[X] You could perform piano at this festival, as a way of introducing yourself to this place, though you'd need to practice first
[X] Cadence
(QM's Note: If you're wondering how I wrote this up so fast, I already started writing when I saw 'practice piano' was clearly in the lead, then filled in Cadence's name as I posted)
After giving it some thought, you then asked Cadence, "As long as I'm here, I could always play the piano for your festival, if you're not all booked that is." Which was weird for you to say, since a performer of your renown had never had to worry about bookings in quite some time.
"Why no, not in the slightest. A town like ours is far from the biggest hub of musicians, so we'd always appreciate more," Cadence said with a smile before he suddenly blushed. "You may not notice it under all this mess, eheh, but I don't have a piano in my own room, I… never learned to play the instrument, embarrassing as it is to admit."
"You're in luck then, I do give lessons," you told him with a modest chuckle, "Not for any longer than one and a half hours each day though, my daily schedule can get most intensive."
Being led out the door and downstairs, your eyes widened when you saw that you were in a concert hall. "Quite something, isn't it?" Cadence said, "It's not much, compared to the performance halls in Hauptstimme or Ausdruck, but it's ours. I am the Conductor here though, so accuse me of bias if you want to."
"Wait, you can't play piano yet you're a conductor?" you turned back to ask.
"I get by with my training in other instruments," Cadence said.
"Oh, not that it's peculiar or anything," you then told him, "I do know at least… one other conductor who can't play piano. But ah, that's another story entirely."
Making your way downstairs to the grand piano here, likely the town's if it wasn't Cadence's, you sat down and started to play. You were tempted to try your husband's Toccata to display your finger technique to its fullest but, worried that'd make you look too much the show-off, you instead went with an earlier composition of his:
Papillons, his second ever piece.
For a second you found yourself stumbling, perhaps not used to your hands having gone back to that of your young adult self's. However, you were long familiar enough with the tune that muscle memory took over for you in no time. After the Intro you mostly played the Polonaises, being courteous enough to not make Cadence sit through the whole thirteen-minute opus, and maybe you were also subconsciously honouring the Polish Chopin.
Even if his positive relations with Robert didn't last, I still remember him being one of the first great maestros to appreciate me…
[+1 to Melody and Rhythm]
Ending naturally with the Finale, you were about to stand when the strangest of sights appeared. A cloud of glittering butterflies, their wings resembling masks, flew up from out of the piano. You turned to Cadence, laughed and said, "This is some surprise you have, hiding these butterflies in here. My, is this how you greet other musicians?"
"But Clara, those butterflies were all yours," Cadence said with total seriousness, making you almost jolt back in your seat. He went on, "Hmm, I've never heard that piece of yours. Now I might be getting my hopes up, but tell me, you're not a composer, are you?"
You winced, edging back a little. "I have written compositions, yes, but really it's not my forte. I'm best at playing pieces, not writing them," you said, looking down.
Cadence then took your hand and asked, "Now really, why all the humility? Composers bestow unto us one of our most sacred gifts, for what would the world be without music?"
You couldn't help but smile at that, and then said, "That is… certainly one of the sweetest ways I've ever heard music put. Still, I could certainly recommend you much better composers, you don't have to settle for me."
Cadence then sighed, "I'm afraid with how few composers are left right now, your services may be needed. When stranded in the desert, you don't just turn down water, after all. But please, tell me all the composers you can, we need them more than ever."
You tensed up and asked, "W-what ever do you mean? Music may be my life, but from how you're talking, you make it sound like music's literally needed to survive."
"Clara, you didn't... lose your memories, did you?" Cadence cocked his head and asked, "Because right now, and I do mean no offence, you sound like you've never heard of concepts even children know. That, or Germany must be
really isolated."
That settles it, this is
a dream. What else would make this little sense? You thought, rubbing your temples. "Um, then you wouldn't mind explaining, right?"
"Hmm, I think it'd be easier to show you," he said, as he began walking you to the door, opening onto the paved streets. "The local cathedral ought to jog your memory."
