Natasha the Halve

“We eating good~ I'm a fat man~” I sang while walking through the hallways of the coliseum.

Sonya followed behind me, pushing my back with her head every few seconds.

Orbs of light similar to the ones on the streets illuminated the white stone walls, ceiling, and floor.

The Tigea that guided me to the arena walked next to me, bobbing her head along with my voice and chuckling every time I hiccuped.

We arrived at a wide room with an unnecessary amount of weapons hanging on the walls and I quieted down.

My companions were inside, sitting on chairs around a circular table.

The Pitmaster was nowhere to be seen, though.

“What's u-hic!” I tried greeting them.

They turned to me and chuckled.

“That was pretty fun,” Thelea commented and gave me a nod. “Thank you for holding back, Natasha.”

I nodded.

“Fun?” Pokora interjected with raised eyebrows. “She totally kicked our asses!”

“True,” Yolin agreed with a wide smile. “But sometimes an ass-kicking is needed to review our skills.”

Bonte gave me a slow nod. “Thank you for... you know,” he muttered.

“It's alright,” I returned the nod. “Hic!”

“Well, looks like I got you to hiccup,” Lapia chuckled with a cheeky smirk. “Not so unreachable,” she added with a shrug.

I giggled at that while walking to the table. “I guess we're- hic! -done here?” I commented.

Yolin nodded. “Yeah, we should probably leave now or wait for the audience to leave first.”

Pokora stood up with a sigh, “Let's leave now?”

I nodded and gave her a thumbs up, not wanting to speak and have hiccups interrupt me again.

And so, we bid our farewell to the staff and left the coliseum.

Back out in the streets, we mounted up and slowly rode the streets. The suns were still on their way to the peak, and the world was bathed in the early hours of morning still.

I guided Sonya to walk close to Bromisnar and his Bhin, then gave the man a nod. “Could I -hic- take up the offer of going to the Performer School of the Arts?”

“Naturally,” he replied with a polite smile. “Would you like to go now?”

“Sure,” I nodded and turned to the rest. “Who wants to -hic- come?”

Pokora perked up and raised a hand. “Me!” she excitedly replied.

Alyssa shook her head. “I saw an interesting store earlier. They had pastries on display.”

Lapia smiled and turned to the Luzo. “I'll join you”

Yolin hummed. “I'll go train with Thelea,” she turned to the woman in question. “You up for that?”

“Fuck yeah,” the Goliath cheerfully replied, then turned to the Tigea. “You with us, Bonte?”

The catboy nodded and gave his girlfriend a wink.

“Alright,” I laughed with a smile. “Take care and have fun.”

We split up and went our separate ways.

Pokora rode next to me on her mount and together we followed Bromisnar.

Half an hour later we arrived at a building that had a form of Gothic architecture similar to the Churches but less dramatic. The building used up an entire block and had clock towers on each corner.

We left our mounts at a rest post in front of the school's entrance then went into the building.

The entrance hall was busy with people walking back and forth. Some looked young enough to be students but I had learned that appearances meant mostly nothing.

A thin Urkila Tigea wearing a colorful robe approached us with a smile and gave Bromisnar a polite nod.

“Welcome,” he began with an amused tone, offering a hand to the Satyr. “The grapevine offers amusing whispers this morning, friend.”

“Thank you,” Bromisnar chuckled, returning the handshake. “What whispers would those be, friend?”

The Tigea glanced at me and then back at the man he was shaking hands with. “They tell of a Satyr in the arena facing off a Halve,” he muttered with a grin.

I glanced at Pokora.

She was smiling with a small blush.

Oh? A small smile formed on my face, then hiccuped.

“Indeed,” the Satyr nodded. “That was me. We had a small, friendly match earlier.”

The Tigea chuckled and let the man's hand go. “How can I be of service? I'm sure you've come for more than the little gossip I may offer.”

Bromisnar nodded and gesture at me with a hand. “Natasha here would like to buy a piano.”

The Tigea's face soured a little, then turned to me. “A piano, is it?”

I nodded. “If you don't mind showing me around? The Minister of Higher Relations informed me of this place.”

His eyes widened a little but his unimpressed face remained unchanged. “Mmhh...” he hummed and nodded. “I see. This way, please.” He turned around and walked off to a hallway.

I leaned into Bromisnar and whispered, “What's with the face?”

He sighed, “Probably doesn't think you can play an instrument, being a Warrior and all.”

I shook my head and sighed. “Guess I'll just blow his mind away.”

Bromisnar chuckled and nodded, giving me a cocky smile, “I have only heard you play the piano once, so I have high expectation.”

“Hooh? You too?” I raised my eyebrows and smiled. “You'll see.”

“Can't wait,” he chuckled.

We turned to Pokora, who was frowning.

I tilted my head. “What's with you?” I inquired.

She rolled her eyes. “Agh! Nothing. You wouldn't understand,” she replied with annoyance.

I shrugged and we followed the Tigea into the building.

He guided us to a wide room with a sign that read 'Instruments for Beginners'. It held a large variety of instruments from pianos, organs, violins, lutes, flutes, harps, and more.

My eyebrows almost fused with my hairline at the sight of the sign but chose to remain silent. Actions speak louder that words, after all.

The man approached a small, low piano that looked like it was made for kids or dwarfs. “I recommend purchasing this one to start learning,” he gave me a sneer. “I'm sure it will cover everything you will need for the foreseeable future, Your Excellency,” he added with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

I bit my lips to keep my face from smiling. I was sure the man wasn't being disrespectful on purpose and instead was trying to accommodate me while being cheeky.

