I will dance before the lightning... [OPEN]

[diana_abel]

Who: Diana and You!
What: October catch-all
When: Throughout October, although only at night unless you're Jeff
Where: John's, Bellona Theater, Library, and Wildcard Option
Warnings: Probably safe to assume vampire stuff might come up, but will update with specifics as they arise.

John's
It seemed to be Diana's philosophy that if you couldn't be home with the people you loved, or in bed and tucked up against someone warm and wonderful, the least you could do for yourself was try to be a rainbow. And now that it was nearly Halloween, she decided to take that advice a bit literally. Bless her creepy-ass roomie for disappearing and leaving behind a whole lot of fabric. And bless her mother for sending Diana to live as a lady's companion when she was fourteen, where she learned at least a few useful skills, including sewing and playing the piano. Two skills she could now demonstrate as she sat, straight-backed, at the piano.

She'd been working on this one piece for a couple of weeks now. It was beginning to actually sound like a song now. Enough to test the waters a little on the piano. You could get away with a lot of stuff on a guitar. But the piano? That was something else entirely. Fortunately, Diana was pleased with the results. And she ended up singing along as she worked the keys:

"Some people walk with giants
Others look like demi-gods
Some laugh into the lightning
Me, I felt like a fraud

Couldn’t find the way
To get my life off the ground
But you can’t really lose
What was meant to be found..."

Bellona Theater
The rainbow swept into the theater, as she did every night. Now that her song was almost finished, she was singing it constantly, even when she wasn't playing:

"I was trapped in the sorrow
Surrendered to despair
Went looking for myself
But couldn’t find ‘me’ anywhere

Finally wrote my own story
And I found my own sound
Learned you can’t really lose
What was meant to be found..."

She made her way up one of the aisle, her guitar thumping softly against her back. Graceful as a gymnast, she planted her hands on the lip of the stage and leapt up on top, just in time to hit the high note of the chorus. Her song echoed back at her. There was nothing quite like a theater. Even a possibly-haunted theater in a definitely-haunted cruise ship.

Diana spun around in a wide circle, a la Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, her arms wide, her head leaning back to peer into the lights above. "This chick has talent," she said, smiling a little at herself.

Library
"You can sit under the bleachers
Or you can charge the field
But when I feel old doubts return
I grab my sword and my shield

In for a penny
In for a pound
You can’t really lose
What was meant to be found

In for a penny
In for a pound
You can’t really lose
What was meant to be found..."

Okay, fine. So you weren't supposed to sing in a library. You weren't supposed to do quite a lot of things in a library, but that had never stopped Diana before. She was just so excited to have a new song. It was her song, but it was their song too. All of them trapped on board. With the final note, she flopped down into the nearest chair, her entire body as satisfied as it could possibly get without someone tall, dark, and handsome around. She let out a slow sigh. "Well," she said, quite sure she was talking to herself, "You've finished it. Now what?"

Now what?

That was a question sadly thematic of her entire experience on board.

Wildcard
[[ooc: Feel free to toss a starter up here, as long as it takes place at night, after sunset. Diana's around. And she's pretty approachable. And pretty. And a rainbow.]]

Comments

John's

[konpeito_aji]

Of course Nobunaga is the first to lose the game of Chicken neither of them seemed to acknowledge they were playing. Normally Nobunaga gives piano players space in between Billy Joel sets, just for the sake of staying on the move, but that rainbow outfit!

The song's even more amazing. He waits to see if there's more, lets her finish, and tries to find a reasonable excuse to approach. And then just... says exactly what's on his mind instead. This is why he's better sitting in the background NOT talking too much.

"You are somehow even more radiantly beautiful this evening." RAINBOW! He likes colors. It might not be obvious because of the black armor, but he's drawn to colors like a child to candy. "Can I get you something to drink? The ghosts are on strike." He fidgets like a little kid, having forgotten how to pretend to be normal, do human things, not just ask too many questions and overwhelm people all at once.

"Nobunaga Oda," he bows formally, "1582, Earth, Japan. Demon King of the 6th Heaven." Yeah good enough of an intro, right?

[diana_abel]

She'd noticed him before, of course. While she didn't have her sister's talent for cataloging everything, it was impossible for her not to pay attention to familiar faces. Especially when they were of the tall, dark and handsome variety.

The armor was pretty memorable too.

They'd never spoken before. And Diana was a little surprised when he approached her.

Not in a bad way, though.

She smiled at the compliment, pleased as a cat in a pool of sunlight. "Thanks. And it's nice to meet you formally." She bowed her head in return. None of the members of the Order had ever made it out to Japan, but she'd watched enough TV to understand the gesture. And it was better than shaking hands. "Diana Abel. Earth, U.S., although I was born in England." A pause. "...Demon King?"

