One on One's discussion
1 x 1's
>
Asha and Robin :3
Lee stood up and walked over. In her thoughts, Brontie described it, and it made him smile. Especially when he caught the last detail she had painted in. He liked the symbology of it, and wished he could actually see it and appreciate it. That was the one sad thing about this place: he could hear everyone describing their pictures, but Lee himself never got to look. He absentmindedly ran his fingers over a dry patch of grass, feeling the barely there shifts in height and and texture. "It's beautiful," he decided, smiling over at her.
Brontie felt her cheeks get warm and knew that she was blushing. Thank god Lee couldn't see it. She watched him run his hand over the now dry paint, she could tell that he was a little sad probably because he couldn't actually see the painting. Gently, she reached towards his hand and intwined her fingers with his, giving it a quick squeeze 'its ok' she thought to him. She was trying to comfort him as much as she could but she knew how it felt. No amount of words could ever really heal what had happened, you just had to put up with it and get on with life no matter how hard it was. Brontie hoped that Lee knew he had her and that he could tell her anything because although they had only just met each other she understood what it was like more than any other person still with their sight.
Lee smiled, scrubbing at his damp eyes with his free hand. "I know. The doctors say there's a slim chance it might come back one day. It's not likely, hell, I have a better chance at getting struck by lightning twice, but I can always hope," he explained with a fond smile. "If I ever do get to see again, promise me you'll take me back here and show me everything." He squeezed her hand, feeling, for once, hope that he could be really happy again.
She smiled sadly and brung their clasped hand up to her lips, gently kissing the top of his hand. 'I promise' she thought to him 'you know its the same with me? I could open my mouth and sing to you right now but i.. I don't know... I just don't want to.'
Lee nodded, thinking. He brought their hands up like she had and kissed her hand. "We'll, whenever you start talking again, I'll listen to whatever song you want to sing to me. Hell, I'll put on choir robes and harmonize with you if it makes you feel better." He didn't understand it, but Lee felt like he'd move the world if Brontie asked him to. It felt strange, to feel this deep of a connection to someone after just meeting them, but Lee felt like they'd been friends for years.
Brontie watched Lee for a minuet before looking up to his face and continuing on 'thank you' she thought to him 'for everything. I really do appreciate it' This was the happiest day Brontie could remember having in years, someone had finally brought a little meaning and sunshine back into her life. it had taken a blind boy to show a mute girl the reason that she didn't die with the rest of her family all those years ago.
Lee smiled, the happy hum of thoughts in the air taking so much more enthusiasm now. "The universe tends to unfold as it should," he said, tracing the edges of her painting. "We both needed someone to show us some meaning, and so we found eachother." Lee closed his eyes, letting the overall feeling of peace floating in the air to wash over him.
Brontie continued to watch Lee, fascinated with him. He was so wise, wiser than Brontie would ever be but surely he couldn't have been that much older than her. She was so glad she had met him, even though she kinda hated to admit it, Lee was right, it was like their meeting had been destiny, planned strategically from the moment they were born. 'How old are you?' She asked him through their thoughts. It must have been so weird to watch them together, not a word passing between them but they always seemed to know what the other was saying.
Lee looked up, thinking for a moment. 'I'm sixteen years old,' he thought to her. 'Just like you, right?' It was hard for Lee to differentiate between what she'd actually said to him and what she had been thinking. He hasn't really had conversations like this since the accident, and yet, the words just seemed to flow naturally between them.
Brontie smiled, a little shocked. She was still getting used to the fact that he could read her mind 'yeah' she thought 'but you already knew that'. She was beginning to believe him now, surly none of this could just be a coincidence.
Lee returned the smile, taking her hand and tracing the lines on her palm. When he was younger, Toby was dating this girl that was obsessed with mysticism, and Lee picked up a little bit of palm reading from her. 'Want me to read your hand, see if the divines really meant this to happen?' Lee joked, tracing along her palm lightly.
A spasm of shivers ran down Brontie's spine as Lee traced patterns along her palm. It felt so natural when he touched her and she wondered if he felt the same way. "You can read palms?" She asked, amused. A small smile spread across her lips, it seemed as though Lee felt nothing was impossible even with his blindness. Brontie wished she had the same attitude towards her muteness, maybe Lee would help her.
"Only by touch," Lee replied smoothly, tracing the line that traced from her middle finger to the side of her palm. "I have really sensitive touch. That's how I can do my Rubics cube, and feel the textures of your painting. This," he retraced the line his fingers were dancing over, "is your head line. Long, but shallow. That means that you aren't using all of the potential you have up there," Lee joked, tapping her forhead.
