crumbs_and_yums | IC: @Victory_road Pokégear Inbox

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Ok, I think that one came out fine, finally...let's see, what do I press to save it? Oh, I think it's tha--

[beep]

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From:

bestswordmaster

It's convenient, Felix thinks, that you have to tune a guitar before you start playing, because it gives him a great excuse not to look at her or say anything.

...at least, until he's finished. He chances a quick glance up at her just to make sure she isn't...laughing at him or something, not that he actually thinks she would. He clears his throat.

"I've...been taking lessons with Greg Universe. It started as an emoji misunderstanding with Dimitri, but...hmph. Anyway, I started with the food song."

With a look of intense focus that's highly reminiscent of the one he wears when he's squaring off against a worthy opponent in battle, he starts to play. It's recognizably the food song, but not just the melody - it's an accompaniment that she could sing along to.

From:

crumbs_and_yums

For a long moment, Annette's brain scrambles to actually parse the music with a critical ear, instead of staring at Felix's nimble fingers dancing across the strings. Once she finally does, though, her face flushes pink.

Felix Hugo Fraldarius is playing -- on a guitar -- one her songs. That song. And...is that arranged to be an accompaniment?? No way...how did he...?

No matter, that's a straight up invitation. She can't not join in!

Annette sits up straight, rubs quickly at her traitorously watery eyes, takes a deep breath, and just in time to join in on the last line, she...

...croaks.

From:

bestswordmaster

Felix doesn't really have the extra attention to spare to watch her while he's playing, so he doesn't notice anything of her reaction until--that noise.

He abruptly stops before he quite gets all the way to the end of the song, his head snapping up to look at her. He didn't think it was that bad...

"Um..."

From:

crumbs_and_yums

Both hands are covering her mouth now, as if they could hide the sin they just committed from the eyes and ears of the goddess. She could swear she can hear that horrible noise echoing back to her in the sudden, awful silence.

"Nonono, don't," she croaks out hoarsely. Annette pauses to clear her throat, her traitor organ threatening to close even tighter under the heat of her burning shame and cheeks. "Don't stop! I'm so sorry! I was trying to sing along with you and I wasn't ready, please! That was amazing, when did you...and how did you do the arrangement...I mean I didn't even...please, Felix, keep going, I'll be quiet and list--*hic*"

Her babbling is cut short by a sudden hiccup. She looks Felix helplessly in the eyes, then...she can't help it. She giggles, then starts to laugh at her ridiculousness.

Finally reining herself in, she stops, and sits up to a kneeling position on the blanket.

"Felix, I'm so, so sorry for interrupting. Please forgive me, I was a little overwhelmed. You caught me off guard! Please, I would love to hear you play whatever you want to show me. If you want me to sing along, I'd love to, but I want to hear you play first, if that's ok."

She looks at him with apologetic, then hopeful eyes, waiting expectantly, hoping her outburst didn't scare him off.

From:

bestswordmaster

Felix relaxes as she starts babbling, and then flushes faintly at the praise. He's about to interrupt her when she interrupts herself instead and starts laughing. He's really not sure what he's supposed to do, here, so he just kind of...stares at her until she's finished, half-considering whether he should just...go...

But then she's asking him to keep going, and his faint flush returns.

"I don't...that's the only song I know. So far. I didn't write the arrangement, Greg did."

Which implies that either he or his Pokemon sang the song for Greg...but he'll just gloss over that.

"Um...I could play it again, though, and you could sing. If you want."

From:

crumbs_and_yums

"Oh! Greg Universe, you said? I'll be sure to thank him, you sounded really good."

She doesn't ask how Greg learned that song, or why he just decided to arrange it that way, or why, of all the songs in the world, Felix chose that one to learn first before all others.

She does, however, ask, "What kind of emoji misunderstanding lead to you learning the guitar?"

Without hesitation, she smiles and straightens a bit more. "I would love to accompany you, Felix."

From:

bestswordmaster

Hm. It was adequate.

[It's not modesty; just an accurate assessment. It sounded fine, but he still needs to think way too much about each step of what he's doing to get it right.]

Huh? Oh. He showed me a series of them that Zuke showed him, which was supposed to represent a band of some kind. But to me it looked like he was suggesting that he would play the drums and I would play the guitar.

[He shrugs.]

I suppose I...didn't hate the idea.

