concert venue (sfw)

[enchanting_melody]

*after hearing about the concert room from kalluto, melody goes out to find it, her keen ears leading her to the subtle buzzing of speakers and amps emanating from behind the newly-unlocked door. when she opens it, she finds the venue vacant, apparently between shows. the house lights are on low, illuminating the great, empty pit yawning out before the stage up ahead. she wanders over to it, climbing the steps and peeking around the eaves to find that all the instruments are still there, just waiting to be picked up and played when the lights fade.

she reaches out to give an acoustic guitar a strum, closing her eyes to revel in the lovely sound of it reverberating through the venue.*

Comments

[enchanting_melody]

*melody nods encouragingly as kurapika retrieves the guitar and gives it a try, just as awed as he is to hear the fluent rhythm his fingers produce. she winks over at him, her chiming laughter rising above the clamor of the crowd.*

see? you're a natural!

*she slides the bow over her guitar's strings again, trembling her fingers at the neck to make a raw, warbling sound that serves as the background to kurapika's melody. it vibrates through the instrument and into her very bones, drawing out a gasp of delight.*

doesn't it feel good to play?

[scarlet_chains]

*Kurapika’s heartbeat speeds up in tandem with the music produced by his fingers on the guitar, spurred on by the crowd’s delighted sounds and his own curiosity about how much he can do. He speeds through some chord progressions, then slows down again to match the melancholy mood of Melody’s guitar.*

You’re right… this feels…

*He feels unstoppable up here, bathed in stage light and a sea of eager eyes, following his every move.*

[enchanting_melody]

*melody can hear the soaring elation in kurapika's blood and her own leaps in her chest, infected by the rhythm in his chest and all around them. he's pouring his all into the music, the joy of his newly-discovered love and the dread of the secret he's keeping, none of his feelings are held back by his strumming fingers. as melody backs him, she closes her eyes to experience it all, freeing her own hands to play as they please.*

truth be told, i've never played guitar with a bow before.

*she opens her eyes again, grinning at kurapika.*

thanks to this room, i didn't have to learn!

[scarlet_chains]

I see... I figured you were just that good, but that means...

*Kurapika plays a last resounding riff on the guitar before putting it neatly back down. He then launches himself into the air and lands further back on stage, on the seat behind the drum set. He's never considered himself particularly rhythmical, but right now he feels inhabited by some strange power that's taken control of his body. He grabs hold of the drumsticks and starts tapping out a rhythm that gradually gets faster and louder, then simmers down again to give Melody's guitar the spotlight back. Perhaps it's his own feelings that are streaming out through his fingers, like a cork in him has been unstopped, triggering a tremendous release.*

[enchanting_melody]

*melody laughs as kurapika vaults himself over to the drumset and begins venting his frustration into a furious rhythm, his emotions indeed pouring into every strike. once again melody is thrilled that he can finally experience firsthand the catharsis of making music. she plucks at her guitar with the bow, building up her own rhythm to accompany kurapika's, ebbing and flowing in and out of each other like sand and sea.*

[scarlet_chains]

*Kurapika follows suit, slipping deftly into the cracks between Melody's notes. It's an active learning experience, in not just taking the spotlight for himself, but also in harmonising with Melody so they sound like they're actually playing together rather than separately. Somehow he intrinsically understands how to do it, how to match Melody's tone and speed, meet her in the middle. It's unlike anything he's experienced before - the closest comparison he can find is the feeling of using his chains, of slinging them around a room with complete control, catching bullets and capturing enemies. The movements happen too fast to think - they just happen, steered by an intuition beyond conscious thought. This is just another form of communication, one that happens almost telepathically. Kurapika suddenly feels like he understands his friend a little better, how she's so in tune with the world around her - and it's not just because of her superhuman hearing.

The crowd oohs and aahs appreciatively as their duet moves through various stages. He can't believe how satisfying it is. He's sweating inside his suit, but he doesn't want to stop now.*

It sounds like they're enjoying it.

[enchanting_melody]

*as their melodies mix, their heartbeats do the same, weaving around each other until they're soaring in sync, another level to the song that only she can hear. she catches kurapika's eye with a beaming grin, exclaiming,*

let's give them a grand finale!

*she runs her bow back and forth over the strings, building up to a swelling crescendo.*

[scarlet_chains]

*Kurapika finds himself grinning, elated and electrified by their harmonious duet. He slams out a last sequence on the drums before ditching them and jumping over to the keyboard, his magical fingers finding the keys and playing a vigorous tune to match the building energy of Melody's bow. He can't believe it's this easy, this freeing, even in front of such a large crowd - real people or not, their reactions seem genuine enough as they cheer and applaud.*

[enchanting_melody]

*melody laughs in delight as they finish out their concert with a final riff on the keys, finally dropping her bow to her side and basking in the cheers coming from the faceless crowd. it's been a long time since she's really gotten to perform, and even longer since she did so with a friend. there's joyful tears in her eyes when she turns to smile at kurapika behind her.*

cathartic, isn't it?

[scarlet_chains]

*Kurapika laughs along with her, the elation in his chest making his soul fly up to the ceiling to survey the room with its cheering crowd from above. His fingers are buzzing as he takes them off the keyboard. He takes in the emotion in Melody's face and echoes it with his chest - touched that she feels it as well, whatever this feeling is.*

That's... the most I've felt in... a while. I had no idea playing music could feel so good. I feel like I understand your passion for it a little more, now.

[enchanting_melody]

and i feel like i understand your predicament more.

*she flows over to kurapika and grabs his hands while the crowd continues to cheer, her soft voice heard by only him.*

whatever you end up doing, be sure to follow your heart. i know it'll lead you to the right thing.

[scarlet_chains]

*He smiles at his friend, only faltering a little at the reminder of his situation with Pairo. He knows she's right, as always. He gives her a nod. Behind them, the crowd disperses back out of the room, satisfied with the performance.*

I suppose I'd better go find Pairo again. Thank you, Melody.

*Though he's reluctant to lose the strange powers the room has lent him, Kurapika reckons that some of that power is still flowing through him, feeding him strength and resolve as he waves to his friend and moves to the door.*