July 18/And you are?/PG/closed

[kou]

Characters: Mio Otsuka & Meilynn Xiu
Time: 4PM/after school
Location: music room


The sun shone through the window, exposing the dusty air. Mio coughed, covering his mouth with a tight fist. He spun around, taking in the entirety of the room. It really was as wide and beautiful as his grandmother had described it. Huge windows stretched from floor to ceiling, and every step he took reverberated off the walls forever. The wallpaper was beginning to peel, and the baseboards were beginning to crack, but it was undeniable that the place was extravagant. It was unlike anything he'd seen in his life.

Taking a seat at the piano, he put his bag down beside the bench, deciding to play a few songs until someone showed up, and then he'd head off to find his room. Readying his hands above the keys, he took a breath, and began to play. He'd never learned how to read sheet music, and didn't know a single note name or chord, but he could play whatever he heard after a bit of practice.

His shoulders rose and fell as he played, the gentle flow of notes through his ears. It was a love song, and even though he couldn't directly relate, it still had meaning to it. His mother and father danced to it at their wedding, which his grandmother told him a million times. Marriage was a scary thing to him. "Til death do us part." That happened with his parents, and it worried him. Love in general worried him. Nonetheless, with a million sad thoughts in his head, he continued playing on, like nothing was wrong.

[xiaomei]

“Piano..?”

The distant melodic tunes lured the brunette over towards the music room; interrupting her trip back towards the dorms. Curious, Mei pushed the door open gently and silently; just enough for her little head to slip in. Her hues gazed and observed a male, sitting and playing the piano so naturally; it almost seemed as if his fingers were glazing the pearly whites.

Mei slowly stepped into the room and closed the door gently shut behind her, standing silently while leaning against the entrance. The scenery was displayed like a portrait to Mei's eyes; the song sounded so beautiful, yet made Meilynn feel a bit of sadness within the melody. “But it sounds so … W-Wonderful …” She quietly whispered to herself. The pianists’ face was a mystery, facing the opposite way from her – she was curious as to his physical features. Calmly making her way over towards the instrument, Mei couldn’t help but to focus on the figure more while their distance grew shorter.

“I-I wonder if he knows I’m here…” She thought quietly to herself.[/size]

[kou]

Completely lost in the music, Mio kept playing, sweat beads forming on his forehead. He never tried very hard at anything but the piano, that was his soul. And as the song finished, he found his breathing a bit more labored than before.

The notes stopped echoing in the massive hall, and the silence was so thick and heavy that he didn't want to stop playing again. But still, he knew he had to get settled into his dorm. He sighed, and leaned to retrieve his bag from the floor, but stopped suddenly when he caught sight of another person in the room. He froze.

Sure enough, there was a girl in the doorway. She was doll-like, with long chestnut hair and honey colored eyes, and skin as smooth and light as milk. His eyes widened, and he held his breath in that anticipated way he did right before his fingertips would touch the lights and darks of piano keys. Snapping from his trance, he clumsily stood up, and swung his bag over his shoulder.

"S-Sorry," he mumbled gruffly, walking towards her. She was even smaller up close, just like a doll. His cheeks reddened. "I'll be going now."

[xiaomei]

As the pianist turned and soon enough, the two made eye contact. In an instant, Mei’s face was flushed with a rosy color and looked away quickly. Her effort to look anywhere else but at the figure didn’t last long when her eyes met his once more but this time – she was starring. His features seemed very gentle and kind; while his charcoal hair was laying almost perfectly above his eyelids.

“A-Ah, w-wait! Y-You can’t leave yet..!”

Mei stretched her arms open, standing directly in front of the door blocking the stranger’s path. Embarrassed and confused of her actions, she slowly placed her arms back to her sides with her hues gazing at their shoes. “Y-You play piano r-really well, s-stranger-san…” She commented, her eyes still facing towards the ground. She wasn’t sure why she stopped a man who was trying to leave, but what’s done is done now.

In this mist of her panic, she tried to spark up a conversation with this newly found acquaintance, hoping and praying he wouldn’t take her as a creeper or a weirdo. Mei gathered all her courage from within and gradually rose her head to meet his hues. “I-I’m Mei, Meilynn Xiu. S-Second year, what’s your name..?” She smiled sheepishly, trying to keep her composure. [/size]

[kou]

This was strange. In most cases, he'd be able to hold a conversation with someone, but now, he just felt like he had to leave. It felt like if he stayed any longer, he'd say something wrong. He especially needed to get rid of the redness in his face. But just as he was about to leave, the girl stepped in front of him.

