, fate fell short *KITTY

[désiré fay]

-----*fate fell short this time*-----
YOUR SMILE FADES IN THE SUMMER, PLACE YOUR HAND IN MINE

-----i'll leave when i wanna!!!-----

OUTFIT

The school day had actually to an end at… oh what was it then? Maybe twenty or maybe thirty minutes? To be honest, Désiré was not sure how long it had been since the final bell had rung but he did know that it had not just been a few short minutes. The reason for his being at the school even after it was out was because of his mother, mostly. It was a bit because of his sister but he could not go and blame it all on her since she had not been interested in him waiting about for her to begin with. Stephanie (the oldest of all three of his younger sisters) was having some troubles with her schooling so had been talked into staying after school a while for something that was tutoring. It was just her and another girl studying in the library and Désiré had seen these study times himself a few times. It mostly consisted of the two of them starting some work but then getting engrossed in a completely off topic conversation about silly, little things that everyone would hear around the school. In other words, no work or knowledge seemed to be obtained during this help and Désiré really did not see the point in her continuing to stay. She had not wanted to in the beginning so why now? The gossip, he supposed, was a large possibility. If there had ever been a thing that Désiré had known his sister to love it was hearing gossip. Personally, Désiré was not sure what she thought was so marvelous about hearing such things. Things that probably were not true and only fibs that were concocted by a group of envious teenage girls and boys. It was not as though he never eavesdropped on some of the vicious rumors though…

How to spend his time waiting was often the question that popped into his mind. Every so often he too would find a seat in the library and do a spot of homework lessons here and there. Other times he would just walk around the school aimlessly and keep an eye on a clock somewhere. He was supposed to keep an eye on troublemaking Stephanie so if he so much as looked the other way from her when walking home she would probably get caught up in something else entirely and either be arguing or talking to someone one-hundred miles a minute. Then dragging her away was simply embarrassing so Désiré had simply taught himself to stand around and wait. Being in trouble was not one of his favorite things when it came to people who were older than himself. A good example of these people was his mother and her husband. They were not mean to him or anything of that nature but they did tend to fret over Stephanie a good amount and Désiré had no intentions in losing their respect and being sent back to live with his father. It was true that he wasn’t completely fond of this place but he was not keen on the idea of going back to his old home either.

So what was he going to do today? Do those homework assignments that were tucked away behind the lips of his backpack? Or perhaps go on one of those aimless walks while he waited? No, none of that jumped his interest and made him feel like he would be slightly ecstatic about it. Not that he ever was but it sounded even duller than usual today. So that really only left him with one choice didn’t it? That one choice would be to find something new to do. And it was not really that he had not had the slightest clue of what he should do to keep busy in the first place… it had simply been the question of whether he should really do it or not. Like mentioned before, Désiré was not one to get mixed up in getting into trouble with the adults and the staff at this school happened to be just that and would see him every day. So what was Désiré going to do about that? Do it or just play it safe and go for a walk?

When the choice had been decided on in his mind Désiré went ahead and finally walked lightly (cautiously) over toward the room with the door that was opened just by a few small inches. He slid his hand through the opening and pushed it back so that he could peek his head inside. As he expected, the room was empty and quiet. This was the room that usually was not so quiet, too: the music room. He pushed the door opened a little more and stepped over the threshold. His dark brown eyes never stopped scanning the room and only seemed to concentrate harder on looking around as he stepped in further. When he did not catch sight of any other student or teacher, Désiré finally relaxed a little bit and loosened his steps as he made his way over to the piano over at the end of the room. When he got there, he set his backpack down at the back of the bench and then sat down at it. For a long moment all he did was stare down at the black and white keys but eventually he dropped his fingers gently onto one of the white ones and just barely pressed it down. As the low sound hit his ears Désiré pursed his lips together. Now that he thought about it, the last time he was caught playing one of these had… forever ago. So what could he still remember to play?