[konpeito_aji]

A small grin, "A nonsense title for a completely absurd place." It's way too complicated to explain the politics of the Sengoku era, and even if he tried, it likely wouldn't make a lot of sense. "Its only relevance is in how others choose to perceive it. Perhaps a bit unfair as a first move without giving a commensurate komi," that word didn't translate, but he's not sure again, if it's just universally accepted, or just doesn't translate automatically. "But you couldn't expect much less from one who'd call themselves a Demon King, right?" Plus, he thinks coming with his own warning label, is definitely a form of komi (think golf handicap, but for the board game of Go).

[diana_abel]

"Komi," she repeated, careful to pronounce it just the way he'd said it. Perfect pitch for the win, as the kids said. "I'm not sure I'm familiar with that. Is that some kind of title tough talking? Because that I'm way familiar with."

She had one or two of her own, although she didn't really use them.

Or believe them.

She was sooooo not the Cainite messiah.

[konpeito_aji]

Nobunaga laughs. "It's a Go term -- a board game. I guess it hasn't caught on in the English world. Black always moves first in Go, and so white is given a komi: a roughly 5.5 point counter advantage to make up for lost time."

An amused headshake. "Are you now? Let me guess. Yours is something like..." A mischievous smirk and his tone and inflection get even more dramatic. "The sunny ray on a rainy day: musician of versatile delights!"

[diana_abel]

Okay. She'd heard of Go, maybe once or twice. Sounded a little like chess.

Diana sucked at chess. But good to know.

She laughed. Not unkindly. It was a cheerful, sunny laugh. One that made her eyes sparkle like the lights on a pinball machine. "Yeah, not so much," she said. "Although, believe me, I'd love to put that on my business card." She actually had business cards. One for each of her legitimate businesses. But they were all pretty boring and sedate. Arty's orders.

"'Demon King,' though. That's pretty intense, my dude. Something you inherited? Or earned?"

[konpeito_aji]

Don't challenge Nobunaga then. Or do, but he doesn't know how to go easy on others. Ever.

"So do it," if it was his world and time, he'd give her that position to have it so royally declared, business cards and all. Demon King title comes with some perks at least.

"Earned. Yes, thank you. I guess intensity tends to be what draws me like a moth to flame." Hence, of course he chose the day she dressed up like a rainbow! OF COURSE. "It was meant to be an insult, and I absolutely ran away with it," giant beam.

[diana_abel]

"Reclaiming the name for yourself," she said, flashing him another smile. "I like it. Very power move."

She'd tried that once. With being a Malkavian. Tried to own the clan and all of the unfortunate quirks that came along with it. That whole journey had lasted...oh...maybe three months. And then Selene had rained fire down and pretty much ruined things.

Literally. They had to flee the city. Again.

"So what do you want me to call you, then?"

[konpeito_aji]

"Exactly, thanks."

Dang Diana, that sucks.

Nobunaga shrugs. "Nobunaga's fine. Or anything. Do you prefer Diana, or Abel?" a sneaky grin again. "Or radiant musician with a broad spectrum of talents as vast as there are colors?" If she chooses that though, he'll keep changing it up, and it'll get more ridiculous with time, if that isn't already obvious by the rest of him and this ridiculous conversation about names.

[diana_abel]

"Oh, I do like that last one," she said, sucking air in between her teeth. "But it's a little wordy. We should probably stick with 'Diana.'"

Definitely not Abel. There were a couple of people in the multiverse who called her that and she didn't enjoy it. Too many complications and implications and all of that.

Diana was simple. Honest. Straightforward. And God knew something in her life needed to be.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Nobunaga. I mean, even on a definitely-and-totally-haunted cruise ship."

[konpeito_aji]

Smart.

"That's just part of the intrigue of adventure. Beats meeting in hell, or a very very boring not-cruise ship, not-haunted, just a raft, with people flailing about and screaming about how they didn't sign up for this." His imagination is as intense as the rest of him.

"Let's see, infinite alcohol, free existential crises, and make your own music, pretty much as close as I want to get to actual paradise, to be honest." Demon King things! Also one of those things was not like the others. "Being as I'm from 1582, I've got about 500 or more years of music to catch up on." He gestures to the piano. "That piece you were just singing is really good. Do you know who wrote it?"

[diana_abel]

She laughed again. God, it felt good to laugh. Diana was a little out of practice. And, given the aforementioned existential crises, that was fair. This was just...so much better.

"I do know who wrote it," she said, tilting her head to one side, her hair sliding off of her shoulder. "You're talking to her."

Diana had a lot of faults and flaws. Modesty was not one of them.

Anyway, she had precious few talents. The ones she did have, she was only too happy to flaunt. Because aside from her music and her swordplay, all she really had was her fantastic body. And that was a complicated territory.

[konpeito_aji]

"Ooooooohhhhh you are that brilliant then, I'll have to be careful around you, Miss Sunshine." Woops. He's already failing the given name test. He'll stop with the silliness soon enough. Maybe. Probably. "Wait so all those other times, was that yours too?" His eyes actually do widen impressed by that! "Ahhh? How many instruments do you play? One for every color."

