Unexpected Audience [Private w/ Bartok]

[Melina Caedus]

A long day had passed on Beacon grounds. Classes were over and they had been stressfull for the once battle-medic of the atlesian military. Melina, who was pacifistic by nature, obviously didn‘t like fighting and the combat classes today didn‘t exactly help her overcome that nature of hers. She was fairly inactive and in the only match she was put in, she was resoundly defeated by another classmen. A shame for the practically ex-soldier which thanks to the encouragement of her professor didn't quite break her spirit. It was only one of the reasons why the already shy girl was extra cautious as she silently walked through the hallways of the dormitory building to her own room. Well, as silent as she could to say the least. The sound of the mechanisations in her legs were all but subtle, earning her a few odd stares as she walked down the halls. When Melina rounded the final corner and finally spotted her room in the hallway she hurriedly made her way over and entered without hesitation.

Once inside she sighs in relief, happy to be finally released from the gaze of the many people staring at her moments ago and back inside her nice and clean room of safety and comfort. It was a small room, however fittingly decorated for a more noble girl like her. Much of the furniture was white colored and a carpet with the Caedus family symbol reminiscent of Melina's own emblem was spread out in the middle of it. Melina feeling at least a bit at home here, softly pressed the door shut. Or at least she thought she pressed it shut, because unbeknowest to her the door to her room didn‘t quite close under the soft push it had received which left but a small doorgap through which sounds came through into the hallway.

Melina was still in her combat gear and frankly didn‘t feel like staying inside of it for too long. She didn't sweat much, mainly due to her barely putting up a fight today, and quickly changed into something more comfortable. In this case, a white summer dress she rarely had worn recently, dilligently placing her armor back onto the armor rack in the corner of her room. The suit she wore below the armor she folded and was then put beside it to be worn again. Everything was nice and tidy again, just how the well mannered noble of the Caedus family liked it. Now she just had to get rid of that pent up stress, which was when her deep blue eyes fell onto the case of her dearest instrument situated at the night desk next to her neatly tidied bed. The white casing revealed the custom made violin of white colored wood she held so dear, which when removed from its casing, glistened in the light of the sun shining into her room beckoning for her to play it. Melina was all too happy to oblidge, it was the perfect time to do what she loved to do the most.

She took the bow in her left hand and started with a single stroke over the string of her violin while trying to feel the strings with her metal hand, which was undoubtebly impossible of course, leaving only the feeling of the wood against her chin. Facing away from the door and towards the window of her room she deeply inhaled. Then finally closing her eyes and letting out a tense breath she started her presumebly lonesome performance, the strings of her violin beginning to sing the song that came first to her mind.
The song she had played back then, the last performance before she joined the military, a last duet with her big brother. In her mind she could still hear the drums and everything that accompanied the song they played back then, meanwhile outside her mind only her violin sang. Hers and Albedo‘s who didn‘t take all to long to join in on the performance to complete the duet she was playing, summoning her own version of a violin out of aura and playing along. Together their performance echoed through the door into the hallway of the dormitory, both of them way to focused on their play to notice anything happening around them. Far as they knew, they were on the stage from way back then.

The performance would finally come to a close with the last stroke of Melina‘s bow over the strings of her violin. She and Albedo both paused as if to wait for an applause from an audience that wasn‘t there. Only when Melina opened her eyes again, she‘d find herself back in reality, visibly satisfied and above all relieved from the stress she felt minutes ago.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok stretched his arms over his head as he slowly walked pas the dormitory building. Classes were over and Bartok had had an alright combat class. He didn't prefer combat classes with his fighting style since they were almost always melee and Bartok preferred not to get his clothes so dirty. Not like he could see them, but he always liked having a good appearance. Bartok was heading out of town to ramen stand he had found recently and felt like another bowl. Though he would love to have someone along, but Erin said she was busy.

Bartok stopped, however, as he heard the sounds of strings. His ears twitched and swiveled over towards the dormitory. It was feint enough that nobody but him could probably pick it up. A few floors up, a violin was playing. And it was good. Bartok had always been a fan of classical music. Strings, brass, winds, choirs. All showed immaculate skill and culture and he was a little saddened that, nowadays, all people liked was guitars and drums. But this student, they were playing the violin. Deeming his stomach not empty enough to warrent missing out on this performance, Bartok turned towards the dormitory doors and headed inside.

He followed the sound to it's source, a slightly open door leading inward. At some point another violin had added itself, making this a duet. Bartok had to witness this more. From the smell of the room, he supposed that it was a female's room. Two girls playing the violin together? These were girls he had to meet and enjoy the company of.

He waited outside the room, not wanting to simply intrude, and listened pleasantly to the performance until it's end. Hearing that final movement of the bow on the strings and no dramatic follow-up, Bartok couldn't help but clap his appraise. His foot pushed the door open more as he did so, revealing his tall form to her as he clapped enthusiasticly.

