Elizabetta Morales
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Ravenclaw Student
I Say More Than You Could Ever Hear
Posts: 89
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Post by Elizabetta Morales on Jul 19, 2004 12:34:53 GMT
Betta smiled, “Not quite mad,” ’just interesting,’ she finished only in her head. This boy was so incredibly different from so many other people she had met. To hear the passion in his voice as he talked about music was awe inspiring. If she didn’t care about degrading herself she would fall to her knees right now, begging him to play.
She stared about the rafters, then pointing at a small owl in the corner. Elizabetta made a simple hand gesture. Come. Muggle sign language, while strangely primitive, was immensely useful to Elizabetta, especially as a child. As the bird flew over to her, it was obvious its left wing was slightly damaged. It hung a little lower, and the bird flew on a tilt.
“Dad said he was special like me. He got him for me straight after… After my family was in an accident,” She finished lamely, placing the doll down on a shelf meant as a bird perch, she walked towards the window, owl on her shoulder. “Her name is Amiculus, it means friend.”
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Troy
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
The music gets me by
Posts: 64
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Post by Troy on Jul 19, 2004 12:40:24 GMT
Troy grinned.
The owl, although injured, seemed lovely... and now he and Elizabetta had something in common. He'd immediately recognised the sign language she'd used. He used it all the time at home, after all.
He slung his guitar off his shoulder and leaned it gently against a wall. He needed both hands for this. "Elizabetta," he said softly. Once he had her attention, his hands flew quickly, forming gestures, signs, as he smiled warmly.
She's lovely.
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Elizabetta Morales
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
I Say More Than You Could Ever Hear
Posts: 89
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Post by Elizabetta Morales on Jul 19, 2004 12:53:06 GMT
Elizabetta’s placed her hand with her Shiraz red nails over her mouth. Had he just? She knew he had. Troy’s gestured had been exquisitely accurate. The moment, frozen in time, imbedded itself deep inside Elizabetta’s consciousness. At a later point, she would take it out and admire it. It was a moment of ethereally silent, pure joy.
It was broken after what seemed to the girl, in all honesty, hours. She screamed in pure delight, dropping her package. Many of the owls screeched also, upset to be disturbed by the small girl’s shrieks. Some just ruffled their feathers, other taking the other extreme, fled out the windows in disgust.
Her hands flew even fasted that Troy’s. You can sign! When did you learn? It is amazing! I’ve never met another wizard before who can! The girl’s incessant questions flew from her hands. In the euphoria she felt, what she was actually signing meant little. That fact that she was, and more importantly that it was being understood meant more than she could ever speak, sign or show. Her hand’s slowed a little as Betta let out a contented sigh.
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Troy
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
The music gets me by
Posts: 64
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Post by Troy on Jul 20, 2004 2:57:43 GMT
Troy laughed out loud as his hands flew in response, his eyes shining. My mother is deaf, so I have to sign all the time at home. I didn't think they'd be anyone else here who could sign. It's so fluent, I love it!
He finished and lowered his hands, grinning. There weren't words to describe it, spoken or signed. They had both found something in each other neither had expected to see, and the pure euphoria of the moment was tangible.
Still grinning, Troy walked slowly over to stand right next to Elizabetta, bending to retrieve the package she'd dropped. He held it out to her, still grinning, and signed one-handed.
You dropped this.
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Elizabetta Morales
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
I Say More Than You Could Ever Hear
Posts: 89
|
Post by Elizabetta Morales on Jul 20, 2004 9:00:02 GMT
Betta smiled at him and the package, but instead of taking it straight away she threw her arms around him in a speedy embrace. Pulling a way with a smile, she took the package fastening it to Amiculus’s legs, being careful it was well attached. She pulled out her wand quickly, mouthing a few words. The owl seamed to struggle less.
”Father,” She signed simply to the bird, watching it for a moment as it launched out of the window. It fell haphazardly, hurtling at the ground. Inches before the bird was set to hit a tree, it recovered, swerving upwards into perfect flight. Elizabetta smiled appreciatively turning back, still in disbelief that the boy could sign.
Her hands once again began to form words, this time at a normal rate. ”I learnt to sign in the first year after.. after I went mute. It was the first time she had told anyone in the school that she hadn’t been born without speech. ”If you don’t mind my asking, has your mother always been deaf? It is just you sign so well! Have you been doing it all your life?” The girl lifted herself up onto the window sill, forgetting that she had intended to show the boy the common room.
Everything was so perfect in this small, odd smelling, dirty little room. She never wanted to leave it now.
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Troy
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
The music gets me by
Posts: 64
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Post by Troy on Jul 20, 2004 9:43:11 GMT
Troy was thoroughly surprised when Elizabetta ran forward and flung her arms around his neck. It took him a second to react, and by the time he was moving his arms around to return the embrace, she'd already pulled away, smiling shyly. He smiled back, a little ashamed to find himself blushing like a schoolboy... wait. He was a schoolboy. Still... he had to find a way to get her to do that again.
