[M] A Tale of Two Strangers [Ashen & Marimo]

[Marimo]

"You... you're deaf?" Jade asked, slowing to a stop. She realized that this could imply that it was some sort of negative revelation, so she started walking again. "I, I don't mean to say that in a bad way, I just... I thought the lip-reading had to do with... my accent... I'm sorry! I feel so stupid now. Especially with that stupid tone-deaf remark," she mumbled, hopefully quietly enough to go unheard. It felt nearly impossible to be able to make eye-contact at this point, but she made an extra effort to keep her face in view at all times while she was talking. Jade looked back at the pavement and walked in silence for a bit, before quickly turning her face back to Hunter and exclaiming, "My god, that makes my rambling so much worse!" She actually started to laugh as her cheeks coloured from embarrassment. “I’m sorry if I talk too fast… everyone says I do,” she added a little somberly, but quickly put a smile back on her face.

“Thank you for the ticket, though, honestly! I’m really looking forward to it! I've never been to a live performance before, not a band or an orchestra or anything. YouTube is basically the best I've experienced in terms of “live music”,” she added the quotation marks with her fingers, “which you must think is pretty lame, as an actual musician.” Jade smiled sheepishly while swinging her arms back and forth, much like a small child would. If her run-on sentences and giddy air weren't enough indication, she was often seen as naïve and incapable of being involved in anything intellectual. Thankfully, Jade never seemed to know or let on that she knew what people thought of her.

"Well, this is me," Jade said as they walked in front of a rustic brick apartment. Rustic being a very generous term used to describe it, as it didn't really contain any of the quaint qualities that "rustic" often brought with it. She looked up at her window on the 3rd floor and frowned when she noticed that she had forgotten to close her curtains. Having them open meant that the sun-light could come in, and Jade was a little neurotic about keeping her books from being lightened by the sun. “You’re welcome to come in if you like, I can make you some coffee, or get money for a taxi to get you… somewhere?”

[Ashen]

Hunter stopped walking when Jade pointed out her apartment. He looked it up and down before turning back to her. It was a modest thing, put kindly, and much different from the somewhat fancy hotel he lived in. He wasn't one to judge, though. If not for his mum's death, he'd never have been able to afford a hotel at all. In fact, if not for his mum's life insurance, he'd be living in something far shabbier than Jade's apartment.

He smiled softly before responding to her. "You do talk fast," he agreed. "And like to cover a lot of topics at once. That's alright. I've been lip reading for about two decades, treacle. I'm very good at it. I do hear things. My hearing is just really... awful. It's somewhat like trying to listen to someone yelling underwater. It sounds really far away, and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just cannot make out the words. Do not worry about talking too swiftly. I can handle it. I'd ask that you look up when you talk, though. It does simplify things a tad for me. Really, I should be wearing my hearing aid when I go out. I just don't like that thing."

He faced the apartment again. "I don't think it wise to offer me money when you told me you had none yourself a few minutes ago," he pointed. He then held up his hand. In it was his styrofoam cup. "And I've the coffee covered, thank you. I appreciate the invite, but I wouldn't want to trouble you. You probably have something to do, and I ought to find something to occupy myself until tonight." Hunter turned back to her. He dug his free hand in his coat's pocket and shrugged. "Though this was fun," he told her. "We ought to do it more some time. If you'd fancy that, that is." He wasn't sure he'd ever drop the British definitions from his vocabulary, no matter how long he lived in America.

[Marimo]

"I'll, I'll do my best to always make my face visible when I talk, then!" Jade said enthusiastically, while looking directly at Hunter. She smiled brightly and clasped her hands together, then nodded as he declined her invitation.

"I understand. I'd really love to hang out again, too. Um, I guess I'll be seeing you at your show tonight, although I suppose you won't be seeing me. I mean, I'll be there, in my seat, but you'll be focused on your playing, obviously!" She fiddled with the sleeve of her jacket while she looked down and bit the inside of her cheek. Stop rambling, stop rambling, stop rambling! she thought to herself, then looked back up.

