Beca didn’t know why she let herself get dragged into these kinds of things. She missed the days of ease where should could say no without a second thought or feel the least bit guilty. The Bellas had made her soft and teddy bear-ish but she liked to pretend she still had that old edge. Even when Emily begged her to go on a campus tour she had remained strong in the face of those puppy dog eyes and gave her a firm no. She had plans, and none of those plans involved leaving the hotel room. It worked so well that she found herself following Emily through every campus building, including the bathrooms which Emily described as “adorable”…….right.
“Come on Legacy, you’ve seen practically every corner of this campus and that’s not even close to being an exaggeration.” Beca cried in frustration. Emily was to engrossed in the college brochure to even acknowledge Beca’s cries of frustration.
“Oh my gosh. The College of Fine Arts building is close to where we’re at, we can totally go before we have to meet up with the other Bella’s! Come on Beca, you’ll love it!” Emily bounced excitedly off towards the building with Beca following reluctantly.
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The inside of the building was what Beca had expected it to be, old and filled with even older things that held more history than she cared to learn. Not to say it wasn’t beautiful, just something she never really took a liking to in school. Although, the ancient instruments along the walls were peaking her interests. After all she was a musician.
“Ok Legacy, have you gotten your eyes full-“ Beca turned as she was speaking to an empty space behind her where she swore Emily was a few seconds ago.
“Emily?” She looked through a few room windows but didn’t see the freshman anywhere in sight. Beca opted for the nearest hallway, hoping she hadn’t gone too far. Who knew someone so loud could be so quiet.
After about 10 minutes of peeking through classrooms and auditoriums, Beca heard soft music drifting down the hall. She crossed her fingers that Emily had decided to stay in one place for more than five seconds. What she saw when she entered the room almost knocked the wind out of her.
Sitting on the piano bench was a very tall, very blonde, and very German Kommissar. She was wearing a short black skirt that did a wonderful job showcasing long, toned legs and a backless white shirt that revealed satiny skin so perfect. The curtains had been pulled back to allow the fading light of day into the room which seemed to make her glow. Her fingers danced across the keys with a familiarity like one has with an old friend, never faltering even when the pace quickened. Beca was so mesmerized by the sound and the motions that it didn’t even register that they had stopped and the pianist had turned to face her, a smirk clear on her face.
“Did you enjoy the show tiny Maus?” Kommissar’s smirk almost brought Beca to her knees.
“Yes, I mean I totally wasn’t mesmerized by the music or your gorgeous face you German goddess.” Kommissar’s laughter rang through the room causing Beca to blush even more than she already was.
“Tiny Maus, your insults need some work.” She scoots down the bench and pats the empty space next to her. “Come, sit with me.” Beca hesitates, standing in the same room with this woman was messing with her breathing, sitting next to her might stop her heart. Taking a deep breath she steps up onto the platform where Kommissar is and sits warily next to her. She goes back to the ivory keys, playing a slower melody, one that sounds vaguely familiar. Beca recognizes the song after a few seconds.
“Is….are you playing Titanium?” Kommissar looks out of the corner of her eyes at Beca, a small smile gracing her lips.
“You have a good ear, Tiny Maus. I see why you take such an avid interest in acapella.” She doesn’t miss a note while speaking.
“How would you know about my interests?” Beca stutters out. Kommissar turns her head this time to pin her with another smirk.
“You are not the only ones to scout out the competition.”
Beca gulps and silently hopes she didn’t hear. She doesn’t dwell long on that thought as she is whisked away by the German’s graceful movements and the song’s melody. It’s almost inhuman the way she moves, like an ethereal being from a mysterious time and place. She’s beautiful, even more than that but Beca can’t find the words.
The song comes to an end but her fingers are still on the keys, almost like she’s deciding on something.
“Do you play?” She arches an eyebrow at Beca.
Beca purses her lips. “Not since I was younger. My father didn’t think I had a future in music so he canceled my lessons.”
Kommissar’s eyes flashed with something that looked like concern but it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by that trademark smirk.
“Well I’m sure with a little warm-up you’ll remember. After all it’s like riding a bike, you never really forget.” She stands and walks behind Beca, leans down and places her hands over Becas’s. Beca is pretty sure her heart has stopped beating.
“Now, the basic notes are rather simple. Do you remember them?” Beca manages to shake her head no. She can barely think with them being so close to each other. Kommissar’s lips are dangerously close to Beca’s ear and she can feel her breath, hot and damp. She can almost hear the grin in her words.
“Then I guess we shall start from the beginning."