He couldn't help chuckling as the little owl took off. When Elizabetta turned back to him, he smiled warmly, and moved to lean casually against the wall next to where she was sitting. He grinned and blushed again when she complimented his signing.
Thankyou... no, my mum went deaf when I was eight. It was... an accident. A brief expression of pain flickered across his features. My parents both worked in the Department of Mysteries, at the Ministry. There was an explosion... His gaze dropped to the ground.
My father died.
His hands dropped to his sides, and he stared at the ground for a moment, willing himself not to cry. After a minute he looked up, smiling weakly. That was when my mother went deaf, and I learned to sign.
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Elizabetta Morales
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
I Say More Than You Could Ever Hear
Posts: 89
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Post by Elizabetta Morales on Jul 20, 2004 10:04:41 GMT
Elizabetta smiled meekly. Preaching up and placing her hand on his shoulder, but then retracting it again to sign properly. “I know about accidents…,” She formed her words slowly, with a somber reluctance.”My family were in an accident. My brothers and sisters, two sisters and one brother and,”
She froze, dropping her hands slightly and staring at the ground. Taking a breath she signed a word around waste height, ”Mother.” Lifting her soft brown eyes to meet his lively green ones again she continued her story, skipping over the majority of the facts. Missing out the entire accident. ”Only dad and me.” She swallowed hard, it hurt to break the lock of eye contact with him, but it hurt to look at anyone. She cast her gaze back to her feet, suddenly becoming very interested in the hay on the ground.
“So what year are you in?" The voice now came from the doll again, sitting close to the door on the opposite side of the room to the pair.
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Troy
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
The music gets me by
Posts: 64
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Post by Troy on Jul 20, 2004 10:20:39 GMT
Troy's heart sunk.
He'd made her so happy by signing, and now by speaking without thinking he'd caused her to go back to the doll. And she wouldn't look at him.
He barely knew the girl, and already wanted to see her smile again. It was strange, the effect she was having on him. Maybe it was something to do with the signing... they'd found in each other something they hadn't expected to see - a common past.
He took a hesitant step forward, willing her to look up. Then he reached a decision. Without saying a word, Troy stepped forward and gently wrapped his arms around Elizabetta.
The doll watched silently.
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Elizabetta Morales
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
I Say More Than You Could Ever Hear
Posts: 89
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Post by Elizabetta Morales on Jul 20, 2004 10:41:39 GMT
Elizabetta’s heart skipped, beating irregularly, making music in her chest, but it didn’t beat alone. She felt Troy’s heart right next to hers. She let her head fall forwards into the crook of this neck. She didn’t even know this boy, he didn’t even know her.
Tears flowed silently from the girl, landing on the boy’s shoulder before distance had even made them cold. Lifting her arms, she wrapped them around the boy’s waist. She wished she could tell him straight. She wished she could explain it all, but she just couldn’t. The past hurt, but if she ignored it the pain dimmed.
The voice came not from the doll, nor did her hands speak, but Troy heard her none the less. A voice rebated inside his head, heard only by him. “I’m Sorry. I’m just being stupid,” She said in a rich warm, but resolute voice. She pulled away, wiping her cheeks quickly as if to erase the moment from time.
“You wanted to go to the common room, right?” She signed halfheartedly.
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Troy
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
The music gets me by
Posts: 64
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Post by Troy on Jul 20, 2004 10:55:53 GMT
He heard her.
Her voice, in his head... it was full, warm. A lovely voice.
Troy reached out a hand to softly touch Betta's cheek. "No," he whispered. "You're not being stupid." He gazed into her warm brown eyes for a few moments, then turned away, picking up his guitar and slinging it over his shoulder. He picked up his case and turned back to her. "Well," he said softly. "Let's go, then."
Troy turned and began walking toward the door, when he turned to look back at Elizabetta. He smiled softly, walked back to her, reached out and took her hand in his. He didn't even know her, but he wanted her to... to smile? To be happy? He wasn't sure. But he was doing this.
He gently squeezed her hand. "Let's go," he said softly.
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Elizabetta Morales
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
I Say More Than You Could Ever Hear
Posts: 89
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Post by Elizabetta Morales on Jul 21, 2004 7:45:36 GMT
She nodded once, her heart skipping faster than she had ever remembered. His callused fingers against the back of her hand felt odd, but right.
She kept trying to tell herself that she didn’t know this boy. The thought that an hour ago she had never met him was too unreal for words. As the two of them walked slowly out of the room and away from the owlery, Elizabetta paused.
She met Troy’s eyes for a brief moment, then ripped her hand away from his. Darting back the way they came she disappeared through the heavy wooden door of the owlery. The girl’s actions would have surely confused the boy but before he had time to act in any way more than a though, she was reemerging, doll in hand.
”Almost forgot her,” She signed, her cheeks coloring slightly as she back drew closer to the boy. She looked up at him, then smiled, ”Shall we?”
They began the relatively short walk back to the common room. Elizabetta wished more than anything he would take her hand back into his, but somehow she doubted it. She had killed the moment.
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