"I would love to do this again sometime. By this, I don't mean me not bringing any money around and you escorting me because of my stupidity, although that was really nice, but an actual date," Jade said nonchalantly, then completely froze in horror, "N-Not a date! I mean! No! Not a date. Well, not that I wouldn't like that, or that I don't think of you that way -- wait, no, I don't, I mean you are totally think in that wayable, uh, it's not that I wouldn't, no, couldn't, think of you in that way, uh, any girl would be lucky to have you. Well, not have you, you can't own someone, not since 1865, anyway. Is it 1865? I'm terrible with my dates. Heh. Dates. There's that word again!" Jade placed one hand over mouth and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe how idiotic she was being. Then again, she was like this around most people (men in particular).

"Well, this was nice, thanks for everything, I'll see you later!" Jade said quickly and while barely avoiding eye-contact, then turned around and rushed up her apartment's stairs. She swung open the complex's door and rushed inside. Her hands didn't even hesitated as she passed her electronic key over the little black box beside the automatic doors. They hadn't even fully opened before she squeezed through and ran down the hallway to the elevator. After pressing the up arrow button at least 12 times, Jade slumped her shoulders forward and heaved a huge sigh. This was ridiculous. There was an honest, serious and complicated person behind her layers of stupid observations and embarrassing ramblings. No one ever saw this side of her, and she rarely even saw this side of her herself.

When she got to her floor, she walked mournfully down the hallway and opened her apartment door; evidently, she had forgotten to lock it. Another thing to add to the list of stupid things she had done today. After collapsing on the couch, Jade moaned into the cushion and kicked off her boots with her toes. Remembering that she actually had to go out again this evening, to see someone she had just literally embarrassed herself in front of, she sighed and rolled onto her back, looking up at the speckled white ceiling of her apartment and began to wonder what she should wear.

[Ashen]

Once Jade had disappeared from Hunter's sight he could no longer suppress the laughter. He gave a real belly laugh, the first in what must have been years. "She's something else, isn't she?" he asked himself once he quieted down. "So flustered... She's a cute one, too." He turned away to go but seemed to realize something. He'd never told her where he was playing; she had left in too great a hurry. He hesitated a moment, then turned around again. She'll find her way.

With his company gone, Hunter let out a sigh and started back to the coffee shop he'd found Jane out of. He was thinking of her the whole time, and even as he aimlessly wandered about the center of the city. A small smile played over his lips as he mumbled, "I wouldn't exactly mind a date."
A girl who had been next to him looked up at him with an angered expression. "Excuse me?" she said. "Pervert."
Hunter looked up as he saw her move away from him quickly, holding her arms to cover her chest. He hadn't heard her, but he did realize he'd spoken aloud and his face colored. "I didn't mean..." But she was already gone. The man took that as a cue to go home and get some rest. And for the love of the gods, stop talking to himself in public.

Hunter was greeted by the concierge once he'd arrived at his hotel. He dully returned the greeting and took the stairs to his room. Once he got to his room, he collapsed on his too-big bed and prayed for some sleep that he probably would not get.

[Marimo]

That evening...

"Giles Orchestra, Giles Orchestra... that's the name, right? Ah, there it is!"

Jade was sitting on her bed with her laptop in front of her. She was inquiring the all-knowing Google to find out where this performance could possibly be tonight, because she had stupidly forgotten to ask Hunter where he was actually going to be. Thankfully, do to technological advances and the abolishment of social privacy, she was able to find the venue where the orchestra was performing that night in under a minute.

"Giles Orchestra, performing Soundtrack Classics at the Winifred Hall on October 15th at 8pm," she read aloud, looking at the orchestra's schedule page. "8pm... 8pm?!" Her eyes darted to the small clock at the bottom of her screen and she gasped in horror, "that's in 2 hours from now!"

