Music Lessons

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 6:19am by Ashshy Ayan & Tisar Zemel & Eva Griffin
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 4:59pm

Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Rec Deck/The Stellar Symphony
Timeline: Current

A Mission Post by Tisar Zemel & Ashshy Retol Ayan & Aoife Brennan
Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Rec Deck/The Stellar Symphony
Timeline: Current

ON:

Tisar Zemel sat across from the Bajoran in amazement. Ayan had been there for almost an hour, but Tisar was still amazed at his presence. He watched the man play the small, Bajoran lap harp as he kept time with a stick on his own knee. The song was simple, yet had the maturity of an advanced learner and in the hour that they had been together Ayan had graciously taken Tisar's instruction and learned the entire tune in one sitting. The Bajoran definitely understood the basics, but lacked the speed and tempo control of a practiced musician. Tisar had also enjoyed his company. Ayan was relaxed and did not make an issue of what could have been an uncomfortable situation, considering they were both old enough to have experienced the conflict between their two people.

Ayan had been nervous. He had made the plan to learn music from the Cardassian and set up times to come and learn, but as the first time had neared he had felt the strain. Ayan admitted to himself easily that he had not sought out Cardassians to be friends with, but he had also not been unwelcome if the situation had presented itself. It simply hadn't until now. He did honestly want to learn how to play his small harp better and now, as a civilian, he had more than enough time on his hands for such pursuits. Once he was in the shop he was relieved to find that the Cardassian was more than welcoming. He was personable, even funny and truly loved what he was doing. He helped Ayan repair the small amount of damage to his harp and did it with love and respect, which definitely helped put Ayan at ease.

When the song concluded, Tisar grinned and clapped. "Excellent! You've come a long way in one afternoon! I can't believe that you are the same person who told me you weren't any good." He patted the Bajoran on the shoulder affectionately.

Ayan beamed. "Thank you, Tisar. I've really enjoyed our session and thank you so much for the help with the repairs. It sounds beautiful."

"It just needed a little love. I want to send you home with some of the oil I used on the wood. It will help keep it from cracking, but before you go, I think we should try one more song. It is an old Bajoran tune and I was told once that sailors used to sing it. I was hoping that you knew it. I have a flute and I would like to play with you." He leaned back and pulled a piece of sheet music from a stack of papers behind his counter and then held the music out for Ayan to see.

Ayan looked over at the music and chuckled warmly. "I do know it! My mother used to sing it, although I've never played it on the harp. You might have to get me started." He looked up from the music at the Cardassian, eagerly.

Tisar nodded. "The good part is, the harp part is much of the rhythm. I can show you." He took the harp from Ayan and gently plucked out the tune. "See... and then you just repeat..." He handed the harp back. "I will carry the melody. I think you'll enjoy this." He smiled broadly.

Ayan nodded, also smiling. "I'm very willing to give it a try. Shall we?"

They started together after Tisar had counted out the time. He played a small flute that was similar to the ocarina of Earth. It had four holes and the pitch was high, but sweet. The tune, to say the least, was rather jaunty.

The tune never reached its conclusion as the shrill toot of another whistle sounded off.

"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry!" Rebekah exclaimed as she came through the shop with Aoife tooting away cheerily in her arms. "We didn't mean to interrupt your session, is there another time we can come back for a lesson?" the nurse asked Tisar with embarrassment.

Tisar stopped playing with a grin. "No no! Please come in and have a seat!" He stood and retrieved two more chairs, even though Aoife would probably not use it. "This is the perfect time. Ayan and I were just finishing up. Have you met?" He smiled and gestured at the now usable chairs.

Ayan also stood, smiling. He bowed politely, the little harp in his hands. "We have not officially met, but I believe that you may have met my husband, Dr. Eiri Ashshy?"