[Then he frowns.]

What? No. I'm accompanying you.

From:

crumbs_and_yums

"And just how long have you been playing? Even adequate is pretty good for just starting out, and you sounded better than just adequate to me."

Even with her obvious bias aside, Annette hopes he realizes she's being sincere. He still sounds a bit far from improvising or even just playing by feel, but she really is genuinely impressed all the same.

"I'm not super familiar with guitars, but I've heard plenty of beginner fiddle players and...well, I obviously enjoyed your playing." She wrinkles her nose at Felix, eyes twinkling.

Her eyebrows lift a little at his explanation of the backstory. "Well, I for one am very glad you didn't! Hate the idea, that is."

She waggles her hand at Felix, grinning. "Semantics! Fine, then let us accompany each other! You start, I'll jump in."

She clears her throat surreptitiously, just in case, and leans forward eagerly.

From:

bestswordmaster

"Hmph. Perhaps." He's not going to accuse Annette of lying to flatter him, but it's silly to talk up a beginner's ability as though it were greater than it is.

He nods, reorienting his fingers for the opening chords of the song, and then glances up at her briefly before he starts. The look on her face--how excited she looks for just this small thing--gets him smiling just a little, without realizing it.

Then he starts playing the song again from the top, still looking down at what his fingers are doing, both because he mostly needs to and because it means he doesn't have to meet her eyes and die of embarrassment.

From:

crumbs_and_yums

Annette is ready this time, eyes also locked on Felix's fingers. Her first few notes are clear and on pitch, but a little loud in her excitement. She's also not used to accompanying - or being accompanied by - an instrument, and it takes a couple bars to figure out the right volume. She wants to make sure she can still hear Felix, and that he can hear her.

By the time they get to the mountain of sweets, she's in the groove, which allows her to relax and just enjoy the surreal moment. Part of her has a hard time believing this is happening, while another feels like this is the most natural thing.

Then, all too soon, it's over.

Annette claps her hands and bounces on her heels. "Again! Again!"

From:

bestswordmaster

Felix makes a few mistakes this time, because he's listening to her too much and it's distracting him from the focus he needs to get this right. They're small, though, and few, and with Annette singing along it feels more right. Practicing it without the singing made it sound sort of empty, even when he sang along under his breath to make sure he was getting the timing right.

But this... This is perfect.

His mind is already turning to the places where he could have done better when she's doing her best golden retriever impression, and his brows lift, but he nods.

"All right. I need to work on the muscle memory so I don't let your singing distract me."

(Felix, that's not why she wants to do it again...)

...then he realizes what he's said and his face flushes. "Um...because I'm not...used to coordinating it with someone else. Is why I got distracted. That's all."

From:

crumbs_and_yums

Annette barely notices the mistakes, as caught up as she is in singing with Felix's strumming. In her mind, even the tiny missteps she does manage to notice only form a crossweave to the wonderful pattern they're crafting together, of string and cord.

When he speaks, it doesn't even occur to her to take insult, of course, which leaves her briefly confused about his flushed clarification.

"Of course! I was a little distracted too, that was so much fun! Thank you, Felix. I am more than happy to sing with you any time you like, for practice or for fun."

She sits back on her heels, smiling broadly. "Whenever you're ready!"

From:

bestswordmaster

Felix wasn’t clarifying because he thought she would take insult, although she has been known to yell at him for incomprehensible things before...

But never mind that, because she’s ready to sing it again. Practice and fun are the same thing to Felix, so he’s not sure what the difference is, but either way he’s glad. Not only did she like his playing, she wants to do this more in the future. He’ll have to practice on his own to really get it down before they do it again...

“All right. I’ll have to learn more of your songs. Maybe I’ll start with Creepity Creep, and we can invite Claude next time. That’s his favorite one.”

He can’t help the small smile that appears on his face as he starts to play the song again.

From:

crumbs_and_yums

Practice and fun are not the same things at all, to Annette. Practice is hard work, where fun is just an inefficient distraction from applied diligence. Though, hard work is usually very enjoyable.

She blushes slightly in embarrassment at the reminder that Felix isn't the only one who has a favorite song of hers. "I'm looking forward to it."

Seeing his smile as he begins to play again is all it takes to ease the pink from her cheeks, as she relaxes and joins in for the third round of, hopefully, many.