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 Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:18 pm
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Liam, who tended to be a bit of a lighter sleeper, certain sounds were more likely to wake him than others, was roused at some point by the sound of the downstairs piano. TGurning, with a groan, he reached out for where he assumed he’d find nothing but bedding. Instead of nothing though he found a sleeping Aloysius. That startled him awake and he sat up staring for a moment, someone was downstairs and it wasn’t Aloysius. He assumed it could be Melody but maybe not? She didn’t play piano, right? Or did she.
Nudging, and shaking, Aloysius he leaned down to whisper into his ear. “Someone is playing your piano…and I don’t know if it’s Melody. She doesn’t play piano, right?”
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:22 pm
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Aloysius felt the nudging and barely registered anything for a moment until he heard the sound of the piano. “Mel? Why is she practicing, she already had her final.” Sitting up slowly, he stretched and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand after nearly knocking the cups over. “Ah, yes, she does. But…. Not that badly?” His face scrunched up as he thought for a moment, wondering if he’d left the lid open and Desiree had stepped on the keys again.
Still too groggy to register more than that, he leaned into them and closed his eyes again. “Just a moment and we can check it out.” Cringing a bit when another sour note sounded, he leaned back up and listened but nothing else seemed to be happening. “Maybe it was Desiree, she has been hiding more with you here. I think she is shy around others, she stopped sleeping on me when I moved up to your room.” Thinking of how he’d found her hiding under the bed time after time when he had students over, it made sense. “She is a stray that I fed over the years and she sticks around a bit. A rather large forest cat but she is blind in one eye.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:29 pm
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:31 pm
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Nodding as he started to slide out of the bed, he tried not to make much noise. “Maybe if we stay quiet you can see her for once, otherwise she will run off and hide again.” Pulling them along, he started down the stairs and around the corner. Making sure he was in front just in case, he really wanted them to see Desiree. She’d been around through some of the worst times in his life.
What he wasn’t expecting was to see a woman at the piano, one he didn’t recognize. He froze up and pressed back into Liam a bit. How had someone gotten in? He was sure he’d locked the door. At least they were facing the other way so they hadn’t noticed him or Liam yet.
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Frowning at the keys, she tapped a few softly and managed to get the first bit of the song right. Tapping along lightly, she froze when she heard a creak on the stairs. Looking at her keychain up on the piano, she wondered if it would be better to switch back into her normal form or try and bumble through an explanation if someone was here. It also depended on who was there.
She really wanted to keep practicing though so she tried that but she had gotten right again. Slowly working through it until she could play it at the speed she’d remember it being played at. Keeping her touch light, the sounds that came from the piano were soft and delicate, a stark contrast to the way she’d heard it played by her musician.
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:37 pm
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:40 pm
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Mouthing back, he let them know it was a woman. As to the question of calling the cops, he wasn’t sure. Leaning back around the corner to watch, he recognized the song. It was one he’d written. Taking a chance, he stepped down the last few stairs and walked towards the woman. Motioning for Liam to follow as he carefully pulled a blanket from the couch to wrap around himself.
“Who are you, what are you doing in my house?” He spoke firmly, wondering if he should power up and drain them just in case. It would be easy but if there were any order members nearby, they would be able to tell he was here. He stood uncomfortably for a moment as he started to notice some familiar things about their outfit, most notably the scarf they wore that looked suspiciously like the one he had been wearing the night before.
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Hands slammed down on the keys as she bolted up and turned around. Uh oh. “Oh no, you weren’t supposed to be home. I can explain.” Reaching for her keychain, it clattered to the floor and she scrambled for it, bonking into things that she couldn’t see in the rush. Grabbing it, she got up and walked over to them slowly, trying not to spook them. “I have a lot to explain, is it Aloysius right? I never really heard you say your own name so I had to guess. I just called you my musician. It’s me, Desiree…” Clicking the button, she trilled and hopped from the floor to the couch. “I.. was trying to figure out how to go about telling you this, especially since you have others here and I wasn’t sure if they were aligned to the same side as you.” Swishing her tail as she spoke, she watched him with her good eye as she saw another person following behind. She puffed up, wondering if this had been a mistake. She really didn’t want to leave though, she missed curling up on the bed.
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:40 pm
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Liam had kept behind Aloysius, letting him handle things, he was surprised when things started to twist and become not what it seemed. Coming out from his own hiding spot he snuck up behind Aloysius and wrapped an arm about his chest. “You have a mauvian it seems.” Resting his chin on Aloysius shoulder as he looked over the cat.
“It seems I finally get to meet your cat.” Which Aloysius had been talking about for a while now, wanting him to meet Desiree. Turning his head just enough to press a kiss to Aloysius neck, before turning his blue eyes onto the cat. “We are on a similar side, I’m a dark mirror senshi. I’m chaos but not the Negaverse.” Which made him safe from ascending which he knew bothered Aloysius, worried him even, it wasn’t something which happened in his court.
