diatu | there's beauty in the breakdown

there's beauty in the breakdown

Who: Sunset and OPEN
Where: Out in a common space.
When: Some Friday night. It's raining.
What: Sunset plays some tunes. It doesn't go like she planned.
Warnings: Bad music, rain

It's been a bit of a rough month for Sunset. Sure, she's been doing great with her classes, her friends are doing fine, and it's all good. She even has her guitar back! But her dreams of immediately starting a band are waylaid when she actually plays a chord.

It sounds rough. She tunes it and tries again. Still rough. No matter what she does, it just won't go right. She sighs, angrily plucking a string as she takes a seat on a sheltered stump. One quick bubble charm to ward the rain away from her guitar and she tries again.

"Is there beauty in those gray clouds..."

Is there? She looks at the offending guitar and sighs. "Rule number one: never trust the genie, or anything like that."

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Where was that bad music coming from? Twirling an umbrella around, Webby approached her friend, momentarily oblivious to the bad mood. "Hi Sunset!"

"Oh, uh...hey Webby," Sunset greeted, putting her guitar away with a little cough. "Pretty wet out here, huh?"

Anything to talk about but her music. Anything.

"Yeah, I wanted to see if the rain here is different than the rain back home."

And then, because Webby often lacks so, so much social grace...

"But then I got distracted by some awful music. Did you hear it too?"

"Oh, that's neat. I..."

She ducked her head and looked aside. "...yeah, that was me. I swear I'm not usually this bad! I know how to play, the notes just...won't match up."

To be fair, Webby does look incredibly embarrassed. She stuttered, trying to backtrack. "Uh, what I uh... you didn't let me finish! I was going to say.. awful... ly good!"

"That's sweet, but you don't have to lie," Sunset shook her head. "I know what good playing sounds like, and this isn't it. Something's wrong with me, I used to be pretty good."

She stared down at her guitar with a deep frown. "Another curse?"

Webby eagerly jumped aboard the "new" topic, hoping to erase her shame. "Did you make a wish with a jerk of a genie?"

"...no, just the researchers. I used to play in a band and I really wanted to start it again, but then this happened."

She pushed the guitar case away from her. "Maybe I can learn to play something else."

"No way, you can't give up now!" Webby insisted with pumped fists. "Practice makes perfect!"

Isa peers out from underneath his umbrella, "Is there any reason why you're outside in this weather trying to play a guitar?"

Sunset sighed and looked up at him. Good question.

"I thought the mood would help me write a new song...but I just can't tune it right. I'm sure it's not the weather, I've played like this before."

She laughed. "But you're right. It is pretty silly."

"You could at least try to find more adequate shelter from the storm before trying..."

Of course, he's also standing out in this weather for seemingly no apparent reason...

"...good point. Okay. Longer roof that way."

Sunset started to make her way in that direction. "But it's actually kind of nice, Is that why you were out here?"

"You could say that... the moon's out tonight, and I needed guidance."

He might not have his powers, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying to connect with the moon...

"...from the moon?"

It's not the weirdest concept she's ever heard. "It's okay. Where I come from, the sun and moon are really important. Our princesses guide them, and in turn they give power."

"Before coming here I drew power from the moon, so I suppose I still find... comfort in it, even if I don't have my abilities."

Of course, he had a bit of a complicated relationship with his powers, but that's for another day.

"...Princesses?"

"I'm not sure this is doing anything for you, hate to say." His twin was the musician, but he knew that Katya wouldn't be caught dead trying to play her lute in the rain. Mostly because it might warp the wood and screw the strings up, too. Magic only went so far when it came to protecting things.

He didn't have an umbrella--a little rain never bothered him, after all. He did have his cloak, however, and sidled a bit closer to Sunset to let it serve as a rain shield for the rest of her.

"Is that like 'don't shoot the messenger'?" Cliff must've heard the genie comment. "Or looking a gift horse in the mouth?"

