Chapter 83: Research (1)
Passersby swarmed around them, moving to and from. They were walking the streets, watching street performances killing until they needed to head to the orchestra. They had watched one accordion performance, one harpsichord performance, two drum performances, and four violin performances. Each of them had been separate performances with no accompanying instrument, well, except for singing. Both of the drummers sang while performing and one of the violinists had someone singing along to his performance.
Three of the eight songs had been the same but their arrangements had been slightly different from each other. And every single one of the pieces they had heard had been lively and upbeat, easily exciting the crowd.
Adrien was slowly gaining an understanding of this world’s type of music by relying on the Original’s memories and the performances he had seen that day. If he had to pick, he would say this world’s music was similar to the baroque style from his world. . .but what did he know? Just because he loved music and even played the piano did not mean he was an expert. He lived with two older sisters who loved pop music, so he knew more about that than he did about any of the classics.
"Shall we grab a bite to eat before heading over?" Mikyle asked. Mikyle was dressed simply in casual clothes, and his hair was alchemically-dyed brown. The only thing that hadn’t changed was his vibrantly shining crimson eyes that were as red as freshly cut rubies.
Adrien looked around at the small hole-in-the-wall cafés and the food stalls set up. Since they were in the entertainment district, there was plenty to do and eat. The setup reminded him of the festivals and outdoor markets back in his old world.
Not far down the road was a stall selling fried lamb balls and hard bread with an egg in the center. Another stall was selling fish and chips. There was a café selling beef stew and sandwiches. There were fried sausage links and sausages wrapped in bacon. The food was certainly different from what had been served at the Count’s manor and the academy.
Adrien looked up at Mikyle. "Sure. But why don’t you pick. I don’t think I’ve ever had any of these foods before."
A sly smile crept its way onto Mikyle’s lips. "Why don’t we try a little bit of everything then." And that was the only warning he had before Mikyle went to each stall and bought something from each of them. And he looked natural doing it. Adrien had the feeling that Mikyle might have snuck out of the castle a few times just to slum it with the rest of the commoners. It certainly does seem like something that he would do. And the Queen Regent was also known for this kind of behavior, so I can definitely see the two of them wearing disguises as they sneak around trying various foods while blending into the crowd.
Mikyle came back while balancing several different skewers and small food baskets in his hands. Adrien glanced at them and recognized a few of them as dishes from his old world, dishes that he and his sisters had never tried. Though most of their dishes had been mainly spicy chicken feet since that had been his second sister’s favorite dish.
He and Milyle found somewhere to sit. Adrien watched as the crowd thinned around them as he quietly ate, trying each dish at Mikyle’s urging. The fish and chips were good but a bit greasy. The lamb balls were flavorful and the meat was juicy and tender. The baked potato was dry and there was unfortunately no butter or soy sauce around to add flavor. There were also dishes like salted asparagus and sugared lemon slices.
After eating, it was nearly time to head to the concert hall. Instead of taking a carriage, they walked there to allow them time to digest their food. Mikyle held Adrien’s hand in his the entire time.
Because Mikyle was wearing a disguise, they had purchased lower-class tickets which placed them on the ground floor. The two of them took their seats, watching as the crowd came flooding in.
When the concert began, Adrien was in awe. While the street performances were upbeat and lively, the music in the concert hall was sensuous and dramatic and fit more toward storytelling, more like the music that played during plays.
He liked how upbeat the street music was and he liked how sensuous and dramatic concert music was. Would he be able to combine the two? But would he be able to do it if it was just him on the violin?
The concert ended and Adrien’s mind was flooded with insubstantial ideas. He knew in which direction he wanted to go, but he wasn’t sure on where to start. He needed to find a song he could rearrange to fit the violin and the style of this world’s music. . .but his mind was blank. Well, not blank exactly. Living in a house with two older sisters, he had been exposed to many pop songs by female artists, both Korean and American alike. He had also been forced to play quite a few of them on the piano. Too bad he never got to play Beethoven, Purcell, or Tchaikovsky. Those would have been really good artists to draw inspiration from.
"Your brow is furrowing." Mikyle emphasized his words by pressing a finger in between Adrien’s eyebrows. He ignored the warming, tingling sensation that accompanied that simple touch. "Have you gained an idea of what you want to do?"
Adrien sighed and he felt his tense shoulders relax as he drew his mind away from the things he couldn’t change. His eyes drifted up and nearly crossed when he saw Mikyle’s finger still in the center of his forehead. Adrien looked away as he gently swatted away Mikyle’s finger. "I think so. Sort of," his voice was as uncertain as his thoughts were. "I think I know the general feel I want the song to have, but I’m not sure on wh-the type of song yet, nor am I confident that it will sound as I imagine it with just me on the violin," he admitted softly.
"Hmm. At least you now have a general idea. You have plenty of time to figure out the rest." Mikyle spoke with a soft reassurance as he walked hand in hand with Adrien in a relaxed manner. "And I’ll always be here to be your sounding board."
The sun was lowering in the sky by the time they made their way back. Adrien had decided to do a rough rearrangement of a few songs and have Mikyle pick the best. But he didn’t get started right away once they were back. He was afraid he would just jumble everything up and push himself back into a rabbit hole if he tried to work with how jumbled and chaotic his mind was at the current moment.
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