"You two were marvelous!" Bartok said. "Why are you in the icky business of monster slaying when you could be hired performers?" He wouldn't be looking directly at her, his face angled slightly away until, by the crisp sounds of his clapz and echolocation, he pinpointed their locations. His goggles hid his eyes completely.

[Melina Caedus]

Melina lowered the bow and inhaled deeply. She was now released from any anxiety she had the moments before this. A performance was usually followed by clapping from the audience, something she knew that would be missing now. “Ah…!“ Her voice was soft as she yelped out in surprise, but due to the shock was forced louder than supposed to, causing her to jolt both scared and in pain for a second at the sound of someone clapping from behind her door. As the person pushed it open Melina turned her head in sync to look at the intruder. She was way too anxious to pay attention to anything in front of her, she didn‘t even notice his compliment nor did she listen to his question. She just stood there almost frozen like a statue.

Now Albedo was a different story. The phantasm was anything, but startled. In fact, the sudden intrusion of the boy had made her act defensively. She now floated in between Melina and the intruder. The violin and bow in the white knights hand vanished and in it‘s stead appeared the shield and spear it would use in a combat situation. Two white glowing weapons of aura that fuctioned like the real thing. It was only with the clanking metal sound that Albedo tended to make with them, as if to challange an opponent, that Melina was ripped out of her scared stupor and post hastely gripped Albedo‘s arm to hold her back. “S…Stop!“ Melina only managed to yelp with a whisper, just in time before Albedo could tackle the guy out of the room. The phantasmal knight would then hover backwards and dissipate into thin air upon reaching her user. Now the only girl left in the room was Melina still a bit in a shock. She was tense to say the least.

Now for the first time she got a good look at the intruder. He was a tall guy, a bat faunus which she could safely assume due to the ears pertruding from his head and the teeth that she could spot. This is also when she remembered that faunus usually gain the senses of their traits. While this meant she could most likely talk to the bat-faunus without her mask, just like she did with Al a few days before, it meant something different aswell. Oh no. Did her playing hurt his ears? Did her not fully closing door make her music too loud? Melina was blaming herself as she always did, afterall she was the one who assumed her door was closed, so she immediately felt the need to apologize.

“I-I‘m sorry. Was I… too loud?“ Melina whispered as she then bowed shortly to further add to her apology. Her machinations making slight noise as they worked to adapt to her bowed posture. She still held her violin and bow firmly in her hand. It is only now that she noticed the goggles he was wearing that fully obscured his eyes.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok could hear one of them move to stand between himself and the other girl. Metal clinked and he got the impression that this one was wearing armor. He made a small click of his tongue and found a spear and a shield in it's hands. Were... they about to attack him? In the dorm room? He had just complimented their music, but maybe the other girl was in her underwear or something? It wasn't like he could see or anything! His ears flattened to the back of his head as he prepared for the attack.

But the other girl stopped the one in armor, pulled her back, and he was curious as to why the girl was floating(he couldn't hear her footsteps but heard her moving back), and then she just... dissapeared. Gone. Teleportation Semblance? No, then how was she floating? Gravity Dust? Was she the Semblance? The whole thing was odd and asking about it would be the best course to understand.

Then the girl asked if she had been too loud while whispering. His ears perked back up and he put a hand on his hip as he heard motors whirring, right at the girl's position. Robotic limbs, then. Quite a handful of students had these this year, it seemed. "Too loud? No, I could just hear it from outside." He pointed a thumb from where he had come. "I was applauding your skill. That was a beautiful song. I'm glad that the door was left open a little." He said, smiling. "May I come in? My name's Bartok. And don't worry if you're wearing embarrassing pajamas or anything, I can't see."

[Melina Caedus]

So he heard her all the way from outside? Melina could figure as much given how Bartok was a bat faunus that was blind even, but was nonetheless still surprised. The traits itsself must already come with enhanced hearing and the fact that he was blind meant he relied moreso on sounds rather than anything else to see.

“Oh, t-thank... you.“ She managed to say, a bit baffled by receiving another compliment to her skill with the violin. She blushed a bit, but she highly doubted the blind bat was able to see the red on her face. Therefore his smile was momentarily returned in kind, before she returned to her anxious manner. “P-please come in… Bartok. Make yourself at h-home.“ She nervously invited Bartok in. She was so anxious, especially since it was a boy in her door room. The fact that he couldn‘t see was the only thing that made her at least somewhat more comfortable with the situation.

When he moved into the room, Albedo would make her appearance again, materializing out of Melina‘s aura. The guardian hovered towards the door to close it behind the blind bat and then quickly moved to provide him with a place to sit, a white wooden chair Melina usually used to sit at the window to read a book, which she situated nearby for hom to sit on. Afterwards the angelic knight would hover around Bartok back to Melina‘s side. “I‘m Melina…“ she bowed once again as she introduced herself to Bartok and then gestured over to her celestial patronus with her robotic arm. “A...and this is Albedo. You could say she‘s… my guardian.“ Albedo would slam her fist to where her heart supposedly would be, giving off a clattering noise as she did, like armor being rustled and moving against its individual parts. She then bowed as well, her wings flapping once, seemingly to keep herself floating.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Now that he was formally invited in, Bartok stepped happily across the threshold into the dorm room. "You don't need to be so formal with me, but thank you. And the compliments to you were very deserved, I assure you." He said. The other armored girl appeared again, and after shutting the door she got him... a chair? Well, she had a rather big change in mood. And why didn't she touch the ground? He figured armor would be pretty heavy, and he was beginning to suspect more and more that it wasn't a real girl. Bartok took the seat offered him.