[diana_abel]

"Just two," she admitted. "Guitar and piano. I like the piano more, but the guitar is infinitely more portable." She nodded over to her guitar, neatly tucked against the side of the piano, gaudy with its rainbow colors and glitter patterns.

It was precious to her, no doubt.

And she had tried her hand at a couple other instruments. The violin felt a little too cliched. And the drums were just noise to her. But the organ wasn't too far off from the piano. Just not as much fun, not as lively.

"And I can't take credit for all the songs I play," she added. "A lot of them are by a band called 'The Beatles.' A pretty happening group from the 1960s."

[konpeito_aji]

"Still more than me. I can do taiko drums," Japanese bongos. Speaking of noise. "But outside of signals on the battlefield and playing on Mitsuhide's head," his poor poor generals. Nobunaga is the worst. "I have my doubts. I'm genuinely impressed with how elaborate and far they've come. Pianos existed in my time, but you're right," a grin. "They're not very portable. Getting them all the way across the world was never going to happen."

Nobunaga nods, his eyes perking up in recognition, memorizing the words, and savoring them. "I know one or two of their songs I think. Follow the Sun, and Fool on the Hill, right? That last one's my favorite." He's claimed it for himself. "What's your favorite?" A head shake. "Still that's really impressive. Don't be so modest." A small laugh. "You can just say they influenced you. Must be why I was extra drawn."

[diana_abel]

A guy from the 1500s who knew the Beatles?

Okay, now that was definitely unexpected. In the best possible way.

Diana's eyes flashed. "Oh, of course you'd ask me to pick a favorite," she said with a laugh, tossing her head back. "Come on, though. That's like asking a mom to pick her favorite kid."

Then again, Selene had always been partial to Simon. At least, when they were both still alive.

She shrugged. "I guess, if I had to pick? All You Need Is Love." With one hand, she played a couple notes from the chorus. "Because it's all there in the title, you know?"

[konpeito_aji]

He even knows some Billy Joel now! He's been trying to crash course a lot of things all at once, and the Beatles are luckily folksy enough he can understand them. Sharky is very cool, but Disco will never be something Nobunaga gets.

Nobunaga nods! "Do you think that's true?" He leans his chin onto a fist in thought.

[diana_abel]

"Oh, of course," she said. "Love is like oxygen. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love!"

Yeah, Moulin Rouge was her favorite movie. So what if it was cheesy as hell? It spoke to her and every inch of her bohemian ideals. Ideals that Diana clung to. She needed them. They kept her sane in a decidedly insane life.

Or unlife? Unlife. Whatever.

She shrugged one shoulder. "I think that...without love, we run the risk of becoming less than we're meant to be. If that makes any sense at all." Like she'd said to Clarke-with-an-E the other day, "Empathy relies on understanding what pain is like and not wanting anyone else to feel that kind of pain. I get through loss by remembering that it keeps me human. Ish. And, I mean, also the hope of finding love again. Because when it's good, it's really, really good."

library

[nyktifanis]

If I may take a guess... this is where new beginnings start, correct? New inspiration for a new song.

( with a book in hand, pollux sets it down on her lap as the female next to her asked her personal queries. whether or not she knew if diana was talking to her or not doesn't matter as she turns her head to look at her now. she recalls this as the person that jason had been chatting up at the meeting, so she's already good in pollux's book. )

Now you have to find your muse, something that stands out so you can continue singing.

( she hasn't said it, but she does believe the other has a nice voice. )

[diana_abel]

[Diana lets out a very dignified little squawk. She hadn't noticed anyone else in the library. And while she's not embarrassed--it's hard to embarrass Diana--she does look a little guilty.

People are trying to read in here!]

Merde. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your reading.

[nyktifanis]

Hehe. It's fine, it's always nice to find those who can sing a tune while out at sea.

( she's met very many people who can hold a note, but every time she's just as impressed to hear the emotion in their voice. some heartbroken while others manage to keep their wits about them, but she can hear the hope in diana's song— )

What's the name of it?

[diana_abel]

The song?

[Diana nips at her lower lip. That's always the hardest part. Finding the right title. Which is why she usually leaves that part to the very end, or else lets someone else do it.

The thing is, she's at the end now. And with none of her colleagues around to make a mark.]

"What Was Meant To Be Found," I think.

[nyktifanis]

Hm.

( she hums in thought, looking at the other before down at the ground. )

In the song, do they find it?

( since it was something that was meant to be found, but it can't actually be lost... so that could allude to that someone has it, but what if they have to keep searching to eventually find it one day? )

[diana_abel]

[Now there's a question she never expected.]

I'm not sure. The song sort of ends without answering it. I guess it depends on the perspective of anyone listening.

Personally, I think so...

[nyktifanis]

If that's so, I believe you should say commit to that being the answer to the song. It'd be more hopeful.

( for her to sing her heart out and have someone listening to think that opposite, her song would lose its spark. that's the last thing they need. )

That's how things should be.