[For 11-12] "My Heart at Your Sweet Voice..."

[chromaggiadiva]

If 11-12 follows Ryuk's suggestion and heads for the ballroom, he may hear the voice before he reaches it: a rich but light soprano voice singing a sensuous aria, full of longing:

Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix,
comme s'ouvrent les fleurs
Aux baiser de l'aurore!
Mais, ô mon bienaimé,
pour mieux sécher mes pleurs,
Que ta voix parle encore!*

Once he enters, he will find a woman with long, wavy dark hair, standing by a window, a music stand before her, singing with arms outstretched, then slowly drawing her hands in toward her heart, as if beckoning any listeners or some unseen lover to approach.

Mag has been working on expanding her repertoire and that includes relearning arias she'd set aside, as well as learning new material. But she's starting to tire just a little from a day of practicing and she'd welcome the chance for a break.

*"My heart opens to your voice
Like the flowers open
to the kisses of the dawn!
But, oh my beloved,
to better dry my tears,
Let your voice speak again!" -- Unfortunately, that is not Sarah Brightman singing it in the vid I've linked.

Comments

[villageson.livejournal.com]

11-12 does hear her and, going inside quietly, he pauses at the door to listen, waiting until she is done to speak up.

"That was lovely."

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

She looks up, surprised, but pleased to have an audience. "Thank you, I'm still working at relearning that one: it's a diamond in the rough right now, as it still needs polishing," she says. "Do you like opera?"

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"I've heard some in recordings. It's different seeing it live like this."

No, he hasn't seen any shows though.

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it is: no recording, however clear, can capture the ambience of a live performance," she says. "I like giving concerts more than recording for that reason. I'm Magdelan DeFoe, please, just call me Mag."

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"It's nice to meet you," he says politely, "I'm 11-12."

And he pauses, as if waiting for the inevitable reaction saying his name so often brings.

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

Her face grows puzzled. "That's an unusual name. Were you part of an experiment of some kind?" she asks. "You weren't the eleventh of twelve clones or some such, were you?" She's heard of such things happening in her world...

[villageson.livejournal.com]

11-12 sighs softly. "No. Although I guess you could say the world I come from was kind of like an experiment. For more details on that you'd have to speak with my mother - she is here at the mansion."

He pauses before going on. "But everyone from the Village, where I am from, has numbers for names. I was surprised when I left there to find everyone outside has words instead."

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"I would be glad to meet her: I've been rather solitary since I came here and I should meet more of the people who live here. I was always surrounded by people in the world I came from, so I've been rather vigilant about my solitude," she admits, seating herself on a window seat and patting the cushion beside her, inviting him to join her. "So you grew up in the Village?"

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"It's nice to have time alone sometimes," he says quietly as he sits where she indicates. "Yes, I... It was the only place I ever knew before some.. terrible things happened and I got out of there."

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

She smiles with deep sympathy. "I'm all too familiar with that myself," she says. "My own world was limited by the man who held my contract, until I chose to break one of its many terms. I won't horrify you with the details, but I destroyed something that my manager had helped me acquire, and so he ended my life. Then I woke up here, healed of my injuries. It's as if I found my heaven here and a second chance at fulfilling my dreams on my own terms."

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"It's terrible to be murdered," 11-12 says knowingly, biting his lip slightly and looking thoughtful and away. "It's nice to be able to get second chances."

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"Some would say I took my life, since the choices I made would most certainly have lead to my death at my master's hands: he was a cruel man for whom life was cheap, and I knew what would happen. But he cannot harm me here and I am at peace," she says sagely. "But enough of sad things in the past. I'm planning a concert and I'm rather nervous and excited to be planning such a thing on my own."

[villageson.livejournal.com]

11-12 looks saddened by her earlier words but brightens at the last. "You're going to sing more? Like a show? Do you want any help?"

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it's going to be a short performance, but we could use a page turner, if you would be interested in helping us," she says. "Can you read music?"

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"Page turner? Oh, you mean as you read the music?" 11-12 confirms. "I can read a little... I was given some music books once, to learn to sing better."

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I've found a pianist to accompany me, and it's a rather a bit of a distraction for me to pause to turn the page," she says. Then she pauses and asks, hopefully, "Do you sing?"

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"I can a little. People have told me I'm good but I don't know. I try to practice sometimes," he says.

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"I can play the piano a little," she says. "If you like, I could help you practice. Some times it's just a matter of having someone with a good ear to help you hit the notes and get the right pitch."

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"If you have the time, I'd like that," he smiles.

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"I'd be more than delighted to," she says, smiling, her blue eyes sparkling with anticipation. "You'd be my first real student."

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"Do you want me to sing something now? Maybe I'm not even good enough..," he says a little shyly.

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"Only if you really want to: I wouldn't want you to feel as though I've put you on the spot, though I admit, I would very much like to hear you sing," she says, moving toward the piano. "I can probably accompany you or at least play the melody."

[villageson.livejournal.com]

"Do you have some sheet music here?" 11-12 asks, looking at the piano as they walk over. "Something I might be able to sing?"

[chromaggia-diva.livejournal.com]

"I have a few showtunes here," she says, rummaging in a pile that's laying on the piano, and selects a few small folios. "Strangers in Paradise" is on the top, but there's several others underneath it. "I try to be an eclectic singer: there's no such thing as serious music and light music, in my mind, there's only good music and bad music."

[villageson.livejournal.com]

He gives her a brief smile then picks up the top piece, Strangers In Paradise. He glances through it before he begins humming.

"I can try this one," he says, waiting for her to start playing.