Closed The Room Where It Happens / Take A Break PV Mahlioz Evethisawe

Date: September 9 2023 Time: Morning

Interacting with: @Alyssea Brown Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

Mahlioz was a little over a week into her second year, and so far things were going decently well. It wasn't all too different from her first year, except that she knew the school much better and could get to class on time without getting lost. Unfortunately, to the teachers, this seemed to mean that she had more time for homework. So... she'd been pretty stressed lately.
This morning, though, she decided she needed to blow off some steam. There was still plenty of homework to do, but she could get it done this afternoon. For now, she wanted to play some violin.

Last year, she hadn't found the Rehearsal Room until October, mostly because she'd procrastinated playing violin since everything else was so much cooler. But this year, she decided she would spend some more time there. She had much to practice and a good amount of free time, which would probably change next year with the new classes. So she might as well take advantage of it now.

Mahlioz left the Slytherin common room and the basements, dressed in blue short overalls and a yellow shirt, with green converse and her violin case in her hand. It was rather heavy for such a small case, which was mostly because of all the music sheets stuffed inside. The Slytherin was working on memorizing and learning to play by ear, but she was nowhere near good at it yet, so for now, she needed her sheet music.
She'd finally made it up the interminable stairs, up to the fourth floor. The door to the Rehearsal Room was closed, but she couldn't hear anyone inside, so she decided to take a look. As the door opened, she realized she'd been wrong and she could hear someone, humming. Oh shoot. Welp, there was no going back now.

She opened the door completely, very self-conscious, and said, "Ah, sorry, wasn't, um, expecting to find anyone here... uh, could you, by any chance, tell me when - when you're expecting to leave?" She hoped it wasn't rude, she just wanted to know when she could come back to play her violin. Unfortunately, it had come out a whole lot more stutter-y and shy than she'd been expecting. She was acting like her first year self at the beginning of the year... probably because she was embarrassed and hadn't been expecting human interaction this morning, but still. She thought she'd gotten better by now.

september 9th 2023; interacting with @Mahlioz Evethisawe

When she made it to the centre of the room, she hummed a ballet variation that was her earworm over the summer. Alyssea had never once done ballet, only some basic theatre dancing and ballroom waltz, but the melody was a very dance-able tune. Too bad she didn't have a tambourine to play around with rhythms.

Just as she started spinning around, the door opened. Alyssea stopped everything and faced the door. There was another girl, with dark curly hair and the brightest green eyes Alyssea had ever come across.

"Ah, sorry, wasn't, um, expecting to find anyone here..." The girl said.

Alyssea chuckled. "That's alright. I wasn't expecting anyone, either."

Oftentimes, Alyssea's adventures up here were lonely ones, but not the bad kind. She enjoyed getting away from everything for a little while. But the few times she did meet people up here, she was interested. There were more people in the school with an interest in music than she'd thought.

"Could you, by any chance, tell me when - when you're expecting to leave?"

"Uhh..." Alyssea looked towards the floor. She'd just arrived but she didn't exactly keep a mechanical watch on her of some kind. Usually, she'd stay until she heard students walk down the stairs talking about any meal. But of course, now the room had another guest and she will have to accommodate.

"Hopefully, not long," she chuckled, "What are you here to practice? If it's urgent, I can leave."

Date: September 9 2023 Time: Morning

Interacting with: @Alyssea Brown Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

The girl was obviously better at social skills than Mahlioz, because she chuckled and answered without a hint of shyness or stuttering. In a way, it made the Slytherin feel even more awkward, since she wasn't at that level, but it was also reassuring that one of the two knew what they were doing.
On the other hand, when Mahlioz asked when she was planning to leave, she hesitated, looking at the ground. Mahlioz felt rather bad and was going to apologize and leave, but before she could, the girl spoke with another laugh, seemingly unaffected by the awkwardness Mahlioz was feeling. She asked what Mahlioz was here to practice, and said she could leave if it was urgent.

"Oh, no no no, you got here first, it's okay," the second year said quickly. "It's just, er, my violin." She gestured at her case. "But it's not urgent at all, I can come back later." Her stuttering was beginning to get better, thankfully. A thought suddenly came to her mind, probably fueled by a sort of déjà-vu of something that had happened twice before, last year. She'd been in this exact spot, first with a Ravenclaw girl, and then a Gryffindor. And now here she was with a Hufflepuff, as it seemed from the girl's robes. Mahlioz had come full circle.

