A Major Blues [Open]

[Christopher Langdon]

Christopher didn't know why but he was sitting at a piano. For a second he'd freaked. Why was he at a piano? And then he realised he must have blown up. Not literally of course but his temper. Or not his temper but his sister's temper. He felt tempted to bury his head in his hands. This was confusing, too confusing for a fourteen year old to deal with by himself. Not to mention that his new guild had suddenly been attacked by a dark guild called Shadow Heart some days before. He was honestly too embarrassed to show his face back there. The only thing he'd done was get knocked out. Probably why he was in a random music shop sitting at the piano banging out a few major scales. A major in particularly. He wasn't even sure how one managed to bang out major scales. That was near impossible - there were the happy ones. He felt the only thing he was sure about nowadays was that his sister Ailey must have been a looney back then. Usually he thought minor scales were the ones one played when in a mood. She played major scales and somehow made them sound dark and dangerous. Either she was talented or too influenced by the stranger moods of their mother and older siblings.

A dog barked from beneath the piano chair pulling him from out of his mood. He sighed, looking forlornly at the golden retriever. He shoved a hand onto her head and patted her vigorously. At least he wasn't entirely alone...and of course there was his mother. But she, thank the lord, had said she had some 'important mission' to attend to. This happened roughly after the attack on Lamia Scale. He honestly believed she was also too embarrassed to be even seen with him. He wasn't sure if he actually was grateful or not. Even with her continuous chatter she was better than taking up the habit of talking to himself (which he had tried on several occasions.

Christopher sighed and removed himself somewhat begrudgingly from the piano. When had he ever developed a like for that big monstrosity of an object. He walked with his head facing the worn and carpeted floor beneath. He noticed people looking at him weirdly because obviously he had been playing some virtuoso concerto and suddenly transitioned into a series of random notes being plonked out. Now what was he going to do. That was the question of the day wasn't it?

[Ava Brooks]

Unpleasant was one way to describe the recent events. Not all of them were unpleasant, but enough of them were unpleasant to give it that overall stamp. She had met a young woman and gotten to visit her friend Rolland. Now she found herself writing both of them letters. Her letters would be delivered to Magnolia. Fairy Tail had been hit, and it worried Ava greatly. She had written two letters to Rolland before finally accepting the third as sendable. She did not want to see too frantic, and she did not want him to worry about her. She was safe, despite the attack on her guild. Things were settling. Sure, some of her things had been broken, and it was heartbreaking, but she was a big girl, she would handle it. She did not need his extra worry.

The letter to Kensie was of a different nature. She was concerned for the girls’ safety. It was a struggle to find someone willing to take her letters, so she found herself in Cerulean Town. She wore her one of her usual dresses, a soft yellow dress with petticoat underneath, and her hair pulled back with a white ribbon. She looked dressed for some kind of event, not for finding someone to deliver her letter. She could perhaps have sent it herself, but she did not want to get too involved. She felt the need to stay in this area, for herself and for her guild. She was not strong enough to help them, but at the very least she could stay with them and uphold the unity she had found since joining.

During the attack Daedalus had kept the weaker wizards inside. He had only allowed the strongest and most experienced wizards to venture outside with him. The rest were ushered to the basement. Ava had gone to the basement, clutching her keys close to her. She was not a fighter, and it had been hard to keep from passing out from her accelerated condition. The stress certainly had not helped. She felt odd being away from his guildhall. It was calming to be in the fresh air, able to pretend for a moment that there were no problems she couldn’t physically see. It was also uncomfortable, feeling as if she were far from the protection of her guild.

In her distracted state she heard piano music. It was a lovely sound, truly, but soon it faded into pedestrian notes, unskilled in nature and not especially pleasing to her cultured ear. She looked to the piano player and saw a young man and a dog. Certainly the boy had been playing, but he looked familiar. Her guild members, being no massive collection of people, could usually be identified by the young blond. She realized he was one of her guildmates and she watched as he headed out the door. Ah, yes, she could see his guild tattoo now. It was on the opposite hand as her tattoo, though her tattoo was currently covered by gloves. “Good afternoon. Aren’t you a ways from Lamia Scale?” she asked him casually, hoping to make some sort of conversation. He didn’t look like he was out adventuring, so she wondered what exactly he was up to.

