Guard Days || Daphne

[Mac Taylor]

••• And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love •••
••• Great clouds roll over the hills bringing darkness from above •••

Things had settled down nicely for Mac since he'd arrived in Albion. His first meeting with Queen Stella Beck had been helpful to allow him to settle in with the setting. He'd also been able to get out and about to actually connect some places in his head to better understand Albion in the weeks he'd finally spent here. It was also a major help that Stella had showed up. The thought brought a smile to his face easily. She was way too good to him for his and her own good. Focus, Taylor, he chided himself mentally, returning his ever-attentive gaze to the city around him.

It helped now that he had a steady job that kept him occupied. Also thanks to his run-in with the queen, he'd picked up in Albion what had been a profession back home in the States. He had told her the first day he met her that he wanted to do something to do a bit of help around, so the offer to join the Guard had been a welcome one. It was also now the time of the changing season. The air was settling into cooler temperatures much more often now that winter was settling over the kingdom instead of the cool, yet bearable winds of the fall season. Thinking of it like that made him realize fully just how much time it'd been since he had been dropped off here from New York, and he still thought of his team and how they had to feel with his disappearing without a trace. What he wouldn't have given to tell them that him and Stella were fine. They didn't know that she had been coming back from New Orleans, after all. That news had even caught him off guard. Although he hadn't heard from her, and understandably so because of their duties as supervisors at the labs keeping them busy, he had figured things were getting along well for her. She had been one hell of a detective, and he had missed her for more than one reason when she left. She hadn't only been his closest friend and a great partner, but that woman had his heart, and it had just taken this long for him to realize it.

So far, today's rounds of the Market hadn't brought much to his attention. It was one of the longer days he spent mostly familiarizing himself with the layout of the city more than he was keeping his eyes open for criminal activity, although being in law enforcement back in New York City would forever keep his mind oriented to such a function. Service time in the US Marines and then over a decade in the police force would do it to him.

This was the nicest part of Bowerstone besides the Castle, in his opinion, and he'd had the luck to get familiar with both areas. Bowerstone Industrial was still a little tricky for him to navigate still, but that was what made him thankful that he usually had a more experienced guard with him on the rounds, and he was usually paired with a nice young man who didn't mind giving tips and pointers about the area and how to remember how to get where. Mac had actually grown a liking for the younger man. He wasn't all that bad for company...

Taking a break from making his rounds and stopping to lean against the wall of one of the buildings, he kept his gaze on the scenery around him. The air was on the cool side for him today, so as long as he kept moving for most of the time, he was fine, but for the sake of not canvassing the same area more than necessary, he had chosen this place for a little stop. The young lad he toured Industrial with often commented on his ability to cover a lot of ground, and quickly, if needed. It was quite the compliment to Mac. It let him know that, in all the years he'd been out of the Service, he hadn't let his training go rusty. Back in New York, he'd kept up his workouts for the sake of the job. He wasn't exactly one to care for letting suspects outrun him that easily, after all, so the fitness was something he'd just come to accept as part of his lifestyle.

Now, back to his work. So far, nothing too eventful had come about, although one woman had asked for him to help catch her dog. Not the average request, but there hadn't been anything more pressing, so he'd done it. 'Why not?' had been his figuring. He didn't exactly care for keeping distanced from everyone. He didn't know who he could trust or who trusted him then, and that was a feeling he just didn't fancy. But the otherwise quiet day wasn't a bad thing, either. It meant things were relatively decent, and that was always a good sign.

tagged • @Daphne Greengrass
lyrics • Pompeii by Bastille
notes • *Sings to the tune of Pompeii* "And Kenzie is to-o addicted to this so-o-o-ong, and if you close your eyes...!"
outfit • Clicky
words • 831
credit • Calypso

[Daphne Greengrass]

••• Let the sky fall, when it crumbles •••
••• We will stand tall and face it all together •••

Standing under the clock tower in Bowerstone market, Daphne put down the violin case that she was holding and just stood for a long moment, watching Albionites rushing about their daily lives. A wry smile passed over her features as her green eyes studied them, each of them so wrapped up in their own lives. Everyone rushing somewhere. I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late! The words from a childhood book Mitzi had read to her and Astoria when they had been little came floating into her mind, and a soft chuckle left her lips. The words had never seemed so apt.