The two other times there'd been people here, Mahlioz had ended up playing something with them, which had (much to her surprise) been rather fun. Although she always preferred being on her own, there was something about making music with other people that was... magical. And maybe... "We could practice together?"
The thought left her lips without her consent, and she was quick to add on to it. "I mean, if you want. Like, it's fine if you want to be alone. I can come back later, I do understand having things to do on your own." Still though, she couldn't help but hope the girl would accept the proposition.

september 9th 2023; interacting with @Mahlioz Evethisawe

"Oh, no no no, you got here first, it's okay," the other girl said.

Instinctively, Alyssea shook her head and waved her arms about. "No, it's okay." They probably looked and sounded a bit weird, with all their apologizing and whatnot. They then pointed towards their violin and Alyssea's eyes sparkled.

This was the first time she'd seen a violin since coming to Hogwarts. The first time she came here, a Gryffindor girl played the piano as Alyssea danced. Then, a curly-haired Slytherin danced on pointe past curfew the next time Alyssea came. Not too long ago, she encountered a Hufflepuff girl playing one of her favourite songs on the flute. The range of what Alyssea had seen in this room only seemed to increase and she was happy about it.

"You play the violin?" It was a rhetorical question. "How long have you been playing?"

Alyssea always admired people who could play instruments. Despite years of dancing in musical theatre, she never seemed to have the hand-eye coordination to make it work. She could dance without bumping into everyone and that was an achievement.

"We could practice together?" The other girl said.

Alyssea raised an eyebrow curiously. Before she could respond, they added very quickly, "I mean, if you want. Like, it's fine if you want to be alone. I can come back later, I do understand having things to do on your own."

The most Alyssea could do without making the other girl feel uncomfortable was to offer a big smile. Now that she'd had some time to reflect on her actions, chuckling was beginning to be her trademark and she didn't want people taking it the wrong way.

Alyssea nodded. "Yes, I'd love to. What's your name? Sorry, I didn't realize I haven't gotten your name. I'm Alyssea Brown." She held out a hand.

Date: September 9 2023 Time: Morning

Interacting with: @Alyssea Brown Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

After another round of awkward apologizing and reassuring, Mahlioz noticed the girl's eyes light up when she mentioned her violin. "You play the violin?" she said, before asking how long she'd been playing for. A little embarrassed, Mahlioz replied, "Four years now."
Not that she was very good, despite the amount of years she'd been practicing. Before Hogwarts, she had a lesson with her violin teacher every week, but now... well, she was more self-taught. She thankfully had a few theory and exercise books with her, and had gotten used to coming here more often, but it wasn't the same.

As soon as she'd suggested that they practice together, she already regretted it. The girl raised an eyebrow, and Mahlioz wanted to curse at herself. Sure, making music with other people was always fun, but she had no idea if she'd be good at it. With any luck, the girl would be expecting some really, really good playing, since she'd said she'd been at it for four years now. Mahlioz didn't want to disappoint her. And in any case, the Hufflepuff would probably refuse.

But Mahlioz was surprised when the girl offered her a genuine big smile, before telling her that she'd love to. All worries disappeared in an instant. The girl seemed like such a kind person, and Mahlioz felt like she wouldn't judge her too harshly, even if she played miserably.
The other girl asked what her name was, and introduced herself as Alyssea Brown, holding a hand out. Giving her a tentative smile of her own, Mahlioz shook it. "I'm Mahlioz. Mahlioz Evethisawe."

After she'd put down and opened her case, she turned to Alyssea. "So, er... what should we practice?" That was a slight problem. Mahlioz did not know very many popular songs or pieces, and maybe they'd have nothing in common... well, they'd have to find something. "Oh, and what do you... do? Play?" She wasn't sure how to phrase it. There were no instruments that she could see, so... did the girl sing? Dance? Act? She was eager to know.

september 9th 2022; interacting with @Mahlioz Evethisawe

Four years of practising violin amazed Alyssea. Again, she never learned to play an instrument, so everything amazed her at this moment. But four years? Four years is a long time. Alyssea gave her small claps.

Mahlioz Evethisawe was another name to add to her list of people she'd met up here and in the school. She gave Mahlioz a nod. "Nice to meet you!"

As Mahlioz set herself up, Alyssea let her eyes wander around the place. She always felt a bit awkward in this situation. She could always do some small talk, but what kind of work went behind preparing an instrument for playing? Alyssea wasn't sure and let Mahlioz figure it out while she preoccupied herself.

"So, er..." Alyssea turned to meet Mahlioz face-to-face. "What should we practice?"

As a singer, Alyssea mainly sang to a piano accompaniment and the occasional guitar. Her production orchestra had violinists, but the only instrument she really depended on was the piano. So, this was where her knowledge fell slightly short. What could they practice together? Were there any vocal-violin pieces in the world?