[Christopher Langdon]

What he wanted to do was obviously not what Ailey wanted to do. She kept him firmly seated at the piano with a scowl on his face. It probably was a bit disconcerting to anybody watching him. If anything, he seemed to be indecisive. His dog on the other hand was content with laying underneath the piano, a soft whine exiting her mouth as her tail wagged back and forth. Internally Christopher wondered whether it was illegal to bring dogs into a music shop. Animals, he knew, were generally forbidden in places of taking great care. Just as he managed to get the old and grumpy soul of his younger sister away from his conscious action, a blonde girl came up and good afternoon'ed him. He begun tapping the edge of the piano seat as a habit he had. "Uh Good Afternoon?" He responded politely, wondering how she knew he was from Lamia Scale.

Then he recognised her. Right. It was pretty new so he didn't actually know everybody in the guild that well. In fact, it was due to this newness that he had been 'involved' in the attacks as after he came from exploring...well, that was happening. He sat down, peering at the girl trying to recall her name and grinned when he got it. "Oh Ava!" He exclaimed. He didn't know her at all, he only knew her name. He realised that exclaiming her name out of nowhere was weird and adopted a sheepish smile. "Sorry...I didn't recognise you," He admitted before resuming the grin on his face. "And I guess I am," He didn't know why she'd strike a conversation with him. From her appearance she seemed pretty posh. In comparison to him it was like matching a porcelain doll with a broken...toothbrush. Or something weird like that. And then it struck him. She probably only talked to him because of his strange playing. He released a long sigh. "I'm sorry about my rubbish piano playing," He decided to apologise in advance so he didn't need to listen to any lecture. The tapping of his fingers increased. "I don't actually play piano. As in me, myself. I just have a pretty...strange situation? I guess you could call it that," Hopefully that would be enough to be rid of any 'you suck' comments.

[Ava Brooks]

Ava knew a fair amount about spirits, being a celestial summoner. At least she knew about celestial spirits. She knew things about spirits. She had never heard of anyone being possessed. Multiple personality disorder and delusions, sure. Possession, not so much. All she knew right now, about this boy, was that he had removed himself from the piano, walked toward the door, and then gone right back to it when Ava greeted him. It was… odd.

She nodded when he said good afternoon, returning her greeting. He looked clearly confused, but she waited until it dawned on him who she was. Not like her entire life beforehand. It had always been a recognition of her last name, her parents… but today when it dawned on him, he said her first name. It was nice to be recognized by her first name. It held more weight. She was a person, but also a member of the same guild as him. He said he didn’t recognize her and she gave him a polite smile, “That is alright. We haven’t met, I would not have been offended.”

Suddenly he was apologizing for his piano playing. Mostly she was talking to him because he was from her guild. The piano playing caught her attention, but she did not speak to all the things that caught her attention. He said that he did not play piano, which seemed odd to her. He had played piano, albeit at varying skill levels, but he certainly had been playing. He… seemed off. She examined him for a moment, deciding it was better not to ask, “Alright then. Well, no matter. Not everyone need be a concert pianist. I am more curious what you are doing in town, if you don’t mind my asking.” A lot of members of their guild were off doing their own thing, but for very good reasons. Some could not cope, but most were out earning money, or helping people, or simply trying to find out what had happened. Ava was sending a letter. What was this boy doing?

[Christopher Langdon]

Ava was nice. Well she seemed nice. He definitely hoped she was nice. She was also awfully proper. Being brought up in a house that demanded propriety had never been his favourite thing in the world but that meant he could handle proper without being offensive...he hoped. He didn't want to offend this girl. He looked to the side as he shrugged his shoulders. "Nah, at the very least I should recognise you as another Lamia Scale member which I didn't, mind you," He replied, turning back to face her with a boyish grin on his face.

She totally missed the point of his apology and instead told him not everyone needed to be a concert pianist. He didn't blame her. He didn't explain his situation beyond it being strange. He could provide an explanation but he had a feeling she might not understand him. It was a bit hard to stomach someone telling another that due to events in the past that they did not understand at all, they managed to get stuck with all three of his siblings in his soul so he wouldn't bother unless she asked. That sounded like a good plan. Then again, what would he know?

