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Post by maestro on Jun 18, 2015 16:12:13 GMT
It hadn't even been a day since her argument with Perry that resulted in her to be kicked out of the house and set off on her journey as a Pokemon trainer, and Lynette was already feeling the stresses of the endeavor. Her Squirtle, Fredrick, was waddling behind her as she stared at the ground as she walked through the streets of Whitesand City. She appeared lost in thought over the whole ordeal, as if her entire world had been tossed on its head and she had no idea where to go from here. She needed to clear her head, she needed an escape, she needed to be in her own little world for a while.
She weaved through the streets of Whitesand, on her way to the recital hall that she performed at numerous times, Fredrick skipping along behind her. She didn't say much, but Fredrick understood his master was needing time to collect her thoughts. Well...what now? she thought. This was the main question on her mind throughout her trek to the hall.
The recital hall itself was a massive building, where most musicians and performing groups would come to perform, if not rent out the stage for rehearsals. It came equipped with its own practice rooms a person could either buy for themselves, or rent out. Lynette bought one for herself long ago, and it was her home away from home. It was early in the morning, so not many people were here, and Lynette was okay with that. She made her way down to her room and sat at her piano she had there. The baby grand was nothing too fancy, but she kept it maintained and well tuned for what it was. In the corner was a small PokeBed she bought for Fredrick to lay in when they spent time here. He curled up in it and went into his shell, ready to enjoy his master's music. Her fingers were on the keys and she took a deep breath, and then suddenly the halls echoed with her piano's music...an aggressive, fast paced melody that reflected both her adrenaline and turmoil found in her heart. The door to her practice room was left open, making it to where the noise was able to freely travel where it wished.
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Post by highlander on Jun 18, 2015 17:35:07 GMT
Before she left Whitesand City, Cammie felt like she had to go by recital hall one last time. She'd spent so much blood, sweat, and tears over the years trying to improve her skill at music with nothing to show for it but frustration, but she she had to say goodbye to the twins. Thankfully for Cammie her little sisters weren't really the crying type, so she and Russell had managed to walk out of their practice room with dry eyes all around. Honestly, though, she was going to miss them - she honestly couldn't remember anything before they were born, and for them to not constantly be around... It was like part of the floor falling out of everything she knew. She couldn't dwell on that, though - she had Russell, and Russell had her, and that was going to be her whole world soon.
It wasn't like Cammie to get lost in her own thoughts, but Russell took advantage of Cammie not paying attention to use his vines to pry a number off one of the doors. After trying to chew on it a few times and deciding it didn't taste very good, he tossed it away in a random direction. Suddenly seeing a cheap plastic seven whiz past her head, Cammie's attention snapped back to the real world. "Russell!" He blinked, then yawned as he walked on past her. "Russell, you know what you did. You can't just..." She stopped speaking. She was used to hearing music in the halls here, but muted some by the closed doors. However, piano music clearly rang out through the halls here. "Wonder what that's about..."
A spring in her step, Cammie half-dancing to the furious melody followed to the music to its source. She twirled through the open door to a recital room, moving herself in time to the music relatively well for a piece she'd never heard before and trying not to knock over anything. "You're really good," she said to the girl at the piano with a smile. "I wish I could play like... whoa!" She stumbled to avoid tripping over the Squirtle lying on the floor for no apparently reason, catching herself on a music stand. Now stable, she stepped toward the young lady at the piano. "It's a little hard to dance to, but the challenge is half the fun, right?"
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Post by maestro on Jun 18, 2015 18:11:53 GMT
The build up. The crescendo. The accelerando. All culminated at the finale of the piece of music, causing sweat to start dripping from her brow. The brisk speed picked up, notes acting as if they were flying off of Lynette's fingers and into the air. The last few seconds of the piece were spaced out, with three chords played with pauses in between them, signaling the ceasing of the piece and the finale. She held onto the final chord for a few seconds as she leaned onto the piano, her eyes closed and her mind deep in her own world. After releasing the piano of its musical pause, Lynette came back to reality and Cammie's presence as alerted to her.
She turned around on the piano bench briskly, looking surprised at the presence of someone else in the room. She had neglected to shut the door, not expecting many people to be here this morning. Her face was nervous, this girl had intruded into her world and she had not prepared for it. The compliment was not lost on her, but she had no idea how to truly respond to the intruder. She was shaking, sweating, and quivering as she stammered to figure out what to say "It...it was nothing...just....a piece I wrote....long ago..." she stammered.
