|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:25 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:33 pm
|
|
|
|
Corinne had similar qualms about a home that felt entirely unsavory, though she was only just arriving in Camphoreon that morning rather than remaining from the night before. She usually spent her time wandering around the vast city of Sandalwood, but the low visibility, she found, made it a less appealing location than that nearby industrialized Camphoreon. Her task for the day, she decided, was to come up with something to prove that her alleged pokemon journey was underway; the school in which her foster parents had enrolled her allowed time off for such quests only on the stipulation that she was periodically able to produce some proof that she wasn't simply skipping classes. With one such checkpoint approaching, Corinne resigned to try and teach Lady signals for using attacks, specifically Ember. The move, as she had seen it written, didn't have a single, distinct gesture associated with it, and so the girl grudgingly accepted the task of assigning one. This wouldn't have been so much trouble if Lady weren't so obviously disinterested in learning to battle; her duty was as Corinne's friend and guide, after all.
The girl's first choice in her chore was to secure a place in Camphoreon's park, which she did without specifically looking to see if anyone else was around first. She then knelt in front of her Growlithe, retrieving the broad screen of her phone and loading an application into which she drew a messy rendition of the fire-type breathing out small flames, signing with it the vague instruction to 'use a fire attack.' Lady hesitated, tilting her head in curious uncertainty as she attempted to pinpoint exactly which attach her trainer was requesting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:30 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:48 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:54 pm
|
|
|
|
Akira flinched back at the canine's bark, wondering if he was unwelcome and realizing too late that the sudden approach probably hadn't been the best idea. He eyed the Growlithe's shaggy fur and made a mental note not to get too close. The service jacket it wore, however, simply fed his curiosity and silent theory on its trainer.
The girl's slow reaction, though...that hadn't been anticipated, exactly. As Akira valued his sense of hearing the most of his five, it wasn't too difficult to tell which one the Growlithe's trainer was having trouble with. His forehead creased in concern and he searched her face.
When she turned to her phone, he followed her gaze with intense interest and caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a crudely-drawn version of her Growlithe using some sort of fire attack. This was clarified when she typed out a response on her cell - something that surprised and brought back nostalgic memories to Akira. He'd known someone to communicate that way before, but she was long gone.
With a slightly melancholy smile, the young man nodded in understanding. Hesitantly he raised his hands, wondering if she would think him daft or crazy, but then he realized it didn't matter. He no longer had any reputation to uphold for his family name. [Do you speak sign language?] he asked with slow deliberation. The risk of him looking stupid was far outweighed by the chance that he could make communication with him easier for this girl.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:08 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 8:28 am
|
|
|
|
A bright, genuine smile came to Akira's face when he witnessed the recognition in both the pokemon's and her trainer's faces. So, she did know after all. The waving fist the young man recognized to be a form of ASL, which he wasn't as familiar with as JSL, but as it was more widely-known and used, both he and his family had learned it just the same. Rusty as he may have been with it, it was nice being able to speak with his hands again as he used to with his older sister.
Taking a moment to recall the corresponding signs that went with the message he wanted to convey, the young man held up his open palms before brushing his right across the surface of his left. Then he made a pair of fists with his index fingers up and thumbs across, representing two people before he put them together to 'meet'. The final gesture was a simple finger pointing at his addressee. [Nice to meet you.]
Putting a hand to his chest, Akira indicated himself before putting up two fingers on each hand and crossing them atop one another. [My name...] Then he spelled out his letters gradually, recalling the letters one by one. [A-K-I-R-A]
After a pause, he gestured to her a second time and once more put up the two fingers on each hand to crossing them atop one another. [What is your name?]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 8:50 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 12:16 pm
|
|
|
|
"Corinne..." He tasted the name on his lips like an exotic delicacy, speaking it aloud to hear how it sounded. He mimicked the gestures that followed the individual letters, charmed by their simplicity and meaning. 'Beautiful' he told her. But his face fell when he took notice of her bittersweet demeanor, his brow knitting in concern.
'What's the matter?' Akira's hands asked, wondering if he had said something to distress the young lady. She explained that it had been a while since she had spoken to anyone through sign language, but he suspected there was more to it than that.
Though under normal circumstances he wouldn't have dreamed of touching this girl he'd just met, physical contact, he found, was something that spoke volumes - particularly among those who had no voice of their own. Thus he reached out a hand to place gingerly on her shoulder, hoping to encourage her to raise her head once more and meet his gaze.
'It's been a while for me, too,' he signed, speaking the words aloud in conjunction with his gestures. 'My older sister is mute, but I haven't seen her in a long time.' Perhaps by expressing his empathy, he could make her feel more comfortable in explaining her situation. 'Have you also been away from your loved ones long?'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 1:00 pm
|
|
|
|
She shook her head lightly; it wasn't as though there were really a "matter," per se, so much as there were personal feelings of discontentment. It felt petty to complain about her circumstances when the fact of things was that Olivier's brother had acquiesced to house, feed, and clothe her. She didn't react overtly to the contact, though Lady did perk up a bit at the touch. 'The people I live with won't learn sign language,' she gestured, raising her eyes as she communicated as she found to be polite. 'I'm an inconvenience to them.' The question of her loved ones brought her to bite her lip gently, her hands closing on themselves. When she reanimated, her movements were small and short, 'My caretaker passed away some time ago.'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 6:06 pm
|
|
|
|
Akira hesitated, frowning. He wasn't sure he was reading her signs right. 'The people you live with', he signed back, wanting to clarify something, 'Do you mean your family?' ...Or did she not live with her family? Who was it that she lived with, exactly, then? ...An inconvenience?
The young man's brown eyes narrowed. How dare whoever it was make her feel that way. Surley it wasn't her fault she had a disability. She couldn't want to have been forced to communicate through a phone. How dare they!
It was like Momoko's situation with her schoolmates all over again, though at least she and Akira's sister were priviledged enough to have families who cared. Wealthy families, ones that would do anything in their power to make thier children feel happy, comfortable, loved, and 'normal'. It seemed that Corinne was not so fortunate.
Caretaker? The creases of anger and concern on his forehead smoothed a little when she mentioned the passing of someone else. Presumably this had been someone who had been dear to the young lady, judging by her actions and movements. 'I am sorry to hear that,' he signed back, 'But may I ask what you mean by 'caretaker'?'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 6:32 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:31 am
|
|
|
|
Lost in thought, the young man's features revealed faint traces of his outrage in the furrow of his brow and the tight line of his lips. As he had been raised to mask the majority of his emotions for politeness' sake, he managed to avoid unintentionally expressing his full-on distaste for these people, but it wasn't completely concealed. Certainly there was a reason this girl didn't consider these people she referred to as family, blood-related or not.
The fact that they refused to accommodate her by at least attempting to make communication easier was enough to convince Akira that this was an injustice. Rich or poor, the effort it took to show someone you cared cost virtually nothing and meant everything...yet these people had denied this girl even that.
"Oliver..." Even as he repeated this second name aloud, copying the shortened version as he saw it, he recognized the term 'father' and his expression visibly softened. For a while he didn't seem to know what to say, lowering his gaze to the grass between them, his lips slightly parted with sorrowful uncertainty. 'I'm very sorry', he gestured again, feeling as though it was repetitive, but not wanting to just remain silent. He couldn't express the regret he felt for her loss. 'It sounds like he loved you very much.'
The news that she was adopted was also of mild interest and it saved him the embarrassment of asking what happened to her real family. Instead, when he put his hands again, it was to ask, 'Are you living on your own, now, then?'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:17 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:12 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|