Fic: Chopin

[meridian_rose]

Title: Chopin
Fandom: Original work – part of the c: aura verse
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 196
Prompt: For the 30 days of fiction meme, prompt #10 Write a scene focused around a musical instrument
Summary: "He does so love the piano. Love like that will always bring some measure of depth, regardless of natural talent or honed skill"
Warnings: None


Nikolai was playing the piano. This was an accurate description but one that was utterly lacking. Carter watched as Nikolai's fingers stroked and hammered at the keys, feet at the pedals, eyes not on the sheet music in front of him but gazing at something only he could see.

Nikolai wasn't just playing, he was performing - no, he was living the music. Every fibre of his being was involved in the act of bringing the music to life. It was passionate and furious and both skilful in execution and also raw with emotion.

Aura touched Carter's elbow.

"He won't even notice you're here," she said softly. "Not for a while." She gestured and they moved to the kitchen.

"He plays well."

Aura smiled wryly. "He's had plenty of practice." One of the many benefits of being a vampire, Carter thought. "And he does so love the piano. Love like that will always bring some measure of depth, regardless of natural talent or honed skill. Coffee?"

Carter nodded, watched her prepare the drink. "I think I recognise the tune."

"Revolutionary Etude. Chopin. He only plays it when he's angry." Aura sighed. "Today, he is very angry."

---

One video example of Chopin Revolutionary Etude op 10 no 12.

I think this needs work, but it was a scene I'd had in my head for a while, so this was a good excuse to get the essence of it written out.

Comments

[aldersprig]

Oooh, I like it. :-)

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :D

[dorothydeath]

Oh, now I'm really excited about your Aura verse! :D
I love vampires and I love reasonable vampires. Not the ones who always try to bring on the Apocalypse (cause - honestly - it's just plain crazy. And stupid.) but the ones who live and adapt and enjoy living.

And of course all the mortality/immortality issues appeal to me. Vampires do not grow old and when I was younger I thought it was kinda cool. Now I think it's not so great after all. When you don't grow old you do not grow, you don't change, don't evolve. You're exactly the same as you were hundreds and hundreds years ago and that can get quite boring. And while being a vampire has lots of benefits people - undead or not - tend to want what they cannot have.

And I really like Aura as a character. She can be calm and pleasant but also sarcastic and witty. For some reason all her lines make me grin widely. And when imagine her move - she's flowing, lithe and graceful, and - Oooh! - how I like that! :D
*flails*

I've read all three (is there just three?) installments and I really like the flow of the story. All the ficlets have different moods but somehow they are alike, they feel like parts of one puzzle and they fit together perfectly! :D

"Revolutionary Etude. Chopin. He only plays it when he's angry." Aura sighed. "Today, he is very angry."
Aww, that is so awesome! :D I loved that twist! Never saw it coming. :D And why is he angry I wonder?)))

There's so much story there! Awww))) Love it! :D

[meridian_rose]

Oh, thank you :D I'm very in love with Aura - there's that rambly entry I managed to post on LJ and shall import here, where I talk about how I've written versions of her and this world before, and now I'm trying to draw it into a coherent narrative. But mostly I'm having fun writing out scenes without having to worry about the overall plot :D But I'm so glad you feel they do 'fit' together.

So far, just three, but since this is getting so much love and support, there will be more :D

Reasonable vampires is what I'm going for; they enjoy it. Why would they want to destroy the world, when it's full of so many fun things? Admittedly the more I write, the less of the burdens of vampirisim they have, so they don't whine about not being able to do outside in the sunlight, for example. But vampires who just whine about being vampires gets tiresome ;P

Ooh, I didn't think of it a twist :D But there's definite story there.

Thanks so much for commenting :D

[dorothydeath]

Yes, I've read that entry but LJ won't let me comment on it((((

More - Yay! :D Looking forward to it!