At this point, Fredrick popped out of his shell and yawned as he picked himself up off his bed and wandered over to Cammie. He tugged at her dress, his eyes hidden by his sunglasses, and he stuck his chest out in a manner to make himself look proud and cool. Lynette continued "I...apologize, I'll shut the door...I didn't mean to disturb you. I was not aware of anyone else this early" she continued to stammer in a bit of a frantic outburst.
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Post by highlander on Jun 18, 2015 19:22:15 GMT
Cammie laughed off the apology. She wasn't offended at all by the music; quite the opposite. "Oh, don't worry. I was leaving anyway; I just had to drop in when I heard that." She clinched her fist. "And when you hear music that moves you like that, you just gotta move to it." She shrugged. "Or at least I do." Cammie leaned up against a wall. The piano was closer... but you don't lean against an expensive musical instrument like that. She was supposedly independent now, but her parents had drilled that into her head long ago.
Finally Russell made it into the room. Sauntering in, he waddled right up the Squirtle, looked him dead in the sunglasses as if to challenge him, then yawned. Cammie giggled. "Well, looks like you made a friend, Russell." Cammie walked over to Russell rubbed the top of his head. "It's probably about time to go, though. We have a long day ahead of us." She looked up to the girl at the piano. "Your sort of talent's not nothing; I'd kill to be that good at... well... any instrument." Smiling, she gave the other girl two pats on the shoulder and a thumbs up. "Thanks for the performance."
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Post by maestro on Jun 18, 2015 19:54:13 GMT
When Russell approached him, Fredrick put his chest out proudly and struck a flashy pose as if to impress the Bulbasaur. When he yawned, Fredrick's jaw dropped and he flopped to the floor, disappointed. Lynette was still stammering from Cammie's intrusion and was not clear on how to respond...but...a music lover such as her, wouldn't be that bad to talk to right?
Lynette just nodded, her face still wearing that stupefied look she had on her face when Cammie initiated a conversation. She blushed slightly at the compliment and decided to respond "Uh...I know some dance tunes...if you are interested. I mean....they aren't amazing, but...I have written some jazz tunes" she offered, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation.
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Post by highlander on Jun 18, 2015 20:25:36 GMT
Cammie's eyes lit up. "On second thought, Russell, I think we can stand to wait a little bit. We can't pass up a chance to listen to some jazz before we leave, can we?" She stretched, folding her hands together and reaching upward. Seeing the red in Lynette's face, she wondered what was wrong. "There's no reason to be embarrassed; you're really good." She coughed. "A lot better than me, at least," she added, a little more bitterly than she meant to. She had no reason to dislike this woman, but she had decided to leave home in part to get away from people who could play circles around her, so to speak.
Russell looked up at Cammie and yawned again. "Quit that," she scolded, nudging him. "This lady's nice enough to play for us, so you need to stay awake and listen." Deprived of what he felt was a rightfully earned nap, Russell walked around the Squirtle, looking him up and down. Cammie spotted a fairly clear area of the room and readied herself to move in time with the music.
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Post by maestro on Jun 18, 2015 22:54:21 GMT
Lynette's face was still red, but she nodded to Cammie as she found her spot in the room to dance. Fredrick was watching Russell circle him, wagging his little tail in anticipation. He just stood there with his arms crossed, proud that the Bulbasaur even acknowledged his presence. Lynette took in a deep breath It's okay Lynette...this is just like one of your concerts...just...private...and...with someone you don't know.....okay... "1...2...a 1 2 3 4" she counted off, snapping her fingers on the off beats. Her eyes closed again and she began playing the opening to a jazz song to give Cammie a lead in to begin her dance. When the vocal part came up, Lynette was so far in her musical world that she began to start singing the part she wrote for the piece. This was a small piece she composed for just lounging, but she hoped that Cammie would find it worthy to dance to. Fredrick began listening to Lynette play and sing, and began to bounce in his place in time with the music. As Lynette played, it was as if all of her worries about her father and her journey had slipped away. They did not matter right now...only the music. The song came to a close, and Lynette's fingers left the keys of the piano. She opened her eyes only to realize that she still had an audience...one she had forgotten existed in the room. She gasped a high pitch gasp as she realized she had just sung for a complete stranger she had never met. Sure, she had done many recitals and performances with musical groups...but never for someone one on one. She slumped forward slowly and buried her face on the sheets of music on the piano itself, muffling underneath "Sorry....I didn't mean to start singing..."
