Re: Inspired by the discussion at the main comm...
anonymous
November 11 2009, 18:51:08 UTC
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The next day started much as the last. After waking up, tending to his morning needs, Ivan went down and opened up the shop again, cleaning everything thoroughly until he had nothing more to do, and was reduced to sitting at the stool again, bored. But, for once, he was glad of the lack of customers. He hadn't slept well last night, due to...troubling dreams involving his one customer yesterday. No matter what he did, Ivan couldn't seem to drive that random encounter out of his mind. He wondered if staying in America too long was turning him crazy. Anyways, the smile wouldn't get out of his head, and Ivan was irritated. The last thing he needed was more people that he was forced to be pleasant to...
The bells chimed as the door open.
Ivan forcibly held back a groan, and swivelled on the chair, pasting a smile on his face. It dropped when he saw who it was. Was this real?
The soldier grinned at him brightly, in the same uniform with that smile. "Hey! Good morning!"
Ivan bit back the first thought on his tongue about how it wasn't a good morning anymore, and never had been because of him. Instead, he merely sighed. "...May I help you?"
The other waved him off again. "Nah, I know what I want."
To drive me insane is what you want, Ivan grumbled mentally, but forced himself to smile again. "...All right."
Not in the back room this time, Ivan could watch the man wander about his shop. The blonde hummed to himself, a jaunty little tune that Ivan could already feel working its eay into his subconscious so he would start humming it too, and he felt a little despaired at that. The smile would already not get out of his mind, now there would be humming. Still, there was little else to do, so he watched the man walk around.
He was surprisingly delictae around the flowers, more than Ivan would think him. He only bent over and looked at them, sometimes gently touching one that apparently caught his eye, and moved deliberately to avoid knocking into anything in the rather crowded rows of arrangements and vases and bouquets.
After a few moments, Ivan felt a little relaxed. His flowers were, at least, safe. He looked away, picking up the discarded flowers he had attempted an arrangement with. Perhaps if he added a little more greenery...
"Hey."
Ivan jumped slightly, looking up. When had the other come up to the counter...? He'd never heard him. He put down the flowers again, forcnig himself not to sigh where the other could hear it. "Yes?"
The other grinned brightly again. "My name's Alfred, Alfred Jones. What's yours?"
He regarded the other with some suspicion. What was he up to? "....Ivan."
"Yvonne? Isn't that a girl's name?"
"Net, Ivan. I-v-a-n." He gritted his teeth. Damn America and it's butchering of his name.
"Oh, Ivan!" The pronounciation made him wince. "That's a weird way of saying it. Where you from?"
"Russia. Where it is pronounced correctly." Ivan replied with a clipped voice, hoping this "Alfred" would pick up on the fact that he was being severely annoying.
"I still say it sounds like a girl's name." No such luck, the man seemed oblivious, still grinning. "From Russia huh? Where? Why did you decide to come to America?"
The next day started much as the last. After waking up, tending to his morning needs, Ivan went down and opened up the shop again, cleaning everything thoroughly until he had nothing more to do, and was reduced to sitting at the stool again, bored. But, for once, he was glad of the lack of customers. He hadn't slept well last night, due to...troubling dreams involving his one customer yesterday. No matter what he did, Ivan couldn't seem to drive that random encounter out of his mind. He wondered if staying in America too long was turning him crazy. Anyways, the smile wouldn't get out of his head, and Ivan was irritated. The last thing he needed was more people that he was forced to be pleasant to...
The bells chimed as the door open.
Ivan forcibly held back a groan, and swivelled on the chair, pasting a smile on his face. It dropped when he saw who it was. Was this real?
The soldier grinned at him brightly, in the same uniform with that smile. "Hey! Good morning!"
Ivan bit back the first thought on his tongue about how it wasn't a good morning anymore, and never had been because of him. Instead, he merely sighed. "...May I help you?"
The other waved him off again. "Nah, I know what I want."
To drive me insane is what you want, Ivan grumbled mentally, but forced himself to smile again. "...All right."
Not in the back room this time, Ivan could watch the man wander about his shop. The blonde hummed to himself, a jaunty little tune that Ivan could already feel working its eay into his subconscious so he would start humming it too, and he felt a little despaired at that. The smile would already not get out of his mind, now there would be humming. Still, there was little else to do, so he watched the man walk around.
He was surprisingly delictae around the flowers, more than Ivan would think him. He only bent over and looked at them, sometimes gently touching one that apparently caught his eye, and moved deliberately to avoid knocking into anything in the rather crowded rows of arrangements and vases and bouquets.
After a few moments, Ivan felt a little relaxed. His flowers were, at least, safe. He looked away, picking up the discarded flowers he had attempted an arrangement with. Perhaps if he added a little more greenery...
"Hey."
Ivan jumped slightly, looking up. When had the other come up to the counter...? He'd never heard him. He put down the flowers again, forcnig himself not to sigh where the other could hear it. "Yes?"
The other grinned brightly again. "My name's Alfred, Alfred Jones. What's yours?"
He regarded the other with some suspicion. What was he up to? "....Ivan."
"Yvonne? Isn't that a girl's name?"
"Net, Ivan. I-v-a-n." He gritted his teeth. Damn America and it's butchering of his name.
"Oh, Ivan!" The pronounciation made him wince. "That's a weird way of saying it. Where you from?"
"Russia. Where it is pronounced correctly." Ivan replied with a clipped voice, hoping this "Alfred" would pick up on the fact that he was being severely annoying.
"I still say it sounds like a girl's name." No such luck, the man seemed oblivious, still grinning. "From Russia huh? Where? Why did you decide to come to America?"
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