Rebekah came closer and deposited Aoife into one of the chairs. "You're Ayan? Oh this is so convenient, I was hoping to meet with you some time today," Rebekah stated with relief. "Your husband helped me make a breakthrough with Aoife last night, and then he mentioned that you were good with kids and that you might be willing to help me look after my charge for a little bit. Although for now, I'm hoping to get a lesson; she had a nightmare last night and wouldn't go back to sleep, she kept playing the same note over and over, and I swear if I hear that note for much longer then I think I may just lose my mind," Rebekah stated candidly. "Sorry to be so blunt, but she has been a handful since her mother went missing."

Ayan crouched down in front of the chair Aoife was sitting in and grinned at the little fawn child. "Oh yeah? Are you a handful. I bet you are! It's always the smallest ones that you have to look out for." He chuckled. "I'm glad to meet you both. Eiri said that he had potentially volunteered me for babysitting duties. I really like your flute! Can you play it?" He looked up at Rebekah with a grin. "She's so cute!"

Aoife tilted her head curiously, then started to play all the different sounds she had learned to make on the whistle, which was a relief to Rebekah's ears. From a musical standpoint, she had most of the notes needed to actually play music, but she was still missing a few and she was still blowing too hard for the sounds to be entirely pleasing to the ear.

"Yeah, she looks real cute, but she's really a demon in disguise," Rebekah said dryly. "Although I have it on good authority that Ms. Brennan was the same way as a kid, so at least we know where this one gets it," she added with a chuckle.

Ayan chuckled. "I can only imagine! She looks like all sorts of trouble! Right?" He sounded like he might be giving Rebekah a hard time, but his gaze said that he completely believed her. "I have lots of activities for young people. We can learn to paint... and color... and play with clay... We'll even make the clay ourselves so it will be safe for you to eat it if you want to. I'd be more than happy to watch her for you. Or at least keep her busy for awhile and make sure she doesn't die," he joked.

"Right, don't die, you've got the basics necessities down," Rebekah said with an approving nod. "But for now, lessons. Mr. Zemel, you seemed to handle her so well yesterday during all the chaos, I hope it's not too much to ask if you can teach someone as young as Aoife."

Tisar leaned on one of the chairs and grinned, looking at Aoife. "I'm definitely not opposed to trying. Every child is different, of course. Do you know how she learns best?" He looked up at Rebekah. "Some children like to be shown, some like to discover on their own with guidance, of course."

"She's fairly adaptable, she can figure things out on her own and she takes well to more direct instruction as well; the part where it gets tricky is when she decides she wants to do it a certain way, but she doesn't tell you what she wants to do, she just stubbornly digs her heels in," Rebekah replied.

Tisar nodded. "Ah, I see. Well then, we will offer to teach and see if she would like to learn." He grinned.

Ayan stood. "Would you like to go get something to eat for yourself?" he asked Rebekah. "I can watch her if you while he teaches, if you like..." he offered with a warm smile. He stepped back out of the way so that Tisar could take a seat across from Aoife.

"Actually, that would be perfect," Rebekah said with a sigh of relief; she was reaching a point where she needed to step away anyway to help her catch her second wind, and a nice quiet lunch should do just the trick! "I won't be far if you need me, and I'll come back in about an hour, but you can always call for me sooner if the need arises. How does that sound?" she asked

"Sounds great to me," Ayan answered. "I'll just sit over here and be back up, just in case." He chuckled. "Go... enjoy yourself. Take a break." The tall Bajoran made shooing motions with his hands.

Rebekah looked down at Aoife. "Alright, kiddo, you have fun with Mr Zemel and Mr Ashshy, and I'll be back in a little while," she said to the pint-sized budding musician. Aoife waved in return, then continued blowing on her little whistle.

Once Rebekah had stepped outside of the shop, Tisar turned his attention to Aoife. He held out a little flute that looked just like hers and put it to his own lips and played a simple two note tune. Lifting the specific fingers high so she could see which ones moved. "See... we can make a little tune!" He repeated the process, this time showing her that he was blowing very gently on the flute.

