Random drabble?
"How many bedrooms?"
"Of course that's your first question."
"The answer's one, isn't it?"
Alek signed in resignation and leaned back against the ledge. On the rooftop beside him sat Aryess, who had paused bouncing the টেনিস ball against the দেওয়াল of the utility building to give her brother a no-nonsense look. "Tara agreed to it, Argentum," he defended.
"I'm not judging you!" she returned, resuming the mindless action of bouncing the ball. "In case you've forgotten, I live with my boyfriend." She paused, the ball leaving her hand and riding the gentle toss to the brick wall, one bounce off the pavement, and back to her hand to repeat the process like an obedient hound.
The literal hound, a one year-old মুষ্টিযোদ্ধা দ্বারা the name of Sounder, was laying দ্বারা the boy's side, following the motion of the ball with his whole head, but staying obediently still.
"Argentum?" she finally asked critically.
"I thought I would try it out," Alek explained, taking a sip from the green bottle of ginger ale. "It means 'silver' in Latin."
"I know, I'm fluent in Latin, remember? But I don't go দ্বারা 'Silver' anymore, Aleksander."
"Then what do আপনি go by?"
The ball once again came to a stop in Aryess's hand. Alek watched her as she considered the question. She had that calm, composed, calculating expression she got whenever figuring out a difficult problem, whether it be from a textbook অথবা one of life-threatening urgency when they had been in the field together, side-by-side.
It was nostalgic almost, to see her this way again. Even if her platinum blonde hair was shorter- barely brushing her chin in soft waves. Even if she no longer had less uncertainty, আরো confidence in the way she held herself, as if a tidal wave would be futile in knocking her down. Which was rather ironic for someone who had nearly drowned in a sinking ship only a few months earlier.
"Aryess," she decided finally. "I go দ্বারা Aryess."
"I like it," he agreed.
"And you? You're sticking with Aleksander Felis? Even after finding out your namesake is your... Absent father?"
"Yes, I am," he explained. "It may be the identity of someone of questionable decisions, but he was, nonetheless, my father. Besides, I don't have to allow the name to be a brand of regret. I can reshape it for myself, give it its own meaning."
"I like it," Aryess accepted. She held out a hand. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Aleksander."
He took her hand with a grin. "The pleasure is mine, Aryess."
They dropped their hands and Aryess took the opportunity to tossed the ball across the rooftop. "Fetch!" she granted, and Sounder leapt to his feet and ran to get the prize that had been taunting him for so long.
"How many bedrooms?"
"Of course that's your first question."
"The answer's one, isn't it?"
Alek signed in resignation and leaned back against the ledge. On the rooftop beside him sat Aryess, who had paused bouncing the টেনিস ball against the দেওয়াল of the utility building to give her brother a no-nonsense look. "Tara agreed to it, Argentum," he defended.
"I'm not judging you!" she returned, resuming the mindless action of bouncing the ball. "In case you've forgotten, I live with my boyfriend." She paused, the ball leaving her hand and riding the gentle toss to the brick wall, one bounce off the pavement, and back to her hand to repeat the process like an obedient hound.
The literal hound, a one year-old মুষ্টিযোদ্ধা দ্বারা the name of Sounder, was laying দ্বারা the boy's side, following the motion of the ball with his whole head, but staying obediently still.
"Argentum?" she finally asked critically.
"I thought I would try it out," Alek explained, taking a sip from the green bottle of ginger ale. "It means 'silver' in Latin."
"I know, I'm fluent in Latin, remember? But I don't go দ্বারা 'Silver' anymore, Aleksander."
"Then what do আপনি go by?"
The ball once again came to a stop in Aryess's hand. Alek watched her as she considered the question. She had that calm, composed, calculating expression she got whenever figuring out a difficult problem, whether it be from a textbook অথবা one of life-threatening urgency when they had been in the field together, side-by-side.
It was nostalgic almost, to see her this way again. Even if her platinum blonde hair was shorter- barely brushing her chin in soft waves. Even if she no longer had less uncertainty, আরো confidence in the way she held herself, as if a tidal wave would be futile in knocking her down. Which was rather ironic for someone who had nearly drowned in a sinking ship only a few months earlier.
"Aryess," she decided finally. "I go দ্বারা Aryess."
"I like it," he agreed.
"And you? You're sticking with Aleksander Felis? Even after finding out your namesake is your... Absent father?"
"Yes, I am," he explained. "It may be the identity of someone of questionable decisions, but he was, nonetheless, my father. Besides, I don't have to allow the name to be a brand of regret. I can reshape it for myself, give it its own meaning."
"I like it," Aryess accepted. She held out a hand. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Aleksander."
He took her hand with a grin. "The pleasure is mine, Aryess."
They dropped their hands and Aryess took the opportunity to tossed the ball across the rooftop. "Fetch!" she granted, and Sounder leapt to his feet and ran to get the prize that had been taunting him for so long.