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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 7, 2010 13:22:57 GMT -5
Moonlight shone down upon the empty cobblestone streets, bouncing off the fountain water and causing it to give off an almost eerie glow. The main plaza was almost completely empty, save for the plants that decorated it's open space and gave it a little more life, and the lone footsteps of a figure dressed in white making his way across the area. His confident seemed to almost glow in the darkness, while his pale white skin reflected the moonlight perfectly.
"It's cold tonight..." Gilbert muttered in a quiet tone, giving the plaza a bored look. "Not that it matters. I'm too awesome for the cold."
True to his words, for lack of better term, the gesture of pulling his white cloak closer around his shoulders was a pointless once. The Prussian's skin was already icy cold to the touch, and it was because of this that he wore clothing which covered most of it in the first place. It was easy to lie and claim he just didn't like the sun (being albino when he was what he was had it's advantages) but it was difficult to come up an excuse when one felt like the walking dead.
Making his way over to the edge of the fountain, Gilbert sat down and produced a violin from the folds of his cloak. He plucked several strings experimentally, making sure that the instrument was still in tact before raising it up and setting his chin against the rest. His eyes scanned the plaza once more, looking for any lingering travels before nodding to himself in satisfaction. He was (fairly) sure that he was alone.
So he began to play. -------- A/N: Why that song? I dunno. The violin part is pretty. >.> Ignore the piano, maybe? *shot*[/size]
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 7, 2010 19:12:03 GMT -5
Roderich tilted his head and frowned. It was faint, but he thought he heard the sound of a single violin. Even he, one of somewhat high standards, had to nod slowly and follow the sound. His own booted footsteps against the cobble-stoned street provided a sad accompaniment, and as he followed the sounds drifting toward him on the faint breeze, he couldn't help but begin composing a piano accompaniment.
It was missing something, this song played solo. It was beautiful alone, yes, and somehow fit this quiet night, but Roderich could hear the spaces where the melody should be provided by another instrument.
There! Emerging from one of the narrow side streets, Roderich stopped short before entering the plaza itself, glimpsing the white-coated man playing alone on the lip of the fountain. The starlight was more than bright enough to show the violist's concentration on the bow held lightly between pale fingers, quivering slightly with each flowing motion.
He doubted he had been seen, so for the moment, he simply stood there and appreciated the music, ducking slightly back behind the wall and watching the other man play.
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 7, 2010 21:13:53 GMT -5
As his song came to an end, Gilbert's eyes snapped open and his entire body went completely stiff. A new scent had presented itself on the wind; something sweet, something he'd never smelled before. Someone is here... he thought, slowly rising to his feet as he glanced around.
Visually, the plaza was completely empty, but he knew better. His heightened senses more than doubled in the dark. Shutting his eyes, he inhaled slowly, tilting his head at various angles as he tried to pin-point the location of his new audience. There was only one, that much he could tell. The pulse was easy for him to hear, but the various noises of the night made it harder for him to tell.
"Who's there?" he called in a sharp tone, lowering the violin in his hand. Two fingers wrapped tightly around his bow as the remaining three flexed around his sword.
If worse came to worse, he could cast magic without much trouble, but it would be bad to cause a commotion. Commotion in a city such as this one meant people, and a crowd wasn't what he wanted right now. He'd come outside to distract himself with music in attempts of quelling his increasing hunger. Animal blood could only do so much for him, but drinking from humans wasn't something Gilbert did lightly. Frederick had taught him that well.
"You might as well show yourself. I'll be able to find you if you try to run... No one has ever escaped me before."
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 7, 2010 22:00:10 GMT -5
Roderich flinched and contemplated just walking away as the young man's demand echoed in the empty air. But to find such a talented musician on his first night in town... this was not an opportunity to pass up easily. Against his better judgment, Roderich stepped forward and inclined his head slightly.