Jade lunged from her bed and caught her foot in her duvet, resulting in her falling into a heap on the hardwood floor. Being used to this, she got up unfazed and rushed towards her closet, and began to pull various dresses off of their hangers and throwing them onto the bed behind her. A highly unorthodox way of getting prepared, but it had gotten Jade through many short-notice situations.

An hour later, she had managed to get herself dressed in a respectable little black dress, and a not-so-respectable jean-jacket that she justified to be part of her outfit because she hadn't worn it before, and would likely not be able to wear if not this very night, because of the upcoming winter months. With her makeup hurriedly applied and her black heels in hand, she ran out the door and began to make her way to the show.

+++

"E-Excuse me, but do you know where Winifred Hall is?"

Jade timidly asked a somewhat elderly man that was waiting at the same cross-walk as her. He looked at her and said, "It's just down that block, girl. Can't you see it?"

Sure enough, there was the building. And quite an outstanding building it was. The walls were made out of some sort of marble look-alike; white and smooth with an iridescent finish that makes it seem like it's glowing. It stood about 7 stories high, but with no discernible windows because of its purpose. It let for the walls to curve spectacularly in even waves all along the front side of the building.

"Oh, right. Thank you," Jade replied quietly, but by the time she turned her head to see his response, she noticed that he had already gone, halfway across the street at the now green crosswalk. Her cheeks heated and she quickly followed after him.

Once inside the building, she was in awe. Rich red tapestries hung on the walls and velvet-smooth carpets lined the marbled floors. Definitely not the place to be wearing a jean-jacket. She suddenly felt very hot.

"May I help you, miss?" a man seated behind a small desk asked. She turned to see that she was actually standing in a line, and had now gotten to the front of it. It took a few moments before Jade could collect herself and think of a response. "Yes, um, sorry, I'm here to see the performance? I don't have a ticket," and at this point, the man frowned and looked frustrated, "but, oh! I was invited, you see. A member, from the orchestra? Hunter Colton, he invited me, he said... he said you would be able to help me?"

The man raised an eyebrow and looked at the white envelopes on the desk. "What is your name?"

"My name? Oh, right, um, Jade Connolly. Sorry."

He searched through the envelopes in the C row, and nimbly plucked out the one with "Jade Connolly" printed on its surface. The man handed it to her with a grim face and said coolly, "Enjoy the show."

Jade mumbled a thank you before briskly walking away, almost directly into the back of the ticket collector.

"Ah! Sorry! Um, here, my ticket..." she fumbled with the envelope and finally ripped it open, then slid the ticket out with a shaking hand.

"Jade Connolly?" The new, younger man, asked. She looked up in surprise as she was stuffing the ripped envelope into her purse.

"Y-Yes?"

"No need to look so surprised. Hunter told me about you, to keep an eye out for you and make sure you arrived safely. I hope Nicolas didn't give you too much trouble. He can be intimidating sometimes." The boy nodded towards the man Jade had encountered before, who was now giving the same cold hard stare to another poor woman.

"Well, here's your stub. Just follow the carpet until the last door down the hall. You've got a primo seat there; Hunter must've really taken a liking to you." The man winked as he handed her the half of her ticket he didn't rip, and smiled gaily as Jade walked away with a befuddled expression on her face.

[Ashen]

Hunter was laying there for hours before he fell asleep. He didn't know when he'd fallen asleep, nor how long he'd slept, but when he did wake up he was greeted by an analog clock that pointed to thirty minutes past when he should have left. Mumbling a curse, he rolled out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. He didn't have time for a shave or even a real comb, so he tried his best to fix his messy hair while trying to get dressed in his standard suit. Barely remembering to grab his hearing aid, Hunter was out the door in two minutes flat.

