Roderich Edelstein [Austria]

[herrpiano]

Name: Roderich Edelstein [Austria]

Age: 24

Academic Goals:
Major: Music [Piano Performance—this is real, I checked]
Minor: Business [Emphasis in accounting and administration]

Year: Senior

Occupation: Student [Job: Lobby pianist at a off-campus hotel]

Likes:
Favourite Class: Music – Piano

Music: Namely classical. From a young age, Roderich took a liking to the various orchestral and classical piano CDs that filled his house. From Bach to Yanni, he enjoyed all the differing types that came from around the world—though he preferred pieces that featured the piano; his favourite being Chopin. It was his love for Chopin that inspired him to pursue a degree in the art of piano performance, and it is his dream to someday be able to play for audiences just as his classical idols had before.

Cleanliness: Roddy likes it clean. Messes bother him... there's really no other way of putting it. From appearances to his room, Roderich prefers things to be neat and tidy. It's easier to find things, and, as he was taught by his father, a clean and well-kept appearance makes a much better person. People respect someone who looks like they make the effort to take care of themselves, and thus, the Austrian puts a great deal of effort into making sure his appearance is as perfect as possible.

Sweets: Though he won't openly admit it, it's quite obvious. Cakes are a personal favourite of his, though if it's made in a bakery, it's very likely that Roderich has tried it at least once or attempted to make it himself. He's has quite the hand in the kitchen, and following his favoured treat, the brunette is best at making various different cakes. He prefers to make recipes that originate in the Germanic nations, though he has dabbled with Western and Asian cakes as well.

Gilbert: ...Roderich refuses to comment on this like or even acknowledge it's existence. You can be assured, however, that he's quite fond of the Prussian.


Dislikes:
Least favourite class: Physical Education [Any and all forms]

Mess: Roderich does not like mess. When there are things on the floor or dust covering a surface, it bothers him. It’s almost a compulsion, really. He can’t stand to be around a messy room, and dirt and grime make the poor brunette twitch. Sometimes it gets to the point where he can’t sleep if there is obvious disorder around him, and more often than not he’s slipped out of bed in the middle of the night to attend to a few last minute chores that absolutely must be done. Otherwise, his mind goes a bit funny. Although, given how accustomed he is to having maids clean for him, he really doesn’t like cleaning at all. Still, if he doesn’t get the mess up, it won’t get done, and he’d rather do it himself than have nothing done at all.

<Rowdy/Annoying/Etc. People: The sort of people Roderich prefers to have around him are the calm and collected type. He can't stand people who are loud and obnoxious, and believes they belong in something more akin to a zoo than society. He can't stand idiots or people with huge egos. Which questions why he's dating the most obvious example of this.

Rule Breakers: This pretty much goes hand-in-hand with the above, but Roderich strongly dislikes those who break the rules and believes that, should a rule be broken, a person should be punished for it. The rules are there for a reason and are meant to be followed.

Getting Lost: Not that he would ever admit to being lost once he was, but Roderich's sense of direction is terrible. Hand him a map or a GPS and he can manage most of the time, but on is own, you're probably not going to see him for a few hours. Thus, he prefers taxis when it comes to public transport.

Sea Creatures: No one really knows the reasons behind this particular fear of his, but Roderich absolutely hates most anything that comes from the sea. Put him on a boat and he'll refuse to leave his room until it has docked completely. Even pictures of such creatures tend to make him twitch, but he can handle them far better than the real thing. Still, keep the damn sea creatures away... or he will get his revenge. Somehow. Likely with a baton or some very loud Chopin.


Personality:

Roderich is the perfect storybook definition of a “noble young master” and he has the upbringing to go with it. His holds his cards close to his face and rarely let's others know what he's thinking. He knows better than to wear his emotions on his sleeve and rarely allows others to see them on his face. For the most part, he is almost always completely serious, and rarely does anyone see a smile grace his lips, though when one appears, one can be assured that it’s likely very genuine. Alas, on a whole, his emotions are usually kept locked tightly behind his mask though a certain silverette seems to be the exception to this.

He is quite mature, though others take his level of maturity as being "uptight" or "prissy", however, he really isn't; it's just what he was used to. He knows better than to resist authority and has it pounded into his brain, namely from his father, that appearance and how one acts is everything.

When it comes to schoolwork, Roderich tries his hardest to be what most might call the "model student." He is, by no means, a teacher's pet, but he knows what is expected of him. Of all the money that was spent on him, the most was put toward his education and thus, he takes the work given to him quite seriously. He gets his work done as soon as possible and prefers to have assignments done in advance. Good grades mean that he is allowed to stay at the school he attends, and the longer he's at school, the longer he can avoid his father and follow the career he wishes to have.

On a whole, despite the confident and self-assured means in which Roderich holds himself, he's really quite self-conscious. His self-esteem is almost nonexistent. Because of this, he tends to keep himself at a distance from others. This also contributes to his somewhat "prudish" appearance, but again, it's just more of his upbringing. He's not used to speaking with others on an informal level, is something he's not used to. His father taught him that formality was the only means of which communication that is acceptable in the "real world", thus, he tries to apply that into his everyday life.

