A Heart for Music

[Neron]

A Heart For Music

Light filled the room with it's brilliant presence, but it wasn't blinding or dim, it was a soft hazy glow that seemed to color the room with a magical hue. The little specs of dust in the air drifted about the room gently, carefully, not to disturbed the dark being that stood stoically in the middle. For once Neron's dark clothing didn't cause him to have a haunted essence, instead it seemed to merely bring all attention to him. The light seemed to glide in his hair, lighting it with a beautiful shine as it hung in his face. In those firm hands he head a beautiful instrument, a violin. Unlike the Violin's master it was a thing of light. Those beautiful curves were a rich but bright orange color that seemed to change from orange to yellow in the light.

Concentration filled the room with a tenseness that wasn't all together unpleasant. The world was waiting, watching for the man to move, and they didn't have long to wait. First the hand holding the violin moved, lifting the instrument until the back rested on his shoulder. Then his right hand moved, bringing a long and slender bow up until the white horse hairs met the metal strings. Neron Hesitated for a moment, his mind running through the whole song before he began.

A sharp yet clear note rang through the air before swiftly gliding to another note. Fingers crawled up and down the fingerboard like a spider, sometimes pausing to rock back and forth to create the vibrato, sometimes dancing from string to string. The once silent air was now filled with pure, clear, crisp beauty. It was a strange sight to see, here was a man usually so secluded and reserved pouring his heart out on a simple but elegant instrument. Neron's choice of song was a complex, but beautiful peace, and he executed it brilliantly. The music seemed to play with your heart, one moment being light and cheerful before quickly switching mournful and deep. So there he stood swaying backward and forward, eyes closed, pouring his heart and soul into the music he created.

[saerwen]

Walking in the halls always seemed to give her a peaceful countenance. Walls were friends. They provided comfort, safety, and were always silent listeners. Jaedon walked gracefully among them. The excitement of previous nights had caused her to long for the comfort of beauty. Beauty was found in many places for her, but the one beauty that she longed for now more than any other was the beauty of sound. Music. That was what her heart truly longed for. She was almost to the music room with the intention of sitting there to listen to a record that she had found in her mothers closet a long time ago. When Jaedon had first come to the Academy she had discovered that there was a record player in the music room, and so one night she had come to listen to her treasured but mysterious item. It held beautiful music from various plays and musicals.
As she drew near the music room she heard the sound of one of her favorite instruments being played with such skill. She recognized the tune of the song very well. It had been one of her mothers favorites. It was beautiful! Her heart leaped from its proper place as she ran towards the door. She opened it quietly so as not to disturb the artist. To her surprise she found that the brilliant artist that was giving her so much pleasure at the moment was the young man Neron that she had met not too long ago. Still enjoying the music, she leaned against the door frame, sure to stay out of the way of Neron's sight so that he wouldn't stop. She started to quietly hum the melody along with him, and then started to stray to the harmony as the notes seemed to carry her away. It carried her to a land that she found very seldom. Peace. She was now hopelessly lost in the music, sure that if and when it stopped she would stop breathing and life would be over for her. Oh how this blessed music affected her!

[Neron]

Neron's ears picked up another sound, humming. It went along with his music, in syc with it. "Strange.. this is a song that few know..." But this was a passing thought before the music consumed his thoughts. His favorite part was coming up. It was light and soft, but seemed to have a deeper side to it. a deep breath filled his form as he plunged into the piece, the music causing his thoughts to wander a bit.

Music, a beautiful thing. It has such control over people without them realizing it. Through the voices of instruments they can cause laughter or tears, it can paint a picture which can never be described by the tongue or the eyes but can be felt by the depths of your heart. Its voice can be translated from culture to culture and region to region without confusion.

His bow came to a stop as his bow left the string with a flourish. The song had ended, though the note still hung on the air. Neron's shoulders slumped forward and his hand that held the bow dropped loosely to his side. slowly his green eyes opened and stared blankly at the floor, so much had happened, ever since that night Neron hadn't been able to sleep. Something bothered him, but what? The girl that he had met had been haunting him in his dreams, her words stinging him so much so that he couldn't sleep. Dark circles had started to appear under his tired eyes, a testimony of his restlessness. Only here could he escape and pour out all his confusion and worries. Music, where would he be without it?

