Welcome to Gaia! ::

She had just finished moving in, a task that spanned nearly the whole of three days. While it was not the unpacking that took up most of the time, it was the furnishing of her dorm room that consumed the most of her efforts and energy. Adding the finishing touches to what would be her bedpost, Edel took a step back and heaved a small sigh of satisfaction. The ghoul was considerably exhausted and in dire need for some fresh air. Stepping outside her dorm, the frost demon recalled seeing a pair of grand pianos in the common room, which she decided would help her relax a little. Lifting the piano cover, Edel noticed that the grand piano was rather well maintained....to some extent untouched. Pity.

Edel sat herself down and stretched her fingers in preparation. She had forgotten to bring out her scores, so whatever she played, she was playing from memory. No pressure right? After all, it didn't look like anyone was going to be listening. Getting into position, Edel took in a deep breath and broke into Piano Sonata in C major, K 545. The simple, lively tune began to fill the hallway as the frost demon's fingers danced across the piano keys. There were a one or two slips here and there, which she frowned a little at but laughed it off later, deciding not to take this too seriously since she wasn't trying to impress anybody, much less her father. Still, it was something pleasant to hear, for anyone who appreciated classical music at least.

Hitting the last note, Edel smiled with satisfaction as she released the keys and the pedal. She was a little startled to hear a pair of hands clapping and the frost demon quickly turned around to see who it was coming from. Leaning on the doorframe was a ....rather wild? looking (Edel couldn't find the right word to describe him, his fashion sense was very much foreign to her) boil with spiky purple hair who was grinning and clapping. How long had he been watching? My, it would have been embarrassing if he had heard all those mistakes she made.

Still, Edel politely returned the smile and meekly said, “Oh dear, I hope I have not bothered you with my playing which leaves more to be desired.” She rose from the chair and bowed to him in greeting.

Edel smiled slightly at the boil's compliment, but raised her eyebrows at what he had to say next. Guitars, so he must play one of those too She returned his handshake, and introduced herself.

“Roch, my name is Edel. It's a pleasure to meet you”

Oh, so he was a reaper. His appearance did strike him as unfamiliar to the traditional image of his class that Edel held. But that's Halloween Town for you I guess, Edel was glad that she was meeting all sorts of people here in this school.

“Yes indeed, she's a very fine one ...,” the ghoul added on, her expression softening as she looked back at the grand piano fondly. “A little bit more mellow than the one I used to play.” The unfamiliar name Roch mentioned had once again piqued the frost demon's interest. “Desiree?” she enquired.

A guitar for a scythe? This was one unconventional reaper boil indeed. Then again, perhaps it was just her that was outdated on the latest trends the frost demon mused. Edel's eyes lit up with the mention of the name “Fright Music Club” - that was something she'd definitely be interested in. And it seemed that it was just her luck to meet the president of the club himself too. From the way he put it, it must be that Roch was a splendid musician himself and Edel was rather excited at the thought of hearing him play the guitar himself.

Edel felt rather honored to be offered an audition there and then, to which she replied, “Oh yes, definitely!” She paused for a moment in contemplation before speaking up again. “Would you mind if I auditioned with the violin instead? I must admit that I enjoy playing it more than the piano, not to say that I dislike playing the latter.” She gave him an earnest look and continued. “My dorm room is this way, if you don't mind, you could follow me while I pick up my instrument”

“Yes, my preferred instrument actually” she replied, catching the hint of surprise in his tone. “I was taught the two as part of my bringing up, my father is quite good – no, excellent at both,” she paused before adding sheepishly, “I doubt I'd ever match up to him.”

As the two walked down the hall, the reaper seemed to notice that it was starting to grow colder. By the time they had reached her door, only then did that frost demon realise that Roch was not dressed for the cold, at least for a warm blooded scareling. She opened the door and a cold waft of air started flowing out into the corridor, no doubt that the room itself might be too much for the boil to take.

“Um, if you would rather wait outside...I'll go in and take my violin quick.” Edel made a mental note to prepare a warm jacket for visitors next time, if any. With that, she disappeared into the icy cavern of a dorm she created to emerge a minute later, violin in hand. Shutting the door to spare Roch from any more of the cold, she stood outside the corridor with the reaper, a rather awkward place to have an audition really.

“Shall I begin?” she asked politely, bringing the instrument up to her shoulder and holding the bow in position.

“Ah, yes of course” the ghoul quickly obliged, thinking it rude of herself to have not considered Roch's welfare. Now that they were back in the common room where it was significantly warmer (and where the acoustics were better too, she supposed), she nodded at the reaper before taking up position again.

She was significantly more confident around the violin, it made expressing herself much easier, she felt. And unlike the with the piano, it was something she could practice in private without the pressure-giving knowledge that someone was watching her. Giving herself a short pause, she struck up the romantic tune of Salut d'Amour and at moments, allowed herself to sway with the expressive melody. This piece was something she had kept in her repertoire since she learned it, and needless to say, the years of practice showed. Perhaps what was lacking was that she herself had yet to experience the love the piece conveyed, but still, it was nothing short of a decent performance (she hoped).

As she drew closer to the end, she stole a peek at Roch, wondering the results of his assessment. Drawing the last note, Edel brought the violin and bow down to her sides, hesitating slightly before asking. “So, how did it go?”

Edel was pleased to find that Roch liked it, though she would admit to being a little surprised at the fact that there weren't any other violinists. On the other hand, it seemed that the club had another pianist – that got Edel a little excited. She reckoned that more piano playing experience would certainly help her improve her own skills, and the thought that she could learn from another expert pianist delighted the ghoul. Listening to the list of instrumentalists Roch was telling, she nodded after he was finished.

“Yes, I'll be fine with that!” she replied cheerfully, “Thank you for taking me in.”

There was one piece of information left – a very vital piece of information in fact, that Edel was lacking. “So...when does the club start?” she enquired, feeling slightly embarrassed for asking.