... There's No Need to Be Afraid (Kevin)

Subject: ... There's No Need to Be Afraid (Kevin) Sat Mar 09, 2019 7:34 pm

Days turned in to weeks, and weeks turned in to months. Elenore had been in the United States of America for almost four months now and still the city of New York did not feel homely. She still had not become accustomed to the food here in America. Elenore had not worked out how to deal with the people of the city, each of them performing more and more revolting acts than the last as she spent more time in the city. Friends did not come for the witch, nobody really wanted her around... Yes, there was Kevin, but even he did not really seem interested in her.

Nothing about The Julliard School was as enamouring as the brochures had made it out to be.

And so far, the lectures here had not taught her anything that her tutors back home could not have told her.

Letters came from Europe all the time. Jacques' pile stacked the highest in her office, shortly followed by those from her parents. Buried beneath both stacks of the paper was the small note one of the staff had found in her luggage, denoting how she was the 'bset'. She'd wanted to throw the piece of paper away, she'd truly tried, even crumpled the piece of paper ready to discard in the bin, but Elenore hadn't been able to let the piece of paper go. Hadn't been able to discard even that much. Instead the paper had been smoothed back out, folded so the words could not be viewed, and hidden beneath her letters in an attempt to forget all about the note that had been left.

It didn't work.

With each letter that came from her family, Elenore grew more and more tired of it all. She wished to be left alone, and yet... and yet the family she had tried to leave behind would not allow her to feel forgotten. Abandoned... ~~Unloved.~~ The hopelessness that all of this had caused was not aided by the constant stream of encouragement from Grandmere to pursue her dreams in America, to not think of coming back despite how much she was missed, because this was her life, her future, her degree, and she should not shy away from it.

The pain in her chest would not leave, only pushed her closer to the piano in the hope of expressing just a glimpse of everything she felt and more in that moment, but the frustration only grew when the notes would not conform, would not make something sound exactly how she felt. Sheets and sheets of music evolved from the witch's fingers, but none of them ever seemed to capture the feelings no matter how she tried. The French witch was working upon the project almost doggedly when she returned from the School to the isolation of her apartment building, holing up by the piano until dinner was served, and then returning once she'd eaten until a worried staff member would broach the subject of her bathing routine that hadn't been followed.

It was in the middle of December, the day before her birthday when the mixed feelings of knowing she would not be returning home for her birthday, for Christmas, or for New Year that the piece finally came in to being. The emotional roller coaster with which she'd played that evening had worn the witch out so much that she had barely managed to get in to the bath that evening even with the staff's help, her whole body aching with fatigue.

But she'd finally done it...

With time to spare.

The evening in question was one where the whole of the Julliard School students were welcome invited to -- no obligation, of course -- to play in front of a live audience. Be it playing the instrument you'd come to study at the school, to divulge your latest original work, perform a new act to a live audience to gain feedback, or simply to performances as a whole, there really wasn't a limit to what you could do. Elenore had assured herself that she would not partake in this activity when she'd first heard of it. Not because she doubted herself, Elenore knew she was gifted musically, but because she knew how she always stumbled when her Maman was watching over her. She didn't wish for her peers to laugh at her because she could not play to an audience.

But with this new piece.

Only she would know if she played incorrectly, and truthfully, the witch was in dire need of reassurance now that she found herself without any. The witch's name had, therefore, gone up with all the others who had opted to play that evening, and Elenore's place was brought forward to being one of the first slots of the evening. The witch had little time for nerves, therefore, when she arrived that evening, trying to dispel everything she was worrying over.

The long, blue dress she'd chosen for the evening didn't seem apt now, her hair, though straightened, didn't feel like it protected her enough from the world due to the shorter cut she'd opted for. Nothing... just nothing felt right. Music sounded out in the hall, and Elenore could feel the slight clouding of dizziness touching at her as she gently sank down in to the chair as she waited. Ten minutes, that was perhaps all she had as she looked down to her sheet music once more and tried to calm her nerves. She could do this...

