☆ 002 : WARM-UP ☆ "All of us contain Music & Truth, but most of us can't get it out."

[idol_support]

Characters: Rise Kujikawa and YOU!
Setting: Floor Twenty-Eight, the Music Room, or prettymuch anywhere else you want.
Format: Prose and Action both A-OK; you pick and I'll follow your lead!
Summary: Rise does her best to get in a little vocal practise for the (possible) upcoming Gas Chamber, Tower Edition show. Make a song request, pick up an instrument and join in, just listen...that part's all up to you. :]
Warnings: Event-related things, perhaps...or maybe she just has the regular flu. :3 Otherwise nothing.



Rise stood behind the electronic keyboard, shoulders relaxed, arms by her sides. Breathing in slowly, she hummed a low note (try to find the note where you feel maximum vibration in your lower abdomen) as she exhaled, one hand pressed to her midriff. After repeating that a few times, she shivered and huffed out a sigh instead, breaking the rhythm. But well, at least it was easy to make sure she was doing her breathing exercises right, since thanks to the cold, she could see every breath that left her mouth.

The cold did make it pretty hard to play the piano well, though--not that she was AMAZING at it even under normal conditions, but she was far from terrible, on the upper side of average at the very least. A singer who couldn't read music at all or play an instrument at least a little would be an embarrassment to her agency, and Rise was a quick study anyways.

After rubbing some circulation back into her fingers, she got to work on playing--and singing--some scales.


(It's nothing too interesting at first, but if you wait for a while, she might start practising an actual song or two...or maybe not. She might just start coughing instead...)

Comments

Floor Twenty-Eight

[tohko_amano]

Tohko sighed as she wandered into the music room, holding her notebook and a pen. Even with her cloak and cape, it was still rather cold, and her senses..it was harder to walk up the stairs not that her eyes were weaker, but she had managed.

She had finally decided what to do. She had written up a story and knew what book to give Enoch for Christmas, but..she had decided to come out and tell him how she felt. It would probably hurt him in the long run, and she would feel terrible, knowing that it would hurt..but she would feel even worse if she let her words die in her throat.

However, she had trouble coming up with a love song. Nothing in the library quite spoke to her for inspiration, and it didn't help that she could barely see the book at times. So, she had decided to wander into the music room, hoping that the instruments there would give her some inspiration.

However, as she wandered in, she noticed a girl practicing at a keyboard. She was shivering, and Tohko, worried, managed to walk up to her.

"Pardon me..but are you cold? If you're chilly, I can go and make a cloak for you really quickly."

She had been getting good at making them.

[idol_support]

Rise looked up from the keyboard with mild surprise, then smiled at the unfamiliar girl.

"Aww, that's really nice of you! It does feel like it's gotten a lot colder recently--" The former idol couldn't hold back another visible shiver, "--But I think I'll be okay! That's lot of trouble to go to for someone you don't even know, after all..."

[tohko_amano]

Tohko smiled. Gah..her hearing was getting worse. While she could hear what the girl said, she was getting faint.

"Oh, don't worry about it! Really, it won't take me long to just stitch up something, and I'd feel terrible if you caught a cold or something because you weren't bundled up. Just hang on a moment. I'll be right back!"

And with that, Tohko started to run downstairs, and went into the workshop. She had to fight to not trip down the stairs, but she made it, and started sowing a thick but very loose cloak for the girl. Thanks to her eyesight, she stabbed herself with the needle twice, but she managed to get it finished, and she quickly ran back up the stairs into the music room. The girl was still there, and Tohko caught her breath as she handed the cloak to the girl.

"H-here you are! Sorry for the wait.." Tohko sneezed over her shoulder and suppressed a shudder. She was starting to feel even colder. Whether that was due to the weather or the cold was anyone's guess.

[1/2]

[idol_support]

"Hey, wait!" Rise called after her, then started around the keyboard to follow--only to have to stop and steady herself by clutching at the side of the instrument. She'd had a scratchy throat (from practising too much, probably), and she was always so cold (just like everyone) and had started feeling pretty tired all the time lately (but that made sense too, since it was hard to sleep when you were cold). But lightheadedness...that was new.

