Day 53: Music Room

[rocksthecourt]

Well, if it wasn't his favorite time of the week. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Of course in this case, distance makes Klavier feel like an abused, neglected animal who was only now being allowed a taste of actual food. These people were such savages. It was still absolutely absurd that they were allowed access to this room so rarely. But the tactic was also brilliant on their part, sad to say. Klavier was always at his quietest and most obedient on Music Room days. The perfect model patient. He would give them no excuse to deprive him of this precious time.

Today was going to be a little different, however. Not only was he given access to music today, but a bout of entertainment as well. Apparently that band that had been setting up tryouts for the last week was ready to get the show on the road and start their auditions. Normally, this was the sort of project he wouldn't hesitate to take part in. But aside from the injury to his left hand and shoulder, there were three critical factors keeping him from doing so:

1. The band was named "Sex Bob-Omb." Klavier may have missed the band scene, but he had no intention of attaching his name to some Tom Jones cover band.
2. There weren't many actual instruments in the Music Room; certainly not enough variety to form the type of band they want. The one who made the poster said something about improvising instruments through whatever means necessary. A noble goal, but again, Klavier was not so desperate yet as to reduce himself to playing with a box of tissues strung up with rubber bands. That was too pathetic an image to ever place himself into.
3. The person who had posted placed up a sample music sheet of one of their songs. Klavier had no idea how many people here could actually read music enough to know what it was they were looking at there, but he had been able to decipher it perfectly. Their music... it was kind of god-awful.

In short, this was basically a disaster waiting to happen. The hints were enough to tell him this was likely going to be something akin to nails on a chalkboard... amplified by five. So honestly, he should be as far away from this room as humanly possible.

But he was not going to let these people ruin his rare access time to the Music Room. No, instead he took one of their old CD players and a carefully selected CD of choice (for the sake of his sanity) and took a seat at one of the tables, turning the chair so as to get an optimal view of the show. Why not? No harm in indulging in a little "entertainment," yes?

[free to anyone who wants to watch this train wreck with him :D ]

Comments

[composers.livejournal.com]

The moment the word 'music' left the tip of the Head Doctor's tongue Austria's attention had immediately been captured. He'd nearly forgotten to finish his food, though it wasn't as if he was hungry anyway. Instead he stood from his seat as soon as his nurse arrived, requesting to take a peek at what the institute had to offer. If they were able to provide classic novels, then it could only be assumed that their musical selection was good enough, if not meager.

Yet to say that the room was a disappointment was an understatement. Having expected to see real instruments, Austria wrinkled his nose in disgust when all that was offered were cheap and strange imitations. Just what good would any of these do for anyone? However, what he felt then was nothing compared to when he finally caught sight of the 'piano' in the corner. A part of him was almost grateful that the atrocity was occupied, though barely. As much as his fingers itched, he was hardly that desperate to stoop so low as to play on that.

And so, after dismissing one of the plastic tambourines his nurse attempted to offer him, the aristocrat made his way to the other side of the room. His attention was eventually captured by the various 'paintings' hung up over the walls, stopping in front of one with Beethoven.

"I'm sure you would find this as horrifying as I have..." Austria murmured under his breath.

[For the un-awesome loser.]

[hat_einen_vogel]

[Wow, I think you meant 'the most amazing and glorious Prussia']

When the nurse (annoying once more) decided that he should spend the time after lunch in the music room, Prussia was completely against it. If there was a music room, that was where Austria would be. It had been a perfectly good day, and there was no need to ruin it by seeing him right now.... even if as far as Prussia was concerned, last night had happened. It hadn't, and therefore had nothing to do with him wanting to avoid Austria right now. He just didn't want to get irritated by seeing Specs' face.

The woman had other ideas, and it wasn't long before Prussia found himself standing in the music room. He turned to leave—the nurse was gone now, so there was nothing stopping him from returning to the sun room—but caught sight of the aristocrat standing in front of a portrait. He froze.

Avoiding Austria was one thing, but if he left now, it'd be like running away.

A moment passed, and then instead of heading back out the doors, Prussia made his way straight for Specs. He pivoted around when he reached the other nation, leaning against the wall by the portrait with his arms crossed. "I was expecting to see you at a piano."

[composers.livejournal.com]

And is if his time within the 'music room' couldn't get any worse, Prussia had taken the opportunity to create an even more sour image of their occupation. Austria didn't hesitate to offer the other a look of contempt before glancing away as if there was something more worthy than Prussia to take his interest.