The music changed out in the hall after a polite applause, another had taken to the stage, this time to sing. The song filled the auditorium, and back stage and Elenore was wowed by the sudden change. For the first song had been classical in every way, this song depicted a much more modern genre that Elenore hadn't really grasped, and didn't particularly like from the lessons she'd had thus far, but as the song finished, and the singer was clapped off the stage, the stage manager prompted Elenore to her feet, and the French witch moved out on to the stage, moving to the piano only to be reminded by a quick waving of hands to the microphone.

Elenore gracefully corrected herself, moving to stand by the mic to announce herself. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen," her soft French accent sounded around the hall catching her off guard for a moment before she spoke again. "My name is Elenore, and this original piece is called River Flows in You." With an awkward moment of silence, Elenore turned back to the piano, taking a seat carefully in the middle of the piano before checking the music sheet.

Since the day she'd finalised this piece, to today -- the twenty ninth of December -- she'd played the piece repeatedly until she was sure she could play it without the music. You could almost hear a pin drop in the auditorium before the Clement heiress' fingers graced the keys of the piano and played the soft melody she'd composed. The keys were stroked carefully as Elenore's eyes scanned over each of them, ensuring to connect with the right key. Her posture was otherwise calm, unmoving as she played, but for anyone with a keen eye, you could see just how much Elenore Clement became the song as it played, even if she didn't move, her features showed the emotion of the song, her eyes touching up with unshed tears as the melody truly touched her heart once more. The room as a whole was lost to the witch for the four and a half minutes that Elenore played, only she and the piano mattered and not one mistake was made.

Only as the final note of the song died away did Elenore look away from the keys, up to the audience, who...

The room was upon its feet as she looked up, clapping gratefully for her contribution and making the witch's eyes sting more. The audience loved her... The smile upon Elenore's features could have lit up a room in that moment, meeting her eyes, and pulling her lips up in to most heartfelt of smiles, the witch collected her music, stood from her seat and completed a light curtsy in thanks to the audience before returning off stage feeling elated. Her piece had been loved, and nothing in the world could take that away from her!

***

The rest of the concert was just as breathtaking as could be imagine of students studying at the best institute of music in the world. Elenore had found a place in the auditorium to watch the until the midsession interval, at which time the Head of the Music Division and the Dean of the University approached her.

"Miss Clement," the Dean acknowledged, full of smiles for her. "I'm so glad you decided to play for us this evening. Your piece was so very beautiful, not that we expect anything less of you, of course. You wrote that piece, yes?"

"Yes, Ms. Guzelimian," Elenore replied. "And thank you, I've worked on that piece for much longer than I can admit, but it finally came in to place just two weeks prior to this evening."

"Oh wow, a very new piece! Congratulations my darling!" Mr Meyer insisted, looking much too happy with himself despite the achievement not being his own.

Once again, the French witch replied with a soft thank you, allowing the faculty members to create small talk before they continued further.

"We were surprised to see you held back, of course, the Clements are very much loved her in the States, and a number of us tune in to see the Christmas Day ceremonies going on in Versailles. I myself was shocked to find you hadn't returned home to see your family, you must be missing them terribly?" Ms. Guzelimian asked, before continuing without an answer. "But, I did see that young Lady Mimosa was up with there this year. A welcome surprise, we're always looking out for her."

Elenore's blood ran cold at the mention of Mimosa's name, the feeling of being lightheaded reinstating itself in that moment. "Of course," Elenore replied tightly to this news. "Mimosa is the Clement Ward, she sometimes partakes in these events."

"I do hope she gets to be a big part of the family in the future, too." Ms. Guzelimian continued on, unaware of the discomfort she was placing upon her student in that moment.

"Would you excuse me?" Elenore asked politely, carefully detaching herself from the conversation and heading towards the nearest exit before she could be cornered by somebody else. Her hand would move up only once to try to stem the flow of tears threatening to fall on the way. Try to insist they didn't fall. But by the time the youngest Clement stepped out in to the dirty air of New York, her cheeks would already bare the burden of tears not wishing to comply.

She should never have come this evening, she told herself as she tried to decide where to go now.

If she hadn't come this evening, she could have pretended everything was okay.

That her parents might just possibly love her.

That Jacques might just need her.

But, of course, Mimosa was always going to be her replacement, and they were using every opportunity they got to remind her of that much when she didn't come home once. The Clements were doing just fine without her, and she'd fooled herself in thinking otherwise.

