Darrell
Fennel is standing on the roof, trying their best to see the stars. It's not going well. They're not used to the light pollution - their foster family had lived a little outside city limits, where the street lights didn't reach, the orphanage had been something similar, and the rest of the time, they had lived on the road. It sucked, but they kept trying. Maybe it would eventually get dark enough, or something. Maybe they could convince themselves that they *Could* See all the stars, actually, and it wouldn't be an issue at all.

Or maybe they'd continue to be disappointed.

They preferred to view the alignment of the planets directly, to draw their own conclusions, whenever they had the option. Using websites felt off, almost hackish, but if they had to, they could. They might have to get used to that while they lived here, unfortunately.

They sigh a little to themselves. Another point against the already bad vibes this place gives them.
Christopher
Sergio hated finding his way around the hallways. It always found him turning and twisting around the wrong ways, it was like a concrete parking lot from hell, where all the exit lights are dimmed out and the only ramps somehow lead to the same damn library. Finally, after a stairway appeared from seemingly thin air, he was able to make his way up. 3rd floor, somewhere a bit more familiar for him, as he made his way to this hallway often, opting to see how the other stars beyond ours decided to spend their time.

But, it appears that he wasn't the only one here. Another was already in place, looking up to the skies in mild disappointment. He chooses to make his presence known, not making his steps muffled in a way to sneak around this new character.

A quick pause for the right sentence to form comes from the blonde.

"Howdy'do? Any luck seeing past the lights tonight?" He asks, as he makes his way up to Fennel. "I've been considering if I should just figure out a way to short the lights up here."
Darrell
"No good," Fennel opined, "It's the streetlights. Won't be seeing any more than this from here." They sigh, taking their eyes off the sky and looking out across the landscape. "*Aχ*, it's all woods out there too. Nowhere to get a good look at the sky, I don't think."

They turn to Sergio, giving him a brief once-over. He looks bad, but he doesn't look much worse than Fennel's own people anyway, so they figure they shouldn't judge. "You know anywhere, hun? I hate having to google star charts."
Christopher
"Nothing inside the facility, a friend once showed me a nice clearing out there once." He shrugs, and gestures towards a section of the woods. "But from what I've heard, there's still a curfew right now. Dunno when it's gonna be cleared, though."

"And... I haven't tried breaking out. Yet." Another shrug. Looks like all he knows is that he doesn't know, setting himself up to be the worst criminal here, all ideas but no action. "But luckily I'm not normally up here for stargazing and the like. I just like to serenade the other stars from time to time."

He realizes how this probably sounds like a terrible idea for people who like to keep quiet. "If you're planning to watch them in silence I won't bother you on that, I just like to be higher up to give it less time to show them my songs. I can still play down in the courtyard."
Darrell
"That'd do it!" Fennel chirped. "You'll have to show me sometime. This just isn't gonna do it." Except that there's a curfew, as Sergio wastes no time pointing out. But Fennel could figure that out if it came to it. "I'm sure it'll be fine," They replied.

They played with their earring to keep themselves occupied as Sergio spoke, listening rather than interrupting. They preferred to listen. The first step to solving any problem is understanding it, and the first step to getting to know a person is to listen to them.

They shake their head. "No, you can go ahead. I don't mind at all. I'm just trying to find Libra, I'm sure a little sound won't add any more light pollution." They smiled a little, holding back a chuckle. "I'm Fennel. And you are?"
Christopher
"Oh, sure! I'll show ya where it is sometime when you aren't too busy." He replies, a warm smile following behind the words. "And if you find a way out I won't say anything, don't want someone else getting in trouble by my words."

Given the go ahead, he nods, taking the sling that holds his guitar case off his shoulders, unzipping it as he listens along to them. "Oh, the Name's Sergio. I'm pretty new compared to the rest of the faces around here. I think I've only really met a spare few of them so far." He sets the case down, following it with his body as he rests on his knees.
He flips the case's top open, gingerly picking up the guitar by the neck, checking if the walk over has caused any damages along the way. Not noticing any, he plucks at the strings, trying to hear if any of the strings needed tuning. 

"Do you play any instruments?" He asks, as he strums the notes one by one. In his head he mutters the line of that poor sap named Eddie. "I know that there's a spare few people here that do so far. There's even a band! They haven't announced any practices yet though. I'd like to hear them play."
Darrell
"Yeah, same here." Fennel sits down, letting their feet hang off the sloped building. Their legs aren't quite hanging freely, but it's far too steep to stand on, so they sort of awkwardly rest on the sloped wall. It's surprisingly comfortable, contrary to expectations.

Fennel shakes their head. "No, not me. Never really felt the need, you know?" They cast a glance at Sergio and his guitar. "Well, I s'pose you don't, but you get the point. It's just never really... Been in the cards for me." They shrugged a little, and their hair gently bobbed back and forth in the wind.

"I'd like to hear them too, though. Sounds like a good time."
Christopher
"Nah, I getcha on that. Sometimes people are more for just listening compared to playing." He responds, eyes shifting over to them. "I usually see musicians as people who have something to say without words. Whether it's for someone who can't hear it at this point, or it's something too complex for just normal words." He slides his fingers down the thicker strings, a quiet reverb climbing from the friction of the two solids colliding with one another.