Ah yeah. As soon as he placed his fingertips lightly on the keys, Désiré suddenly recalled a few simple tunes that he had learned. So that was what he decided to start off with. A little jingle here and there and then an absolutely nothing next. His left hand often staying in the same place to repeat a deeper tone over and over while his right took the lead with the higher sounds. There were many songs that he could hear in his mind but his fingers were rusty and not exactly the best to begin with. It had been only the singing that his ‘teacher’ had pushed him for in the past. He had only taught Désiré a few things on the piano. But, for the most part, Désiré had only watched the other man’s fingers.

It was really too bad… that he couldn’t remember the way his finger slunk over the keys to make such lovely sounds.

[KITTY JUTE]

outfit

The last thing that Kitty wanted to do today was go home, and hear her parents bitch at her again. She'd woken up to it, and she was still pissed off from this morning. All her parents ever asked her was why she couldn't be more like Lauren, or why she couldn't be as successful in school as Harry had been. It was occasions like these when Kitty wish she would've been the one to die in the womb, and her would-be twin had lived. Maybe he would've have been such a major disappointment to her parents. So here she was, wandering the hallways of the school instead of taking the bus or her skateboard home, because she'd rather be stuck in this God-forsaken building than her own home.

Kitty actually kind of missed her old school, she realized, as she wandered the halls aimlessly. Not so much her old school, but well. Hell, she didn't know what she missed. It wasn't like if she went back there that he'd still be there, waiting to catch up on lost time and ask how she was doing. Dan probably had a steady job by now as a teacher, and probably had forgotten all about Kitty Jute by now. He may have a fiance, a wife, children? A home and a front-lawn with a golden retriever. The brunette shook her head, frowning slightly. As soon as her parents announced the move, they had last contact. It was a shame, really. Dan seemed to be the only person in her life that she had ever really confided in. He had been the only person to try and get her to open up to him, and he had succeeded. At least, until those damn rumours started spreading. All of them lies.

Sighing, Kitty looked up at the ceiling as she walked through the corridors, making random turns, hoping a teacher wouldn't walk by and ask her what she was still doing in the school about a half hour after the day was over. She could lie, and say she was here for tutoring or whatever. Ha, as if Kitty would actually spend more time 'learning' than she actually had to. School was bullshit, anyway. Elementary school prepared you for middle school, which prepared you for highschool, which prepared you for college, which prepared you for the rest of your life. All this damn preparation for what? Why did they need to prepare you on how to live your life? It wasn't really living if they taught you how to do it, was it?

Kitty tilted her head, and looked around. She had heard something. Not footsteps or voices or anything, but music. Very soft music, played on a piano. "Huh," she said out loud. Normally, punk music was her thing, especially when she was angry for whatever reason. But this...this sounded nice. It sounded really nice, actually. It was kind of soothing, even. Instinctively, she followed the sound, eager to hear who was producing it. The music got louder as she walked closer to the corridor with the band and chorus rooms in it. She was idiot for not thinking that music would be coming from the music rooms sooner. Kitty leaned up against the wall, listening for a moment. Whoever was playing it was good. Maybe a little rusty, but definitely had a talent for piano.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Kitty made her way to the door, quietly taking a peek inside of it. The piano player's back was to her, so she couldn't tell who it was. She snuck her way through the door as quietly as possible, thankful that the piano music was loud enough to cover up her entrance. She didn't want to disturb the boy. He definitely seemed to be enjoying himself. As she listened to the melodies, Kitty couldn't help but smile. A rare occasion for a girl like Kitty, but she was enjoying listening and watching to the boy play the piano. She wondered if this was an arrangement that he had written himself, or if he had gotten it from a book. Either way, it was lovely.

"Wow," Kitty said, a little loudly, as the music came to a halt for a moment. She covered her mouth, her face blushing slightly, and automatically letting out a sigh of regret when she realized who had been playing.

