arockysmith

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra flinched at the touch of her hand on his arm. He looked at her confused. He couldn't believe she was actually touching him in a way nobody would ever dare to. His muscles tensed up causing a sharp pain to shoot from his abdomen up to his chest. He let out a small gasp before deciding exactly what to say to her. "I'm not really sure how one goes about saying this. I don't need medical attention. I've only been out of the hospital a short while. I've been on my feet too much between school and working in the bakery. Someone with a gold watch similar to yours, but more masculine, thought I wasn't worthy of life anymore," he said lifting his shirt up and gently placing her hand on the wound, "here is where he used a knife to prove his point at first," he moved her hand over and up slightly below where the heart was located, "these four are when his friends each took a turn cutting me open." The scars were in the shape of a swastika, he was forever branded. He hadn't realized his voice was shaking, and as he dropped her hand the flashbacks began to happen transporting him back to that day.

"Looky what we have here boys," The leader of the group had said as Ezra passed between him and his friends. He'd been holding a box from the bakery. Desserts his mother had wanted him to bring home to celebrate his birthday. "You people, thinking you deserve to coexist with us. Your beliefs so skewed. The reason our economy is failing is all because of you Jews."

Ezra stopped walking and turned to the face the boy. He looked no older than him, but the hate in his eyes aged him. Ezra could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he looked back down the street trying to count how many more buildings he had to get pass before he reached his home. He hadn't been prepared for this, and he could feel his legs growing weak. Just standing there felt like it took all his energy. He had one second to decide what to do, and just as he took off running, dropping the box, the boy jumped on him. Ezra hit the ground with a thud and when he turned over there was no time to react. He was stunned at first when he felt the warm liquid trailing out of his body. His hand quickly moved to the wound and when he looked at them they were drenched in red. The pain hadn't set it when the group of boys lifted his shirt up.

When they finally left him there Ezra let out a wail more from anger than pain. He knew what was on his chest. The symbol that was all around non Jewish communities. His body would never be his own. His mother couldn't look at him at the hospital and his father was too saddened to even speak.

Every morning he would stare at his chest in the dirty bathroom mirror and wonder what he had done to deserve it, but he already knew the answer. He was Jewish, there was no other rhyme or reason. Being this religion was his only crime and he would forever have to remember that.

He turned his focus back onto the girl and forced a smile. A tear had began to fall down his face and he let out a sigh, "Let's get going. You look like you live far. I suggest taking your shoes off and holding them, or I could try and carry you on my back. You can say no. I know people like me have no right to even ask to protect you, but I've seen the bad in this country and if I let you go alone without even offering to join I'd blame myself if anything happened."

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra hesitated a moment as he watched the girl leave. He hadn't meant to strike a nerve, but he knew his words were aimed to hurt her. The second it left his mouth he sightly regretted them. He knew first hand how it felt to be discriminated against, and yet here he was doing the same thing to a stranger. He quickly put a few treats in a white bag and walked outside quickly locking the shop up behind him as he debated which way to go in search of her. This area wasn't the nicest and there were plenty of men who would enjoy a little act of fun at her expense. If his mother would have heard his words she would have smacked him on the head and forced him to apologize, but without her here it wasn't necessarily an obligation. He thought about just going back into the bakery and forgetting the girls existence, until he felt a tightness in his chest.

"No Ezra. You are a man of pride and chivalry. You will find her and you will apologize," he said to himself as he headed up the sidewalk. This was was the closest way to leave town. There was no way she came from any other direction considering the shoes she had been wearing.

It took him a couple minutes before he spotted her sitting on the dirty curb and he bit his lip a little. She was going to dirty her clothes if she sat there much longer. He could already see eyes being drawn to her, and the looks the older men were giving her. She was so out of touch with this area that she had no idea what fear was. He walked over and sat down next to her placing the bag between them. A hundred different apologies played inside his head, but none of them seemed genuine enough. With a little bit of a sigh he nudged the bag closer to her.

