Practice. Practice. Practice. This is the life of a musician. If you are awake, capable of thought and movement, you practice. That's what Cassandra's life felt like in-between crafting for her side business and taking time to spend with John. But now she has a special project she needs to do.

She'd never really done much recording, but she wanted to give it a try, having friends in the business would make sure the recording would be the kind of quality she needed. It's for him, she had to keep that in mind if things begin to get frustrating. He wasn't as familiar with her world of music, so why not put together some of her favorite pieces to show him? He'd made her a similar one, after all. She couldn't not reciprocate. Well, cute in idea, hard to execute.

She called upon her accompanist friend and they worked together over a few of evenings. Six pieces she needed to record. Yes. She could do this. First, start with the hardest one.

She thought the Rachmaninoff was going to be the hardest. She really did, but something about the sensuality of the piece really hit her. It wasn't just romantic, it held tension in such a unique way. The way it dances with the piano, going back and forth between the legato and rough allegro sections just evokes such a passion, and it clearly shows in her playing.

Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor - Lento


Now it is Oblivion. It was the first piece he'd heard her play and for some reason, she just couldn't get it the way she wanted at first. Try after try. It wasn't ever bad. In fact, her accompanist thought each time that it was perfect, but the Artist could hear the slight errors. Her Keeper whispering in her ear that she could do better. It took more tries than she would have liked, but finally, she got it where she had wanted it. The hauntingly beautiful piece finally played as well as she wanted it to be. It was a relief.

Oblivion


That was it for that evening. They'd go again. Four more pieces. She could make this happen.

The next time she gets together with her accompanist, they tackle Schwanengesang: Ständchen. It had been one of her favorites played when before her time in Arcadia. Having played it recently, it just resonated in a way that brought her mind to him, the lyrics of the original vocal piece evoking just the right images. The first go she plays it, it is exactly how she wants it. No piece she plays will ever be perfect, but if she can catch his ear exactly how she wants to, then it'll have been worth it.

Schwanengesang: Ständchen


Three more. Au bord de l'eau, another beautiful vocal piece. The sweetness of passing time, spending it together. Yes. This is another that would do for this. It took two playthroughs, but she got it. They were making good time tonight. She didn't think they would finish, but it was off to a good start.

Au bord de l'eau


Next, Après un rêve. This was the one from the Winter Coronation. Completely his fault. She was supposed to play one piece, but had been so distracted that another came out. You'd wonder how that could happen with music, particularly with an instrument, but it just did. It came from her heart. She wonders if he'll recognize it at all. That night had been... well, distracting. The emotions that filled her as she played made it difficult to get the recording she wanted, finding herself tearing more than once.

She could feel her own emotions from that night. Recognition of just how strong her feelings had been, how... everything. And now he is hers. Words couldn't possibly explain how that felt. It was then she found that sweet spot, channeling those feelings instead of those of that evening. Just this. Just you. Only you.

Après un rêve


Finally, last evening. It had been the perfect timing too. She needed to practice The Swan with the group, so she could kill two birds with one stone. This was... difficult. She started off strong, getting a lot of the sound she wanted, but it just wasn't right. She was beginning to get to a point where she thought she might just have to deal with an inferior performance of this piece, when it just came to her. This time, there was no real rhyme or reason to it, it just was. When she reached the end, tears slipped from her eyes. It wasn't just ready to be put together, but it was a collection of every last bit of effort she had and she'd done it for him.

The Swan


All the other pieces had been ready, sitting on her drive put in the exact order she wanted. Each final recording of these pieces were downloaded and put into place. How best for a musician to show their love than by song? It made her heart sing. She hoped it would make his too.