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There is no real reason why the instrument calls to her, but it sits there in the middle of the once immaculate room and it looks almost… lonely.
The piano, grand and looming large, looks severely out of place in the now decrepit music room she stands in. At some point in time this room, this whole mansion, had been lovely. It’s easy to tell from the wallpaper and the few pieces of furniture that haven't been destroyed to make fire for the squatters. Thanks to years of neglect, the mansion’s turned into a hot pot of criminal activity. It’s empty now though - probably because they were tipped off that a couple of cowboys were coming their way.
She’s strangely not that disappointed about losing the bounty though. If they’d caught the guy then she wouldn’t have had time to explore the larger than life mansion. She wouldn’t have found the piano.
Faye slowly approaches it, fingertips leaving a trail in the dust as she hesitantly reaches out to touch the wood. As she circles around she looks at each defining curve in its build. Each groove. Every single wire inside of it. Considering its surroundings, it’s immaculate.
As she makes her way back to the bench in front of it, she sits down slowly and runs her fingernails along the ivory keys. It feels somewhat familiar to her, though she isn't sure how. She’s still in the process of learning about her past, learning who she truly is. Bits and pieces come back in dreams and quiet moments. Sometimes she will see something that triggers the most distant shadow in her mind. Whatever it was about the piano, she felt drawn to it. Like she needed to touch it.
After a long moment of silence passes she takes a deep breath and presses one of the keys. The sound isn’t entirely pleasant - she isn’t sure how long it’s been since this thing has been properly tuned. But she continues nonetheless, pressing key after key until something akin to music begins to flow from the instrument. It’s definitely rough, thanks to her lack of practice and the state of the piano, but it’s somewhat recognizable as something. Immediately she presses the keys harder, her body moving as she keys out note after note.
She isn’t sure how long she’s played for when she feels another presence behind her and she immediately stops short.
“Don’t quit on my account.”
The voice fills the room as easily as the music does and she stares at her fingers, wondering where that all just came from.
“I didn’t know you could play…”
Faye can feel Spike approach, his strides languid and cool as he sidles up behind her.
“I… didn’t know I could either.”
Faye can feel her heart racing in her chest, excited and frightened by this new discovery all at the same time. It’s become a rather familiar feeling over the last few months of figuring out who she truly is. She owes a lot of that to the man beside her. He’d been helping facilitate this for a while now ever since he’d decided to stop running from his past. She appreciated it, as overwhelming as it could sometimes be.
“Keep going.”
Spike nods toward the keys and Faye mimics his motion before she picks up where she left off. It’s not the longest composition, but given that it’s the only one in her brain at the moment she has no other choice. As she plays, she looks at him through the corner of her eyes and notices that he’s watching her hands intently. That sort of attention from him always makes her heart drop to her stomach and her stomach to her ass. She’s been so used to gazes from hungry eyes for so long but it’s still strange when it's Spike on the other end.
When she finishes the song, she lets her fingertips rest on the keys, enjoying the long silence that stretches.
“You’re good.”
She looks over at him with a small smile and shrugs.
“I guess. Wish I knew something that sounded… different. Not so sad.”
Spike reaches out and tucks a bit of hair that’s fallen from her headband behind her ear. She knows that he can see the sadness in her eyes and there’s no point in trying to hide it behind her wall. Not at this point. He leans in close and touches his lips to her cheek in an uncharacteristic chaste kiss, but it’s enough to make her smile brighten at least a megawatt.
“You know, I’m something of a virtuoso myself…”
She watches as he stretches his arms out and cracks his knuckle, the smirk on his face devilish and fully him. Faye rolls her eyes and leans back, though the sadness in her eyes has been replaced by amusement.
“You don’t say.”
“Mhm. Just watch and learn.”
He makes a dramatic flourish before readying his fingers above the keys. She isn’t sure what she expects, but the three keys he plays in pattern take her off guard. A nursery rhyme. She laughs and laughs until her sides hurt, and she knows that he is relishing in it. The large smile on his face makes it obvious.
When she calms she goes quiet and leans her head on his shoulder. He stops playing and they sit in the silence for a long beat before Spike carefully stands up from the bench.
“Let’s go, Mozart. We’ve got work to do.”
Faye gives him an annoyed look, but she stands up regardless. She strolls beside him until a chuckle leaves her lips and he quirks an eyebrow.
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s just that… you had the perfect opportunity to show me what your fingers really could do and instead you played a nursery rhyme on the piano.” Her voice is tinged with laughter even as Spike slows beside her.
“I didn’t… Wait a second, Faye. I was trying to cheer you up! I didn’t think you’d actually fall for that if I tried it.”
She continues to walk down the long hallway outside of the room, casually stretching her arms out above her head. She lazily looks over her shoulder at him, her eyes dancing with delight.
“Come on, we’ve got work to do,” she repeats back at him as he stands there with confusion and annoyance lining his features. She looks away but there’s a low grumble and a few hushed swears that follow as she lets him catch up. “Don’t worry, lughead. I’m sure there are tons of other abandoned pianos on this planet. You’ll get your chance again.” He mutters as she hip checks him and walks outside into the warm sun. With her hand over her eyes she stares off into the distance, trying to figure out where they could find a new lead.
She barely notices that she’s humming the same tune she’d played earlier, at least until she hears Spike whistling alongside her. It might not be a happy song, but it feels like it’s hers.
And she hums louder, and even more off key as she walks along.