Of all the things that she'd imagined for her future, being ripped away and thrown into a completely new world was not one of them. She'd had grand dreams of getting accepted into the Wizarding Symphony Orchestra. Or even a muggle Symphony Orchestra just so long as it meant that she could continue doing the one thing that she loved more than anything in life. Her back-up plan was to open up a potions shop, preferably in Diagon Alley, and should that fail, she'd decided that she would make sure that she would get herself a job in a muggle music store. She was certain that her father would die of shame over such a position, but she didn't much care. He'd never really understood how much music meant to her. No one really did, except her mother.

But now she wouldn't get any of that. Now she was stuck in Merlin only knew what time period, worlds away from home, all her dreams shattered. At least Fred was with her. Everyone else she'd loved had been ripped away from her, but the heavens had been merciful and had let her have someone. It was torture, being away from their friends and especially from their families, but at least they had each other.
 
Several weeks had passed since she and Fred had been thrown into this strange new world. The kind Driftwoodians had taken the pair of them in, giving them a place to live and sharing their food. They did odd jobs around the town, helping to cook and clean, and to stave off attacks from passing mercenaries that liked to reside within the woods bordering the town. But as the days turned to weeks, a feeling of uneasiness began to plague the girl. The townsfolk were being so hospitable, even though the young couple had nothing to offer them in return. And so Daphne had decided that living off their kind hosts had to stop. They needed to find a way to support themselves, although that was easier said than done. Neither one of them had ever lived in the muggle world before; they were just as lost as each other when it came to even the simplest of muggle tasks.

She'd decided to go to the capital and busk with her violin. It might not bring a lot of income, but it would be enough for food at least. During Summer holidays when she'd wanted to visit her parents at work and went to London, she'd seen muggle buskers playing instruments of every shape and kind in return for some coins. She'd always stopped and listened, always adding a sickle or two to their case as she left, though she knew the coins wouldn't get used. But she had to show her appreciation somehow. And money, at least back then, had never been an issue, so she could indulge herself in such a whim.

Opening the violin case, Daphne ran her fingers gently over the curves of the instrument, smiling at the smoothness of it under her finger tips. She wasn't sure how her violin ended up in Albion, but she was immeasurably grateful nonetheless. Out of all her possessions, she had mourned the loss of her violin most, and though Fred consoled her by telling her they'd get her a new one, she replied that it wouldn't be the same. She hadn't wanted a new one; not when this one held so many memories. But a miracle happened and she got home one evening to find her old violin case with her darling instrument tucked inside, along with sheets of music.

Plucking her best friend from its home, the blonde took a moment to tune the violin and tighten up the bow, before giving it a few gentle swipes of the rosin. Throwing the rosin back into the open case, she nudged the entire thing a few centimeters forward so people could throw whatever loose change they could to her. She nibbled on her lip, letting out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, before putting the violin to her shoulder. She allowed the bow to slide smoothly over the strings, closing her eyes as a melody sounded. Moving in time to the music as she bow danced across the strings, a smile lit up her face though she kept her eyes closed, letting the music wash over her. It was all going to be ok. As long as she had her music and Fred, they'd be just fine in this odd new world.

tagged • @Mac Taylor
lyrics • Skyfall by Adele
notes • This is the version of Skyfall that she is playing
outfit • this
words • 876
credit • Calypso

[Mac Taylor]

••• And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love •••
••• Great clouds roll over the hills bringing darkness from above •••

To be entirely honest, Mac felt almost really at home in the Bowerstone area. The rush of the city that he had come to accept, know, live, and breathe as part of his life was just as engraved in people here as it had been in New York. Sighing softly, he felt a small smile play at his lips as he took a few moments to watch the bustling people around him, all going one place or another. Hell, he could hardly tell sometimes if he'd left New York behind at all.

Sure, things were a little more tricky without the flashing technology of the 21st Century, but Mac could appreciate a lifestyle like this. It was almost simple compared to life before this little freak accident of his. If there was anything he would miss to a point of possibly wanting it back, it'd be his truck. Travel was much easier when automobiles were about. Still, things could be much worse than the simple want for a little thing as quicker travel.

