Hei knew she could play. He had met her old teacher after all. But he had never actually heard Yin play the piano, and never really thought of it either. It was just a tid bit of information stored away in his mind. But now Hei remembered as he entered a very secret place in his companion's mind.
The pair had been on the run for awhile, passing from city to city, from town to town. Hei was responsible for making ends meet, usually getting them enough money for food and a place to stay. The places weren't good, obviously. If they were lucky they could get into a middle class motel, if not they stayed in a love motel for virtually free. But this time around, they had landed further out in the country, between two major cities.
"We'll just hide out here for awhile," Hei had promised, "Then we'll head to the next city by train." Yin twitched, it might have been a nod.
Well, the townsfolk were completely packed since it was tourist season, so the 'couple' had been rejected several times before Hei decided they would just sleep outside for the night. It was summer, they'd be too hot in the rooms anyways.
He hiked out of the town, Yin trailing behind. Up a hill they went, past a set of steps, past an ancient dug out amphitheater in the giant hill, until they came to a small lake. Yin had immediately dropped her back pack, slipping out a stolen blanket and spreading it out. She lay on it, leaving room for Hei, she shut her violet eyes and fell off to sleep. Hei did the same, except he stayed awake, keeping watch.
After an hour, Yin woke and stood up. Her partner watched calmly, waiting for the doll to go back to dream land. "I'll keep watch, Hei," a little voice whispered.
Yin's companion blinked, still staring. After a second he opened his mouth. "That's okay Yin. Your watch doesn't start for a while."
Her silver ponytail swayed as she shook her head. "No," Yin responded simply. "You're…tired. I'm fine. Sleep."
Surprise hit Hei. Dolls didn't order, they did. Dolls didn't care, they watched. This development was interesting.
But either way, Hei was tired, no denying it. So instead of resisting, the contractor nodded his dark head and slowly fell back on the blanket. The last thing he saw was Yin. She stood near the lake, staring up at the moon like a little kid.
And that's when he heard it. A melody, so haunting. It floated through his blissful darkness and brought visions of night, a moon, water, sadness, Yin.
Hei's eyes shot open, senses on alert. Scanning the area, he saw no threats…or Yin. Something like panic clutched his heart. What if she had wondered off? What if they found her?
Stealthily rising, Hei scanned the grounds again. The moon still shone down on him, high in the sky, unobscured by clouds, stars glittering around it. Fake stars.
The sound hit him again. It was so…beautiful. Hei hadn't described something as beautiful for a long time. Maybe Yin had heard the music and gone to investigate. The doll had been doing that a lot lately, becoming more independent with her whims.
Quiet as a wild cat, Hei stalked through the grass, following the sound.
Eventually he hit the hill, climbing up, eyes alert for threats. When he reached the top, the contractor looked below into the amphitheater. Giant steps swirled down, creating rows of seats facing a stone stage. The place had obviously been a source of entertainment long ago when plays were put on regularly. Now it was just a tourist attraction, only used in tourist season, reenactments.
But in the center of it all was the source of the music. A grand piano sat off to the side of the stage. The lid was propped up, melody flowing out. Sitting behind that great beast, was Yin. Her silver head was bowed, fingers flying across the ivory keys.
A beam of moonlight illuminated the scene. Hei always wondered why Yin was so entranced by the moon, always pausing at night to stare at it. But now he understood. Even in the dead of night, the light seemed to bring everything alive, including his Yin.
