"If you're sure." There had been a time where he wouldn't even step inside her home. That time was long gone, to the point where he wasn't even bothered by staying a little longer than necessary. Madge was excellent at hiding her emotions, but each intended wrong note brought her closer to a smile. One that she would quickly hide.
One wrong note brought her to nudge him lightly with her elbow. And instead of simply guiding him to the right note this time, she caught his fingers lightly with her own-- while continuing to play light notes with her free hand.
"I'm sure," he says firmly, finally letting the smile crack as she entwines their fingers. With his free hand, Gale drops the bag of strawberries on a nearby table, out of the way.
"I don't know this song," he comments, turning from their hands to look at Madge.
Well. That was that, then. Madge watched their hands long after he looked up to her. It took several moments before she would meet his gaze. "My mother helped me compose it when I was younger... Before her headaches got too bad."
She met his gaze, eyes locking with his. "It was mostly her... I was too young to know what sounded really good and what was a mess."
She composed it herself. Impressive. Gale couldn't even dream of doing something like that, even with help. He knows good music when he hears it, but stringing it together is... too intricate for him.
"It's good," he says, not looking away. "If you didn't know then, you do now, for sure."
Madge held that gaze. The smile she tried to hide was proud, as she nearly preened at the idea that yes... She does know what sounds good now. Still, she was a little embarrassed by the compliment, and the blush creeping to her cheeks was enough to prove that.
"Thank you..."
Perhaps she'd let him hear her free-form the notes on the piano sometime... but for now? Well, her fingers were still laced with his and her free hand... slowly came to a stop while playing the piano. She was much more distracted by his eyes and the various features of his face.
“What are you blushing for?” he asks, tone sharp but with that same, friendly undertone only a few recognize. The touch of pink looks cute on her cheeks, enough to make Gale decide that he’d like to see it more often, that he’ll have to find ways to make it happen.
Madge shook her head, looking down in the hopes that her hair would cover how red she'd become. "I... I don't know about that."
Not everyone would appreciate the Mayor's daughter playing the piano for them, there would be a lot of anger thrown her way... And that's even if the townies and people from the Seam would get along enough to enjoy it.
"You could start small," he said, shrugging a shoulder. "At school, maybe. They have music classes there, right?"
Not that he'd know. Music was never a talent of his. It was easy to see what could make Madge hesitate, though, between her own obvious insecurities and playing before the entire town when everyone knows exactly who she was already. It was hard for the mayor's daughter to evade notice, but somehow, she managed. Playing for the town at large would mean ditching that.
For a moment, she considered it. She avoided the music classes, avoided anything that would let people know that she was more than average at playing an instrument. Madge had done so well to fly under the radar of everyone in town and the Seam, she'd taken extra care.
She squeezed his hand as she looked up at him again, torso twisting so she was angled towards him. "I'd rather just play for you," she admitted. "It's not that I don't want to for everyone else..." Except that it was. "I just don't know if I can."
"Just me, Undersee?" Gale echoed, looking over at her again. He was surprised to meet her eyes when he did, but refused to let it show. They may have a better, ah, relationship than they did before, but he still had his pride. "Careful. Someone might think there's something going on between us."
Delivered as dryly as the Seam feels in summer. He stared at her for a moment thoughtfully before continuing.
"I've heard the trick to doing something like that is to pretend they're not there."
But what would he know, really? He wasn't a performer.
Madge didn't break eye contact with him, despite so desperately wanting to. How was it that he could make her entire face turn so red without more than a comment or two? "You know what I mean," she replied defensively.
Though what exactly had it become? With their fingers intertwined and the close proximity. "Can't pretend they're not there after everything's done, though."
And that's what she was primarily concerned with. People's reaction afterwards.
"Isn't that when you're supposed to stand up and accept the applause?" he asked pointedly, eyebrows raised in challenge. If this were a competition of some sort, Gale would count himself the forerunner, with the way she kept blushing.
He gave her hand an encouraging little squeeze. "What if you started smaller? You aren't too shy to play for Posy, are you?"
He probably was the forerunner if this was suddenly a challenge. "Assuming they're applauding. And what about after that?"
