paixaorpg | Tidus 002 | Just the Way You Are

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Tidus 002 | Just the Way You Are | completed

Character(s): Tidus and Lenne
Content: Tidus and Lenne meet. Uh oh.
Setting: Ceu de Mouraria [L8]
Time: Week 12, around evening.
Warnings: Does this count as infidelity?

Wandering about, Tidus was all set to explore Paixao. Only... how far did he go? It was getting dark, and there wasn't a lot to do aside from eating at the local cafes. Huh. Ducking into an older building, nobody seemed to be around. It was no blitzball stadium, but it reminded him of Luca's sphere theater as it had a lot of spectator seats and a stage. Making his way to the stage, he found a lone piano... well, he never was musical, but he was bored. There wasn't much else to do. Seating himself, he didn't even know if the bloody thing was in tune. In any case, he wondered what he should try out... there weren't any sheets, and it wasn't as if he could read sheet music anyway.

Then it came to him. Yuna sometimes hummed a tune... he then began using one of his fingers to find the starting note, and stumbled through the rest of the melody as it resounded throughout the hall.

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Lenne was prone to exploring, as well, however most of her explorations were due to her unenviable ~~lack of~~ sense of direction. Today, she found herself near what appeared to be an old performance hall. Lenne was very familiar with such places, and was surprised that she hadn't noticed it before, or heard of it. What a pity that a beautiful house of performing arts was going unused. Well, there would certainly be no harm in exploring a little further...

She stepped very quietly around the foyer, never having been fond of the sound of her own steps echoing, and found a side-entrance onto the theatre's stage. She crept into the somewhat dark space, then stopped short at the sound of fingers on piano keys. The tune had a haunting familiarity to it, but she couldn't recognize it any further. What she found upon venturing a little further stopped her breathless in her tracks.

Lenne stepped back, finding the wall, and just stared at the back of the man playing at the piano. It couldn't be... No, it wasn't. The skill wasn't there. And yet... what are the odds? She couldn't move, frozen, leaning heavily against the wall, her hand over her heart as if it had stopped for a moment. She didn't know what to say, and couldn't remember how to move. Maybe he wouldn't realize she was there and she could escape back through the stage's side entrance...

"... well, this is a waste of time." Tidus sighed, closing the cover on the keys gently as he tapped the piano's top. He was no piano master, and most likely he'd never be. His specialty was blitzing, after all, and that's what he did best, better than most people. Well, that and saving the world, but if he couldn't do anything about this world then there was no point in bragging about that. Plus, it was together with Yuna and the others, so he couldn't take all of the credit, could he?

He wasn't exactly the most observant person, and his ninja-senses weren't exactly existent, so he didn't notice Lenne at that point. Getting up, he simply hummed the Hymn of the Fayth, the song his dad loved, and the song Spira used in their religious practices.

Lenne panicked when Tidus closed the piano and started to get up. She knew he hadn't noticed her, and she really didn't want him to leave... nor did she want him to know she'd just been standing there for who-knows-how-long like a stalker... But, instead of fleeing, she took the bolder option, and stepped toward him slowly, her boot heels clicking softly on the stage floor.

"Hi there," she greeted his back softly, just loud enough to hear clearly, but not so loud that it would echo in the empty hall. She was still several feet behind him, and, truth be told, was almost nervous to see his face. But she had to. Even though she knew it couldn't possibly be... him... his voice sounded so familiar. It had made her heart skip again, then thud so hard in her chest she swore she could hear it in the quiet.

Turning around, Tidus was a bit surprised... "Lenne...?" He recognized her voice over the network; it was unique, at the very least. Was this the other girl from Zanarkand? Smiling, it turned into a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't know anybody else was here... sorry if I'm intruding or anything."

Ah!

"Tidus?" she asked, suddenly knowing it must be him. How bizarre, not only did they share a hometown, he looked so, so much like... Well, maybe that's why his voice was so familiar, she'd spoken to him already. How unfortunate that her every encounter with him increased her blood pressure.

She smiled apologetically, clasping her hands behind her back. "I am the one intruding, I'm sorry," she responded, still smiling. "I heard you on the piano and had to investigate," she complimented smoothly, her confidence slowly returning. She had to fight the urge to close the distance and reach out to touch his face. Her fingers nearly itched to do so. Such a resemblance.

"How long have you played the piano?" she asked conversationally, suddenly feeling the need to keep him there.

"Aa, well, I... don't. Unless you count the last... what, ten minutes?" Tidus chuckled more to himself. "I spent most of my time playing blitzball, really." He explained, completely unaware of what was going on through Lenne's mind. She didn't seem like the shy type over the network... but then again, it's been a while since Tidus talked with a woman other than Yuna. And he was completely clueless as to what was on or off limits regarding that, since he had no idea whether Yuna had jealousy storms or what would trigger them.