As lovely as the view from Cadence's window had been, through walking the actual streets, it did grow clearer that you weren't in Zwickau anymore. For one, houses had black roofs but with white lines along the edges that made them look like pianos, or how you could see trumpets for chimneys or flutes for ventilation. A tree you passed by looked like it had music notes written on its leaves. The cathedral Cadence had led you to even had organ pipes for its spires, making the whole thing look like an instrument.
Score Piece! x1
"The Chosen One should be getting ready within, but he's not why I brought you here," Cadence said, as he gestured up at several marble statuettes adorning the church…. Statuettes you recognised.
"Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn," you gasped, "What are they doing here? Did they all donate to this church, maybe?"
"Your memory still isn't back," Cadence nodded, before he told you, "These are among the Holy Ghosts of Music, the great maestros who reside in musical Heaven. It is because of spirits like them that us humans even have the gift of music."
"Ah, so, it's a church of music then?" you took it.
Cadence had to laugh. "Clara, all churches are churches of music," he said before he gestured to a scene carved into the entrance arch, of angels playing music God had written. "Hmm, surely you'd at least know how the world came to be?"
"You mean in Genesis? The Seven Days, 'Let there be Light'?" you went over.
"My, no mention of how the world was performed into being, how God's music was played and sung by His heavenly host? How the Laws gave structure and Music gave spirit?" Cadence got swept up in his words.
I'm… sure what you just said could be considered heresy, you had to think,
well, there'd have to be one sect out there that'd agree with you. "Wait, my husband once said something like that, about his life being struggle between Music and Law. Sorry, that just came back to me."
"All of history has been a struggle between Music and Laws. Er, so historians say anyway, it's not quite my field," Cadence then said, before he looked straight into your eyes, "Clara, music is the lifeblood of our world, the essence of creation. Without composers divinely inspired to create new music, well, then what becomes of existence?"
"Is… Is that why those butterflies came out of the piano, that I was weaving the fabric of creation, ah, so to say?" you asked, the implications of that dawning on you.
"Ah, good to see you catching on," Cadence said, before he looked off into the distance. "Clara, so far I've just been going on about how our world is in peril and all that. But to repeat myself, it's one thing to tell you, and another to
show you. We still have a few hours before the Festival at sunset, would you like a tour of the lands outside Sortita's gates?"
"...To show me how fallen the world is without composers, right?" you surmised.
Well, I'm not sure what else I can do here, "I might as well, it'd be good to know the area."
"Ah, good to hear. Now, we've got quite the array of sights past our three gates-
[ ] The east gate leads to the
Caesura Moor, where you can see skytrains criss-crossing up above, the moor being littered with their old tracks.
[ ] The north gate leads to the
Feurigwald, the petrified forest where cursed compositions were burned, to save us from Inner Demons.
[ ] The southwest gate leads up to the arc of the
Overture Mountains, where precious brass is mined. If you thought the view from my window was impressive…
[ ] Or you could just spend more time around Sortita, we're not completely out of stuff to do.
-Well, Clara, what'll it be?" Cadence smiled and asked.
Wait, skytrains, brass mines, petrified woods? Cadence was now raising more questions than he answered.
"Hmm, though first, we should properly arm ourselves. Not that we're going far, but it doesn't hurt to prepare, especially with the state of the world right now," Cadence then said.
You twitched. "Arm ourselves, you mean with weapons?"
"Of course, the local Armoury's not far from here," Cadence said like that was natural. Guiding you to what looked like a music store but with spikes and edges on the instruments and suits of armour, he pointed to a selection in the window.
"I already have my trusty Baton, so I'll be fine," he said again like that was natural. "Oh, don't worry about JP, you're new in town so it's only fair I pay."
"JP?" you had to ask.
Cadence somehow smiled and sighed at the same time. "Ah, you also don't know what our currency is. Jewel Pieces, JP for short."
[ ] Keysword (keyboard-sword) and piano lid shield.
[ ] Dual keyswords, one treble one bass.
[ ] Piano hammer and lid shield.
[ ] Dual piano hammers.
[ ] Piano hammer and keysword, mix it up.
[ ] Write-in weapon design (has to at least fit with Clara Schumann)
