[Thread] Melody of Friendship

[dark_friendship]

Characters: Ishida Yamato, OPEN
Where: The park
When: Afternoon
Summary: Yamato's feeling kind of down, so like he always does, he's decided to express it with his music.
Warnings: None, except for sad harmonica music played very well.

Comments

[takion]

Takion strolled the snowy paths of the park with his teapot practically frolicking around his feet. He paid little attention to the teapots antics as he sought out a nice place for the day's teatime. What caught his attention, however, was harmonica music.

The author immediately altered course towards the sound.

[dark_friendship]

Yamato happened to be looking away from Takion at the moment, still playing with all of his heart. He kept most of his attention on what was going on around him; since the ending of the cuffs he had made certain to do so. One couldn't be too careful, after all.

So even though he didn't see who it was, he was aware that there was someone coming towards him.

[takion]

Takion stopped a short distance from Yamato just to listen. One could generally gauge Yamato's mood well just by what he played. Despite the sadness, Takion had no wish to interrupt he song. He could wait until Yamato came to a pause.

Unfortunately, he didn't think to signal to the teapot to stop. Darjeeling seemed to recognize Yamato and put on a burst of speed. "No, no, no," Takion whispered to get the teapot to stop. The ground, however, wasn't ideal for fast stops. Darjeeling went into a skid right for Yamato.

[dark_friendship]

Yamato wasn't quite certain if he heard anything or if he just felt it because of his training in fighting. But he was starkly aware that there was something coming up behind him that was mobile, if not a person. He turned quickly, muscles tensing, then he relaxed when he saw it was Darjeeling...which meant one thing.

"Hello, Takion," he looked up beyond the charging teapot to his honorary dad in this place.

[lady_azula]

Azula had taken the time out to walk around today. There was little to think about, she supposed: Mai was OK, Zuko seemed to be recovering, and she was going to put up a message to meet Elena for another training session. All in all, things were going as they should. There was little reason for Azula to be concerned about anything but fighting and escaping

[dark_friendship]

Yamato noticed the woman there, but since she didn't appear to be bothered by his music, he just nodded slightly acknowledge that he'd seen her, and kept on playing. He thought she looked a little sad, too. Well, it wouldn't be the first time that there had been someone sad in Econtra, and it would likely enough never be the last. He kept on playing, his own sorrow coming out in that music much better than it tended to when he tried to speak it.

[lady_azula]

Azula settled down, quietly listening. It wasn't often she was struck like this and even less often that she showed it. But who was here to watch, to judge? No one. So Azula sat, knees to her chest, listening intently

[dark_friendship]

Yamato lowered the harmonica and picked up a drink he'd brought along, sipping it before he answered. "Thanks. I've been playing for a long time...years...I think almost eight by now." It had been before he'd come to the Digital World, he knew that. Sometimes the past got a little blurry, especially back then. That was mainly because he didn't try to think about it a whole lot.

Playing had done what he wanted: helped him put a little distance between himself and the hurting. It was still there; it would take so much more than music to get rid of it. Only going home to his family would do that. But he was getting better at dealing with it, if only by how often the pain had hit.

Lose enough people, and you just get used to losing.

[ned_piemaker]

As his days in this place stretched on, the Piemaker was becoming more and more depressed by increments.

He missed Chuck. He missed Digby. He missed his comfortable little life solving crime and selling baked goods. It was not that he had not made friends here, but he couldn't seem to settle in. Not without one single thing about the place that he could love.

So when he heard the music it seemed to tug him forward by an invisible thread in his chest, drawing him through the snowy park and to its source. When Ned came into view of the boy playing the harmonica he said nothing, just listening. Red-cheeked from the cold with his arms crossed over his chest, he allowed himself to listen and brood.

[dark_friendship]

Yamato glanced up when he caught sight of someone moving in his vicinity. The person wasn't the first or the last to cross his line of sight, but this one stuck around, unlike most of the others. He nodded again; his usual response when someone he didn't know stopped to listen, and played more.

Guess it's just not most people's day today. Usually people seemed to be drawn to his sadder music when they were feeling down. Too bad the harmonica wasn't always suited to playing happier things. Oh, well. If he wanted to meet happy people, he would be out here with his guitar instead.

[ned_piemaker]

When Yamato finished that next song, the Piemaker plucked up his voice to speak in the interval of silence.

"You're very good at that." His voice was a little cracked from the cold, but he sounded quite genuine. He took a few steps closer, tightening his scarf. "Who taught you?"

[dark_friendship]

"My dad, when I was little." Before the divorce, before everything had begun to fall apart with the Ishida family, then. "After that, I picked up a lot of it on my own." Piemon had helped him some, but mostly by encouraging him not to stop practicing. It was those memories that had encouraged Yamato not to give up on the Digimon. There had been something good in there back then...now he knew about it more certainly.

[got_a_hamster]

Simone wasn't certain if it was the music that drew her, or the sorrow she thought she heard in it. Both spoke to her in a way, however, and she found her stride faltering a little at the urge to linger and listen. There was no reason to not, she decided, and she followed the sound until the boy responsible for it came into view. Not quite willing to interrupt initially, she stopped beneath the bare branches of a tree, arms folded around herself for added warmth, hands tucked neatly in the crooks of her elbows.

It wasn't one of the instruments to which she was accustomed, but she found it intriguing nonetheless. Her pensive expression softened slightly in reminiscence; how long had it been since she'd actually taken the time to just listen to music, or do anything else of the sort?

[dark_friendship]

Again, Yamato spied someone who was listening. He glanced at them only for a moment before he kept on playing. This wasn't someone he recognized...not that he always recognized everyone. He'd gotten into the habit of not expecting anyone he knew to show up or to stay, though some of them had, quite obviously.

Regardless, he played. There was something quite nice about having an audience, and he really thought he could get used to it. He'd been told that in other worlds, he would have, or had, started a band of his own. It did sound like a very good idea, the more he thought of it.

[got_a_hamster]

Simone kept her silence for several minutes, listening with her head slightly bowed, not quite lost in thought, but certainly abstracted. It was different from the stark, frustrated melancholy that had gripped her off and on since her arrival, and even had she appreciated nothing else, she would have appreciated that.

Eventually, however, she spoke up, voice quiet and pleasant, though not so openly friendly as some. "You're very good."

[dark_friendship]

"Thanks." Most people told him something like that after listening to him for a while. "It helps me get my mind off of things sometimes." And sometimes it could help other people get their minds off of things as well.

[wolfofriendship]

Gabumon flopped his head down on Yamato's lap, and rolled his eyes up to his partner. He wasn't sure why, but Yamato once called it his "puppy-eyes look." What Gabumon did know was that it was usually enough to get Yamato to cheer up some, and even get a few extra snacks. But for now, just cheering up his human would be what the doctor-mon called for.

[dark_friendship]

Yamato glanced up a little when he noticed Gabumon coming over, and smiled a touch as he was given that puppy eyes look. "Hey there," he said, setting the harmonica down.

[wolfofriendship]

"I'm HUUUUUUUUUUUNGRY," Gabumon whined playfully.

[dark_friendship]

"Oh, really?" Yamato grinned some. "You mean the tray of sushi you ate is gone already?"