Post by Toris Laurinaitis on Aug 4, 2013 3:10:36 GMT -5
"Oh no nothing’s wrong. I’m perfectly fine."
"Start spreadin' the news, I'm leavin' today
I want to be a part of it..."
"Start spreadin' the news, I'm leavin' today
I want to be a part of it..."
Name: Toris Laurinaitis
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Aliases: Toris, Tori, Tory any variety of endearments/insults
Occupation: Housekeeper
Appearance: Toris is one of those lean lanky people that looks like he’ll get blown over by the wind if he’s not careful, but what he lacks in strength he’ll make up for in speed and agility. Aside from being built wirily he has light brown hair that just reaches his shoulders, sometimes he ties it back in ponytail to keep it neat and out of the way. In general his entire appearance tends to look faintly bedraggled, bad sleeping habits and patchy clothing do not help matters. However his eyes are kind. Being a dark mossy green they stand out well from his face and are far too honest to really disguise any emotions.
At best Toris is a neat dresser. His clothes are far from new but they are clean and well taken care of. When working at his housekeeping job he tends to wear an apron over his clothes to prevent them from getting dirty. While not strictly a miser he does try to make the most out what he wears, simply because he can’t afford not to, as a result many of his are clothes somewhat ragged. The only item of value he wears is a small amber cross which is tied to a piece of string around his neck.
If you were ever to catch a glimpse of Toris’s back (and that is not very likely to ever happen) you would see an irregular crisscross of white scar tissue. How long they've been there and how he acquired them is a closely guarded secret, only he and the inflictor know the full story.
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Aliases: Toris, Tori, Tory any variety of endearments/insults
Occupation: Housekeeper
Appearance: Toris is one of those lean lanky people that looks like he’ll get blown over by the wind if he’s not careful, but what he lacks in strength he’ll make up for in speed and agility. Aside from being built wirily he has light brown hair that just reaches his shoulders, sometimes he ties it back in ponytail to keep it neat and out of the way. In general his entire appearance tends to look faintly bedraggled, bad sleeping habits and patchy clothing do not help matters. However his eyes are kind. Being a dark mossy green they stand out well from his face and are far too honest to really disguise any emotions.
At best Toris is a neat dresser. His clothes are far from new but they are clean and well taken care of. When working at his housekeeping job he tends to wear an apron over his clothes to prevent them from getting dirty. While not strictly a miser he does try to make the most out what he wears, simply because he can’t afford not to, as a result many of his are clothes somewhat ragged. The only item of value he wears is a small amber cross which is tied to a piece of string around his neck.
If you were ever to catch a glimpse of Toris’s back (and that is not very likely to ever happen) you would see an irregular crisscross of white scar tissue. How long they've been there and how he acquired them is a closely guarded secret, only he and the inflictor know the full story.
Picture:
"What’s a god to a non-believer?
Who don’t believe in anything?"
Personality:
Plesant: The Lithuanian is quite genuinely a nice person in that he will go out of his way to be polite and kind to everyone around him. This and his generally positive attitude makes him a very easy person to get along with but it also makes it difficult for him to say no to anyone.
Worker: Toris believes in working hard. He sees the value of a good work ethic and will do his best to live up to his own (rather high) standards. Staying up late to finish tasks is half the reason for the nights he spends with no or little sleep.
Religious: He was brought up as a member of the Roman Catholic Church and continues to practice his faith with discretion. In the worst of times the motions allows him to remember his roots and draw comfort in their familiarity, at best he has a genuine belief that there is good to come out of everything.
Worrywart: A tendency towards anxiety was not something Toris was born with, but rather a trait he acquired during his time in captive. While his fretting isn't obvious, he does sometimes end up with a stomach ache, most likely stress induced. Worrying is the other half of the reason for his sleepless nights.
Quiet: Toris is much more likely to suffer in silence than vocalise his complaints. He also tends to listen rather than talk, compliment rather than flatter, and correct rather than criticise. His own thoughts tend to remain his own.
Family?: Dominykas and Ona Laurinaitis (Father and Mother respectively). Both died from the Spanish flu in 1919.
Likes:
- Jazz Music: Toris first discovered this swinging new symphony when he immigrated. He’s still not quite brave enough to learn to dance to it but he’d like to.
- Coffee: Preferably with a little milk and no sugar. Even Toris will admit that the cups he makes are quite good (they’re incredible but his modesty will prevail).
- Peace and Quiet: After all that he’s been though Toris would love nothing more than for the rest of his life to be uneventful. However life seems to have other ideas...
- His Boss: Toris was extremely worried about working for a rich American, but Mr Jones has proven to be a very kind and considerate employer, so far.
- Cleaning: If pressed Toris might admit that he likes cleaning. The reality is that he cannot pass through a room without brushing it up a little. He stress cleans.
Dislikes:
- Stomach aches: While they are mostly just cumbersome pains occasionally they make Toris very sick and render him immobile.
- Immigrant Presumptions: He’s tired of people assuming he’s here to steal away the jobs of “decent hardworking Americans”
- Hypocrites: While Toris is quite religious himself he does not appreciate people using faith as a capital/social/political weapon.