He bowed his head deeper than she had in response when she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you, Melina." He turned and nodded to Albedo. "Nice to meet you Albedo." He then turned to Melina. "Gaurdian, and she doesn't touch the floor, and she like, disapeared before coming back. Quite the guardian." He was careful not to insinuate that Albedo was not, in fact, a real person. If Melina came from some wealthy family and thus had some super awesome protector, he didn't want to offend anybody. He was in someone else's room, after all. He didn't want to get punched into a wall and break anything.

"By the sound of your performance, you two practice a lot together. A favorite hobby?" He asked.

[Melina Caedus]

Melina herself sat down on her bed across from Bartok's seat. The gears in her legs again adjusted to her bodies movement. Deep down Melina thought that the ever so slight mechanic noise could get annoying for the bat-faunus who relied on hearing.

Until Melina‘s chest felt warm that is. Bartok‘s words touched her in a way she hadn‘t felt in a long time. She had forgotten this feeling, of being genuinely complimented, it reminded her of the applause at the end of one of her performances. She felt way more at ease now which made her forgett the worry she had tohught about a second before, a soft smile forming on her face that she wasn‘t sure Bartok could even see.

As Bartok asked his question the ex-military medic became a bit excited. He must have really liked what she played which she appreciated. Not many nowadays found enjoyment in listening to this kind of music so it was always nice to see another who appreciated the classics. “Yes!“ she blurts out overly excited, almost too loud for her vocal cords. The following sentence was therefore a wee bit quieter. “I...I have been playing the violin since I was little, it‘s quite relaxing even if I play in front of a crowd.“
Now Melina had to giggle a little. She found it funny how Bartok seemed to think that Albedo was an entirely different girl. In a way he was right, but at the same time, Albedo was part of the same person. “Sorry for my rudeness. D-don‘t be confused about this, it‘s just... Albedo is me… in a way. An image of myself, similar to me and yet... she thinks… different.“ Now that Melina said it like that, it sounded a bit weird. “She is me, knows what I know, likes what I like, but she only has my best interest in mind and is… well, overprotective. I guess that is why she tried to attack you… when… I got startled.“ Albedo confirms that suspicion with crossed arms and I nod as she floated next to Melina, who then frowned slighty still feeling bad about her phantasm trying to charge at the blind bat. She then shook her head trying to get rid of the guilt.

“Anyway, I can play quite a lot of songs. Thanks to Albedo here… I can also play duets.“ As if to demonstrate again, Albedo makes another violin of aura appear out of thin air and plays a few strokes with her bow. The strings sung two drawn out tones one higher and the other lower. “I could play something for you… I'd be happy to.“ Her calm whisper voice, while shy in itsself, seemed excited. She had found someone at Beacon who liked her music, something she was unusually happy about.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok heard the motors in her legs work as she sat down... Holy crap, her legs too? What had happened to this poor girl?

To his question, she seemed quite enthusiastic to talk about the violin and her hobby. He had to smile at her response. She was very attached to the violin and that only made her cuter in his mind. Then she started explaining about Albedo and Bartok clicked his tongue as he understood. "So she's your Semblance, then? That makes sense."

When she manifested a violin and began to play some notes, and Melina offered to play him a song, just for him. Well, a live performance of two violinists? "How could I ever say no to such an offer, Melina? Please, play what you would like. I would love to listen to it." He sat up straight in his chair and crossed one leg.

Melina was a shy girl, what with her soft-spoken voice and all. She was adorable in the way she really cared for the violin and making music. Bartok decided that he liked this girl. Heck, no one really even liked the violin or classical music these days, even though it was solidly the best genre of music.

[Melina Caedus]

Upon hearing Bartok agree to her proposal of playing a song for him, she got visibly excited. She jumped up from her bed with a whole hearted smile on her face. She then got into position and played two wavy sounding notes. She then closed her eyes, thinking on which of the songs in her vast repertoire she should play to the blind bat. Maybe something dramatic? Hmm, no. How about something with a bit more melancholy? No, she wasn‘t feeling for something sad for now. Then quite the catchy melody sprung into her mind, one that for a solo performance was quite the lively song. Yes, this fit her current mood more than ever. It was an uplifting song, something more rare for her to play, such so it made her get a slight feeling of nervousness.

