Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 3, 2022 15:19:13 GMT -5
“Are you sure?” Orpheus asked, eyes wide. He had been expressly told not to take more baklava, but he had done it anyway. He didn’t think Mr. Hermes would find out, because he hadn’t taken that much more, but the gods knew a lot of things. Most normal mortals could be killed for doing less than Orpheus had done. He tried not to think about that too hard. He had some special privileges because Mr. Hermes had taken him in. “Okay,” he said after a moment, hugging his arms to his chest, careful not to let the lyre behind him fall. He had a feeling that would cause more harm to it than letting a stranger touch it. Besides, L seemed… genuine. Even if Orpheus didn’t know why he got that sense from the man. He managed a small smile, then shifted just a little bit to the side so L could see it better. “I’ve been begging Lord Apollo for years to let me play it, but he said I wasn’t big enough. So I learned lots of stuff on the pan pipes and I played a kithara for a little cause it’s similar but a lot smaller, but today Lord Apollo said I’m finally big enough!” Orpheus beamed, glancing back at the instrument. “I turned six the other day,” he added, puffing up his chest and holding out his fingers to show L how old he was. “Which means I’m old enough to play now.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 3, 2022 15:36:34 GMT -5
L didn’t know as much as he wanted to about the gods, but he knew they tended to be unforgiving. Hades…of course, Hades. But the others, too. He didn’t think he’d ever heard of Hermes being unfair, but it wouldn’t have surprised him, if he had been. He studied the lyre as Orpheus shifted, taking in its design, and the way it struck him as both incredibly old and fairly new. “That’s incredible,” he told him, and he meant it, though he had to smile a little at the way Orpheus showed him his age. It was so reminiscent of the kids at Wammy’s…or perhaps just children in general. It wasn’t as though he interacted with many others. “Would you like to show me what you’ve learned so far?” He added, trying his best to make it sound casual. “I would love to listen, if that’s alright.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 3, 2022 15:40:35 GMT -5
Orpheus stared at L, then glanced back at the lyre. He propped it back up so that it wasn’t in danger of falling, then shifted his gaze towards L. L was friendly, and the last thing Orpheus wanted to do was disappoint him. He bit his lip nervously, fingering one of the strings before he let his hand fall back down to his side. “I don’t actually know anything yet,” he admitted, his voice scarcely more than a mumble. “It’s a little different from a kithara, and… and I didn’t actually get to learn much on the kithara either. It was mostly how to tune it and make sure everything sounded okay… because it’s different than pan pipes, and I didn’t know what a chord was before then, and… and I never actually learned how to play anything.” He glanced sheepishly back at the lyre, shoulders hunching just a little. “Sorry…”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 3, 2022 15:47:14 GMT -5
L could tell immediately that it wasn’t as simple as he’d expected. He knew how it felt to be asked about something you really wanted to talk about. He knew Orpheus felt the same pull he did…the need to explain it all, in detail, as quickly as possible. “That’s alright,” he said gently, offering him a small smile. “I’m sure you’ll learn all about it soon. Maybe, if you come back, you can show me then.” Or maybe… “You know…” he added after a moment. “I know someone who plays a lyre a lot like that one. They taught me a little, once…I could show you what I know. If you wanted me to, of course.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 3, 2022 16:15:04 GMT -5
Orpheus’ head shot up, eyes wide as he stared at L. “You know how to play?” he asked, practically vibrating with excitement. “I mean… you could… you could teach me?” He wasn’t worried anymore about L taking the lyre or breaking it (although he probably should have been). He knew he would be able to learn some as soon as he reappeared in his world (if that happened like L said it would), but wouldn’t it be cool to show Apollo that he already knew how to play a little bit? “I’d like that,” he whispered, picking the lyre up even though it was taller than he was. He brought it a little closer to L, then set it down in front of him. “What do you know how to play? I started figuring out what chords were, but I don’t even know which note is which on these strings, or how to change the note that can be played, which is why they have some lyres that have more strings, but there should be ways to change what note is played by changing how you hold the string, but…” he trailed off, paling a bit as he realized how annoying he was probably being.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 3, 2022 16:27:23 GMT -5
Ah, there it was. L allowed himself a small, satisfied smile as Orpheus’ excitement seemed to outweigh his wariness, as it so often could. He settled into a comfortable crouch as Orpheus brought the lyre closer, putting himself closer to both its and Orpheus’ height, and listened attentively as he began to explain it. “You’re right,” he told him as he paused, presumably for air. “And between you and me, I don’t think they need any more strings than this. The person I know can play anything on theirs, and it still sounds better. I don’t know any songs, unfortunately, but I think I still know a few chords…” He reached out, his touch as gentle and hesitant as ever - it felt even more alive now, when he could see what it really looked like - and strummed a soft C chord. “…like that one.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 3, 2022 17:39:45 GMT -5
