The Winter Coronation is fast approaching and Cassandra still hasn't decided exactly what she is getting John. She's had a few ideas, all music related. He loves music, of course that would be her first thought. Something that has been constantly shifting in and out of her mind is composition. It requires a level of improvisation, which has always made her uncomfortable. Improvisation requires a level of freeness and vulnerability that she has never been good with. She doesn't really know any Winters that are particularly good with that to begin with.


She sits at her piano, Aria asleep in her cat bed below and Cassandra begins to play a tune. It's something that has been stuck in her head for weeks. Maybe it is something she is supposed to work with. She plunks away, note after note, trying to form the phrases. The music should sing, wordless yet thought evoking.


As she composes, she pours her soul into it. Line after line comes together and a melody slowly begins to form. There is a romantic air to it, something both delicate yet filled with a hint of spice.


She switches back and forth between her instruments occasionally, testing the way each note sounds between the two. She wants to write something that just captures John himself. How kind he is, how serious he is about keeping others safe from harm, how he'd put his own self in danger if it meant those he cared about were safe. Even beyond that, she wants to capture that sensitivity, that boy longing to be loved who finally is. The music in his voice and laughter. Every little facet, she wants to capture into song.


What she creates is stunning. Something you want to listen to over and over again. There is an ebb and flow to it that creates a scene in your mind, meant to evoke a response of joy and at times, sorrow. Hidden within the piece is a deep love, one easily mistakeable for a loving friendship. It isn't that far off. John is her best friend and more than anything, they are a team. A team on more levels than just the one, blessed by the Wyrd itself.


A year ago, she was making him a mirror and stressing about her feelings for him. Now look at where they are. Nothing could make her happier than where they are now. This energy shows in the piece. Yes. Everything would fall into place.


When she is finished, she plays the piece on her cello. Tears. She'll have to make sure she doesn't shed too many when she plays it for him at the coronation.


Composition - 26 Successes