You're right, of course. All this "you can never understand what a burden this is" stuff always makes me roll my eyes. Whiny vampire are just as bad as crazy suicidal Apocalypse-bringing vampires. I like the idea that they are enjoying life. :D What I meant is that... I like it when vampires sometimes get nostalgic and a bit sad. But not bitter sad - more like thoughtful, pondering sad. There are downsides to their state of being after all... There are things they cannot do which normal people can. And I like the idea that vampires might just envy us as some of us envy them. But that isn't because one way of existence is better than the other - just because they are different. And - the grass is always greener on the other side...
Damn, I hope I'm making sense because I'm not quite sure I know what I mean right now. o_O

A twist cause I would have never guessed that Nikolai was angry at the moment. Hmm... and I'm very curious why you chose this name btw :D I like it. :D And I like the name Aura a lot, too! :D It's very... mystical... IMO.

BTW is Carter the detective from "Violets"? Or is he someone new?

[meridian_rose]

Oh, that makes sense to me :D

In fact, I had in mind that Nikolai is angry because of something that has happened to someone he knows, and it reminds him of a earlier time. He feels it's his fault that his friend died long ago, and what has just happened now has brought back his anger and guilt over it.

It was really important I name him something that I loved, and I was going for 'not English'. Nikolai just fitted; Kolya would be the traditional diminutive, I think - you would know better than me! - but also Nikki would fit nicely when trying to blend into modern American society.
[as an aside, there's a song I found in very random circumstances by searching for 'Nikolai'. The lyrics and humour fitted somewhat, so I keep it in my playlist for vampire fic :D there's a video of sorts. Not that my Nikolia is necessarily 'fake Russian' but who knows; he's certainly not above deceit or charm to get what he wants.

Aura in the original version is Cecilia, who becomes Aurelia - there is a reason she chooses it. But Aura would fit as a nickname/diminutive for Aurelia too.
Yes, Cater is the detective from Violets; I hadn't named him, so had to choose something a bit random for this piece :D

[dorothydeath]

Oh, another murder?
I love the idea that he would express his anger through music. :D

Yes, Kolya is the traditional diminutive. It can also be shortened to Kol' (soft L in the end) when you say something like "Hey, get over here" or "But, honey, I want those shoes so badly!" XDD
Nikki makes me giggle, too. Just to think that someone would call an old powerful vampire "Nikki" - LOL :D
How old are Aura and Nikolai btw?

The video killed me! XDD And it's not just the lyrics... The sign on the box says "Electro-musical distortion device" where "distortion" is just spelled in Cyrillic. And the wording is wrong in Russian but kind of deliberate, too, which makes it really funny. Also "fraternal jingoism" - ROFL. :D
Thanks for the link. :D

Not that my Nikolia is necessarily 'fake Russian' but who knows; he's certainly not above deceit or charm to get what he wants.
Ooh, I like him already! =)))
When you're so very old and you've been traveling everywhere for hundreds of years - the place of birth becomes less and less relevant IMHO. You can be anyone really. You might even forget who you were originally. The memories all blend into one and it's getting hard to tell them apart. Well, that's the way I see it.

Aww)) Aurelia is a very beautiful name! :D It means "golden" in Latin, right?

Carter is a great name, too. In my mind it clearly says "Warning! Badass homicide detective. Proceed with caution." :D

[meridian_rose]

If you ever have any thoughts or criticisms when I write about music, please tell me; you're the musician - at least more of a musician than I am :D

I'll add 'Kol' to my notes, thank you :D And old and possibly powerful they might be, but they definitely use pet names for themselves :D

Glad you liked the song; lol, I'm glad you got a kick of the bad - deliberately bad? - Russian.

Aurelia is indeed golden. Bonus points for you :D And yay, Carter fits the right image :D

Exactly; some things from your past would stand out, but so much would fade away into insignificance.
I'm not sure precisely how old they are, or where they're from. In the backstory, Aurelia mentions it was hundreds of years back when she was human. Books were rare, and that Nikolai could read and read widely showed he must be rich. She says she was from a country that probably doesn't exist anymore; somewhere in Europe where the boundaries have changed a lot over the years :D

[dorothydeath]

Nikolai wasn't just playing, he was performing - no, he was living the music. Every fibre of his being was involved in the act of bringing the music to life. It was passionate and furious and both skilful in execution and also raw with emotion.
That's just a perfect description for this! :D You have nothing to worry about!
(Oops! Just noticed... "Skillful" - double L, y/n? O_O)

And it's true when you see someone really playing an instrument, forgetting everything around them - it's an amazing sight to behold! I've seen a lot of musicians in my life already... But Tuomas Holopainen performing live in his hometown of Kitee, Finland, back in 2004... I still can remember it so vividly! It was truly thrilling. He wasn't just playing - he was making love to music. There are no other words for it. Incredibly beautiful!

