fandomhighdorms | First Floor Rec Room, Wednesday Morning

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First Floor Rec Room, Wednesday Morning

It was bright and early (for a winter break morning, anyway) and Natalie was back from Montreal. It was, in fact, so bright and early that she didn't want to go up to her room quite yet, on the off chance that Tara wasn't awake yet.

She ended up in the rec room on the first floor of the dorms. And once there, she ended up by the piano without even really thinking about it. She'd never been in this room before, hadn't known they had an actual piano in the dorms. Not that it would have mattered much, she was fairly private about her playing.

But, she was having a rare okay day. She let her bag flop to the floor by the instrument and took a seat, then played a tentative little melody.

[ooc: Open!]

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Kate hadn't been anywhere, and yet was still awake at this crazy hour. Awake enough even to detour from actually leaving the dorm when she heard music, and not of the 'from a radio' variety, either.

"I didn't even know we had a piano in this place," she noted from the doorway. It wasn't like anyone else seemed to take advantage of it.

Natalie's fingers stilled on the keys, though it wasn't particularly selfconscious. She glanced over her shoulder at Kate. "I didn't either," she volunteered. "Not until about ten minutes ago."

"Don't need to stop for me," she assured the other girl, slouching against the door frame. "I was just curious. Not seen one 'in the flesh'... so to speak, in a long time."

"Piano playing not a big hobby where you're from?" Natalie asked as she turned her attention back towards the instrument. Her fingers picked up the idle melody again, one of the Christmas carols she'd beenplaying for her parents over the holiday. "Doesn't seem to be here, anyway."

"One reserved for the rich," Kate answered. "No so many around now, and the few about are kept well away from us heathen folk," she continued dryly.

It was probably for the best.

"I don't think I'd have had the knack anyway."

"It's more about practice." Which was something Natalie had obviously had a great deal of, but there was probably some talent involved too. "I started when I was barely seven."

Most things involved some level of practice, no matter how talented you might be at them. Kate'd done enough repetitive drills to have learned that.

"You read music, or is it just all up here?" she wondered, tapping her temple.

"Both," she replied with a brief glance. "I need to read for the more complicated stuff."

Not that she was all that psyched to play the classics, anyway.

"Sounds good with what you're doing," Kate offered after a moment. "My mom played." It was much more common pre-shift and therefore before her own existence. "I think I'd be more suited to drums or something."

"Less finesse, more waving my arms around required." Not that she knew much about drumming either, but from first appearances... It seemed closer to her level.

"You'd still have to be able to keep a beat. Work with the rhythm."

Natalie was a realist.

"Too bad they don't keep a drum set down here."

"Rhythm I can do," Kate confirmed, exhaling a chuckle. "I've a lot of martial arts stuff and picked up some decent timing when it counts." It helped with that sort of thing to have a mental beat to stick to.

"But I'm pretty sure anyone drumming down here would do nothing but piss whoever lived above right off."

"Maybe." Natalie gave a very brief, passing thought to whether her playing was currently annoying anyone, then brushed that thought off, watching her fingers. The Christmas carol had long since morphed into something else. "What kind of martial arts?"

"A few kinds." Wasn't that nice and vague. Why freak her out with actual numbers. "My dad, he uh, thought they were character building." And necessary.

If Kate was paranoid, Voron had been doubly so.

Like Natalie could be freaked out by numbers, pfft.

"I see," she replied, idly. "And are they?"

Well, possibly not the numbers. But perhaps the 'I learned them all so I could kill people!' part. Luckily enough, not something Kate decided to share.

"I don't think I'd be me without it all, so... Yeah, sure. Character building." If she couldn't kick people in the face, she wasn't sure what she'd even be. "That sort of thing comes in handy, anyway."

"On an island like this, at least." Though Natalie suspected Kate probably meant back home. "Well, not that it helped much with the latest crisis."

Except for that one bit, where she'd felt pretty fulfilled, yes, by kicking people in the face. Kate was not the only person in this conversation who could do that.

"I don't know, I still beat the crap out of a few zombies," Kate said, and shrugged. "But that sort of thing seems to find me, so that was probably just my luck."

"It was satisfying. That I'll give it."

Elphaba had settled back in late last night from her trip home to Oz for Lurlinemas. Having planned to head out to get some breakfast that morning, she was instead distracted by the music and entered the rec room.

"What is it that you're playing?" she asked, curious.

Natalie had progressed from Christmas carols and bits of random melodies to actual songs by now. Something a little more her style.

God Protect Your Soul," she replied without looking up. "Title of the song, not a religious greeting."

Elphaba nodded in acknowledgement. "I did not know you could--"

She paused, realizing something. "You're not Kate, are you?" she asked, thinking she knew already.

Sigh – albeit not one Natalie actually let out of her head.

"No," she said, mildly, glancing over her shoulder. If she was in any way surprised to be addressed by green girl, she didn't show it. "Natalie."

"You're quite similar," Elphaba said. "I'm sorry for my mistake. I can only imagine that must get tiresome."

She gave a little nod of her head. "I'm Elphaba. It's very nice to make your acquaintance, Natalie."

"Nice to meet you too." It was a phrase you were supposed to say in a situation like this, but it didn't sound unkind. "It happens. The... mistaking me for Kate thing."

It was annoying, but not really anyone's fault.

"Well, I won't make that mistake again," Elphaba said. "Have you played the piano long? You seem at least somewhat skilled."

"For a decade or so," Natalie replied, watching her fingers dancing over the keys. "Parents made me take lessons."

Elphaba looked suitably impressed. "Do you enjoy it, I think is the appropriate question. Or is this an... exercise in homesickness?"

Natalie gave a quiet, quiet little snort. "I came from home this morning," she said, with an almost imperceptible nod towards the bag on the floor. "I guess I like it fine enough."

No, she kind of loved playing. She just didn't like telling people things like that.

"I just returned from home myself," Elphaba said, because it seemed the sort of thing to say. "But good. You probably would have fit in quite well at the holiday show at the local theater, with skills like that."

"I'm not really one for shows." Oh, how that would change. But she was still at a stage where she needed to be persuaded to do things like that in too public a setting. "But thank you."

Elphaba hardly could argue otherwise, so she acquiesced with a nod. "I'd stay a bit longer to listen, if you don't mind. Unless you prefer to lack an audience."

"I don't care," Natalie said, but lightly. This was a sort of a good day, and she'd chosen to play out in the semi-open. Refusing an audience of one would be pointless. "You can stay if you want."

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First Floor Rec Room, Wednesday Morning

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