Brontie smiled even bigger as Lee read her palm from touch. She wondered if this was serious and if he actually knew how to read palms or if he was making it up to emphasise his point and impress her. But somehow Brontie believed that Lee would never try to impress her, that he would always just be himself around her. She liked that. Too many people acted differently around her now, ever since the accident even her best friends have grown almost scared of her, like she was contagious. But Lee never did that and she was so grateful for it.
"This one is your heart line," he said, tracing the line directly under it. "It's really jagged at the begining, but here," Lee pointed to the space under he middle finger on the line, "it's smooth and gets deeper. That means that you're going to fall in love soon," he explains, tracing the line again. He smiled at her, reading her thoughts. "I swear I'm not making this up. I don't have to lie to impress you, I think my Rubics cube skills took care of that."
Brontie's breath caught when Lee mentioned falling in love soon. What did he mean? Surly he was joking, she was only sixteen. She tried to ignore it though and went back to listening to him read her thoughts. Of corse he had listened to her doubt him. Her cheeks warmed a little "I don't know if this telepathy thing is good or bad" she said with a smile "i am really going to have to get used to it"
"Well, unless you can find another way for us to talk, you're stuck with me," he joked, tracing his fingers to the short line on the side of her palm. "That's your unity line, for marriage. It's long, and there's only one, so you're going to get married once, and it's going to be a long, happy marriage. Congrats!" Lee felt her palm for a moment, just holding her hand. "You have a good palm. Lucky."
Brontie smiled and quickly tried to change the subject of marriage "ok my turn" she said happily, flipping his palm over and looking at all the different lines "so this ones the head line right?" She asked tracing her finger along it. She wondered if Lee had ever read his own palm before or maybe there were rules against it or something. Brontie had no idea what she was doing.
Lee laughed at her nervousness, smiling at her. "That's right, Brontie of Delphi. What do you see, Oracle?" He joked, making silly motions with his free hand. He was really enjoying Brontie's company, feeling more relaxed than he had been in years.
Brontie smiled at Lee's acting skills, looking down at his hand and trying to remember what he had said. She traced her middle finger along the first line "well your head line is long, like mine" she said comparing her to his "but yours is deep, unlike mine. That must mean you use all your potential. Witch makes sense cause you always have something wise to say"
Lee laughed into his other hand. "Well yeah, I'm supposed to be the blind oracle or something. They always have all the wisdom-y things to say," he explained casually. "I mean, you don't think I was blinded in some lame accident, do you? No, the gods took my vision and gave me wisdom instead."
Brontie laughed too "really?" She asked with raised eyebrows. She paused for a minuet wondering if she should ask him "so how did you lose your sight?" She thought, hoping he wouldn't get upset by her question. She knew that when people asked her about the day she became mute, tears often fell and she could never finish the story. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want" she quickly added just incase.
Lee shook his head. "It's fine." He reached back and pointed to the back of his head. "That's my ocular nerve. A few years ago, I was in a car accident. Ended up slamming my head back against something, fractured my skull, scared the area. It damaged my vision. Maybe not permanently, but it's most likely."
"I'm so sorry" Brontie thought, gently squeezing Lee's hand witch she still held. She thought about it for a second and before she could stop her self she thought to him "i was seven when i became mute. Thats ten years next birthday" she hadn't meant to tell him but it was so easy to talk to Lee. She had never talked to anyone before about that day.
"Don't be sorry, sometimes I can't help but think it's better this way," he smiles sadly, gripping her hand. "You can tell me about that day, if you want to. I'm a pretty good listener," he joked, self deprecating.
Brontie thought about his offer for a moment "could we go for a walk and i will tell you?" She asked him through their thoughts "its just i've never told anyone about it before and i just want you to hear" she smiled "not that other people can hear me anyway." She hoped he would understand and not laugh at cause no one could hear her anyway.
((Whoops, I fell asleep))Lee nodded, standing up and offering her a hand up. "Someplace away from distractions," he agreed, looking around. "I like your style, Brontie. It's like I don't even have to think a word for you to get me."
She smiled and took Lee's hand, standing up. She began to walk out the the building with him, still holding his hand. As they walked Brontie began to talk, hesitant and sad at first but mire confidently by the end "we were a normal family in a normal neighbourhood home. I was seven
Lee nodded, taking her hand reassuringly. When he was recovering from his accident, he'd found that the small comforts were those that would get you through the day. "Go on," he prompted gently, smiling lightly at her.
'One morning i woke up from a bed dream it was so so hot. I remember walking out into the hallway to ask mum to put me back to sleep and in front of me... It was like a wall of fire. Suddenly i couldn't breathe and i... I ran out of the house. By the time i had recovered from shock and i was in the hospital being treated for my minor burns... they told me that mum, dad, my little five year old brother and one year old sister hadn't made it out of the house..' When Brontie finished her whole body was shaking with sons and silent tears fell down her cheeks.