[désiré fay]

As the time slowly continued on the melodies being created by the tips of his fingers became more unrestrained and relaxed. All of his concentration was aimed exactly where his eyes were and his ears stayed tuned in with the sounds that he and the piano were creating together. Hearing the sound of the music hit his ears made him relax and suddenly not mind how long he would be stuck at this school. Deep down under his enjoyment there was a piece of him that was still eyeing the clocks for the time but that part of Désiré was not nearly as aware as whatever had a hold of him now. He was relishing the minutes that he had in here alone to keep to himself and play out an adoration that he was sure was slowly slipping away from him. Nothing seemed like it could pull him out of this not: not in the height of his playing. Or, at least, not when he most in check with the sounds that were being produced from the large instrument. It was not just the music that he was taking time to admire and recall though. His mind was also wandering back to the first times that he spent sitting in front a row of keys. The black and white, the eighty-eight. Oh, the memories of better times with better people. No, a better person. The only person who had ever seen something past his athleticism. The first person who had ever encouraged him to try and do what he wanted to do. Now that person, along with the memories with him, seemed too far away from Désiré. It was not just the miles and miles of ocean that seemed to make everything so far away. He was not sure if he had ever missed someone so much.

Now that his mind was falling backwards toward the things of yesterday, his fingers began to slow and grow lazier. They hit the keys with less enthusiasm then they had when he had first arrived on the spot. The sound was changing to something that sounded almost sad or dark. Or maybe it was only peaceful. It was simply the same melody losing its speed and precision. Even though his mind was beginning to drift off, Désiré still found himself thinking of how beautiful it all sounded to him. It had been so long (too long) since he had laid his fingers on these kinds of keys. The black and whites…

His heart took a sudden jump as a sound other than his playing hit his eardrums. The once loose fingers now stiffened back up and even his arms began to tense while Désiré dropped his head further to peek over his shoulder. The expression on his face was easily fitted into the semi-annoyed category but his emotions were hardly such at the moment. As soon as he had heard a voice his emotions had gone from disconsolate to surprise. Désiré just seemed to have a more difficult time allowing the expressions to show on his face. Désiré could just make out the person who had walked in behind him from under the bill of his cap. As soon as she became clear to his eyes, the teenager was ready to heave a sigh and get up to leave. But, instead, he turned his head back toward the piano and carefully withdrew his fingers from the keys to set his hands on his lap. His left eyebrow had risen up now as he let something that was more of agitation to try and settle into him. Unfortunately, it was having quite the time trying to get passed the embarrassment that he was suddenly feeling.

Of all the people to catch him here it had to be Kitty Jute. One of the many people he did not get along with one bit. Well, she was the only person that he was sure he could not stand the most. Everything about her made him crawl and he was never sure whether he should snap back with calm anger or nothing at all. He also was not sure if he should take a moment to look passed the label ‘stoner’ or not to see if there really was a real, interesting human being that was under there to talk to. He did not want to take the time to find this in her because- because she was a stoner. She was disgusting with her habits and neither of them got along so well anyways. So why even dwell on those thoughts when it was so bluntly pointless? Kitty Jute should have been the last of his worries and the first girl for him to merely get up and never look back on. Yet, here he was thinking this all through. He made sure to take his time and stay seated on the piano bench.

“Merci,” he murmured the French word for ‘thank you’ while he rested his hands by his sides. It was more of an ‘I do not particularly if you care’ sort of thank you but it was not completely stuffed and filled to the brim with sarcasm. After that single word was uttered though, Désiré found that he really had no other words that he was interested in sharing with her. If she had not realized it was him then she would now and would be off on her way. Then again, if she had known she would have been here to make a comment on it that was more of the sarcastic or rude variety. Which one it happened to be? Désiré was going to go with the last option.

[KITTY JUTE]

Kitty had to admit: she was impressed. She had always been a fan of music, and well, not such a big fan of Désiré Fay. The two together, though? Well, that wasn't exactly something that she had expected. Also, he was good. He seemed a bit annoyed, to say the least, when he had noticed her standing there. But he could play the hell out of that piano. Strange, that someone labeled so unanimously as a 'jock' had a taste for music as well. She would've never put that together. And a piano? It was just such a contrast from his normal athleticism. Just because he may have been a talented musician didn't change anything, though, Kitty quickly reminded herself, as she crossed her arms defensively across her chest. He was still a jerk, and had really given her a hard time for no reason to her in the past. Sure, she'd been a jerk right back, but he had started it. It was judgemental people like Désiré that made Kitty so cynical about humanity.