So Yay! for music!fic :D *flails*


As for pet names - sure they do! :D I meant it in a good way. :D
Aww)) Nikki - so cute! XDD


And no, Russian isn't bad there at all! It sounds wrong in a fashion... but I would say one has to know Russian pretty good to come up with something like this.

BTW if you ever need any help with something Russian-related I'll be glad to help. ^_^

In the backstory, Aurelia mentions it was hundreds of years back when she was human.
Did I miss it somehow? Or you just haven't posted it yet?
Who's older - Aura or Nikki? :D

BTW - One of the many benefits of being a vampire, Carter thought. - I like it how cool Carter is about this whole vampire stuff. :D
I would love to read "Turning the Tables" from his POV ;D

[meridian_rose]

Skilful is British; Skillful is US, one of rare occasions we drop the extra letter ;D But good catch - it's always useful to have someone question possible spelling or grammar errors :D

Thank you - I'll definitely run any Russian questions, especially about language, past you :D

Backstory I haven't posted yet, sorry :D Nikolia is much older than Aura.

Now you're giving me ideas :D

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

Lovely description of the difference between technical skill and a really inspired performance :)

I wonder what Nikolai is angry about, though...

[meridian_rose]

Thank you. I was worried I wasn't getting it across, this terrible angst that was being poured into the music that makes the music 'more' because of the emotion.

There's a good reason. Although you know vampires. They do tend towards the melodramatic :D

[brontefanatic.livejournal.com]

Haunting imagery here. Loved the description of Nikolai using his musical artistry to vent his emotional turmoil.

And, of course, it left me with all kinds of questions - who is Nickolai? What is his connection to Aura and Carter? What is he angry about, and what is the significance of the Chopin piece?

I hope to see more of this universe.

[meridian_rose]

Thank you so much :D I knew what I wanted to say, but was having problems articulating it, so I'm glad it came across.
This is the third piece in this 'verse, I think. There may be more fragments. Aura and Nikolai are lovers, as seen in the first piece I posted; Carter is the detective mentioned in the second piece.
I won't get into the why, though there's a reason, but as for that particular piece, I just love that one. It's so full of passion and energy and, to me, anger. Nikolai is a keen pianist and music is a huge part of his life, something I keep in mind when I write him :D

[eternal-moonie.livejournal.com]

Absolutely LOVE it!!!

[meridian_rose]

Thank you, and thanks for commenting all these :D

[haeceity]

Nice to see some of the way Nikolai's been spending his death. Living practically forever would give an awful lot of time to learn and do. Whether vampires actually learn seems to be based on whether the author is making vampirism a curse or something a little different. In Anno Dracula, vampires lose artistic creativity on their deaths. The railing against the world and desire to plunge it all into chaos comes form the frustration of being a poet who can't come up with a line worth reading.

But if vampires can learn and assimilate new information, then being undead isn't as much of a burden. Possibly off topic ramble over.

[meridian_rose]

Not off topic, and a interesting thought. I assume it's tied up with the question of the soul.
I always say "they're not vampires but it's close enough" because I've got worldbuilding to do in order to pin things down with regards to the supernaturals, who exist in the same world as the almost-but-not-quite werewolves of the wolves fics I sometimes post. Or in TV Tropes terms, "our vampires are different", because its fiction and you can make up the rules to suit yourself!

[haeceity]

I noticed they're affected strongly by the moon and not just the sun. Almost vampires makes sense. One of my favorite things about vampires is seeing all the different things writers do with them. :)