The only thing that really frustrated Alyssea at times like these were the school's inability to use any electrical device, whether it be a Fitbit or a phone. She could really use the internet right now to search for any songs they could practice.

"Oh, and what do you... do? Play?" Mahlioz asked.

It was an easy question with little thought needed. "I sing. And dance," she chuckled. There it was again. "I did musical theatre before I came to Hogwarts, so a lot of singing, dancing, and acting."

As an afterthought, she added, "What about you? Did you play violin for an orchestra?"

Date: September 9 2023 Time: Morning

Interacting with: @Alyssea Brown Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

As pessimistic in her own skills as Mahlioz was, the girl seemed rather impressed, which only made the Slytherin worry how disappointed she'd be when she actually found out her level. She tried to be more self-confident, but there was always a thought nagging at her saying she'd never be good enough. Trying to ignore it, she decided that what Alyssea thought of her actual skills was a bridge she'd cross when she got to it.

After having attached her shoulder rest, tightened her bow and tuned her violin, she turned to ask Alyssea what the two should play. Honestly, she had no idea. A lot of the time, people had very different music tastes and knowledge of music pieces than her. It would've been nice to have the internet right about now... but then she would get distracted and pretty much only listen to songs instead of looking for one to play. So maybe it was more of a blessing that Hogwarts didn't have wifi or screens.

At the question of what the Hufflepuff played/did, she responded that she sung and dance, and she did musical theatre, so also acted. That, Mahlioz found, was a million times more impressive than her violin. Acting was awesome, and the fact that you could sing and dance too?
"Did you do any musicals? Or plays?" She couldn't help but let some of her curiosity seep out. Singing, dancing and acting took insane amounts of confidence that Mahlioz couldn't even dream of having. She wanted to know everything she could about them.

Alyssea proceeded to ask whether the Slytherin played violin for an orchestra. "Er... yeah, the year before I came to Hogwarts I joined one, but we weren't all that good. I'm better at playing on my own or with only a few people." Mostly because she hadn't had much practice playing with lots of people. She wondered whether there was a Hogwarts orchestra she could join, to learn. In fact, the more she thought about it, the better an idea it sounded. She'd have to do some research.

september 9th 2022; interacting with @Mahlioz Evethisawe

Alyssea nodded. "A few. Hairspray, Pippin, Christmas Carol... Whatever the theatre or school decided they wanted to put on." Alyssea chuckled thinking about them now. "They always had me playing ensemble or the little kid, though. Which was fair enough."

She wanted those bigger roles as a child; the main character, the parental figure, or even the villain, anyone but the ensemble. But they always went to the older kids who, of course, suited the roles better. Alyssea looked around the room. If she hadn't developed magic, would she have those roles, now?

She shook away the thought. Hogwarts was her second home and she loved it here.

"Have you watched any musicals?" Alyssea asked. There was a chance Mahlioz had never seen one, but maybe there were musicals and plays in the wizarding world. What kind of stories would they tell using music?

Alyssea watched more musicals than she had ever participated in. YouTube was a good place to watch them, no matter how low-quality they were. The music was the highlight of the shows, after all. There was one particular musical she could remember where it seemed there was no pause for dialogue - the music was the dialogue. It was an impressive show and one she would remember for a while.

Date: September 9 2023 Time: Morning

Interacting with: @Alyssea Brown Mentions: X

English | French Thoughts

Mahlioz was in awe of the person in front of her. The girl listed a few musicals she'd done before, most of which the Slytherin did not recognize, what with being a musician who didn't do much research about musicals. "That's so awesome," she said quietly, wondering what it was like.

Being up on a stage in front of loads of people was something she'd done before, but she was being herself, and not acting like someone else. Besides, she stayed in one place, didn't get dressed up, played a few pieces and then she was done. Musicals sounded like so much more work... and so much more fun.

Alyssea said something about how she never played the main roles, only ensemble or the little kid. That made sense - you'd want to practice actually being there before you were important. She was sure the Hufflepuff would do just as well in a main role, though.
The girl then asked if Mahlioz herself had watched any musicals. That was a sort of tricky question. She'd seen ballets before... did they count? Probably not. She didn't know much about musicals at all, so she hadn't seen any in real life.

But there was one... "Not in real life, but I've listened to and watched Hamilton a million times," she said with a slight smile. Not much of an achievement, she knew - Hamilton was famous. But that didn't make it any less amazing. And if Alyssea's knowledge of musicals was proof of anything, it was that she'd know Hamilton for sure.