Merci.

Merci, merci. Kitty mocked the French boy in her mind. The 'wow' that she had let out was genuine. She was impressed by his musicality. And there he went, acting all annoyed simply by her presence. He could at least actually thank her for the compliment. Kitty looked down. Calm down, she told herself. You're the one who interrupted the kid when he was just trying to play the damn piano. Okay, it was her fault. She admitted that. Maybe she should apologize, but she didn't see too much of a reason to. Sorry, Désiré, for thinking that you're really good at piano. It just sounded stupid in her head. Maybe she could apologize for interrupting, but not right now.

So Kitty just stood there, standing with her arms crossed, her blue eyes blinking at him. She opened her mouth slightly, expecting a snide response to come out of her mouth, but no words formed. The brunette shifted in her stance, trying not to stare, but not being able to help herself. She tried to gauge how annoyed he was by her, but she honestly couldn't tell. He hadn't attacked her yet, so maybe he didn't mind so much? Only one way to tell, she supposed.

Acting without thinking, Kitty walked over to the piano and sat down on the edge of the bench with more room on it and laid her hands on the keys. She wasn't the best pianist in the world, but she took lessons once in her life and remembered slightly. She played the first thing that she remembered: Heart and Soul. The one piano duet that everyone seemed to know. Probably not the best idea, to intrude on his personal space so suddenly, but this seemed like it'd be a better response than talking and causing a ruckus.

[désiré fay]

The first thing that Désiré expected from Kitty was a smart remark on him being here playing a piano. So instead of continuing on with his business or just leaving her here alone all together the teenage boy instead stayed seated on the bench and just turned his eyes back toward the piano instead. Even though his eyes were away from her now that did not mean his attention had drifted elsewhere. His ears were completely aware and open to any sounds that could come from her now and he would be listening carefully until she said something simply because that was what he expected her to do. Désiré did not expect that Kitty would just leave without her two cents. How could she after he had uttered a single word to her? She wouldn’t just leave him at that, would she? Not even a ‘you’re welcome’ back? Right, so a ‘you’re welcome’ was really quite honestly the last thing that he expected to hear her say but Désiré was expecting her to say something to him. She simply could not leave him with… nothing.

Ah, there she went. No, it was not a voice with words coming to his ears but it was a sound coming from Kitty, nonetheless. She was moving. She was moving over in his direction and taking a seat on the bench with him. When she had sat down Désiré automatically lifted his hands from their seat and rested them on his knees. There was no need in having to be extremely close to her was there? Not that the two of them were practically sitting on top of one another but she was… sitting next to him. That was close enough to make him feel as though he needed to have his own personal bubble to keep her out of it. Then again he had been here first and did that not make him the person who got to decide who sat where and who did what? Oh, as if it really did matter. Even if Désiré stood firm with that idea he would not go saying it to the girl. Instead he just stuck to turning his dark brown eyes to stare up at her (his façade looking rather blank as of the moment). Because really now, what did Kitty think she was doing coming in here and sitting down next to him? Each of them very well knew that they did not enjoy one another’s company. That was simply the way things were and she of all the students in this school should have known better than to associate with him anymore than she had to.

Désiré found himself caught a bit off guard when Kitty began to play out a tune on the piano. Now he could hardly help but make some kind of animated expression. His eyes had latched themselves in the direction of her fingers and his brow had furrowed so far that If it hadn’t been for the obvious curiosity in his eyes then he may have looked furious with her hands.

Who knew that Kitty Jute could do something like play a piano? Even if it was a simple rhythm it was still something for her was it not? What was it that she was playing now? Désiré knew the sound and he could see the keys being pressed down in his memory that helped to produce the music. But the name of this work was unknown to him completely. Or maybe it did not have any kind of name and was simply a melody that many people had caught onto over the years? That could not be it, could it? It must have had some kind of name to it because how else would it be passed on worldwide from person to person unless it was directly taught to someone? Even then, having a name for it would be handy.

