ArchivedLogs:Skyping Russia

Skyping Russia
Dramatis Personae Ivan, Rasa, Ivan-Family
In Absentia	2013-06-21 '
Location <XS> Rasa and Shelby's Dorm - FL2
It is early in the morning when Rasa's alarm goes off, far earlier than normal, but sans roommate, it does not disturb anyone. Ze gets up and trundles off to the bathroom for quick ablusions, before returning, hair damp and curly in the humidity. Ze throws on clothes, a purple tank top and a blue floral skirt with large yellow flowers running in a daisy chain along the bottom hem. Ze is flush pink all over with nervous excitement as hir computer boots up and then signs on to the webcam application. Ze fidgets over the 'call' button before ze opts instead to message first, putting in a quick 'are you there?' as hir mouse cursor moves back to 'call.' Then a second message is sent: 'call when you are ready. have an hour and a half before breakfast.' It doesn't take too long for a message to find its way back across: '5 minutes', it states, followed shortly by 'saying good night'. Almost exactly five minutes later, on the dot, there is the friendly jingle of a webcam-inclusive call originating from a tiny living room in Russia. Its off-white walls are offset only by a haphazard collection of crammed in furniture and the yellowed patterns that snake in flatly organic patterns up and downward across wallpaper. It's hard to see exactly what's going on in the background- the webcam Ivan was provided with is not of the best quality, but at least its built-in microphone sort of makes up for it. Ivan himself sits patiently on a chair that seems to be adjusted to be slightly too high for him, lit by a singular desk lamp just to the side, and he's /peering/ at the screen below his borrowed webcam like it's just professed its intention to murder him, his hand still on the mouse as its slowly clicks away at things. Click. Click? He looks a bit confused. He's wearing an oversized shirt that may have been borrowed from a sibling, it hangs loosely around his neck even though the three lone buttons it has at the collar have been done up. For now, there is only that unfamiliar room, that familiar face, and the quiet to greet Rasa. "Hello? Can you hear me?" Rasa stares at hir small screen too, lips pursing as ze moves hir cursor toward the volume and checks hir settings. And as though by magic, Ivan's thoughtful stare disappears into a smile! Bright and happy at hearing Rasa's voice, though he continues to look slightly confused through it all. "{Yes!}" He replies happily, in Russian, though it's quickly followed by a half-stammered English, "Yes." Another voice, female and older, sounds next, mumbling something worriedly in curt little words that can hardly be heard. Ivan has PERKED UP now, but he's still /fighting/ the PC he's on, continuing, "{Shit. What did I do now? How old is this version of- oh- OH! There it is- the window-}" He perks up more, smile brightening still as his eyebrows pop upward! It appears he has a visual. "{-you made it so that this overlapped the- doesn'tmatter} RasaRasaImissedyou." Those last few words are rushed out like maybe - despite his confident happy BEAMING at the screen - he's expecting the connection to randomly drop, and if nothing else, THAT needed to be said /right now/. Rasa smiles when Ivan smiles, but looks a little concerned when he doesn't seem to be focused yet. Ze starts chewing on hir lip as ze waits a little longer, forehead wrinkling, before finally smiling back when Ivan issues forth his greeting. "Ivan! I missed you too!" Ze grins bright and inches a little closer to the monitor, glancing between the screen and the eye of the built in camera on hir laptop. "How was your trip? Did everything go okay? How's your family? Is the food as tasty as you remember?" "{What's she saying?}" The woman's voice pops up again. Ivan answers it with a brief, "{She missed me too,}" before she gasps! In awe more so than shock, from the sounds of it. She remains just out of frame though, a corner of a sleeve occasionally waffling in and out of view. Ivan nods enthusiastically, dragging a wrist across his face- he looks a little tired, but happily so. "Everything went very well. My family has been- there was a..." He pauses momentarily, visibly having to take a breath to collect himself and switch from one language to the next. "It has been /good/. Busy, but good. The food too. How are things there? The city, and you, and- both- how are you?" "There was a what?" Rasa queries, brows rising in curiosity. Ze listens quietly, fingers reach out for the screen and lightly rubbing the side. "Things here are not so good. The city is still tense, even