with his hand the way to the door, disgust evident on his face.
Raivis took the cue, ignoring the banker's apprentice's harsh gaze, and proceeded to go the door. The soles of his shoes resonated on the wood, only to be noticed by Lili over the hustle and bustle of the city.
No.
It was not going to end this way again.
No. No. No.
The Swiss girl didn't know where Raivis went after his visits but she had, at least, confirmed that it was not a good place.
Lili reached out, yet, her arm stopped halfway.
It always did.
And with it, the sound of Raivis' disappearance was all but confirmed with a loud bang with which he would vanish into the unknown until tomorrow.
And she would be waiting.
(AN:
Whilst I have written quite a bit, I have never worked with ... I am more concerned with managing the technology of the web o'er the means of writing technique so if I am incorrect on something here on this site, I would like to be informed. You can... do whatever you do to contact me on such concerns. oTL
Generally, I think that rare pairs such as this need more love, therefore, I try to write for them. I have a tendency to stall work, but, suggestions are always welcome in the means of both improvement and in the sense of plot bunnies.
This is rather... short... but I do have more written down... therefore... proceeding chapters shall be longer. oTL))