That boy introduced himself as Velvet and he made me a proposal I couldn't refuse…
VELVET : There's an engineer in Woodman, part of the guild there. He's good. He might be able to forge you a new arm.
VELVET : Of course, that's easier said than done, but… If you're serious about being a musician, then I think it's worth a shot.
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HEATH : Here we are… Over The Rainbow…
The certainty radiating from the boy was almost too much to bear, and before long I'd dragged my heavy body all the way there…
HEATH : (I doubt I'll ever be able to play like I used to… Even with a prosthetic arm…)
HEATH : (What's the point of even coming here… I can't play what I want either way…)
Still, I couldn't give up on what little hope he'd given me so I braced myself, and headed up the apartment.
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Waiting for me there was… A tall, young man, with a surprisingly handsome face, almost as if it had been crafted by hand.
????? : ….Hello.
HEATH : H-Hi, I uhh…
????? : Allow me to confirm. Are you Heath?
HEATH : Yeah, I'm Heath… And you are?
????? : Lord Velvet told me what happened. I am Towa, the Puppeteer.
HEATH : …Huh!? So it's you…
Velvet had given me his name.
He was my one hope. The one Velvet believed could save me.
And now that he was in front of me… I couldn't help feeling anxious, nauseous… Like I'd been holding my breath for far too long...
HEATH : Towa, I'm... I want to be able to make people smile again.
TOWA : Apologies, Master Heath. I do not understand what you mean.
HEATH : Oh, uhh… Sorry. I'm not good at this… I mean, umm…
HEATH : Assuming we went ahead with the procedure, I was, uh, wondering if I… If I'd ever be able to play the piano again…
TOWA : That I do not know. This is experimental technology. First, we would have to fit the prosthetic. We'll have no way of knowing until we do some tests.
TOWA : For what it's worth, the prosthetic I've manufactured is capable of understanding one's willl, and will move according to the user.
TOWA : Through rehabilitation and continued improvements to the technology, we should be able to bring the prosthetic closer in function to that of a real arm.
TOWA : So, to that, the one thing I can say at this point with absolute certainty, is that this will not be a half-hearted effort.
HEATH : I… I was prepared for such but… This is going to be a long road, isn't it?
A prosthetic hand that can move in tandem with the wearer… When I first heard about it, it sounded like some farfetched dream.
It's amazing technology but it's still experimental… That's exactly why I worry that this might just might just be a huge waste of time.
HEATH : (But… But I have no choice. I have to take my chances with this…)
HEATH : Please take good care of me, Towa.
I bowed my head toward Towa, dipping even further down than when I'd finish a concert set at a competition.
TOWA : Please raise your head, Master Heath. I've not yet done anything to deserve your gratitude.
TOWA : I will do my best to be of service to you.
HEATH : …Th-Thank you!
And thus, I took my first step toward rediscovering the meaning of my life...
