#SOMEONE HAD TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PIANO IN THE WHEELERS' HOUSE

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#Ronancetober _ Day 9

After years of sitting shut, the piano has become another piece of furniture. A stale presence, a fix in the picture of the grand house. An object and a surface to be cleaned every weekend, to shine by wiping the nonexistent layer of dust from the polished wood. A reminder to keep in mind and break the loop by calling in a tuner to keep it properly fixed for no reason other than - than something.

The last time Karen Wheeler sat in front of the piano was when Nancy had just turned eight years old and wanted to practice her new ballet moves to live music. It'd been a good afternoon. A bright one that keeps its most important details in Karen's mind even a whole decade later.

Today is a good morning. October's dark clouds have parted for the rare grace of honest, golden sunlight to shine for the Saturday's early hours. The car is already left to the mechanic. Ted is at work; Holly is at her best friend's house; Mike won't be up for a few more hours; and if Karen is to judge the loud sounds of her eldest daughter coming in at the crack of dawn from the party down the block, then Nancy will also not be coming out of her room until late noon.

It is an opportunity to clean the muddy stains from the wooden table and chairs in their backyard. They fell victim to the sudden storm that coated the world in stains of dirt, because no one had remembered to cover them.

The breeze is chilly, but in symphony with the warming sunlight. After the storms, the golden rays are gentle to one's eyes. They playfully illuminate with the droplets of water on the bright, green grass and the chipped corners of the fallen, yellow leaves.

Karen places her cup of steaming coffee on the table and folds the cleaning rag for the outdoor furniture, picking up a mental plan on going around the set and wiping the mud.

The world smells of wet soil. Life given by the traces of rain and the caress of sunlight.

It takes Karen a minute to register the music.

An eased melody coming from keys delicately pressed with expertise. The intensity sways out of the kitchen's closed door and to the breeze of October. The piano solo wraps along the scents of the world, carrying them as if with another prospect. The music dances in the golden rays of the sunlight.

Karen barely manages to keep herself upright at the wonder. The piano in her living room finally given life.

She can picture the fingers of one hand sway over white and black, the fingers of the other arm waving along the music to offer the deeper undertones to the oddly familiar melody. A breath of soul, exhaled from the depths of the house.

The girl sat in front of the piano barely looks awake; dressed in Nancy's favorite, purple, Emerson t-shirt and one of her daughter's sweatshirts, unzipped and with the hood pulled over her bowed head. Strands of short loose honey brown hair drop out of the fabric, hiding her face.

Fingers covered in rings wave their way over the keys. So much like the gentle reflection of a bird flying over the waving surface of the ocean. The girl plays with the kindest of laziness, not even trying to build her music but simply only living in its soft, morning sound.

Karen likes Robin with the same intensity a mother feels for her child's apparent happiness. The softness in Nancy's eyes when her best friend speaks; the hidden teasing comments about the world only shared between the coy meeting of their gazes; the natural posture of them simply standing by one another as if always meant to be paired up.

Karen knows how Nancy laughs when Robin leans close and mutters only a couple of words to her ear. Karen didn't know Robin played the piano.

Karen didn't know the kid could create such beauty to the world without even trying.

When Nancy rounds the kitchen corner with her back on her mother and approaches Robin with two steaming cups carefully held in both hands, Karen doesn't flutter at the sight of the kiss.

Her daughter tips down to naturally brush her lips on her best friend's own and Robin naturally tilts her head up to keep the contact for as long as one more breath can take.

At the gentle kiss, Robin's hands keep moving as if possessing mind and soul of their own. Robin doesn't reach for the offered steaming cup, but her eyes never stop following Nancy as she circles around and comes to sit on the stool too. The next melody drops to the pace of a ballad full of romance and peace only able to be conveyed by the wonder of this music and, even from here, Karen can see her daughter smile at the other girl with a loving illumination shining across her face.

Karen takes a moment to sit on the clean chair in October's warm sunlight. Wraps both hands around the hot porcelain of her own cup, listening to the wonderful music that takes her back a couple of decades, to a bar that doesn't exist anymore, to a grand piano placed on stage and the way she used to play for hours to no end, for patrons that came just for the music and a drink and a laugh with their love, with their friends, with their own loneliness.

Karen closes her eyes, listening to her daughter's laugh pairing with piano's music, and hopes Robin stays with Nancy for a long long time.