By the time it passed, the other girl was gone. Rise give a sigh and (slowly) moved back to the keyboard. Well...that was a little strange, but it was still really nice of that girl, she thought with a little smile. And if she was really was gonna make her a cloak, there was no sense in letting her hard work go to waste! And she might as well practise some more while she waited...

[altitonant_emperor]

The music room wasn't one of his usual haunts. But Hidetoshi had finished the books he'd borrowed from the library and he was still restless with the imposed inactivity, his cheeks stung with the cold and his fingers suffered a similarly unpleasant fate; the same cold he was attempting to ease by moving.

So, keeping away from the more heavily monster-infested floors, he walked, browsing the morbid sights.

And when the straight-backed high schooler had entered the music room, he's felt a tinge of surprise to witness a familiar female idol practicing at the electronic keyboard but no shock, considering her profession. When he had walked in, the teenager had not attempted to conceal the brisk sound of his footsteps, so Rise would know someone was there right off.

He doesn't approach at first, but when the coughing starts up, echoing in the chilled air, Hidetoshi will come closer to her, maintaining a respectful distance, and ask; "... Rise-san? Pardon me, but are you ill?"

[idol_support]

She'd heard him coming--he'd let her hear him--but when he moved closer, she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the coughing. She didn't want Hidetoshi-senpai to catch her cough, if it was catching!

She turned to the side, and her shoulders shook with a few more slight, restrained coughs before she cleared her throat and turned back to him with a smile. It wasn't quite as bright a smile as usual, but it's not exactly fake either. She was glad to see him, after all.

"I'm okay, Hidetoshi-senpai! I've been doing a lot of voice training lately, since we're probably gonna have a show pretty soon, that's all..."

Of course, the way she was leaning a little too heavily on the keyboard belied that statement, as did the slight hoarseness in her voice; but otherwise she sounded and looked just about as cheerful as ever.

[altitonant_emperor]

"Are you certain? This miserable weather we've had recently would make it very easy to catch a sickness," He said worriedly as he kept at the safe distance and as she turned slightly to the side, her shoulders shaking with her muffled coughing before the cheerful girl recovered herself and turned back to face him, smiling and talking with only a slight strain around the edges.

The low, cold temperatures were a cause for a concern after all and as if to accent that, he shivered a little himself, the cold nipping at his spine and fingers and the tip of his nose.

She wasn't being deceptive, Hidetoshi felt, but she was probably understating any problems she might be having, judging from the way she leaned a touch too much on the keyboard and the tiny roughness of her voice. He then blinked, bemused by what she had revealed to him. "Hm? There's going to be a show, here, in the Tower?"

[fuhgeddaboudit]

"Rise?"

Ever since Yosuke had showed her some of 'Risette's' singing, Labrys had been fascinated. Even more so after playing that Rock Band thing in the media room.

Mostly oblivious to the cold and entirely oblivious to any illnesses running rampant, Labrys blinked scarlet eyes curiously.

"Sorry--I ain't interruptin', am I?"

[idol_support]

Rise stopped mid-scale to beam at the android girl. "Hey Labrys-san! And no, not at all! I toldja you could come hear me sing whenever you wanted, didn't I?"

The former idol playfully plunked out a random little harmony on the keyboard (maybe a little more random than she'd intended, due to stiff fingers and shaking hands), then said, "So what did you wanna hear me sing, Labrys-san? I was just doing some basic warm-ups, but I should be good to go now if you've got something in mind."

[fuhgeddaboudit]

"I wouldn't know anythin' to suggest." she admitted with a shrug. "There ain't all that much I know about music." She reached out and idly poked one of the keys on the end of the keyboard, seeming surprised when it made a sound.

[thelordsage]

Sephiran had been visiting the music room on occasion, sometimes to sing to himself (it's not like anything was really stopping him) and other times to investigate the instruments that played themselves on occasion. Today, however, he was drawn in by the sound of Rise's singing.

"Excuse me... are you practicing your scales? It's good of you to keep in practice. Do you mind if I practice with you?"

[idol_support]

Rise gave the newcomer a big, idol-worthy smile and a nod.

"Yup, I sure am! I haven't been practising nearly enough, actually...I guess I'm paying for that now," she said, frowning just slightly as she pressed a hand to her throat.

