[AU][C] Try Outs

Richmond pursed his lips as he looked down at the name written on the parchment.

It's was just as difficult as his actual name had been.

Still Rich showed him how the sign all the letters.
"Very long name."
It would be difficult for Aleksey to get it right.

He shrugged.

"Is the Russian way. Nicknames are affectionate, not convenient." You didn't just shorten names to make them easier to say and develop a rapport. There was a whole new name, a name for family and friends, whether it be shorter or not.

In his case, not.

"Maybe try again another time."

He wasn't going to pick up signing in one sitting, that was a lot to ask of anyone.

Aleksey being Russian did make sense of how hard it was to read his lips.

With most of the students here being English he was accustomed to the way they spoke despite his Italian heritage.

Aleksey nodded.

Now he had the challenge in his head, he was going to learn. He'd damn well do it, just because he's been taught a little, and he didn't like lessons half finished.

That sort of challenge was the reason he learned English so quickly. An old babysitter of his had known English and taught him a few things, and he hadn't stopped until he was pretty much fluent in the language.

He kicked his legs up, to rest crossed at the ankle on the arm of Rich's chair, and flicked his sketchbook to an open page at the front, and began sketching idly.