though. Well, I don't know if you heard about it, but Tony Stark held a press conference and released information about how the police were in on the kidnappings of our friends... and then there was video footage and it was terrible. Horrible. Don't watch it if you can. I don't know. People want to watch things these days and watching stuff just makes you remember stuff and it gets stuck in your head and constantly comes up when you don't want to think about it. It's good to know what is happening, but sometimes there is too much." Rasa's tone starts out rather expository, discussing events, but then becomes a bit higher pitched and strained as ze starts going into hir rant about being exposed to too much media. When ze trails off at the end, ze draws in a deep breath and closes hir eyes, hir skin fading darker. "Someone I know died. I'm sad. He was nice and I didn't know him very well, but he certainly did not deserve to be shot outside a bakery just because he might have resembled whoever killed that police officer." Ze exhales and rubs at hir eyes. "I... am going to go into the city today, after class." Though Ivan's smile slowly starts to fade with the news of the city on the other side of the connection still, well, being itself, his expression doesn't change in any /major/ way. Eyes locked on the image of Rasa on the screen in front of him, cheerfulness subdued but refusing to go away entirely. Though it does take a bit of a hit when ze mentions going into the city. "I am sorry- about the person." He notes, a little flatly, before continuing, "Is that why you are going to the city? You are going with someone." Not a question, but a statement. He presses on calmly, but with the kind of calmth born from trying to be so rather than /actually being calm/. "Why are you going? Where?" "{Vanyushka-what's going on, is she okay? You're speaking so quickly I can't... did she just change... colour?}" This comes in Russian again, until finally a woman slides awkwardly into frame, kneeling down next to her son. She's dressed in a fluffy pink robe, blonde hair pulled back messily into a bun of some sorts, while her hands cup a big black mug of something. She looks like she just sort of wandered by on her way to bed, uninvited. Perhaps as such, she is ignored for now. And yet there is another figure that enters into the screen streamed to Rasa. It is a tall figure of a wiry and fairly lean build, his hair really short and unmistakably wet. His facial features are strikingly similar to Ivan's, except sharper, leaner and more oblong. Whoever this might be, he is stark naked save for a towel wrapped around his waist, maintaining his dignity. "{Mother, /fuck/!}" One hand clutches that towel as Lev stands in the background, one side of him cut off occasionally. "{Where did you put my clothes?}" The Skype call distracts him, and in turn poor Ivan receives more distractions himself. Wet feet slap against the ground as Lev approaches the computer, squinting and looking at the screen. "{Is that her? She really /is/ pretty.}" Ivan gets a shoulder nudge. A warm smile thins his lips, and approval is fairly easy to read even despite the foreign words tossed around. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't seem bothered by the fact he's nigh naked. "It's Ja.. Mr. Holland's birthday too, so he invited me over for cake and fun for the weekend. I will very much stay inside the apartment building for the most part, but I can't really... I don't really want to be alone this weekend." Rasa's gaze starts to shift between Ivan and his mother, hir voice trailing off as ze listens to the woman speak, hir brows rising. Ze lifts a hand and waves at her. The wave freezes in midair when Lev appears, hir eyes growing wide and the pink beginning to flood hir skin again. Ze coughs and smiles and averts hir eyes back to Ivan's face. "So... modesty isn't actually a natural born trait in your family? You have to learn it?" Ahem. "I had a lot of good examples to learn from. The things I should NOT do." Ivan responds easily, a flicker of his smile remaining though his eyebrows have twitched lower in what may be annoyance. Still, it doesn't looks like anything he's not used to happening- and with so many siblings living virtually in /one/ room, how could it be. The shoulder nudge begets a meek little grin, and he shifts his weight around in his chair to try and lightly elbow his brother in the side, immediately raising his arms in /defense/ afterward, as though expecting a slug in return. "{Where ARE your clothes?