Stress Relief - Music Room (open)

[Odette Cohen]

Odette didn't know many songs on piano. She was able to plunk out most simple tunes by ear, and quite liked the music-box sound the method produced. She had no idea how to use the pedals, anyway.

It was late afternoon by this point, and the first clear day after a long stint of rain and wind and other weather general non-conducive to outside playtime. As it were, the courtyard was full of people. Odette took advantage of the quiet hallways and snuck down to the music room in the hopes of easing some of the tension out of her hands and shoulders. Her friend Baram had relapsed again, and she wasn't allowed anywhere near the Nest or the isolation rooms to go and comfort him. At least she knew that Baby and Rudy could keep him company.

Slowly, her fingers teased Arrorro Mi Niño from the keys. She sang along, quietly, her raspy voice sounding sweet but barely audible over the piano.

"Arrorró mi niño, arrorró mi sol,
arrorró pedazo, de mi corazón.

Este niño lindo ya quiere dormir;
háganle la cuna de rosa y jazmín.

Háganle la cama en el toronjil,
y en la cabecera pónganle un jazmín
que con su fragancia me lo haga dormir."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam had come up to the music room to practice on his cello, and was pleasantly surprised to hear someone in there already, playing the piano and singing in a language he didn't know. He hummed along as he poked his head into the room.

/Oh, hey! That's Odette!/ Eve spoke up as he saw the lass at the piano. /You should go talk to her. I think she'd like to meet you. She already knows about me, so you don't have to be too awkward./

Liam nodded, remembering Eve's late-night snack run not long ago. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, it was good that she was able to make friends on her own time. On the other, that involved disrupting his sleep, borrowing the most personal thing he had without permission, and potentially getting him into trouble if she were to get caught by someone who didn't understand. And the first and last ones wouldn't change even if he did give her permission.

He waited until Odette was done, then caught her eye and smiled. "Hello."

[Odette Cohen]

Odette flinched at the sudden presence of another person, and immediately began to turn a delicate shade of pink as she lifted her head to look at the speaker.  A smile made her eyes crinkle as recognition took her and she spun around on the piano bench to stand and hook her hands behind her back.

"Oh!  Hi E--" no wait it was daytime "vLiam.  Hi Liam."  She gave a soft little chuckle and a welcoming bow of her head.  "Hi Liam," she repeated, just to cement which sibling this was.  "It's n-nice to meet you.  And hello Eve."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam raised a brow as Odette started to say Eve's name instead of his, his smile turning into a laugh. "Confusing, I know. Probably more so since you met her first. Eve says hi too." He came to stand by the piano, looking at her with interest. "What was that you were singing? I've never heard it before."

[Odette Cohen]

Odette bit her lip and glanced at the piano keys before looking up at Liam. "S'just a little l-lullaby. My nana used t-to sing it to me and I find it very r-relaxing."

She wasn't going to mention why she needed relaxing, though she felt like Eve would understand. Hell, Liam would probably have no problem understanding, but Odette had yet to get to know him.

Unconsciously, her hands rose to start combing her hair over her shoulder.

"I had the d-day off of work, and it's a little busy outside wh-what with all the people enjoying the weather, so..."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam nodded. "Music is good for relaxing. Though I also like the sort that gets you energized. Playing the cello is good for both. On the one hand, Loreena McKennitt and lots of classical stuff. On the other hand, most of Apocalyptica's music." He grinned and sat down on the bench beside her. "Do you play often?"

[Odette Cohen]

Odette watched Liam move to sit down and shook her head. "J-just every so often," she admitted. "I only know simple tunes that I can p-play by ear. It's m-mostly lullabies and songs my nana used to sing."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam nodded. "That's a good way to remember her. If you wanted to learn more, though, I'm sure Professor Vincent could teach you."

[Odette Cohen]

Odette shook her head again, though she was smiling this time. "I d-don't really have the time to take music lessons. A-and I'm sure the professor has enough on his p-plate already."

Besides, she didn't have too much interest in playing music beyond what she already knew. Listening and dancing were more her style.

Odette rocked on her toes a tiny bit, wondering how to keep the conversation going.

"So, how long h-have you and Eve b-been playing? Music, I mean."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam couldn't help but smile as Odette spoke. She was pretty, and her stutter was kind of adorable.

"I started taking cello lessons when I was eight," he said. "Eve started on the harp about the same time. I'm thinking of taking harp lessons too... just so Eve can have the feeling of playing again, whether or not she borrows my body. And in case we don't find a way to get her one of her own."

[Odette Cohen]

Odette nodded. "And if-when she d-does get a new body, you'll have a new s-skill."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam grinned. "Aye. I'm hoping it all works out for the best, for Eve's sake. She's the reason I enrolled here."

[Odette Cohen]

"Yeah, Eve told me." Odette eased onto the piano bench next to Liam and looked up at the ceiling. "Though I have to w-wonder what k-kind of magic it would take to t-transfer a soul from one b-body to another. Like, permanently. Necromancy, sure, but I c-can't imagine it's easy to w-work with that kind of p-power."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam nodded, running a hand through his hair. "And that's the tricky part. I have no idea how long it'll take, if it's even possible. I've been discussing it with Smoke and a few others, but there's a lot to figure out yet. Like determining how exactly she got in here in the first place," he tapped the side of his head, "so we know if we can get her out. About all we know right now is that some kind of spell went wrong the moment she died."

[Odette Cohen]

Odette hummed. "It's best to have as m-much information as possible before you b-bring magic into play. I d-don't think Eve would appreciate being accidentally t-transferred into a footstool or something."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam cringed, and Eve made a horrified noise. "I don't think 'no' is a strong enough word. That's all kinds of scary, there."

[Odette Cohen]

Odette shrugged and tapped a few notes out on the keys. "Well, magic can be d-dangerous. Just be c-careful."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam nodded, a frown pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Aye. If not for magic we wouldn't be in this situation."

He paused, looking at her curiously. "Do you have magic at all?"

[Odette Cohen]

Odette breathed in slowly through her nose before replying.

"Technically. But I have no c-control over it, and it has no real use f-for anyone other than someone needing a d-drug fix."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam blinked. "Well, that's... unique. May I ask how it works?"

[Odette Cohen]

Odette rubbed her forearms. "It..." She made a tiny grumbling noise.

"Wh-when I get scared, my magic c-comes out on its own. This big c-cloud of magic, like an aura. It acts as a s-strong hallucinogen, l-like LSD or some mushrooms. It's the r-reason why I'm n-not allowed anywhere near Professor Oakleigh's c-classrooms, or the isolation rooms."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam listened in fascination, his head tilted to one side. "I can understand why. I don't have any magic, and as far as I know Eve doesn't either." He laughed. "It's weird, having all I know as 'normal' suddenly making me feel like the odd one out."

[Odette Cohen]

Odette smiled in response to Liam's laugh. His bright mood was helping her feel much better, she was surprised to realize.

"I like having magic, I j-just wish I had some semblance of control over it." Her fingers went to her hair again. Comb. "B-but there are lots of t-times when I wish it would just go away. It's k-keeping me from visiting a friend r-right now."

[Liam Farrell]

Liam nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe you could ask someone to pass on a message to him."

[Odette Cohen]

"I have. Rudy and Baby are b-both friends with him also, but there's a big d-d-difference between sending a m-message and being able to speak f-face to face."

She pouted slightly and started braiding her hair to occupy her hands. "It d-doesn't help that so many people have t-told me to stay away from him. Just because of my m-magic, and him being a B-Berserker."

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