#ronancetober #day nine #robin buckley x nancy wheeler #karen wheeler #stranger things fic #ronance #SOMEONE HAD TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PIANO IN THE WHEELERS' HOUSE #musician robin buckley my beloved #crawling my way to day 12 #blood and tears are shred

[astorxa]

Merlin’s beard, what is ( ASTORIA GREENGRASS ) doing out at this hour? For a ( PUREBLOOD ) who is ( 16 ) years old, ( SHE ) really ought to know better. You know, I hear that they’re aligned with ( THE NEUTRALS ), but that could be just a rumor. I do know that they’re ( QUESTIONING ) and a ( SLYTHERIN ) student though. They’re very ( + DIPLOMATIC ) and ( + INTELLIGENT ) but also quite ( - ALOOF ) and ( - OVERTHINKING ), which could be why they remind of ( USING DISTRACTIONS TO PASS THE TIME, SWEEPING YOUR HAND ACROSS A RACK OF EXPENSIVE DRESSES, THE YEARNING FOR MORE, A KNOWLEDGE UNQUENCHED ). Some people say they’re the spitting image of ( SYDNEY PARK ), but I’ve never heard of them. 

CHARACTER INSPO: Astrid Leong ( Crazy Rich Asians ), Leila Keating ( All American ), Nancy Wheeler ( Stranger Things ), Laurel Castillo ( HTGAWM ), Peyton Charles ( iZombie ), Celeste Wright ( Big Little Lies ).

EXTRAS: pinterest 

ABOUT:

It was a particularly cold day in October, upon a house on a hill in Kent, Astoria Greengrass was born quietly, in the late evening. Even then, she came out of the womb easily without much fuss, the labor was short, she cried once and then not at all. Even from a young age, she displayed the traits of a perfect daughter -- quiet, non questioning ( outwardly ), intelligent, stoic, curious but not too curious ( yet ), poised, obedient. Halloween was just around the corner and the Greengrass’ showed off their new daughter at their annual O’Hallows Eve event, only a little over a week old, she was the apple of their eye. It was like she came into the world to be perfect, seemingly serene, lovely, good. The Greengrass’ while frustrated they couldn’t have any sons, settled for daughters who would make the family name a shining example in the Wizarding World and would make good matches when the time came, they just had to be groomed to get there. It didn’t take much grooming for Astoria to play the part, to become the part, to excel at it like she was born to do so -- much to their pleasure.

She was also kind, inquisitive, sneaky, knowing the more she obeyed the less they’d watch her. At a young age, even though she was younger than many of the pureblood children she hung out with, she was the maternal, caring, quiet, warm presence many of them lacked. A quiet warmth among them, trying to give them the love that none of them got by simply being there, being by their side. If you needed something, go to Astoria. If you wanted something done or needed someone to back you up and legitimize your hijinks, go to Astoria. The only time she deigned to stand up against the adults was in defense of her fellow purebloods, as she felt a camaraderie as well as a responsibility for them she couldn’t really explain. Perhaps, it was the fact that they all had similar upbringings, that they were all practically indoctrinated into a society after the First War that was dying. The Greengrass’s were a dying breed and she easily took on the role of diplomat, of perfect dutiful daughter. She didn’t know anything else even though she longed to.

By the time Astoria was 11, she knew society well. Praised in Witch Weekly as ‘One to Watch’, she made subtle waves within society, going back to her mother’s home in Singapore frequently to further integrate with Pureblood society internationally. The name Astoria Greengrass was known in Pureblood circles and by the time she sixteen, she was fairly popular within them. A perfect socialite, a perfect daughter, a perfect diplomat, she’d been groomed since birth and fit into the role perfectly.

EXCEPT. She wondered. In between the traveling, her parents started to be less lenient with her due to her just being the daughter they didn’t need to worry about ( not that they were the most attentive parents in the first place )  -- she slipped in between the cracks and saw a world that was more than what she was given. The hate they raised her with she realized was fear, which was then countered by her need to know, her curiosity that was once unthreatening, propelled her into muggle cities, into muggle books, muggle music. Of course, she never talked about it, with anyone. But she knew. In her mind, there was so much more than what she had and the longing for it started. A life long love affair with knowledge, never quenched but always thirsty, was born.