Now he was just feeling rather stupid for not knowing. He knew the sound but not the name. How professional was that? Oh well, at least he really was not some kind of professional or else he would have looked really quite foolish just sitting there with a blank expression. But, even though he didn’t know the name, he decided to prove that he did know (and would show that he did) the song she was playing. He leisurely lifted his finger back up toward the keys and sat them there for a moment until he could cut right in to catch up with her on it. His eyes went back and forth between his fingers and hers, waiting for one or the other to mess something up. In his own mind he felt like he was going to screw it up but that did not push him to stop his playing. If there was one thing he had always been told, it had been not to be a quitter no matter what or else that was all you’d ever be. Maybe it actually meant that was all you would ever feel like you were or something.

“You play?” Désiré asked her casually while he made eye contact with only his own fingers now. Talking and keeping in tune with playing was not always the easiest things to do when your nerves were already setting defenses for an enemy attack at any given moment. He did not like that feeling one bit… maybe he did not need to feel so tense? Maybe he needed to pass on the negative feeling to someone else to help make him feel more comfortable in this situation. Okay, why not give it a try? “Try this one,” he suggested while he reached his arm over her own to reach the other end of the piano.

For a moment he sat quietly with a look of thought on his face and his lips moved slightly as though he were singing to a song in his head. Then his lips pressed tightly together and he pressed down the keys that he recalled starting the beginning of the song China Roses by the artist known as Enya. Of course, it was something that not everyone would know but it was something that he had happened upon in the past thanks to his ‘instructor.’

Considering this was Kitty, Désiré was not going to make this just simple play. And with years of athletic training and pushing behind him he could not help but want a little challenge every so often. Besides, it should not be hard if she could play. She may as well go and surprise him with something else if she could. It was only a bit of the beginning he played though before taking his hands and setting them back on his lap. Then he looked up toward her whilst raising a dark brow. “Wow?”

[KITTY JUTE]

Depending on his reaction, Kitty's move towards the piano keys would've either been very interesting, or a very, very bad idea. But to be honest, she wasn't really in the mood for starting a fight. She'd had enough conflicts in the day already, and she didn't need another one for no reason. Though she could always count on Désiré for a good argument, she wasn't feeling it today. She was all argued out, really. This, though. What was going on right now, even if it made her feel like a nuisance for intruding, was good. Hopefully he didn't see it that way, but never the less. It had been years since she actually played the piano. She'd messed around, sure, but not actually sat down and played, let alone with someone else. When she was little, and forced to take lessons, she didn't enjoy it. Playing out of her own free will, however, was kind of nice. Relaxing, in a way.

Silence filled the room, even though Kitty continued to play the bass line from Heart and Soul. She was afraid to look over at Désiré, to be honest. From the awkward silence that had fallen between them, she figured he was probably just as shocked as she was when she first realized who had been playing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his hand move. Ah, so he did know the song after all. As he played the melody of the song, the higher part, Kitty was surprised to find a smirk growing on her face. This was a strange encounter, indeed. And it wasn't getting any more normal by the second. She continued to play, even though her hands were shaking slightly with nervousness. She let out a quiet breath, still afraid to glance over. If she looked at something other than her own hands, she'd mess up, and then he'd have a reason to ridicule her, which was the last thing she wanted to give him.

You play?

Kitty bit her lip, not sure of how to respond to that. "I'm playing right now, aren't I?" she replied, but not in a snide way like she normally would have. She had responded just as casually as he had asked her. Her fingers stumbled for a moment when she paused to talk, but she quickly picked up the bass line where she had left off, in order to keep up with Désiré. Kitty jerked back slightly when Désiré's arm reached over her, to reach the other end of the piano. His comment seemed like kind of a challenge, which wasn't exactly surprising. She hadn't expected him to react the way that he was, but then again, she had no idea how he would react to her.