But Melina was no stranger to having an audience, the nervous feeling was therefore easily ignored. Melina more determined than ever in her time at Beacon nodded to Albedo as if to confirm her decision on the song. A solo performance it shall be, only made apparent to Bartok as Albedo faded away into Melina, leaving her alone standing near her bed in front of Bartok.

And as she opened her eyes again she began to play. In her mind she was immediately back onto the all too familiar stage, Bartok was completly blotted out from her perception, he wasn‘t there. While playing the song she keeps still for the performance, for the most part at least. Only near the end of the song she unconsciously started moving around her room a bit. Her mechanically aided legs first carried her over to the window and afterwards nearing the last seconds of the song she spun around to get back to her original position, finalizing her performance with her bowing during the last stroke of her bow.

She then waited for the applause that would come afterwards, or rather in this case she waited for Bartok to start clapping, if he even was going to that was. The suspense on wether or not Bartok liked her performance was actually quite burdening her. She only now had noticed that she moved during her performance and immediately became self conscious about it.
In the past she tended to move around during her palying to make her performance more lively, but nowadays she refrained form doing for one simple reason. Her legs now made sound. Her moving around could have ruined the whole song. She felt like she had to swallow a rock of some kind, that was how uncomfortable she felt in that moment.

[Bartok Evergreen]

He heard Albedo dissapear and.. ooh, a solo performance then? He was on the edge of his seat in anticipation as she selected a song. Then she began to play.

Bartok couldn't help but moving once the song picked up its tempo, about a minute in. A foot tapping to the beat, a nodding of the head on every two beats, then he started swaying side-to-side in his chair every four beats. Her music had turned him into a dancing, human metronome! He sort of felt bad for hogging this whole show to himself, but then again most other students in the dorm couldn't appreciate this music like Bartok could. His ears, sensitive as they were, were in love with the performance.

He noticed she started to move around at the end, the mechanical whirs of her legs becoming a backdrop to the music but nothing too jarring. If anything, it just reminded him that he was in her room and wasn't floating on a cloud of eight and sixteenth notes. Then she finished, and rather gloriously. For the first few seconds Bartok sat still, practically stunned by how well she had played. Then he remembered her manners and began clapping hard, sleeping students be damned. It was too early to be sleeping anyhow. He even threw in a piercing whistle for good measure.

"Melina, if I had a rose to throw to you, I would gladly give it up. I must ask why you do not become some touring musician instead of a Huntress. You alone could make it big, and then you have Albedo to double the performance, and, honestly, you'd become a star. I'd listen to your music while slaying monsters, despite how blind that would make me."

[Melina Caedus]

What may have been only a few moments after her performance felt more like hours for Melina as she silently stood there waiting for Bartok to give his reaction on the song. And when he finally clapped Melina felt more than just relieved. In fact she felt a bit embarassed even as Bartok whistled for good measure, the loud sound made Melina jolt upwards, but other than that she was fine. It wasn‘t the kind of loud noise to make too many problems fro her luckily. She exhaled with a deep sigh, bowing once more and then stumbling backwards a bit to sit onto her bed. Albedo appeared again, materializing in front of Melina and taking her violin and bow to stow it away in its casing for now. On Bartoks remark on how he would listen to her music while slaying the Grimm, even though it would make him blind, she had to chuckle.

“Don‘t do that.“ Melina managed to exclaim barely containing her giggle. She then cleared her throat and continued whispering. “I… don‘t know if you have ever noticed, but… I am from nobility. I‘m of the Caedus-Family, an Atlas noble house that had delved into the field of medicine for decades.“ The white-red haired girl stood up again, moving towards the window again to look outside. The sun was already getting low, but not enough for the sunset, yet at least. Her whisper, even if it was only for a short moment was louder than usual. “Each of us has this semblance… to gift health to others, to mend their wounds and heal their bodies. My family, even its ancestors, consists of brilliant doctors and surgeons who worked hard for the good of the people around Mantle. But out there are so many who are being hurt, so many that need protection." She looked back at Bartok still sitting in his chair. Her aura glowed as Albedo manifested itsself like a guardian looming behind her user in. Her voice raised itsself a bit more from her meek whispering, these next words were uttered in a halfway decent tone of voice. “With Albedo at my side I intend to help those in peril, but... I still have my short comings… that I have to deal with.“

She then started feeling a slight burn in her throat. She has been straining her voice in the recent days. She hasn‘t whispered this much in a long time, or talked to someone as a matter of fact. She usually preferred to keep to herself and stay quiet. Sensing discomfort in Melina, Albedo swipes a bottle of water from a table nearby, gets two glasses and pours both Melina and Bartok a glass of water. Albedo hands Melina her glass first and then holds out the other glass for Bartok to take in case he wanted something to drink. Melina takes a sip and then clears her throat. “Sorry, I... usually don‘t talk much. Since the incident… I have lost… my voice.“

[Bartok Evergreen]

She was giggling at his joke! Man did he like Melina. She was very easy to get along with, had a great taste in music, and laughed at his jokes. He could be a friend to her. He listened as she spoke more. He couldn't say that he had noticed her apparent nobility. Well, he had supposed she came from some sort of background, given a servant, but that turned out to be her Semblance. The amount of robotics on her seemed to indicate wealth enough to buy them, however.

