driftfleet | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Natasha Romanoff
Broadcast: Fleedwide
Action: Iskaulit to start with
When: 16 Nov

Video

[The broadcast is brief and obviously accidental. A young girl's face appears on screen, confused and tense, then almost at once her brows draw down and together in an intense frown. Her expression is dark and thoughtful as the feed shakes, then cuts out entirely.

For those paying attention, the corridors off the Islaulit can be identified behind her before the transmission ends.]

Action

[When she wakes up, a young Natasha finds herself in what appears to be a small dance studio. Unfamiliar, but not too shocking. The mirror, the barre, the wood flooring, are all things she's accustomed to. It isn't where she expects to be, but it is somewhere she would expect to wake up in a general sense, in a general way.

Waking up somewhere strange isn't completely shocking either.

It's not until she ventures out into the rest of the Iskaulit that she starts feeling out of her depth. She can't place where she is, even where she might be. There's no outside. The structures are nothing like she's scene before. The computers are completely alien to her. The people are worse. She avoids them, of course. At least at first. Sneaking through shadows and hidden corners, in ducts if she's lucky enough to find access. She observes what she can, trying to work together the situation as she can, applying what training she can. But how much she can do is limited.

Tiny spy is out of her depth.

Which is what forces her to come out of hiding. (Maybe that was the point?)

When she finally lets herself be approached, she's already determined to put on a lost, scared face. It's for the best. That way people will underestimate her. Trust her more. It's a good plan.

The expression might not be entirely fake, though, and she can't entirely hide her suspicious skittishness. The end effect isn't entirely unlike a stray cat begging for food.]

((OOC: Augment glitch? Come play with smol murder ballerina.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I don't know how.

[ Maglor tips his head at her in question ]

Would you like to learn?

[It seems a little silly. Where would she use a skill like that? Her cover is a dancer anyway...

But still, she's curious. In some ways she really is still just a child.]

Show me a little?

[ obligingly he scoots over to make room, letting her see ]

So! This is a basic scale. [ he rings each string individually ] And you may either pluck, thusly, or ...

[ he runs a glissando scale, up and down ]

[Her frown is less suspicion and more concentration as she watches his hands, her focus intense.

She's always been a good student.]

Just like any instrument, once you know the notes, tis merely a matter of putting them together.

[ he smiles, recognising the concentration for what it is, and plays a short, simple teaching piece - little more than some variations on parts of scales ]

Would you like to try now?

Are you sure it's all right?

[He seems honest about this, but Natasha isn't used to generosity.]

[ He smiles and nods ]

Aye - this lady of mine is old, but she has survived many a young uncertain hand, and will not mind another.

[She reaches for it slowly, still hesitant but convinced to try it.]

[ He yields it to her, and she will find the strings are silvery steel, spun fine, and ring sweetly beneath her hands, strong and unwearied by time ]

[She holds the harp carefully, mindful of him watching over her as she plucks the strings experimentally. Despite her obvious care, however, her touch is no longer hesitant.

She'll do her best to copy how he held the harp, and while not perfect, it's a good attempt for someone who's clearly never done it before. Natasha has an eye for detail.]

[ He smiles approvingly at her attention to detail - before he was a soldier, he was a musician, and a teacher, and in this, he still has joy.

Maglor nudges her hands into the correct placement if they stray, but otherwise only corrects her softly with his voice ]

[She's tense, if he touches her, but responds well enough to correction. Natasha might not be a musician, but she's still an apt student.

When she feels comfortable enough with how the harp feels, she'll try the simple scale. Not too ambitious.

But ambitious enough.]

[ He notes that and refrains from anything other than the slightest nudges to the right position, using voice more than hands.

And when she feels bold enough to try he smiles ]

Well done.

[This is a very different kind of instruction Natasha is used to; she knows her performance isn't flawless, and her trainers rarely took a gentle posture unless it was to take it away.

She's tense as she finishes, waiting for the other shoe to fall.]

But it could have been better.

Yes. [ He nods, agreeing ] But for a first try, that was well done indeed.

[ Wryly ] Believe you me, I have heard much worse. Did you see what you could have done better?

[That is a little more like it. Still a far softer touch than she's used to, but he is reliably playing the teacher.]

I was off... here.

[She places her hands on the strings to illustrate the place on the scale.]

Mmhmm. [ He reaches over, remembering to do so slow and careful so she does not spook, and shows her an alternative placing for her fingers ]

It will be easier to hit those notes if you move your fingers, so. Remember, your hands are smaller than mine - you will need to either stretch, or twist thus, if you want to keep the flow of notes smooth.

[Natasha is used to having disadvantages because of her size, so she pays attention to this advice with particular interest.]

Is it easier with longer fingers? That seems like an advantage.

For a lap harp, not so much, but if you ever take up the large performance harps, yes, most definitely.

[ He stretches his hand to show her ] See, I can cover half the strings, just like this - so I need to move less. But you are young yet, and will grow. Until then, there are ways around it.

I don't think I'll be taking up any harp.

[This is just a momentary curiosity. That's all it can be. Still, she tries part of the scale again slowly, considering how he held his hand to make up for a smaller reach.]

It is not for everyone. [ Maglor hums softly ] But you have a keen sense of melody and rhythm, and would do well if you ever find the instrument that speaks to you, I think.

[ He nods approvingly at her attempt ] Better. Now try it at speed.

I have studied dance.

[That's the first time she's really seemed to brighten, even if it's subtle. It's clear that's something she truly enjoys.

She does as she's told though, repeating the scale more quickly.]

A dancer! [ He smiles at her ]

Then the rhythm is in your blood, I think. You might do well with something like a flute, perhaps.

[ He nods approvingly ] You learn swiftly.

[Natasha smiles at that, almost shyly. She enjoys dancing in a way that she doesn't assassination. It's nice for a moment to pretend her cover is true.]

Thank you. I should be..