strangetrip | [GP/EP] Check-in Day

It was a musical day at the Madonna Inn, both inside and out. Curnen had taken her usual place up on the roof and was singing charms to the sky to keep any wanderers from getting lost (though that part of it was not immediately obvious). Unrelated to that, Sunny was on the dance floor in the bar, summoning songs of her own with her knife to keep her moving before she went to do her shift at the library later. It was one of those days where if she thought about it too hard she’d start thinking about that empty bed in her shitty room and the person she most wanted to be there.

This of course eventually seeped into her magic. She knew better. Maybe she’d even wanted that to happen.

Because just once, between different pop hits and dance beats came a rather unexpected French love song. She sighed and rolled her eyes, but the exasperation didn’t last. Before the lyrics started up she was waltzing. By herself and not caring how it might have looked. And for those three and a half minutes, she dared let herself hope for the slimmest chance that Orlu might come through that door.

She didn’t let herself hope too hard, though. There was admitting to feeling things and there was setting yourself up for certain disappointment. She’d lived too long with disappointment to do that to herself.

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Alec took a moment to think, just a small moment, and began playing something that started off slow and picked up tempo. He knew a lot about the theory behind each composition. It had been part of his job as a 'piano teacher', but he mostly liked the music. He liked the challenge in the precision. It had been Joshua who eventually pointed out that his music changed to something entirely technical to something with actual feelings behind it. He supposed maybe now he could understand what Joshua meant.

Corbie was spellbound. Yeah she could do magic and all but her hands couldn't do anything this intricate.

When he finished, Corbie actually applauded. And bounced. Just once.

Alec actually smiled. It was, perhaps, the first time he ever played and smiled from the person's reaction. "I'm glad you like it." He'd do it for her all the time if she asked him too.

He wanted to ask her if she was feeling better, but he worried it would cause her to remember she was down in the first place. Instead, he leaned over and placed a simple affectionate kiss near her temple. And when he pulled back, he paused. "...sorry." He had acted out on impulse again.

The kiss, from someone like Alec who almost reflexively made interactions with women sexual, was a surprise. But it wasn't a bad surprise. Corbie blinked up at him for a moment, but her face softened into a smile. "No, it's fine. I think I needed that."

He cleared his throat. Out of everyone at the inn, Corbie was one of the few who made him unsure of himself pretty consistently. It was like he was worried about screwing up in front of her. He didn't want her disappointment.

"It's better when you smile."

"It's better when you're not posturing," Corbie countered, gently bumping her shoulder against his.

Alec pretended not to really hear that part. Posturing was half his way of life. "You feeling any better?"

Corbie nodded. Felix would have ignored it, too. If he wasn't posturing, he didn't know what was left. "Yeah. I really think I am. I mean, I dunno where I'm gonna be in an hour or whatever, but yeah, that helped. Thanks."

Especially since she could only imagine there were memories connected to playing piano he'd rather not revisit.

He nodded, then paused. "I know it's not much, but, I'm glad if I'm stuck here, you're around." He paused, then something more like his playful voice sounded in him. "I need someone to call me out on my bullshit from time to time otherwise Kitty will kill me."

Corbie snorted, willing to let the sincerity slip into layers of teasing and joking. "Well, we can't have that. I will do what I can to keep you below the mark of killable."

"Much appreciated." Probably Max did that back home among other things. She was, at the very least, responsible for making Alec more sociable in general.

He paused. "What would you like to do now?"

Corbie sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. "I really probly should try to eat something. I haven't eaten all day."

"I just happen to know how to make a few things thanks to Emma." And his ability to remember well. He grinned.

Corbie grinned back. "Are you offering to cook?"

"Uh." Was he? "I mean. Sure. Just this once." And it would be mostly like Emma's cooking except her je ne c'est quoi because he didn't quite understand yet you cooked with feeling.

Corbie laughed. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hold you to that." She slid off the piano bench. "But yeah, should prolly figure that out." She didn't want to worry Mildmay, among other things, even if she still wasn't very hungry.

He watched her stand up. "... You ever want to hear more songs, just let me know." Because it seemed to make her happy. Maybe that could be at least someone he could do for Rachel.

Corbie smiled and gave him a hug from behind, resting her cheek against his hair. "I'll do that," she promised. "Thank you."

She kissed his hair before she let go and headed back to the cafe.

[GP/EP] Check-in Day

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