“Maybe I'll have to have you teach me how to do that sometime. It's so... difficult for me to do so. It was always easier to just drown or smoke it out until the feeling passes. Could have you teach me how to play while you're at it.” It wasn't the first time he'd talked about being practiced at keeping himself in a good mood, or getting himself back into one. It was another of his skills that she couldn't help but feel envious of. How much easier would life be if she didn't just spiral deeper into whatever awfulness she was feeling? There were times even her doctor seemed confused by it. Still, some music would work for now.
“I don't know what I want you to play, but I'll grab Dover for y-” Pearl's feet hit the ground as she hopped off the bed, only for her knee and a hand to hit the ground a split second later, the world spinning rapidly around her. Her sight became blurred and the edges of her vision darkened as she was knelt on the ground. It lasted only a second before her vision cleared up, her consciousness staying with her for the time being, but it made one thing very clear. “Nevermind, not grabbing Dover. I'll- I'll let you do that.”
“I'm okay... I just need a second.” A half-hearted laugh left her a moment later. “Hah, I guess- I got closer to drowning it than I thought.” Pearl pushed herself backwards so she was sitting with her back against the side of her bed, her legs straight in front of her. She took a deep breath as she tried to find equilibrium and stop her stomach from churning. She'd given him a front row ticket to seeing her crumble into a mess. Maybe if nothing else had done it, that would push him away.
Playing at Normal [Private w/ Felix Satou] [Mature]
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Pearl Essence
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:00 pm
- Age: 22
- Gender Identity: Female
- Race: Fox Faunus (Ears)
- Aura Color: Silver
- Occupation: Inherited Owner of EAL, Student of Beacon
- Semblance Name: Philosophers Catalyst
- Weapon Name: Citrine Bevel
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Felix Satou
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2021 12:13 am
- Age: 18
- Gender Identity: Male
- Race: Human
- Aura Color: Turquoise
- Occupation:
- Semblance Name: Fuku
- Weapon Name: Dover
"I don't know if I could teach anyone else how to do it, but I could try. I'm not sure it's really a skill that I ever learned formally or anything, I just developed a particular kind of mindset." Positivity and optimism were his default settings. It was a feedback loop that worked quite well for him! If he believed things would go his way and stayed upbeat his semblance would help him through the day. It wasn't as if he didn't have to put forth the effort to make things go his way, but it was easier. His eyebrows raised as he watched Pearl stumble after hopping off the bed, and then choosing to slump back against it. He gave her a quiet laugh before getting up to retrieve his guitar.
"You know, you seem a lot more mortal right now," he said as he slung the strap over one shoulder and sat down next to Pearl. "Not that that's a bad thing. It's just easy to forgot how vincible we all are sometimes." He turned his guitar on, a compact, built in amplifier providing sound for the electric instrument. He adjusted the volume down to something more appropriate for a small room. He didn't bother checking if it was tuned. It always was. A few tweaks of the knobs and other panels and a strum revealed that he'd set it to sound like an acoustic guitar. He didn't mind singing, but right now he felt like playing something a little more instrumental.
So he did. His expression didn't change much as he started to play, and his demeanor was rather subdued despite the fast paced tempo of his fingers as he plucked at the strings, and even used the body of the guitar for a little percussion scattered throughout the song. While it was a technical piece, Felix seemed like he was playing it for the thousandth time.
"You know, you seem a lot more mortal right now," he said as he slung the strap over one shoulder and sat down next to Pearl. "Not that that's a bad thing. It's just easy to forgot how vincible we all are sometimes." He turned his guitar on, a compact, built in amplifier providing sound for the electric instrument. He adjusted the volume down to something more appropriate for a small room. He didn't bother checking if it was tuned. It always was. A few tweaks of the knobs and other panels and a strum revealed that he'd set it to sound like an acoustic guitar. He didn't mind singing, but right now he felt like playing something a little more instrumental.
So he did. His expression didn't change much as he started to play, and his demeanor was rather subdued despite the fast paced tempo of his fingers as he plucked at the strings, and even used the body of the guitar for a little percussion scattered throughout the song. While it was a technical piece, Felix seemed like he was playing it for the thousandth time.
"With quiet words I'll lead you in and out of the dark."
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Pearl Essence
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:00 pm
- Age: 22
- Gender Identity: Female
- Race: Fox Faunus (Ears)
- Aura Color: Silver
- Occupation: Inherited Owner of EAL, Student of Beacon
- Semblance Name: Philosophers Catalyst
- Weapon Name: Citrine Bevel
“I guess teaching someone to think a certain way isn't easy. If it was Dr. Nestor would be out of a job, not that she hasn't tried to help me there.” The tone of her voice and the cadence of her speech had changed slightly, her focus on keeping her words clear. Her head was still swimming, and likely would continue to do so until she drifted gently to sleep or passed out abruptly. At least if she didn't drink more the latter would be unlikely. As Felix sat down next to her on the floor she couldn't fight a small smile at him before closing her eyes. If the world was gonna spin, she could at least hold onto a familiar and kind face in her mind.