Elenore's Piece
OOC: I do not own the song, nor do I claim to have written it in any manner. The song is purely being linked as an idea of what Elenore has played. All credit to the original artist!

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Subject: Re: ... There's No Need to Be Afraid (Kevin) Mon Jun 28, 2021 7:19 pm

... There's No Need to Be Afraid (Kevin) 06-kj-apa-chat-room-silo.w330.h412

The past few months in New York had been suffocating, recalling a time in his life when the new Julliard candidate had considered some of the darkest things he'd ever had to consider. Being back here was not a fun experience and never had he thought this would ever bean option but that was life for you. The male had tried to find distraction, but responsibility had ebbed into even that, prompting him to show up to class and produce mediocre pieces of writing which barely kept up his grades. If the school was supposed to inspire individuals to reach their highest potential, then it was failing miserably when it came to Kevin Harrington.

In fact, so much did the redheaded man lack inspiration that he often found himself retreating to the roof of the main building overlooking the quad, his cell phone in hand and trying to find some meaning through its thin filtered veil into the pinpricks of people down below. He knew the girl with the blue tips was suffering from some kind of eating disorder because he saw her from his position up on the roof, eating heartily before excusing herself to the nearest bathroom every single day. He knew the geeky nineteen year old was using his pocket money for weed because the pressure on him to succeed from a family of violinists was immense.

And he knew Tuesday had failed to make any friends.

At first, the man had assumed she was just going through the beginner's rough patch, that eventually she would settle down, that someone would recognize her name at the very least and form a posse around her. But as the months flew by, non of this happened. Her reputation around campus was narky nonexistent denoting she did not frequent student hangouts and the only places her name was prominent were on the merit boards.

It annoyed him to always be on the lookout for her, why wouldn't it. But Kevin had resigned himself to his duty as a gentleman. Ever since their walk back from the Fresher's mixer, the redhead understood that Tuesday was.... very incapable of looking after herself. Had her family taught her nothing? Or did all the riches of the earth fall short when it was common sense that needed purchasing?

Whatever the case, he found himself directing his phone camera towards her more times than he liked to think over. Of course, her image never stayed still. She didn't stop at the Quad to chat with friends, nor did she pull up a bit of grass to share a snack with her cohorts. No, she was merely seen coming and going through the lens of his camera, calling to mind another young lady who - though the complete opposite of the French brunette - had looked just as lost and lonely all those years ago.

Christmas came and went, and surprisingly few words were exchanged with his family. The wizard had long suspected they were outgrowing him, and most days it didn't even hurt. It was his fault really, or at least h would admit so on nights he felt like being brutally honest with himself. The fear of no longer being necessary usually drove him way faster than anything else, so why was he surprised? In a way, it spoke to his success, never outstaying his welcome and never stopping people from flying away on his account.

And yet Christmas dinner comprising of a turkey sandwich in his humble abode was... sad. So sad that he'd given into temptation and called the redhead from the newby circle. She'd turned him down, it was Christmas and she actually had people to be with. She's said they could hook up some other day though, giving him enough time to realize the bad idea for what it was and quickly take a rain check.

He could always go to he Plaza he supposed, step outside the broke student life for a moment and return to the world he was born in. There would be extravagant food, the finest champagne, no shortage of women willing to spend the night with him. But the idea was just as unappealing as the turkey sandwich he'd finished. Instead, Kevin tossed and turned all night long, trying to stave off dreams where he'd made promises he couldn't keep.

The next day was only slightly better, and the twenty seventh saw a phone call from home, so on the twenty eighth Kevin was nearly back to his usual spirits when he saw the performance list for the Winter Showcase. The young man usually haunted such events for the shrimp but this time, he was actually looking through the performers to see if he found someone of interest, and there she was, at the bottom of the list, solidifying his decision to go and eat that shrimp. he had fully intended to show up late, preferably just before Tuesday's performance but then had figured the shrimp would disappear and had ended up at the showcase fifteen minutes earlier.

Little did he know the French girl's position would be bumped to number four on the list, instead of the order in which she'd signed up. He watched ehr from afar, carrying the air of uncertainty she wore around her like a shield, but for the first time, he saw that uncertainty disappear when she played ehr music. Never really having been musically inclined, Kevin liked to think he had a good ear regardless. But watching the young witch perform... well, her wand was not the only thing she could do magic with.