History:

His family is well known in his home country for having close-ties with various political figures and running the largest branches of "Bank Austria AG." Since his sixth birthday, he has been put through rigorous training courses to prepare him for taking over the family business. While, for the most part, the brunette went through everything without much complaint, he has little to no interest in following through with this. Still, he knew better than to argue. Protesting often lead to arguments, and his father could be a very intimidating man, thus, Roderich took his training for what it was and did as he was told. His life, more or less, consisted of schedules made by his father. If there was every a business meeting or political figure that needed assistance with any form of funds, Roderich was at his father's side watching and learning how such business deals worked. He didn't have the choice.

Now his mother was a completely different story.

Whenever he wasn't at his father's side, Roderich was almost always with his mother. Between the two parents, she was the much kinder of the two, and encouraged Roderich to expand his horizons and see all the other non-business aspects of the world. She was in love with classical music, and it was with her that Roderich's love for the art bloomed. She would often play gentle piano pieces to help ease him to sleep as a child, and whenever he was upset, angry, or in any form of emotional turmoil, she had a some to go with it and help calm him down. His mother was a virtuoso, and could play a large handful of instruments beautifully, and much to her pleasure, the talent was passed on to her son.

Lessons with his mother were always Roderich's favourite, and with her he learned how to play the piano, violin, and harp (though he's best with the first.) However, his father didn't support his musical escapades in the slightest, and the brunette was often scolded for being caught in the music room if there was "business" work to be done. Still, as his mother, legally, Roderich had the right to see and spend time with her so his father could not limit their time too much without the threat of legal trouble. Alas, Roderich’s mother was quite ill and spent a great deal of time bed-ridden which cut the amount of time they had together rather short.

More than once throughout his life, Roderich’s father attempted to set and arranged marriage, but they all almost always fell through. Of course, Roderich was always polite to his “wives to be”, but in the end, the truth of his… affections would always colme out and the girl would happily (or not so happily) decline the offer and (usually) wish him luck on his true romantic goal (read: Gilbert). Happily, Roderich’s father never found the real reason behind their sudden declines, but needless to say, it wouldn’t go well if he did.

When Roderich received his offer to attend a new school, he leapt at the opprotunity with the encouragement of his mother to follow through with his passions for music while still doting to his father’s “wants.” However, it is his hope that he will be able to find a means of pursuing piano before his father retires and tranfers the family banking business to himself. And this school is just the ticket he needs.

Sample Post:
A frustrated sigh tumbled from Roderich's lips as he pulled his gaze form the textbook sitting on the table and removed his glasses. His vision blurred, the sudden change from text to the surrounding features of his dorm making his head throb. He removed his glasses and raised his index finger and thumb to his eyes, rubbing them in an attempt to ease the dull throbbing that had started to form. How long many times had he read the same page now? Four? Five? His violet eyes shifted toward the clock and he bit back a groan. He'd been studying for nearly two hours, and he didn't even want to imagine how long it had been since he'd last turned the page of his book.

"This is ridiculous..." he muttered, leaning back in his chair. Frustration coursed through his mind as he glanced back at the book sitting on his table and felt a particularly sharp throb rush through his head. He wouldn't be getting any more studying done at this rate. Despite what his mind wanted, his body was refusing to answer.

Standing up, the brunette made his way toward the window and glanced outside. It was dark, as to he expected. While it was still early in the evening, it was winter, which mean the sun fell below the mountains earlier. That ruled out taking a walk. Turning, he glanced at the keyboard he'd purchased long ago with money he earned form his job at a local hotel by playing a rather beautiful grand piano in the lobby. It wasn't the best keyboard on the market, but it was well-made, and had all 88 keys. Perhaps playing will help me clear my mind... he thought with a faint smile, moving toward the piano bench and sitting down with ease. His fingers immediately position themselves atop the white keys, and as if a switch had been flipped, Roderich immediately felt the stress begin to melt away.

The brunette's body swayed gently with the music as his eyes fluttered closed and a small smile tugged at his lips. The melody played wasn't anything written on the sheet music before him, but seemed to be a spontaneous composition. His fingers continued to dance about the keys, stringing notes together into an elegant song mixed with far too many emotions to name. It wasn't until about five minutes into the composition that a sudden foul noise filled the air. Roderich's fingers had gone completely rigid and hit a mix of random notes. Beneath his eyelids the mental image of silver hair and crimson eyes obscured his vision, causing the Austrian to snap his eyes open. "...I wasn't playing for him," Roderich muttered, burying his face in his hands. "I wasn't... Just as I wasn't yesterday or the day before. ...I-I couldn't be."

Personal + Optional
Alias: Prussia, Pru, Gilly, Gil [Ironic, isn't it?]
Timezone: + 5 GMT, I believe. As for availability... I should be able to get on a few times a week. I'll be starting college again on Monday, though.
Pasta and Wurst <3 [>> Didn't know if you meant under the actual words or my response.]
Favorite Pairings: PrussiaxAustria, USxUK, SuFin, ChinaxJapan, GerIta, and GermanyxAmerica. PrussiaxLiechtenstein is a guilty pleasure. Hurr.
Alternate Characters: Actually... NORMALLY I play Prussia. It's really weird to be doing Roddy now, but I look forward to it. : D Looks like Em and I are switching places for once.

[Matthew Williams]

Approved, eh~!