He could hear her voice climbing in volume, almost to a normal speaking volume. But then Albedo appeared again and shortly after he was being handed a glass of water. Medicine? A family line of Semblances? Healing? He thought about her robotic limbs and her Semblance. After learning about Al's story, this made sense. She wanted to help people, help Huntsmen and Huntresses in the field, those who had been hurt by Grimm. Melina herself had been hurt, badly. From all the machinery he heard, it was a miracle she was still alive if it had happened all at once. But with a Semblance dedicated to healing... It was possible, he supposed. Of course it was, she was sitting right infront of him.

"It's fine, as much as I love the sound of your voice, you've done a lot of talking and playing music and telling me about yourself, so don't worry." He said before sipping at the water. "And thank you, Melina. Since you told me about yourself, I could tell you about myself. I grew up in a small town not too far from here. Growing up I had a friend named Erin, and she's sort of the reason I'm here at Beacon in the first place. I've always been blind and had to discover how to see for myself. It took me a bit and a lot of worrying from my mother, but I eventually got the hang of it when I was young. My Semblance sort of allows me to leech off of other's emotions and gain energy to do something with that, most useful for fighting, honestly."

He took another sip of water, thinking. "I know a thing or two about shortcomings and dealing with them. How are you coming along here at Beacon?"

[Melina Caedus]

As Melina was done excusing herself she made her way back to her bed to sit down again. She then quickly took another sip from her drink, almost spitting it out as the blind bat mentioned that he loved the sound of her voice. She had to clear her throat again, her face becoming almost beet red due to getting another compliment, before she then handed her glass back to Albedo for her to hold. Bartok then mentioned that he would tell her about himself as well. Upon saying so Melina unconsciously moved her upper body forward and clasped her hands together, her elbows resting on her legs and staring at the blind bat with great interest as she listened to what he was telling about himself. So he was from a village not far from Vale? He wasn‘t that far from home then, unlike Melina who heavily relied on her scroll and the CCTS Network to make contact with her family back in Atlas. It also meant that he was less of an outsider than her. Then again having a bat faunus heritage probably came with its own complications as well which Bartok elaborated on only a bit, but not before mentioning being here with a friend of his. Erin. A name that while not ringing any bells, Melina nonetheless knew it must belong to a great friend. Why else would this girl be the reason why Bartok was at Beacon?

Upon mentioning his semblance she only responds with an audible “Hmhm“ as she nodded along. Only a moment later she figured that with the way he said ‘leech‘ he made it sound like he was a vampire, like in folklore, but with aura instead of blood. Talk about fitting for a bat faunus, it made her giggle in delight. Bartok was fun to have around even if he didn‘t intend to be funny. This entire encounter honestly jsut made her entire day.

Then he asked her on how she was coming along at Beacon. “It‘s quite alright really. The professors and Beacon staff are very understanding about the hinderances I have… and are very nice to me and help me.“ Melina hesitated to continue. Not everything was alright here at Beacon obviously and Melina was debating in her own head to elaborate further on that. She usually would never tell someone, but with Bartok she thought she had to at least mention her biggest concern. It made her a bit gloomy. “B-but… I always feel alien to everyone. No matter where I go... I always get stared at… their gazes are… scrutinizing... and sometimes even… revolting. Sometimes they even seem scared of me… it‘s making me feel… barely human.“

Then as if wanting to comfort Melina, Albedo puts her glass away on the night desk and floats behind Melina, levitating over the bed just enough for her to be able to hug her around her neck and rubbing her iron clad head into Melinas cheek. Melina herself doesn‘t seem to mind mainly due to having her own cheeks clad in iron, sort of, due to the parts of her mask resting there. Melina simply had a smile again, with company like Bartok and a Guardian like Albedo she had no time to be all gloomy. “But that‘s when I start playing the violin. I can just think back and forget all those worries.“ Having done enough to keep Albedo in a good mood, Albedo fades back into Melinas aura.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok listened to Melina. It was good to hear that the staff were helping her out, but the alienation... If she had as many prosthetics as it sounded like she had, she'd be more machine than human at this point. If she got stared at, that must mean they were visible. He didn't have a clue what the machine prosthetics looked like, but he knew they were made of metal and probably didn't have a skin coating to make them look normal. All of whatever she went through, losing so much of her body, being rebuilt, training to just move and breath, and then people to look down on you. Bartok couldn't really 'look down' on anybody, despite his height, so despite being blind, it was a strength of his. Did that mean he couldn't look up to anyone either?

"Well, I for one am glad for your talent with the violin. It's beautiful." He tapped his glass for a moment, thinking. "I don't know what it's like to be stared at, though I assume people stare at me at times and I can assume some times people are staring at me, but those are for different reasons than yours. Melina, I don't know what your prosthetics look like, but you having them shows a strength. You got terribly hurt and got back up. Most shmucks here would maybe get a prosthetic but then retire, afraid of getting another one. They don't understand how someone could still be going with all that you have. It's stunning. At least it is to me." He leaned back, sipping on the water.

