Chapter Text
You drum your fingers across the table, your other hand holding your face.
You are bored.
Very bored indeed.
The shows nowadays are mundane. Occasionally, the plays would interest you with their unique stories and crazy war plays, but when the actors don’t talk, nothing can really make it better.
A sigh is heard on your left. It seems your good friend agrees.
The public audience enjoys it thoroughly, though when you see the same things over and over again you don’t even get the point of being here.
At least you’re a VIP, so you don’t mix with the other normies.
The performer bows, a failed attempt at hiding the smile from her face.
The audience claps, most of them grinning with happiness. Some also had the courage to cheer for them.
A few of the VIPs applauded as well, though most of them were either zoning out or staring into the performer’s soul like she had done something wrong.
The performer runs backstage, and the crowd murmurs among themselves.
The curtain closes. The story ends.
The lights switch back on. Everyone is waiting.
Waiting for the next performance.
You run a hand down your face; it was going to be a long day.
You chat a bit with your good friend Mapicc. He mumbled about how he wishes to see something more exciting one day.
Zam butts into the conversation, arguing that the performance just now was absolutely splendid. The two bickered for a while, as you stared at the chandelier in the centre or the whole hall.
The thousands of little crystals stare back at you.
Swaying, not too much that they hit each other, but enough for you to see it float in the air weightlessly. WIth a synchronised movement, they move side to side, the sound they make when one or two of them happen to collide with each other similar to what one would hear at a fancy diner, with the chimes of utensils and glasses, but softer and more deliberate.
You continue having a staring competition with the ornate chandelier until the glow from it snuffs out like a candle, and the hall’s lights dim, the whole room plunging into darkness once more.
A few soft hushes and the room became silent. They waited for the curtains to draw.
You scratch that itch under your chin that has been annoying you for a while. Staring at the stage, you spot a piano. Great. Another musical piece. Probably going to be another Beethoven song.
You lie back in your seat. At least it was the last one for today, you think to yourself.
That was when your eyes focused on them.
A gorgeous man walks from backstage, each step echoing with a firm thud. White, puffy hair was pulled back into a single ponytail, with star shaped pins all over his head. A blue and purple gradient headband wraps around their head, keeping the hair from covering his starry eyes and fabulous freckles. They are wearing something similar to a royal robe, except it had the same gradient colour as his headband. They wore clothing with long, silky sleeves which were pitch black in colour, like the night sky, irregularly dotted with white.
He gives off this mysterious vibe, this magical feeling, that something was so... so extraterrestrial, that they are so out of this world–
They sit down on the piano bench. All eyes are on them.
A pause.
He presses a singular key. The starting note.
The ‘once upon a time’ to the start of every story.
Another pause.
They take a deep breath.
And they played.
No, not the ones that you heard a billion times before. Captivating, marvellous music thundered in the theatre, like describing a story. It was fast. Then it slowed. Maybe it was telling a fantastical story, one where the knight in shining armour was saving the pretty princess (or prince. no one knows anymore, they both get kidnapped just as often) from the dragon’s lair. The notes were played an octave higher, keeping everyone on their toes when suddenly, the music stopped with a press of a C2 key.
Everyone waits, holding their breaths eagerly.
The musician’s hand hovers above the keys. As if hesitating.
They start playing again. But this time, not with the relaxed or carefree or wild tone it had earlier. It is sad. Sombre. The lights seemed to dim, and no one dared to make a single sound. Not a single movement. The music sang, its voice losing its strength, its voice cracking, its voice dying–
until it let out a final wail. Then, it disappears.
A moment of silence.
You are 100% sure a good ten seconds passed before the musician’s hands started doing its thing. The music was the same as just now; except it was slower. Like everything had gone back to normal. Like none of those crazy things happened. The same starting music as before, but you could tell that it was different.
You find it hard to explain.
But you understand.
You understand the story.
You understand him.
The musician ends his song and bows. They received a standing ovation, along with whoops and cheers from the supportive audience. Most of the VIPs looked impressed.
You stare at them in awe.
He makes direct eye contact with you.
He gives a small smile. A little wink. Was that a wink?
Your heart does something. It wasn’t butterflies or anything!
You don’t know what that was. Maybe it was because you finally found someone that had a lasting impression on you and you could still recall how the performer looked like for more than 5 seconds.
You smile back.
They walk off the stage.
You hope he plays again tomorrow.