He sighed and shook his head before reasserting his attention to her words. "Being a concert pianist is certainly not in my list of goals," He said, laughing somewhat hesitantly before unconsciously running a hand through his messy locks. How would he answer her next question? It seemed a little...embarrassing to tell her the truth. "Well..." He started off slowly, trying to buy some time in order to organise his scrambled thoughts "I guess I'm here because there's nothing much I can do to help the guild?" He half stated, half asked, entirely unsure of what he was getting at. "Actually I'm a bit embarrassed to go back and I don't think I could help much..." He finished. That was better. Truth with no elaboration. Not as embarrassing as the answer could have gone.

[Ava Brooks]

Generally telling someone something that was physically impossible did not go very well. Ava was someone who generally resisted the more pedestrian gestures, as she had been taught. She blinked, but she did not stare at people and blink at them as a way of not speaking. She did not shrug her shoulders as a form of communication. She would have been a point of great disappointment had she done those things back at home. So instead of this she had to respond with her words, “I suppose that is true, but there is no need to be hard on yourself for that.” He didn’t seem to be being that hard on himself, which was nice. He was mostly smiling and she could appreciate that. She didn’t want him to be down on himself.

Apparently he was no aiming to be a concert pianist, unsurprisingly. Now came the more important question, what he was doing all the way out here. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked uncomfortable with the topic. Well that was a bad sign. There wasn’t much he could do to help the guild, hm? That was such an odd thought. Also he was embarrassed. That wasn’t actually a problem, but the idea that there wasn’t much he could do to help… that frustrated her.

Ava resisted folding her arms, and instead clasped her hands in front of her body. “That is a foolish thought. Also, I apologize, but I do not actually know your name.” She should get that out of the way immediately. “However I do not need to know your name to know it is a foolish thought… saying you cannot do much to help the guild? Did Lamia Scale become and elitist society when I took a trip? There are countless things to be done there. Building repairs, handling jobs in the area so that the guild does not lose its helpfulness in a time of crisis. Even being there to show support and good morale is helpful. Do not let discouragement be confused for helplessness,” she told him seriously. Ava was perhaps a bit more adamant about things than could be considered particularly tactful… at times.

[Christopher Langdon]

Uh oh. Crisis averted he thought? Well crisis initiated. He looked warily at the clasps hands of the girl. This was not a good sign. The amount of times his younger sister and aunt had done it was magical. Magical by it being so off the charts he couldn’t even count anymore. Still, he forced himself to listen. He forced himself to listen at everything. It was a pain but he always felt guilty if he ignored someone. It was a painful habit. Possibly even his hamartia. He hung his head all throughout, tapping his foot repeatedly on the floor out of habit. It was true, she had a point. It was just so hard to admit it. Giving up was easy compared to doing something. He lifted his head and smiled at her, a tinge of sadness in it.

“I guess you’re right…I just don’t know how,” He responded truthfully before trying to think of what he could do. He frowned in concentration. He found when he tried to think, he couldn’t think. His thoughts just kind of… jumbled in a sense. Leaving things alone were a bit better. And then he found his answer. “Hey! I know, I’ll help you first,” He said happily. “Is there anything that you need help with?” He continued more seriously, looking wide eyed up at her. “There must be something you need help with.” The boy grinned triumphantly, tapping the piano stool with his hands in a higher intensity. He was forgetting something, he knew it but he didn’t know what. “Oh!” He exclaimed suddenly “I’m Christopher! Christopher Langdon, you may have heard of my mother or father, I dunno. Pleased to meet you,” His mother had been a famous mage in the war whereas his father had run a famous business before he actually died. He found that while it was sad his dad had died, it was a much better fate then what had happened to his siblings and mother.

[Ava Brooks]

Ava had a lot of strong opinions. It was good that Christopher was listening while she spoke, because the alternative would have been quite irritating. She was just trying to help, after all. Not all people appreciated that, but she didn’t have to get along with all people. Not even all people in her guild. She would like to get along with them, but they hadn’t always gotten off to the right foot. Besides, she couldn’t please everyone.

