Guest: Aww, thank you so much! I had a bunch of ideas that I wanted to have somewhere besides just floating in my head, so I'm super happy they've managed to make someone else happy too! 3
Sparklepool101: Thank you so much for your reviews! Reading the specific things that you liked makes my day!
Demi Clayton: Here's your more!
INSTRUMENTALIST
It was a nondescript day at the Pole. The Guardians were gathered for one of the inconsequential meetings that North had made more common since the Easter battle with Pitch, spouting the need to come together more frequently to better work as a team- an arrangement to which none of the others had disagreed. (Apart from a few token complaints from Bunny about business and constant interruptions.) Jack's cheerfully invasive presence and common drop-ins had made them all realize how very disconnected- from both the children and one another- they had become before Manny brought the winter teen into their lives.
So Sandy was nearly dozing over his cup of eggnog (cradled in his lap to keep it away from thieving elves), Tooth was chipperly giving instructions at a mile a minute to half a dozen of her fairies, Bunny was slouched in a chair focusing on the egg he was painting, North was pacing and almost stepping on several elves while narrating big plans for new toys (that no one but the yeti's were listening to), and Jack was absent; either running late or simply forgetful.
All in all, an average day at the Pole.
Bunny's ears twitched twice, then pricked up suddenly, twisting from side to side as he straightened abruptly. He held up his paw and shushed North and Tooth, waking Sandy, before turning to the door. "D'you hear that?"
The other Guardians shook their heads in confusion, but the Guardian of Hope was already on his feet and heading out the door, so they followed.
"What is it, Bunny?" North asked.
Bunny paused at the end of the hall, his ears twitching, before turning to the left without answering. Sandy floated after him without hesitation, and Tooth looked at North, shrugged, and zipped away, leaving North to tromp along behind, grumbling in Russian under his breath about lack of explanations.
The Guardians caught up with Bunny at the next intersection near the library, where he had stopped with his ears straight up. "North, since when do you have a piano?" he asked when the older Guardian finally caught up.
"Ah! Have had that for years," North said. "I needed model for prototype for children."
"I've never heard anyone play it," Tooth said wonderingly.
"Neither have I, sheila," Bunny said, Sandy nodding in agreement. "But somebody is now." He nodded toward the library, where the others could now hear powerful notes ringing out through the closed door.
Sandy made a tiny sand yeti above his head, followed by a question mark, and North shrugged. "I do not know," he answered, moving forward to crack the door quietly and peek through. The others crowded in behind him, shoving the burly Russian fully through the door in their (not particularly) quiet attempts to see the pianist. Their eyes widened in almost comical synchronization, and Tooth brought her hands to her mouth in delight.
Jack was seated on the bench behind the piano, his eyes down as he played. His face was focused, with just the barest hint of a smile; showing a contented sort of happiness with a quiet thrill just beneath. It was a difficult piece he was playing, a gorgeous, waltz-influenced song filled with octaves and syncopated notes, and roaming across the keys from low to high. But his face held no strain, only pleased concentration. The music swelled beneath his fingers, powerful and grand as the song climaxed, the sound tugging at the emotions of the unnoticed listeners, before quieting again as it drew to a close. Jack's eyes closed as he finished with a rippling arpeggio and a few clear, delicate notes that sent shivers down the spine, and his little smile grew a bit as he sustained the tones for a few more beats before releasing the pedal.
The library fell into silence, the Guardians staring stunned at the closed-eyed winter spirit for a few moments.
Sandy and North began to applaud almost simultaneously, Sandy's quiet claps nearly completely drowned out by North's exuberant acclamation. Tooth was quick to join, and even Bunny started to clap after the briefest hesitation.
Jack's blue eyes snapped open at the sound, his startled gaze landing on his unnoticed audience, and the faintest hint of color coming to his face. "Ah, hey, guys. Sorry, I meant to be quieter, just got a little carried away," he said, looking slightly sheepish. "Wait, am I late?"
"Nah, mate, you're fine" Bunny assured him, smiling cockeyed at the younger spirit. "We just heard the music and were curious."
"You have much skill, Jack!" North declared proudly.
Jack smiled. "Thanks, North," he said, nearly drowned out by Tooth's excitement.
"That was beautiful, Jack!" she exclaimed, zipping over to him. "Where did you learn to play?"
"Oh." Jack smiled. "Well, I've always loved music in general. I heard someone playing an old street upright a few decades back. An older man; he gave free lessons to street kids and passer-bys alike. I stuck around the area for a bit and learned with them. There are a decent amount of street pianos in the cities if you look for them, so I practiced a lot on those, often at night. A lot of churches don't lock their doors, too, and are mostly empty on weekdays, so it was easy for me to slip in and use their pianos and organs to practice on." He smiled a bit to himself, looking lost in memory. "Heh, I learned a lot of hymns starting out."
"What do you do for music?" Tooth asked curiously.
"Well, sometimes I improvise my own, now that I have more experience," Jack answered cheerfully. "I also learn by ear a lot, and I'll just memorize sheet music whenever I get my hands on some."
"What about the song you were just playing?" Bunny queried, leaning back against the doorframe. "Where'd you learn that?"