That’s when the distractions, the hobbies of sketching, drawing, baking, cooking, reading, became needs. Her mind reeled, her mind saw so much more and realized how her family was on the wrong side of history. Sure, she could enjoy the perks of living, she could enjoy her name & her reputation, the money, the privilege she had of being pureblood, but the morality of it all started to weigh on her heavily. The older she got, the more she read about the dead during the First War. The people her family had helped slaughtered ( at least, they were neutral/DE leaning -- by proxy their blood was on her hands ). The people her Ministry parents had let slide, the people who came in and out of their home who were objectively bad people. She baked, though she wasn’t the best. She painted, she sketched, she made clothing designs of ornate dresses, some of which were brought to fruition and many of which were actually worn by Astoria. Witch Weekly asked her when her clothing line was coming out and Astoria became motivated to actually make one. Not due to desire, but due to the guilt of her life weighing down on her more and more -- instead of doing something about it, standing up to her family, Merlin forbid betraying them, she fell deeper down the rabbit hole of her life. They wanted a clothing line of evening gowns? Astoria would deliver. Brands wanted her to wear their clothing? She did and made them her own. Astoria got better and better at living a life that she felt horrible living because what other option did she have?

Astoria was a true hatstall between Slytherin and Ravenclaw.  He saw she was a wonderer, someone who had an unsatisfied need to learn about everything, that she would soar if she was to be an eagle. The hat kept trying to convince her that Ravenclaw was where she belonged, after all she read books, practically soaked up knowledge like a dry sponge & valued it extremely — but being away from her family? Away from the big sister she loved with all her heart and soul, the people she grew up with? Astoria was a Greengrass, but more importantly she held her value of family above anything else. After a few minutes, the hat saw this, it realized that maybe she did belong in Slytherin after all and let her go. Green robes adorned her, and she joined the House of Snakes with a superficial smile. Because underneath all of that, she was nervous, that maybe she had made a mistake. This was something that she often wondered but was able to push it away for years, happy that she was with the people she loved.

The Hat wasn’t wrong in the end, Astoria Greengrass belonged in Slytherin even if she was a Ravenclaw. She didn’t just belong there because of her last name or her company, but because of cowardice born from self-preservation and the deep need to be loyal to her family, to be by her sister’s side, though not prominent in all Slytherin wizards, was in her veins. Doing the right thing seemed much worse than betrayal, saying something against what she was taught was practically betrayal, so she kept her mouth glued shut. Astoria seemingly turned a blind eye to the budding war around her ( even though that was very much not the case, which was worse ), following her sister dutifully as a Greengrass as a socialite, even if she would’ve rather been home reading many of the books she had collected ( even if some where muggle and not allowed, she hid them under her bed & floorboards ). At 16 almost 17 years old, she’s more conflicted but down the rabbit hole than ever -- a small line of designer gowns under her belt, Witch Weekly’s endless love & praise being named Witch Weekly’s Jr. Socialite Of The Year -- something that weighs heavy on her. Her parents are pleased but Astoria is finding it harder and harder to adorn herself with beautiful clothing and look in the mirror like she isn’t as guilty as the Death Eaters by simply standing idly by. "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. " Astoria thinks about this quote. Often.

Underneath the grace and demure demeanor is not someone you want to piss off. With a sharp tongue and a sharper mind, Astoria could easily tear someone down, pick someone apart, so observant and very wry, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t need to and realized at a young age that she would gain more with being adored & loved than being feared -- but it doesn’t mean she can’t. This distinction is important.  She bites her tongue, she swallows the blood, but it doesn’t mean she can’t draw it if necessary.

EXTRA FACTZ:

alright i’m gonna stop bc i usually write long intros and i’m trying to learn the art of brevity

ISFJ & libra

has a cat named asteria because she thought it was funny tbh

patronus: swan

none of that blood curse BS bc cursed child isnt valid in my house!!!!!!

boggart: her sister’s dead body which signifies letting her family down and the person she loves most down, losing her family as well

if u didn’t already know daphne is everything to her

plays piano and violin

loves the stars and star jewelry, she does kinda like astrology too

questions her gender v v deep down, doesn’t really acknowledge or talk about it and doesn’t feel there’s room to

knows she aint straight though and is cool with it

buy the stars by marina and the diamonds is her SONG

always looking good. always looking fresh. she dresses up that uniform with so much jewelry, she looks GOOD AT ALL TIMES and is always wearing some sort of jewelry. designer everything on hogsmeade weekends. like ur girl is looking fresh 2 DEATH

it’s astoria or ria, even then only a few people can call her ria. it’s astoria or bust lol! none of that tori shit!

is something of a wine expert?? she’s real posh tbh. she went to italy (1) time and was like wow i am cultivating a Love of Wine and has done so

#potter intro #i gtg to get ready for bed now but!!! im excited!!!