Aoife's ears stood upright to display her intense interest as she watched and listened to him play. She was keenly attentive to his fingers, and even though she was not blowing on her flute, she looked down at her own fingers to see if she could make her fingers do the same things as his. After a few rounds of this two-note tune, she started blowing, only to realize her notes did not sound as nice as his. Again she watched him and realized how gently he was playing, so she continued, blowing more and more gently with each note until her notes stopped sounding so shrill and started to sound pretty! It was like magic! Aoife chirped cheerily with excitement, then continued to follow the pattern of notes Tisar played.

Tisar grinned and encouraged her with little moments of clapping. "Very good! Here... let's try this." He did the same two notes, but then added a third note, which also required the addition of another finger. He played it several times, making sure to bend down so she could see what his fingers were doing. Once he got her to play three notes he started in on the fourth. He kept it simple, just playing the four notes in the same order.

It was a simple pattern, so Aoife was able to keep up; a few times she got her fingers mixed up, but each time they cycled through the notes she made fewer mistakes and less often. This was exciting, she was playing it like Tisar and Mama played! After a moment, she chirped with excitement, causing the Cardassian to stop, and quickly she started playing the notes again to show that she could do it on her own.

Tisar clapped for her again. She was a very fast learner and he felt that it probably wouldn't be hard to teach her several tunes. When she was done showing him that she could do it, he leaned forward again and played the same four notes, but in a different order and pattern. If she could learn to change it up then she could learn a melody and they could have some real fun!

Her ears bolted upright once again and she giggled; she could do this too! The first couple of times she got it horribly wrong, but fearless as ever she continued on, watching his fingers to make sure she was doing it right and after a few more tries she was playing the notes in the same order as he. Listen and watch, listen and watch, her ears twitching at the slightest changes in the note pattern so she could copy what he did, never afraid to make mistakes and keep trying until it was perfect!

Tisar played with her until she got it and then he switched it up again, adding repeated notes and showing her how to make the little pipe trill with his tongue. When she had those he started to teach her an entire tune. It was a simple tune that could also be made more complicated as she learned. It was a tune that he had learned from his own mother when he was a child. One that he had always enjoyed and one of the first pieces of music he taught himself to play.

This was so much fun! With every new thing he showed her, Aoife's excitement grew anew, and as they started to put everything together, calling on things he had taught her earlier, she began to make mistakes, but through repetition they reinforced those lessons until she was getting it right. But then a funny thing happened when they started to play through the song in full; they were near the end of the song, and she had played through with hardly any mistakes, but then her eyes went wide like she had an epiphany. Aoife's fingers worked over the holes of her little whistle, thinking really hard for a moment, then her ears again stood tall like she was listening to something, but she was listening to something in her mind, a certain song... Slowly, she began to play, but she was testing out notes ever so softly before playing them with confidence, a pattern of notes, at first with no beat, no sense of tempo, but as she started putting more and more note patterns together, a definite melody was forming, and it wasn't the song that Tisar had just taught her to play.

Ayan grinned. "Wow... she's already writing her own music!"

Tisar was also grinning. "No no... she's heard it before. She was remembering how it sounded. I wish I was familiar with it. I'm actually surprised. I know a lot of music. So much music." He was speaking very softly, so as not to disturb the playing child. After she had gained more confidence and seemed to be playing the song that she knew in her head, he carefully joined her, anticipating the notes and adding some harmony to see her reaction.

It was about this time that Rebekah returned to the music shop; she was a little bit late, having decided to put her head on the table for a small nap, a nap that went much longer than she meant it to, but to make it up to Aoife she returned with a juice box and a bag of fresh cookies straight from Huyo's kitchen, still warm and soft! But when she got to the music store, she stopped mid-stride when she heard the music and saw Aoife and Tisar playing together; she had been very seriously underestimating Aoife's level intelligence, and Rebekah suddenly felt quite ashamed at the oversight!

