[ 2b & jae-ha, tuesday ]

[alttitude]

[The tapestries revealed what everyone is - but Jae-ha can't help but find it interesting that some people are rather quiet about the circumstances. In comparison, he's loud about being a dragon and there was one other person(?) that he remembered to be open about what made her different -

Which is why he pauses in playing his erhu when 2B wanders by, raising a hand to wave hello to her.]

Do androids think much of music, dear miss 2B?

Comments

[function]

[ 2b wonders what it is about humanity that causes other beings to look and act like them. though a vast majority of the castle's other inhabitants are human... even the ones who are not still possess bodies almost indistinguishable from them. were—are they truly that impressive...?

the music is actually what draws 2b's attention in the first place. if jae-ha could see her eyes, he'd notice they're wide and curious. just because she's a battle unit doesn't mean she can't respect and admire the beautiful things in the world... she just suppresses her outward expression of it, is all. that's why, in response to his question, she merely nods rather than give him a direct compliment. ]

We can appreciate it. [ she pauses. ] Just "2B" is fine.

[alttitude]

Then might my song hold any chance of drawing your beauty closer?

[smooth talker.

but regardless he'll laugh, and comply easily.]

If you insist. Then please, just call me Jae-ha as well. [even though he's not sure if she was going to call him anything else???]

[function]

[ good thing she's immune to being charmed, his attempts do nothing to her as she very pointedly does not answer his question ]

What else would I have referred to you as?

[alttitude]

The Flying Pirate? The Soaring Green Dragon? The Beautiful Beast? I've come to possess many names.

[they're all stupid

he doesn't seem to realize this]

[function]

[ . . . she's just gonna let him stew in that pride (???) for a few moments before flatly replying, ]

Your proper name is all I need. [ A N Y W A Y ] What kind of instrument is that?

[alttitude]

[A PATIENT GODDESS, THAT 2B]

An erhu.

[and he pauses in his playing to tilt his head]

Would you like to hold it?

[function]

[ sometimes you just learn to quietly tolerate all kinds of bullshit bc fighting isn't always worth it tbh ]

Why? It's not like I know how to play it.

[alttitude]

I could always teach you how, if you'd like.

[look they have time to kill here]

[function]

[ haha... kill 🔪 ]

I'm a soldier, not a musician.

[alttitude]

[some owlish blinking

she speaks seriously enough that he doesn't bother to let the 'a beautiful girl like you? a soldier?' slip past his lips. gi-gan was his pirate captain, after all.

though he does prompt, still confused:]

And you can't be both?

[function]

I don't know.

But I was designed to destroy, not create.

[alttitude]

If you don't know, then let's find out.

[and he speaks easily, with a hum]

If there's anything that we need to destroy - I believe it's the idea that there's anything you can't do, if you want to.

[function]

[ she stares at the instrument and its bow, his words ringing in her ears. she almost tells him it's pointless for her to even try, but something tells her he's not going to take no for an answer, and she'd rather not argue over something she could solve simply by humoring him.

so she holds her arms out to accept the erhu. her mouth is taut, but there's a gentleness in the way she unfolds her hands, palms up. ]

[alttitude]

[that gentleness is all jae-ha needs to continue. so he places the erhu in one hand, and then places the bow in the other.]

Would you like me to show you how to play it?

[function]

[ she nods, doing her best to keep her grip loose, especially around the instrument's neck. it's so much more different than holding a weapon, where its delicateness must be protected, rather than being used to destroy. she tries her best not to show it (the visor helps), but the tension in her shoulders gives away her nervousness. she doesn't want to break it, especially as it's something so obviously personal to him. ]

[alttitude]

[jae-ha watches closely, but he doesn't seem worried. the fact that she's fretting means something, doesn't it? so instead he'll reach out to carefully position the bow between her fingers - ] Like this. And...

[he'll help her glide the bow against the strings of the erhu, getting it to emit a clean, resounding note]

Just like that.

Sounds nice, doesn't it?

