Do It For Her [Private/Elyx]

The next morning after the previous one was a lot better from the start, the sun not shining onto his face, a certain She Phoenix was already out of bed without bothering to wake him up and annoy him with another job. If he were to look downstairs, he'd find her studying a little bit more on rifles, a pair of red reading glasses equipped onto her face. That was all she ever did nowadays, dig her nose deep into some book about bullets and how they were fired. Still though, it was probably a lot more advanced than him being able to compress wind in his stomach and call it a roar. However, according to Fiore, that was a specialty that Slayers are able to use.

Upon waking up, he'd be the familiar somewhat slender-looking young man he was. It was at that moment that he had been so tired from the previous night that he did not even bother to remove his jeans and place on something more comfortable. At least his shirt was off, so he did not burn up too much. A few beads of sweat remained on his forehead, provided he kept his jacket on, he'd probably have something rather close to a heat stroke. The Irony of a Sky Slayer to have such an incident.

His feet lazily slumped in the most dizzy-looking line a being could witness, but fortunately, there were none to witness it. Due to a bit of sleep-deprivation and stress onto his body from his fight with Diablos, the violinist was not quite one-hundred percent. So on days like these, he'd take the time to play his instrument. Not only did it calm him down with nectar-like sound, but it also slowly moved his arms, and legs depending on his choice to dance or not. But to dance would require an audience on the street, since he did not care to kick some of the glass and shatter it. Especially not any of the vases, and though they may break, his heart would be a lot more shattered. Each one costs the monthly rent of his mansion, Ignite was the main culprit for buying them in the past. She was not so interested in jewels now, but machinery, mainly long-ranged weaponry.

Once his circus act of walking had been put to a finalé, he'd shove his shaky hands into the drawer with his shirts. Though maybe they'd be a bit wrinkles, he'll place his classic white jacket above it so that no one would notice. But he would rather not go all out and go for the full attire, no belts or handkerchief to equip. Definitely no gloves or arm brackets either, just him and his white jacket with acid blue jeans from yesterday. It would probably be best he take a shower first, what a waste of a good shirt that he placed on. So he'd end up throwing it away before proceeding to do proper morning hygiene.

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So he'd be walking around the city to look for the Guild Hall. Sure, he might have been able to teleport to that location using Yuni, a Celestial Spirit, but he would like to enjoy the peace of walking and soaking into the sun. However, that might have been a lot easier if he did not receive the eyes of a few who might have recognized him. Sure, he was a Guild Ace, but it would have been nice to have a moment of peace. Still though, it was not like he was angered by them, they meant well and were looking out for him. Some checked to see if he were doing all right, and he'd nod before returning their questions back at them. Though he would like to chat, there was a show to put on, and he intended to do it well.

The Guild Hall would then be approached, his light brown eyes shifting from the left handle to thee right. And within a few seconds, he would find himself gripping on the knobs with a gentle grip. He did not want to yank out the doors by accident... That would not look so good on his resumé. Taking gentle steps, making sure they did not make took much volume, he would press his weight gently on his heel before forcing the rest of his foot down. Sort of like the reverse formation of pulling off a sticker, instead of taking the sticker off like that however, if one were to use a recording Lacrima and play that scene backwards, that would be how the steps would look like.

The best he could do was go to the top floor, where only the S ranked mages were allowed. Or maybe the Guild Aces and Kakuma? Still to this day he was unable to confirm that. However, he knew he was allowed up there regardless, since he had met both criteria. Once he channeled his way towards the top, he'd look down with a smile as many would converse with each other. It was time to place a bit of background music into their lives. Breathe in, breathe out. A bit of stage fright before a big performance, it was only natural.

Placing his Violin case from his back down, he'd begin to unzip the zipper before pulling out the instrument that was once locked-in. Once that had happened, he'd smile was he also pulled the bow out. However, it lacked a bit of rosin. Noticing this, he'd place the bow down onto the case before pulling on the golden knob on one of the pockets that was located inside of the case. There was a green stone inside of it that went by the name "Rosin", it was what had to be rubbed onto the Horse Hair of the bow in order for the Violin to emit sound. Otherwise, you might as well be using a paintbrush and a piece of paper. The young musician would quickly rub the stone against the Horse Hair, making it a decent shade of white. Not so much so that smoke would fly out when he played, but enough so that he did not need to apply arm weight to it to force sound out of the instrument.

Finally, he'd place his Violin up in his left hand, the instrument locked in between his left shoulder and his left jaw. The right arm was held up, the bow located inside of it. His body was on the edge of the top floor, a few inches away from the silver railing. The piece he was playing from his memory was called "Dreaming" by a man named Brian Balmages, very well known for his soothing music. No one knew more than Elyx how gentle it was, the music was filled with emotion and happiness despite its slow tempo. As his left hand would shake to obtain the "Vibrato" effect, the echoes of the instrument would be heard as his own emotions would pour from the instrument. His smile on his face, the peace in his eyes before they closed, and the movement of his steps as he moved along with the rhythm, it was all so satisfied, it filled him with much joy. From the top, all the way to the end. If uninterrupted, he'd place the Violin down with a bright smile equipped on his face as he looked down at the Guild Hall.