Madge glanced down at their hands with that squeeze, smiling despite herself. She squeezed right back and looked up at him when he asked if she would play for Posy. "No... I could play for your whole family, if you want."
“I don’t know, Undersee. What do musicians always do after the applause?”
Take a bow, maybe. Gale had only seen a few musicians, and none for a formal concert. Most of the ones he’d seen had rowdily gone into an encore after a few drinks and uproarious applause. He couldn’t picture Madge doing anything of the sort.
“Well, there you go,” he said, smirking triumphantly. “Your first audience.”
"I meant after the performance- after I'm on everyone's radar and no longer invisible..."
It was easier to be invisible. She preferred it more often than not... She'd taken so much care to remain that way. She puffed out her cheeks at that triumphant smirk, making a face and perhaps nudging him again for it. She deflated her cheeks with a sigh, unconsciously running her thumb lightly over his knuckles.
"Very well. I'll agree to that for now. You win this one."
He snorted. “Quiet is different from invisible. You’ve never been invisible.”
After all, the mayor only had one child. Everyone knew who he was, so they all knew her face by proxy, whether she liked it or not. That was the way Gale had come to resent her and her father so strongly before he’d ever officially met her.
“Good. Posy’s going to be excited, I can tell you that right now.”
Though he had a point. She could only really pretend to be invisible. She knew she wasn't... Licking her lips, she leaned onto him and squeezed his hand again. "I'm glad she will be. Maybe I can teach her a little if she wants."
And maybe, in a way, Madge had succeeded. Despite making the weekly deliveries to her and having a mutual friend, for years Gale hadn’t known the first thing about the real Madge, things other than her station in the district or how she looked or acted at school. Only recently has he gotten to know anything more about her, and finally started to see her as a person instead of someone luckier than he was.
He chuckled, giving Madge an amused look as she leaned against him. “Don’t tell her that. You won’t be able to get rid of her.”
"I wouldn't mind that," she assured him as she smiled up at him.
This... Being so comfortable with someone else, someone who she was certain hated her for a long time. This was nice. She wasn't even this close to Katniss, who she considered her best friend for the longest time. It was strange to let someone so close to her, but also comforting in a sense.
“Well, I guess you already have to deal with two Seam kids on a regular basis,” he said with a shrug. “What’s one more to add to your roster?”
Gale returned the smile, hardly surprised anymore at how easily the gesture comes nowadays. It was an improvement on the animosity from before, the constant barbs and the surprise (and intrigue) that washed over him whenever she responded in kind. They weren’t done with that, not quite, but those comments had taken on a completely different tone - one Gale found he enjoyed much more.
“So this is what you do all day, huh? Play piano all by yourself?”
And then his word choice made her freeze. Madge watched him smile, though her own was slowly turning sad. "I don't have to deal with you guys, you know. I enjoy your company."
She started playing a few notes with her free hand again. "This... I spend a lot of my time reading and stuff too."
“That’s not what I meant,” he said with a sigh. Were they really back to that? Gale deserved it, to be sure - he’d treated Madge terribly for far too long with only that as basis not to have earned it. It still stung that she’d mention it though, after they’d both started to put in the effort for more.
“What do you read?” Gale asked instead, watching her other hand move. It was safer, he supposed, safer and easier for both of them. After a while, he started to join her, moving his hand underneath hers to hit a random note here or there. “Tell me it’s something better than school books.”
Madge did feel bad for interpreting it the way she did, but it was hard to let go... To let go of the thought that maybe he still thought that she was treating it like a charity case.... But she let that drop and instead watched him join in on playing the piano.
When the note didn't quite match, she found herself giggling and nudging him. "I do read some of the school books... But I generally read things from back before Panem existed, classic plays and terrible romance novels..."
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One wrong note brought her to nudge him lightly with her elbow. And instead of simply guiding him to the right note this time, she caught his fingers lightly with her own-- while continuing to play light notes with her free hand.
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"I don't know this song," he comments, turning from their hands to look at Madge.
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She met his gaze, eyes locking with his. "It was mostly her... I was too young to know what sounded really good and what was a mess."
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"It's good," he says, not looking away. "If you didn't know then, you do now, for sure."
omg this was hiding at the bottom of my inbox ;;
"Thank you..."