"There is no piano here." No, he refused to call such an abomination a 'piano'. He would never understand the need for convenient measures when it came to music, and with little to none of the traditional parts to be seen he couldn't trust that it would be of any quality. In the end this all proved to be a waste of time for him, and with Prussia looming nearby then there was no point whatsoever to stay.

Yet there was. The aristocrat had no willpower to deny that last night may have truly happened, and so he wanted to believe that Prussia could confirm his fears to some to degree. But he would be damned to admit such a thing, and so he pushed the idea away.

"Now, if that is all you have to say then I shall be taking my leave."

[hat_einen_vogel]

Prussia looked away from Austria to survey the music room. Maybe there wasn't an actual piano, but there was some kind of keyboard (though it looked like it had been taken by some chick already). But hey, if Specs (snobbish musician that he was) didn't recognize it for what it was or didn't want to acknowledge it, who was he to argue? Obviously Austria knew best.

Ha. As if. His mouth widened into a smirk as he pointed in the direction of the keyboard, and by extension the direction of the chick and the folks she was hanging out with.

"So if there's 'no piano here', what would you call that?" he asked before Austria could make good on excusing himself. If Austria wanted to be the one to run away, that was fine by him... but the idea of taunting, mocking, or humiliating the aristocrat was too good to pass up. If he could do any of those with the keyboard (preferably humiliating), all the better. "Sure looks like a keyboard to me, even if it's not a piano keyboard."

[composers.livejournal.com]

How desperate did Prussia have to be to nitpick his own words? Before he could even be granted a chance to step forward the other nation was already attempting to mock him, the attempt rewarding Prussia with an unamused glare.

"An abomination." The answer was simple at the start, but it hadn't taken long for the aristocrat to delve further before the other was given any chance to respond. "No one in their right mind would accept that as anything more than a crude imitation."

No one except for someone as idiotic as Prussia. "If you are that interested in it then I can assure you that you are fine to see for yourself."

[hat_einen_vogel]

A low chuckling started in Prussia's throat when Austria glared and declared the keyboard an abomination, but it had grown to outright cackling by the time he'd finished spelling out exactly what he thought of it. Getting that worked up over a piano, 'imitation' or not, just went to show what a piece of work Specs was. Hell, even if it were a proper piano, Austria would probably have still be getting bent out of shape, because it wasn't perfectly in tune or something.

At least the aristocrat never failed to be amusing.

His laughter slowly settled down, but he was still grinning widely. "Why the hell would I be interested in taking a look at it?" he countered. "I've got much better things to do." Priority number one at the moment was making fun of Austria.

[composers.livejournal.com]

If there was anything in the world more grating than Prussia's obnoxious cackling then Austria had yet to come across it, glare intensifying at the latter's obvious amusement. He had enough experience to confidently assume what the other nation had in mind, but it was hardly something he took pride in.

Brushing aside any connection to the 'piano', Austria's tone was chiding as he responded with no amount of sympathy.

"Then I can only hope that you've finally set your priorities straight. However, I'm almost certain that you could prove to be a disappointment even then."

[hat_einen_vogel]

"I've always had my priorities straight," Prussia stated, watching Austria with obvious amusement even if he was no longer laughing. The aristocrat's glare was even sharper than before, and he took satisfaction in that as a sign of having obviously ruffled his 'prim and proper' feathers. "They just don't include wasting all day playing musical numbers like a certain nation. That kind of stuff is boring, anyway."

...Or some of it was, at least. Old Fritz had liked to play the flute and Prussia himself had gained a certain fondness for it as a result, but there was no way he'd tell Austria that, now or ever. Marches and songs that praised him were fine too... It wasn't that he disliked music so much as he disliked Austria's preoccupation with it.

It was tempting to continue goading Austria about music and the musical instruments here (or Specs' perception of a lack thereof), but there really was one other matter he should probably ask about before Austria could decide to follow through with the retreat he'd announced earlier. Prussia wouldn't acknowledge anything that had gone on last night, but he didn't exactly need to...

Probably, at least. Last night had been meant to show Austria that he and West had been telling the truth about everything, but they hadn't done what they'd planned to. Maybe it was too soon to ask if Specs would be ready to admit that he'd had nothing to do with bringing him here, at least without providing a sharp reminder of last night and the doppelgängers.

He closed his mouth almost as soon as he'd opened it. He'd ask some other time; if Austria wanted to retreat after all, Prussia would let him. He could bother the stuffy nation another time.