// Walking around //
The idea that Alviva could find friendships here was something she hadn’t given much thought to. Still, she found she would like to have someone she can laugh with more often and not worry about the attitude she’s giving off. “The more I’m here, the more I realize how much I’ve lived in my own bubble,” she says and sees a glass dome with an antique-looking house in the corner of her eye.
she carefully lifts the glass and lets out a small chuckle “you can say I finally lift my glass dome” she jokes before putting it back, scared she would drop it, and then turns to Camila. The request for a hug was special in Alviva’s eyes because her family are not huggers, but she didn’t want to reject her either, so she spread her arms. “Come here” she says softly and wraps her arms around Camila. It may sound crazy to other people, but this was the first hug Alviva had ever given to someone that wasn’t a stuffed animal. The warmth of the other person gave her a unique feeling. She felt herself and Camila relaxed considerably.
“you never know if the royal family secretly have books that they don’t want to be public. Who knows, we might find a book that you would never expect from the royal family” jokes Alviva to keep the mood light. then, after holding Camila tightly in her arms for a long time, she lets her go.
“To be honest, I don’t really know whose gene I have, because I don’t think I got it from my parents. There was always a joke going around that I was adopted, and you would really believe that too” Alviva sighs with a grin. “I myself think that you cannot determine how the cultures of others are compared to your own, because every culture comes from norms and values that are important in that culture. The same can be said about the Castes. Someone from a high caste has different values than low castes, your priorities are different, with us reputation and family honor is high, but I know that in low castes there is a priority in making money and supporting your family” she explains. “I’m also not saying that your way of speaking binds you to your culture, but I do think it gives more color to you as a person” she tries to explain but she is already confusing herself. “I hope it makes sense what I say because I think I just confused myself” she laughs.
The question of what she is proud of was the moment Alviva fell silent. It was easy to say there was nothing she was proud of, because in all honesty, there was. “Compared to my siblings, it’s not really anything to be proud of…” she begins and falls silent as she puts her fingertips to her throat. “But I’m happy that I can sing, and that I can say that I can do it without ever having lessons,” she says with a small smile. “And while it’s not something I can use as a future, it does help when I’m sad. When I’m tense or feeling alone, it helps to sing, which is why I was humming when we met” she explains. After that, she begins to wonder whether she should give a clearer example. She had never consciously sent for other people before and really only did it when she was alone. But Alviva trusted Camila and perhaps it would help Camila to relax as much as it did Alviva.
And so she started singing. A song she had heard once and could relate to. She closed her eyes because she knew she would fall silent if she saw Camila there. at first she is still very quiet, but as she goes on, her voice starts to gain strength. While singing, she noticed that her sad feelings disappeared and her shoulders relaxed. Subconsciously she started to move along with the words and probably her face was moving too. In the end, there was even a kind of smile on her face that was rarely seen. She then opens her eyes and lets out a sigh before scratching her head embarrassingly. “like that”. she laughs.
@Jass - Camila