Perhaps she'd let him hear her free-form the notes on the piano sometime... but for now? Well, her fingers were still laced with his and her free hand... slowly came to a stop while playing the piano. She was much more distracted by his eyes and the various features of his face.
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Madge nudged him a little, but left it at that. "I'm not used to comments on my music, that's all. I usually only play for my parents."
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"Maybe you should put on a show for the town, then," he suggested, only half-joking. "Some of them could use a pick-me-up."
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Not everyone would appreciate the Mayor's daughter playing the piano for them, there would be a lot of anger thrown her way... And that's even if the townies and people from the Seam would get along enough to enjoy it.
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Not that he'd know. Music was never a talent of his. It was easy to see what could make Madge hesitate, though, between her own obvious insecurities and playing before the entire town when everyone knows exactly who she was already. It was hard for the mayor's daughter to evade notice, but somehow, she managed. Playing for the town at large would mean ditching that.
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She squeezed his hand as she looked up at him again, torso twisting so she was angled towards him. "I'd rather just play for you," she admitted. "It's not that I don't want to for everyone else..." Except that it was. "I just don't know if I can."
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Delivered as dryly as the Seam feels in summer. He stared at her for a moment thoughtfully before continuing.
"I've heard the trick to doing something like that is to pretend they're not there."
But what would he know, really? He wasn't a performer.
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Though what exactly had it become? With their fingers intertwined and the close proximity. "Can't pretend they're not there after everything's done, though."
And that's what she was primarily concerned with. People's reaction afterwards.
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He gave her hand an encouraging little squeeze. "What if you started smaller? You aren't too shy to play for Posy, are you?"
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Madge glanced down at their hands with that squeeze, smiling despite herself. She squeezed right back and looked up at him when he asked if she would play for Posy. "No... I could play for your whole family, if you want."
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Take a bow, maybe. Gale had only seen a few musicians, and none for a formal concert. Most of the ones he’d seen had rowdily gone into an encore after a few drinks and uproarious applause. He couldn’t picture Madge doing anything of the sort.
“Well, there you go,” he said, smirking triumphantly. “Your first audience.”
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It was easier to be invisible. She preferred it more often than not... She'd taken so much care to remain that way. She puffed out her cheeks at that triumphant smirk, making a face and perhaps nudging him again for it. She deflated her cheeks with a sigh, unconsciously running her thumb lightly over his knuckles.
"Very well. I'll agree to that for now. You win this one."
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After all, the mayor only had one child. Everyone knew who he was, so they all knew her face by proxy, whether she liked it or not. That was the way Gale had come to resent her and her father so strongly before he’d ever officially met her.
“Good. Posy’s going to be excited, I can tell you that right now.”
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Though he had a point. She could only really pretend to be invisible. She knew she wasn't... Licking her lips, she leaned onto him and squeezed his hand again. "I'm glad she will be. Maybe I can teach her a little if she wants."
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He chuckled, giving Madge an amused look as she leaned against him. “Don’t tell her that. You won’t be able to get rid of her.”
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This... Being so comfortable with someone else, someone who she was certain hated her for a long time. This was nice. She wasn't even this close to Katniss, who she considered her best friend for the longest time. It was strange to let someone so close to her, but also comforting in a sense.
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Gale returned the smile, hardly surprised anymore at how easily the gesture comes nowadays. It was an improvement on the animosity from before, the constant barbs and the surprise (and intrigue) that washed over him whenever she responded in kind. They weren’t done with that, not quite, but those comments had taken on a completely different tone - one Gale found he enjoyed much more.
“So this is what you do all day, huh? Play piano all by yourself?”
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She started playing a few notes with her free hand again. "This... I spend a lot of my time reading and stuff too."
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“What do you read?” Gale asked instead, watching her other hand move. It was safer, he supposed, safer and easier for both of them. After a while, he started to join her, moving his hand underneath hers to hit a random note here or there. “Tell me it’s something better than school books.”
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When the note didn't quite match, she found herself giggling and nudging him. "I do read some of the school books... But I generally read things from back before Panem existed, classic plays and terrible romance novels..."
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