[Melina Caedus]

Now Melina listened to Bartok. The blind bat, after complimenting her musical talent one more time which brought forth another warm smile to the medics face, he made it clear that he in fact didn‘t know what it must feel like, being stared at and everything. But nonetheless his words were comforting anyway. The fact that after everything she had already endured, seemed to impress Bartok more than anything about her, well... aside the good music she could play at least. He couldn‘t really know that all the injuries she had suffered where from one single accident, but Melina decided it was best to not adress that any further. With what he said something else sprung into her mind. Many that came here to Beacon had suffered in their own ways and Melina had already met a few individuals who, albeit speculated, had endured similar things than her. She wasn‘t that much out of place...

There were others who wore the fact that they were scarred visible on them, even when they were trying to hide it. Melina‘s most recent encounters were perfect examples for that. Al and Carmine, both wearers of masks, both to veil the way they had been hurt, but both carrying on following their goals. Seeing something like that… was inspiring for the military medic and that made her to do so aswell. And Bartok was living proof that others could see it the same way. “Yeah, I guess that... makes sense. B-but to be fair... I would have never been here… if it weren‘t for all the things my family could provide for. Many others... aren‘t that lucky.“ Melina looked down onto the carpet in her room for a moment, staring at the sigil of her family before taking a deep breath. “Nonetheless, I wan‘t to make sure that such misfortune doesn‘t befall anyone else. That is... what keeps me going.“ Albedo materialized again for a moment only for her to hand the glass of water back to Melina before vanishing again. She takes another sip, this time keeping her glass with her.

“A-anyway... s-since you‘re… so interested in my music… I was wondering...“ Melina stuttered a bit more nervously than before. “...d-do you... play an instrument yourself?“ While many would have figured that he would, Melina wasn‘t sure at all when asking this question. She didn‘t know whether or not he just liked that kind of music. Hell, she didn‘t even know whether or not Bartok could even play an instrument, and thinking about that... Melina feared her question would come over as rude, hence the hesitation in her meager voice. She was such a bag of worries at times.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok nodded. "A very noble goal, much better than simply following a friend and seeing how much more charming you can get with a fighter's body and status." He said, sipping his water. When she asked him if he played an instrument, his ears perked up. "I can play a couple, though not very well. I know a few chordes on guitar and have a fabulous singing voice, but I'm best at the piano. I don't suppose Albedo could whip up a piano for me to play, could she?" He chuckled.

[Melina Caedus]

“Sadly... n-no.“ Melina said as she shook her head in denial. “I have tried different things, but so far my violin and weapons are the only things she can bring forth.“ She let out a soft sigh. She frowned as she was sort of dissapointed in herself for not being able to meet Bartok‘s expectation. Even if he seemingly meant it in a joking manner, this time the joke went over her head. It was sort of crazy, despite having her for over a year now, she didn't know all that much about her phantasms capabilities or the specifications needed for her to able to summon things.

Melina tried to find comfort in the capabiliities that she at least knew Albedo had. Like summoning her own equipment? It meant that she didn‘t need to bring anything extra for Albedo to use. And besides that, she even doubted that the equipment that the white glistening knight could summon could even be taken out of her hand.

Melina seemed in thought for a few moments, as she vaguely remembered something about there being a room with a few instruments. She sat in a thoughtful pose, legs crossed and her prosthetic lightly tapping against the metal construct that was her mask whichs parts still hang deactivated at her cheeks. “Although, I have heard... there is a piano somewhere on campus. I think at the amphitheatre was one? Hm?“ Her mechanical arm rubbed her shoulder in an embarassed way to subconsciously emphasize the insecurity in this statement. “I-I‘m not sure really. D-Don‘t... take my word for it.“

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok chuckled. "Shame, but I wasn't being serious. Though if she was able to create one, I suppose I would have no choice but to give a demonstration." She was silent for a while, they way people were when they were thinking.

"I'm pretty sure that there's a piano at the amphitheater." He nodded. "I sometimes hear someone practicing on it throughout the day. It would be a bit of a walk to go there just for me to show off, so how about another time?" His stomach grumbled and he remembered what he was even out for before he was entranced by Melina's music.

"Melina, would you care to go get some ramen with me? I haven't eaten yet and I need to pay you back somehow for the wonderful performance you've given me. My treat." He stood up and offered his hand to help her stand. The Gentlemanly thing to do?

[Melina Caedus]

“Yes, at another time would be better.“ Melina simply answered as Bartok suggested to show his artistic skill with the piano at another time. The shy combat medic was taken aback by the sudden sound of a stomach grumbling coming from Bartok.

