Violinist
By: Asellas

Disclaimers: FMA is copyright to Arakawa Hiromu and Square-Enix, not me.
Notes: I apologize aforehand for the over usage of musical terms. I'm such the violin geek X3

It began in slow adagio, with legato notes of sweet tone, accented with rythmic vibrato. Fingers moved deftly, knowing each place for each note on the fingerboard. It stayed mostly between mezzo piano and mezzo forte, every so often growing to forte at a phrase of sixteenth notes. White rosin clouds floated in the air as the bow moved expertly across the four strings. It slowed at one point as a ritardando was hit, slowing to a near stop on a low doublestop.

And then it began anew, in spirito vivace, the notes rushing one after another to be played, each pulled out in staccato brushes of the bow. The increasing clouds of rosin gave the room a hazed look through dying golden sunlight that leaked through curtains into the room. His foot tapped his rhythm as he sat before a metal folding stand on which his sheet music rested. Yet he didn't need the music; his eyes were closed and he moved by memory, having heard and played that song numerous times before. He swayed with his bow movements, his left hand rocking in a steady vibrato even as he moved up into the higher positions of the fingerboard, fingers effortlessly skipping from string to string then sliding down to a lower position then back up again.

It flowed into retrograde, the dynamics flowing in patterns that coencided with the bowings. Dissonance wound into the air as he wove his bow across the strings and more doublestops echoed , drawing into a crescendo followed by a fermata. He now played da capo, in diminuendo as he neared the fine. The peice ended dolce, the last note reverberating throughout the room as he held it out as long as he had enough bow, letting it die out slowly, letting it reverberate about the room. He stayed in position, not yet moving to bring the instrument down from his shoulder, bow still held above the strings. He breathed deeply and evenly, eyes still closed, looking like such the professional musician.

Smiling, he clapped for the performance, bringing the violinist out of his daze. Of all people he knew, Edward Elric was the last that he could imagine as a musician. Well, last before Hughes that was. Roy strode across the old wooden floor to stand beside the stand and look at the music upon it. The floor creaked and groaned under polished military boots, a sound so out of tune and distracting after the song. He leaned over and traced a line of music with a gloved finger, careful not to touch the paper and smear the graphite on it. It was an interesting peice, he hadn't heard one like it before.

"That was quite amazing, Fullmetal. I never suspected you to be the musical type," Roy chuckled, watching Edward set the old instrument down and untighten the bow.
"Haven't played in years. It probably sounded horrible," Edward commented, sliding the bow into it's hold in the case then bringing out a soft cloth he wiped away finger prints and rosin from the body and strings of the violin. He took off the shoulder rest and folded it, placing it in a compartment in the case.
"No need to be so modest, Fullmetal. It was a truely wonderful performance. Though, I'm wondering where you found the violin," Roy said, studying the instrument carefully.
"In your attic," Edward replied, smiling, "I thought maybe you once played but you don't seem a violin type of guy. I'd think you're more of a cellist than violinist. Maybe even viola or upright bass, but definatly not violin."
"Oh, and why's that?"
"Well," Ed looked up a moment in thought, "for one thing, your arms look too long to play violin. Yes I know that has nothing to do with the instrument but it seems just too small for you. Your hands are bigger and better suited for playing cello or bass anyways, you can stretch them out really well. I just can't see you able to achieve that level of precision needed to play violin either. By the way, where'd you get the violin from?"
"I have a better question," Roy said, smirking as Edward looked at him curiously.
"Why are you in my attic?"

Fin.