"So, that's kinda why I suck at the piano. You any good at it, though?" Tidus moved to the side, offering her a seat on the piano bench.

She laughed lightly when he chuckled. She'd guessed as much, but it doesn't hurt to ask, and besides, it kept him talking, and then some. Lenne had absolutely no idea of his connection to or relationship with Yuna, though later she would most likely be unsure if it really would have affected her actions at all.

"You don't suck, I assure you," she laughed, lying smoothly. She'd heard much worse, truth be told. "I've played, yes, but it's been a long time..." she hesitated, but when he motioned to the piano bench, she couldn't help but comply. She approached with a grin and took a seat at the piano, lifting the cover off of the keys slowly. Once it was in place, she ran arpeggios up and down the keys, trying to get a feel for this instrument. The keys stuck a bit, and a few were out of tune, but it wasn't nearly so bad as she expected.

"I don't really remember any songs," she admitted, a little embarrassed, and hoped she could still find a way to hold his attention. The only melodies she could recall were a bit on the melancholy, bordering on depressing side. But, there had been a song stuck in the back of her mind, a tune she'd been unable to remember the name of or when she'd first heard it. So, she decided to try it out, left hand playing the chord, right hand picking out the melody, of a tune that might have resembled 1000 Words, if she'd known the title.

He was more than impressed at Lenne's scales or whatever they were called, as ignorant as he was, but when she began picking out the melody, he found himself smiling. Keeping his impression silent aside from his smile, he sat patiently as Lenne continued to play, not wishing to interrupt her or break her concentration. She actually looked like she was in her natural element performing, similar to how he felt when he was in the middle of a fierce blitzball tournament.

The song that Lenne and Yuna shared, Tidus had not heard it... but the emotion through the melody did touch his heart, in some way. He wasn't sure why, but he could tell that it was a melody which meant something to Lenne... it wasn't the usual pop drivel with no heart whatsoever.

She was humming a harmony along with the melody she played now, working it out on the keys, repeating a part here and there until she liked the way it sounded. She risked a glance at the man next to her, and immediately grinned, looking back at her hands a little bit embarrassed. Every time her elbow bumped his her smile grew just a hint more. She felt completely at ease with him, even as she had to fight whatever this embarrassment was that he inspired in her.

She didn't have the heart to break the silence just yet, and continued humming along in harmony, sometimes a few nonsense syllables here and there, the melody and chords becoming just a little more complex as she continued. It felt amazing to be playing piano again. She would definitely have to start writing music once more, now that she knew of a piano.

She risked another sideways glance at Tidus and winked. Apparently she hadn't lost her touch.

Tidus clapped when it was all said and done, quite impressed that his new friend was such a whiz at this sort of thing. "Amazing!" He praised. He got up, looked around, and pondered for a few seconds. "Hey, why don't we try throwing a concert in this hall?" he suggested. "Your talent is amazing! Plus, I'm sure this dreary place could use something cheerful like this, right?" He pumped his fist to show his enthusiasm. "I can't perform or anything, but I'd be more than happy to help you set it up, Lenne!" He beamed.

She couldn't help but grin and laugh. My, his enthusiasm was entirely too contagious. Where did all that energy come from?

She genuinely blushed at his compliments, batting her eyelashes just a moment before thanking him sincerely.

"Sounds like a wonderful idea! And I'm sure there are other performers in this city, too, who would love to contribute," she agreed. Yuna had mentioned wanting to dance or sing with her "again", and Lenne was definitely up for it. She'd have to brush up her portfolio, though, she was sorely out of practice, whatever the charismatic blitzer might think. As much as she liked the idea of a solo show, it wouldn't hurt to add some variety.

"And we'll just have to find you a venue where you can perform, too," she added with another wink and a musical laugh.

[ooc: Zack had his flowers for Aerith, and now Tidus has this concert thing for Lenne. It doesn't help that I play Zack, too, lol :| ]

The blonde simply laughed. "All right, but one thing at a time, Lenne!" He put his fists on his hips, as if to say that this was his stance and he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Besides, setting a concert is slightly easier than finding the equipment to make a sphere pool, right?" He attempted to reason with her, though in a joking manner.

"And of course, this won't just happen over night. How about you find performers, and I'll find people to help set this up?" He suggested. "It'll be like a talent show for all of Paixao! It'll bring everybody together, at least." Perhaps his view was a bit optimistic, but it sounded good to him.

"Have you looked around? The technology here is all but nonexistent, might be just as hard to do either," she laughed. "But you might just be on to something. The acoustics in here can't be that bad..." she trailed off, biting her lip in thought.

