[2009 – August]
Listening quietly to the gentle tunes Elijah played on the piano while sitting on the leather couch, Jean found it hard to suppress the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Elijah had learned to play the instrument in less than a week, his perfect memory and equally perfect bodily control, as well as his Adoptive Muscle Memory, making him a savant at learning basically anything.
And while he said that it was just a hobby, Jean saw something different as she watched her love play the keyed instrument.
The small smile that sat on his lips whenever his fingers danced over the keys, hauntingly-beautiful melodies sounding out from the small piano that Emma had somehow managed to get set up the same day Elijah had asked her for it, there was a purity to the innocent joy radiating off him.
Jean had seen Elijah smile happily and even laugh often when they were together, but whenever she watched him train or spar there was this intensity, a kind of graveness in his demeanor. It simply made her heart clench painfully knowing that he was most likely burdened by his visions.
But seeing him play the piano, Elijah seemed to be free of those burdens, his music having him in its grasp.
Even the very first time she had seen him sit before the piano without any kind of knowledge of what he was doing while he simply randomly jingled on the keys like a child, Jean had immediately realized that this was something special for him.
Elijah loved the piano without ever having played it before.
Seeing him so happy and unburdened as he played her song after song, losing track of time while simply playing from memory alone, his eyes closed while a small and pure smile sat on his lips, Jean finally couldn't hold her tears back anymore as they ran down her cheeks silently, a loving and tender light shining in her eyes.
Elijah playing the piano wasn't a hobby, it was simply fate, Jean was sure of that if nothing else.
…
While walking to Emma's office after she had sent me a message to come to meet her, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander, thinking about my most recent progress, especially my spatial manipulation.
My Enhanced Mind, in combination with my Farsight, had enabled me to become incredibly proficient in 'teleporting' myself over large distances with great precision, effectively substituting the Sling Ring.
The Temporal Shield I had created to protect my past had also become much easier to keep up, the pressure on my mind having decreased greatly over the last weeks. It had been a strain on my rather inhuman mind, but I had adapted thanks to keeping it active at all times using Programm.
I also felt much more relaxed since I had done that, as coupled with the shield that protected me from being spied on by supernatural means and my mental barrier, I had already resolved some of my greatest worries.
Jean had also been right about me needing to find a hobby, as playing the piano had indeed helped me to shake off some of the tension I had carried with me since arriving in this world. Playing it had become my favorite pastime, as I found it incredibly calming and somewhat soothing.
There simply was a kind of 'attraction' that allowed me to just focus my mind on the moment and the melody whenever I played, all the usual background noises including plans, schemes, and worries, just silenced for a few peaceful moments.
When I was with Jean it was similar, as I found it easy to just set my whole focus on her, my mind and heart being drawn to her in a way I didn't even want to resist, giving me peace and serenity by just being in her presence.
Arriving in front of Emma's office, I pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and knocked quietly, entering after hearing her call me in.
Wearing one of her usual business suits, this one in a pale blue colour that brought out her beautiful eyes, Emma addressed me with a smile.
"Elijah, thank you for coming by so quickly. Here, take a seat.", she said, while gesturing to the armchair before her large wooden desk, "I heard about you learning the piano, it seems you have more Frost in you than you realize."
“I do?”, I asked with a raised brow as I took my seat.
"You certainly do.", she replied with a small laugh, before explaining, "It is somewhat of a family tradition for every Frost to learn at least three languages and an instrument. Well, 'rule' would probably be the more appropriate term, as our father had been rather insistent on all of us siblings doing so."
There was a wry smile on her face as she spoke the last sentence, though I managed to capture the briefest of scowls on her flawless face as she said the word 'father'.
"You learned both of these things on your own, which is rather curious.", Emma ended, her smile returning.
“Well, there are worse ways of wasting time, and I don't think one can ever learn enough languages. They will come in handy sooner or later.”, I voiced out smiling back.
"I suppose that is true. They are certainly useful when running an international business empire.", she smirked.
“I believe that.”, I replied with a light smile, before deciding to move beyond the side chatter, “So, why did you want to meet with me?”
With a serious and somewhat conflicted expression appearing in her eyes, Emma answered after sighing quietly: "There is someone that wants to meet with you. This someone might also be able to help you with your visions, as she is incredibly well-versed in all things mystic and otherwordly."
"But?", I asked as Emma fell silent, creating a rather ominous pause, while I took note of the word 'she'.
“But that someone is also incredibly dangerous and unpredictable.”, she replied with a heavy sigh, "I have known her for a few years and while she is vastly more powerful, her intellect is what makes her truly dangerous, much more so than her power."
“Who is she?”, I questioned seriously, already having someone in mind.
“Selene Gallio, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club.”, Emma stated calmly.
