Free Minds

Chapter 84.

"Wait!" Dorian stood up abruptly before I could say anything. "Sorry. I just remembered I have something for you." he smiled at my confused state.

"Okay." I blinked, reaching out to the hand he'd stretched out and getting on my feet.

   I was behind him as he picked up a bottle of wine and his glass, moved to the piano and took a seat next to him on the bench behind it. As his hands settled onto the black and white keys, I noticed how they did so with such ease, like it'd been done a thousand times before, which I suppose in Dorian's case, it had.

   His fingers sunk into one key, then another, then the standalone melodies began to sound more harmonised as he began to play multiple keys at the same time. The stealth movement of his hands and how precise he was every time made him look like one of those viral sensations that came on shows from time to time. The best part about watching him was that he looked like he was really enjoying himself playing... wait...

"That's the Seekers theme song!" I squealed, grabbing at his arm. Then realising that wasn't a good idea. "Sorry. What I meant to say was, thank you."

"You're welcome."

   Since Tali's capture and the events that followed, to the constant training and review over the plan made it impossible for me to get through a single comic without interruptions during the day. And even at night, when I was free, exhaustion took me straight to bed.

   Hearing this song from my favourite comic book turned movie and TV show, however, plus being so close to home for the first time in days, made me understand what Dorian meant by the normalcy he felt when playing the piano more than ever.

"Question one," he said, softening his fingers on the piano so that it sounded quieter.

   Oh, right. I'd been on the verge of asking him questions before he started playing. It was nice to know that the music wasn't some kind of distraction. Although, it would have been a very good one.

   It was getting harder to ask him about the Virtual Reality Dance and the exploding camera. He'd already answered questions about the tattoo and told me about large, painful parts of his past I didn't even ask about. It would be wrong to take advantage of this moment. And he promised earlier that i was going to know everything so what's the rush?

"If you had a pet, what would it be and what would you name it?" I asked.

"Uh..." I detected the surprise tainting his response, but it was brief. "I suppose it would be a cat and, boy or girl, his or her name will be Fefu."

"That's an awful name," I snickered.

"Excuse me," he had a mock offended face. "Can you come up with a better one?"

"Not right now, but I'm pretty sure I can think of a thousand names way better than Fefu." I teased.

"I wait in high anticipation for your shame when that name catches on," Dorian shook his head while playing the final notes of the theme song.

   I shook my head. "So how'd you learn to play the piano? Who taught you?"

   Instantly, the melodies of one of the Seekers songs sounded harsher, darker, just like the current look his face had. I watched his fingers move across the keys faster and faster, maintaining the dark edge he'd introduced, until the song came to an end.

   I released a breath louder than intended. Even with those creepy tweaks, the song still sounded good.

"My parents," Dorian finally answered me. "My birth parents."

"I'm sorry."

   Way to ruin the night, Beth. And on just the third question. This has to be some sort of sad record.