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Post by highlander on Jun 18, 2015 23:38:17 GMT
Okay... Yeah, I can do this. Cammie rocked herself back and forth to get a feel for the beat, then began moving her feet, letting the music carry her away. This was so much different than trying to play music, remembering what finger was supposed to go where to make what note. She only inherited enough of the Dupre musical talent to keep the basic beat, but that was all you need for dancing. The music carried her away...
She's not really watching, one part of Cammie's mind nagged her, but she tried to shove it away. Dancing for its own sake way fine; it wasn't like she *had* to have an audience. And then... She can sing too? Her face fell for a second. Just like Mom and Dad and Justin and Adele and Cheri and most of my extended family... Wait, what am I thinking about? The music's what's important.
When Lynette finished playing, out of force of habit Cammie gave a curtsy to her audience, even it only consisted of Russell, who had actually gotten into the music enough to sway back and forth a little - a rare event. It annoyed Cammie that the Squirtle was beating Russell at musical appreciation, but right now she had to thank the musician; everyone likes knowing they're appreciated. "Singing and piano? You're something else, you know that? That was amazing." Cammie said as she walked up to the piano player and gave her a pat on the back. "That dance really could have used a partner... but I think I made do."
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Post by maestro on Jun 18, 2015 23:48:28 GMT
When Cammie gave her the compliment, Lynette picked her head out of the music and turned to the dancer "Th...thank you...music has always been my escape from everything. I...apologize...dancing is meant to be watched, but I did not watch you whatsoever" she said apologetically. Fredrick had begun to clap his small, turtle hands for both performers as he bowed his head to Russell.
Lynette then continued "I also...have to apologize if I...don't really know how to handle people at the moment. I've been...I've never really been one for social interactions so this is...new to me" she said cautiously. "I promise, if we do this again, I'll watch you dance to the music...and come back with a proper solo dancer piece. I might even write it myself" she said. If Cammie had been paying attention during their conversation, as happy as Lynette sounded, she never once really cracked a smile. Her face either stayed pretty expressionless, or embarrassed. She then extended her hand to Cammie "Forgive me, I never introduced myself, my name is Lynette Manhassett, and that is my Squirtle Fredrick" as if on cue, Fredrick buffed up his chest and pointed a finger towards the sky, adjusting his glasses for his pose.
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Post by highlander on Jun 19, 2015 0:26:46 GMT
Cammie took Lynette's hand. "I'm Cammie Dupre, and my Bulbasaur here is Russell." Russell yawned, looked over at the Squirtle Fredrick, then began knocking around an empty music folder. Lynette still looked embarrassed, though, so Cammie decided to do her best to reassure her. "Don't worry yourself about the music; it's a dancer's job to adapt to the musician, not the other way around. The music comes first." How many times had Cammie heard her parents tell her that? Enough that Cammie believed it herself, evidently. "And don't worry about social stuff; just be yourself and say whatever comes to mind. Who knows? Maybe we can even cut loose and dance to something together sometime. Wouldn't that be great?"
Slowly, the reason she had come here in the first place crept back into Cammie's mind, and with it a little regret over running her mouth just then. Cammie fiddled with her hat. "I have to be honest, though. It'll be a while before I'm back here. I'm setting off with Russell out of Whitesand City, and the two of us are going to take on the Pokemon circuit together. Who know how long it'll take before I see this place again?" She sighed. "After all the music lessons I failed at in here I thought I'd be happier to leave it behind, but who knew I'd actually miss this place? So it might be a while before I'm able to take you up on your offer, Lynette."
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Post by maestro on Jun 19, 2015 0:33:09 GMT
When Cammie brought up the Pokemon Circuit, Lynette looked at her with a surprised expression. As if possessed, she straightened up on her piano bench and looked at Cammie intently "The Pokemon Circuit? I'm also wishing to go through it, and I'm leaving Whitesand City in the next few days as well!" she exclaimed, no smile on her face but excitement clearly demonstrated. She suddenly caught herself and slumped back down, taking her index finger and twirling some of her hair with it, clearly embarrassed over her display "I...uh...mean...I'm going to be going through it as well..." she said, looking at a wall and not being able to make eye contact with Cammie.
Fredrick pounded his chest to Russell, as if to say he was going to be the greatest of all the Squirtles in the League. He then pointed to Russell and gave him the thumbs up for reassurance. Lynette shook her head, her face flushed with red again, "Maybe...maybe we will see each other...at some point?" she inquired. Wait, why am I asking her this? I don't care if I see her again...do I? She's just another person...people come and go, or don't even care to begin with...like dad... she thought to herself, now looking as if she had left this world again and no one else mattered except her and her own thoughts and shifting uncomfortably.
