Colorblind

[moffnat]

[fieldbox="Brackston Banks; Hollywood Heartthrob, silver, solid"]
Brackston accepted her invitation to come indoors as he should have, entering the familiar home and cracking a smile at the sight of the ecstatic German Shepard. He leaned down and scratched the mut's ears, allowing him to lick dark knuckles in an amiable sort of greeting. "Hey boy," Brackston said with a grin, petting the canine who sniffed so eagerly as his every inch in curiosity. "How ya been? Nice to see ya. Good dog. Okay, stop sniffing me." The actor stood straight and kept the smile intact, grateful once again that Evelyn was unable to see it. Thor skittered off excitedly to some unknown destination, leaving the pair alone in the quaint little living room.

"You didn't think I'd come?" Brackston inquired with a devilish grin. "Have so little faith in me, do ya?"

Not that I blame her. I barely have faith in myself.

"Nah, just kidding. I'd be fine if your dad was here. I don't hate him or anything. It's just, yeah. I'm a prickly guy I guess, but I hate being judged. I was out of line too. A mutual apology would make it better. Gotta happen sometime, I guess." Brackston scratched the back of his neck and buried his hands in his pockets, bouncing on his heels, one of his many little ticks when confronted with a situation that made him uncomfortable. Only, he didn't feel like fleeing. Not from her. "I didn't even know you played the piano, though. How do you read the music? Is it in braille or something, or is it read to you?"

Wow, Brackston. Way to go.

"I just mean, you know....actually, I don't know." He chuckled. "Could you, uh. Could you explain it to me, maybe play a little? That's what I'm here for, right?"

It never ceased to amaze him, how Evelyn had taken who he pretended to be and tossed him out the nearest window. There were no masks around her, even though Brackston wished she couldn't tell the difference. He kicked off his shoes and placed them by the front door, gesturing to the piano like a fool in hopes she would catch his cue.

I wonder if she knows what I'm doing, based on the sounds I make.

That's creepy and also really, really cool.[/fieldbox]

 

[Lillian Gray]

[fieldbox="Evelyn Kelley : Blue Eyes, #80b3d1, solid"]Evelyn giggled. Brackston was asking normal questions, at least for someone who still had their sight. How she managed to read the music was a fair thing to be curious about. There were many before the man who'd asked far worse things than how she managed to play the piano without looking.

"Would you like me to just show you already, or do you have any more questions for me?" She teased.

His silence was just as loud as if he'd answered her. Evelyn nodded politely and gestured towards her couch, so Brackston could kick his feet up if he wanted. She floated over to the piano and sat gently along the small wooden bench. The piano was bare, save for a single closed book of compositions. Just because Evelyn didn't need sheet music to play, didn't mean her instructor could go without. It made her seem more talented than she believed, because every score had to be a memory in her hands and mind before she could ever dream to play in front of an audience.

She placed her hands on the keys and tapped the first note on her right hand. It resonated quietly in the air, and the blind girl adjusted her hands to their proper places. After two more random notes, both hands were in position and she sat up straight. Her fingers curled into a proper hold, and out of instinct she uncrossed her legs from beneath the bench and sat them flat on the floor. These were the real lessons she'd been taught. Her posture was the most important part of a performance. No one wanted to hear a slouched over, inattentive girl play the piano. They wanted beauty, grace, and emotions which called forth tears at the final crescendo.

Evelyn would give it to them.

"I have to learn everything by ear. Then I practice. If it sounds wrong, I'm told to do it again. I have to play until it's right, otherwise it takes twice as long to unlearn it, then learn it the proper way."

Without waiting for any more approval, she began to play. A slow melody by a man named Chopin. It started slow, her fingers worked the ivory without a second thought. She knew the song well, and practiced as often as she could. It required many complex movements of her fingers, it had taken weeks to get simple measures down, and by the time she had it completed Evelyn felt as if she'd conquered the world. She could do anything.

The song soon ended the way it began, with a simple note remaining still in the air. Evelyn lifted her hands from the piano and placed them in her lap.

"It all takes practice." Evelyn murmured. "Of which, I have plenty of time for..."