L felt safer when he knelt down like that. For one, he felt more approachable, and Orpheus didn’t have to crane his head up to look at him. He gave a small smile as he stepped back, letting L prop up the weight of the instrument. He was careful with it - that was the first thing Orpheus noticed. He treated it like it was something that breathed, the same way Orpheus did. The same way Apollo did, although Apollo had the mastery to make it look casual. “I think I wanna meet the person you know,” Orpheus murmured, eyes wide. “If they can play anything on a lyre with this many strings… I like this number of strings because Apollo likes it, and if it has too many strings then it looks like it would be a lot harder because you might hit the wrong string on accident… and if you have fewer strings than this, they’re not as easy to make as many sounds with… but I wanna try with every possible number of strings eventually so I can decide for myself.” Orpheus was silenced as L laid his fingers against the strings, awe spreading across his features as the chord rang out, clear and true in spite of the softness with which it was plucked. “Wow,” he whispered, unable to summon up any other words. “You made it sing,” he said eventually, wide hazel eyes meeting dark.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 3, 2022 18:22:01 GMT -5
L couldn’t help feeling…chosen? It was the wrong word, but it was the same feeling in his chest as if he had been. A sort of deep gratitude that he was allowed to have this. “I think they would like you,” he replied, a small, secret smile playing at his lips. “And I think you would be very impressed by them. There’s no one that plays better than they do. I don’t think they realize exactly how much their music matters, actually.” He was careful to avoid mentioning other worlds. He refused to lie to this tiny version of Orpheus, but for right now…he’d much rather talk about music than try to explain the House. He breathed out at the sound. So he hadn’t forgotten, after all. “Yes,” he breathed, turning just enough to meet Orpheus’ gaze, his own just as wide. “I wish you could have met the person I know. I’m no good at this. But I would be happy to teach you what I can.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 3, 2022 23:07:12 GMT -5
“Lord Apollo plays better than they do,” Orpheus replied, almost without thinking. Lord Apollo was the god of music. He could play better than anyone. If anyone tried to challenge him… well, he had a feeling that wouldn’t end well. Even if they just did it by boasting that they were the best musician in the world. “He’s really, really good. You should hear him. He can make people do whatever he wants just by playing music. It’s…” he broke off, awe creeping across his face again. “One day, I wanna be able to play half as well as he does. And maybe then I’ll play even a little bit as well as your friend, too!” He turned his attention back to the lyre, eyes wide as L continued. “You’re really good at it,” he whispered, moving close enough to touch the instrument once more. He didn’t dare - he wasn’t sure he could make it ring as true as L had. “Even if you can’t play any songs. I’ve watched a lot of people play and Lord Apollo has shown me what they do wrong and what they do right, and the way you do it… it’s not too hard or too soft. It’s not… uneven.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 3, 2022 23:26:26 GMT -5
L made a small “Mm” of polite disagreement in reply to that, but he didn’t argue. He knew even Orpheus’ older self probably wouldn’t have agreed with him about it. He could almost hear the soft question in their voice as they asked him how he could possibly know that for sure without having heard Apollo play. “It’s an annoying thing for me to tell you, but practice really does help,” he told him instead, pulling back just enough to watch his expression. “It’s the only way to get good at anything. But…” He paused, eyes widening just a little at the last word. He almost said something about it, but he didn’t know what he’d have said, so he let it go for the moment. Perhaps uneven was a musical term…perhaps that was why Orpheus has described the House in those terms, originally. “It’s alright. You can touch it,” he said instead, giving the child an encouraging smile. He reached forward, gently touching the strings he’d plucked. “Even a mistake can be a good thing, you know.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 3, 2022 23:41:13 GMT -5
Orpheus could tell that L didn’t quite agree, but he didn’t argue. He just hoped that L’s friend didn’t brag about being a better player than Lord Apollo Apollo. That could only end poorly, even if he was someone favored by the god. That might even make things worse… if he were favored by Apollo and then bragged about being better, then Lord Apollo might feel he had been taken advantage of. That he had been used, and gods never liked feeling used. Actually, Orpheus was fairly certain there wasn’t anybody who liked feeling used, even if he had never really felt it himself. “It’s not annoying,” he replied almost immediately, letting a finger gently trace along the wooden arm of the instrument. “I know that practice makes everything better. I wasn’t very good at the pan pipes at first, and I’m still not the best, but I can play them better than most kids my age. It’s because I spent a lot of time practicing them so I could play full songs. So I could start writing my own songs, even if those aren’t very good either.” Lightly, Orpheus moved forward and let his finger drift over to one of the strings L had played. He propped up the instrument with his free hand, then used his thumb and forefinger to very gently pluck the strings, letting them resonate for a long moment before he screwed up his face in thought. “Let me try that again,” he mumbled, tongue sticking out in concentration as he once more plucked the strings, certain to apply the same force to each of them. The chord that rang out wasn’t yet perfectly balanced, but it was much closer.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 4, 2022 0:11:31 GMT -5