“A-Ah, w-wait! Y-You c-can’t leave yet..!”

He looked at her, a bit surprised. "Eh?"

“Y-You play piano r-really well, s-stranger-san…” The blush in his cheeks was deepening. He could feel them getting warmer.

With her eyes still cast at her feet, she spoke again. "I-I’m Mei, Meilynn X-Xiu. S-Second year, w-what’s your n-name..?” She finally looked up at him shyly, smiling as if she was anxious about something.

Unable to look her directly in the eyes, he awkwardly offered her hand. "I'm Mio. Uh, Mio Otsuka," he stammered, coughing into the crook of his elbow, desperately trying not to let her see his face. "Second year too," he added, smiling nervously. Taking a leap of faith, he moved his eyes onto hers, unable to look away. She was easily the most beautiful girl he'd seen in his life, so... what was she doing talking to him?

[xiaomei]

Noticing his cheeks a little rosier than earlier, Mei’s smile gradually increased into a carefree grin. Slowly reaching out for his hand, Mei held it softly. “I-It’s nice to meet you Mio-San!” Her guard was lowered and her nervousness was slowly fading out once their eyes had met. Mei ‘s eyes were fixed onto Mio, observing his features carefully. He seemed somewhat different from the blonde who stared her down while she was sleeping and the raven-haired who lectured her. He seemed somewhat more, delicate.

“Has Mio-San always played the piano so well~?”

Her head tilted, she questioned Mio with a pleasant smile. She’s never seen anyone play the piano at this school yet, and the way he played it just amazed and dazzled Meilynn. “I-I bet Mio-San is very popular with the girls here because of your p-piano skills… A-And your looks o-of course…” She finished the last part with a mumble, a faint red glow re-appearing on her cheeks.[/size]

[kou]

He fought the urge to draw his hand back, also trying to slow his heart down. What was he so scared of? He chuckled nervously to himself, and juggling making an excuse to leave and listening to her.

“Has Mio-San always played the piano so well~?”

"I don't need the honorifics," he said, smiling shyly more to himself than to her. "But I've been playing piano all my life, if that's what you mean."

“I-I bet Mio-San is very popular with the girls here because of your p-piano skills… A-And your looks o-of course…”

She's so cute. he thought So small and delicate like a child, and yet striking, like an adult. Her soft voice and the way she stumbles over most of her words, and--MY LOOKS?

"EHHH?" he asked rather loudly, turning to her with a beet red face and wide eyes. As stupid as he probably looked, it didn't match the way he felt. It was so unlike him to get worked up over anything, especially a girl. "M-My good looks? Have you seen yourself? Wh-Why are you even wasting your time on me?" He slapped a hand over his mouth, and turned away.

Nice work, Mio.

[xiaomei]

“A-Ah! A-Are you sure..?”

Mei smiled embarrassingly when he asked her to remove the honorifics. She had a habit of doing so, and people would always ask but Mei could never break it. Meilynn giggled nervously, while nodding. “S-So, should Mei just call you M-Mio..?”

Taken back at his reaction, Mei flinched slightly while her hues blinked in confusion. She replayed her words in her head to see if she had said anything offensive or rude to Mio but… Nothing seemed to be triggering her mind. As he referred to Mei, her confusion grew immensely. “W-What do you mean, has Mei seen herself..? M-Mei sees herself every day in m-mirrors..! I-Is that what Mio means..?”

When he turned the other direction, Mei stepped closer towards him; shrinking the distance between each other. Reaching out for his sleeve, Mei tugged on it gently to grab his attention. “W-Wasting time..?M-Mei doesn’t understand how M-Mio is a waste of time… A-And don’t hit yourself l-like that..! I-It must have hurt, a-are you okay..?” [/size]

[kou]

“S-So, should Mei just call you M-Mio..?”

With his eyes still wide with embarrassment, Mio smiled awkwardly and scratched at the back of his head. "Yes, that'll work." he answered kindly. "And how should I address you?"

“W-What do you mean, has Mei seen herself..? M-Mei sees herself every day in m-mirrors..! I-Is that what Mio means..?”