Shortly, Mac was pulled from his wondering thoughts as someone began to play music - a rendition of a piece he felt he might've heard before somewhere before coming to Albion. Not paying any mind to the familiarity of the tune, he did a brief search for the sound with his gaze before finding a young woman under the clock tower, a violin to her shoulder, as the source of the beautiful sound. He definitely wouldn't call himself the best judge of an instrument such as a violin, but he liked to believe he could tell good playing from bad on just about any day. Now there was something he'd miss... Bass guitar on a night off... The thought brought a soft smile to his lips, a gesture tinted with a small smirk. It'd never cease to amuse him that he'd surprised the absolute hell out of a good majority of his team that he'd played - that he'd had a life outside the crime lab period. To their credit, he hadn't had a very large one. He really hadn't had a reason to have one. His life was his work, for the most part. Here in Albion, at least he felt like he could breathe without having to spend 32 hours of 48 working on his feet, maybe pausing to nod off in his office for an hour or two because one case rolled into another. Life in the city that never slept, that was...

Now, he'd never been rich, and he never thought hard on living that sort of lifestyle, but he'd had enough to get by and live comfortably. With good luck, he'd found he could play life that way here as well. A few coins as a token of appreciation for such music wouldn't hurt anyone, and it was the least he could do to show some appreciation for the girl. She struck him as an outsider, like himself - one that had ended up here because of that freak accident sort of thing. Standing from his position against the wall of one of the nearby buildings, Mac pulled a few coins from his pocket, quietly approaching the young woman so as not to disrupt her playing and tossing the few loose coins he had found into her open violin case.

tagged • @Daphne Greengrass
lyrics • Pompeii by Bastille
notes • *Sings to the tune of Pompeii* "And Kenzie is to-o addicted to this so-o-o-ong, and if you close your eyes...!" And, yes, of course Mac appreciates a fellow player. And he totally does play bass guitar. He has one of the most amazing black ones I've ever seen in one of the season two episodes <3
outfit • Clicky
words • 558
credit • Calypso

[Daphne Greengrass]

••• Let the sky fall, when it crumbles •••
••• We will stand tall and face it all together •••

As was often the case when Daphne began to play, she soon closed her eyes and allowed the music to completely take over her. Music was a very unique sort of magic, at least in her opinion. It had the power to soothe, to excite, to calm. But most importantly it had the power to take one away to a whole different world and to help forget all the troubles of one's soul. And that was what Daphne loved the most about playing; she was never just playing in the Great Hall or in the orchestra room -

When she'd first looked at the sheets of music for the song, she'd seen tiny lines of lyrics printed underneath. The haunting melody along with the bittersweet lyrics spoke to her in a way that most songs couldn't. Classical music spoke to her on many levels, but up until the discovery of the song (aptly named 'Skyfall') she had found pop songs to be too shallow and without any sort of meaning behind them. But this, this was something else.

She opened her eyes long enough to scan the crowd to try and gauge a reaction. A few passers-by had stopped to listen to her play, watching her, some in curiosity, some in awe, as she coaxed her violin into tremeloes and dip, like a water nymph dancing upon a clear-glass lake. She couldn't help but smile to herself at their expressions; the awe and enjoyment of the crowd was what made all the hard work worth it in the end. She played for them just as much as she played for herself. It felt amazing to know that her music was bringing them some sort of joy and entertainment.

As she finished the song, her bow quivering out the last few notes, she caught the eye of a gentleman who had just dropped a few coins into her case. A warm smile lit up her features and she beamed at him, curtseying. "Thank you, kind sir," she commented, studying his uniform. Was he a guard? She didn't recognize the uniform, but then she hadn't gone to Bowerstone all that often up until now. Just once or twice when the Driftwoodians would ask either her or Fred to bring some supplies, seeing as how they could travel with ease through the portals between the towns and the locals couldn't. That at least was a perk - it didn't have to take her half the day to get from one town to the next. Up until now though, she hadn't had much point in visiting the main city. The sight-seeing had had to wait.

"I would say that I take requests for songs, but I don't know many of the local songs. I'm not from around here," she confessed sheepishly, looking over his shoulder for a second and calling out a 'thank you' to another person that was kind enough to drop some coins into her case. "But I can certainly try," she added brightly, turning her attentions back to the stranger in front of her. "You'll just have to hum me the tune first...!"

tagged • @Mac Taylor
lyrics • Skyfall by Adele
notes • ---
outfit • this
words • 520
credit • Calypso

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