“Oh, you should definitely enjoy me being mortal while it lasts. In the- in the morning, I'm gonna kick a hangover's teeth in and forget that I flew too close to the sun again.” He couldn't know the thoughts his observation had brought to mind, but there weren't unpleasant. Memories of victories so close that a hair wouldn't fit between the difference of a life and death accompanied the sound of his music. A mix of tunes familiar while somehow sounding new. How many times had she faced death and come out of it alive? Some joked of dancing with a devil or death itself, and she'd followed the steps of a most macabre dance with a woman who'd claimed the title for herself. Death did love music much the same as the fox herself did.
“Felix, I love- I love your music.” Pearl didn't notice that she'd leaned towards him as he played, supporting her slight form against his arm, her head leaned against his shoulder. All she'd noticed is that she felt warmer. “I-I really should ask you to t-teach me how to play sometime. I've... always wanted to learn, but been 'fraid of that too. Might just be that losing my hands and using pieces of junk for so long was the reason. Might be I just have no talent.”
“Oh, you should definitely enjoy me being mortal while it lasts. In the- in the morning, I'm gonna kick a hangover's teeth in and forget that I flew too close to the sun again.” He couldn't know the thoughts his observation had brought to mind, but there weren't unpleasant. Memories of victories so close that a hair wouldn't fit between the difference of a life and death accompanied the sound of his music. A mix of tunes familiar while somehow sounding new. How many times had she faced death and come out of it alive? Some joked of dancing with a devil or death itself, and she'd followed the steps of a most macabre dance with a woman who'd claimed the title for herself. Death did love music much the same as the fox herself did.
“Felix, I love- I love your music.” Pearl didn't notice that she'd leaned towards him as he played, supporting her slight form against his arm, her head leaned against his shoulder. All she'd noticed is that she felt warmer. “I-I really should ask you to t-teach me how to play sometime. I've... always wanted to learn, but been 'fraid of that too. Might just be that losing my hands and using pieces of junk for so long was the reason. Might be I just have no talent.”
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Felix Satou
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2021 12:13 am
- Age: 18
- Gender Identity: Male
- Race: Human
- Aura Color: Turquoise
- Occupation:
- Semblance Name: Fuku
- Weapon Name: Dover
Felix nodded in agreement. There were a great many things that he knew how to do, but a therapist's job was not one of them. He couldn't teach her how to be happy, but he could help her be happy! Having friends that could be there for you was one such path to happiness. He laughed at her quip of mortality. "You can't have flown that close. I'm pretty sure that you haven't burned up and died yet." Yet. Repeated trips to the sun's surface might kill you, right? He'd have to hope that Pearl was tough enough or smart enough not to let that happen. It was probably something that he could help her with, too. He didn't miss a beat when she started to say that she loved his music. For a fraction of a second it had sounded as if she was going to say something entirely different. He scolded himself internally for finishing that sentence for her. Love didn't bloom that quickly. A couple of months wasn't enough to know if you had something that would last a lifetime, and that's what love was supposed to be, right?
But he definitely had some more color to his face and ears now, didn't he? Love was probably not the right word, but he would definitely have admitted to a crush.
"I'm sure you could learn," he said, voice managing not to crack. "All it takes is dedication, practice, and time. Dedication could be your middle name. Pearl 'Dedication' Essence. I don't think it rolls off the tongue as well as pearlescence does, but it's true to form if you ask me." His heart was definitely picking up as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Adorable. He ought to get her drunk more often. No, wait, no, that wasn't right, that was totally wrong and weird. He let out an amused breath of air at his own thoughts as his playing continued. "Talent only gets anyone so far. The most talented musician in the world will play second fiddle to someone less 'talented' if they don't put in the work. I've heard so many people say they wish they were as talented as me, as if I could play like this since I was five or never had to practice to be good. If they spent as much time practicing as they did wishing they were good then they'd probably be good." He wasn't angry about it, though there were times people did piss him off with that kind of talk!
But he definitely had some more color to his face and ears now, didn't he? Love was probably not the right word, but he would definitely have admitted to a crush.
"I'm sure you could learn," he said, voice managing not to crack. "All it takes is dedication, practice, and time. Dedication could be your middle name. Pearl 'Dedication' Essence. I don't think it rolls off the tongue as well as pearlescence does, but it's true to form if you ask me." His heart was definitely picking up as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Adorable. He ought to get her drunk more often. No, wait, no, that wasn't right, that was totally wrong and weird. He let out an amused breath of air at his own thoughts as his playing continued. "Talent only gets anyone so far. The most talented musician in the world will play second fiddle to someone less 'talented' if they don't put in the work. I've heard so many people say they wish they were as talented as me, as if I could play like this since I was five or never had to practice to be good. If they spent as much time practicing as they did wishing they were good then they'd probably be good." He wasn't angry about it, though there were times people did piss him off with that kind of talk!
"With quiet words I'll lead you in and out of the dark."