Perhaps now she would get more recognition? This would be her breakout night and she would make a hundred new friends, all equally envious of her talent and impressed by her sheer skill? He noticed a small congregation of old farts corner her, no doubt to schmooze their way into her family business which was a pity, it was her art that deserved recognition beyond where she came from. Kevin was just about to turn to his shrimp regardless when he saw her leave.

Not leave to join the other performers, or greet the people clearly waiting to speak to her once the Dean was done. No, she excused herself abruptly and simply headed towards the door, triggering a reaction that he knew was coming, but which made him groan nonetheless. Dropping the giant shrimp on his plate, the man quickly dragged his sauce covered fingers on the tablecloth, already on his feet and going after her out int the snwy New York evening.

if they didn't freeze to death in the next half hour, it would be a miracle.

"Hey Tuesday!" he called out, skidding to catch up with her while struggling with his sports jacket and scarf at the same time. "Hey, you, wait!" His words turned instantly to fog upon leaving his lips, the temperature had dropped a lot since he'd entered the Showcase.

"How are you this fast in heels?" he panted, finally catching up to her around the corner of the building. His breath came out in short, cold bursts as he motioned for her to wait, drawing closer to the witch wrapped in her long blue gown and her shield of uncertainty once more.

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Subject: Re: ... There's No Need to Be Afraid (Kevin) Mon Jun 28, 2021 7:20 pm

The voice following her was not one Elenore wished to listen to. The English accent was not welcome, she did not need Kevin and his unrealistic world views. Or... or his stupid 'I know everything' kind of outlook when it came to her. No, she just wanted to be far, far away from everyone right now. The witch's steps grew quicker without breaking in to a run, or anything as unladylike as speed walking which looked mightily ridiculous. But the quickened speed in the heels she was wearing and the conditions outside were enough to keep Kevin at bay.

She was sure of it.

Except, nothing in her life ever turned out the way it was supposed to, did it? Everything had the habit of going wrong, of hurting her more, and not giving her the one thing she wanted from all of this. No, the world was set to making her as miserable as was possible in that moment. Swiping away the tears as she kept on walking, Elenore at least fashioned her features back in to something neutral before the Englishman caught up with her, almost much too easily in that moment, but she would blame that on the horrible New York weather if nothing else.

Kevin's voice came after her again, insisting she stopped, but the witch did not. Trying to keep the space between them. Where was it her car was waiting again?

"How are you this fast in heels?"

The man had made a mistake in that moment, and as Elenore stopped, and turned back to him. "What do you want, Kevin?" She asked, though it was clear the question was rhetorical from the way her features showed she was not in the mood for him that evening. "Have you come to offer your congratulations on my piece? Or have you come to stick another knife in to me, too?" She asked, the cold edge of her tone colder than the winter brought to America at this time of year. "Go back to the Showcase, Kevin, I don't need you to run after me."

With that, Elenore turned back on her way, hoping that, for once, Kevin would actually listen, and leave her be.

I'll wait in the side street for you, m'lady. Just the next road from the University. It's well lit, you'll be fine, m'lady.

The driver had told her, so Elenore kept walking in that direction. Just the next turning. Not far, then she would stop being accosted by the Englishman and all the other people in this world that were trying to break her.

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Subject: Re: ... There's No Need to Be Afraid (Kevin) Mon Jun 28, 2021 7:20 pm

"What do you want, Kevin?"

It was a good question. And one he hand't anticipated being asked so he didn't have an answer prepared for. Tuesday rattled off a string of things he might have wanted, none of which he actually did. Sure her piece had been good but he wasn't out here to congratulate her. Nor was he here to, as she put it, stick a knife in her. He hadn't even brought a knife to the event and sticking things in without consent was never his MO. i his confusion over hat he actually wanted, she was off again, leaving him to play catch up.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't too cold," he admitted, this time applying the full strength of his much longer legs to keep up with her. "It's probably going to start snowing soon and... you... don't have a jacket?" It wasn't much but at least it was the truth. The french girl still wasn't looking at him which Kevin took as his queue to keep talking.