An then Bartok invited her to eat ramen with him. Something the very introvert atlesian had least expected. At first she was taken aback, but that surprise was quickly followed by a rather unknown feeling. The thought of going out with this boy to eat made her feel strange, not uncomfortable per se, just unusual. “G-gladly.“ Melina answered in her soft spoken voice as all the worries she normally would have didn‘t dare rise to the surface for once. She took the hand with her own robotic hand as she stood up, the mechanical parts in her legs wirring as they raised her body up from her bed. Bartok seemed such a gentleman, really it would have been rude of her to decline his offer.

“I mean, honestly, I usually don‘t go out a lot.“ Melina rubbed her neck a bit embarassed, trying to diffuse the awkwardness of her statement as she momentarily looked away from the rather big bat faunus.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok smiled with teeth as she took his hand, accepting his invitation. He gave a very soft chuckle at her admittance to not get out much, and shrugged. It was probably because of a lack of friends or maybe she didn't want people staring at her. He had no idea if the mechanical parts were visible, but the sound was distinct and noticeable. "Yeah, classes can keep us too busy to go into town. I getchya. But not tonight."

He would lead her out of the dorms and into town, walking her up to a shop called "Ittouya" that was open at this time. It was situated above another shop, the pair having to climb a narrow set of stairs to the upper room. He lead her straight in and sat down at a small booth, next to a window overlooking the street. "You have got to try this guy's miso ramen. Some of the best stuff I've tasted besides home cooking."

[Melina Caedus]

Not even seconds later Melina was pulled after Bartok out of her room and they went out into town. Albedo took the courtesy of closing the door after they went out of Melina‘s room. Melina struggled a little bit walking around outside as she did, she still felt so alien in public, which was only reminded by the whirring of her mechanical augments as they walked about. For most of the way, Melina was timid, seemingly hiding behind Bartok‘s tall frame of a body as if she was scared to show herself to the public. This was all still very sudden and it made her nervous.

Up until after a rather short while they found themselves in front of a quaint little shop called “Ittouya“. Bartok seemingly couldn‘t stop gushing about it, that and being inside the confines of a building again made comfort return to the rather shy girl. The food here must have been really great if Bartok was praising it this much. Sitting down in the booth at the window Melina was still nervous being out and about.

“Can‘t oppose to trying it. N-not if you are praising it this much.“ Melina said as she faintly smiled at the bat boy. She nervously twittled her metallic thumbs, thinking on a way to keep the conversation going. Sadly nothing really comes ot her mind in the moment and she cursed herself for that.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok ordered two bowls of the house miso ramen. There was a small bar and some tables set around outside the main kitchen and bar area, but Bartok sat himself at the bar after pulling out a stool for Melina. Soon enough the bowls of delectable and tasty food was served to them. The broth was opaque, a brown color with countless tiny bubbles of oil that broke up the otherwise plain surface. A pile of white-yellow noodles rose out of the steaming liquid, with two cuts of tender meat laying against it, most of it soaking in the broth. A handful of little green circles, cut green onions, were sprinkled around the hill of noodles and the sea of miso soup. Two small shoots of cooked bamboo layed opposite the meat, and to top it off half of a hard boiled egg was placed on the side, cut down the middle lengthwise. Bartok's bowl looked the same, though he couldn't tell.

The bat boy's mouth salivated at the smell of the ramen and the sound of the rising steam, though not many people heard that, and the heat from the bowl. It was all just going to be delicious. He nodded his thanks at the woman who cooked the noodles and served them. "Well, dig in time!" He told Melina, took two chopsticks out from a container between them filled with the utensils, and began showing into the noodles.

[Melina Caedus]

Melina took the offered stool next to Bartok and sat down still a bit shifty and nervous. However when the bowls with their food were brought to them her eyes went wide. The miso that Bartok had ordered was filled with noodles swimming in the broth along with two cuts of tender meat and onions alongside cooked bamboo and a hard boiled egg. It simply looked delicious. After Bartok thanked and told Melina to dig in he took some chopsticks to have at the soup. Melina took a pair of chopsticks as well, but doesn‘t immediately start eating. She instead hesitated to look over at Bartok for a moment.

“I… honestly have never used chopsticks before.“ She hesitantly explained with her soft whispery voice to the bat boy almost feeling too embarassed to mention it. After a short while as she then took the two sticks into her left hand and tried mimicking the way Bartok held them. Being left handed and not being able to feel the wood against her skin, mainly due to her still wearing the gauntlet, her first try didn‘t yield a lot of success. Instead one of the sticks quickly fell out of her cold metal grasp onto the table. Melina was just happy it didn‘t immediately fall to the ground. The girl was getting red out of embarassement.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok looked over at her when she told him the bad news. Right, chopsticks. If she hadn't used them before, it would be hard to get used to them. Especially with all the broth and soup in there. Most people would rush to help and Bartok felt that heavily, especially for this very nice girl he had met, but Bartok was in the same 'disability' boat as she was. If people came running whenever he had a problem because of his lack of eyesight, he'd get really annoyed and wouldn't be able to deal with things like he could now. So he slurped the rest of his chopsticks, chewed, and swallowed. Man it was good. "Want some help?" He asked after a moment. Asking if she wanted help would be better than rushing in to fix a problem.

