this city's one of a kind. [blake lee]

[Rosaline Morella Su]

It was like a modern-day gypsy town.

Hues of purples, golds, rouges, greens and blues littered the place. Caravans and cars were strategically placed in front of the buildings, allowing people to weave in and out through the road. Loud music played in the distance, a few brave souls in the crowd danced as they made their way around the concessions. The elderly sat on balconies to their abodes, watching the merriment below them with a knowing sparkle in their eyes. Others simply sipped at their teas, passing time by in the only way they could without venturing to the depths of Portobello Road.

During all of the time that Rosaline had been in London, she had never traveled to this famous landmark, but on one dull Saturday afternoon, she dressed in swirls of patterned fabrics that made it seem like she was part of the infamous Portobello Road. Like a child in a candy-store, she greedily ran her eyes along all the delicate porcelains, glass, and earthenwares. There were so many figures and utensils and miscellaneous objects that the money in her pockets would not be able to buy even half of what her heart desired.

Autumn weather left the vendors in a panic to sell their supplies before the winter came and business was not as profitable as it was in the warmer months. Sly businesspersons thrust handfuls of fabrics, jewelry and assorted goods towards passer-bys, claiming that they were of the utmost quality and one-of-a-kind. The risk-takers offered two-for-one specials, and they were the ones hoarding all of the clients.

Yet, the limited amount of money in her pocket brought her back to reality. Of all the things she wanted, she could possibly afford up to three things at most. And of all the days that she chose to bring almost nothing with her. But, after a good amount of time speculating the items placed before her, and the wary and impatient vendor glaring at her, Rosaline reached out for a silver elephant, decorated with pseudo-jewels.

[Blake Lee]

Hundreds of people were scattered along the streets as they moved along through the market, stopping to look at the antiques. Blake usually avoided the Portobello Road as he doesn’t like being around large crowds of people like this for very long. It seemed to be a busy day to come to the Portobello Road, but perhaps it was always like this. Blake stepped around a large family with young children, being careful not to bump into any of them. He could hear music playing not far from where he was, and nearly knocked over a girl as she danced past him completely unaware that he was there. He stepped to the nearest building, glancing around. He was getting a bit thirsty; perhaps he could buy a drink somewhere along here. He didn’t have much money, so he wasn’t entirely sure on why hew as at an antique market

Blake has heard much of the Portobello Road, but he hardly ever comes here. It is probably the largest antique market in the world, though Blake wasn’t all that interested in buying antiques. Still, it made for an interesting place to come on a boring Saturday afternoon. He didn’t feel like sticking around the Academy all day so he had been wandering London for a bit, spending the remains of his money on bus rides before finally stopping at the market. Putting his hands in his jacket pocket, he brought out some money and quickly counted it to see how much he had. Not much, but it would be enough to get him a drink somewhere, and possibly something cheap to eat if he stops somewhere else on the way back to campus.

Unfortunately, Blake was steadily growing more bored as he continued walking through the crowds. Antiques were simply not something he was very interested in. They may interest him for the first half hour or so, but he couldn’t imagine spending days at the markets. Some antiques were very interesting, but others (to Blake) were rather dull. He wasn’t spending money that day, so his attention was limited. He began scanning the crowds, hoping to see a familiar face. He didn’t expect to see many Hoffman students crowding these streets; he heard something about acting practice happening that afternoon and he wasn’t sure if very many students came to the Portobello Road on their time off. It seemed most of the crowds were of people more middle aged or older, unless they had their children with them. He spotted a girl who looked a bit familiar further on who was reaching out for what looked like a silver elephant. He couldn’t remember her name, but he was pretty sure she played the piano at the Academy.

[Rosaline Morella Su]

Just as her fingers brushed on the weathered silver decor, another hand snatched it before her. The culprit had been a boy no more than ten years old, and he had quickly placed a couple of bills on the table, and stuck his tongue out at her before he returned to his mother and showing her his prize. Fuming, Rosaline glanced up at the vendor, who only smirked at her before placing her attention on her other customers. After taking a second glance at the figurines and fabrics, Rosaline felt that she'd rather spend her money on a nice lunch rather than second-hand objects.

That was just..great.

Sighing in frustration, Rosaline ran her fingers through her hair, moving away from the tent. It was true that there were slim to none of the students from Hoffman Academy on Portobello Road. There had been some sort of practice going on, and Rosaline felt obliged to skip it. Luckily, she had a bus pass already, so getting to and from places was not to be a problem. And in the midst of the crowds, a certain figure stood out from the rest of them. And by them, Rosaline meant the elderly, the young, and the middle-aged. The only few scattered teenagers were the ones that seemed to fit into the crafts scene, and this person certainly did not do that stereotype justice.

