fiddlestick | Stella Fortuna Inbox

Mn. No point in living somewhere if you can't try to make the most of it.

[He knows by now that this is most people's "normal" around here, so he tries to keep his tone dismissive, even if it doesn't sound earnest.]

Plants don't have a lot of color back home, but you still get the old withered goblins and wyverns telling stories about trees that were always green, flowers that had all sorts of colors. Kind of every kid's dream, at some point or another.

Haha, I'll say you make the most of it! I planted some flowers in my teapot, but it's nothing compared to this.

[This is out of a disney movie man!! Elliot very much approves]

...I get it. This realm can be made into whatever you want, so why not have it be your dream? I think it's really nice.

It's not that big of a deal. [That's a lie, because it is. And this is why he doesn't invite anyone over!!]

You were the one getting after me for getting too stuck in what I'm used to. Just because I suck at it in public doesn't mean I don't want it to happen.

[Elliot smiles a little of that]

It's nice to hear I had an impact. [But he knows that Lutha will get flustered if he keeps talking about it so--] So, you said something about an instrument?

Mn. I've got it at the house right now. Unfortunately can't manage it well without two hands, so it's gathering more dust then I'd like.

[He tries not to sound too bitter, carefully leading Elliot to the smaller of the two buildings, hanging the lantern near the front door before opening it for the other redhead. Wow he has manners??? Who knew.]

I need to grab something from the storehouse first, but uh. Help yourself. It should be over on the table near the fireplace.

[It's a small space, only two rooms split off by a doorless entryway, stone walls and wooden floors. But every corner leans some sort of tool, either fully realized or a half-made trinket of leather and metal and wood. One corner holds a bare bones kitchen, meat preserved, jars of vinegars and oils and spices very carefully lined up, with only a vibrant selection of fruit showing that anyone had even been in here recently, considering none have spotted from decay. The walls are lined with dried flowers and greenery tied up with twine, especially at a small pedestal decorated only with an unlit, half worn candle and two empty metal stands. To the other corner of the first room lies a small stone hearth, a mess of down and straw and cotton blankets strewn nearby in what is probably a bed of some sort, while opposite sits a table short enough that one must either kneel or cross their legs. More bits of metal and wood litter the surface, framing the long, ebony colored zither that currently sits, fully strung but unplayed. Next to it sits a book, scrawled with sheet music.

Really, the more he might look, there are just Secret Books all over the place and it's just the first room.]

[He makes an acknowledging "mm" sound, taking that into account. So he should try to figure out if there's a way for Lutha to play this instrument. That definitely seemed like the most important step to him]

Alright!

[He heads into the house. It's a small place, but it's honestly a pretty cozy place. This whole place felt like an idyllic get away into the woods. Which honestly...Elliot is glad that Lutha let himself have a place of peace and happiness.

His eyes however, narrow in on the zither. He's never seen that exact type of instrument before - but it looked like a type of harp. He heads straight over to it, sitting down and begins tinkering with it. Lutha will be able to hear the early experimental plucking as Elliot starts to figure out just how this instrument works.]

[It's been tuned well! Rather than each accidental having its own note, though, it will be obvious that it's purposefully been tuned for a specific key, maybe even a specific melody.

Lutha isn't gone for very long, slipping out of the house and the back in within a couple of minutes, straps of leather slung against one of his shoulders. He stops to the candle first, unfolding something from an inner shirt pocket and setting it in the stand, before carefully lighting the candle with his fingertips. It takes him a second to catch if Elliot is playing anything seriously or not, the sound still muffled.]

Change the pegs if you need to. [It's said without looking up from what he's doing.] I set it to B flat last week. Didn't work exactly like I planned.

[Sorry Lutha did you say something? Because Elliot's attention is completely on the Zither. Once he's finished with experimental twangs, he's checking the pegs for differences. All the while his fingers keep plucking the Zither at different point, as if he's trying to figure out what it's trying to tell him. All while he's got a real look of joy on his face.

...Get comfortable Lutha. He's in his own little world and he's going to be here awhile]

[...

Ah.

He's glad Elliot's too distracted to see his lips quirk up at the sight of it.

It's there and gone as Lutha fetches a teapot from among his things. His limp is a little more pronounced in closer quarters, but he doesn't bother to hide it now. It's a safe space, and Elliot's distracted enough.

The fireplace is coaxed to life, just enough for the embers to run hot, as Lutha plops himself down into the mess of fabric and feathers with a tired grunt. Elliot's probably going to have that instrument figured out before he can fix his brace, but all the better for it. It's been a while since he's seen someone so openly giddy about music without jealousy taking over.]

You really do have an ear for it, huh.

[Elliot is completely distracted so he won't notice any limb. It was like he was in his own little world, just getting to know the instrument and getting it to share its song. And he's making quick work of getting the hang of it too, running through the scales and chords on the strings.

He will actually answer when Lutha speaks up, even looking up a little. Managed to get lucky enough for Elliot to hear him this time]

Haha, you could say that. [he glances back at the zither] It's a little hard to explain, but music's just always spoken to me. And when I get my hands on a new instrument, I just feel an urge to find out what it has to say.

[He broke through the trance, 10 points for Lutha.]

Nah, I think I could get it. Music is music. People might feel how it flows differently between one thing or another, but it's still the same language at the end of it all.

[He's not gonna try to interrupt Elliot much further, getting busy himself with shoving off the boot of his right leg and rolling up the worn seams of his trouser leg. The scars are much darker, caving under the wrap of a makeshift brace that's barely hanging onto the straps against his shin and knee, the leather torn away from too much wear. It's slow work, with one hand, but he keeps talking the whole while.]

