MINGLE - Post-Op(era) Recovery

[pumpkinhollow]

On this night we drink to the death of Sorrow.

After the Fall of Efrain With the Prince of Sorrow's Song dead and gone, the opera dissipates, spitting its victims out on the summit of Crane's Ridge where the Dance of Celestine was held some months before. It's getting late, and there is no one yet in town to run the train. Some will brave the trip home simply for the sake of collapsing into their own beds and achieving some sense of normalcy. Others will do so with the hope of returning with help. But many others will simply say "fuck it" and camp out on the mountain, still fitted with extra firewood from the festival and the means to build temporary structures in nearby storage sheds. The journey down will be safer in the morning, and there's solidarity to be had in a cool spring night spent under the stars.

Oh, look, there's even some non-perishable food and wine from the Dance. Combined with what can be hunted or foraged, as well as snacks and drinks stolen from the concession stand, there's plenty to go around. This might even be a little bit fun! Anyone up for another game of Never Have I Ever? Maybe a little Truth or Dare? Or perhaps you just want to chat and unwind with your friends. Whatever the case may be, have fun. This is your time. After darkness, there is a dawn. At the death of Sorrow, there is joy.

Comments

Music makes the people come together (Yeah~)

[itsjustabaddream]

Over by one of the larger bonfires, Neil can be seen all dressed up in his suit from CT's opera, magically returned to its red and black color scheme. He has a brand new violin from his role in the orchestra pit, which despite having played it all night, he's still playing. Perhaps he's in the mood for a merrier tune than the ones he's been playing. He fiddles away passionately, leaning this way and that as he plays. His joy is a little bit infectious.

[xiaoxiuya]

Shen Qingqiu, it's been well-established, is not Neil West's biggest fan. He's deeply unsettled by the thought of Neil's dreamwalking, and something about him just doesn't feel right in a way Shen Qingqiu can't seem to put his finger on. The guy's kind of a weirdo, when you think about it.

But he's also...ugh, he doesn't even want to think about it...he's also incredibly handsome. God damn it! This wouldn't be an issue if Shen Qingqiu were really as straight as he used to think he was! But the simple and painful truth is that Neil looks downright sexy in that suit, and with how well he's playing that violin...it's just too much. It's really too much! Shen Qingqiu has to do something before he loses his mind!

As Neil starts in on a new song, Shen Qingqiu abruptly realizes that it's a tune he recognizes, and before he knows it he's singing along, his voice ringing out nice and clear across the impromptu camp. Well, why not? Wasn't he just complaining to Sally about how Efrain wasted his talents??

[itsjustabaddream]

Ah, a musician's favorite thing--- collaboration. There's nothing quite as fun, at least for Neil, as playing an instrument and having another musician join. He's not familiar with the singing voice (probably because he didn't actually hear much of Shen Qingqiu singing at the actual opera...) and is surprised to spot the source across the way.

How very interesting!

Part of Neil considers just ignoring him, considering Shen Qingqiu has been a bit of a thorn in his side. But there is an edge of petty joy to the fact that this is in front of everyone and will surely annoy Dahlia. So he keeps playing, switching gears to lead less and accompany more, and moving toward his fellow performer.

[xiaoxiuya]

Shen Qingqiu appears startled and uncertain, but keeps singing, reasoning that it would be more embarrassing for everyone if he stopped now. He remains sitting, and thus ends up in the unenviable position of looking up at Neil as the man comes closer, still sawing away at his violin with expertise and grace. It is deeply unfair how attractive he looks in the moonlight, and Shen Qingqiu desperately tries to think about his experiences with Meng Mo, the dream demon, to avoid embarrassing himself by blushing even harder or missing a note or something like that.

[not_a_traitor]

A funny thing can happen when a large chunk of your emotions get ripped out of you. Like clearing away a tangled overgrowth to expose the seedlings underneath, other, more pleasant things start to surface.

Are they feelings, too? Gaeta isn't quite sure. In an academic way, he's noticed that Pyotr didn't tear everything out of him. What's left behind is blunted, yes. But not gone like the grief is gone.

As Neil plays, Gaeta smokes a cigarette and watches with an almost dreamlike appreciation. There's no awkwardness or anxiety left like there was at Merrymeet. None of that self-deprecating embarrassment over feeling like a teenager at a school dance. Just this: Neil looks good.

[itsjustabaddream]

When the song ends, Neil takes a flourishing bow to the crowd. Their applause is tired from a long day, but genuine. Then, he takes a seat beside Gaeta.

There is still a slight air of anticipatory tension. They've been friends a while now, and in that time there have been... moments that seemed like more. A brunch over magical textbooks, an invitation to Merrymeet, and now this--- a breath caught at the end of a terrible day as Neil falls, exhausted but exuberant, into his seat on a log.

"I'm a bit rusty--- or rather, I was this morning. I'm fairly certain I've shaken it by playing all damn day," he jokes. "It's been a long time since I've gotten to play. How did I sound?"

[not_a_traitor]

"Good," says Gaeta. He still sounds hoarse as hell from his own time in the pit; he taps his throat with his fingertips. "Better than I would if I tried singing any more."

He cocks his head a little as he continues to study Neil, a slight smile curving his mouth. If the interest is academic, well... Gaeta has always been intense in his academic studies. "Glad they let you keep the suit, too. It would've been a shame to waste it."