139th Box [Accidental video]
'Linnea' pauses at she spots the old piano, staring at it before reaching over to touch the keys. She then finds herself sitting down on the old bench before reaching up to touch one of the keys. Hnnnn, it can still play. She continues to hit the single key over and over again before her other hand finds the piano keys. At first the song was much to hear as if it was like a child playing for the first time. But soon it just grew more and more into a more sadder tune.
The sound soon attracted Layton, and he followed his ears to find the scene. A girl he didn't know, but she seemed so sad... and the tune merely reinforced that. "Miss?" It was more of a projected whisper than anything else -- he didn't want to interrupt her, but a gentleman cannot stand by and do nothing when a lady is so melancholy.
She just goes to close her eyes as she continues to play the melancholy song. Getting lost in the music so to speak. Tears will no longer fall... Words have already been spoken over and over again. She goes to pour her whole being into the song to project what she is feeling. Her tiredness of everything, her own desire to just stop existing and the feeling of abandonment. She was tired of everything just.... Tired.
Layton quietly approached the lady and the instrument. Looking cautiously at the two, he gently raised a hand to a section of keys she wasn't using. One note, then two; he waited a moment for a objection before expanding them into a simple but cheerful tune. It was short, just to catch her attention; he let it fade away soon enough, resting his fingertips on the edge of the keys.
She stops her playing at the sudden intruder. It made no difference if he joins her or not. She listens to his tune before going to play just a tiny part of her own song, allowing him to counter her own tune with one of his own.
Layton's not going anywhere... but it's not like he knows that. He smiles politely, and steps a little closer so as to use both hands. Perhaps she doesn't have a problem with him being here? To more clearly show his intent, and why he's here, he mirrors the tone of her song, but morphs it back to his cheerful one.
'Linnea' goes to scoot over just a little to give him some space to sit down if he wanted to. She goes to give him a questioning look at his intent. She heard it loud and clear. She goes to frown a little and goes to play a slower tune, still sad in nature but slower pace.
He takes the offer, carefully sitting down but still taking up as little space on the bench as possible; he doesn't want to invade her space too much. He goes to mirror her tune again, this time note-for-note, but lets it slowly build to something hopeful, perhaps even triumphant. Even so, there's something missing; it sounds more like half of a song meant for four hands than something that stands on its own. And this time, he does not relinquish possession of his section of keys so quickly, giving her a gentle smile of his own.
You want to see personal space invader? Just wait till she is back to her old self again. She idly catches the gentle smile, but she became more focused on the music and what he was 'saying' to her. She hears the missing part and this time around, goes to start playing a bit more timidly before once more playing her tune.... Her part in this silent duet.
He mirrors her tune again, but shifts it to a different, almost responsive, melancholy tune; the second saying to the first, "I understand". It shifts tones once more; still quiet, and unobtrusive, but instead speaks of quiet strength. The sadness is still there, but no longer dominates.
She goes to let out just a small sigh as she listens to his 'words'. Her tune soon became louder almost angry in it's intent before backing back down again. Her tune almost as if asking, 'Why? What makes you think you understand?' before it goes to portray loneliness, a deep amount of loneliness.
He answers with another melancholy tune, speaking of sad memories rather than a current sadness. To do so, he uses a few keys on her half of the piano, and glances up at her as he does so. It's merely a brief moment of eye contact that he wants this time. Hopefully that will send the message -- she doesn't have to be alone, if she doesn't want to be.
She frowns even more at both the tune and the eye contact, but even at the eye contact is brief as she quickly looks away. She goes to play a darker tone, using as many lower keys that she can to play out fear and some of her own darkness.
The frown worries him; is he disturbing her? But she could just say something if that were the case, wouldn't it? He returns to a gentle, hopeful tune, sticking to the higher, more fragile-sounding keys. He uses only one hand this time, as it is once again simple.
No, he wasn't disturbing her and she goes to try can relay that within her tune. Her tune changes, no longer quite as sad but still has the sadness within it as she finally starts to warm up to him a little. Like him, playing with just one hand.
He meets her halfway, using another half-sad, half-hopeful tune again. He occasionally taps a key with his other hand, but is sticking to one for the most part. This tune is more cooperative with hers, sounding less like the duel of moods they've been having and more like... a musical conversation.
She can do this, easily. Hers while remaining sad was also questioning at the same time to his hopefulness. She found herself reaching to just nudge his hand to try and get him to play with both of them again before going to play with both hands.
He returns both hands to the keys obediently, and his song becomes more complex. A cycle of two tunes, one sad, the other cheerful. Hope brings sadness into cheer, while conflict brings cheer into sadness. They repeat, but the cheerful tune remains dominant, each one lasting longer than its melancholy counterpart.
She kept hers more simple to his complex tune but yet has found a way to keep her tune to blend perfectly to his tunes. Though now, she slips on a few keys as her hands begin now to start trembling.
He cooperates in turn, harmonizing his notes to hers, but when he looks at her part of the keys and sees that she's trembling, he slows down, his music less enthusiastic. He turns his face away from the keys to give her a look of concern.
She continues to miss her keys before she just keeps her fingers on the keys. Her eyes shut tightly as tears were falling down her face. She goes to bite her lips a little to prevent sound from escaping her lips as she fights the urge to start crying in front of this strange man.
He reduces his half of the song is a slow, simple tune; one that he doesn't really have to keep his eye on, and with only one hand once more. With the other, he reaches out to gently touch her shoulder.
She goes to look towards him at the touch. That touch was all that was needed as she then leans towards him in order to cry against him. No worries Layton, you were not the cause of her tears. You just helped bring them out for one last time as she needed them.
He abandons the music altogether. Instead, he goes to gently hug her, concern still etched into his expression. It didn't take words to come to this, but he'll chance them again. "Miss?" He doesn't sound annoyed; his tone is one mainly of compassion and concern, perhaps a bit of curiosity.
(OOC: Italics is Layton as I do not know how to do colors. Replies will come from both Sai and Layton.)