"I, for one, try to sing out to the stars, I've wondered what the galaxies ever had beyond ours. If there's someone else out there, how their instruments are made, why they play, what their songs underlie with, who they're also for. Maybe even if someone else out there is also serenading people beyond their own."
Darrell
"Sing to the stars, huh?" Fennel looks up. "Something to say without words..." They muse to themselves, their voice going quiet. "I'm more of a listener, I think." Fennel's never been the most eloquent. It's always been easier for them to listen than to formulate the right response, so that's what they've ended up doing. It helps people, they find. Most people need someone to listen, and Fennel is more than happy to be that someone.

"Oh, I didn't even think about-" Fennel exclaims. "You don't mind me being here while you play, do you? I can't see the stars anyway, no need to be here if you want some privacy. Don't want to impose."
Christopher
"Just one to listen? That's no issue for me, music wouldn't have gotten where it was if there was no one to listen to it." He hums out. 
"Just like most forms of art, if there was no one to try and interpret it, would it truly be art?" Sergio digs through one of his coat's pockets, making the silent bargain with his confidence that he truly did bring a pick today. 
"Could an artist make a painting, without the intention of it being interpreted by others?" 

Aha, there it was. He pulls it from the unending depths that are an unseen pocket, a green pick, distress and age showing in some discoloration on the center of said plastic pick.

"Oh, I don't mind. A concert is a concert, meant for whoever is willing to hear it. As long as you don't mind that it'll mostly be instrumental today. Not exactly ready for my own cat wailing *Just* Yet." He looks up to Fennel, making sure that his newest audience member wasn't being put into a place of discomfort by his words. 
"Of course, I hope you are willing to excuse the occasional discordant note or two, I am human after all." He reminds, mostly to himself, something about how his humble outlook on his own playing seems to be his own downfall now. 

At least as he's been told by others now. He supposes it's time to see if a newer member will be the right fit for a critic. Perhaps someone who is more of a listener is able to find the right path for a song.

And so he plays.
Darrell
Could an artist make a painting without intending for it to be interpreted? If no one was there to interpret it, would it truly be art?

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Fennel leaned back, more figuratively than literally, and watched the stars in quiet comfort as Sergio played. It was nice - perhaps not the most complex or technically impressive piece, but Fennel wasn't the type who would know or care about that kind of thing. It was a nice moment, and Fennel let it stay that way.

Occasionally, Sergio seemed to hit a wrong note, or it just didn't feel right. Fennel noticed, but didn't say. Fennel trusted their intuition, but they didn't want to hurt any feelings. They focused on the stars, gently drifting across the unfortunately bright night sky.

When Sergio stopped playing, Fennel looked over at him and smiled. "That was lovely, Sergio. The stars thought so too, I'm sure."
Christopher
It wasn't his best performance, but then again he probably peaked back before he came to the facility. Usually he was here to practice a new song for a while before he gave his audience the true play set, but with someone actively listening for once, he decided to have changed things up. Everlong practice could wait tonight. 
"Glad to hear, and I do hope so. Maybe one day we can find if the stars can feel resonance from music like we do." 
He sets the guitar down, back into its open case, fitting snugly back into its place. 

"I never asked, what are you watching out for, out there? Any specific constellations, planets?" 
He appears to be a lot less attentive now that his part is over. As if he was working off of a second wind of energy, just to make sure he played this concert. 
But, even with exhaustion creeping in, he wouldn't pass up a chance to talk to anyone else with a slight interest in the stars.
Darrell
"Libra," Fennel repeated. "I'm an astrologer."
Christopher
"Ah, libra? I think that one will be hard to see right now, if this cold tells me correctly, we wont see them for a while." He mentions, now if he did remember, Libra was usually visible in the north in the summer. 
"But an astrologer? What are you studying them for? I'd love to pick your brain on that, if you'd let me." He crosses his legs, settling his forearms on the arm rests that he's created with his knees.
Darrell
"Mmm." Fennel nods. "It's a bad time, I know. But I hate using charts." God damn calendar drift. Why not just have the signs match with the sky? It really would be so much easier. Would save them from looking for Libra at a bad time of year in a light polluted city.

Fennel lets out a gentle chuckle. "Not astronomer, silly. Astrologer." They turn to face Sergio, giving up on the hunt for a moment. "I, *Aχ,* You know. I tell fortunes, that sort of thing. I s'pose in a way that's still studying the stars, but not in the space telescope kind o' way."

They stand up. "Ah, I'm probably not gonna find it tonight anyway. I should get some sleep. Lovely meeting you, Sergio."
Christopher
"Ahhh, right my mistake. Maybe I'll ask you for a fortune one day." He says, a goofy smile crossing his face. "Besides, either way, it's a fascinating field of study, and I still gotta learn about what's got you studying them."

As they stand, he stays seated, looking out to the streetlit horizon. "There's always other nights. Hopefully I'll see you more around, have a good night Fennel." He gives a parting wave with his words, letting them go on without any more interruptions from him for the night.