"I was only listening to you play," he remarked politely. "I must admit, I was not expecting to find such culture here." Roderich kept his distance, knowing that the other man had his hand on his sword. A chill breeze blew between them, ruffling his coat and sending a shiver up his spine.
There was something about this young man. Something... unnatural.
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 7, 2010 23:14:19 GMT -5
Culture...? Gilbert thought, raising an eyebrow. What is he...? Ah, that. His gaze slipped down to the violin in his hand, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he lowered the hand on his sword to hang limply at his side.
Crimson eyes carefully moved up and down the figure of the brunette who had suddenly shown himself, and something in the back of Gilbert's mind flickered dully as he recognized the stranger's face. He didn't have a name to go with it, but he had definitively seen the brunette in front of him before. Eyes like that, such a unique violet colour, they weren't something would have forgotten easily--not to mention the pretty face that came with it. Nice face. Kinda girly, though. He doesn't smell too masculine, either. If it weren't for his lack of a chest, I might have actually mistaken him for a chick.
"You'd be surprised what you can find in a town like this," the albino grinned, gesturing to the plaza with his bow-hand. "New people and faces every day. Just sit around and you might spot something awesome."
Grinning, Gilbert pulled the violin back into the folds of his cloak and tilted his head to the side, eyes flashing in the moonlight. "So what is a young master-type like yourself doing out in the middle of the night? Show off a pretty face in a town like that and you might end up... dragged away."
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 7, 2010 23:38:57 GMT -5
The slightest of blushes spread across Roderich's face. "I assure you, I'll be more than fine." He quickly re-evaluated his opinion of the man from 'cultured' to 'musically talented in spite of other shortcomings.'
His fingers itched to pull his violin from his back, even if only to fix the melody that had sounded so wrong on its own. But that wrongness emanated from more than just the violin. As surely as Roderich could sense the flow of magic wherever he was, he could sense this young man like a stain pooled in the midst of it.
There was something wrong about this man. "Perhaps it is you who should be wary," he concluded, eyes sharpening. "Playing such an expensive instrument in the dead of night is like a call to ambitious thieves."
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 8, 2010 8:36:38 GMT -5
A slender eyebrow raised quirked upward as his lips twitched in amusement. The threat of a common thief attempting to mug him had died years ago; all it took was a wide grin and a flash of teeth to send them running in the other direction (however, the brunette didn't need to know that). Even without giving away what he was, the silverette was confident (or perhaps simply cocky enough) with his skills to know he'd be safe.
"No need to be worried," Gilbert shrugged, twirling his bow between his fingers with vague interest. "Only an idiot would try to steal a normal violin thinking they could make something off it. It doesn't have any magical properties, so it isn't as if it can be sold for a weapon..." He paused, crimson eyes briefly shifting toward the case on the stranger's back and tilted his head to the side. So he's a bard, huh? Didn't think people actually took jobs like that... Guess it suits his type.
"Besides," the cocky grin had once again worked it's way to the Prussian's lips as his eyes returned to the other's face. "I'm way more awesome than anyone who would bother trying to steal from me in the first place; so why waste the time? Leaving bodies lying around makes a mess; the officials come in, and some idiot starts a rumour that some crazy shit is going on and soon everyone is paranoid." He stepped forward both hands disappearing into the folds of his dark cloak before he pulled them out again, violin now gone, and crossed his arms. "Don't get me wrong, that'd be pretty damn hilarious to see everyone in a panic over nothing, but then I wouldn't be able to come out at night like this anymore without running into a group of paranoid weirdos who think they can catch whatever is 'causing' the mess... and that'd just be annoying."
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 8, 2010 12:56:46 GMT -5
"Hmph." Roderich snorted and shook his head at the other man's brazen statements. In his experience, people like him tended to wind up dead. Sure, they barked loudly, but when they were up against someone of real strength...
But this fool's ego was not worth his contemplation. The dark aura he exuded, however, was. There was dark magic behind this man, he could sense it, but yet... there was something about his personality that Roderich couldn't fathom, something that ran like a subtle undercurrent beneath the waves of wrong.