[saerwen]

Jaedon had closed her eyes as she listened to the beautiful music and sang along to it. "I wish that I could produce such a glorious sound! My voice is but a sour note compared to this beautiful masterpiece." Jaedon thought to herself. As she listened she could hear the passion that came ripping from Neron's heart. He must be troubled to be playing this song so passionately and pointedly. She slowly started to wander over his thoughts, not pushing any desires into his mind, but weighing his feelings. That was all that she could do...feelings. Everyday she felt millions of them as she used her powers to gather more information. Nerons seemed no different in type, but rather in explanation. He felt strange, but he couldn't explain it to himself. Jaedon decided not to wander any longer. She didn't know what his fortes were yet. He might could feel her poking around. This was her way of getting familiar with people even though they thought it was strange or invading. She stopped and listened as the song ended, she ended her humming with it, but continued to keep her eyes closed, still letting the sounds repeat through her mind. Glorious beauty captured her every thought. Even though it wasn't still being played she could hear it perfectly. She started to bite her lower lip, a habit that she had when she was thinking or nervously considering something.
When she had been little her mother would play music for her and as she listened she would lose herself to sleep on her mothers bed, taking in her mothers perfume with every breath. Jaedon would never forget that feeling and the comfort that it used to give her. Jaedon had felt safe then, sure that nothing would ever happen. She missed the feeling, and for some reason, Neron's song had given it back to her for a moment as the clean smell of fresh flowers came from the window and the piano which had a vase sitting on top of it. She continued to think and gnaw on her lower lip gingerly as she thought.

[Neron]

Neron let out a sigh as his gaze wandered over his instrument. It had been his friend for many years now and had carried him through the thick and the thin. Flicking his hair out of his eyes his form straightened. It was this point in which he felt an unfamiliar presence in his mind. It was there, but not prodding to deeply, just a gentle touch here and there. His eyes flashed for a moment before he locked down everything private from the alien touch. "I hoped you enjoyed my playing.." His voice was deep and gentle, soothing. "Though I am surprised.. not many know this piece.." His body turned as his eyes still focused on the violin. As they lifted up to see who had listened in on his music his eyes widened ever so slightly. It was as if his thoughts had become reality, his nightmares had come to life. All slight emotion of the surprise was concealed as a brooding look covered his eyes. "What are you doing here?" His tone wasn't angry or happy it merely asked.

"Why here, why now?" He cursed silently inside as he turned slightly away from her. He couldn't tell what he was feeling. "why are you deserting me emotions how come you have turned away from me and have rebelled against me? Why do you hold this secret from me? " For once in his life he felt exposed, utterly so. She had gotten a glimpse of his true self, of his heart. Few saw that and he liked to keep it that way. "Why her..." His thoughts filled his head as his gaze dropped to the ground.

The only sign of his agitation was his grip tightening around the neck of the violin. Curse his luck.

[saerwen]

As Neron spoke Jaedon awoke from her silent reverie. She opened her bright green eyes. The sunlight played gently across them making them appear to be perfectly round emeralds surrounded by a pale and gentle face.
"I must confess that I enjoyed it greatly. It has been a long time since I heard that song. You are excellent at your art."
She eyed him curiously as he turned around. When he saw who it was that had been listening Jaedon saw mixed emotions run through his eyes. Finally they landed on brooding. She decided it was best to stay out of his mind, she didn't want to make him angry at her again. Not that she would have minded horribly, but she didn't want that stress right now.
"I came to listen to something." She held up the record. Jaedon noticed that he tightened his grip on the neck of the violin, realizing his agitation. She could not tell whether he was agitated by her, or the thoughts that were clearly troubling him more and more. She decided not to inquire but waited for him to talk. She had found that listening was better than speaking absent-mindedly. She couldn't stand it when people did that any way, so why should she do it? She went over to a large reclining chair in the corner closer to Neron and curled up with her knees up under her and to the side. She grabbed one of the music pieces off of the shelf and started to look at it, imagining the sound in her mind, speaking the words in her mind. It was crafted very well, and the words were enchanting. A love song in terms, one of the most poetic language ever to grace her eyes. She looked up from the music to survey the man and his violin. It was an elegant instrument. For a moment she envied him. She had always wanted to learn to play the violin or the cello. Only a few months ago had Damion taught her some about the piano. As much as she enjoyed playing small tunes on it, she longed for an instrument of elegance such as the one Nero held. However, she had to content herself with what she had. Her mother had not been able or willing to give her lessons, so she was restricted. A longing passed over her face as she stared at it. If only she could...