The boy seemed so horribly guilty. It was surprising to see anyone that down about something. Anything. Even if it had been his fault it would have been surprising. He is probably a very sensitive person. That was fine. He agreed with Ava, but still looked down. Suddenly he looked pleased… to help her? Anything she needed help with? Well, he wasn’t very tall. Compared to her, yes, but not compared to the man who put up shelves for her. She wondered if he could make good tea… stop that, Ava. She quietly cleared her throat, “I have no need for any sort of manservant.” She realized that wasn’t what he had meant, so she should perhaps say more. “Nothing comes to mind offhand, I apologize. I simply came to town to deliver a few letters.”

Next came his name. Christopher Langdon. It was mildly familiar, but then again, names were common. He said she might have heard of his parents, and she did not comment. She could not say whether or not she had, and as nothing struck her enough to mention, she left it alone. “Likewise, a pleasure,” she agreed, giving him a curtsy, as was very common for Ava. She was not sure what to say about his offer to help, she had already addressed it once.

[Christopher Langdon]

The boy looked puzzled at Ava. Manservant? He didn't get how she'd have gotten that idea from declaring himself available to help her. His intention had been helping her carry something to another town, assist her in whatever task she had yet to do, anything like that, not be a manservant. He stayed with that expression until she elaborated further saying nothing came to mind for things he could help her with. Oh. That was a little painful. There was really nothing? And then she mentioned just needing to deliver letters. He grinned once again. "Okay then, I'll just tag along with you!" He wasn't sure how that would be helping her but it was better than being left to the mercy of his younger sister threatening to emerge.

His grin remained on his face when she said it was a pleasure to meet him too and curtsied. He honestly didn't know who did that anymore but assumed she must be kind of like royalty. Or at least from a really posh background - even posher than him. He didn't whether he should bow back or do anything so he simply stayed put on the chair. Suddenly, he thrummed his hands on the piano seat loudly. "That's right, I'm going to help you deliver your letters!" He exclaimed and stood up.

"Where are you delivering your letters?" He asked, turning to face the older girl. It could be that she would reject his help once again but he was pretty insistent that he did. Partly because he genuinely did want to help someone but mainly because he was also quite bored and didn't know what he was going to do with himself.

[Ava Brooks]

As far as Ava was concerned, it was not insulting to tell him that she did not need a manservant. Of course, he had been a bit confused looking, so she needed to apparently elaborate. She mentioned her letters. He enthusiastically informed her that he would tag along. He might need to learn manners. He had volunteered himself, and was not informing her that he was coming. Not asking if he could come. She didn’t point this out, knowing it was surely unintentional, but she did keep this in mind. He would probably miss several other social mores.

Ava would have been utterly appalled that he didn’t know anyone that curtsied “anymore.” The implication, in her mind, being that it was outdated. Or perhaps that he had been around upper class citizens in the past, but was no longer. He didn’t know anyone anymore that did that, as opposed to not knowing anyone who did that, anymore. She did not need the time to be that particular, and it was good she did not read his mind. She was already busy thinking about him informing her that she had his company. “Ah, yes…” she said, watching him hit the piano with a small wince. His enthusiasm certainly was… excessive, now wasn’t it?

He asked where she would be delivering the letters to. “Some postal worker? The letters are intended for Magnolia, however I feel it best I do not travel all the way there. Normally I would send them from closer to the guild hall, but with the current situation, my usual service has been post-poned. For this reason I came here to get them delivered more directly,” she told him. “… Do you have a postal worker in mind?”

[Christopher Langdon]

Yes, Christopher's social skills were probably....lacking, no doubt because he had generally hung around ghosts and dogs for the past two years. To be fair to the boy, it wasn't his own personal choice but rather the circumstance he had found himself in. He didn't notice the girl's reluctance or doubtful nature towards him helping her nor his sudden banging on the piano and instead carried about being joyous. A bit risky for him but he wasn't noticing that. Ailey's presence faded further and Christopher's grin increased. Finally, younger sister disappeared.

He frowned thoughtfully as the girl described what she was doing and his mind began ticking. Postal workers...he didn't know postal workers personally. His mother probably did but he wasn't feeling in the mood to call his mother up. Maybe if he asked around he'd find one for her. But wouldn't that defeat the purpose of her asking him whether he knew a mailman? Once she finished speaking he looked at her. "Hmmm...I don't know any personally," He responded somewhat hesitantly. He didn't want her to think he was utterly useless for offering his help but not being able to actually do it.