"We could have all kinds of acts, not just singing? Maybe dancing, or any kind of talent... There must be all sorts of people who would gladly have a little fun for a good cause," she was talking more to herself than to Tidus, and had stood and moved to stand next to him as she brainstormed aloud, motioning with her hands in emphasis.

"And you could emcee," she joked with a playfully laugh, reaching out to give his shoulder a brief squeeze. She couldn't help it, he was just that inviting.

"Hey, I wouldn't mind!" Tidus once again pumped his fist in enthusiasm, glad that she seemed a bit more relaxed than she was before. The piano must have really loosened her up; sharing her talent with all of Paixao had to be done! That, and... well, people from Zanarkand, even if he was from an imaginary one, should stick together... right? Right! "We won't need to have judges or anything, since it'll be for fun!" He whistled, more to himself than to Lenne. Just think! This theater filled to the brim with people, the stage all lit up, lights going on outside... it'll be a night!"

Lenne would have felt the same way, in such a melting pot of worlds, people who shared the same home, from whatever time, should stick together. If she only knew how many people here really were from Spira. She only knew of Yuna and Tidus so far.

"No, no, no judges, just purely for fun and to lighten up this city a bit," she agreed, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning into him lightly, "I can see it now. A full house, strings of lights, decorations," she made a slow, sweeping motion of her hand as if everything she saw in her mind was going to appear in front of them with the gesture.

"Sounds absolutely wonderful," she sighed.

Edited 2009-10-13 04:58 (UTC)

Feeling a bit comfortable with Lenne's touch on his shoulder, he put his own gloved hand on top of it, and squeezed a bit as he looked at her expression, then turned to the audience chamber to try to catch a glimpse of what Lenne imagined. As he felt at home in the sphere pool, she must have felt at home on the stage... and sharing it with somebody you cared about, that made it all the better. Lenne hadn't mentioned making many friends, not that Tidus could talk much about that, but... well, wait. Why wasn't he, for a split second, thinking of Yuna...? His brows furrowing a bit as he reprimanded himself, his smile didn't fade. He was helping out a new friend. Somebody from their world. There was nothing wrong with that.

He almost forgot that his hand was grasping Lenne's, and he let go suddenly, becoming conscious of himself, blushing a bit. "I'll definitely emcee, Lenne... I want to be the first one to introduce you on this stage."

Lenne held onto her reverie for a while longer, letting her free arm fall slowly back to her side as she let out a long sigh. The anticipation was almost tangible for her, she could hardly wait to perform again, if only to keep that smile on Tidus' face, even better if she could spread such smiles throughout Paixao.

She grinned a little brighter when his hand found hers, not even reading into the gesture, just enjoying it for what it was: familiar, comforting, and warm. It wasn't lost on her, however, when that pressure was rather swiftly removed, but it wasn't her place to ask, even as she noted the light blush that lit his face. Being the woman that she was, she immediately assumed the worst, that he really didn't want her touching him at all, so she gracefully removed her hand from his shoulder, sliding it lightly down his arm until it was once again resting at her side.

When he spoke again, she smiled brightly, falling back into her familiar stance of clasping her hands behind her back. "Thank you, Tidus. It'll be an honor to have a famed celebrity like yourself introduce me," she told him, truthfully, with just a hint of that playfulness that he brought out in her, as much as she tried to suppress it.

Her playful tone brought out an even bigger smile on Tidus' face. "Well, maybe in your dreams I'm that famous." He joked lightly, the true meaning of the joke understood only by himself. Noticing the time, it was about time for him to head on back... he felt a bit bad for abruptly ending this meeting, but there was a lot to be done, he had thought. As much as he'd love to stay there and spend more time with Lenne, something about her drawing him in... he knew he shouldn't have tempted himself. Besides, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her... or Yuna. It was odd. Being around Yuna, who had her own set of problems and life ahead of her, it was a bit like feeling left behind. With Lenne, it almost felt like he was the top dog again, and it made him feel good. That attention wasn't a bad feeling.

"Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and start to set things up!" He beamed. "So you'd better have an amazing set of songs all ready by the time we're set to go!"

"Now don't you make this all about me, I don't know if I could handle the pressure!" she joked. She needed to write a song or two in a hurry, no more than three or four, total. This was a talent show, after all, she was not about to make herself the lone star.

"I should be heading back myself, before it gets too dark. It's still too easy for me to get lost here," she admitted, a bit embarrassed. She didn't want to leave, but she could hardly force him to stay. She knew they'd connected, and that she would definitely see him again. That made her happy, and on that note, she could leave with a smile.

She leaned into him and placed a feather-light kiss to his cheek, nothing more, and winked. "See you later, Tidus," she said in parting, and began to walk gracefully back out the way she came, through the side stage entrance, praying to gods she wouldn't trip and ruin a perfect exit.

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Tidus 002 | Just the Way You Are | completed

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