Welcome to Gaia! ::

A series of near misses in traffic had forced Rowan to the conclusion that she probably needed a break. A short one she insisted to herself as she walked. Even she wasn’t certain if she genuinely intended to allow herself to relax or if it was just a pleasant lie she told herself to pacify the quiet but persistent voice that urged her to at least consider the possibility of rest as a means of self-preservation.

Just a nice stroll through a nice area with no intention of treating the route as a patrol. If she happened upon something untoward she could address it then, but there was no point in dwelling on what might happen. At least that’s what she tried to convince the rampaging horde of highly caffeinated guinea pigs that had recently been serving as her thought processes.

Passing a shop window, the warmth of a violin’s wood caught her eye. It was undoubtedly too expensive for her current budget, but that couldn’t stop her from admiring the craftsmanship. The small display that accompanied it created a familiarly welcoming scene. Deciding to chase the sliver of normalcy among the pandemonium, she walked inside.

The smell of age beckoned her forward into the shop’s interior. Surrounded by the vestiges of countless bygone lives, it was easier to exile the fears of the present to the further reaches of her mind. Each display vied for her attention before the violin in the window exerted its pull once more.

A human voice shouldn’t have come as a surprise, especially in this setting, but that did nothing to deter her nervous system from insisting that it was. The fact that she managed not to jump felt like a herculean accomplishment, but she opted to take the win. “Oh, hello!” She gave the person behind the counter a smile and a friendly wave, “I’ve never been here before but that violin caught my eye. I don’t see them very often in places like this.”

The violin was definitely out of Rowan’s price range even with a discount, but the tantalizing softness of the sheet music’s yellowed edges drew her eye with an unsurprising ease. The idea of finding a musical trove at an estate sale was a vague fantasy that lived in the back of her mind alongside daydreams of how she’d spend lottery winnings or collect plant clippings from the Moon.

“Um. I actually know a good bit about both.” She felt a bit self-conscious, hoping that she’d be able to back up her claim. It would be a lie to claim any mastery of knowledge on the subject, but she liked to think that time spent in the symphony’s archives gave her at least a slight edge over the average person who might wander in. “I’m actually a music major, going into the master’s program in the fall. I might be able to help with at least a little.” The color rose in her cheeks as she spoke. If nothing else she’d be able to work out the tune. That would be something, right? (Unless it used some ancient regional notation, then she was up the proverbial creek)

Excited anticipation rose within her, a nice change from the decidedly apocalyptic excitement of the past several weeks as she leaned over the pages.
“A notepad and a pencil would be great, thanks!” She didn’t want to risk spilling a drink on the paper or blotting it with ink.

She unconsciously hummed the melody, index finger hovering just over the notation as she read the first sheet. “This one at least is definitely local, it’s so familiar but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’ll probably come to me when I look at some of the others.” She smiled enthusiastically at the other woman.

Rowan smiled at Myth as the other woman reappeared with the notebook, “Thanks! This is definitely familiar. It’s like when you’ve got a word on the tip of your tongue but can’t quite find it.”

The music rose quietly within her as she moved on to the second sheet, eyes flicking excitedly across the page. She definitely knew this one. She wasn’t sure how famous it was outside of local classical music circles, but the composer was an old acquaintance from the depths of a book on local music history.

“These are Beulah Major’s.” Recognizing the uselessness of her statement without context she quickly continued, “She was a composer in the 20s, she even conducted a pretty successful orchestra around here which. You know. For the 20s that was so rare for a woman!” Grabbing the notebook she quickly scrawled some information for Myth. “I’ll write down what I know here, I hope that helps some.”

Rowan brightened at the confirmation that she’d helped. She might not be the best in combat, but this at least was something she could manage.

“She did actually play, so probably is hers.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully at the second question. She wasn’t an appraiser by any stretch of the imagination, but she knew it was something that some collectors might enjoy. “It’s pretty rare even printed. Handwritten…it has to be even rarer. I’d still try to sell it. Hmm. I actually have an instructor who might be interested. She collects all kinds of local music stuff. It’s kind of her thing.”

Excitedly, she grabbed the notebook and pencil before checking her phone for the information. A few quick strokes on the paper and she presented Myth with an email address. “I think she’d love seeing these.”