When Hunter arrived at Winifred Hall people were already being seated to listen to his orchestra play. He was supposed to be practicing long before any of the guests arrived. He hurried to the stage where the entire orchestra was waiting for him. They seemed agitated with him, and he understood. He was the newest member of their orchestra, and he had a solo tonight, something envied by most of the other musicians. And he was already blowing it. He took his place in the back and ran his fingers over the strings of his bass. He didn't have very long to practice, but he really didn't need it. As the concert master walked out Hunter scanned the clapping audience. He knew where Jade would be sitting if she did come, and there she was. Knowing that she had come, if made the man smile throughout the entire first half of the show.

The first half of the show included various pieces by John Williams. Among these were famous movie themes, such as music from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter, Schindler's List, and Jurassic Park. It was obvious the Giles Orchestra was above average quality. They played beautifully, and not a single mistake seemed to stick out. Hunter's solo was in the second half of the show, but he had parts throughout all of the songs. Despite being exhausted, even he played beautifully, and when the concert master came to announce intermission, Hunter wiped the sweat from his forehead. He wondered how Jade was enjoying the show. Too preoccupied in his instrument, he hadn't been able to watch her, and he wasn't even sure if she had stayed. Though he certainly was not allowed to mingle during intermission, Hunter took off his jacket and merged with the crowd of people in search of Jade.

[Marimo]

Jade stood by a small, tall table with her 5$ coke in hand. She sipped at it with the straw that she had requested when the drink had been handed to her without one. Perhaps she was oblivious to how much she stood out in her acid-wash jean-jacket, her worn down All Stars and slurping happily at her fizzy drink, because Jade was humming the refrain of the Harry Potter theme and grinning like a fool who had just received their first kiss.

Not unlike a first kiss, a first live performance can leave someone with butterflies and a case of a cheek-straining smile. Especially since in this case, Jade knew one of the performers personally, or at least, semi-personally. She had watched him up there, with his large bass and his focused hands as they wove and pressed so masterfully against the strings of his instrument. She had felt the orchestra in her bones, the vibrations shooting up her calves and down her spine, and the instruments singing and ringing in her ears. This was the first time she had experienced anything like this, and she was already getting excited at the prospect of going back in 10 minutes for the second half.

Down to the ice-cubes of her drink, she placed the faux crystal cup down on the table beside her and scanned the room. Most of the people here seemed to be twice her age with 10 times her income. It threw her a little of guard, but Jade was used to observing instead of conversing and blending in. She noticed at least half of the stern stares she received from uppity women in long and ruffled gowns, but even then she couldn't be bothered. It wasn't unusual for her to stand out or fade out, whichever one it may be, and by now she had grown accustomed to not letting it dampen her mood; especially when she was as happy as she was now.

As she scanned the faces of the people in the room, she wondered what Hunter was doing right now. Was he practicing, still? Was he talking and joking around with his band mates? Was he going to the bathroom after having to sit so long? She snorted and shook away the last thought, scolding herself for thinking of such a thing. If anything, he was too preoccupied with the show or his friends to talk to her, and she assumed that she probably wouldn't see him at all this evening. Curiously, this did put a damper on her previously cheery mood.

[Ashen]

It didn't take long to spot Jade. She was the youngest one there, it seemed, and she was alone looking around. Maybe she was looking for him. Hunter shook his head at himself and, making sure no one he knew was watching him, he walked over the girl and stood behind her for a moment. Hunter hesitated, then gently crouched down near her ear. "Guess who?" he whispered, and in a swift movement he was in front of her, too quick to get hit if she had an automatic reaction to swing. He was smiling at her. "You came!" he said. "I thought you would. How do you like it so far?"

Hunter seemed to notice someone walking from across the room and took a seat across from Jade to hide himself from view. From that angle, Jade would be able to see the nearly imperceptible hearing aid latched onto his ear. His hair just gently brushed against it. It remained long solely to hide the hearing aid he rarely wore anyway. His grey eyes followed the person walking. "There he is," he said quietly. "The guest of honor." Hunter hadn't noticed anyone sticking out until then. He had almost forgotten they were expecting a special guest. It was clear who the guest was, though. A celebrity of sorts was walking about. At least, a celebrity known only to ochestra musicians. His name was Pierce Connel, and he had a lot of money to spare to the orchestra that impressed him. Hunter slouched lower in his chair, making sure no one would notice he was out of bounds. He turned his attention back to Jade. "Pardon, lass," he said. "We were going to have a special guest tonight, and I think I just found him. Anyway, yes, the show. How was it? Are you enjoying yourself? Not quite a rock concert, is it?"