[Neron]

Neron nodded slightly to her statement, "Yet there is always room for improvement." Then his eyes flashed to her for a moment as she spoke again. No response came for him for a moment. Silence, how soothing it was, at least she knew how to respect it. Even though he turned his body away from her his eyes followed her as she sat down in a nearby chair. "What did you come to listen to?"His gaze turned to curiosity as he watched her leaf through some music. "Do you play an instrument?" She seemed to be able to read music pretty well, especially by the way she looked over the music.

"I might as well try and be nice..If that's possible." Even though he didn't realize his it hiead had cocked slightly to the side, showing his interest.

[saerwen]

"Oh nothing... Just an old record... This is the only place that I actually found a record player that was in working condition other than a flea market, and even that was sketchy. Must mean that this place is really old, or the someone here is." Jaedon smiled as she remember rummaging through the piles of junk in the open-air market. She had spent hours on setting up the old record player, looking for books that told her how, and then trying out one of the old scratched up records. She had been fascinated by the way the record played the music. She had sat there in the market till very late at night... at least midnight. A darkness covered Jaedon as she remembered that night and all of the cold reality that had hit her on that day. Even though she remembered how much fun she had been having, she couldn't help but also remember the horror of not being able to find her mother... Of being alone... Jaedon shook herself away from the frightening images that made her angry. She couldn't lose her skin again. That would be just plain embarrassing. "Do you play an instrument?" The question made her jerk her head up.
She smiled sweetly and shook her head slightly. "No. I can mess around on the piano a little bit, but nothing really significant. I have always wanted to learn, but never had a teacher. I have been reading music since I was 8 years old though. Pretty pathetic, right?" She looked to him to see what he thought when he responded, if a response ever came, by carefully surveying his eyes.

[Neron]

Neron smirked slightly, remembering his first times with his instrument. "You could call it that." His form turned toward her as his green eyes studied her for a moment. She seemed to be a different girl than the last time he had seen her, no mischief in her gaze, no barbs on her words, it was almost scaring him. "Sadly I can't help you with the piano, I find it a most.." He paused to think for a moment. "bulky instrument." The real reason was he couldn't bear sitting still while he was playing he had to be on his feet and moving. Plus he wanted something a bit more personable, something he could become attached to and carry around with him. Pianos, the only part you got to know where the white and black keys. What a bland color. He preferred the flame color instrument to that. Plus pianos weren't portable, usually if you wanted to play you had to either go through the hassle of transporting it or use the one already there.

His gaze drifted out to the window as he stayed silent for a moment more. "The only thing I could help you in is the violin. But I doubt you would want to learn something like that." He glanced at her as a smirked came back to his lips, "Especially you." His voice was teasing as he turned away from her again, making a movement toward the window.

[saerwen]

Jaedon saw the smirk that lit across Neron's face, and for a moment was hurt by it, but then she realized that he was only showing his hearty agreement for her own statement. Then she felt silly for having such impulsive emotions. For some reason she always found herself in an unstable battle with this man. She could tell that he was very smart, and more than likely a master in magic. She found it a little hard to believe that he could be an excellent fighter, remembering his ungraceful attempts near the lake. And if he was a good fighter, then she knew that he would have to be VERY good in order to cope with such an unstable setting.
As he commented on what he thought of the piano, Jaedon found herself wishing that she had never told him anything. She didn't know why, but for some reason she felt like he was judging her as inadequate. She didn't like it, but then again, if he did underestimate her, she would have something to hold over his head. She wished that she had more, but pride was a weakness that she knew how to expose very well. She nodded her head in agreement with him, and then stared at her feet which were still tucked under her. She was staring at nothing in particular, but rather just leaving her eyes there as her mind began to wander. She slowly started to feel warmth coming over her as she rubbed her arms. She was always cold when she was in this form. As much as she hated fire, sometimes she just wished that she could have her own little personal fire. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt with some capri's had not been the idea bit of clothing for such a day as this in such a cold environment for her. The chair that she was in could only provide so much heat for her comfort.
As Neron commented on the violin and his doubts about her wishing to learn it she was filled with slight anger. Why should he imagine that she wouldn't want to learn to play the violin? Was it because he saw no elegance in her manner? Or because he thought her uncivil? What a notion! Jaedon couldn't understand why this made her so angry but she was sure that he must have either done it on purpose or that he had done it without knowing it would make her angry, full of his own self-righteous pride. "Man, this guy just burns me up sometimes!" she thought to herself. She decided that she would start playing games with him, see just how well he could parry her attacks. "Let's play on his pride first." She thought to herself. "But I can't make it too obvious, or he will surely become angry."
"But it is so beautiful!" was the only sound that Jaedon let escape from her lips. A longing and pleading voice escaped from her. She rose slightly from her chair as though she were trying to muster one last gasping glance at the beautiful violin. But then as though catching herself in the midst of a crime, she jolted back down and turned to the music that she had previously been studying. Wondering the whole time if Neron would take the bait that she had laid in front of him.

