#i really hope that readmore works cuz this is a little longer than i expected it to be | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ambalambs · 1 year

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So idk if this is something strange to post but ive been trying my hand at writing fanfic about miko lately since I dont trust my art skill to do the little scenes that I come up with. But I also have zero skill in writing so this probably isn't any good either lol but im having a good time with it. And if anyone cares about my little miko musings I figured I'd share

———

"If you have a moment or two to spare, pray consider playing a little tune or two on it to practice."

Miko trailed behind Artoirel and his manservant through the Firmament, but he immediately froze in his tracks as they came upon the twin grand pianos the man had been describing.

"Often it takes time to get accustomed to a new instrument," the manservant continued.

Miko, however, was barely listening as he slowly approached the pianos. The pair truly were a spectacle of craftsmanship. One was pure black, the light of the day peeking through the clouds brightly reflecting off it. The other was white. The soft ishgardian snowflakes dusting its surface just barely visible as they rested upon it. Miko made his way to the white one, his fingertips barely brushing along the edge of it as if his mere touch would mar its surface.

He moved around to the bench before the piano and immediately took a seat. The keys laid out before him just beckoning to be played.

"I must say our hero might not need much time to practice at all, Foncrineau," Artoirel grinned. "You look right at home, my friend. Have you played the piano before?"

Miko smirked lightly and placed his hands upon the keys. He didn't press down just yet, instead taking a moment to simply get the feel of it again. Being as musically inclined as he was, Miko had tried his skill on many instruments. If he put his mind to it he could play just about anything to a relatively pleasant extent. Enough to carry a tune at least. He found he was most fond of anything with strings but there was something special about the piano.

And as Miko felt the weight of his fingers on the keys it occured to him just how long it had been since he played. It really had been too long. And as he mused upon this thought a memory seemed to push itself forward. Not in the way the echo painfully did, no, but simply just a memory of his own from a simpler time.

———

Miko was just a boy in this memory. No more that nine or ten summers old. He had only just begun staying at this farm and its hyuran family for a couple of days. It had been strange but not unpleasant. The trauma of his loss was still fresh during this time so it was still difficult for him to truly allow himself to settle in. He still hung onto the expectation that his father would find him soon like he promised and take him home.

On this particular day he found himself wandering around the family's home. The man was somewhere out in the fields tending to whatever farmers busied themselves with. The woman was in the back of the house putting their small child down for a nap. This left Miko unattended for a time so he claimed the opportunity to quietly explore.

He wandered into the living area and trained his focus on a particular piece of furniture that had grabbed his attention when he had first arrived. It was big and wooden, but although the top of it seemed flat enough to hold trinkets, it was clearly not a shelf. Or at least not one he had ever seen before. There was, however, a booklet of some kind resting against the front of it. Miko glanced back over his shoulder for a moment to confirm he was still alone and reached out to skim through the booklet. He wasn't sure what he expected since he was well aware he wouldn't be able to read its contents even if he wanted to. But he didn't expect the strange lines and scribbles that filled the pages. He was fascinated by whatever these strange symbols could mean but he quickly lost interest in their mystery for now and placed the book back in its place.

What next caught his eye, and honestly the main reason the piece of furniture had caught his attention in the first place, were the small intricately carved designs on the wood. There were leaves and vines and flowers, all clustered together in the corners and along the surface. And among them were carvings of little creatures he instantly recognized to be sylphs. He had seen sylphs before playing among the toadstools while gathering herbs with his mother. She always warned him not to get too close. The green ones were nicer than the purple ones but they were still known to be tricksy.

As Miko reached out and began trailing a nail through the grooves of the carving, he liked to think this sylph was one of the green ones.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

Miko jumped, immediately dropping his hand from the carving and whirling around to stare wide eyed at the woman behind him. His ears pressed flat against his head. The woman stood there leaning against the entryway with a soft smile. She had told him her name once when he first arrived but he still felt little reason to commit it to memory. He'd be leaving soon, after all, once his father returned for him.

"Oh goodness sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," she laughed lightly. Her laugh was sweet just like his mother's and it briefly tugged at Miko's chest as he inwardly berated himself for being so easily snuck up on.

"It's called a piano," the woman continued and gestured to the furniture before him. "Here let me show you." She tottered her way over to him, a hand on her pregnant belly. Once she made it to him she moved to reach beneath the piano and pull out the bench hidden below that Miko hadnt noticed before. He quickly hopped in to pull it out for her and she thanked him with a warm smile. She sat with a sigh that only a young mother can give and patted the spot on the bench beside her expectantly. Miko hesitated a moment before relenting and sitting beside her.