Okay, so she didn't know the song that he was playing. That was okay, she'd let him show off it he really wanted to. Whatever. She didn't know what she was supposed to play, but that didn't mean she couldn't try. She cracked her knuckles quickly, and laid her fingers back on the keys. One thing that she was good at in general was thinking quickly. She wasn't a master at piano, but she did know music. She knew keys and meters, and notes. Maybe she'd try a little bit of improvisation. That was something that she could do quite well in real life. Taking a deep breath, Kitty began to move her fingers. She glanced sideways occasionally, trying to see which notes Désiré was playing, so she could coordinate hers with his.

So far, so good... Kitty thought in her head, biting her lip as she played along with him. She looked over, a little confused she realized that she was the only one playing the piano. He must've stopped at least a few moments ago before she had noticed. Kitty's blue eyes met with Désiré's dark brown ones, and a look of confusion came across her face. Her fingers struck a final improvised chord, and then came to a halt on the keys, as the chord faded to nothing, and Kitty was just left starring with a blank look on her face.

[désiré fay]

Yes, she was playing right now so maybe asking her if she did or not had been a silly thing to ask of her. But he had only been interested in whether she played as a hobby or had ever taken some kind of lessons in the past. Désiré decided that there was no use in dwelling on the question no matter if he was curious or not. Désiré could shrug off the fact that he was interested in knowing in a matter of seconds and simply accept that she did know how to play. What more did he honestly need to know beyond that? It was a surprise to find out that a girl like herself could play something like this but it was something that was not going to change, he assumed. So why should he waste brainpower trying to figure that one out? He could accept her piano playing despite that he had yet to accept her. Just because she could play a song with him did not mean that he was suddenly going to try and accept her for whoever she was… he had never known of her to want to accept him in any case. In the end, it was almost a bit sad, was it not?

Now to see if- well, what did you know about that one? There was no doubts that just coming over next to him and playing a song was quite shocking but managing to pull off practically mimicking his own hand movements was rather (dare he say) astonishing? There were not many people who could watch something and once or follow along with it to be able to go along with it well. She was actually quite good and that made her a bit more interesting than Désiré had first thought that she might be. It was rather scary to think that his thoughts on her before were about to turn into fiction. Apparently she was a little more than a talentless nobody. Maybe she really was good at something. Good at something that he liked, at that. That made it even stranger for his mind to digest. He and Kitty Jute may have had something in common? They may have both enjoyed playing the piano or the same music? It may have been a slight similarity but it was one that Désiré could honestly admit he never saw coming. Not from someone like her.

She seemed to catch on and she seemed good enough to play it, so Désiré pulled his hands away to place them on his knees. For a moment, he let his eyes watch her fingers like they had done earlier. She seemed like she was working hard at finding the right sound and concentrating on this. Well, well, Désiré had never seen that sort of behavior in her, had he? That may have very well been because he had always doubted that she could do much with that brain of hers. He had always thought it was just like the label seemed to suggest. If it had not been the complete turn offs of her habits and lifestyle then maybe they would not have ended up loathing one another, he realized. How strange it was to think of that.

It was not long before Désiré found Kitty’s eyes looking up toward him. Why was she stopping? He had heard no mistakes that could really be considered some huge flaw in her playing. It had been fine. Désiré was quick to erase his own void of expression by raising his eyebrows up at her expectantly. She looked even confused, maybe? Why she did was beyond him though so any reaction from him was no immediate and all he could really do was stare back at her for the time being. Lucky for him that silence did not seem very bothersome in his opinion. In the past, he had wished for it. The thing was that sitting here staring at Kitty was not going to do. It felt awkward and made him tense. He did a swell job keeping most of it hidden but he could feel the muscles in his chest and neck tightening as the silence between the two of them continued to drag on and on. Time was going quite slow, wasn’t it?

Finally, Désiré decided to be the one to move. He kept his eyes straight on hers and leaned forward slowly in her direction. He even put his hands at his sides to scoot in her direction. Then he tilted his head a bit and pursed his lips. “You know Titanic.”