Lee put his arms around Brontie's shoulders, pulling her in for a tight hug. The rested his chin on her shoulder, whispering quiet reassurances to her as he rubbed soothing circles into her shoulders. He closed his eyes, trying to avoid the fall of tears that rushed to his eyes at the flow of dark, depressing thought.
When Lee first hugged her, Brontie stiffened. No one had hugged her like that in year and years but eventually she gave into his warm touch and hugged him back. "Its so unfair" she sobbed into his shoulder, her flow of tears soaking the sleeve of Lee's shirt. She didn't understand why she had been chosen to be left alone in the world and why her younger siblings and more experienced parents had to of died.
"Hey," Lee said, pulling back to where if his eyes had worked, he'd be looking her in the eye. "Remember what I told you: the universe tends to unfold as it should. No one understands why it does, or why it makes certain choices, but it does. And when it does unfold, we'll know why. So don't say that it should've been you."
Brontie continued to cry, quietly "i just wish i knew what the universe wanted me for now. I don't know what i am living for. Every breath i take seems useless" she said through her tears. She didn't mean to dump all of her feelings into Lee but he was so easy to talk to. It all just flowed from her and she couldn't stop.
Lee smiled sadly at her, tilting his head back. "We, as a species, adapt to changes in our environment with changes to ourselves," he thought aloud. "We go against that, changing our environment to suit us. And it doesn't always seem like we're doing the right thing, but when everything aligns," Lee stuck his hand out, letting a leaf fall down and land on his outstreched fingers, "we'll know."
Brontie curiously took the leaf from Lee's hand, drying her tears "you know what this is?" She said with a small smile, there was no way all this was coincidences now "its a Birch tree leaf." She looked around and pointed to a large green tree with a chalk white trunk "see theres the tree. It symbolises new beginnings and opportunities" she said with shinning eyes.
Lee smiled. "See, even nature is telling you it's going to be okay." He turned his head, using Brontie's thoughts to visualize the tree. "Our meeting was a brand new begining. I knew this was destined to happen."
She blushed a little "yeah i guess your right" she thought to him with a smile "maybe things are going to start to get better" she reached over and took his hand, intwining her in it.
Lee nodded, squeezing her hand. "I want to show you something else, if you don't mind. I think you'll like it."
Brontie smiled at him "no. Why would i mind?" She said happily. She had mo idea how he found all these amazing places but she didn't mind this is the bet day she had had in a ling time. She really enjoyed spending time with Lee, it felt like she had known him for years not hours.
"Great, come with me!" He tugged on her hand, guiding her though the city with practiced ease. Eventually, he stopped them in front of a small daycare with a faded sign. He walked inside, wavin his greeting to the woman manning the front desk, and led Brontie down the hall and into the main area. "This is a daycare for children with disabilities, like us," he explained, before a child ran up and hugged his legs.
Brontie smiled as all the little kids bowled Lee over. "They all have disabilities?" She thought to him not really believing it, they all looked so normal and happy. They were so gorgeous and innocent but they were excluded away from the normal kids. Brontie didn't understand why, they were all related no matter how different they are.
"Yep," Lee said, bending over to gather the one hugging him up in his arms. "This is Max, he's blind," Lee greeted. "Max, this is Brontie. She can't hear, but I'll tell you what she's saying. Can you say hi?" The dark haired boy clinging to Lee turned his head in Brontie's general direction and waved.
Brontie smiled at Max and held his little hand which he had outstretched to wave to her "not at the moment Max" she thought "but maybe soon i might be able to have a whole conversation with you" she looked at him sadly, wishing she could talk to him but knowing that it wouldn't happen. "Are there any deaf or mute kids?" Brontie asked Lee through their thoughts.
"Yeah, of course," he said with a smile. "Max, can you get Sari for me?" Lee put Max down and he ran off, returning a few seconds later with a young Indian girl. "Brontie, this is Sari. Sari, this is my new friend Brontie. She can't speak," he said aloud and in sign language.
Brontie smiled at the little girl "hey Sari" she signed to the little one slowly, not knowing how good the girl was. She was so cute and seemed to be rather happy here with all the other kids. Brontie wished she had grown up in a place like this.
Sari waved, signing to Brontie with enthusiasm. Lee smiled, leaving the two to talk while he joined Max and his friends where the were building with colored blocks. Lee helped Max with his structure, gently guiding the boys hand along so he could feel the design.
In the park Brontie painted a bench and sitting on it was a girl with no mouth and a boy with no eyes, they were holding hands. Once she had decided that it was right she thought to Lee 'i'm finished come look' she said