It had always seemed…annoying, to be trapped under the thumb of the gods. L didn’t think they’d have liked him any more than any other people in power seemed to, but the consequences might have been worse if he’d irritated them…he could imagine some of the situations in the myths he knew happening to him. He didn’t think he’d have liked being turned into a spider just for disagreeing with someone. “Have you written any songs, yet?” He asked, tilting his head a little, then falling silent as Orpheus tried the chord. It was close…excellent for a first try, actually, even if it wasn’t perfect. But L kept quiet, watching until Orpheus tried it again. “Well done,” he told him, a genuine smile making it onto his face at the sound. “That’s a C chord. It’s good for a long of songs, so once you know it, it’s useful.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 4, 2022 1:44:12 GMT -5
Orpheus never thought of himself as trapped. If he hadn’t been raised by a god, he might have, but as it was… he was a demigod, though he had little concept of what that meant yet. He just knew that Mr. Hermes had taken care of him for as long as he could remember (he had vague memories of his father and mother, but it felt more like a dream than it did anything real), and Mr. Hermes had never punished him the way the gods often punished mortals. “I’ve tried to write a song,” Orpheus replied, his eyes wide. “I was able to get all the notes so that they sounded good, but the words I wrote for it didn’t sound… like they meant something. They meant something to me, but… but they weren’t going to be important enough to make other people feel things, too. And that’s the entire point of music.” He shut up after a moment, playing the chord one more time. “C,” he repeated, letting out a soft breath. “I like it. It… I’ve heard it before in songs. I know the note C… it… the chord… is it… is it C, E, and G?” he asked, eyes wide as he looked up at L.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 4, 2022 2:01:44 GMT -5
“Did they make you feel things?” L asked, searching Orpheus’ expression. “I think…if they meant something to you, that’s the important thing. I’ve never tried to write a song, though, so you would know better than I.” He watched Orpheus play the chord again, a small smile resting on his face. “You’re right, it is,” he confirmed. “I don’t know which string is which, though. Do you know?” He wasn’t surprised that Orpheus already knew more than he did about it. Even if he had more technical experience, Orpheus was the one who was drawn to it. He was the one who was motivated to learn everything about it. Not that L didn’t have any motivations of his own for wanting to learn about it. But his interest in it was indirect.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Apr 4, 2022 2:07:04 GMT -5
“Yes, they made me feel things,” Orpheus admitted, eyes wide as he looked up at L. “That doesn’t mean that they could make anyone else feel things. I know… Lord Apollo said a lot of songs have to go through a lot of drafts before they start sounding right. And I think if I were able to write and rewrite the lyrics enough times, they might start meaning something. But the thing is… you can’t exactly play on the pan pipes while singing. So I didn’t think about it all that much… I can try to rewrite it now that I can learn the lyre!” Orpheus grinned, looking up at L before he cast his attention back to the instrument. It was a good question. He had never actually struck any of the strings before, but if he had to guess… hesitantly Orpheus strummed the different strings that had made up the chord. He could hear the difference in them… “C. This one’s the C. And the one next to it…” he frowned, playing it a few times before he was fully able to tell. “G. The two of them together, when they…” he frowned again, playing the chord with his eyes closed. “When you play them together, it makes you think you hear an E, too.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 24, 2022 15:26:41 GMT -5
L listened, nodding a little as Orpheus continued. He knew that was a similar process to the one the older version of Orpheus used…writing and rewriting lyrics had always sounded like an incredibly tedious thing to do, but he could see the spark in Orpheus’ eye already. It wouldn’t take him long to pick it up. “If you do rewrite it with the lyre, it might help you learn to play it, too,” he mused, glancing back at the instrument. “I wouldn’t know. I’m not a poet. But I doubt it could hurt anything.” He listened, head tilted just a little at the notes, before he continued. “So there isn’t an E? I didn’t know you could use notes like that.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on May 30, 2022 18:04:37 GMT -5
Orpheus gave a tiny nod, hugging the instrument to his chest. He wasn’t as concerned anymore with making sure that L didn’t see it - he had already seen it. The damage was done, and he wasn’t entirely sure it could be considered damage anymore if L was willing to teach him how to use the instrument. That was just… learning as much as he could from an unconventional source. And maybe it wasn’t all that unconventional, if L actually knew how to play… “I could try that,” he whispered, staring at the lyre with a newfound appreciation. He way he had been looking at it before had just been awe (and a little bit of nervousness). He was about to learn how to play it, but he hadn’t ever let himself consider it as something he could use to get his music across. He had never thought of taking it and making it own until he had mastered it. He hadn’t let himself consider the ‘what if’ of him being good at it before he learned if he was or not. “There’s no E,” he confirmed, smiling a little at L. “I think the human ear is kind of amazing that way, that it can make you think you heard something that was never actually played. Or maybe it’s not the human ear, maybe it’s just the way the vibrations work. Maybe it would still be the same as an E even if there was nobody around to hear it at all.”
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