006 ✽ Get Down

[giglio_madonna]

Who: As many people in Virgo HQ as Luce can grab
What: The best way to get to know new people is over breakfast, didn't you know?
When: A nice cheery morning a vague time in January after everyone's newbies have met their band
Where: The Flower Over Bones penthouse
Warnings: None planned! Feel free to treat this as a mingle log

The first month Luce arrived at Virgo HQ, she didn't waste any time before establishing some sort of lunch everyone could get together at. As January drags on, it's something she finds herself thinking about as new faces fill up the gaps where she had known others.

It's part of the reasons why, one early morning, she can be found bustling to all the other band penthouses to deliver a simple invitation she makes sure everyone gets to hear: a breakfast taking place in the FoB house for all Virgo musicians.

FoB penthouse looks like a lot of the other bands, with some clutter here and there that fits its inhabitants including a small dartboard with various articles about the members pinned there with shuriken. The television is playing what seems to be an early day sci-fi movie marathon and there's already a pretty impressive spread of pancakes, waffles, french toast, and various cut up fruit for people to dig into.

Comments

[trustme]

Cloud is far from the first person to scoff at the accordion. Doctor doesn't blink an eye.

"All right. I won't," he says simply and begins to play a different tune. This one more advanced and dramatic than the happy tune he was playing a moment ago. The accordion arguably sounds almost like an organ when playing such tune.

[off_the_edge]

Cloud sighs, elbows on the table, and wipes his face with a hand before getting back to eating. It's still not silence, but at least it's decently funereal for a morning after a night of insomniac worrying and disturbing dreams.

"Thanks," he says, willing to accept the compromise - even smiling, like he'd never been rude before. "The pancakes aren't bad, by the way."

[trustme]

"Luce wouldn't have invited all of Virgo to come eat breakfast if our pancakes were bad," Doctor laughs. "The kitchen in this penthouse is used often and very lovingly."

He rattles his brain and places Cloud's face. "Nuclear Parliament's new pianist, right?"

[off_the_edge]

"And other things," Cloud adds, quickly. "I mean, I'm on keys now but I can do it all, really. I'm a former member of S⭐O⭐L⭐D⭐I⭐E⭐R, I don't know if you've ever heard of 'em." Most people hadn't. "I'm just amazed anyone here knows how to cook. Because I've never been able to."

[trustme]

"I'm afraid I haven't. What genre was that band?" Doctor asks. Clearly not polka with that disdain towards the accordion.

"Luce cooks and bakes when she's stressed, and I learned to cook from my parents. They weren't half bad it turns out. I didn't know the difference until I started living with the band. I ate their cooking all the time after all. Thankfully Pao-Lin has a healthy appetite so none of it goes to waste."

If Cloud has heard rumors about Flowers Over Bones having a young hungry girl in their ranks, it's very true. Not the food competition eating part though.

[off_the_edge]

"We liked to switch it up," Cloud says, unable to remember what it had been described as, as if the piece of information wasn't there. "I guess indie-pop, since I wrote a lot of the songs. Of course, our frontman took all the credit, because that's showbiz."

He squirms a little under Doctor's eyes. Cloud wasn't without a certain amount of personal presence of his own, but this man seems to be the type who could see a little further than most. He grabs at his elbow with his other hand, a little defensive.

"Let me have a go on it," Cloud says, gesturing towards the accordion - he's never played one before, but it's his best stab at impressing him.

[trustme]

Doctor pulls the accordion straps over his shoulders and very carefully turns it in his arms and hands it slowly to Cloud. "Careful now! For all the air inside, it's heavier than you might expect. Left hand. Right hand." He nods towards each end of the instrument

"This is bayan so the keys are more complicated than piano keyed accordions." He taps a few keys and names notes to give Cloud an idea of where some are among the many circular keys laid out in five long rows.

[off_the_edge]

Cloud bristles at the talk of the weight, like he didn't lift. Did all tall people think they were this much better than everyone else?

He settles the strap over his shoulders and presses in a few keys. He'd prefer a normal keyboard, but it can't be that difficult. After all, he's smart.

"No problem," Cloud says, nodding. "How do you turn it on?"

[trustme]

Doctor makes a squeezing motion in the air between his hands. "Push the keys and pump. No electricity needed."

He doesn't mean to judge but he's surprised Cloud doesn't remember just how far back accordion music goes. Oh well, that's okay. The young man is still learning and that's what matters.

[off_the_edge]

Cloud blushes vibrantly. The thing did look electronic, with the pegs and everything, and like a lot of Terrans he took the invention of electricity entirely for granted. He looks around himself to make sure no-one saw that.

"I know that," he says, puts his finger on a key that wasn't one of the ones Doctor pointed out, and blasts. It's harder than he expected.