But just in case, he grabbed the deep soup spoon meant for both helping hold the weight of noodles and drinking the broth and held it out for her. "This can let you taste the broth and get rid of some of it, might help let you see more noodles. Careful though, it's going to be hot."

[Melina Caedus]

It was nice that Bartok asked if she needed help frist before simply helping her. While she wouldn‘t ever reject the help of someone else, it was the more polite thing to do than simply doing it.
“Yeah, I… could really use some help.“ she muttered dissapointed of herself. She felt like she was failing at one of the most basic things someone should be able to do, and with that feeling came a bit of shame.
It was then that he handed her a spoon and explained how she could use it to get some of the broth. She hesitantly took it and dipped the spoon head into the broth, only for her to raise it back out, this time filled with glistening soup from the bowl.
Taking Bartok‘s advice to heart she gently blows at the spoon to try and cool it down. It was steaming a bit which only confirming what Bartok said, the soup was hot.
She made a first attempt to slurp the broth from the soup, however it was still a bit to hot, needing her to blow it a few more times to cool it down.

Eventually it was cold enough for her to enjoy and enjoy she did. As soon as the spoon with its contents was in her mouth her eyes widened, almost glistening, as she marveled at the taste of the soup. “A… Amazing! It's delicious!“ she yelped out in excitement, almost wanting to take another spoonful of the delicious broth. However she needed to eat the noodles as well… and learning how to use the chopsticks was a priority in this case. She again mimicked the way Bartok was holding the two wooden sticks.

“So… y-you hold them like this and… what now? I feel like they would fall out of my hand again if I do anything...“ she explained as her cold metal grasp held them together.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok smiled and watched her drink some of the broth. Of course he slurped down some of his own meal as he did so, couldn't let it get cold. He nodded enthusiatically, a bundle of wet steaming noodles in his mouth, as she exclaimed her enjoyment of the soup. He slurped them into his mouth and chewed, relishing the taste until she asked for pointers on the chopsticks. He slurped his noodles up fast and swallowed.

"So, maybe for you, try this." He showed her his hand holding the chopsticks. He had his pointer and middle fingers on the top stick with his thumb, ring and pinker fingers holding the bottom one. "The technically correct way can be a bit hard, I find this way easier. I even switch between them while eating, so don't feel bad about it." He then demonstrated how to use them in that position, pulling up some noodles, the steam fogging up his goggles as he blew on them, then took a bite, the chopsticks feeding the noodles into his mouth. He gestured with his free hand for her to try.

[Melina Caedus]

Attentively Melina watched Bartoks hand closely and was quick to immitate the exact way he was holding them.
Ah, so thats how it worked. Albeit it being a bit difficult at first to get a grip of the sticks she seemed to be able to hold them steady enough to give it a try. Determined she grabbed at a rather small lump of noodles and managed to raise it out of the broth. They were steaming hot requiring Melina to blow at them a few times and with a bit of the stew still dripping from them they were glistening a bit. Not hesitating for long, Melina got the noodles to her mouth only to taste the lingering broth in the noodles along them in her mouth. It was delicious, just as Bartok promised. So delicious in fact Melina momentarily forgets her table manners and slurps up the rest of the noodles hanging out of her mouth, a more than delighted grin plastered on her face.

She quickly picks up another lump of noodles, blew on them, and borught them to her mouth where they were quickly gobbled up. Melina was shuffling a bit with delight as she swollowed them. She quickly found herself wondering... How had she never eaten this kind of dish before?

“Thank you. I…“ Melina interrupted herself in the moment before she could finish expressing her gratitude to the bat faunus. With how amazing this had been for her, despite her own doubts at the beginning, she had almost forgotten that this was Bartok paying her back for the song she played for him. She was almost about to tell him that she'd pay him back for this, since it felt like this was doing more than enough to make up for her playing. “… I appreciate you doing this... Helping me with this… g-going out an all. I... honestly thought I‘d feel more estranged than before when you dragged me out here. But I‘m glad you proved me... wrong.“ Her soft voice exclaimed, her head tilted and shining a kindhearted smile towards Bartok. This day must have been one of the best days she had ever spent outside of Atlas.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok watched silently with his ears, listening to her pull the noodles out of the broth, blow on them, slurp them down and the tiny noise of pleasure she made, or maybe that was just her stomach singing. He went on eating his own as she ate hers, glad that she was enjoying it so much. That meant it was an adequate repayment for her wonderful performance.

He smiled when she thanked him. "Well, I appreciate you giving me a bit of your time to do so. And don't worry, with me and how my ears make me stick out, we're estranged together. I'll be glad to take you out anytime you wish, no prior performance needed." He slurped some of his own noodles and groaned in pleasure. "And aren't these noodles delicious?" He said through a mouthful before slurping the rest down. Sadly, they were much of the last noodles in his bowl.