My Immortal (Open)

[Philomena Snow]

It was a given that Mina wasn't the most talented violinist around, she had only had the instrument properly for around a month, and she had been practicing at the music store when she could up until the moment when she could afford the instrument, but it was still new to her. She seemed a natural towards the instrument, and was already working on Grade 2 pieces, looking at Grade 3. However, she had not arrived at the auditorium to practice the exam board pieces, she had her own music.

It wasn't too difficult, and she had gone through it with her violin teacher (who also told her not to waste her time learning and playing it... but fuck him.) It was a cover of one of her favourite songs, and since she wasn't a singer, having an outlet that she could actually use was genial. With her violin case, music stand and CD in hand, she stepped up to the performance area in the empty hall. She sat the stand up on it's feet and constructed it, and when she took out her violin, she treated it with great care, as if it was a baby or some such delicate object. Once all the technicalities were sorted, she approached the CD player, put in her disc and returned to her instrument, gracefully and gradually- there was no need to rush. The music began just as she had picked up it's neck.



Whilst she played, her face kept this fixed concentration, but she moved with the music subtly. You obviously couldn't hear them out loud, but the words of the song echoed in her head as she played.

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

Those words in particular held great meaning to her... she felt connected to the song like nothing else.

[Alyssa Ramius]

The auditorium had been a good place of silence as of late. It was rare to have visitors drop by to startle her and the airy silence provided a sense of calm akin to the self-dulling of her senses. It was a good place to practice outside of her usual training with her mentor. She had expected more of the same, but as she neared the auditorium doors, there was an audible difference -

This song…

-that had beckoned the blonde to quietly slip inside; taking care to make sure not even a creak of the door dares to disturb the flow of the musician. It was not even a matter of who this person was, if this was a familiar face, it was just pure appreciation of the mutual affinity between instrument and the performer. Sitting in the nearest seat and drawing her kneels to her chest, the blonde watches with respectful silence. Though the strings took place of the words, Alyssa found herself whispering the words:

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

The subtle glides of the girl’s bow, the sway to the music…this was a song close to the performer’s heart. Alyssa recognized it from the on and off years playing the violin herself, when the piece and the performer resonated together.

And it was a beautiful sight.

[Philomena Snow]

When the small blonde girl entered the auditorium, Mina didn't even register her appearance, she was too busy immersed in the music to separate her attention. The lyrics of the song continued to chime in her head; they reminded her of her problems back home... and her difficulties currently. Her dad leaving out of the blue was devastating, but part of her always held onto him, saying that he would come back. About 6 years later and there'd still been no sign of him. The bridge... those lyrics were almost exactly her thought:

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

She was alone. Every-day. Ever since her power manifested, she has felt alone, and she had no-one to fall back on. She had her sister and mother, but they were pretty emotionally weak, to be blunt about it. Nearing the end of the piece, she felt something wet trickle down her cheek. This was why she wanted to do this in private, she was worried that it might strike a chord. The music came to an end and she wiped her cheek swiftly, placing her instrument down and going to shut it off, when something caught her eye.

That something being some blonde hair.

A scowl planted itself onto her features; how dare somebody come in here uninvited and watch her? It was... atrocious. And incredibly rude. She slammed off the CD and turned back to her 'audience', "Did you fuckin' need somethin'?" Her voice was sharp and harsh, purposefully mean. This girl seemed pretty dim, pretty flimsy. Hopefully a few strong words would put her off of staying for long, "I'm kinda busy right now, I don't need any of your damn girl scout cookies."

[Alyssa Ramius]

It had been fortunate for the performer on stage, for the blonde girl delved into the soul of the music with ease and missed any semblance of tears. It was hard not to lose oneself in a song that resonated, a song that one holds dear. She had closed her eyes, melding into a self-inflicted darkness, where nothing but brilliantly colored music notes of the song danced along a long ribbon of staff rose from the performer on the stage.

A world of understanding! It was so calming.

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

And yet, so sad too. The loneliness…the significance of the words washed over her; how few souls she could connect to and those she had been able to grasp slipped away from her. Though she still saw Noah, she missed him being a walk away. Or even the raven haired phantom who had reached out to her in a time of dire need-

The sharp question lashed through her mind, snapping her from her meditative state. The music notes still lingered in the air however, no longer carrying sound or dancing. Alyssa stared wide-eyed at the performer on the stage for a moment before realizing what had been unfolding.

Anger.
But why, she questioned before actually taking inventory of the situation. Technically Alyssa had let herself in to listen to the song. No permission, no consideration to the young woman playing...no matter what way she looked at it, it HAD been awfully rude of her to just sit in.

"Oh! Um...!" The blonde's face flushed red as she immediately jumped up from her seat, ready to bolt like a frightened rabbit. Alyssa didn’t run however, but she almost was certain her heart stopped at some point. That was such a far cry from the lull of the violin just earlier, where there had been nothing but calmness filling the silence of the auditorium.

“I-” Alyssa's voice caught in her throat a moment, thrown off by the performer's comment. What? Girl scout cookies? Was that how she came off by a single look!? The girl was decked in white and a red skirt for the season, maybe it was the tartan ribbons in her hair? It was different, to say the least...wait, nevermind that! The blonde bit her lip before she lifts her head to the performer. Never had her words felt so necessary to be chosen with care!