[function]

[ as he moves her limbs accordingly, he'll notice that despite her mechanical origins, a simple touch reveals that she not only looks human, but seems to feel like one as well. huh.

playing music is a much different experience than battle, and the simple note resounding through the air manages to turn the corners of her lips upward in an extremely subtle move. ]

... Yeah. [ though jae-ha cannot hear it, her pod evidently says something, which causes her smile to falter. she ends up looking vaguely annoyed. ] Not now, Pod.

[alttitude]

... did your companion tell you something?

[He can't help but be curious -

Though all the same, he'd like to bring her smile back. With a gentle movement, he changes the positioning of her fingers against the strings of the erhu and then guides her other hand to move the bow against it again.

It plays another note.]

[function]

"Music is simply a collection of different changes of pitch or tone, arranged in such a way that is aesthetically pleasing to the ear. For string instruments, the sound is produced by interacting with the strings, causing them to vibrate."

[ if he thinks she sounds overly robotic, it's intentional. she just repeats what the pod said to her, in that way it sometimes states things that are obvious or redundant, much to 2b's chagrin. but of course, that's not its fault; its database-oriented ai isn't nearly as complex as an android's. ]

It doesn't quite understand the point.

[ and neither can she—at least she thinks—for imagination is something possessed by organic beings, not ones made of wires and gears.

but like she said before, she can appreciate it, and her smile returns. ]

[alttitude]

[ . . . it's interesting, to hear it described that way. Jae-ha seems to consider it for a few moments and he asks - ]

Is it really that simple?

[He guides her hands - slowly, just slowly forming the sound of a song. It's a simple one, holding the same consistent rhythm so as to not startle her, but the notes change gradually with the adjustment of her fingers. It's not quite teaching, but it's showing. It's - ]

You said you weren't meant for creating, but these are your hands making the music, aren't they? Even if I'm just here to help.

The world is varied, full of surprises, and that is its beauty.

[function]

[ as a dictionary definition: yes, it is. as a personal understanding... the fact that she can't come up with a response should be an answer in and of itself.

the more he guides her, the more relaxed she becomes. relaxed—that's a word she never thought would be applicable to her. and yet, here she is, the delicate strings under her fingers giving rise to something special, something born rather than manufactured.

and yet... ]

Why?

[alttitude]

... why is the world how it is? Why is musical so beautiful?

[he blinks in confusion, tilts his head in order to prompt her to go on]

I'm afraid I need a bit more context to give you a proper answer.

[function]

Why did you want to teach me?

[alttitude]

[the smooth talking answer is 'because your beauty combined with a marvelous instrument is a sigh the world needed'

what leaves his mouth is:]

I thought it might help lift your mood. It's a tense situation, isn't it?

A smile suits you better, fleeting as it may be. And if I can help you believe you're meant for more than destruction, I'm happy for that too.

[function]

[ why... is he like this

in any case, 2b is still perplexed by his response... even now, she finds it hard to believe people like jae-ha exist. it's refreshing and nerve-wracking and confusing all at once. she detaches herself from his guiding grasp and runs her fingers along the length of the strings, as if visualizing the possibilities open to her is. meanwhile, her pod floats over to the front of the instrument and begins scanning it, so that it may assist 2b in her playing, too. ]

Tell me more about yourself.

[ it's phrased as a command, but intoned as a request. ]

[alttitude]

[jae-ha lets his hands be moved away, and he tilts his head as he watches the pod.... exist. he's never seen something like it before? but at her prompting, he laughs.]

Are you interested in me?

My name is Jae-ha - the beautiful beast that holds the power of the Green Dragon in his leg. I'm an appreciator of beauty, and live life according to my sense of aesthetics and nothing else.

[function]

I told you about myself. It's a fair request, isn't it?

[ it takes her a moment to gauge how much pressure to put on the bow as it slides along the strings. the first note she plays alone comes out a little screechy... but she supposes that's what practice is for. ]

You look human to me. [ pause. ] Though that would make me a hypocrite.