Daj sighed, strumming his guitar strings lazily. His brow was wrinkled with a troubled look, he stared at his wooden instrument, a gift from an entirely different species of alien, a tool used for expressing his mind and soul with more than just words.
Daj was dressed in casual clothes now. He hadn't been able to wear them in so long, he almost felt naked with them now. They were so foreign and loose. But he still liked his brown shirt with his kaki's. He didn't want to wear (and let alone, do) anything that reminded him of who he really was…

And even now, he didn't—no, couldn't—keep playing guitar. He was too lost in his troubled mind. Thoughts about his friends and his long lost love floating around like spirits. They were all in danger. Everyone he knew and cared about was in turmoil and had begun to turn against eachother. He had tried to keep things calm between all parties, but it was now looking to be beyond his control. Fear and pain has begun to poison their hearts.
Just like it had poisoned his own before…

He sighed heavily, and he let the guitar drop to his feet. It landed on the ground with a loud twang of strings. He didn't pick it up. He just kept sitting there, brooding. Sulking.
Wishing that he never even picked up the hobby of music. It did almost nothing to change anything around him. No matter how much he played his songs, he found the melodies and lyrics to be so glum and disheartening. Just like everything around him…

He suddenly heard a small sound a ways in front of him. He looked up and he inhaled sharply, his hand almost jerking towards his gun that lay on a crate next to him. He then exhaled deeply, his hand relaxing. "Flair…how long have you been standing there?"

The small irken girl, with her burgundy eyes so bright and so haunted, blinked at him softly. "Long enough to realize that you have something on your mind."

Daj turned his head away from her. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Flair walked over to the discarded guitar, her bare feet making gentle padding sounds on the concrete. She bent down and picked it up. The pieced of junk was as big as her, but despite her size she didn't have much difficulty. She spoke again, her breathy voice rising in suprise. "Why is this on the floor? What have you been doing?"

"Thinking," He answered in a soft mutter. He looked up and noticed in surprise that she looked slightly different. "What are you wearing?"

Flair let out a soft breathy laugh, and she twirled on her foot around and back so he could see the casual clothes she wore. A pink shirt and brown skirt. "Do you like it?"

Daj threw out a small "hmph" of approval.

Flair blinked with a slightly hurt expression and stood still again, holding the guitar to her. She plucked the strings gingerly, then looked up at him. "Daj, are you quitting music for good?"

Daj yet again sighed heavily. "I don't know."

"Don't do that, Daj, please? I love your music…"

Daj sat up with a soft grunt. "Sometimes you have to let go of the things you love to do."

"Why?"

"Well, the longer you hold onto something that doesn't bring satisfaction to your life anymore, you end up hurting yourself."

"Music…doesn't bring satisfaction to you anymore?"

"Something like that…"

"And you are hurting?"

He groaned again, "Stop asking so many questions, Flairin-"
But then she suddenly spoke with a hint of a hiss, "Don't treat me like a child and tell me that crap, Daj. I know there is something bothering you that is not about music. Please, I want to know…"

Daj rose his blue eyes to her burgundy ones. Her eyes were deep and understanding. He felt guilt rise in him. "Im sorry…I didn't mean to treat you like you were dumb…"

Flair came to his side. "That's okay. Daj, you haven't been around the others and I for quite a while. Are you avoiding us?"

"No…well, yes…I don't know.."

"Im worried about you. You seem different."

"I do feel different." He admitted. "I certainly don't feel like myself."

She patted his back gently. Her touch was incredibly soft, almost like feathers. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He looked at her, trying to think of the words. "…I honestly don't know what to talk to you about. It's almost like I can't say it in words. I can't even play it out."

"Daj, have you thought that maybe you have been playing it?"

He looked at her again. "What do you mean?"

"I've heard you playing alone in here a day or two ago. It was very sad. It reminded me of the fight that Feranti and Kench had the other day. That made me feel really bad…"

"Did it?" He just blinked softly.

"Maybe that's the thing: You feel upset and confused, and your music expresses it…"

Daj's body slumped, "And it sounds like crap."

"Is that the reason why you want to give it up? Because you feel like crap and don't know how to play the music like you want it to?"

He didn't answer.

"From what you've told me, music just doesn't happen by itself. The musician is the soul behind the instrument. Otherwise, there is no power in it."

"I guess I told you that."

"And you can change other people's feelings through music." Suddenly she smiled and held the guitar to him.

He stared, then slowly took it. "You sure that I told you that?"

"No, you didn't. I found that out myself." She took his wrist. "C'mere, I wanna show you something! Bring that with you, " She pulled him off of his feet and they half-ran and half-walked out of the room and into the hall. Daj could never cease to be amazed with this girls speed and strength. She was rather clumsy, but still steadfast in her direction. They were now in the ship auditorium. She flipped some switches and pushed some buttons, and the stage was all lit up brilliantly.
Then she started to push him to the stage. He sputtered, "Flair? What on earth are you trying to do,"
"I'm going to sing and you are going to be my accompaniment. It'll be just for fun, akay?"

Daj's heart was already lifting as he stepped onto the stage and into the light. He couldn't see the chairs and the balcony at all, just the guitar in front of him and Flair running to grab a mike. A familiar sensation began to tickle his stomach, as if it was sprouting wings and getting ready to fly right out of his body.

Flair stepped up to him. "Plug your guitar in. Yesterday you were a spy elite soldier in the Irken Empire. A few minutes ago you were a rebel who was trying to fight with troubles that will not go away. But starting now…" She turned on her mike and spoke into it, "…you are a star." Her sweet voice was all around him now, echoing in the auditorium, in his head, in his heart…

He couldn't help but smile, and he shrugged. "What the heck, " He chuckled and strummed, "Why not…"