She brightened again a moment later as she answered his second question. "And sure, I don't mind at all if you join in! Do you sing, too, or...?" She looked around at the wide array of instruments, unwittingly leaning on the keyboard a bit as she did so.

[thelordsage]

"I do sing," Sephiran said simply. "I'm out of practice as well. I haven't had that much reason to sing recently." No, no he hadn't, what with the whole attempting to destroy his world and then actually having it destroyed thing. "Where is the best place to start, do you think?"

Floor 28

[derping]

Getting used to wintertime was problematic when the only world you ever knew until now was a tropical island. Well, it would be "problematic" under normal circumstances. In the tower, especially right now, it was just plain miserable, and Sora was not enjoying a single bit of it. It didn't help that he didn't really own winter clothes, either. His blanket from his bed had become his new best friend, and rarely was he ever not wrapped up in it.

Still, he wasn't one to enjoying staying still, and as of now he had come to realize that he really only had two choices - sit around and be cold in his room, or be cold while wandering around the tower and at least have company. The latter sounded way better.

And that's why there's a kid wrapped up in a sheet wandering into the music room, a place where he's never spent much time before. He decides to stick around when he sees that someone else is there - someone else that looks like she might be trying to play something. Or...oh, wait, she's singing, too.

"What are you trying to sing?" he asks, sitting down nearby and not really thinking about whether or not he's interrupting. Or about the fact that he looks really silly wandering around in the cold wrapped up in a sheet - he started getting over that a long while ago.

[idol_support]

After a). being in showbiz for as long as she had, and b). all the crazy costumes she'd seen in October, a guy wearing his bedsheets around wasn't gonna faze her. She could understand where he was coming from, and actually maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to follow suit. Her winter uniform was fairly warm, but lately she'd still felt really cold all the time; she just couldn't seem to stop shaking, no matter what she did...

"Nothing just yet," she said in answer to his question, giving him a cheery smile as she kept absently playing scales on the keyboard. "These are just warm-up exercises--the first part of my voice-training program! Since we have so much extra time here, I thought I might as well practise like I'm supposed to."

Her smiled widened a little more, a trace of an impish light in her eyes. "I should be pretty warmed up now, though. So, any requests?"

He was probably from an entirely different world (most people seemed to be), so the chances of her knowing whatever song he mentioned would most likely be pretty small, but it was worth a shot.

[derping]

Any requests? Sora hadn't expected that, and he actually got excited at the idea. He hadn't heard any music from his world - or really, much music at all - for a long time. His mind started moving through some songs he enjoyed, and he opened his mouth to speak...before he realized the obvious problem.

Right. Music from his world. She probably wouldn't know any of it. His smile fades for a moment, though his expression brightens a bit when he looks at her again.

"Nah, I can't really think of anything. I'll just listen!" he finally said, hoping that she didn't mind an audience.

"But what do you mean "voice-training program"?" he asks, his curiosity piqued. He had never heard of something like that before, even though it was pretty easy to guess what it was for. "Are you practicing to be a singer or something?"

[idolizer]

[ Oh, the sound of music... and singing. It brings Sayaka some memories, some fond, other not... but before she knew, she ended up in this floor. She came here a couple times, but found no one here. This is the first time she finds a person actually practicing here.

... she can't help but notice that the girl must be freezing. Even so, she knows better than interrupt someone who is singing. For now she'll stand a bit afar, listening to the melody and singing- even if the playing is imperfect, the voice is definitely not. Before she knows it, Sayaka ends up humming the song on her own. ]

[idol_support]

[Rise was too focused on the music to notice the other idol's presence, at least at first. But a little more than halfway through, she suddenly looks up, having apparently picked up on someone humming along who has a clear, well-projected (professional) voice. Her too-cold fingers fumble on the keys, missing a few notes due to the distraction, but Rise gives the newcomer a bright, friendly smile before returning her attention to the song, finishing it out with perhaps even more gusto than usual.

And once she was done--]

Hey! Even from over here, I can tell--you're a pro, too, right?

[Rise is all smiles, although now that she's not singing anymore, there's a hint of hoarseness to her voice, cheerful though it is.]