The piano in front of me was admittedly beautiful. The wood had intricate carvings and small details here and there in the form of musical notes- which I was thankful were the same as from Earth for some reason. It had a third of the keys, however. It was definitely a beginner instrument. Not for me.

I turned to him with a polite smile. “Do you have one for a more... advanced player?”

His eyebrows climbed his forehead and his mouth edges went down. “More advanced, you say?” His eyes scanned mine and a sardonic smile replaced his frown. “Alright, but I will ask you to play a piece in return.”

That pissed me off.

I tilted my head and smiled wider. “And who do you think you are to make demands like that?” I asked him in the most friendly tone I could muster. “Is there someone else available to show me around?”

He turned serious and sighed. “It's tradition to prove yourself before you own an instrument. I was just trying to make it more entertaining, is all.”

I nodded and turned serious myself. “Then just say it. 'Hey, you need to play to buy it' or some shit like that. Why the games, bro?”

Bromisnar covered his face and turned away from us.

Pokora sighed.

The Tigea's face tightened in an attempt to smile. “It's tradition because His Divinity Saravia stated so in his legacy.”

“Yeah, fuck that.” I waved his words away. “Take me to the best grand piano you have and I'll play you a lullaby to fuck off, then I'll fuck off myself.”

Pokora snorted, trying to hold a laugh back.

Bromisnar sighed deeper.

The Tigea squinted his eyes at me. “Lang-”

“Did I fucking stutter?” I interrupted him with a glare.

He frowned and shook his head. “This way, then,” he muttered with a shrug.

I shook my head in annoyance and followed the man.

Why can't shit be simple? I complained in my mind. If I ever meet Saravia I'll give him a piece of my mind.

We quickly made it to another room which had the sign 'Instruments for Masters' hanging above the door.

I took a deep, calming breath and let out a long sigh, then walked inside.

The instruments were more complex and their making was a bit more complex compared to the ones before.

I scanned the room and found a trio of pianos facing the entrance.

One was black, one silver, and the last gold.

A tiny, short chuckle escaped me and I approached the golden piano.

The thing was a couple shades lighter than my skin color, had carvings all over the surface, white sparkly keys along with dark matte ones, and a glass cover to protect the insides.

“How much is this one?” I asked the Tigea.

“One hundred and fifty gold coins,” he replied with a blank face.

I hummed and pulled the stool, stored my armor, sat down and fixed the height. I pushed a few keys with a finger to test the sound and was satisfied with the crispness of it.

Bromisnar stood on my right and asked, “What will you play?”

I placed my hands on the keys and shrugged. “First, La Campanella. I'll see where I go from there.”

“Got it,” the Satyr nodded.

I pressed the first keys and the Tigea let out a short scoff.

Nobody would debate that the first few seconds of the piece weren't that special.

I focused the little anger that gripped my mind into the piano in the form of concentration and methodical rhythm.

The Tigea took a few steps closer and stood to my left.

I flexed and stared at him while playing. I had played that piece for over ten years and the muscle memory was still there, much to my surprise and satisfaction.

His eyes followed my fingers and widened with each passing second.

“You're fucking kidding me...” Pokora sighed and stood behind me. “Natasha...”

I nodded and returned my attention to the piano.

The woman placed her hands on my shoulders and rested her forehead on top my head.

By the time I finished the piece, a few tears coming from the woman got my hair and neck a little wet.

She had been silently crying as I played.

Is this the first time she hears music from Earth? I wondered with a heavy heart. In fifty years.

“Chopin?” I muttered.

Pokora nodded against my head.

The two men had been silently observing my hands so they didn't notice the interaction.

I took a deep breath and began playing Fantaisie-Imprompt in C sharp minor, Op. 66. I had always thought of the song as emotional in a way that helped me to let things out and calm down when things got too hard to handle on my own.

I hoped it could maybe help the woman sobbing behind me, if only a little.

There wasn't much I could do in regards to Pokora's nostalgia.

I myself feel apathy towards Earth. Smartphones have never once been in my mind, and while I see the usefulness of the internet, I do not miss it one bit. If I need to learn something I can go to a library and do research or ask the people around me.

I see no value in a digital world. Not anymore. Not knowing what it costs, and much less knowing what it does to people engaging in it.

I figured Pokora wasn't fortunate as I was to have her mind reconstructed and have self-destructive habits removed.

I finished the piece and moved to one of my favorites: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2.

Pokora slid off my shoulders and down to her knees. Her arms wrapped around my neck and her chest pressed against my back, betraying the shakes her body was going through.

I felt for her. The idea of being reincarnated into another world in literature never addressed the depression it may cause to those unwilling. The loss of everything one is familiar with may perhaps be a fate worse than death. The dependency that one develops towards technology is especially strong in introverted people, and the pandecade made us all introverted... in one way or the other.

What if we're the only ones from Earth? I wondered while playing the more energetic part of the song, nearing the middle. Will she be alright?

A sniffle from my right made me turn my head a little.

Bromisnar was wiping his eyes and nose with a handkerchief. He noticed me and gave me a smile. “It's beautiful.”

I nodded. “Right?” I asked the three, but more to Pokora.

She nodded against my neck.

I turned to the Tigea.

His eyes were wide and his jaw was slack.

A snort escaped me.

He closed his mouth and blushed.

For your consideration, I mockingly thought.