He looked out the window and tried to work up the confidence (and the words) to say what he was thinking. "H-how bout the post office?" He said lamely. That was probably what she was going to do anyway. His face dampened a little. He was pretty useless wasn't he.

[Ava Brooks]

Social skills were quite important to Ava. They were a show of dignity and class. They were the rubber banded skill set that helped people live in society and communicate. Also Ava could be a judgmental young woman. It was not the best of her social skillset, but she did her best despite that. She had not be taught to be accepting, she had been taught to be so superior that people simply needed to accept her. At least if they wanted to interact with class. She did not judge Christopher so harshly of course.

Ava did not really suspect Christopher to personally know a postman. It was not that it was too plebian a service. She appreciated postal workers, because they did a valuable service for her. However she did not know any at random. She was acquainted with her regular postman, but seeing as this was another town, she supposed she just needed to find a post office. She had simply asked to give him something to respond to. Perhaps he would surprise her?

He didn’t really surprise her. He didn’t know any personally. She could have shrugged, but she didn’t shrug. One might think her limited range of physical expressions would limit her communication. It simply allowed her to keep most things to herself, and to focus on more subtle communications. At this moment she simply gave him a small sympathetic nod, “No harm done.” He suggested a post office. Well, that was what she had intended in the first place… “Very well, Christopher. We shall start searching for one then. I do not know the exact location, but if you would like to help me search, I would appreciate the company.”

[Christopher Langdon]

This girl was very proper in Christopher's most likely not very classy minded opinion. Everything she did was delicate. She literally oozed delicateness. It was a quite bit unnerving (and freaky) if he was perfectly honest. That didn't change the fact he thought she was nice since she seemed to have the grace to not bring up his totally strange attitude right in his nose. Of course if she was one of those people who talked behind other people's backs and acted all nice in front of them then she was as good as any piece of dirt Christopher could have picked up from the floor. But he wouldn't know.

As soon as the girl accepted his help, the boy's face brightened. "Yes!" He exclaimed excitedly. Now post offices! Where could he find a post office in this town? A bark from below aroused his attention and he looked at Chrissy. "Do you know where to find a post office?" He asked the dog, frowning in confusion as he was unsure as to what the golden retriever wanted. The dog stood up and jerked her head in a direction outside. Nope, he wasn't getting her. It was only then that Christopher realised Ava was still there. He blushed slightly, ashamed that he was talking to his dog. He wasn't sure how she'd react. He shook his head and decided to blunder onwards. "A-anyways, shall we exit this shop?" He asked, stuttering slightly and nodding to the exit.

[Ava Brooks]

In all honesty the idea of oozing anything would have struck Ava as rather disgusting. That probably spoke more than a bit about her. It wasn’t even that she found the idea of being delicate unappealing, she certainly did not find it unappealing. She had self-awareness, and she knew she was delicate. That was why she was never going to be a fighter, and needed her keys to be a competent wizard. It he found her mannerisms freaky, well she couldn’t do much to change that. It was how she was and how she had been raised. She never felt the need to defend herself to others because she was very self-assured. Judgmental as she could be, she did not gossip.

At least Christopher seemed happy to help. Although he didn’t seem like he was someone with the actual information they both needed. Ava was fairly certain they could find a post office without much trouble, but he took things more seriously, perhaps. Or more urgently, she couldn’t tell. He asked his dog if it knew where there was a post office. She watched him in silence. Not having a pet of her own she did not have quite the connection to animals as she could, but she never expected to understand talking to a dog about a post office. Maybe a celestial key… hmm. He turned back to Ava in surprise and asked if they should leave. What was he embarrassed about? Oh well,”Yes, of course,” she agreed.

She made her way out the door, holding it for him as she felt she should be polite. “If you don’t mind my asking, what caused you to join Lamia Scale?” she asked to make conversation. She was curious of anyone, especially someone who did this but also left and seemed quite distressed about it.