- The Eugenics Movement: Though they do not in any way affect him personally there is something about their talk that makes Toris uncomfortable.
- Cars: They’re loud, noisy and in many ways much more trouble than they’re worth. Give him a horse over a car anyday.
Aspirations:
- To have his own apartment: While the housekeeper’s room is comfortable Toris hopes to have his own place one day.
- To learn how to dance: While he knows some Lithuanian country dances he would love to learn some more modern steps to go with his new interest in Jazz music.
- To become fluent in English: While his understanding of English is quite good some slang terms still confuse him and not knowing what they mean embarrasses him a little.
Fears:
- The Authorities: These men are not kind to immigrants like himself and he doesn’t want to get on their wrong side.
- Being Trapped: Not so much in the physical sense, but rather in a scenario where he has no choice in what happens to him. Some might call this a fear of imprisonment.
- Loosing his name: At one point was referred to as a number so much that he almost forgot what his real name was. He’s never wants to forget again in case he doesn't remember it next time.
History: Toris grew up on a small but prosperous farm that was near the Polish-Lithuanian border. Some of his best memories are of him playing in the Rye fields of his father’s farm with a little friend named Feliks. The two of them would often make little grass houses out of fallen Rye or pretend that they were knights in shining armour leading soldiers into battle. When they both were nine Feliks and his family moved to America. Toris never saw him again and misses him, even now after all these years have passed.
Toris turned eighteen just in time join the army to fight against the Russians in the Lithuanian-Soviet War. By all accounts he was a good fighter but at first there was little that he or any of the other soldiers (who were poorly supplied mostly untrained) could do to stop the Russians advancing. In February 1919 Toris was captured by a Russian general and kept as a prisoner of war. The general took a liking to him and kept him very close, he was kept hidden even from the general’s own men who knew nothing about his existence. During this time the only other people he saw were two other boys who were captives like himself, one was Estonian and the other Latvian. The three of them soon learnt to stay together and move as one person. In this way they were slightly safer than if they were by themselves, even then it was still impossible for them to overpower their Russian prison guard. It was during this time that Toris acquired the scars on his back but he’s never told anyone where he got them (the other two Baltic’s have few ideas, and they involve a Russian with whip).
After the war ended and “peace” was established Toris and the others was released and he immediately set about finding his parents whom he hadn't seen for several years. But to his utter grief he discovered that they had perished in the influenza pandemic that swept across the world between 1918 and 1920. Toris had lost everything, including his parent’s farm which had fallen into disarray after their deaths. However he was not yet ready to give in. Amongst the ruins of the old cottage which had been his home he had found three things, an amber cross his mother had worn, a small sum of money his father had kept hidden in an old jar, and a letter written in a child’s hand describing a lady wore nothing but a bed sheet whom the author believed was ill because “She was like, green all over!” After finding these things Toris knew what to do.
He managed to make his was to the coast and after a year had saved enough money to purchase a ticket for a ship that would take him to England and then to America. Upon arriving in New York he passed through immigration by the skin off his teeth and set about looking for a job. At first he had little luck and was considering working for a factory when by pure chance he met a certain Englishman. The Brit had no work for him, but knew an acquaintance who did and it was in this way that Toris was introduced to Mr. Jones and became his housekeeper. He is still working there today and is gradually getting over his trauma as he learns how to be happy again.
Sample Post: Toris awoke early as he usually did and got dressed. Vaguely he noticed that his shoes were almost worn through and considered asking his boss for some money to buy a new pair. As usual he decided against it, Mr. Jones certainly seemed like a generous person but the Lithuanian wasn’t yet sure he could ask him for extras when he was already paying him a wage and providing him with a place to sleep. Asking for a pair of shoes on top of this could very well prove to be the tipping point.
Trying not to think about his feet or his obvious trust issues Toris made his bed, folded his pyjamas, straightened his wardrobe and tied his hair back. Now he felt better. “Let’s make this a good day Toris” he told himself as he padded out of his room and down to the kitchen. Mr. Jones liked coffee in the mornings so that was the first thing he made, it was followed by a plate of bacon, eggs and toast. While he was pouring a second cup of coffee for himself he spotted his bosses glasses which were resting buy the sink. Trios smiled at them fondly before picking them up and placed them next to the breakfast for when Mr. Jones came tumbling into the room in search of them.
“Maybe he wouldn’t be mad if I asked him for a new pair of shoes” He thought to himself. “Maybe he would agree that I need some new ones and recommend a good place to buy them from. Maybe I should just ask him.” But then Toris closed his eyes and remembered a man who turned necessities into indulgences, and requests into rewards, and then some. And Toris knew that he couldn’t ask Mr. Jones for anything, just in case it got back to him. He shook his head, shuddered and frantically started doing the dishes. Shoes could wait.
OOC:
Name: Felixfeles (Felix)
Age: 19
Last song you listened to?: Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf)
Name: Felixfeles (Felix)
Age: 19
Last song you listened to?: Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf)