[Neron]

Neron's eyes widened as the girl before him suddenly expressed her admiration for his instrument. Yes, it was a beautiful instrument and it had been a gift from an old friend, specially crafted for him. That was long ago, many years have passed since then. "If only he were here..If he could see me now." A smirk came to his lips. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, the violin had arrived to where he lived in a solid black case with a note, "Keep this for me, guide her with a strong hand and make her sing for you. May you to become close friends." That was the last thing he had gotten from him, for later that day he had news that his beloved friend had passed.

This reminiscence had only lasted a few seconds and the next thing he saw was Jaedon rising slightly from her chair. How her black hair curled perfectly around her face. It made her face look like an angel, a dark angel perhaps, but an angel none the less. And her eyes, what bright gleaming emeralds they were, shining like a star that had fallen from the heavens. He shook his head, she was to perfect. He hated perfect things, for nothing truly was perfect and if you thought it was it didn't take long before you were disappointed. NO it was better to have something that was imperfect take your heart than something perfect. "What and enchantress." He glanced at her. "But a doomed enchantress, she will not succeed in using her...." He looked her up and down quickly, " Herself against me." Frowning he turned away from her once more. Silence filled the room before he could turn back to her.

"You say the instrument is beautiful." His eyes softened as he looked at his beloved instrument. "Aye, she is, but that is not what makes this instrument beautiful. It is what is inside. Beauty is something that lasts only for half a second. Many times I have picked up a violin that shone out among others. But when you test it by putting the bow to it, it fails. Never judge something by outer appearances, judge what is inside." He lifted his instrument and held it with his two hands, the bow hanging off one of his fingers. "It is a rare thing to find something that has beauty on the inside and out like this does. Sure it gets out of tune once in a while, but it merely needs a strong and gentle hand to get it back in shape. " His eyes gazed at hers, searching for a sign that he made sense. "And when she is, she gives you feeling like.." He paused for a moment as he looked at the ceiling. " like..." He held the violin and bow in one hand as he ran the other through his black hair. "Like something only you can experience. Here." Striding quickly toward her he held out the violin and bow. " I'll show you how don't worry." He smirked slightly, "Though I think your touch may be a bit to heavy for her."

[saerwen]

Jaedon did not notice Neron's glance until it was over and he turned away. Jaedon knew that he was not going to take a bait that easily by the way that he seemed to survey her. People with strong minds were always the ones that would look at her and then turn away so as to protect themselves from her crafty eyes. Neron was not going to be an easy fish to catch, but she would succeed if it was the last thing that she did. She wanted him to fall flat on his face for that comment, and she would use whatever means necessary to make him disgrace himself. She was so vengeful that she almost didn't hear him speaking to her. When she managed to pull herself back to reality from her world of angry planning, she heard him comparing inner beauty and outer beauty. His words were soft and true. Jaedon knew this all too well. People judge by out appearances too quickly. That is one reason why she never had many friends, she always stayed in the corners, in the darkness, away from everyone else. If people would take the time to listen and learn, they would find that Jaedon wasn't as dark as she seemed. She was evil on more than a few occasions, but she wasn't harmful. A cruel teasing sensation was that which she cast upon her friends, nothing horrible though.
Her anger grew a little more as she listened to his changed manner, wishing that he would go back to being annoying and ridiculously rude, then she could have an excuse to be mad at him. It was only when he offered the instrument to her that she mentally started to overcome her anger. She gingerly touched the instrument, almost in shock with the general splendor of it. She held it so carefully, as though it might shatter into trillions of pieces in her hands. She gently ran her hand over the maple wood, caressing the smooth surface, loving ever sensuous touch that was given to her. She slowly made her way to the neck where she carefully traced over the strings.
"Aye, my touch might not be attuned to her yet, but I try, and I learn quickly." She spoke absentmindedly as she continued to study the violin, memorizing every part in her mind. This was studying that she could do very well, and loved. She looked up at Neron, mentally noting that she was no longer furious with him. "I am such a sucker." she thought. She waited for him to take his instrument, but she secretly longed to continue to hold it, to actually play it. If only she could...

