Invisible String

C.1: drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar

Madison shook her head before taking a small sip of her drink, not truly needing the help of the alcohol to keep playing in front of a small crowd, but it certainly helped. The next piece that came to mind was Tchaikovsky - Waltz of the Flowers, again, another simple piece for her but a beautiful one that sounded impressive enough to maybe kick off the tips.

The tips started coming hard and fast as she continued playing her own mini concerto, having practically taken the piano hostage and refused to leave it.

She took her time running through the repertoire of classical piano pieces, throwing out more well-known composers, such as more Beethoven, some Mozart, Chopin and finishing it up with some Bach.

She only spoke when someone came to throw some loose bills down beside her. She once the money started to slow down she interspersed in some current music, primarily British rock or pop, such as Queen and Elton John.

Having grown bored of the pieces that she was previously playing. Even the music that she played wasn't enough, not without a mic, something that she's probably earned for next time. Madison struggled to recall the last piece she learnt, a complex one without the added aid of stress of the recent weeks and the two whiskey sours that she'd spent the better part of the night drinking away.

Thankfully muscle memory kicked in the second she started. Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. A comparatively short piece but one that was complex and as a result required constant focus while completely sober, never mind the whiskey sours that she'd drunk.

As she played she paid no attention to the small crowd that had left their spots to come watch her hands move across the keys. They watched with baited breath as silence from the audience could be heard as they all ceased speaking to listen to the final piece in the performance that had taken up most of their night. The complex melody echoed around the bar.

"Thank you," Madison stated as she finally finished the piece as applause broke out around the entire bar that had gotten progressively busier since Madison first started playing. She stayed seated on the bench, as more money was placed at next to her empty glass. She slipped back on her heels.

She looked over at Rosa, the person who held the only opinion that mattered, a large smile was across her face, and she didn't even bother trying to hide how impressed she was.

Once people stopped throwing money down next to her, Madison pushed it all into a pile one that was almost too large for her to carry with one hand, not bothering to count the cash. With her free hand she picked up the empty whiskey sours glass.

She returned to the seat that she'd been previously sitting in, setting the two glasses not too far away from her. She started to count out and separate the cash. She gave Rosa a slight and awkward wave, as the bartender spoke to some man at the end of the bar. A slightly dishevelled man but a well-dressed one nonetheless.

Rosa rolled her eyes at the man, clearly trying to convince him that whatever he was planning was not the smartest idea. Rosa shook her head, throwing her hands up into the air as the man kept trying to argue with her.

After another couple of minutes going around in the same circle, Rosa left, and came back up to Madison, who was still counting the cash and separating it into the two piles.

"Impressive," Rosa smirked as she pulled out a glass from underneath the counter.

"How long was I playing for?" Madison asked, as she started to watch Rosa mix a drink in front of her.

"About two hours," Rosa commented with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I haven't played like that in a long time," Madison commented as she took one pile from counter and placed it into her small bag that she'd grabbed from behind the bar.