}" His mother's eyes stay on the screen as Rasa changes colours /again/, as if it were a television set. She seems either unaware of her son's peculiar way of dressing or has chosen to ignore it. "{His clothes,}" She starts, then smiles and lifts a hand to wave in return, leaving the other clutched around her mug, "{are at Nadya's boyfriends' place. Your father told me to burn them, since you were supposed to move out weeks ago.}" Ivan lets down his guard for a moment, to explain in the direction of the webcam, "It's my father's fault. The clothes. Also-" Slightly quieter, with his mother /peering/ at him but showing few signs of understanding a single word, "I wish you were here." "{Fucking hell!}" Lev looks at his mother wide-eyed in disbelief. "{Don't /ask/ me first or anything.}" Angry wet slaps leave wet footprints as the elder brother furiously stomps off towards the exit of the room. He stops at the door frame, grabbing hold of it with his vacant hand, looking over his shoulder towards the computer, namely the webcam. "Take Ivan back! Crazy family!" His English is absolutely terrible and laden with a thick accent, but a few words are impossible not to pick from those that do speak it, what with the small living space. With that, he disappears off-screen again. Somewhere in the background, Rasa could hear him go: "NADYA!" "I wish I were there too." Rasa admits, hir gaze sweeping over the small group of people gathered. His mom gets a couple smiles, where as Lev receives more wide eyed looks when he starts shouting in English. Then ze giggles. "Your family seems... interesting, Ivan. Rife with many examples on different ways to do things. What are you doing while you are there?" Fingers start combing through hir damp hair before ze reaches for a brush to begin actually detangling it. As the brush moves through the dark waves, it starts to turn blue. "{Look, Vanya. Look how it's turning blue.}" Comes a little /chirp/ from Ivan's mother, who - after a quick and bitterly amused glance towards Lev leaving - focuses back on the screen again. "{I know. It's the best.}" Ivan himself focuses on the screen too, relaxing again as he lifts a hand and drags it across a shoulder. "I have been working. Carrying and lifting and /bringing/ things. I did not get to do very much today," The way he rolls his shoulder might imply that this is because it's hurting a little, "but I will do more /tomorrow/. And they will give me money at the end of the month." He seems, despite the soreness, excited about this. "I was thinking that maybe I should try to- work there. When I come back." "Work here? I am not sure what they would let you do with a student visa. I can look into it, if you want. Or maybe ask around the school if they have ways for you to work off your tuition. I know they do that at universities." Rasa's lips twitch in thought, smoothing hir now bright blue hair over one shoulder, fingers starting to work it into a side braid. "What's your mother saying?" Ze puts on a mildly uneasy smile as ze brings up the other person. "Are we being too loud?" Ivan's head cocks to the side ever so slightly as he ponders. "Maybe- with beehives? When I come back, I can harvest the honey, if they did well. Maybe-..." He looks to his mother, then, who is calmly sipping her drink while staring at the screen, a warm smile on her face. "No-- she does not speak English. She is curious. She said you were beautiful." Quieter and in Polish rather than Russian, he adds with a smile, "{Weren't you going to bed?}" Oh! Yes indeed she was. She hops to her feet immediately, kissing Ivan on the top of his head with a quick one-armed SQUEEZE around his shoulders, careful not to spill her drink. "{Yes! Sorry, sweetheart, I'll leave you to it. I'll see you in the morning.}" She waves to Rasa again, smiling brightly as she waffles indecisively once more before FINALLY turning away and wandering out of line of sight. Ivan, freed from his mother, actually seems vaguely /bashful/ about the kiss. Clearing his throat for a moment before facing the webcam again. SO. Ahem. Where were they. "Oh. Yes. The honey. Is there anything you want me to do for the bees? I figure that they are mostly self sustaining and you have other people taking care of your dorm bugs.... but I should ask." There is residule blush creeping over hir features as Ivan relays the compliment. Rasa waves and tilts hir head to one side, as if trying to peek around a window frame to see where Ivan's mother goes, but turns amber eyes back to Ivan soon enough. "I could look into pastuerizing facilities or... I don't know, ask Kisha and Peter to put something together for that? Then the honey could flow." "I like your mom, Vanya. She seems sweet." Ze notes speaking a little quieter. "I like your dad, too, even if his hugs