Let It Ring Out, Loud And Clear

[Thalia Tait]

Thalia was bored. 


Immensely bored. She had been tired of being cooped up in the little area they had been given as a camp. But with the adults from the Ark now in charge, they were trying to force everyone back into children's ways. Three of them had taken her jobs. One could make things from scraps. Another could cook. And another still could clean any animal brought from the hunt. And no one care about being able to gather vegetables or herbs. They were all going to put together a little garden.

So she had traveled to Mount Weather to try and help out there. But no. They also had people who could do her jobs. And it was too dangerous to go out and search for veggies or herbs. Dangerous with a cease fire... Then what good was it? Puffing up her cheek, she snorted in frustration. Even the mountain liquor wasn't of any interest to her. So here she was, back with the majority of Arkers in their territory....

Her eyes went over to the piano. A familiar wave of sadness crept over her. It wasn't that she had liked being held captive by those Mount Weather loons. But she felt somewhat responsible for being a part of the reason that many of the nice ones were now dead. An entire civilization wiped out. How morbidly funny that if they had just asked, many of the delinquents would have agreed to give them slow and steady infusions of blood and marrow. They had somewhat liked those strange mole people.

Well, most of them. Not the crazy ones. Heck, even the Boy was alright in her book now that he... Well, since he was gone, if felt rude to hold that grudge of not saying his name. They had been paired together, by the Mount Weather adults, when their first plan had been apparently to mix the delinquents into the breeding pool. It was creepy and kind of weird, but maybe the Boy hadn't even known. Right. She should use his name. Garfield. 'Like the president, or the cartoon cat,' he had told her.

She kept the cartoon strip cutout he had kept in a small pocket-sized photo album. If just felt right to make sure someone remembered goofy, awkward, and weirdly-named Garfield. He hadn't been such a bad guy. He had even had two young siblings... Her eyes were glazing over with tears now. Argh, she shouldn't dwell on this. If she dwelled on all the loss, she crack up for sure.

So she went over to piano. Cracking her knuckles, she sat down. No one else was playing. Everyone was working. But she knew they all liked music. Kept them out of their heads, just like playing the piano helped her keep out of hers. Clearing her throat, she decided on the funny song three old Mount Weather ladies had sung. They said it had been from an old musical. That was a play put on with lots of singing. It had been kind of funny, so Thalia decided it would be fine to sing it, all the the parts and all the funny voice and all the funny sounds included. It'd lighten the place up for sure.

@macallan

[Deleted]

Macallan had been parted from his usual spot: in the Hangar with the piano as his closest friend. It tended to help keep people's spirits uplifted, or allowed them to soothe their soul. Macallan was proud to be a part of that; to play a part of it. Music had been what saved his own soul on the Ark, amidst so many grim and dark circumstances. Down on Earth . . . he was so glad to be able to do something, anything to help others cope with all they have been through. It was his outlet and he wanted to warm others hearts and souls the same way. The requests he received inspiring him, and rather proud that he was gaining a reputation among Arkadia as a musician and singer.

When he stepped into the Hangar however, he saw a young woman sitting at the piano, playing a song that lighter; less serious. His lips twitched into a smile as he watched her, waiting for her to finish. He knew the importance or getting through a whole song. Hell, when he sang, he was often in the zone and whenever that was interrupted, he felt agitated. So he waited for her to complete her piece, before approaching her, leaning against the piano casually. "How long have you been playing for?" He asked, finding that question more important than anything else, including names. It was always exciting for him to meet another person who appreciated music, and knew how to play it. Such individuals had been scarce on the Ark . . . and even scarcer down here with the numbers they had lost.

Tag;; Thalia Tait

[Thalia Tait]

Thalia couldn't help but really get into the song. It was just so jaunt! And when she played those lighter keys and belted out that last bit like terribly wistfully old gal wanting an influential husband... Well, it could help but take her mind off of everything bad pushed in the very back corners of her mind. She wasn't the best of singers. She wasn't the best of piano players. But the amount of energy she threw into her few and far between songs, well it was almost infectious. If she didn't at least get a few smiles out of it, well, she'd quit playing. But her intoxicating silliness seemed to take a good bit of seriousness and gloom out of the room, like dusty cobwebs. People were smiling a bit easier and talking a bit more and laughing a bit more and... Well, it certainly was worth the mortification. 

Grinning like a fool, well and quite pleased with herself, Thalia looked up when the song was over, her breathing just a bit harder and her fingers still trembling from the effort they weren't used to. She could clean game and mend clothes and dig up veggies and pick herbs, but playing the instrument was different. She had to be gentle with the old thing, but still get the energy of the upbeat tune through. And she had to be delicate when playing, less her fingers clumsily fall over one another, but still play with certainty in each chord, or it would through people out of the story in the song. Playing music was just so much more difficult than anything else. If was certainly her father's talent, not hers. But she liked doing it for others. 

"How long?" she chuckled, "Just one song." Oh wait, no, that was the wrong answer. He meant how long how long. She swallowed in a breath, her face red from singing and playing at the same time so enthusiastically. "Oh, I mean, my dad had a knack for it," she grinned sheepishly, "He loves...loved the piano. Always said if he had been an Alpha he would of built one for the Ark. Not that he had the slightest clue how to begin such a project." Thalia laughed, hoping he hadn't noticed the falter in her cheerfulness. "Music made him happy," she got up from the piano, "He sang, which made me happy," she gestured for him to take her place, "And I like doing it to make other people happy." She looked up at the other people around, who were working just a bit more light-spirited than before, nodding in satisfaction.

"I'm no virtuous...but Stars Above I love how music can change an entire atmosphere in a room," she looked back at the boy and balked at her own ramblings. With a laugh, she waved her hands, as if to ask him to forgive and ignore her. She must still be pumped up from the song, talking so freely to a stranger.