"That one I heard a guy playing on a portable keyboard in a city in Michigan," Jack said, grinning. "It was one he wrote, and it sounded really good, even on a little keyboard, so I really wanted to learn it. He was selling a box of his music books, so I borrowed one at a time and memorized all the songs before giving it back."
"It's beautiful," Tooth said, clasping her tiny hands.
"It is, isn't it? He was really good. It's the best to play on grand pianos- another of the reasons I love using church pianos." Jack chuckled. "I may have gotten a few churches labeled haunted," he admitted, grinning wryly. "At least I had an audience, right?"
The other Guardians were not always particularly observant. However, they were striving to do better, especially when it came to Jack. So none of them missed the small flash of sadness that passed through their youngest member's eyes so quickly it would have been easy to overlook. A flash of sadness from someone who was only a ghost to most people. A flash of sadness that made the eyes it pass through look wearily old, for the young face they were set in.
A flash of sadness that didn't belong in the eyes of a spirit so indomitable and cheerful, and one that the other Guardians would do almost anything to chase away.
Tooth's purple eyes turned sad, her crown feathers drooping slightly. Bunny's gaze dropped, turning quietly stormy, and Sandy's kind face was gloomy, his sands still.
North's eyebrows furrowed, and he wiggled his fingers in thought. Suddenly he snapped loudly, eyes widening, and pointed at Jack, startling the younger spirit. "Idea!" the Russian announced. "We will have concert!"
"A concert?" Jack repeated, eyebrows rising.
"Yes! I will get yetis and elves, Tooth will bring fairies, and you will play for us!" North declared, spreading his hands. "Will be marvelous!"
"Wait, now?" Jack sputtered. "Nor- aaand he's gone."
"Oh, this is so exciting! I'll go gather my fairies!" Tooth squealed excitedly, clapping her hands before zipping away.
Jack turned a bewildered look on the other two Guardians. Bunny shrugged, smirking, and Sandy floated up to pat Jack's shoulder, a smile on his golden face.
It was a surprisingly short amount of time until a mass of Yetis milled about the library, chittering fairies flitting above their heads eagerly and jingling elves running around underfoot and climbing the bookshelves.
Jack looked uncomfortable as he stared out over the gathered audience from his shadowed corner of the room, very unused to the idea of so many eyes on him. But then his gaze found North and Tooth's faces in the front of the crowd.
Tooth's hands were clasped beneath her chin and North's blue eyes were shining with eager pride. Sandy floated beside them, giving Jack a double thumbs up with a wide smile on his face. They looked so hopeful, and excited, and already proud, before Jack had even done anything worth their pride. And suddenly Jack found that he didn't mind the idea so much when it made the people who had become like his family look so happy.
The white haired spirit took a deep breath to dispel the last of his nerves, nearly jumping out of his skin when a warm paw landed on his shoulder. He looked back to see Bunny giving him a small smile, warm and lacking it's common sarcasm. "Go get 'em, Frostbite."
Jack smiled back and straightened his spine, stepping out of his shadow and walking to the piano. He slid onto the bench and closed his eyes for a moment, blocking out the weight of a multitude of eyes while deciding what he should play. His eyes opened again, a small smile spreading across his pale face.
He knew exactly what to play.
The library fell silent as the first quiet notes rang softly through the air, picking up lightly within a few measures. The song felt ever so slightly pensive, before suddenly growing in power and emotion and warmth. Jack's eyes were closed as his fingers flew across the keys, pouring himself into the music, and the effect was stunning. Many of the listeners closed their eyes as well as a shiver ran through the crowd, and Bunny in particular could feel the effects in his soul.
The song felt like Hope.
As the music soared, each of the Guardians silently thanked the Man in the Moon once again, for bringing them this remarkable spirit.
His fingers dancing across the keys, Jack peeked out from beneath his lashes briefly before closing them again, a smile spreading across his face. Before, his invisibility meant his music had been met with fear and unease so many times that he had learned to just play for himself. But now, he was seen. He was seen, he was loved, and his talents could bring joy to more than just him. And that brought him joy.
So he poured all of himself into his playing, his heart swelling as the music soared.
And shining silver in the bright blue sky, the moon smiled down.
A/N: I wrote this one in a sort of ambiguously drifting perspective, which isn't something I usually do, so I hope it doesn't feel too weird. As usual, this is unbeta-ed, so feel free to point out any typos!
The songs I described Jack playing were by Matthew L Fisher, my favorite composer. The first song is called Ballroom for Ghosts, one of my favorites (and a blast to play!) and the one he played for the Guardians and ensemble was Hope, another of my favorites. The official audio recordings don't quite capture how spectacular the songs sound on a grand piano, but I still highly recommend looking them up!
My family and I heard Matthew playing on a bridge during Art Prize several years ago, bought his books, and I've pretty much exclusively played his songs lately (on the too rare occasions I sit down at the piano, heh.) For any musicians who may actually care, I had Jack play my personal ending to Ballroom for Ghosts, which adds after the arpeggio a two count on high C#, then one count each on G#, E, and finishes on F#.
As always, hope you enjoyed! Reviews make me happy! Have a great day, all. Elen out.