could crush the breath out of a person." "Some people think honey tastes better without pasteurizing. Maybe- I will make two... batches?" He doesn't seem quite sure of this word, briefly studying Rasa's face on his screen before continuing, "Do you think Kisha would make something? I could pay her back in /honey/." Speaking of sweet-- he sits up: "My mother is very sweet, yes, most of the time. Very determined also. I am a little surprised you like my father." Not that he seems displeased about it- quite the opposite. Relieved? "I am glad he did not crush the breath out of you." "Maybe for a little bit, but no permanent damage done." Rasa smiles warmly in memory. "It's nice though. It's been a long time since anyone's family wasn't a little bit awkward with me. I think the closest that I've had in a while is Jax and the rest of them, but it's always a little distant, dealing with a teacher." Ze leans hir head against hir hand and just smiles at Ivan. "Sure. I'll see about getting a fall farmer's market booth, make sure there are no restrictions on raw honey, and ask Kisha about a pasteurization tank." Hir face relaxes after a moment, hir hand reaching out to touch the monitor again. "So... I know I asked you about learning Russian before, but the fact that Kai and Peter are learning it is kind of agitating. Okay, mostly that Kai wants to learn Russian for you. Oh, and he wants to teach you Korean. He offered to teach me, but I don't think he'll be renewing that offer." "Agitating?" This is the first word that leaves Ivan's mouth after he listens for a while, his head tilting back in a twitch of a movement as he eyes the monitor. "Because I did not teach /you/ Russian? I can teach you Russian." He says the last sentence like it's a /challenge/. Like he'll teach Rasa Russian so fast ze won't even believe it happened. There's the sound of a door opening and closing somewhere in the background, then the telltale noises of shoes being kicked off against a wall. Ivan appears to ignore this, past a quick glance to the side. "I am-- {hhkwhat the hell.}" Another female member of the family, a bit younger this time, sneaks into view in what appears to be some comfortable purple pajamas with pictures of kittens all over them. She sneaks in behind Ivan and forcefully snakes her arms under his before hugging the AIR out of him with her face dug into the back of his head. Leaving him to stare at the monitor a little breathlessly, rasping with an amused smile, "{Hello Regina. I'm a bit busy. Also, webcam's on.}" Upon which there is a panicked SQUEAK from said sibling, and she /scurries away/ off to the side again. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant, well, it makes me feel weird that they will know Russian and I will not, so, I was going to see if you minded if I learned." Rasa falters uncomfortably, the feeling shifting quietly into comfort and eventually pleasure when Ivan makes his pronouncement. "Okay. I will learn from you." Hir eyes shift from Ivan's face to the back of the room at the noise and finally lock on the person in the purple pajamas. Ze blinks when arms seem to crush air out of Ivan's lungs and ze smiles a little at the image. The exchange is listened to, but no comment can be made about that. Instead, ze notes, "Hugs like that must be genetic. You must have strong lungs, too, eh?" Ivan sits /straight up/, chest forward as if showing off said lungs right through his borrowed shirt, and nods proudly. "It was Regina." He explains. "She is supposed to be in bed-- it is late." He looks off to the side, as though to make sure she /is/ in bed somewhere. "... I want to hug you." He says, then, after a few seconds, eyes landing back on the monitor. "When I get back, and if the city is still there and not destroyed because of insane people, I will hug you the /tightest/." He doesn't say this like it's a joke. Oh no, he means /business/, all stares and no smile. "What? You're not going to hug me if the city is destroyed and swarming with crazy people? I think I would probably need a hug more then." Rasa points out, matter of factly, a small smile willfully hidden in a serious response. Ze lets out a sigh and wets hir lips. "Or won't you come back if everything goes bad? I mean, it makes sense. Why come to a burned out hole in the ground." ... Wait wait. For a moment, Ivan just sits there and deflates a little. He mumbles something distinctly not in English and very much under his breath, before tacking onto it in English, with his eyes widening, "I was- I meant if the city is not /there/ then you will be somewhere else and I would visit /there instead/ to hug you the tightest." Gone is his