Sunset spared a small smile for Cliff subconsciously scooting a little closer than she should. It was warm.

"Probably a little of both," she admitted. "But mostly it's the messenger. There's always a price with this school. I've never played this badly before."

If Sunset thought he'd be offended, far from! He just tried to not foul her playing any more than he has to. Not that he really thinks he's the problem.

"Are you sure it's you?" Cliff had to ask. He leaned in, trying to look more at the strings. He'd never seen metal strings on an instrument before, but it seemed like a novel innovation, to him--certainly something that Kat might like to try, if he ever got to tell her about it.

"Although that is a point, you have to work for what you want. Nothing's free. But would it mean as much to you if it were free?" He's mostly musing to himself and thinking about it, but it's a valid question. "Still, I could always try to make you a new set of strings in Forging class, see if that helps?"

"...no, I guess not. I just wish I knew what work I needed to put in for it."

She ran her hand over the instrument with a deep sigh. "I don't think new strings will help. I think it's a different kind of price I have to pay. Something inside me that I have to fix. Maybe it had something to do with my wish? To play the crowd?"

"Could be. You afraid of crowds?" Cliff knew for a fact that he'd be pretty damn intimidated, himself, were he asked to stand up before one and orate--even if he'd been taught how to do just that. Not that as a younger son, it was likely, but his parents liked him to be prepared for anything--after all, neither Athros nor Narancelia ever thought they'd end up ruling kingdoms in their respective youths, and yet that very selfsame thing had happened. They'd learned by a lot of trial and error!

"And it's not 'fix', Sunset. There's nothing inherently wrong with you, y'know. There's just something you need to get stronger in, maybe. You're not broken, either." He gave her a little nudge with his elbow, again. "I can't snap my fingers and make it right, but you know I've got your back. I'll be here if you need me."

"No, it's not nerves. I'm pretty sure it's not, anyway. I used to worry about that kind of thing, but I haven't felt like an outcast in a while..."

She shakes her head, giving him a little smile. "You'll be there for me even if I hurt your ears a little?"

"What's a little ear pain between friends?" Or more, but Cliff wasn't about to push that issue. Not now.

"You're not an outcast here, you've got friends. I've got your back, I've said that before. Recently, even. And I'm absolutely sure I'm not the only one!"

He patted her head gently--only because she was seated--and Rounder, who'd been there silently spinning this whole time? Even he reached up to pat her leg, reassuringly.

As Fluttershy is hurrying to get out of the rain, she pauses when she hears a familiar voice, coupled with some oddly out of tune music. With a slight frown she follows the sound until she comes across who she already suspected she'd find.

"Sunset?"

"Oh, uh...hey Fluttershy," Sunset sighed, tucking the guitar away. "Sorry. I'm just kind of not myself today, I guess. Everything okay with you?"

She nodded, taking a seat next to Sunset. "I'm doing all right. But what's wrong?"

"I can't seem to play anymore. Am I really that out of practice?"

She tries to play a familiar chord from a song they sang together once, but it doesn't sound quite right.

Fluttershy can't help wincing a bit, noticing how the chord sounds a bit off.

"I dunno. I guess we have been here a while." She'd been lucky to have come with her tambourine, but now that she's thinking about it, Sunset hadn't really been playing the guitar since they'd been here.

Still, that didn't seem right, even if Sunset hadn't been practicing.

"Is there something else going on, maybe?"

Ugh. "Attempting a level of bard?" And if so, why?

"...no, I just want to play for fun. But this isn't really fun for anyone, I realize."

"No. It is not. Perhaps if you invest some ranks in the perform skill for that instrument family, it might work better."

"Music is math, you zero, so add a clue."

Sunset pouts. "My understanding of musical theory isn't the problem. It's bending the laws of physics to not play the right notes."

"If someone added a vector to your equation, add your own. Divide your problems by tackling it from a new angle. If it won't play the notes the way you expect, subtract your expectations and learn the way it IS playing." Duh.

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there's beauty in the breakdown

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