“Well, it looks like you have another student, Aloysius.” Which he thought the other would like, especially given who it was.
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:41 pm
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:49 pm
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“That would be nice, there were a few times we could have really used having our signatures covered.” Thinking back to the most recent time, when he’d had to walk them through the mirrors and came out in the bathroom with Aloysius soaking wet. Knowing it was safe, that no one would sense him, would have been really good.
Laughing he raised his hand to pet the cat, she was being rather demanding, he was alright with her letting him know just what she wanted. He knew cats could be that way and wasn’t shocked mauvians were as well. “That’s fine, I think during that time Aloysius would enjoy going over the piano with you, since it seems you’re interested in the piano.” Watching her from where he had his chin perched on Aloysiu’s shoulder.
“I think we’re both happy to have you here as you are. You can have input in things now, including what you want to eat.” And anything else she might want, of course, he wouldn’t mind spending time with a mauvian and hearing whatever she had to say and whatever she wanted, and making sure it happened. Actually he rather liked the idea of ordering things for her online.
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:50 pm
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Nodding as Liam took the words out of his mouth as he finally started waking up the rest of the way. “It would help with my worries a bit more too. Does this mean you will stop hiding and maybe start coming up to the other bedroom? I am sorry that the cot is gone but it had to go, it had a lot of burn holes in it…” It had been less than pleasant when Liam finally managed to get rid of it and he missed it a bit at times but sleeping up in the other bed was a good trade-off, all things considered. Petting Desiree all over as she threw herself into him, he was happy that she wasn’t running away around Liam again.
“I think I would like that, you always sat around my feet when I played before he came along. I missed that but I figured you were nervous around new people just like you were with all the students I had stopped by for private lessons. I guess it would be breakfast time now, or lunch? Right, Liam? Then the shop you said we would be going to?” Bumping his head against theirs softly as he spoke.
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“Consider it done then, I wouldn’t want anyone to come and bother my home.” Trilling happily as she accepted attention from the both of them. “I’ll consider it though, at least now that I know he’s okay and not just a civilian or one of those order people. I’ve met a few out as a human and it’s been going pretty smoothly.” She’d learned a lot in a short amount of time and had a few ideas of some more things to tinker around with, though there weren’t really any electronics she could tear apart here without being noticed or missed.
“I think… if you can order me some electronic parts from time to time I could maybe make some things here and there. Then maybe if you need me to help out with other things that can work too.” She knew a bit of what she could do but she hadn’t really figured out more of the nitty gritty yet. But either way, she was content that this was going as smoothly as it was. “I’d prefer bacon and eggs if that’s alright?” Moving back away and hopping down onto the floor, she walked towards the kitchen and made herself at home on one of the chairs.
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:51 pm
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“I’ll order you whatever you like.” Jumping in with the offer, wanting to be on the mauvians good side, he had been one of the people she’d been hiding from after all. While she knew he was safe now he did want to make up for keeping her out of the house, which was hers as well, so if buying her parts was what she wanted then he could certainly swing it for her.
Laughing as he pulled away from Aloysius. “Sounds good, I’m glad to know what you’d like.” Looking over Aloysius he beckoned the other to follow him. “And what about you Aloysius, what do you want for breakfast?” Already moving to make tea, and get something for the mauvian to drink. “You are, as Aloysius said, welcome in the bedroom upstairs, the cot had to be thrown out so it leaves us just with the bedroom upstairs.” Through the old bedroom downstairs he was thinking of getting Aloysius to convert into something else, perhaps a small office or something for the other to work out of? If so then they could put things in there for the mauvian as well? He could use the room to grade papers and such.Maybe even a small library with books and the notebooks he’d filled with information. He knew of the notebooks but hadn’t seen them…but eventually he was certain he would see them.
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:52 pm
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:53 pm
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 8:54 pm
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Taking the tea and sipping it slowly, he watched as Liam busied themself with the cooking. He was used to doing it so it was a nice change of pace. Letting them take over a few things here and there would be nice, it would give him a bit more time to work on things or maybe try and rest every once in a while. “I trust you but do be careful, I can sort things that have fallen off the shelf later.” As long as they kept out of the little side room he used to sleep in at least.
Reaching over to pet Desiree, he felt a lot better about things. One of his biggest worries was taken care of now, being found out. He’d been less than careful over the years with things, although it had led, in a way, to the current situation. Looking up as Liam came back down the stairs, he offered a smile. “Yes, I look forward to worrying less about whether you get out and get hurt again. You have a lot of scars and scratches Desiree.” Scratching behind her ear as he spoke, he was glad she could take care of herself a bit more and wouldn’t be shut out of his home.
“We can get started on things later today though.” He stretched a bit and finished his tea, ready to get started with the day.
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