Slowly, Roderich reached behind him and removed the violin's case from his back, walking past the other young man to set it down on the side of the fountain. As he brushed past him, a sudden chill ran down his spine, shortening his breath and stiffening his shoulders.
Snap went the clasps on the case as he gently pushed open the lid and removed the instrument inside. He caressed the smooth wood like a lover's face, feeling the perfect rub of the grain against his fingertips.
His own magic was nothing to be sneered at, but he would be able to get a clearer view of this silver-haired young man if he amplified it with music. Slender fingers lifted his his bow and set it to the strings.
From the corner of his mind that remembered the music he heard, Roderich began to play his imagined accompaniment to the other man's song.
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 8, 2010 15:15:57 GMT -5
"So who's the bride?" Gilbert snickered, nodding toward the violin. "You or the strings? Personally, I think the dress would suit you better."
The tease was pointless; the crude intent that was normally behind his words was absent and came out more from habit than anything else. His gaze was more focused on the brunette's movements, curiosity prodding sharply at the back of his mind as he saw the instrument being drawn.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice repeated his earlier discovery that the brunette was a bard, but he had nothing to worry about. Even without the first attack, at close range he could gain the advantage, yet he couldn't find a reason to go on the defense.
As the brunette began to play, Gilbert's ears perked and he moved forward with interest. He kept still, his eyes lingering on the stranger for only a moment before he reached into the folds of his dark cloak and produced his violin for a second time, raising it up and taking a playing position. He listened carefully, waiting for the proper opening before he grinned and quickly joined in, playing the same tune as earlier.
"You're not to shabby..."
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 8, 2010 15:44:43 GMT -5
Eyes closed, Roderich felt more than heard his own music, sensing the subtle threads that held it together, feeling the connections between himself and the others in the city as he played. Feeling the connection between himself and the silver-haired man, he poured his concentration into capturing this imagined theme. His touch remained light on the bow and violin, but the rest of his body tensed.
This man not only possessed a dark aura. He controlled it, too. Some kind of dark magician, passed through his mind. There was danger within this man, that much was easy to sense, but there was something beneath that... something that showed he himself was not as dark as he would seem.
And then a new sound entered the periphery of his consciousness. With some amount of shock, Roderich felt the other man begin to play, the new strains weaving fluidly within his own like a dark, yet harmonious, counterpart. He quickly pulled his mind back from the other young man and focused only on maintaining the music; even if the other man were not trained as a bard, music has its own innate magic and might reveal more about himself than he was willing to admit. He pulled his magic back and covered himself like a cloak.
And then too soon, the music was over. Muscles trembling slightly from the exertion he'd placed on the strings, Roderich opened his eyes and inclined his head to the other young man. "I am impressed," he allowed, almost grudgingly as he lowered the bow and violin. "You play well."
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 8, 2010 18:47:10 GMT -5
"Years of practice," Gilbert said with a shrug. "You learn a thing or two when you've played as long as I have." A thousand years now? More? I stopped counting a long time ago...
His arms disappeared into the folds of his black cloak for the third time that night, and he stepped forward, peering down at the instrument in the other's hand with interest. Crimson eyes carefully worked from the lower to upper bout, stopping at the scroll then finally shifted back to the brunette's face. It was a beautiful instrument, Gilbert had to admit that. The violin looked as if got a lot of love in it's time (if not too much).
"You made that up on the spot, ja? How long have you two been together?" The albino asked with a grin, tilting his head to the side as he moved closer, stopping his head several inches from the brunette's with an curious look. "Pretty impressive for someone who looks like he's never stepped more than a few feet out of his castle's courtyard. How long have you been playing...? And what's your name, anyway? I doubt it's pretty-boy. I'm Gilbert--but you can call me 'sir' or 'my lord'...'Herr Awesome' works, too."
