damned_institute | Day 53: Music Room

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Day 53: Music Room

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 ]

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Music Room. When the nurse asked, Maya was afraid she was quite vehement in going to the Music Room. It was, after all, a Music Room. She overtook the nurse once she had seen which door the nurse was heading for. Once Maya reached it, she stood in the doorway for a full minute, uncomprehending. Did she have the wrong room? Was the nurse not heading for this room, after all...?

And then she saw the instruments. Indeed this was a room for music, simply that it was...quite a lackluster one. Maya stepped forward in a daze when prodded by the nurse, and after a few steps, shook her head, recovering. "Thank you for the concern," she said the nurse, smiling one of her insincere smiles, before dejectedly moving to the recorded music selection. Perhaps the asylum secretly had good taste and she'd be able to find some nice music to listen to.

Although she usually flocked to the instrument portion of the music room, Sakura instead decided to head over to opposite side of the room today to look at the CD collection. She was hoping to find a nice CD and curl up in corner to relax. The longer Sakura was in the institute, the more lethargic she seemed to become during the day time -- the daily activities becoming less of a treat and more of a routine.

The young girl peered into a box of CDs and slowly searched through them before realizing that she didn't recognize any of the artists on these CDs. If she was going to find a CD she would like by herself, she would have to try each of them one-by-one. Maybe it would just be easier to ask someone else...

She turned to the woman next to her and gradually plucked up the volume and courage to ask, "U-Umm, excuse me, do you know if any of these CDs are good? I don't recognize any of these artists..."

Maya had never investigated whether Kurenai Otoya had ever released any recorded music or if any of his performances had been recorded, and why would she? She had access to live, private concerts pretty much whenever she wanted. And hearing his music in her heart was all very well and good, but the selection here had given her a desire to hear it with her ears. So of course the asylum didn't have any.

"There is one violinist who is 'good'. The very best. But he isn't here," Maya answered the girl dejectedly. A second later she snapped out of it, reaching into the selection for a disc with a nice picture of a piano on its cover. "But here. This may be adequate." Maya smiled as she held it out with both hands. "I'm Maya. Pleasure to meet you."

She glanced at the selection again, dismissive. "I don't recognize many of them, either." And if she didn't recognize them, they must not be any good. And, as if to add further insult, it sounded like a ragtag group of musicians had gathered in the room to put on a performance, which, from the looks of their instruments, was going to be a study in endurance. "Have you heard them?" She gestured. "Are they so bad you need an escape?" she asked teasingly.

Sakura returned the smile as she took the CD Maya was offering. "Thanks! I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you too," she replied. Even if her initial reaction was a little strange, Maya seemed to be a nice person, so Sakura's luck in meeting nice patients seemed to be continuing.

As Maya gestured over to the group performing in the other corner, Sakura looked over and let out a giggle. "Well they don't have very much to work with," she commented. It wasn't that painful to listen to, but it would definitely be nicer to just listen to a CD -- especially a piano CD since it reminded her of her brother's playing back home.

"So who's the violinist you were talking about earlier?" asked the young girl. "It sounds like you really like his playing."

Indeed; judging from those instruments, it might be more prudent to leave. She hadn't seen the listening devices out at the Sun Room, however, so it created a bit of a dilemma. "Quite an exquisite torment, is it not? A Music Room, with no halfway decent instruments." At least it had a piano. One point in the asylum's favor, at least.

But enough about that. "Kurenai Otoya," Maya answered. "A genius violinist, and an extraordinary human being." Anyone who didn't like his playing had no taste. Or couldn't appreciate him like he should be appreciated. Yuri was cute, in a kitten-is-scratching-at-my-ankle way, but the woman had no musical ear whatsoever. Maya didn't know what Otoya saw in her. But that was over and done with; it was no matter now. "You'll have to take my word for it, but he was quite gifted. He was quite proud of it."

All Sakura could do was smile in return. Maya was right. Even the music room back at her school was better stocked than the one here, although the only ones she could probably even attempt to play were the piano -- the little her brother taught her -- and the recorder (what she learned at school). Sakura considered moving over to try her hand at the recorder again but quickly shot the idea down once she remembered her recorder test two years ago. If Time hadn't given her a second chance, she would've failed... and now probably wasn't the best time to test fate again.

As Maya described Kurenai Otoya, Sakura's eyes lit up. "Really? I want to hear him play!" she excitedly replied. She had never heard of Kurenai, and there was a chance she never would since both Kurenai and Maya were probably from a different world, but she wanted to check once she actually returned home and not just to an imitation world. She loved hearing music, and if Kurenai was as good as Maya was claiming, she really had to hear him. "Have you gone to one of his concert's then?"

"He has given me private concerts, yes," Maya replied. "He wrote a song for me." Perhaps bragging was in bad form, but Otoya had never suffered of false modesty. Such a flamboyant, secure man. "He was quite foolish, though," Maya added. Even moreso than a normal human. "But loveable, all the same."

Maya turned to Sakura. "Are you fond of the violin?" There were those who could appreciate good music, and those who merely wanted to bask in the presence of talent. Maya didn't figure Sakura to be of the latter category, but until she heard Sakura play, Maya couldn't tell. Humans were easy to manipulate; harder was to measure their sincerity. Though, Maya supposed, children were easier in this regard. Sakura had already displayed good judgment in dismissing the supposed performers in the room. Speaking of... "Do you play an instrument?"