"I’m sorr-“ No, the girl hesitated there. Mentally tossed to the side by force of habit. “I was not meaning to be rude! That song..."

Alyssa’s gaze dips briefly, unable to remain staring at the young lady on stage. She leaned forward, grasping the back of the chair ahead of hers just to remain steady, to remain in place no matter how much she wanted to just escape.

"Even without the words, I knew exactly what that song was. It called out to me, drew me here to listen. I know that sounds really stupid and no excuse for rudeness but...you played it beautifully.”

Warmth flourished in her last statement, for better or worse. Unsure of any further reaction from the performer, Alyssa shut her eyes. It was inevitable – “get out” or some crude variation of that. The way the blonde was poised, it was amazing she had not dashed off already.

[Philomena Snow]

Mina waited not-so patiently for some kind of considerate reply, possibly an apology or for the girl to run away, either worked for her. But no, Little Festive Tinkerbell was still there, rambling and blubbering like an idiot; Jesus Christ, she was jumpy.

Mina herself didn't fully understand why she had wanted to learn the violin. To have a talent of instrument playing was highly looked up at, and the violin was possibly one of the most difficult instruments to learn. So maybe she had picked it up because of the label attached?

Or maybe it was the similarities they shared; Mina connected with the things in life similar to her. That was why she was happier in the Winter time, it was colder and darker, like herself. The violin could be under estimated. It could portrayed many emotions, and although its sound would be unbearable to some, to others it was sweet and lilting, a joy to behold.

Or maybe she didn't want to look like an idiot trying to blow into something. That was probably it.

Her hand's latched onto her hips, attitude oozing out of her body language and facial expressions. She was most definitely one for non-verbal communication. She was pretty good at reading it, and she found it simple to portray in whatever way she liked. It made it easier to manipulate others. All she wanted to do at the moment was radiate a sense of power and dominance, and she felt like she was doing so very well.

Mina watched the girl steady herself and she crossed her arms. Blondie was sure taking her time on saying anything with some kind if meaning. She seemed just... what?

Mina's glare became blunt, her muscles loosened and her mind came up blank. It was a regular occurrence for this to happen when she intimidated others, they would try to protect themselves by coming up with some hand-me-down compliment. But her's... seemed genuine. Mina was lost. She couldn't scream at the girl now, could she? She was cold, yes, but she wasn't bitter or mean without purpose.

Mina simply nodded at the girl who stood in the stands. She didnt know if the blonde girl saw, it looked like her eyes were closed, but she did it all the same. "Just..." Her words abandoned her. Mina struggled to latch onto a structured sentence of meaningful words, so nothing else came out of her mouth. She swiftly turned on her heels and walked up to the CD player, ejecting the disc and putting it back in it's case. The quicker she was out of there, the better.

[Alyssa Ramius]

Alyssa’s eyes opened as there were no sharp words cutting through the air, but her stare remains firmly planted on the chair ahead of her. The performer on stage had a gaze that was…intimidating, conjuring those early days with her trainer. At least before the truth was learned, when she learned to keep her chin up beneath the weight of that piercing gaze. The blond bit her lip-

“Just…”

Was that what she heard? There was not an ounce of anger in those words but words that lacked a purpose, that were lost. Alyssa glanced at the stage, watching as the performer retrieves her CD, her movement with a sense of urgency. Worry swelled in her chest as a thousand thoughts crossed her mind at once: had she really angered her? Broken the performer’s concentration?

“Wait!” Alyssa called out, released from whatever had kept her in place earlier and shifting into the aisle. “You don’t have to leave or stop or anything! I was just…happy to find there was another person who plays violin.”

Not that she had met a lot of people. It had been the first time in the longest time that something so familiar, so intangible had drawn her away from the world. Her hands clasped at her chest and her gaze shifts nervously behind her to the exit before looking back at the performer, taking a step backwards.

“Just…keep on practicing. You’ll be great.”

[Philomena Snow]

Mina had a million thoughts to fire back at the girl.

'I don't have to leave, doesn't mean I'm going to stay.'

'Ha, as if I'm anything like you.'

'Ugh.'

Nothing came out though. Her defences were up, the ones she was so used to encountering. The ones she had used since the day she manifested. The silence was one of her best friends, and it usually made her words all the more sharper when she did speak them. Usually, however, she didn't speak because it wasn't necessary, but this time, she wasn't speaking because she was literally speechless. She hated the image that the girl held, one she hated very strongly, but friendliness was difficult for her to react positively to. For one, she wasn't used to it. Secondly, it made her uncomfortable, which she hated. One of the main reasons she didn't even try to make friends with people was because, ironically enough, being around others detached her from her reality even more. In her own twisted way, she was trying to save others from being wrapped up in her difficult life.

Not that this blondie would know anything about any of that.

Mina hesitated when the girl spoke once more. Oh... fucking hell, she was going to... her head told her not to, but, "Wait!" she called out to the blonde girl. She sighed, putting the CD case down and caving into her heart's desires to actually socialize. She walked forward on the stage, and when she was at the front, she spoke, "...thanks." What did people usually say? By this point she had usually left the conversation, or had upset the other person so much that they had left. Hm. She sat on the edge of the stage, "And... sorry. I'm just not a people person, I guess."

Ha, that was one way of putting it.