She had spent quite a few minutes on trying to decipher who this familiar face was, and suddenly, it registered in her mind. He was a student in the voice section of the academy, specifically rock. She had passed by (and taken a peek into) the auditorium more than a few times to recognize him, but her schedule had rarely allowed her to give him a compliment. Well, here's your chance. He wasn't that far away, just a couple of steps, but with a hundred people pulsing around you and trying to go in all different sorts of directions, it had taken some time for her to reach him - her clothes a bit unruly, a bit out of breath, but all in all, in tact and composed.

"Blake, I believe?"

[Blake Lee]

Blake had continued along through the crowds, occasionally pausing at a table or stand to see what was there. None of these antiques were the sort of things that he would spend money on, though it was a bit interesting to see what was there. Blake had just stepped away from another stand when he bumped into someone going the other way. "Sorry," he muttered, glancing around to see who it had been. Instead of seeing anyone behind him looking slightly annoyed, there were just people hurrying by. Well, it seemed whoever it was hadn't even noticed he had bumped into them. Shaking his head slightly he continued on his way.

Only a few moments later he heard someone speak up. Blake, I believe? He wouldn't have even noticed the girl who had spoken if she hadn't said his name; the many people crowding around him was a bit of a distraction. He turned around slightly, his gaze landing upon the girl he had just noticed moments before. He couldn't quite remember her name though he didn't think he's ever met her before. Still, somehow she knew who he was; maybe she had learned his name in passing by someone else. He took a step closer to the girl as the crowds of people hurried past so she could hear him easier.

"Yeah, you go to Hoffman, right? You play the piano?" Normally Blake wouldn't be quite so open when first talking to someone; he was usually quite a bit more quiet and always gave them time to say something. She may not have even intended on talking to him; maybe she was just saying hi in passing. Still, Blake was rather bored of wandering aimlessly around looking at antiques and would rather have someone to talk to.

[Rosaline Morella Su]

It had taken a few seconds for Blake to locate her, probably because of the horrible crowds - or even just her short stature. I mean, being barely five feet tall and trying to catch someone's attention in a throng of people was simply not an easy task for either of the participants. But, as he stepped closer to her, the crowd seemed to walk around them, as if there was an invisible force keeping them from bumping into anyone.

"Oh, right, the name's Rosaline, and yes, I do play the piano at Hoffman. Not an admirable instrument, or form of music, but it gets me by," she shrugged. The classical instruments were quickly dying out, but, the competition at Hoffman in that category was still fierce. Well, competition was amazingly heated at Hoffman, no matter which discipline you decided to partake in.

At least he had guessed right about her wanting to strike up a conversation instead of just greeting him and leaving. The incident before had left her with a not so amazing perspective of these antique stores, and even less of an impression on the patrons and sellers. Now, the void of having bought something left her feeling empty - or rather, her stomach empty. Their dorm room had little to nothing to eat, and Rosaline wasn't a big fan of having the same thing everyday.

"Walk with me?" Rosaline gestured, hoping that he'd catch on on her plan to walk with the flow of the crowd and to find a less populated area in Portobello Road. Plus, she was hoping that Blake was feeling either parched or hungry. At least then she'd get something to eat. And a café was sounding quite appetizing to both her and her wallet. "So, what brings you to this part of London? You don't seem like the type to shop for antiques."

[Blake Lee]

Blake leaned in slightly so he could hear Rosaline a bit easier as she spoke. So his previous thoughts had been correct; she did play the piano. He had been pretty sure to begin with, though he had just wanted to make sure. He had been about to comment on what she had said about the piano when she asked him to walk with her. A slight smile crossed his face after she asked and he nodded. It would be a lot more fun to have someone to talk to than to aimlessly wander around and continue to look at antiques as he had been.

"Sure," he said, stepping forwards so they could begin. He wasn't sure where they would be going; perhaps Rosaline knew her way better around Portobello Road than he did. He tended to aimlessly wander until he found something interesting or found a stand or store that wasn't very crowded, which at this time was rather difficult to come across. He glanced back to Rosaline as she spoke again, smirking slightly at her words. No, he was hardly the type of person to be found looking at antiques for very long periods of time.

"I was just looking for something to do, get away from campus for a bit," he explained a bit vaguely. In his opinion this hadn't been the best place to come for a 'different' place to come to when he has nothing to do, but at least he now had Rosaline to talk to. If they hadn’t started talking he would have likely attempted to find his way out of here, though with the amount of people and crowds gathering around it probably would have taken him another hour or so just to get out of here. Though, now that he had someone to talk to, his afternoon was starting to look a bit brighter.