[Marimo]

"Hunter!" Jade exclaimed and smiled widely. She watched as he sat down opposite of her, and she followed lead by sitting in her own chair. When she saw him mumble and look over her shoulder, she turned around and surveyed the room, looking for this "guest of honour". With an untrained eye, though, she was unable to differentiate this man from all of the other suited and wealthy looking men in the room. Jade looked back at Hunter and nodded as though she understood.

"The show!" she continued, when he repeated his question after apologizing. "It's amazing! I've, I've never experienced anything like it in my entire life! I've never been to a rock concert, but I imagine this is a million times better anyway. Like, how does everyone just, keep up with each other? And not make mistakes?! It's like you can read each others minds! And the man with the stick? Uh, the guy in the front? It's like, it's like, how does he do that?! And everyone just, does what he does! That's so amazing! How much do you have to practice to be so great together like this? How do you practice waving a stick around, anyway? Did he have to go to school for that? Did you have to go to school for the bass? Or did you just have a teacher? I wonder if you can get taught the stick-waving position just one-on-one. Would you just wave sticks at each other for the entirety of the lesson? Hahaha..." Jade let her laugh subside before she coughed uncomfortably and smiled sheepishly at Hunter while looking up from under her lashes.

"What I mean to say, is that it was really great. You were really great. You just looked... so in your element up there. I'm kind of jealous," she chuckled again and placed her hands on her lap.

"Your solo is in this second part, right? I can't wait! You're going to be amazing. I mean, you already are amazing, well, at playing... not that you're not amazing in general, but we just met earlier today so I'm hardly the judge of that, but, by what I can tell so far you're really amazing, I mean, not to sound like a creep! It's just, you're so talented and nice and I guess those things can point towards an amazing person, right? Oh god, I just asked you if you thought you were amazing, that's not what I, well, I mean of course you can own your amazingness, I just... uh. Sorry."

[Ashen]

Hunter was trying to remain politely silent during Jade's rant but at her mention of the man with the stick he could not stifle the gentle laughs that came from him. He remained smiling for as long as she spoke, and when she stopped he put his hand on hers. "Don't apologize," he told her. "I'd bet our entire woodwind section could not hold their breaths that long. That is a sure talent you have there." He didn't mean it as an insult. He wasn't even making fun of her. And his gentle laughs that followed would tell her that. He leaned forward a bit and tilted his head, thinking of adequate responses to all of her questions.

"I doubt I can speak as fast as you, but let's see. I do believe the conductor goes to school. There are specific ways he moves that stick, and that's how we all stay together. We don't read minds. We read music. And listen to each other. And practice a lot. I did not go to school for bass, though I did take private lessons back in Britain. I never actually thought I'd be playing for an orchestra, especially not an American orchestra, and most certainly not an orchestra in New York City. I don't think my mentor did, either. He never really understood the whole deaf man playing a bass thing. But here I am!" Hunter paused to take a breath and looked into Jade's eyes. With a hearing aid, he no longer had to follow her lips. He would, out of habit, but he could also examine the rest of her. She did have really pretty eyes. He smiled shyly at the thought. "I hope that answers all of your questions?"

When he'd finished speaking he saw people heading into the hall. Hunter pulled up the sleeve on his jacket and shifted in his seat. "I really ought to head back in there," he said. "I'm not supposed to be out here, and I need to prepare for my solo." He stood up but did not move, not yet. "Thank you for coming tonight, Jade," he told her. "It really does mean a lot to me. I've never had anyone come for me before. It's... a really nice change. I'll put on the best solo, just for you. How about it? Ready for the second half?"