The woman tapped a finger to the wooden surface before them. "Go on, lift it up." She sounded almost giddy as Miko turned his wide eyed gaze from her to the spot she was pointing at. He wasn't sure what she expected of him to be honest. It didn't look like something he could lift, but as he curled his fingers into what seemed to be a seam in the wood and lifted, the panel easily gave way to reveal a long row of black and white keys beneath. Miko was instantly captivated. It was like he had revealed something mysterious and magical and hidden.

"My grandfather used to be a very skilled carpenter," the woman began. "He used to make all sorts of things but musical instruments were his specialty." Miko listened as he gazed at the keys before him. This was an instrument? They had many kinds of instruments in his village that he had played and loved but nothing like this. Suddenly the woman leaned in close to him, their shoulders bumping and whispered, "You know they say he even made some violins for an ishgardian orchestra that played before the archbishop himself."

Miko stared at her in awe. He didn't know what ishgard or an archbishop was at the time but it mustve been something truly important if she was being so secretive about it. She smiled and lightly giggled as she leaned away, Miko's attentive gaze never leaving her, hoping to learn more. But she instead gestured to the keys, "Go ahead. Push one."

Miko glanced at the keys with wonder. He carefully placed a finger on one and made to press down but it was sturdier than he anticipated and didn't give at first. So he tried again with more force.

DONG!

Miko jumped, ears once again flattening as he turned in the direction of the bedrooms where the toddler was sleeping. Immediate fear filled him. He hadn't expected it to play so loud.

The woman beside him laughed lightly again. "Dont worry about waking the little one. Once he goes out not even a calamity could wake him. Thank the Twelve for small mercies." Miko nervously looked back to her, calming a little. What happened next would remain in Miko's memory forever. The woman placed her hands on the keys and began to play. It was a pleasant tune. Something light and relaxing but Miko watched as her fingers seemed to dance along the piano. He found himself already placing each note and position of her fingers into his memory, the melody already latching onto him for later. He had always loved the sounds of the instruments back in his village, the strings and the flutes and the drums. Each would fill him with their deep and winded tones. But the sound of this was so different from any he had heard. It was almost like a chime but it rang so deep he could feel it run right through him and into his core. Oh he was already in love with this. He wanted to keep hearing more. To test out its limits for himself.

As the woman beside him played she began to speak to him as if the very act of playing the instrument was second nature. "This piece has always been one of my favorites. You strike me as someone who can appreciate it, too." Miko quietly nodded without taking his eyes off her hands.

She then suddenly stopped just as quickly as she began and gently placed a hand on her belly. "I hope to teach the little ones someday, but I dont think their hands will be quite dexterous enough for quite a while." She looked up towards him then, a gleam in her eyes. "How would you like to be my first student?" She said as she briefly booped a finger on the tip of his nose.

Miko's face scrunched up at the sudden contact but he turned his gaze down to the piano before him. He carefully and slowly placed his hands on the keys just as she had. For a moment he pressed his lips together in thought, then began to quietly hum the melody he had just heard her playing. It was soft, a bit raspy and broken in his throat from lack of use. But he ever so gently began to play the first few notes. It was slow going but the ease at which he so quickly picked it up was impressive. He felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips and immediately stopped. Letting his hands rest upon the keys he thought, maybe it was okay if his dad took a little longer to find him if it meant he could learn how to play this just a little. He let the smile fully claim his face, as small and soft as it was, and turned to look at the woman next to him. "...sure."

———

As Miko pulled himself away from the memory he found himself smiling that same soft smile to himself. Remembering Artoirel had asked him a question he quickly straightened himself up and ran his fingers down along each of the keys with trained skill. "I have but I confess it's been quite a while," I replied with a grin.

"Well, it seems the Firmament will be in for quite a show," said Artoirel.

Miko chuckled and quickly scanned over the sheet of music already placed on the piano before him. Artoirel claimed he had written this piece so Miko was already determined to do his friend's creation justice. He softly started humming the new melody to himself, as he was wont to do with new pieces, before turning his attention back to Artoirel.

"You keep up writing music like this and you'll soon be writing symphonies for the Eorzean orchestra."

Artoirel chuckled, "Please, you praise me overmuch."

Miko laughed softly and turned his attention back to the piano before him. His heart suddenly warmed at the thought of performing before the people of the Firmament despite the cold of the snow. He'd have to write home about this and let mom know he got to perform a musical number to the esteemed ishgardians.

#i really hope that readmore works cuz this is a little longer than i expected it to be #also i havent written anything creatively since high school so idk how structure works anymore lmao rip #i might lose my courage and delete this tho hhhh #lambs personal junk #lambs tries writing #miko jinjahl #final fantasy xiv

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