@muutos ( rain ) said : We don't choose passion, we feel it.
THE REHEARSAL ROOM IS EMPTY SAVE FOR the two ghouls huddled in a corner with their instruments . phantom should have known he'd find the other there . he's not sure he's ever met someone as passionate about his music as rain except for papa . he's sat in awe of the water ghoul more times than he can count , desperate to be just as good and just as loved . maybe it was a stupid dream , a stupid wish … but he couldn't help but want rain TO BE IMPRESSED BY HIM in some way . definitely a stupid hope , right ?
there's been something growing between them , something that makes phantom's chest swell every time he looks at the other . but it comes with this need to make him proud , to show him that he was worth being with , staying with . he's still doing his best to fit in , to find his footing AND HIS PLACE within the band while everyone seems to be getting more used to his presence . at least they've stopped actively shunning him or whispering behind his back within earshot of him . it's a start . and having rain on his side has made it much easier to deal with , has given him something to be happy about other than stepping onstage .
when he'd been summoned , he hadn't been sure how he'd feel about playing a guitar . in the pit , the only music that seemed to exist were voices , ghouls creating their OWN MELODIES to call out to others , melodies that were unique to each voice . there had been souls that seemed musical , ones who had a song on their tongue that suffered from lack of breath in their lungs , but somehow they found a way . but instruments … he had only seen them in the eyes of the dead who found themselves yearning for that which they loved most . he had never been sure if he should pity those whose heart called out for music instead of a loved one . until now . now he understands . now it ALL MAKES SENSE .
when he'd had a guitar pushed into his hands and touched the strings for the first time , it was like instinct . there was a connection to the instrument that he had never expected , a connection he didn't know could exist with an inanimate object . but he now understands that the souls that sobbed that they'd lost a part of them they couldn't bring with them , those that swore that music had been their entire life . in the beginning NO ONE HAD BEEN ABLE TO separate him from the guitar . he'd thrown himself into a days long learning spree , forgetting that eating and sleeping existed and hadn't come out of his den until he had finished learning kaisarion .
maybe that's why HE HAD ALWAYS FELT SO DRAWN to the bassist …
he crosses the room , letting the heavy door fall closed behind him , and takes a seat at rain's feet , leg's crossed and hands crossed over the other's thigh , chin resting on his knee as mismatched eyes look up at him in awe . rain has always been beautiful , but never more beautiful than when he's lost in his playing . the quint considers himself a lucky ghoul . as the music dies , phantom can't help but tease him about his dedication … but the RESPONSE IS UNEXPECTED . eyes move from rain's features to the fingers resting on the strings of the bass and falls quiet for a beat .
lips roll together and brows pinch as he searches for his own words . he keeps his focus on the other's hands when he finds them . “ kind of like i didn't choose to be passionate about you ? ” cheeks flush a darker shade of purple and he clears his throat . “ you know that every time you pick that thing up , everyone can feel how passionate you are about it . there's this glow that you somehow get when YOU'RE ONSTAGE or even just practicing . part of why i like you so much , i think . you give so many shits about the music . ”