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Pearl Essence
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:00 pm
- Age: 22
- Gender Identity: Female
- Race: Fox Faunus (Ears)
- Aura Color: Silver
- Occupation: Inherited Owner of EAL, Student of Beacon
- Semblance Name: Philosophers Catalyst
- Weapon Name: Citrine Bevel
The young man nodding his head went unnoticed to Pearl. Music and warmth coaxed the violent spinning of her head to a gentle twirl that tempted her closer towards sleep. At the edge of her thoughts she'd started to realize she'd leaned against him, a breath of anxiety whispering in her mind that she was letting someone get even closer, but the music silenced it. The vixen's amber eyes opened slightly, showing a hint of color when he talked about how she couldn't have gotten too close to the sun because she hadn't burned up... She couldn't resist the urge to close and open the metal hands that had replaced the ones that had been scorched to the bone. It wasn't worth being angry over.
“I guess it could have been.” It was better to drift to more pleasant thoughts. “Papa never gave me a middle name after all. He said the same things you know? About my name and talent. He named me like my mother. Hers was-” She corrected herself almost instantly, wondering if she'd ever get used to the fact her mother was actually alive, and an incredibly successful huntress at that. “is Opal Essence. You're both right about talent though. It takes work. Blood, sweat, and tears, but most important is dedication and determination.” How much had she endured for the talent in battle that so many others envied? A talent she never wanted.
“You can't... can't give up just because things were harder than you expected.” Her voice was quieter, threatened to be drowned up by the music as she spoke. “I tried to learn before, but my old hands were too imprecise. Kept breaking things.” Pearl pulled her legs in close, half curled up against the musician where they sat on the floor beside the bed, and her voice a whisper barely on this side of sleep. “And people... Only good for fighting. Don't- don't like fighting.”
“I guess it could have been.” It was better to drift to more pleasant thoughts. “Papa never gave me a middle name after all. He said the same things you know? About my name and talent. He named me like my mother. Hers was-” She corrected herself almost instantly, wondering if she'd ever get used to the fact her mother was actually alive, and an incredibly successful huntress at that. “is Opal Essence. You're both right about talent though. It takes work. Blood, sweat, and tears, but most important is dedication and determination.” How much had she endured for the talent in battle that so many others envied? A talent she never wanted.
“You can't... can't give up just because things were harder than you expected.” Her voice was quieter, threatened to be drowned up by the music as she spoke. “I tried to learn before, but my old hands were too imprecise. Kept breaking things.” Pearl pulled her legs in close, half curled up against the musician where they sat on the floor beside the bed, and her voice a whisper barely on this side of sleep. “And people... Only good for fighting. Don't- don't like fighting.”
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Felix Satou
- Posts: 177
- Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2021 12:13 am
- Age: 18
- Gender Identity: Male
- Race: Human
- Aura Color: Turquoise
- Occupation:
- Semblance Name: Fuku
- Weapon Name: Dover
Felix felt a little guilty listening to Pearl talk, like he was peeking into a room in a house he wasn't supposed to be in, sneaking back stage to see the performers taking off their masks. Would she remember what she said here when morning came around? Would she have wanted to show all this regret if she was sober? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing to share stuff you didn't want to share. As his song drew to a close he had an idea of what to play next, a song he'd been working on for a while. He wasn't sure if it was something that Pearl would enjoy or not, but he felt his fingers being inexorably drawn to the somber melody. His voice was high, clear, and quiet as he began to sing.
"With quiet words I'll lead you in and out of the dark."
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Pearl Essence
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:00 pm
- Age: 22
- Gender Identity: Female
- Race: Fox Faunus (Ears)
- Aura Color: Silver
- Occupation: Inherited Owner of EAL, Student of Beacon
- Semblance Name: Philosophers Catalyst
- Weapon Name: Citrine Bevel
Tomorrow would be a different day. The mask that lay cracked and fractured on her face would be painted over again, memories of the night filling in the cracks with gold. The steel would return to her eyes and voice, a coldness that she used to hold others at bay. Tomorrow there would be a young man that could see what lay beneath the mask even as she wore it for all others to see again. He'd be able to see the warmth of joy and love, the sharp sting of regret hidden away beneath porcelain and gold. Was it another weakness? Had she opened herself to another knife in the back? Her thoughts faded as the music slowed, the somber melody a lullaby, his lyrics a comfort.
Her breaths slowed with the music and she relaxed against Felix as she drifted to sleep. Instead she would dream not of masks, but of flowers. A garden of blue bellflowers tended by hands of flesh and blood, the sweet scents of flowers on a spring breeze and the warmth of a sunny day on her skin. To be a warrior in a garden would be so much better than to be a gardener in a war.
Her breaths slowed with the music and she relaxed against Felix as she drifted to sleep. Instead she would dream not of masks, but of flowers. A garden of blue bellflowers tended by hands of flesh and blood, the sweet scents of flowers on a spring breeze and the warmth of a sunny day on her skin. To be a warrior in a garden would be so much better than to be a gardener in a war.