[2009 – August]
Listening quietly to the gentle tunes Elijah played on the piano while sitting on the leather couch, Jean found it hard to suppress the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Elijah had learned to play the instrument in less than a week, his perfect memory and equally perfect bodily control, as well as his Adoptive Muscle Memory, making him a savant at learning basically anything.
And while he said that it was just a hobby, Jean saw something different as she watched her love play the keyed instrument.
The small smile that sat on his lips whenever his fingers danced over the keys, hauntingly-beautiful melodies sounding out from the small piano that Emma had somehow managed to get set up the same day Elijah had asked her for it, there was a purity to the innocent joy radiating off him.
Jean had seen Elijah smile happily and even laugh often when they were together, but whenever she watched him train or spar there was this intensity, a kind of graveness in his demeanor. It simply made her heart clench painfully knowing that he was most likely burdened by his visions.
But seeing him play the piano, Elijah seemed to be free of those burdens, his music having him in its grasp.
Even the very first time she had seen him sit before the piano without any kind of knowledge of what he was doing while he simply randomly jingled on the keys like a child, Jean had immediately realized that this was something special for him.
Elijah loved the piano without ever having played it before.
Seeing him so happy and unburdened as he played her song after song, losing track of time while simply playing from memory alone, his eyes closed while a small and pure smile sat on his lips, Jean finally couldn't hold her tears back anymore as they ran down her cheeks silently, a loving and tender light shining in her eyes.
Elijah playing the piano wasn't a hobby, it was simply fate, Jean was sure of that if nothing else.
…
While walking to Emma's office after she had sent me a message to come to meet her, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander, thinking about my most recent progress, especially my spatial manipulation.
My Enhanced Mind, in combination with my Farsight, had enabled me to become incredibly proficient in 'teleporting' myself over large distances with great precision, effectively substituting the Sling Ring.
The Temporal Shield I had created to protect my past had also become much easier to keep up, the pressure on my mind having decreased greatly over the last weeks. It had been a strain on my rather inhuman mind, but I had adapted thanks to keeping it active at all times using Programm.
I also felt much more relaxed since I had done that, as coupled with the shield that protected me from being spied on by supernatural means and my mental barrier, I had already resolved some of my greatest worries.
Jean had also been right about me needing to find a hobby, as playing the piano had indeed helped me to shake off some of the tension I had carried with me since arriving in this world. Playing it had become my favorite pastime, as I found it incredibly calming and somewhat soothing.
There simply was a kind of 'attraction' that allowed me to just focus my mind on the moment and the melody whenever I played, all the usual background noises including plans, schemes, and worries, just silenced for a few peaceful moments.
When I was with Jean it was similar, as I found it easy to just set my whole focus on her, my mind and heart being drawn to her in a way I didn't even want to resist, giving me peace and serenity by just being in her presence.
Arriving in front of Emma's office, I pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and knocked quietly, entering after hearing her call me in.
Wearing one of her usual business suits, this one in a pale blue colour that brought out her beautiful eyes, Emma addressed me with a smile.
"Elijah, thank you for coming by so quickly. Here, take a seat.", she said, while gesturing to the armchair before her large wooden desk, "I heard about you learning the piano, it seems you have more Frost in you than you realize."
“I do?”, I asked with a raised brow as I took my seat.
"You certainly do.", she replied with a small laugh, before explaining, "It is somewhat of a family tradition for every Frost to learn at least three languages and an instrument. Well, 'rule' would probably be the more appropriate term, as our father had been rather insistent on all of us siblings doing so."
There was a wry smile on her face as she spoke the last sentence, though I managed to capture the briefest of scowls on her flawless face as she said the word 'father'.
"You learned both of these things on your own, which is rather curious.", Emma ended, her smile returning.
“Well, there are worse ways of wasting time, and I don't think one can ever learn enough languages. They will come in handy sooner or later.”, I voiced out smiling back.
"I suppose that is true. They are certainly useful when running an international business empire.", she smirked.
“I believe that.”, I replied with a light smile, before deciding to move beyond the side chatter, “So, why did you want to meet with me?”
With a serious and somewhat conflicted expression appearing in her eyes, Emma answered after sighing quietly: "There is someone that wants to meet with you. This someone might also be able to help you with your visions, as she is incredibly well-versed in all things mystic and otherwordly."
"But?", I asked as Emma fell silent, creating a rather ominous pause, while I took note of the word 'she'.
“But that someone is also incredibly dangerous and unpredictable.”, she replied with a heavy sigh, "I have known her for a few years and while she is vastly more powerful, her intellect is what makes her truly dangerous, much more so than her power."
“Who is she?”, I questioned seriously, already having someone in mind.
“Selene Gallio, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club.”, Emma stated calmly.
