Going forward in movements.
Gren placed the reed in his mouth to wet it, and ran his tongue up and down the smooth bit of wood, comforted by the familiar feel of if. The owner of the inn had been very kind when Gren asked if he was allowed to practice there. He offered up the salon, stating that he hoped it would draw attention from the other guests and possible guests. This gave Gren hope that he might be able to persuade them to pay him something, or at least let the room to him for free if her were to play for the other guests, but for now he just needed to get back into the feel of it. He settled for leaving his door propped open so that passers by could stick their heads in if they wished.

He placed the neck in the body and ran his hand up it, feeling the smooth, coolness of the metal under his fingertips. It wasn’t his saxaphone, not his constant companion, but it was something, and he was sure they’d get to know each other over time. He tightened the reed into the mouthpiece and brought it into his lips.

Scales first, E flat from G to G and then back down again. He played the things that every musician had been taught to play on command from a young age, that his fingers did absently even when he wasn’t near an instrument. It was easy enough. He didn’t know what he’d expected. It hadn’t been that long since he’d played, but it felt like eternity after the surprises of the last couple of days.

When he felt more comfortable with the new instrument he decided he’d try some of the things he knew by heart. He played the one he’d written shortly after ending up on Callisto(1). It was roughly about Vicious, but more about feeling empty. Then he played the song that she always asked him to play(2) as she sat on the corner bar stool, legs draped carelessly off either side and not paying attention to anything or anyone but him and the liquor in front of her, always insisting that he was in more danger than she was. He played a song for Faye(3), and hoped that she hadn’t taken her restraints the wrong way. It was for her own good, after all. Like Julia, he knew that she could take care of herself, but even Julia had been afraid of Vicious.

It was such a relief, to get all of that out of him. Much greater than the talking and the hand at poetry that he knew wasn’t any good. He’d never been as good with words as he’d been with counts and beats and sounds. He decided to adapt something from his own life and give it a new meaning here in Margate. Laying the sax on the bed he retrieved the pen from the dresser and held it over the pad of paper. He closed his eyes and remembered another tune(4), and when he opened them again he began to scribble it all down in a rush.


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OOC: Music time! The first three are jazz pieces; the last is a simple music box melody. All stolen from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, because yes.

(1) Blues Sax by Yoko Kanno
(2) Jupiter Jazz by Yoko Kanno
(3) Real Folk Blues by Yoko Kanno
(4) Memory (Julia) by Yoko Kanno