[Christopher Langdon]

Christopher was relieved when they finally exited the shop. He kept on feeling jittery and when he became jittery... oh, no one wanted to be close to him. Having Ailey surface was one thing, having Juliette? That was a completely different matter. For one, while Ailey destroyed piano keys, Juliette actually destroyed things. Hyperactive Julie absolutely sucked because he managed to have received her at her worst rather than her best (like Ailey). Or maybe it depended but Christopher really wasn't in the mood to experiment. He was so lost in his thoughts that when Ava spoke, he jumped slightly. "What? Oh right... sorry, wasn't paying attention," He sighed, he should really pay more attention to when it was his turn to speak.

"I joined Lamia Scale because of my mother. She thought I should join a guild for protection... or something. Probably cause I was basically living on my own for two years ever since she was trapped in the celestial spirit world and my father was murdered and my siblings 'disappeared'. They haven't actually 'disappeared'. I don't know what's happened to them actually. My mother said they were bound to my soul so while I'm dominant, they still can surface in my body. I don't get how that works but it does happen. Such as the piano," He paused, grinning and gesturing to the music shop behind them "I don't play piano but my sister Ailey did. I think I was feeling too much like her so she surfaced and started plonking things. And then I returned to normal and continued plonking things. Except the things actually plonked." He laughed a bit as his lame excuse of a joke before turning to face Ava. "How bout you? Why did you join Lamia Scale?"

[Ava Brooks]

Christopher tuned out of what was going on, as if his own world was more important than the real world in which he lived. Ava could not exactly abide that sort of mindset. The real world was where everyone lived. Although a fantasy land might be appealing at times, it was just in everyone’s imagination. Each person having their own internal rules and settings. Ava could sit all day, imagining up things that were not real, but at the end of the day it would get her nowhere. She had to send a letter, and she had to earn money and work hard to be an asset to her guild. He sighed and admitted that he was no paying attention. She did not respond, simply waiting to see if he would answer her inquiry as to why he joined Lamia Scale. He didn’t seem like the most open individual, and yet he gave… quite the fantastical answer.

Ava’s brow furrowed in an almost unheard of expression of disbelief sprawled across her features. She listened to the boy speak of things impossible even in the realm of magic and her mind began working quickly. Why on earth would he say such nonsense? At first he said that his mother was trapped in the celestial plane, which she knew was either a euphemism or a lie. She was a celestial wizard. He must not realize that, because saying something like that to someone knowledgable about that kind of magic was beyond foolish. He mentioned his family disappearing, and his father’s murder, but she could not spare any sympathy. It was completely impossible for her to even believe a word he said in the next few moments. Where she would have felt truly terrible for his loss, she no longer believed him. If he thought his siblings… did what now? Bound to his soul? Oh goodness gracious, she knew not to believe a word he said. Spirits were not “bound” to living beings. Especially not… what now? What?! He claimed that he had no played the piano, but that one of his sisters was playing it. He had simply surfaced for the sake of the poor piano skills toward the end. Ava crossed her arms, her expression unchanged as he laughed for some strange reason. None of this was amusing. She wasn’t even sure what the joke was, ut this was no laughing matter. She couldn’t tell if she should be offended by his possible compulsion for dishonesty or concerned for one or both of their safety as his lack of mental stability.

He asked her why she joined Lamia Scale… which seemed absurd right now. Why… what? Oh, yes, she had asked him that simple question before he started speaking insanity at her. He said it with such ease too. She did wonder if it was madness or lies, and she truly did not wish to stick around to find out one way or the other. “…” She could not bring herself to answer. Should she tell him that he was incorrect in his imagining of how the celestial world worked? Did he know that he was wrong? Or did he truly think this was what was happening? She stood there, expression a mixture of scrutiny and distrust, arms still crossed in a defensive gesture. She had no idea what she should do. She opened her mouth slightly, still unsure what she ought to say, and suspecting she should leave him and tend to her errands on her own. And then leave. And make a note to avoid him in further encounters. He had seemed so… harmless and pleasant a few moments ago.

“I joined… to explore my magic… and make my own way in life…” she told him slowly, cautiously, as if he would snap at any moment, “I wished to move farther from my home in order to do so. Perhaps I should hurry to the post-office then…”


[OOC: Yeah, I didn’t think I could RP with Christopher, but since you did want someone to post with, I gave it a shot. Its not going to work though, I can’t RP with him. Sorry for that. I guess we should close the thread, you can close it if you like, or we can leave it how it is.]

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