I'm just surprised how quick you're managing it, since you mainly use the bow. Do you have one of these in that stockpile of yours?

Eheh, yeah. Exactly!

[You do get it Lutha! He has the vague sense that Lutha is doing SOMETHING nearby. Or at least, he can hear something going on. But he'll keep his eyes on the zither. Partly because he's focused on it, and partly out of respect for Lutha's privacy. ]

Not exactly this instrument, but I'm familiar with instruments in the same family. [The harp, the lyre, etc] Violin's my favorite, definitely, but it's not the only instrument I know. In fact, I've played the piano longer than I've played violin.

[He's just chilling on the floor fixing his leg at a snail's pace and listening to the attempts at music, it's fine.]

"Piano"? [The syllables are sounded out, the word foreign.] Is that one of the ones in the same family, then?

Haha, well it's something of a distant cousin, I suppose. This is closer to a lyre than a piano though.

[How to explain]

Pianos are very large instruments, that you sit down in front. They have a bunch of keys that you press to make notes. If you've heard of a harpsichord, clavichord or a pipe organ - those are similar to a piano.

Harpsichord, yeah. My, uh -- [shit] Someone I knew as a kid used to own one, but it was too tinny sounding for me. Hard to draw out emotion from it.

If you like that piano of yours, I imagine its a little easier to play around with and not sound like silverware trying to escape a cabinet in the process. [It's a quip that's brimming with some dry sort of nostalgia. He hasn't touched a harpsichord in over a decade, after all, but the sound was hard to forget, especially of one being played wrong.]

[He laughs at the description]

Haha, you're not wrong about that! The Harpischord isn't the, uh, easiest instrument to love. [Elliot loves all instruments but....yeah. He gets it.]

In my world, the piano more or less replaced the harpischord a couple centuries ago because of that. [Actually--] Actually, I think I have a recording of my sister playing one, if you're interested.

Recording, huh.

[what, like they wrote it down or something?

Either way, he's not getting up from what he's doing just yet, letting out a breath of relief as he wrangles the brace off his leg and sets it onto the floor.]

You mean the sheet music, or something else?

Edited 2021-11-28 16:23 (UTC)

Hehe, not exactly...It's best if I just show you.

[He'll dig into one of his belt satchels and pull out his ARCUS -- which basically looks like a massive flip phone with magic gems inside. He hits a few buttons, makes sure the volume is nice and loud, and then starts playing this song.

He'll let the song speak for itself, letting it play out so Lutha can hear it. ]

[what the fuck is this witchcraft

He stares on with a look of heavy suspicion at first as Elliot pulls a huge glowing slab of metal out of nowhere. But once the sound starts up and fills the room, the redhead's confusion softens, the teapot he's picked up staying still and unused against his leg as he settles his weight back down and listens.

The sound is a lot more mellow than he remembers, the hammer of the strings much softer... but with a control of volume, an ebb and flow, like both hands might chase one another across the keys like rabbits in a field, a bright and energetic sort of piece with a small sort of triumph to its emphasis. There's feeling, and well played at that.]

...It ...sounds better. [NO SHIT it sounds better. But it's the only words he can manage from a dry throat at first, too busy listening to the piece as it starts to dwindle to an end.]

..How.... the hell do you keep the sound with you like that?

[He watches Lutha go through the roller coaster of reactions that is hearing a sound recording for the first time as well as the piano. He's smiling for sure.]

Hehe, much better right? Pianos have an incredible amount of range. They're one of the most popular instruments for a reason!

[But oh right, the tech]

It's a sound recording. My friend Alisa could explain the technology better, but basically you can capture a recording of a sound, so you can replay it as many times as you want.

Edited 2021-11-28 17:50 (UTC)

Capturing a sound... [Sounds like bull! But it still just happened, so he just kind of lets out a confused sort of exhaled.] Aaaa, I can't say I get it, so it's probably something the Fer would like to take apart and remake into something else.

[His chin plops into his hand as he looks back over the device, his eyes softening.]

It's... warmer, than I thought it would be. The sound of it.

It's nice.

Haha, that seems to be a common response with engineer-minded types. [Take apart, see how it works] It's pretty useful, really. You get to hear all types of music with recordings.

[Being in a world where he couldn't listen to the radio each night has been rough man. Just rough]

Mm, it's a pretty warm sound! Much fuller yet gentler than a harpsichord. [It's easy to see why pianos replaced them] My sister's really talented at piano too, so she's very good at drawing out it's full potential.

Yeah. Gets kind of easy to tell, if you know what to listen for. The good ones stand out.

[Which reminds him: Elliot made a call out on that same thing WITHOUT that information, as far as Lutha knows, and it still feels weird to think about...]

Speaking of.

How the hell did you know I played music?

Edited 2021-12-09 01:56 (UTC)

[Ah yes, that question. He gives a little laugh and scratches his cheek.]

Haha...it's hard to explain, but it's just a knack I've always had. I can usually tell if someone's had music experience.

[So he always had that sense, but seeing that memory of Lutha's confirmed it. Though uh, probably better not to bring that up]

Kind of gutsy of you to claim it in front of everyone when said person's missing a hand, you know.

[He is damn lucky no one got nosey.

He just lets out a breath through his nose, rolling over onto his knees to start the bare minimum of a fire and scoop water into the teapot nearby, one that oddly matches how his Adeptus pot looks. Just gonna get that going before he gets distracted...]

You must think how I acted out in Mondstadt was pretty childish, then.

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This got lost in my inbox whoop

dw notif ghost strikes again (you're good)

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