His sentence had been calm and smooth but it had been a sudden impulse on his part. He had not been completely expecting to say anything to her but at the same time he had no idea what he was expecting from her. Being closer wasn’t helping him feel any better so why do it to begin with? He had a wonderful excuse though and he put it into action right after he spoke by putting his fingers over the lower keys. Considering his height, it was not all that difficult reaching over or around people. Getting his hands to sit comfortable was a different story but it was not as though she were a huge obstacle. So it wasn’t long before his fingers slowly pressed down the keys to play a well known song: My Heart Will Go On. The reason for it was because a.) it popped in his head and b.) many people knew of it. So why shouldn’t she? While he played though…he did hold a light conversation.

“They’re brown,” he mentioned almost teasingly. Sure he didn’t have a grin of anything but he did not sound rude about it either. “You were looking at my eyes a long moment. The color is brown. Yours are blue.”

[KITTY JUTE]

Désiré had been the one to break the stare, as she had expected. He seemed to be more noticeably perturbed by this situation than she was. Surprisingly, both of them weren't spitting out any hostile words or getting at each other's throats. Very surprising, considering they were sitting on the same bench, in the same room, and acting civil. Friendly, even, as much of a stretch as it was to refer to Désiré as someone that she was friendly with. Perhaps she had judged him wrong after all. Well, she was still going to be cautious and not let her guard down. Just because they had something silly in common like good taste in music didn't mean that they were best friends. Far from it. But, as long as neither of them attacked the other, then there wouldn't be any conflicts. At least at the moment.

Désiré seemed to be thrown off guard when she stopped playing to stare at him. She didn't blame him. It was a little out of the ordinary, this whole situation. She was a little nervous herself, to be honest. At this point, Kitty wasn't even sure what to think. She didn't have much of a clue what was even going on, and why the urge to lash out at him hadn't sprung up yet. He seemed a bit surprise by her improvisation, and to be honest, she was a little surprised as well. Sure, it wasn't exactly what he had played, but if the two were played together, it would've sounded okay. Not a master composition by any means, but not bad for being rusty. Maybe she'd start playing more often. It might be a good release, rather than the ones that she had grown so fond of. She doubted that a simple instrument could have the same effects as a good joint, but it might be a nice change of pace occasionally.

Snapping back into reality, Kitty looked down for a moment at the black and white keys, as Désiré's fingers laid down on them. Titanic. Of course she knew Titanic. As much as she hated chick flicks, she admitted to seeing and enjoying the movie, and even crying a little bit at the end. Kitty watched in silence as Désiré played, and she was again impressed. It was very strange, seeing this side of the French boy. Interesting, though, very interesting. And Kitty had to admit, she wasn't loathing him at this moment. Maybe secretly, she was actually enjoying this a little bit. Neither of them had walked away yet, so perhaps Désiré wasn't exactly hating her at the moment either.

Kitty smirked a bit, hearing the familiar song played on the piano. A little cheesy. Not only for the given moment, but in general. It was a beautiful song, of course, but it was a little corny. Kitty sat with her hands folded in her lap, turning her head to watch Désiré's face as he played. She quickly reversed her head. A little weird, Kitty, she told herself. She settled for watching his hands, watching closely to pick out the notes he was playing.

At Désiré's next words, Kitty sat up a bit straighter. She looked at him for a moment, confused, and then smiled slightly. "I noticed," she said, furrowing her brow for a second. "Sorry," she mumbled, shaking her head as she turned her attention back to his hands on the piano keys. She'd let him play for a bit. She had already hogged his space more than she should have, so he could play his little song for now. "How long have you been playing?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. He was good. Certainly better than she was. She looked over at him again, a slight tilt in her head.

[désiré fay]

Désiré simply nodded at her words and casually ignored the apology that was addressed to who he assumed would be him. If not who else would it be unless she was communicating with a ghostly spirit? All he did was keep his eyes on the keys to concentrate on his fingers hitting the spots that he remembered being clicked downward. So far he was sure that he was pressing the right ones since it sounded like it was okay enough or at least good enough. When it came to playing this he was not as confident as he would be playing a sport. Not that he ever showed when he was uncomfortable with trying to do something that was good or better. It felt good to do something well, did it not? He only wished that he could be a little better at what it was that he enjoyed rather than the things that just seemed to be a chore by now. But at least he was not horrible at playing the piano. There was always room for improvement to better yourself at something though. That he had learned by being a sportsman. You could always find a way to be better and improve with practice and watching others. Because, according to his father, he had to be the best. There were no other options.