Upon hearing the claps of a few members, he'd gently bow his head formally before he heard a certain one in particular stand out. The volume definitely differed from the others that he had been hearing, maybe it was his sensitive Lerale ears. Regardless, his light brown eyes would shift towards the left, a young lady was clapping for him. Turning his head over towards her to have a good look at her, he'd notice the light reflecting off of one of her tears. However, her lips were curved upwards to indicate that she was not crying from pain, but from positive emotion. A pang of sympathy was felt for her, it made his stomach churn a little bit to see her crying, regardless of the reason. Abandoning his Violin at the top of the stairs, he would slowly walk down them with a gentle smile on his face. If she knew who he was, maybe his words would have a little bit more effect onto her. At least, that was his theory.

And there he was, right in front of her. Raising a careful finger to her cheek, he'd catch one of her tears before retracting the finger back. Thank you for enjoying the piece. People like you, who share such emotions so shamelessly, are the reason why I play my continue such shows. The Violinist would explain, hoping that she understood what he had meant. Before he would make an attempt to depart from her, he'd use his left thumb to wipe away another tear on the other side of her face. Then he'd turn over towards the guild hall exit and began to pace for it by walking.

As his feet moved, he'd snap his right pointer finger and thumb to snap his fingers, the wind below the violin case lifting up that case, the Violin and the Violin bow before pulling on the magic winds, pulling the items towards him. In the process, the instrument would be locked into the case and the zipper would close. The strap of the case would wrap around his neck before the magic had been called off. Admittedly, he was rather touched himself. Someone was crying because of his piece. She had not been afraid of others reacting to her, even while in a guild of Bounty Hunters. Crying was good, it showed that she was a human who was not afraid to think for herself. It was clear she had a passion for the music as well, those who connect with the strings of a violin tend to get emotional. Hopefully he would get to see her once again. But until then, he'd just continue to pace towards the exit of the Guild Hall, most likely going to go home.

Upon the call that had been called out to him, his steps would stop for the moment. His light brown eyes would raise before looking back to the one who had called to him. It was a female voice for sure, though he could not confirm her identity. After all, he hadn't heard the lady's voice yet since she never spoke to him yet, only he had spoken to her. However, once her palm had been placed onto his shoulder, his body would turn all the way around. It seems that all of his attention was placed on her, there was nothing better to do really, maybe she had some sort of job she would like to go on? That was normally what the younger mages in development came to him for anyways. Regardless of what she was addressing him for, the lady was now his priority. The young mage did not even bother trying to remove her palm from his shoulder, it was not as if it were bothering him in any form. Her words were sort of forced out from her lips, causing him to tilt his head to the side, his mouth forming into a curious "o" shape. Effort was evident in her actions, so he would not dare shoot her down and try to "help" her by telling her to calm down or ask if she was okay.

Once she explained that she would like to ask him something, his eyes would close and his lips would reveal a gentle smile. He'd be glad to answer questions, the best he could at least. The fact that he did not spend too much time in the guild was not quite something that should be left unnoticed. If it were for recent events and activities here, unfortunately, he would shake his head and shrug with a stupid sounding "I don't know, I have not been keeping up with everything here" emit from his own lips. Sure, ask me anything. He'd answer to her calmly. Now the question of what she wanted was burning in his mind, making him a bit anxious as more time would pass by. Was she scared? Most likely.

Upon hearing her first words emit from her lips, his light brown eyes would open up and express themselves to show unknown emotion. Mixed amounts made it unknown, surprise and pleasure, how could you mixed that properly? Regardless, she continued to speak as she explained that she had been playing since she was little, just like he had. She was definitely not a Lerale Magician and musician, so it was not like he had any reason to fear her. In fact, he would be a lot more than glad to take her on if she was willing to put all of the hard work into it. Provided she did play for years, all she had to do was learn the smallest details in playing Violin, playing new time signatures and tempos, reading the accidentals, accents, intonation, all of those sorts of things and many more. To see her so excited for it, why should he let her down? The best part of it was the last part, saying that he inspired her... The fact that he had an influence on her, someone to tell him that. It was a lot more than refreshing, it was like someone handed him a candle with fire while lost in a world of darkness, he had newfound hope. Someone actually was touched because of him, and in a positive way as well. The girl then began to apologize, as if to retract what she had said, and like hell would he let her take those words back. He would attempt to place his right palm onto her hair in an attempt to comfort her. What is so weird about asking? And if names is the problem, why don't we fix it? With that, he would let go and place his hands in his pockets. He would tilt his body forward to give her a formal bow, showing her respect in front of the Guild Hall. My name is Elyx Reiaki, a pleasure to present myself to you, and I would be glad to take you on as my apprentice if you can handle it. And what might your name be?

To see her acting so calmly around him made him smile even more. He did not want to be someone that was feared or looked up upon only just for a title or whatever. Astrid she introduced herself as, it was a nice name, sounded elegant and spiritual at the same time. He would tilt his head to the smile, chuckling a little bit, her formal bow being quite well done. It was expected though, she did play the Violin and all, maybe she had a few concerts herself, with an Orchestra most likely. After the introduction, he would explain the plan that he had in mind to train her with. The Lerale mage can't just toss her into the water so quickly. All right Astrid. I suggest you have the rest of the day to yourself and get a good nights worth of sleep. Tomorrow morning is when we will begin our training, about eight or nine should do. The area we will meet at, right where we are currently standing. Does that sound good to you? He would ask her before placing his hands in his pockets, waiting a response from her. If there was a time for any objections, now would be the time while they were still able to plan, because it was not likely they see each other until tomorrow.