strangetrip | OTA: Fly me to the moon

Caden stood on the edge of the wide room - the Main Dance Floor, the plaque on the door said, with its polished hardwood floor, hot pink chairs, incredible chandeliers and enchanting rafters, but he only had eyes for what stood on the stage. Gleaming, perfect, beautiful, grand.

A piano.

Before heading out, Caden had put on make-up as one would an armour, heavy kohl around his eyes, glitter on his temples, and dressed in some of the clothes he'd found in the boutique. The navy waistcoat and slacks did not feel at all like him; they would not make anyone look twice at him. The cut and the fit were decent, but the color was dull. But there was not much at the boutique that fit him even remotely like he wanted it to, so he made do with the suit, keeping his shirt unbuttoned down the V of the waistcoat, and it sleeves rolled up to his elbows. With his hair pulled back in a ponytail and a strand 'accidentally' escaping it to frame one side of his face, it was a good enough fac simile of the way he would have dressed for a night of work at the Blues Palace.

But Caden might as well have been wearing one of his brighter, more Aurellian crochet tops and a skirt, for all that he cared about his appearance the moment his eyes landed on the piano. The martini he had just acquired at the bar next door all but forgotten in his hand, he walked towards the stage, drawn by a swell of emotions that all mingled with hope, with love, with faith.

He set the glass on the lip of the piano, took a seat on the stool, and reverently ran his hands over the keys. It was a few moments before he dared to play out a small tune, making sure that the instrument was tuned. His hands grew in confidence as he went on, and it wasn't long before he was running through the notes of one of the first songs he had ever played - and sung - in front of an audience. How long had it been since he had played it? The keys came back, little by little, muscle memory eventually winning the game of trial and error, the rings he wore glittering in the light as his fingers slid over black and white.

Eventually, Caden felt happy enough with his play that he started to sing along, in a low croon, "Fly me to the moon, Let me play among the stars, Let me see what Canwyn's like Among the sun and stars... In other words, hold my hand... In other words, darling, kiss me..."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It's from a Disney movie. Aladdin." After a year and a half or more here, Coby tried to be better about remembering not everyone was from his same world or time, but at the moment it didn't occur to him that explanation might not mean anything to Caden.

"And yeah, it's a lot more hopeful than that what I played first."

"That held some hope, too," Caden remarked, heart clenching again, whether in hope or pain was difficult to tell. Probably both. "What does disney mean?"

It was not a word he thought he had ever encountered. He prided himself on his Clovennian, but once in a while, something tripped him up.

"Oh. Sorry. Disney's a company, named after the guy who founded it. They do a little bit of everything in family-friendly entertainment now, but it started with animated movies, mostly based on old fairy tales and stuff." Which probably didn't explain much at all.

"Aladdin came out when I was a kid, and the songs kind of stuck. I could sing it for you, if you want."

Caden knew most of the words Coby was using, but he didn't have much of a clue what he was specifically talking about. Weren't all movies animated? That was rather the point, he had thought. But Caden understood the general meaning, he supposed, and the details didn't have to matter that much. Not when Coby was offering to sing again.

"Careful I don't grow used to being entertained by you, rather than the other way around," Caden answered, rich voice warm and playful. "But by all means..."

"Hey, I'm equal opportunity entertainment. Everybody gets their due." That might have been a wink – it was – as he turned his attention back to the keys to work his way around to the beginning again. Then he began to sing:

I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?

I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride

Caden did wish, idly, that he was better at the piano. Not Lucien Rameau levels of better; just good enough that he could improvise some complementary tune to accompany Coby's playing and singing.

But Caden's voice had always been his best instrument, and he could do something with that. Once he'd got a good enough idea of the melody, he harmonised with Coby, humming along a counterpoint that worked beautifully with the song. His gaze switched several times from Coby's hands to his face, watching him play, watching him sing, and there wasn't a hint of self-consciousness in Caden.

Caden's voice blended with Coby's, and Coby watched, first out of the corner of his eye, then longer looks, until they were gazing at each other as they sang. If Curnen hadn't met him yet, she needed to. She'd be as glad as Coby to have another person here with music in them.

"It's actually a duet," he mentioned once the song had ended and the moment faded. "You know, in case you're ever interested."

Caden smiled, bright and amused. "Oh, I'd love to duet with you." This song wasn't his usual style, but perhaps they could jazz it up somehow? It would take some work, but Caden had already realised that he would have to find a lot of things to do to fill the time here.

"I look forward to that." They'd work out something that satisfied them both, Coby was sure.

"But for now, I'm a song up on you. Think I owe you an enthralled audience of one."

"That sounds like something I owe you, rather," Caden remarked, without sounding as if he minded in the least. He sounded a few notes out on the piano, the opening for Misty. It was one of many jazz songs that a male Clove would never have sung, but Caden had never let that stop him.

He did play it livelier than originally written, because he was used to singing it at Antoine's. That turned it, when he started to sing along, into a playful flirt rather than a heartfelt declaration of love, a lot more palatable for their Clovennian patrons. And if it fit the moment, so that Caden could keep singing to Coby, invitation and play shining in his eyes, in the curve of his smile, then well... of course Caden hadn't chosen that song randomly.

Look at me,
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree;
And I feel like I'm clingin' to a cloud,
I can't understand
I get misty, just holding your hand.
Walk my way,
And a thousand violins begin to play,
Or it might be the sound of your hello,
That music I hear,
I get misty, the moment you're near.
Can't you see that you're leading me on?
And it's just what I want you to do,
Don't you notice how hopelessly
I'm lost
That's why I'm following you.
On my own,
When I wander through this wonderland alone,
Never knowing my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove
I'm too misty, and too much in love.
Too misty,
And too much
In love

OTA: Fly me to the moon

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