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Post by highlander on Jun 19, 2015 1:09:40 GMT
"Of we'll see each other again!" Cammie proclaimed, not quite noticing that Lynette had looked away. When she got on a roll, she could do that. "We have to!" She twirled herself around until she was in between Lynette and the wall she was staring at. "I mean, we're both going to be representing Whitesand City out there in the Circuit, right? And there's no way I'd pass up a chance to see how strong that Squirtle of yours is when I have the chance." Russell, seeing Fredrick's gesture, met his eyes and returned the gesture with a one-paw salute, which was the closest he could get.
Why am I being so insistent on seeing her again? Cammie wondered as she stepped to the side and took care not to knock anything over. I just met her and I know next to nothing about her. But somehow, the thought that she had a friend out on there on the circuit, somewhere, made the idea of setting off a journey just a little bit less lonely. "So we'll be seeing other each again, somewhere. But just remember, wherever you are on the trail, you've got a friend in Camilla Dupre. Adieu." Cammie curtsied to Lynette, then motioned for Russell to follow her as walked toward the door.
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Post by maestro on Jun 19, 2015 1:58:47 GMT
Lynette's face was red due to Cammie's words. A...friend? she thought to herself. She had no idea how to make friends, or what to even do with them once she made them. But here was this girl, whom she has only known for one song's length, and they had become friends? Deep inside, Lynette was ecstatic and happy...but she had no way of knowing how to express that on the outside. She just stared at Cammie for a moment and just nodded in agreement, confusion still washed over her face.
When Cammie was fixing to leave, Lynette just waved good bye to her newly acquired friend, Fredrick doing the same to Russell. Suddenly, shock hit Lynette as she heard Cammie introduce herself. "Wait...did you say Dupre? As in a member of the Dupre family that hosts the Slowpoke's Tail stage shows? You are a part of that?" Lynette said, almost to the point of being star struck. "I had always wanted to play for those shows, but each time I auditioned for a musical spot, I was told my music wasn't lively enough. I love watching it though, and it is always great to see the culmination of music and dance into one" she continued. Realizing her outburst again, she slumped back onto her bench, face still red. "So...sorry...I...don't know what came over me" she said, twirling her hair some more.
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Post by highlander on Jun 19, 2015 2:45:23 GMT
Cammie spun around on her heels when she heard Lynette's words. "You might say I'm part of that." She coughed, and her voice fell a little as she continued. "Loosely speaking. I was one of the dancers who never sang or touched a musical instrument." She took a deep breath. "But we are family; I just didn't get a lick of the musical talent that the rest of them have. Even my little sisters are better than I am." She cast her eyes down at the floor for a second, then looked back at Lynette. She hated admitting defeat at anything. "It's nice to meet a fan of the Slowpoke's Tail, though. People come from all over to see it, but a lot of locals don't even care about it." She smiled and walked back toward Lynette.
"It's a shame Mom and Dad turned you down, but classical music just doesn't draw crowds to places like that no matter how good the performer is. Even though I can barely tell which end of a tuba you're supposed to blow into, I've been around music all my life, and I can tell you're really good at it, Lynette. I'm just not, though, so I'm going to make a name for myself some other way. I'd rather be known as something more than that Dupre girl who can only dance." Camille stretched, spinning around again. "Anyway, it's nice to be recognized by someone, even it's more for the rest of my family than for myself."
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Post by maestro on Jun 19, 2015 11:33:58 GMT
Lynette couldn't help that, in her excitement, she accidentally offended Cammie. She just shook her head "On the contrary, I think the dancers were my favorite part of the show. With music, I can close my eyes...and it comes to me and I can see it in my mind, but dancing..." Lynette looked down at Fredrick and then back to Cammie "...dancing brings even more life to the music on stage. I think focusing on the dancers, and watching how they made their moves fit with the music on stage, is what captivated me the most" she admitted.
She looked down at her piano and continued "I know how you feel though....not wanting to be known for one thing and making a name for yourself. I, too, want to break out of my shell and make a name for myself on my own terms. I'm good at music, I know this, I've spent my whole life striving to be so....but..." at this point, Fredrick waddled over to Lynette and tugged on her sock, pointing to the inside of his mouth to distract her from her train of thought. "Oh, Fredrick you must be starving.....we didn't really stop to get breakfast this morning, did we?" She turned her gaze back to Cammie "My apologies, Cammie, I didn't mean to just start rambling. I should probably leave to get Fredrick and myself some breakfast. Th....thank you...for....talking to me..." she said, the final part being obviously uncomfortable for her to say.
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