“W-Wasting time..?M-Mei doesn’t understand how M-Mio is a waste of time… A-And don’t hit yourself l-like that..! I-It must have hurt, a-are you okay..?”

He'd never spoken with anyone as innocent as this girl. She took everything so literally. Taken aback as she grabbed his arm from his face, he blinked in confusion, and smiled, loosening up a bit. The red in her cheeks matched his perfectly.

"N-Never mind that." he mumbled, covering his mouth a bit with his free hand. "I'm alright. Anyways, did you have some place you needed to go?" He peered over his shoulder at the grandfather clock on the opposite wall.

[xiaomei]

“U-Uhm! Mei or Meilynn is fine..!”

Feeling a bit less flustered, Mei was able to smile a soft grin over towards Mio. She hasn’t met anyone so reserved here yet, everyone seemed to have their own unique little personality and Mio was definitely unique in Mei’s eyes for sure. Unlike his question, Mei didn’t really have a place she needed to go immediately. She was heading over towards her dorm to possibly roll around in her bed before taking a nap but – this seemed a bit more intriguing than a nap afterschool.
“N-No I don’t..! Is Mei interrupting Mio..? D-Do you have a place you need to be at this time..?”

With a slight expectancy of a ‘yes’, Mei stood there hoping for a ‘no’ for no apparent reason. His appearance, the music he was playing, or maybe just his presence made Mei feel a bit more comfortable in her own skin. She watched his eyes focus onto something else behind her and in response; turned around in an effort to see what he was seeing.

“A-Are you in a hurry to leave somewhere..? M-Mei can move out of the way so Mio c-can leave..!” Mei turned around with somewhat of a disappointed look, gracefully sliding over towards her right; leaving him a pathway to the exit. [/size]

[kou]

“A-Are you in a hurry to leave somewhere..? M-Mei can move out of the way so Mio c-can leave..!”

Mio chuckled and waved his hand. "N-No, no. Well actually, I was going to head back to my dorm, but..." He winked at her. "This is a bit more fun." He smiled widely, and spun on his heels and walked back toward the piano, gently dragging his fingers across the keys.

"Do you want to play something?" he asked, turning back to her. "With me?" His heart started to pound. This person who was saying all these things was not him, but some kind of charming demon possessing him. Sweat formed on his forehead again, but not the kind from intense focus on playing. Now, he was genuinely nervous; scared to death even, but he couldn't take back his invitation, and so he took a seat, and stared at her expectantly.

[xiaomei]

A crimson glow was spreading rapidly through her face when she witnessed him giving her a wink. As if that wasn’t enough – the offer to play piano – “W-With Mio..?” Her little heart began to flutter uncontrollably as she watched him sit down in front of the instrument, waiting. Walking carefully over towards the raven-hared, Mei stood in front of him and avoided eye contact.

“M-Mei doesn’t know how to play p-piano that well…”

She was a complete nervous wreck now. She wasn’t even sure if what she said meant that she accepted his invitation or if she declined it. Her head was feeling light and her heart beat was louder and quicker than usual. “C-Could you play for Mei instead o-or … T-Teach me how..?” [/size]

[kou]

Mio felt his heart fluttering and pounding and twisting as she walked towards him. He smiled despite his nerves, and motioned for her to join him on the bench.

“C-Could you play for Mei instead o-or … T-Teach me how..?”

He glanced down at the beautiful keys in front of him, and then back to the beautiful girl at his side. "Of course! We can start with something easy," he began, placing his fingers right above the keys to start a G chord. "You hold this chord for four counts, like this," He pressed down, the harmony drifting from the instrument. "One, two, three, four..."

He turned to her. "Now you try."

[xiaomei]

Mei stared blankly at the seat before sitting herself down next to the raven-haired. Her heart felt as though it was going to jump out of her body any minute. She could not bear to lift her eyes from the naked keys in front of her. Mei put her best effort to listen and make sense of what he was saying and the keys that he was holding down. Nodding nervously, Mei slowly reached out her hands and stretched her fingers across the keys, but struggling.

“A-AH--! U-Uhh..”

Feeling embarrassed, she flopped her hands below the keys and landed on top of her thighs. “M-Mei can’t do it--! I forgot the keys that you pressed already … B-But one more time..! C-Can you repeat what you did..?” She asked sheepishly while her head hung low, and her fingers twiddling beneath the piano.[/size]