How long had he been playing for? Oh, not even he knew the answer to that one. Sure he had an idea that was forming in his mind but it was foggy. He never really had played it just played around on it. So that was a good deal different was it not? Well, no, that was not completely true. There had been a few times here and there that he had been specifically taught something on it because he did catch on with it pretty quickly. But, for the most part, he had only sun the songs to it instead of actually playing it. There had only been a few times during his last meetings with the man who had taught him that he had played and tried to sing the song as well. But that had quickly ended and Désiré was suddenly here in this country. He could always estimate in his head though and figure out the times and dates of those things that had occurred to give him a reasonable sounding number of days or years. Years was wrong though.

A year maybe? A year seemed to be right in his mind. He had not met his instructor too long ago, after all. No, no. Maybe it had been two years? Or one and a half years? Oh, Désiré did not know for sure so he would have to go and give her his best guess out of the three. Somewhere between one and two years so that to half a year right? That would do just fine. Besides, she could not go and question him about that could she? It was not like she had known him before.

“Eh... one year or two years. A year and a half maybe,” he replied to her offhandedly with a shrug of his shoulders. Now he decided to stop playing the song right in the middle and drew his hands away from the piano again. His hands had once again rested themselves on his knees (allowing him his own space) and then turned his eyes up toward her. “And you been playing this for… how many years?”

[KITTY JUTE]

Kitty shrugged. Off and on since she was about 8, she supposed, but she never practiced as much as she was instructed to. "I took lessons when I was little," she said, shrugging again as she spoke quietly, listening to Désiré play. He was good, admittedly better than she was. Very surprising, considering he said he'd only been playing for a year or two. He probably practiced a good bit more than she had in the past. Though, piano playing seemed like something that she may want to pick back up. It was kind of fun when she wasn't being forced to do it.

Kitty still didn't sense any hostility from Désiré. He was maybe a little annoyed, or possibly as weirded out as she was that they hadn't tried to kill each other yet, but so far, no rude words had been exchanged. It was surprising, on both parties' accounts. Kitty wasn't even really sure had gotten into her. Normally, as soon as she realized who else was in the room, she would've bolted out of there if she realized that it was Désiré Fay. Something about him playing a piano made him seem more like an actual person, though, rather than just the snobby French kid that picked on her. It definitely added a layer of depth to his shallow personality.

Kitty looked down at the keys, focusing on his hands. She couldn't help but smirk a bit. This whole thing was just weird, in every sense of the word. Whatever had inspired her to sit next to Désiré on the piano bench was beyond her. It was really unlike her, but she didn't think it was a bad decision. Maybe a little reckless and impulsive, but it hadn't worked out terribly yet. "You're pretty good," Kitty said, a bit surprised by her own words. Did she actually just compliment him? Her eyes grew a bit wide, letting her own words sink in as they echoed in her head. Alright, maybe it was time to leave. This day was just getting more strange as it went on.

Kitty sighed quietly to herself, starring at the black and white of the piano keys. She glanced to her right, looking at Désiré, and then looked back down at the instrument in front of them. She had a lot of questions in her head. Why did he hate her so much? What had she ever done to him? Why did he care so much if she chose to smoke pot or cigarettes? It was her life, and if something like getting high occasionally kept her from killing herself, then what was the problem? If something kept her alive for another day, then she didn't see anything wrong with it. Besides, it's not like pot was doing any long-lasting harm to her. It might kill a few brain cells, but so did starring at a TV for too long. There wasn't much of a difference. Cigarettes, okay. There wasn't too much of an upside to being addicted to those, but never the less, the occasional cigarette really did relieve a lot of stress. And if there was one thing that Kitty had a lot of, it was stress. Maybe she didn't have the best methods of dealing with her stress, but at least she was dealing with it.