Closed Playing for Ghosts

[Synnove White]

Every day Synnove discovered a new room or tower she hadn't ventured into before. She was starting to believe the castle didn't have an end at all - that it expanded at the same rate she explored it, so that the next corner was always the last until curiosity overwhelmed her and the cycle began all over again. Another theory she entertained was that the castle was constantly, but subtly, changing in appearance, too slowly to be able to see it if you stood and stared at the wall for an hour, but cumulating over time to create an entirely new castle, like a body replacing all of its cells with almost identical replicas. A school of magic was surely capable of anything. And the castle did seem to have a life of its own; the chatter of the portraits, the deep grating of the moving stone staircase, and the wind exhaling through the towers spoke to Synnove's romantic old soul in a language poets spent the better parts of their lives trying to emulate.

An unfamiliar sound caused her to stop half way up a narrow circular staircase. She pressed her palms against the stone walls for balance and listened. Faintly, she heard music coming from above her head. Having realised the sound was not produced by the wind, but an instrument, she carried on up the stairs, following her ears and breathing delicately. She was certain now that it was a violin. Closer still, and the notes no longer bled together; a beautiful melody rose from the echoes and played in the air around her. She had found the door. She closed her eyes and leaned against it - and got a terrible shock as she discovered that it hadn't been properly closed. Sheer luck allowed her to stay standing upright, but not before she stumbled backwards into the room with all the grace of a sparrow being blown out of its nest. Double crap.

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie was still feeling shy about the old violin he had found. Eugene had been helping him, and the violin seemed to be enchanted to help teach him how to play. He'd continued along with it, practicing in private for a bit every day he was at school. He hadn't told anyone yet, Eugene was the only one who knew.

He was hiding up in an old abandoned classroom. He'd built himself a little nest, hiding in the blankets and pillows he'd laid out. He held the old violin, eyes shut and lost in the music as he played. He was startled, then, when the door was flung open. He jumped, dropping the violin and blushing deeply. He stammered, no actual noise leaving his lips. He looked to the girl that had nearly fallen into the room, his eyes wide.

 

[Synnove White]

Synnove looked around for the person who had been playing the music. Surely it wasn't Charlie! She had imagined somebody much older - someone much more... something. The adjective escaped her. In any case, she had not been expecting this. Merlin, she'd knocked Charlie over at the Valentine's dance, and now she'd burst in on him and made him drop his violin. She shouldn't have been allowed to leave her common room! "I'm so sorry," she said, crouching to pick up his instrument for him. "It's not broken, is it? Was it scratched like that before? I wasn't spying on you - I was just walking past, and I heard you, and then I fell in! Tripped, and was trying to catch me balance, and the door opened, and..." She stopped digging and offered the violin back to Charlie. "Your playing was so good. I can't believe it was you."

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie blushed, swallowing nervously and letting out a soft breath. "No, no, I um," he shifted, moving to take his instrument back. "I found it like that," he told her, giving her a shy smile. "Um, thank you," he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry if I bothered you, I um, I didn't think anyone would hear me," he apologized softly, a nervous smile on his face.

 

[Synnove White]

"Oh, good. Wait - you found it like that? Isn't it yours?" Synnove asked, though she wouldn't have pressed Charlie if he didn't want to explain. He could have stolen the thing and it would have been justified in Synnove's mind by his talent for playing it. "What? No way, you didn't bother me, opposite. It was amazing. Can you play something, now? Or would you be too embarrassed in front of me?"

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie blushed, fidgeting nervously. "I- I mean- no one is going to miss it," he stammered, unsure if he wanted to admit to this stranger that he'd stolen it from the school. His eyes widened as she asked him to play for her. "Wait, what? You... you want me to play? Like now?" He asked, his cheeks turning impossibly redder. "I mean, um, I'm not- I'm not that good," he tried to hedge, scuffing his sneaker against the floor.

 

[Synnove White]

"Don't worry - I believe you," Synnove laughed. His surprise at her wanting him to play was endearing - and a little sad, because clearly he had no idea how good he was. Hadn't anybody told him before? His parents? A friend? "What? Yeah you are! Look, give it to me..." Taking the violin, she tucked it awkwardly under her chin. "How did it go? Like this?" She attempted to play a few notes of the piece she had interrupted. In terms of how good it was, anyone passing by would have been forgiven for thinking someone was dragging heavy furniture across bare wooden floorboards. Once she had embarrassed herself sufficiently to prove her point, and then a little more, she handed the violin back, grinning. "See? You can't be any worse than me. Please play, it was so good!"

Godmod approved

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie's eyes widened, and he quickly took the violin back as she finished messing with it. "Alright, alright, I'll play, as long as you promise never to do that again," he laughed lightly, blushing. "I, uh... alright, let's sit down," he stammered before settling back into his spot from before. He spent a few moments trying to decide what to play before finally settling on a theme from one of his favorite movies. He easily got lost in the music, smiling softly as he played. When the music finally faded, he opened his eyes again to peek shyly at his guest.

 

[Synnove White]

"Hey, everyone starts somewhere!" Synnove said, but she knew she would never be a good violinist, or even a half-decent one. Any time she felt like practising an instrument, she defaulted to the piano, and she didn't much see the point in learning a new skill if you weren't enjoying it. She grinned and stepped back to give Charlie space. At first she worried that her presence in the room would put him off, but after a moment or two he seemed to relax, seemingly forgetting Synnove was there at all. Goosebumps rose up and down her arms. She would've paid him to play for her when she was studying! Sadly, the piece came to an end. When Charlie opened his eyes, Synnove was beaming madly. "I can't believe how good you are. Do you have violin lessons? You should play downstairs, in the hall, or something, where people can hear you - although the acoustics are nice up here. Is that why you play in the tower?"

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie blushed again, looking away as Syvonne complimented him. "N-no, um, I just... I just found it here and I've been teaching myself," He admitted with a soft smile. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not really sure, um... I haven't really told anyone I play," he told her, thinking of his dad. "One of my roommates helps me sometimes but..." He shrugged, peeking at her. Was she just being nice to him?