Deral and Lex come to the table with drinks. Lex sits next to Theodessa, and Deral takes the opposite seat. 

“So, Sunshine, What genre do you play?”

“I wouldn’t quite call them laments, but I guess since funeral homes have me on speed dial, it can’t be too far off.”

“I figured—you make music for funerals?”

“Technically, only a small funeral home in Michigan and a few stray mourners.”

“What instrument do you play?”

“Mostly piano, but in the land of tech, I have a wider range.”

“Why not show off your piano skills?” Carlet asked. “Jasper won’t mind.”

No, they wouldn’t. Still, Theodessa shook her head — or tried to. Carlet turned around and called out to Jasper. 

Jasper, without pause, turned to Carlet. “Are you planning on distracting me?” 

“We’re convincing our friend here to compete. We’re seeing her fighting chance.”

Jasper hit an off-key, stopping when they saw Theodessa. Their jaw tightened, and eyes widened. The surprise, and even fear, was quickly masked by a confidant smile. “The piano’s all yours, Cloud.”

Theodessa pulled out her worn music book, cursing out Carlet in her mind. Lex stepped out, allowing Theodessa full access to the Piano. 

As Theodessa passed Jasper, she smiled. In the way, an old acquaintance should if they walked past each other on the street. Jasper didn’t return the gesture, rolling their eyes.

Theodessa took her place on the Piano bench. As though it was her throne, the pedals her guards,  and the keys her subjects. The music, the country.

Theodessa flips through her music book. Most of them were erased, etched out of existence. Some were clean, and others were repeats of simple melodies. She found one with a green check mark in the corner. One she accepted into her memory bank. 

The song started slow and simple. Most of hers did. She eased into the familiarity of the keys and each of their unique sounds. After a few repeats of the melody, she played a strong cord, allowing the song to progress in complexity and tempo. The newly complex melody went down a few octaves, darkening the song. The song gained tempo and rose an octave. A pause. Slowly, much slower and darker than she began, she played the original melody. She let the last note mingle in with the silence. 

Theodessa looked back to see Jasper’s expression, but they were gone. Instead, Carlet rushed forward, and squeezed Theodessa, complementing her music to no end.