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 8, 2010 21:25:16 GMT -5
Somewhat taken aback by both the press of questions and the casual invasion of his personal space, Roderich said nothing for a moment. Then a smile, so familiar it seemed almost practiced, quirked his lips. "I have never once left my castle courtyard," he remarked, adjusting his glasses with one finger and gently lowering the violin and bow back into their case, "for I consider the road to be my home, Gilbert."
He was surprised by Gilbert's willingness to give up his name to readily to a complete stranger, but he could detect no duplicity in his nature. Roderich inwardly laughed at his own suspicion and closed the case. "My name is Roderich, and I'm no one's master." He nodded toward the case. "We've been playing together all my life."
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 8, 2010 22:34:27 GMT -5
No one's master, huh? He sure seem the type who likes to give orders... Gilbert snorted and pulled away, plopping himself back down on the side of the fountain with a small sigh. His gaze moved back to the moon and he shut his eyes, inhaling slowly as he enjoyed the cool breeze that had picked up and brushed over the open plaza.
"You're pretty tight with something that's just an instrument--You don't sleep with it, do you? That'd be creepy." He laughed and leaned forward, resting his chin in his palm with his elbow on his knee. "Still, that's deep for someone who looks like they just walked out of a school for rich pricks. You must have been on the road for a long time to think like that... Not many people have that kind of spunk. I'm impressed."
Standing up, Gilbert glanced around the plaza and sighed. He had a few hours until the sun would start to rise, and that would spell bad news for him. His energy would start to fail under the bright light, and he'd want nothing more than to curl up in the shade and go to sleep. During the day it was harder to hide what it was. Cloaking his powers in the night, but during the sun-bright hours when all his energy went into functioning, it was easy to sleep.
"So, does the amazing violins have a place to stay for the night, or is he hiding off in a street corner?" The albino began to walk away, headed back in the direction he'd originally come from. "I've got a place up in the Upper Quarter. Vacation home, I guess. Inheritance. Plenty of spare rooms. You could even skip out when the sun came up and I wouldn't even notice. Isn't the awesome me generous?"
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 8, 2010 23:14:08 GMT -5
Roderich's eyes narrowed, but he ignored the jibe about his beloved instrument and slung the case over his back. "Thank you, but I intend to stay at one of the inns in the slums..." he trailed off and watched the other man walk away.
Stay at an inn = money Stay with Gilbert = not necessarily free, but no monetary compensation...
Feeling the small bag of coins in his pocket, Roderich sighed and turned to follow the other man. Coming alongside him, he shoved both hands in his pockets. "What seems to be generous often has a hidden price," he observed warily.
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 8, 2010 23:26:19 GMT -5
"Do I honestly seem the type who mooches off people like that?" Gilbert asked in a mock offended tone. "Roddy! I'm ashamed. After we played such a beautiful song together, I thought we had something special."
The albino's wide-grin had once more formed on his face and he turned around, walking fast enough that he kept ahead, but slow enough that he'd stay within Roderich's sights. For someone such as himself, days were little different than weeks, and months melted into years that seemed to blur together in a dull, uninteresting cycle that he was forced to immerse himself in. Nothing was interesting anymore, at least, not until now.
The brunette musician was a breath of fresh-air from the dull life the Prussian had slowly come to accept, and his sudden presence was more than welcome. There was just something different about the other that had grabbed Gilbert's attention, and he was determined to figure out what it was.
Roderich smelled different, acted different, and the aura around him was so unique compared to the other's he'd sensed and felt before; the curiosity was driving him insane and he wasn't about to let his new chance at entertainment (or was there something else starting here...? He couldn't tell) pass by without taking a grab at it.
After all, if all else failed, he'd simply disappear and move on to the next boring town. Roderich would either eventually forget him or die; the brunette was human after all. So he had nothing to lose.
"How about this..." as they started up one of the darker roads of the Upper Quarter, the albino pointed to a rather intimidating looking manor up ahead. "If you can get up the walk without shitting those fancy pants of yours, you get the room for free--Though I wouldn't turn down a beer."
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