There's nothing else I would want to do.[/fieldbox]

 

[moffnat]

[fieldbox="Brackston Banks; Hollywood Heartthrob, silver, solid"]
The sweet sounds of her featherlight melody filled willing ears, and as Brackston relaxed back against the worn forest-colored sofa, he was taken away to another place. A happier one, a place he'd nearly forgotten, lost to memory and time. His mother pushed him on the swing in a local playground, he baked cupcakes to celebrate his best friend's birthday, he played tag with the children across the street and played hide-and-go-seek with the babysitter who would watch him every day after school. Brackston loved those memories most about his childhood and he tried to think of them whenever given the chance, but more often than not he was haunted by what remained in the back of his mind, the trauma that liked to creep up on him at all hours of the day and night.

With Evelyn's playing, he was almost able to put it all at the back of his mind.

Almost.

When the heartlifting song was done, Brackston opened his eyes and looked over to the smiling redhead atop a piano bench, and he found himself reciprocating the gesture of joy. She had brought him something no one had, the gift of a happy place. Did she intend on doing that, or did it simply...happen? Why should he question it? Brackston pushed himself up from the couch and sat down at her side at the edge of the bench, confident in knowing he hadn't startled her. She'd been able to hear his footsteps.

See? I'm learning.

"Will you play it again for me?" he asked, turning to face her, charting the map of her face like he was a helpless explorer and her eyes a raging sea. "I, uh. I really liked it. I'd like to hear it again."

I just want to watch you play, he admitted to himself, and only himself.

I think that's my favorite part.[/fieldbox]

 

[Lillian Gray]

[fieldbox="Evelyn Kelley : Blue Eyes, #80b3d1, solid"]She heard the sound of his steps long before they made contact with the floor, the shuffle of his pants was loud enough to her own ears. Brackston sat awfully close nearby and a blush rose on the young teen's face. The bench was only so long, and their bodies radiated a similar heat. She wondered if he knew how loudly her heart was beating having him so close.

"Impressed, aren't you?" Evelyn smiled coyly, hoping that it wouldn't be too obvious she was nervous. Her hands shook nervously above the fresh white keys of the piano, on the verge of returning to hide at her sides in a safer position. "It took me months to learn that song, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Again though? Alright."

She set her shaking hands back onto the keys and hit the first note her fingers could find. Instantly she relaxed, the calming noise of the piano was entirely too easy to sooth her soul. It was born into bones and flowed through her veins in it's own harmonious beat. So much so, like the beat of her heart.

"I have to do it by ear." She murmured as she played again, much more quietly than before. "Muscle memory...the patterns, repetition. It helps me relax."

Evelyn's body swayed as she pressed down on the black and white notes. The notes appeared in her mind before she pressed, an invisible record Brackston would never see lest he find the sheet music himself. She was a great learner, but a horrid teacher. Or so believed, it was hard to teach when she didn't know what was in front of her face.

The girl extended her reach and accidentally bumped into Brackston, causing her to jump.

"I'm sorry! I'm not used to someone sitting so close when I play."[/fieldbox]

 

[moffnat]

[fieldbox="Brackston Banks; Hollywood Heartthrob, silver, solid"]
She was certainly relaxed, that much was clear. Brackston kept his focus not on her delicate fingers pressing against the ivory keys, nor the movements within the instrument of tiny hammers clanging against tuned strings. No, his eyes were instead upon the girl herself, obviously in a place of peace when she created this euphoric music that took him somewhere better. Her lips curled upward in a smile that was as gentle and playful as the song itself, and he was entranced not for the first time by the delightful Evelyn Kelley.

What is she doing to me?

As the girl accidentally bumped into him, his hand instinctively went to the small of her back to ensure she wouldn't fall off the bench. A nervous chuckle escaped his lips. "Sorry," he spoke in his defense, returning his hands to his lap moments later. "I didn't mean to startle you. I can move if you want. The playing is beautiful, I wish I'd learned how to play when I was a kid. I think it's amazing how you learn it all by muscle memory and still manage to play it so flawlessly. I could never do that." Brackston lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "But I can recite scripts and stuff, so I guess it's kind of the same. Maybe? But not as cool."

She can't even read scripts, he thought to his own dismay. Unless they're in braille or someone reads them to her.

It wasn't something he wanted to think about.

"Anyway, I've taken enough of your time I think. Your piano playing is really beautiful. When is your recital, and where? I could, uh. I could come offer my support. Oh, unless your dad is gonna be there, he doesn't like me very much. Then that might not be the best idea." He sighed. "Good luck I guess. Unless you need me for anything else?"

I don't want to leave, though. Not really.[/fieldbox]