"And now that I'm forced to consider, I guess I wanted to say Merry Belated Christmas?" he pondered, keeping up with her easily now that he'd done most of the legwork. "I mean, I didn't go back home this year and it really sucked. Had a sad turkey sandwich for Christmas so I figured you might have also had a shitty Christmas. Maybe we can toast in a crappy New Year together?"

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Subject: Re: ... There's No Need to Be Afraid (Kevin) Mon Jun 28, 2021 7:21 pm

The reply Elenore received from the wizard who'd now caught up with her was one that might have defrosted someone else's mood towards them, but not Elenore. Elenore was not easily swayed by such acts of kindness at the best of times, even if that was all she ever wanted from others, but in her current state of mind, with the notion of Mimosa having taken her place on Christmas Day, it was not a good time to be testing the French witch's patience.

But Kevin never seemed to take the hint, no matter how glaringly obvious she made it for him.

His next words, though, caught Elenore off guard. Nobody had wished her a Merry Christmas. Further proof that the world didn't need her, she concluded in that moment, looking to Kevin with the briefest of glances. If he'd just left it there, the boy would have possibly salvaged things for himself, but of course, the world never allowed Elenore a moment of happiness, that was simply just not how things were done around here. The sweeping assessment from the man beside her denoting that she must have had a terrible Christmas because he had only served to rile the witch up further in that moment, making her bristle beside him.

"And, pray tell me, Kevin, what makes you believe that I had a bad Christmas?" Elenore asked, turning to him for the first time since she'd headed off from him. It didn't matter that he was right, of course, she'd spent Christmas Day alone. A five course Christmas meal had been served to her, she'd watched snow fall across New York but found no beauty in it at all, but that didn't mean he got to judge her life. He knew nothing about her, and she certainly did not appreciate the manner in which he was casting assumptions about her.

"You can celebrate the New Year however you wish, but it won't be with me." Elenore finalised as they reached the corner of her street, the familiar sight of the Jaguar XJ limousine of hers coming in to view. The driver was immediately climbing out of the front and hurrying to get the door for her. Without another word, Elenore would delicately sink down in to the car before lifting her legs effortlessly in to the vehicle. The door would be closed firmly behind her, and hopefully... Kevin wouldn't pester the driver too much, or cause a scene.

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Subject: Re: ... There's No Need to Be Afraid (Kevin) Mon Jun 28, 2021 7:21 pm

"And, pray tell me, Kevin, what makes you believe that I had a bad Christmas?"

Unlike the first question which had caught him off guard, this one Kevin could answer easily. So glad was he of having an answer though that the redhead blurted it out before considering the consequences. 'I mean, have you looked at yourself?" he asked sincerely in return. "You look like you've never had a decent Christmas your entire life." And then his brain caught up with his mouth, prompting the wizard to shut up instantly.

But it was too late, the damage was done. Kevin Harrington had done the worse thing anyone could do to a woman, he had told her the unfiltered truth. And in true female fashion, she was of again, getting into her car before he could get an apology to stumble out of his mouth and find purchase on the frozen pavement.

"You can celebrate the New Year however you wish, but it won't be with me."

Okay so that one he actually deserved. It also made him kind of proud to learn that she had some self preservation instincts after all. Would he have liked some company on New Year's Eve? Sure. Would he have doubted her sanity if she'd agreed to spend New Year's Eve with him? Definitely. Watching the car zoom away, the man withdrew his usual flask from his pocket, the drink serving an additional purpose of warming him up as the snow slowly began to fall.

"You win some, you lose some Harrington," he murmured, replacing the flask inside his coat. Perhaps he would go to the Plaza after all. Time hardly matched at this point, and the staff would always be happy to see him. The man raised his head tt eh heavens, taking in the gently falling flakes.

"I hope you're happy," he called out, the mixture of frustration and annoyance clear from his tone. "Couldn't have given me an easier project, could you?" Shaking his head, he male began to walk towards the nearest taxi stand. Just for tonight, the plaza and its welcoming embrace would have to suffice.

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» New York City, please go easy on this heart of mine (Kevin)
» The Prized Fool (Kevin)
» Flames to Dust... (Kevin)
» Joyeuse Saint Valentin (Kevin)
» Concrete Jungle - Part 2 (Kevin and the Clement Girl)