"I know you're crying because of me. I don't think you meant me or that man any harm. But I thought that before and it landed me in a hospital bed. I saw you and I was quick to pass wrongful judgement. I ask for forgiveness. The world isn't safe for people like me, miss. I hope you can accept those treats as part of my apology. You left in a rush, you never got to try my chocolate babka," he said glancing over at her. The scar on his stomach began to throb as he flash backed to the night he was attacked. He had been so close to home, but he wasn't fast enough. Out of habit his hand reached for the area and he cringed a little. "I also ask that you let me walk you out of this area. A girl like you alone in a place like this is bound to end badly."

He glanced at the watch on his wrist, the glass slightly cracked. It was almost time for his parents to return back to the shop, but surely they would understand why he had to close the store for a couple minutes. They would praise him for being quick to offer protection after what happened last time. He would avoid the part of her being from a different part of their town, he would avoid the questions his mom would have and he would make sure this girl got somewhere safe.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra turned around at the sound of his name and saw one of his regulars. He smiled as he tucked his pencil on his hear and walked over to the counter. He glanced at the girl and gave her a small nod and then turned his attention back to the older man. "I've got your order right here," he said reaching under the counter top and pulling out two big white boxes. There was a sticker on the box that read Baer Bakery and had a little Jewish star underneath right in the center. The labels would be changed by next week. His family decided not to advertise their faith any longer. The items they provided would also be tweaked to show more variety instead of mostly Jewish foods. His heart sank as passed the box over to the man. A small sigh escaped his lips and his smile fell slightly.

It hurt him to think that their religion was no longer something to be proud of, but something to be ashamed of. He could no longer speak about his faith freely or he might be overheard by some boys or the local authorities. They were meant to protect him, but that was no longer true since Hitler came around. His supporters marched their streets frequently threatening the lives of his friends and family. He looked over at the girl to see if she had noticed the star on the logo.

"Miss...do you still need time to decide or perhaps you changed your mind," he said wishing she would just leave. The last thing his family needed was a rich Christian girl tarnishing their name. He turned back to the gentleman and shrugged, "she appears to be new to this side of town. Be careful walking home..." The end of his sentence hinting that she might not be here alone.

Abandoned Souls (Full for now)

@Inda HAPPY BIRTHDAY! IDK IF YOU'RE 21 YET OR NOT BUT HIGHLY RECOMMEND TAKING SHOTS FOR EVERY YEAR YOU'VE BEEN ALIVE :P

Abandoned Souls (Full for now)

Who's turn is it to post? I wasn't sure if there was a specific order we were going for or not.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra looked up from the paper work in front of him and stared at the girl. She was a new face, he was sure he'd never seen her walking the streets. The way she was dressed let him know right away that she was part of the population that was benefiting from the terror his people had to suffer. Either way, she was a potential customer so he flashed her a shy smile. It was better to be in good standing with someone like her, it would mean his bakery would live to see another day. She appeared to be around his age and he wondered if her parents knew she had strayed down this way. When she mentioned the smell of the shop he perked up a little bit.

"At least someone besides myself gets to enjoy the scent of the fresh Babka. If you like chocolate I suggest a slice of that. It's just fresh out of the oven not too long ago and I made it myself," Ezra said beaming a little with pride as he pointed to it in the glass case, "it is chocolate and I added a little bit of nuts to it. Don't tell the owners though."

His family wasn't big on changing their recipes. If they hadn't been gone for the evening he'd never would have gotten away with adding nuts. He also pointed to a couple macaroons and fresh loaves of bread. He wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for so he offered her up a variety of choices. He pleaded to his God that she would buy at least one thing, anything at this point. Business was slow today and they needed to make ends meet.

"I'll let you look around inside the cases to see if anything catches your fancy. If you need me just give me a shout," he said walking to the back to check on the inventory. He made sure that he could still her and the rest of the store. The last thing he needed was to be robbed. His parents would never let him live it down if something happened to the store on his watch.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Ezra pulled fresh Chocolate Babka. It was the first time his parents had allowed him to make this all by himself, so he was proud of himself when he pulled it out of the oven and found it didn't smell like garbage. He would eventually have to learn how to make all his families recipes, Baer Bakery would soon be his once he finished high school. His parents had graciously allowed him to finish off his senior year, but it came at a price. His mother and father were overworked with no help. They weren't a poor family, but they couldn't afford to pay any staff. The bakery made just enough to pay the bills that piled up over time. Ezra felt especially bad about the hospital bills. He'd been badly beaten a couple weeks back by a group of Christian boys. He'd been stabbed in the stomach and now suffered a scar that would plague him. It didn't help that people who were non-Jewish viewed their shops as garbage.