usual, premeditated tone of voice, and back is his searching sort of stare at the monitor and webcam in turn, both his voice and expression stuck between uncertain and apologetic. Uncertainly apologetic? It sort of looks like he's not quite done with his last thought yet, but another interjects and manages to make it out of his mouth first, while his hands move to idly clasp together on his lap- "Rashka will you be there when I get back?" Pressing matters! "I have no intention of going anywhere, Vanya." Rasa responds, leaning close to hir monitor, gaze lowered. "I wish to be here when you return, but if you do not want to return, that would be okay. I would just visit you where you are. The point is that I want to see you again, and I want to be hugged by you." Ze lifts hir gaze and smiles softly, studying his face and posture before inhaling deeply and letting it out. "I certainly don't plan to let a bunch of terrorists destroying cities stop me from being around you. With you. So, enjoy your trip with your family. I will see you again." "Of course I am coming back." This reply comes from Ivan's side without thought. Or, for that matter, much change in his straight posture but (still slightly worried) expression and lowered shoulders. "I will come back, and we will meet and be happy, and I will see /everyone/ again. And if there are any more problems, we will /fix/ them. And we will finish school, and then--" He stops, there, his eyes momentarily flicking downward before he just... smiles. Not a particularly cheerful sort of smile, but fairly content. Determined. "We will see. It is good, sometimes, not to know. We will see." And speaking of seeing- he lifts one hand to rub the tips of his fingers at tired eyes. Time zone differences, what bothers you are. "Yes, we will see. I feel like I am keeping you up. Can we do this again sometime? What time will be better?" Rasa is glancing at the window, the light from the rising sun starting to catch hir face. Ze pauses for a moment then leans close to the computer. "I miss sleeping with you. Everything is easier to handle when you are near by." Ivan's shoulders pop /right back up/. His smile widens ever so slightly, unwavering despite a curious glance from a bypasser in the background. Perhaps because they're too busy brushing their teeth, humming to themselves while doing so. "When I come back from work- I work very early, construction." Ivan adds on this last word like it expains /everything/. "I will check if you are there, if there is no one using the computer. If not, I will send you an e-mail with times. I will try and make it easier even if I am not there." As an afterthought, he adds, "Or sleeping." Even quieter- "With you." "Okay. I'll try to be around when you get back from work. Or I'll just look for an email." Rasa is smiling brightly at the camera now, keeping it closer so ze can hear all of Ivan's little whispers. "Please be well and stay busy and don't miss me too much. Tell your father I said hi." "Please be /more/ well. And I will try." Ivan replies, again, in not much more than a whisper, whether he intends it to be so or not. "Not the missing. I will try not to do that. I will say hi. will you say hi for me? To- everyone. Oh--" He shifts his weight just slightly reaching for the mouse or keyboard, before saying, "You probably know two of these words, but I will type all of them of them out. To help." He peers down, looking at his fingers as they tap-a-tap a little tragically slowly over the keys and into the chat. To his credit- he's not working with a qwerty piece'a hardware, here. When he looks back up, he /beams/, wide-eyed, says a handful of words deathly quietly-- before promptly disconnecting from the conversation. A second later, a transcript of his last words appears in the chat. 'Lesson 1: do svidaniya. ya lyublyu tebya.' Rasa has to lean close to hear the words, whispered the way they are. Ze whispers them back to hirself, leaning back, eyes wide with a little disappointment at the sound that follows and ended call. Hir sadness is distracted however when the words appear. Ze copies them and moves to google translate. It takes hir a little while to force the interface to translate the romanization into Cyrillic. There's a small smile of amusement at the process, before hir gaze shifts to the translation on the right hand of the screen. There's a small gasp and a bright flush of pink that covers hir completely, from the crown of hir head to the soles of hir feet, transforming hir hair and even the whites of hir eyes to a bubblegum color that does not fade readily. In a fit of nervous joy, ze closes the laptop and leaps up to run to lunch.