Music Night!

[ginsengdragon]

The Common room was primed and ready. Makeshift lanterns were lit in the corners, and electric lights were set up. Room had been made for dancing and there were cushions all over for city, and coffee tables arranged for meals and drinks and tea

Comments

[big_violin]

And there is young man with a giant violin in the corner, playing his heart out to the tune of one of the more beautiful pieces to ever come out of Czechoslovakia. The bird on his shoulder seems to sway happily along to the music as he plays and a smile shows under the hat and over the cloak.

Rare spirits for Hamel, really.

[fireflychyld]

She stops in tuning her own instrument when she hears the music, and as soon as she locates the source walks over.

"That's lovely," Hotaru comments.

[big_violin]

He looks up and smiles at her for a moment before finishing the piece and putting down the violin.

"Thank you."

He's feeling... not solemn, not exactly, but not as boisterous as usual. Perhaps if he thought there was booze or an easy girl or something, he might perk up again, go back to being annoying, but he's gradually learning that this is something of a dire situation... and that joy is something to be savored, something to hold onto. It's not even conscious, but this place...

It reminds him of Anthem. It reminds him of Anthem after, the lonely streets and empty homes. It reminds him of Anthem before, a small group of people just trying to make it through each day happily enough. Conscious or not, he's acting more as he had as a young boy than he has for years.

"What's your name?"

[fireflychyld]

"My name is Hotaru Tomoe," she replies with a small bow. "And yours?"

[big_violin]

"Hamel."

That's all. No last name.

"Hotaru's a very" weird bizarre silly "interesting name."

[fireflychyld]

"It's Japanese," she explains. "In my language, it means 'firefly'."

[big_violin]

He nods.

"Hamel is..." and he tries to think for a moment, grasping his jaw and quirking his lips. "Well, it's my name and that's about it."

It's similar to the name of the Northern Capital, but he won't mention it.

[fireflychyld]

Hotaru smiles.

"Where did you learn to play?" she asks, gesturing to the violin. She's rather surprised at how big it is; by the size the instrument should be a cello or a bass violin, but the sounds that came from it were in completely the wrong register for those instruments.

[big_violin]

He almost snaps at her.

Almost.

But it was a simple enough question.

"My mother taught me how to play. This was her violin before it was mine. She gave it to me."

It was the best way to put it.

[fireflychyld]

"That's nice; it's a family heirloom."

She looks down at the violin in her own hands, wishing it had such sentimental value for her. "My adoptive mother taught me, too."

[big_violin]

He nods, swallowing a little.

"That's always good. Music's important."