"Well listen to her go!" Rebekah said with quiet amazement as she joined the group by sitting in the empty chair. Aoife was not at all hampered by the harmony Tisar was providing, nor the return of Rebekah, she just kept playing, wanting to work through to the end of the song. "Goodness me, is that- I think that's that song her mother sings for her!" Rebekah declared, still speaking softly so as not to interrupt Aoife.

Tisar nodded over the flute and his gaze met Rebekah's. He gave her a thumbs up.

Ayan smiled. "She's amazingly talented. She picked it up really fast. He showed her all the notes and taught her a song and then she started playing this all on her own."

With a shake of her head, Rebekah sighed in disbelief. "No wonder she could get so frustrated sometimes, she's probably been bored out of her mind!" she remarked. "Her mother, and Cailus for that matter, always thought she could do more, but Shae was also so cautious, and I never saw anything like this kind of potential... And here I thought we were making such progress! Looks like I was more than a little off in my assessments."

Aoife finally finished her little song and clapped happily that she had done it. And then she smiled at Rebekah, giving her a wave, although Rebekah wondered what Aoife was really interested in, her or the juice; Rebekah suspected it might actually be the cookies given the way Aoife's nose was twitching, but she started by handing Aoife the juice box. Aoife was grateful for the juice box as her throat was a bit dry from all the playing, and she gave Rebekah a cheerful chirp to thank her before sucking on the little straw.

"Well, I have to say I am impressed, you are quite the teacher, Mr Zemel," Rebekah said with a sheepish grin. "If you've got time in your schedule for daily lessons, I think it would be good for her to continue learning, and when her mother returns I'm going to recommend this to her."

"Of course and especially now," Tisar replied. "It will help her to keep her mind off of things and she will have something to show her mother when she returns." He smiled. "I think I could easily teach her four or five songs and get those down and then just add from there and thank you." He bowed a little, one hand on his chest as if he was flattered. "But the teacher can only teach when the student is willing to learn..."

"Yes, I think this would be the perfect distraction," Rebekah affirmed with a nod. "And you're definitely right about student needing to be willing to learn; seems like she's taught me a thing or two, so I'm going to have to re-evaluate how I've been teaching her and where we can improve her therapy." Aoife was a strange little girl; she was definitely unlike any other child Rebekah had tutored before because Aoife had a way of doing things that seemed almost magical!

Tisar looked up at Rebekah and smiled. "What sort of therapy does she have now?" he asked, curiously.

"Oof, do you really want to know?" Rebekah asked in return, and assuming the answer was a yes, she thought about Aoife's current schedule. "Well, mostly it's physical therapy; Aoife suffered from severe atrophy and muscle degradation from prolonged captivity. The main focus of her therapy has been helping her build strength and coordination, and teaching her the basics of walking, but she needs surgery before she's able to walk without assistance. We also have occupational therapy, teaching her to do things a child of her age should be able to do on her own, and then socialization, which she's made a great start befriending the Captain's daughter. Oh, and speech therapy, but so far she doesn't talk back yet."

"Wow..." Tisar said, blinking. "That's a lot of learning for such a tiny one. She is very smart for her age. I have taught children that were much less inclined."

Ayan also seemed surprised. "I'm sure it's not as much as it sounds, but that is a lot of things. What else do you do with her? Is she doing any sort of art therapy or do you go to the arboretum?"

Aoife finished her juice and handed the empty box back to Rebekah, and in return Rebekah offered Aoife a cookie. "It's a lot, but we're managing her time well. As for art and other fun activities, they're actually a part of her occupational therapy to help her learn how to be social and cooperative, so those are done mostly in the classroom setting, but she still enjoys painting in her free time, and I know her mother takes her to the arboretum, and she loves swimming as part of her PT, so I do that with her often. But she gets really bored with her speech therapy."

Ayan nodded and so did Tisar. "Eiri said that she was very smart, but also very willful." He chuckled and looked at Aiofe. "He also said that she's capable of speech, but for some reason doesn't wish to talk." He had a feeling that the little girl could understand perfectly well what they were talking about.