[Neron]

Neron had expected a harsher remark from her, he was astonished and slightly disappointed by the more docile reply. Raising and eyebrow he turned his attention to her. She was holding his instrument with such care and gentleness that he was surprised. "Now you place it like this.." He lifted it to her shoulder. "And you rest your chin upon it. Now....the violin is a very fickle instrument, the weather the temperature all changed how it sounds and how it reacts to your touch. Plus it is a very fragile instrument. To much jarring and the sound post might fall or other things can happen. All this is to say." He gazed her in the eye."This is not something to bang on like the piano it is an art piece worth thousands of dollars. Respect the instrument and it give you what you need." Sighing he took a step back. He looked like a child who had just gotten a new toy. The attention he directed toward Jaedon was undiverted, his gaze had softened and was alight with interest.

Taking a bow in his hand he places his fingers carefully on it, his thumb inbetween the wood and the horsehair, his index finger on the wire wrapped around, and so forth. "This is how you hold the bow..it may be uncomfortable at first...but you'll get used to it. Now you try."

[saerwen]

Jaedon allowed Neron to alter her position, and show her how to do things. She was so excited that she was sure she would turn legally mute by the end of this encounter. She slowly realized that she had stopped viewing Neron as annoying, but rather as teacher. She admired him for his skills, and she craved to feed off of his knowledge. She would remain his loyal servant as long as he continued to give her what she longed for, but when he could no longer help her, he would go back to being a normal guy with some annoying qualities and a very big brain and even bigger mouth.
She tried to ensure that she wasn't being too trusting, but she found it hard to distrust this guy when he was giving her something that she had always desired. As she looked to him, listening to his instructions, she actually found herself liking what she saw. She had always built barriers in her mind so as to keep the distractions of good looking guys away from her, but as she continued to look to Neron, she found that barrier deteriorating. His pitch black hair looked alot like her own, but the way it was cut gave him the look of a rouge. His green eyes were brilliant and piercing, as though they were looking right through her. She got the feeling that those eyes had wisdom, and kindness. It was like his eyes were the mysterious door to his soul, and he would never let anyone in. Jaedon didn't dare to study them for too long for fear that he might call her out for it, but she would grasp a look every time that it was not noticable. She didn't know what was so entrancing about his appearance, but whatever it was, she liked it. "But my heart will not be swayed by this. It would take more than a pretty face, surely." she thought to herself.
She slowly drew the bow across the strings of the violin as he had instructed her, still struggling with the awkward grip that was forced upon her. At first it made a horrible shrieking noise, and Jaedon immediately stopped as it did, wondering what she was doing wrong. "Surely I have done something, because that is not the noise that I fell in love with a moment ago... What should I do differently I wonder?"

[Neron]

Neron was enjoying being a teacher, for once he had someone who actually care about something he liked. All was going well until a deafening squeak sliced through the air like a sword. Neron's eyes grew wide for a moment as his face screwed up into a cringe. What a dreadful noise. What a terrible, mind searing, ear bleeding noise. It sent shivers all the way up his spine. All that came out of his mouth for a moment was a suppressed,"gahhh....." of distress.

Neron quickly recovered though and muttering under his breath for a moment he finally collected himself enough to teach. "You need to make sure your fingers are held firmly against the strings..." He studied her fingers for a moment. "Now look you have them all in the wrong position here." Taking her hand in his her gently moved her fingers into the right position. "Now remember press firmly with your left hand and when you bring the bow across the string press down firmly, but not to firmly..." Taking her bow hand in his and pressing down on the strings himself he brought the bow across the strings. A melodic rich tone leaped from the instrument and filled the air with it's voice. "Like that." Letting go of her hand he stepped backward and scrutinized her. Lifted a finger he waved her on. "Try again." Turning from her he closed his eyes in a grimace, waiting, or rather dreading, the next noise to come from the works of her hands.