[idolizer]

[ Sayaka blinks when she realizes the song is over and the girl is directing the question at her. She's been absorbed by the moment, but now that she's back to her senses, there's some embarassment on her part before she answers, trying a smile. ]

A pro? [ Well...it's not that she'd brag by telling the truth. ] You could say that, in a way.

[culbutiri]

Nesir shivered, she had a cloak now given to her by Chidori in return for some unsuspecting rabbits Nesir had caught and killed in the forest. But it was getting colder, she had no shoes and on top of that she seemed to have picked up a cold. Her head felt fuzzy and kept sneezing.

She wasn't really interested in music, but seeing Rise she paused in the room to watch her play. Nesir knew very little about music but she thought Rise was good; which she had known since Rise had told her she was an idol, a musician from her world.

[idol_support]

Being an assassin, Nesir moved very quietly; Rise had no idea she was even in the room until she finished her song and looked up from the keyboard, fighting to keep her teeth from chattering now that she wasn't focused wholly on music.

"Nesir! Hey!" Rise wasn't feeling all that well either, but she still brightened on seeing her roommate. "Are you just here to listen, or did you want to start learning..." She trailed off as she noticed the other girl's lack of footwear--how had she not noticed that before? True, they'd been missing each other a lot lately, or else Nesir was already asleep or at least in bed if not gone from the room entirely for a big portion of the time that Rise was in their room, but still...

"You're not wearing any shoes! I think I have an extra pair in my trunk if you think they'll fit and wanna borrow them..."

Rise'd been wearing her winter uniform around most of the time, since it was the warmest outfit she had, and that meant wearing her flat, boring school shoes that went best with that outfit; but there should be a pair of soft brown boots in her trunk that she sometimes wore with another of her colder weather outfits...

[culbutiri]

Nesir gave a week smile and nodded, she didn't think music would be very useful to her but it was something Rise enjoyed and a way to get closer to her roommate.

Plus even if she was a bit of an idiot Nesir didn't mind spending time with Rise, she reminded her a lot of Ral with her cheerful attitude and random kindness.

As demonstrated in the next offer. Nesir blinked at her, "They did be no sending me any when they did be giving me clothes." She shrugged as if it didn't matter though she was freezing and terrified that she would get frost sickness. Her left hand automatically went to touch the space where her fingers should have been on her right.

"Do... Do you no be needing them?" She sneezed and looked annoyed.

[nemophila]

Music was one of the better distractions against the cold, even if it id made it a bit difficult to play in this kind of atmosphere. Jun'd heard about Rise from Eikichi-- (someone else for Gas Chamber, if he recalled correctly,)-- though he hadn't actually met her yet. Though by the way she was singing and practicing, she was definitely a candidate for their mystery new member.

For a while, he simply watched, and only decided to speak up once she had taken a pause to rub her hands.

"You're astonishingly dedicated to keep at it in these kinds of conditions."

[idol_support]

Distracted as she was by the cold, the music, and the feeling of achy weariness that had been bothering her for the past couple of days, Rise didn't notice Jun until he spoke. And once she did, for a moment she could only stare, eyes wide, her mouth falling half-open. Her first semi-clear thought was Oh wow, another one! followed immediately by ohmigosh, THE Jun Kurosu just complimented me! and then c'mon, Rise, not again! Get it together already! She'd thought she'd gotten all her fangirling out before, when she'd met Eikichi. Apparently not.

Reeling her jaw in, Rise gave him a bright smile as she went back to her (largely vain) attempt to warm her trembling hands. "Well, if I'm gonna join your band for real, I've gotta be at the top of my game! I wanna to be good enough to pass any kind of audition you guys throw my way, just in case!"

[nemophila]

Her moment of wide-eyed staring made Jun's smile dissolve into something quite more awkward, and set him a bit on edge. Was there something on his face, or...

When Rise's own smile returned, he eased up a bit, though he still felt a bit awkward. But that was basically every day of the week, and the freezing cold wasn't helping him feel better. "I wouldn't worry that much if I were you. If Michel invited you, you must be good, so I doubt there'll be any audition. I didn't even have to audition, Michel just sort of decided it for me."