"That would probably make those lessons boring, because she knows it. It's just a matter of her deciding when to take that next step. Willful can go two ways," Tisar said. "But yes, I would love to teach her. What time would you like to meet everyday? I can also come to your quarters if that would be easier. Although, bringing her here allows you some time closer to things you might wish to do as well." He shrugged. "It's up to you. I don't have people breaking down my door for music lessons, so my calendar is fairly open."

Aoife was mostly tuning out the adults talking; she knew they were talking about her, but she was more interested in her cookie than what the adults had to say.

"I think for now, I'm going to play things by ear," Rebekah mused aloud. "Keeping things structured is ideal, the routine will help Aoife feel like she has a sense of control, but I also need to keep things kind of fluid, adapting to her mood so she doesn't become overwhelmed and shut down emotionally. Since she's responding well to music, a lesson might make for a good relief valve when she's feeling stressed. If that's alright with you, and once we're able to retrieve the missing crew and re-establish a sense of normalcy, then we can look into scheduled lessons."

"Of course," Tisar smiled. "Just bring her by whenever you feel she needs it and I will be here. I usually go home around 2200 hours. We must all sleep, but I would never be against you contacting me in an emergency." He chuckled. "I'm not sure how many musical emergencies one person can have... but just in case."

Ayan smiled. "I would actually like to speak with you more about her schedule. Perhaps we can walk together wherever you are going next. I really wouldn't mind babysitting at all. I think it would be fun! And it would take some pressure off of you! Right now, you're doing the job of three people, all by yourself and I can see those dark circles under your eyes. Please, let us help you."

"I will not turn down any help at all!" Rebekah declared. "Under normal circumstances, dealing with Aoife is wonderful, she has so much support around her, Shae and Cailus are both so proactive in her care, but she lost more than just their support when they disappeared; Aoife loves Emilie and Katrine, and they are a big part of her days, but they're under their own stresses as well. I think it's important to try to find a way to support them as well, not to mention the other families who might be missing someone important in their lives. You know, I should probably reach out to the counselor, maybe start a support group? It would help the crew come together to support each other."

Ayan grinned. "That sounds like a great idea. With all the stress of everything that's been going on, I think that we should come together during this time. I can help you if you like, organize that is. I'd really love something to do. I've been going a little stir crazy around here. I used to be in Starfleet... but now I'm just a civilian. It sort of makes me feel a little useless sometimes." He chuckled, albeit a little nervously.

"I am quite certain you are useful to at least one person on this ship," Rebekah said suggestively with a grin. "But no one is ever truly useless on a starship, everyone has a part to play even if they don't know it yet, you just have to find where you fit in as a civilian, and I think helping me with Aoife and organizing the support group is a great place to start. And if you're ever truly bored, go talk to Miss Huyo, she can always use a hand at the Box."

Ayan nodded and smiled warmly. "You're right, of course. Sometimes what needs adjusting is perspective. Those are excellent ideas! Thank you Rebekah." He bowed politely and in thanks. "I'd like to hear what other ideas you might have."

"Yeah, uh, let's meet up for tea later this evening and we can talk about this some more," Rebekah said enthusiastically. "But for now, I need to try to keep Aoife on schedule, and she has some PT in the pool," she added, knowing that talk of the pool would get Aoife's attention, which it did, causing her ears to stand up as she chirped excitedly.

Both men laughed. "Bring her back anytime..." Tisar said. "You are both always welcome."

"I'd love to meet later this evening. Thank you. With everything going on Eiri has been very busy. It will be nice to have some company. Message me when you are ready to meet. It would probably be better for me to come to your quarters. I think there might be too many things in mine that she could get into." Ayan chuckled.

"Yeah, that's not a problem! I'll let you know once I have a moment free," Rebekah said as she picked up Aoife, who was more than ready to to get wet! "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ashshy and Mr. Zemel, thank you so much for the lessons, I will definitely bring her back for more."

"I'll see you again soon!" Ayan said with a warm smile. Both men nodded politely to Rebekah as she picked up Aoife and left the shop.

:END