Wow! It sounded like Maya even knew him personally, especially since he wrote a song for her. Even though Sakura hadn't really been exposed to too much formal classical music, she was familiar with getting a personal performance from her brother and friends. Just from listening to Tomoyo (best friend) sing or Touya (older brother) play piano, Sakura could tell what they were thinking or feeling. Maybe it was the same with Otoya and Maya?

In response to Maya's question, Sakura honestly shook her head. "I don't really know anyone who plays violin, but I love to hear my brother play piano, especially if it's my mom's old song," explained the young girl, as she looked off in thought. A wave of nostalgia washed over Sakura as she realized that she didn't have her deceased mother's photo here to greet in the morning like at home. Even without the photo, it still felt like her mother was watching over her.

Shaking her thoughts away, Sakura laughed nervously once she heard Maya's next question. "Not very well..." she responded. "My brother taught me a little bit of piano, and we learned how to play the recorder in school." She gestured to the recorders on the other side of the room. "Do you play an instrument, Maya-san?"

Maya watched as Sakura seemed to look off somewhere. She followed Sakura's gaze, curious, but there wasn't anything there, so Maya assumed Sakura was looking at a memory. That was understandable; Sakura had mentioned family. Much more cruel than anything in this Music Room, Maya thought, so she made the decision to stay and bear it.

A recorder; how...beginner-like. Still, not everyone could be musical geniuses. "I play the violin. No," Maya reconsidered, "more accurate to say I can play the violin." Listening was more fun, and much more satisfying.

"Sakura..." Maya thought for a moment, then asked, "How did you find yourself here?" If Sakura was thinking kindly of her family, they couldn't have admitted her to this farce of an asylum. So who...?

As she listened to Maya's answer, Sakura nodded and smiled. She could relate, as she found it much more fun to listen to her brother play piano than try and has out a melody herself, although Maya was most likely at a much higher level on the violin than Sakura was on the piano. "I wonder if anyone else plays violin here too?" the young girl vocally thought aloud. It probably wouldn't matter too much though, as without a violin, this person wouldn't be able to play for them anyways.

"Well... one day I just went to sleep and woke up here," the young girl replied as she reflected upon her experience here at the institute. "Syaoran-kun came to visit one Sunday, and he said that he and my dad sent me here, but I don't think it's really them." They looked and acted so much like their real versions, so Sakura had to take a moment to reassure herself that they weren't her real boyfriend and father. "After all, Yue-san and my older brother said I was one of the ones to admit them to the institute, but I definitely didn't do that. I'm sure the real Syaoran-kun and my real father are waiting for us the return back home."

"How did you get here, Maya-san?" Sakura looked up to ask. No one wanted to be here by choice, so she probably had her own story of how she came to the institute.

"I'll find them," Maya flippantly said in response to the violin-players. It was only natural. Determining who they were would require some work, but that was what made it fun. She didn't have anything else to do here, after all.

The next was a bit of a jumble. One of the people Sakura had listed was lying, it seemed. A doppelganger was involved as well—or were they merely illusions? "I'm sure they are," Maya responded with a smile. Unless Sakura was in denial, but Maya wasn't going to say that. Especially not when the question of who admitted who was still murky, but that wasn't her business.

"I woke up here, the same as you," Maya answered. That seemed to be a common theme. "I'd thought Bishop was responsible, but now I'm not so certain."

"If they happen to have a violin, please call me over so I can hear them play," Sakura requested. She paused for a moment before continuing. "Or if you find a violin to play and decide to play, can I hear too?" Even though Maya had already said that she liked hearing other people playing violin more than playing herself, she could be an excellent player herself.

After hearing Maya's explanation, Sakura curiously asked, "Has Bishop-san come to visit you too?" People always seemed to become particularly distraught after having a visitor, but having one was sometimes informative. In Sakura's case, Yue and Touya helped put things in perspective for her after Syaoran had visited.

"Of course," Maya answered. "But we have to be careful that the nurses don't take it away," she added conspiratorially. The nurses had taken her clothes, after all; Maya thought they might take away a violin, even if Maya had made it. But the problem was getting the materials. It was a pleasant enough dream, perhaps.

The topic of Bishop, however, was not so pleasant. "I've been lucky; he hasn't." Maya shifted her arms, a bit disgruntled. If he visited, it would likely be to taunt her, and right now, the thought of the insult was too much to bear.

Sakura nodded in understanding. Even though a violin wasn't really dangerous, the nurses might take it away because it's too noisy or for some other reason. Maybe night would be the best time to play it? Granted, Sakura wasn't even sure how they were going to make or get a violin, but she still hoped she'd be able to hear one while she was here.

"Do you not like Bishop-san very much?" the young girl asked curiously. Despite her straight-forward approach, Sakura didn't mean to prod at Maya's past too much. Whatever their relationship was, Bishop coming to visit would probably negatively impact Maya just because he would be an institute visitor, so it was good that he hadn't seem to come yet.

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Day 53: Music Room

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