It was a new experience on Germany now. What had once been a happy place Ezra grew up in slowly became his own personal hell. He'd convinced his parents that it was still safe for him to deliver some of the bread they made or different items to customers who were too scared to leave their homes, but he was on a tight leash these days. His family was very well known, so people knew to avoid him at all cost so they weren't considered sympathizers. He put the Babka down on the counter and began to slice it into pieces. His stomach growled a little as he debated taking a slice for himself. This was his favorite dessert after all. With a shake of the head he decided against it. His family could use what little money would come from that slice. Once he finished with that he began to set out some more Sufganiyot. These little guys were some of their money grabbers. Everyone enjoyed the homemade jelly that was stuffed inside them so much that his mom began to sell it on the side.

"One day mom...I'll be here to help you," He whispered to himself as he stood behind the counter and placed a couple loafs of bread into a white box. This would have to be delivered soon. A little old lady that Ezra couldn't remember the name of always placed an order for this bread. She was too scared to leave her house these days. Even in the Jewish parts of their town people against their faith would sneak in and use their trusting nature to cause harm. Ezra had began to hear every day about some unfortunate boy was beat up or girl was assaulted. It always angered him to the core. They weren't good enough to exist, but they were good enough for sex. He did his best not to despise the people of those other faiths, but he couldn't help it sometimes. Especially the rich ones. They always seemed to look down his community the most. They viewed him and other Jewish people as nothing more than monsters who wanted to watch their lovely country burn. Nobody ever bothered to ask, they were just lumped together under the words of that man.

The second Ezra had heard him speak, he knew his life was in danger. His trust diminished and he vowed to do his best to protect his mother and father no matter the cost. He'd give his life up for them. He'd even kill if he had to. After the attack he suffered there was nothing to scare him anymore. He had to be strong for his mom. If he so much as thought about crumbling his mother would surely follow and his father would think less of him. He had to prove to both of them that he was stronger than their doubts.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

I promise to try and respond right when I wake up. I've set an alarm to give me time before I have to leave it's just a matter of me waking up to it. If I fail to wake I'll do it before my friend arrives in the evening.

arockysmith x SinfulSkills <<Kento & Jun>>

Jun held both books to her chest as she nodded along, "I think I'll check them both out. I trust your judgement, and if they turn out to be horrible I can hit you over the head with them," she said with a small laugh. She needed something to keep her occupied during the days she avoided her father or wasn't working. Horror stories always pleased her because it showed other people could really have it worse, and it helped fuel her imagination. She looked at the titles on the shelves and a small sigh escaped her lips. The library was always a peaceful place, and to see his face light up was something she'd never knew it could do. He seemed more confident discussing books over himself, so she made a mental note to talk about them more.

She looked over at the clock on the wall and frowned. "It's getting so late and I've only managed to do a couple word problems and none of my math," she said rolling her eyes dramatically, "I'm such a procrastinator. When did you say you get off again? I don't want to keep you tied up. That's a lot of books to put away." She ran her fingers along the spines before turning back to her table and setting the two he'd given her down. She hesitated a moment and walked back over to him.

"I'll help," Jun said simply as she picked up two books and began to search the shelves for their place. She was pretty sure she'd have plenty of time to work on homework at home so she wasn't too worried. Plus if she didn't do it then there was always study hall. Right now she wanted to spend time with Kenton and forget her own issues.

Abandoned Souls (Full for now)

Sorry if it's on the shorter side. I usually post longer posts than that, but my creative flow has been blocked by some beavers.

@Xeron

That's short? I can't even imagine when you're inspired. My last post was like a baby compared to yours.